Windom High School - Eagle Yearbook (Windom, MN)

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entered upon the discharge of my duties, my office being in my little home on the farm. That summer, first came the grasshoppers from the southwest. and the most of my crop was eaten by them. This caused me to apply for the winter school at Wiindom. We had a Teachers' Institute early that fall for the four counties, Cot- tonwood, jackson, Nobles and Murray. It was held at XYindom, owing in part to is location, but more to the generosity and public spirit of the citizens of IVin- dom, who housed and fed the teachers attending the Institute free of charge. The school law required the County Superintendent to have a state teachers certificate from the state superintendent or president of the State University. At the close of the Institute State Superinendent H. B. VVilson handed me a first grade state certificate, without other examination than what he had seen of me during the institute. I was thus qualified to teach as well as to be county super- intendent. The school board decided on a four months' term, with two depart- ments, and employed Miss Imus to teach the primary and myself the higher de- partment, I to supervise both. The wages paid me were 340.00 per month, the primary teacher receiving something less. A new frame school house had just been built, with two rooms of the same size below, with a vestibule in front, and a large room above. The upper room was not finished, and was unused that winter. School opened in November. The branches taught were the three Risf' geography and ,Iinglish grammar, and I think one or two of my pupils studied elementary algebra. Wfe were very thorough in reading and arithmetic, but less so in geography and grammar. I had very little trouble with the pupils or their parents that winter, and I can not recall any incidents beyond the routine work of the school. At the close of the term I went back to the farm, There was a term of school the following sunnner, with one teacher only. I am not certain, but think Miss Imus was the teacher. I was urged to teach this school the next winter. but my health having steadily improved, I had determined to become a lawyer. and re- mained on the farm with my wife and baby. I borrowed some law books of my friend, Daniel Iluck, of Mankato, afterwards a judge of the supreme court of the state, and there began the study of law. The grasshoppers had hatched out in the spring of 1874, and did very great damage. I had no wheat or oats or garden, but I had a fine crop of corn. IVhen the hoppers got their wings. they migrated to the east, settling in the eastern part of Wiatowan. and parts of Blue Earth County. In the spring of 1875 I hired help. and put in quite a large acreage to wheat. oats and corn, and had great hopes of success as a farmer. On the fourth of july there was a grand celebration at VYindom. Great preparations were made. and the people were conhdent and happy. They attended the celebration in vast num- bers for the limited population. Ex-Governor Steven Miller was the orator of the day, and If read the Declaration of Independence. There was vocal and instru- mental patriotic music in abundance. It was. in fact, a time of jubilee, the people feeling that we were now rid of grasshoppers. On the tenth of july following. however, the hoppers came again. this time from the east. and in numbers many times greater than ever before. My crops were all destroyed, and the bottom went completely out of my determination to be a farmer. I had decided before this to fit myself for the bar. locate in XYindom, and keep my land west of Three I-akes. and be both a farmer and a lawyer. Knowing 8

