Relocating Mower County Seat (and involvement of former Lansing residents)
Two Lansing Township residents were directly involved in the change of the county seat from Frankford, once a bustling village in Frankford Township about five miles east of Grand Meadow, to Austin. One was Alanson Vaughan and the other was Jeremiah B. Yates. Yates was also born in New York and was engaged in farming, hotel and mercantile business in Wisconsin before coming to Austin. Yates was three years engaged in the mercantile trade with V. P. Lewis (the second mercantile business in Austin) and was in competition with Vaughan for recording the first plat of Austin. He was the first elected Sheriff of Mower County. Much of his time, he was a farmer in Lansing Township.
The first Board of County Commissioners was appointed by the territorial authorities. On the first Monday in April 1856, the County Commissioners met in the log store of David Frayer, of Frankford, and by a vote which was not record, located the county seat at Frankford. They also appointed county officials to serve until January 1, 1857.
In the fall of 1856, there was the first election ever held in the county. This was for legislative and county officers, in which the east and west sides of the county were sharply divided. Each side ran their ticket of candidates for the offices. The west side ticket, except for the office of County Surveyor, was elected by a majority of 46 votes out of 374. Prior this election, the east side held all the offices except three minor ones.
When the new Board of County Commissioners meet in January 1857, they could not find a record of the county seat being located anywhere. Jeremiah Yates and his assistants: Alanson Vaughan, G. H. Bemis and Horace Blodgett relocated the county seat to Austin. The county seat, consisting then of a peddler's tin box, which could be carried in one hand, was spirited away from Frankford and after many narrow escapes was hid for a time at High Forest and then brought to Austin, and for several days (until blood could cool a little) hid in a cellar in Austin, covered by a pile of potatoes. On June 1, 1857, the county seat, by a vote of the people, was formally located at Austin. (Source: History of Mower County, 1884, page 225)
The first Board of County Commissioners was appointed by the territorial authorities. On the first Monday in April 1856, the County Commissioners met in the log store of David Frayer, of Frankford, and by a vote which was not record, located the county seat at Frankford. They also appointed county officials to serve until January 1, 1857.
In the fall of 1856, there was the first election ever held in the county. This was for legislative and county officers, in which the east and west sides of the county were sharply divided. Each side ran their ticket of candidates for the offices. The west side ticket, except for the office of County Surveyor, was elected by a majority of 46 votes out of 374. Prior this election, the east side held all the offices except three minor ones.
When the new Board of County Commissioners meet in January 1857, they could not find a record of the county seat being located anywhere. Jeremiah Yates and his assistants: Alanson Vaughan, G. H. Bemis and Horace Blodgett relocated the county seat to Austin. The county seat, consisting then of a peddler's tin box, which could be carried in one hand, was spirited away from Frankford and after many narrow escapes was hid for a time at High Forest and then brought to Austin, and for several days (until blood could cool a little) hid in a cellar in Austin, covered by a pile of potatoes. On June 1, 1857, the county seat, by a vote of the people, was formally located at Austin. (Source: History of Mower County, 1884, page 225)