The
first pre-emption claim made in Antelope
County was by George St. Clair commonly
know
as "Ponca George", a man of
Canadian French decent. His claim
was number 941, in the
Dakota Land District. He settled
in April 25, 1868 and on June 30, he
placed his claim, which
was in the St. Clair Valley. This
valley was one of the finest valleys
in the county. George went
west in the same year.
Josiah
McKirahan, from Belmont County, Ohio,
pre-empted Claim number 957. The
date of his settlement
was November 2, 1868. He "proved
up" his claim November 28, 1868,
and sold the
claim to Cyrus D. Buck on May 6, 1869.
This was the first deed executed
in the county.
Michael
J. Hughes brought his family into the
county in June, 1868, and moved away
in the following
October. His was the first family
that lived in the county.
The
first permanent settlement was made
by Crandall Hopkins, who came here from
Cuyahoga
County, Ohio, in November 1868.
The
next permanent settlers were Thomas
Mahan, Charles Timms, J. H. Snider and
family, A.
M. Salnave, Jacob Bowsman and William
Clark, who came in the early spring
of 1869.
A
few months later, B. A. Trueblood, Albert
Sleitter, August Learman, John Corwin,
A. M.Towsley
and Charles Dworak arrived and made
their claims.
In
1870, the Cedar Creek settlement was
made. Among the settlers were
A. J. Leech, Henry King,
Edward and Albert Palmer, S. Morgan,
Charles Wilson, Anson L. Kimball and
Chauncey
Seely. This settlement is about
seven miles above Oakdale.
About
a month later, Martin L. Freeman, Thomas
Stolp, Louis Contois, Louis Patras and
W.W.
Putney, followed later by his family,
moved into the county.
West
Cedar Valley was settled in June, 1872,
by Thomas Lawton, William Lawrence,
Henry
Griffith, Henry Rogers, Henry Karl and
I. N. Taylor.
The
first birth in the county was that of
Anna Kimball, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
A. L. Kimball, May
1, 1870.
The
first marriage was a double one on August
14, 1869; Allen Hopkins to Miss
Frances Bausman and
Elias Ives to Miss Hopkins, sister of
Allen Hopkins.
The
first death was that of Mary Frances
Snider on October 4, 1870.
The
first post office in the county was
at Twin Grove.
The
first post master at Twin Grove was
J. H. Snider.