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Tlfistory LAVV OFFICES OF WILLIAM PRENTISS 1513 ASHLAND BLOCK CHICAGO. - ILLINOIS C111c.xGo, ILL., March 13,1915 MR. G. Coxnixn XY1z1s131a, Iiditor-in-Chief, IQI5 Annual, XVIIICIOIII, Minnesota. . IJ1c.x1a S111 :!ln compliance with your request, I write. Threatened serious pulmonary anfection compelled me to quit college about the middle of my course, and on the advice of physicians, l went to Minnesota in the spring of 1869, hoping that its bracing air might save my life. An entire stranger in the state, by accident, almost, I landed in lllue liarth County, where I spent most of that summer, canvassing for books. and as I grew stronger, worked on a farm near Garden City. A Teachers' Institute for that County was held there in the early fall of '69 County Superintendent Goff urged me to attend this and to take a school in that County that winter. This l did, teaching a four months' term in a log school house in the woods, some tive miles southeast of Mankato. ln March, 1870, I took a claim a little west of Three Lakes, and built myself a little shanty there, hauling the lumber all the way from lilue Earth County. That fall I returned to my old home in Illinois. two hundred miles southwest of Chicago, having been absent about eighteen months. much improved in health, but not cured. The spring of 1871 I returned to Cottonwood County, driving overland in a covered wagon, diag- onally from my old home in Illinois, across Iowa, being entirely alone. There was no railroad in Cottonwood County. nor was there any XYindom until late that summer or fall. I continued to keep l3achelor's Hall on my claim, breaking prairie and working all summer, going back to Blue Earth County for the winter. I had in- tended to teach school, but the early and severe winter prevented the completion of the new school house. and so there was no school in the district where I had expected to teach. I tutored the children in the home of a farmer, who boarded me all winter and kept my horses for my services. I put in the greater part of my time reading and in study that winter, and in the spring of 1872, returned to Cottonwood County. Late that fall I again returned to Illinois, to marry the girl I left he- hind me, and the following spring brought her back with me. VVe began keep- ing house in a dwelling eight by fourteen feet in size. I had been appointed county superintendent of schools of Cottonwood Coun- ty While in Illinois the previous winter. being notified of such appointment by County Auditor Sam. M. lispey. Wlhen I returned witl1 my wife that spring, I 7

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that I would not get away that fall, I again applied for the school, and was en- gaged at the same wages as before for a tive months' term, with Miss Emma Chapel as primary teacher. There was no telling when I would get my pay, for school and county orders were already considerably below par. Nobody had any money except the money sharks, and they were slow about loaning it, even at thirty-six per cent interest. I had accumulated considerable personal property, and it took time to dispose of this, together with my horses, and besides, my time was not out as county sup- erintendent until the following spring. Notwithstanding the hard times and the poverty of most of the people, we had a much better school that winter than two years before when I taught. Many of the pupils were the same as then, but there were quite a number of new ones. .VVe had some interesting pupils in the school that winter. Two of Miss Chapel's sisters, young ladies. were in my room. One of them, Nellie, later be- came a teacher, as did also Eva Cook, Netta Sackett and Della Clark, I giving each of them certificates. There were also a number of large boys in the school, none of whom, however, as I recall, became teachers. The courses of study this winter were quite similar to those of the first winter. Many incidents took place in the school that would be interesting to relate, but time and space forbid. Most of these were amusing, but one was extremely sad, and caused a gloom not only over the school, but over the entire community. It was the death of VVill Steadman, the older brother of Frank. He was a fine boy, and well liked by every one. I helped to dig his grave. which was done mostly with a pick, as the ground was frozen to the very bottom of the grave. During the holidays we had a vacation, and I utilized this time to visit the country schools. Some of them were held in private houses, but there were a num- ber of fairly good school houses. Those in the northwest part of the county were among the best. In visiting these schools in the summer time, I usually rode on horseback, and remember once in july, '75, of riding twenty-five miles and back to visit two schools in the southwestern part of the county. One or two of the schools in the northwestern part of the county, among the Scandinavians, had out- line maps and an unabridged dictionary, and were quite up-to-date. A Vtihen I was appointed county superintendent, there were but ten schools in the county, but before my time was out they had increased to twenty-four. I do not believe I have forgotten a single pupil in my school at VVindom. A very warm attachment arose between the teacher and most of the pupils. I should like to mention every one of them by name, but space forbids. XYhen visiting Vtiindom and Cottonwood County last june, a picture of the scenes connected with that school when I was there was often before me. I looked at the beautiful school building in XYindom now, and wondered if the pupils appre- ciated how they were favored, compared with those of the early days. XN'hile in Cottonwood County, my experiences were then regarded by me as very great hardships, but I now look back upon them with pleasure, regarding them as truly educational. Sincerely yours, XVM. PRENT1ss. IZm'roR's Note.-lllr. Prcutiss was the first principal of schools in W'indom. 9