Article from Chaska History Book
litis
Mr. and Mrs. Mathias Iltis Sr.
were asked to change the name. Dahlgren
Township was settled on as the new name.
The first election in Chaska Town-
ship was held May 11, 1858. Although
the results of that election are inter-
esting from the standpoint of "another
first," they were important for an even
more significant reason. It would be
the township government which had the
most dramatic impact on the development
of the new community. Also, even after
the village was officially incorporated,
the township would continue to control
the purse strings. Finally, it would be
the township which would make the move
that ultimately insured the county seat's
remaining in Chaska.
Since Jacob Ebinger had been elected
to two posts, that of assessor and road
supervisor, he declined to take the super-
Old Mathias lItis was 52 when he
brought his family to Chaska in 1855.
With him came his wife, Maria, and four
children - Frederick, Peter, Mathias
and Magdalena. Two years later another
son, Karl, was born. Because of the
advanced ages of the couple, it is un-
known whether they left adult children
behind in Alsace, but some members of
the family believe it was possible.
Iltis was one of the Yorkville
Prairie settlers. The Iltis children
became active in the early development
of Chaska. Fred, after returning from
the Civil War, operated the local ferry
service for many years. He also ran a
hack service and served in the public
office including the State Senate.
Mathias, Jr., was a local tinsmith and
an active member of the Concordia SinSt-
ing Society. Both brothers, Fred and
Mathias, served as representatives from
the Chaska district on the county board.
Peter was also involved in several bus-
inesses, including the National Hotel,
and served in the State Legislature for
three years. Magdalena married Henry
Young, one of the early retailers in
town.
visor's job and Mathias lItis was appoint-
ed to the position. The names of the
ninety-three persons who participated in
the election are listed in Appendix B.
Meanwhile, Chanhassen Township was
also holding its first town meeting
and election. The location was the
school house, about a mile northwest
of Hazeltine Lake. Among the township's
first elected officers were several
from the southwestern part of the town.
George M. powers presided as clerk at
the meeting and was also elected to
that office. Frank A. Rentz and Still-
man Reid were two of the three supervi-
sors elected. Reid had settled in
Chaska Township when he first came to
the county, but had then moved on to
Chanhassen Township. Joseph Kessler
was elected one of two justices of the
peace. William Sarver became one of
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the road overseers.
In the first year of its existence
Chaska Township voted to collect rive
hundred dollars for general township
expenses. The second year that figure
was lowered to four hundred dollars.
All male residents over twenty-one
years of age could choose to pay their
taxes in cash or they could work on
the town's road system in lieu of a
cash payment. If working -the tax debt
off each taxpayer was expected to work
four days of the year cn the town's
roads and bridges. This form of taxa-
tion ,continued for some time. In 1858,
less than nineteen dollars was collected
in cash. By 1859 the cash collection
was up to seventy dollars and by 1860
it exceeded one hundred dollars. The
tax collector, in turn, was paid a fee
or commission for collecting taxes.
The first efforts to "civilize"
Chaska came in 1859 when two proposals
were approved by the supervisors. The
first allowed hogs and all animals to
run at large during the "whole year"
except within the platted town of Chaska.
When he made his original motion Jacob
Byhoffer wasn't thinking of excluding
the townsite. That proposal, in the
form of a mqtion, was made by T. D.
Smith who was also the Fuller agent in
town.
The second proposal regulated the
construction of fences within the town-
ship. Those early fences were made
from rough boards.
One historian spoke of the amicable
nature of the new residents of Chaska
and the lack of litigation because of
arguments. While Chaska did not have
a reputation-for lawlessness, neither
is a "rosy" picture completely accurate.
The land disputes which resulted large-
ly from "soonerism" did not exist since
there were so few "sooners" in the area.
There were land disputes, however, and
some were settled on reasonable terms
but some set the stage for "accidents".
One that had a tragic endin~ was
the land dispute between John Schlem-
lein and Nicholas Barton. It started
as a quarrel over a claim and ended
with Barton dead and several Chaska area
residents on trial for manslaughter.
Al though Schlemlein' s name appears in
the early accounts of the incident, he
was only one of several defendants.
The case came to trial during the
first session of court in Carver County.
As county attorney, J. A. Sargent was
the prosecutor, while J. M. Holland
and Frank Warner defended Schlemlein.
The trial was held over a year after
Barton's death. The jury could not
agree and reported back to the court
that it was hopeless. The prosecution
decided against retrying the case.
According to the indictment, Barton had
been the victim of a deadly assault
with clubs, staves, guns, and axes. It
was alleged that the death blow had re-
sulted from an axe wound in the back.
There were other cases of a less
serious nature tried during that session
of court also. Among other matters,
Hermann Miller, Fred Hecklin, Joseph
Vogel, ~nd Jacob Ebinger received their
citizenship papers. Court was held in
the Fuller store.
The first men to serve on a Carver
County Grand Jury were: o. A. Henensson,
Jacob Slicker, August Fisher, Joseph
Kessler, Frederick DuToit, George
Simmons, Henry Eschle, H. E. Lowell,
Ferdinand Reudiger, Levi H. Griffin,
Stephen Pahnd, Charles Gebhard, Joseph
Mitchell, Robert LeClair, John Walter,
George Loy, Charles Raitz, John Koch,
H. M. Lyman. Lowell was the foreman.
Judge Andrew G. Chatfield had preside
at the first session of court which was
in the Third Judicial District. Thomas
B. Hunt was the clerk of court. When
the second court term was called six
months later Charles E. Flandrau of St.
Peter was the presiding judge.
If the first term jurors were faced
with a dilficult decision in a tragedy,
the second term jurors participated in
a comic farce.
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Years later J. A. Sargent wrote in
the'Herald about that second term case.
The accounts which has been often repeated,
follows:
"It was at the fall term of the dis-
trict court (second term, December 1857)
that the somewhat celebrated case - The
Chaska ComEany against Nicholas Lang -
was - tried by jury. It became celebrated
not for the amount in controversy s but
for the style and wording of the verdict
of the jury. This was so unique and
original that some wag caused it to be
published in Harper's Monthly. The
Chaska company commenced an action in
replevin to recover possession of a
small building, or house, which, it was
alleged, of right belonged to the company
and had been hauled away by defendant.
Lang denied that he had unlawfully removed
it, and the ownership claimed by the
company and demanded a jury to pro~ect
his rights. The rich Chaska company was
represented by Honorable L. M. Brown,
one of the most distinguished attorneys
of the Minnesota valley and poor Lang
by J. M. Holland, Esq. After a long and
tedious trial the case was given to the
jury after an able charge by Judge
(Charles E.) Flandrau. The jury retired
and after a short time brought into -
court a verdict in substance as follows:
'The verdict of the jury is that Nicholas
Lang had a right to move the building
wherever he d---d pleased.' Court then
adjourned." The jury foreman who deliver-
ed the verdict was named Charles Sorenson.
Catholic and Protestant missionaries
had visited the Chaska area before settle-
ment began. S. R. Riggs received no
encouragement and pushed on farther up
river when he was choosing a location
for his mission in 1843.
Various reports indicate the Methodist
Church, or at least its missions, may
have been active in Chaska as early as
1855.
In a letter back home, dated 1863;
Lucius Howe commented that there were
four churches active in the community.
In addition to the Moravian and Roman
Catholic churches, Howe spoke of
Methodist and Baptist congregations.
Procession of Catholic children through the village.
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