In July, 1856, the first white settlers came and took claims in the woods on the south side of the Little Sioux River in the southwest corner of the county. They were Christian Kirchner and Andrew S. Mead with their families and John J. Bicknell. They built cabins and broke up prairie for farms. In the fall Ezra Wilcox, James Bicknell and two brothers named Gillett brought their families and settled in the same vicinity. A town was laid out on the river bluff and named Peterson which became the first county-seat. In the spring of 1857 Inkpaduta’s band of Sioux Indians stopped in this settlement, robbed the people, killed or drove off about fifty head of cattle and fourteen horses belonging to Kirchner, Mead and Gillett, shot their hogs and destroyed much other property. The settlers were so few in number that they were unable to defend their homes and possessions. A deep show covered the ground, the cold was intense and the few isolated settlers had all they could do to defend their families from the savages.
The county was organized in October, 1858, by the election of the following officers: C. C. Smeltzer, judge; S. M. Foreman, treasurer, and E. M. Wilcox, clerk. John A. Kirchner built a dam across the river and erected the first saw and grist mill in that part of the State. The public business was recklessly managed for many years, fastening a heavy indebtedness upon the county which brought it into bad repute and retarded settlement. The officials who were responsible for these disreputable transactions were, as the county settled up, dislodged from the control of the county business and the large bonded indebtedness was declared illegal by the courts. In 1859 George E. Spencer of Jasper County made a claim on the west side of the Little Sioux River near the geographical center of the county, laid out a town giving it his own name.* In 1869 the town of Spencer was es-
*George E. Spencer became a distinguished officer in the Civil War, and after peace was established settled in Alabama, where he was elected to the United States Senate.
