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Without doubt the most widely known pioneer in or about Odebolt is Col. Albert S. Teaquist whose fame as an auctioneer is favorably known throughout northwestern Iowa. That trite saying, "Auctioneers are born, not made" certainly holds good in this case, for the Colonel's facile manner, as well as proficient knowledge of farm stock and implements has served to make him the ideal auctioneer. His magnetic manner never fails to enthuse the crowd and his utmost fairness in dealing with the bidders inspires their confidence in him.
Colonel Teaquist commenced crying sales when but a mere lad, being but nineteen years old when he conducted his first auction for which he received the munificent sum of fifty cents and a plow. Despite the smallness of his reward it served well to stimulate him to further effort. That year he cried three sales and each one was a success.
Born January 11, 1866 in Skorsburjlan, Sweden, the son of Abraham and Jane Teaquist, the Colonel came to America with them, settling first in Jacksonport, Wis., later removing to Delaware county, Iowa and locating in Wheeler township, Sac county in 1877. During the first year of his settlement here his father died, leaving a widow and six sons and daughters. His mother died about two years ago after having spent many years in his home.
January 7, 1897 Colonel Teaquist married Miss Amanda Bergin who died December 13, 1905. To this union were born four sons, all of whom are now living and steady up-standing young men. In June 1914 the Colonel chose for his wife Mrs. Ida M. Hume.
During the life of his boyhood days the Colonel underwent many hardships for in those days the winters were long and severe but he always came up smiling and has ever proved himself a thorough optimist at all times.
For twenty-two years he worked in a hardware and implement store, but the lure of farm life was too great to resist so he retired to his 240 acre farm which is five miles northwest of town and here he conducted a model farm stocked with the finest stock. As the auction profession demanded a greater portion of his time he turned the running of the farm over to his sons and purchased the former palatial home of C. S. Cathcart where he now makes his home. Still he finds the time to oversee the conduct of the farm and give his boys the benefit of his knowledge.
For fifty years Colonel Teaquist has lived in Sac county and lived to see it develop from a vast, unbroken prairie into a populous cultivated garden spot, with railroads running through it, splendid farms, thriving towns and communities that cannot be excelled anywhere.
The early days, when but a boy, the hardships and manner of living, as told by Colonel Teaquist makes interesting reading and from him has been gleaned the following interesting story:
"On the first of March, 1877, we left Manchester, Iowa, for Sac City and went by the Illinois Central railroad to Newell, from which place we drove across the prairie to Sac City, getting there about noon. After getting our dinner we started southwest for Wheeler township, fording the creeks and slews [sic], climbing the hills until we reached the home of A. P. Nelson that evening after dark. It was snowing at the time and we remained with Mr. Nelson for a day or two after which we rented a house of Mr. Kallmer, two miles distant. This house was boarded up on the outside and plastered with mud on the inside but it served to keep out the wind, and most of the snow and rain and beat a snow bank for shelter. For the stock we had a hole dug on the side of the hill, covered with brush that was brought from what was called at that time, Four Mile grove which was about twelve miles south of the place, and on the brush we would pile slew hay and this made a good cover and the stock was able to rest quite comfortably. We would gather corn stalks and slew hay to burn as there was no timber available, and for water we would go down to the draw and sink a barrel with both heads out and that answered for a well and we had plenty of fresh spring water.
A little later my father went to the timber and got a load of wood which served as the summer fuel. Then my brother, sister and myself went to work for a man by the name of E. A. Bennett who owned at that time what is now called the Denenby place. There I was supposed to herd cattle. But instead they put me at driving three yoke of oxen hitched to a breaking plow. The range was so plentiful and the crops so few that the cattle needed but little attention, so I would drive the cattle to the range in the morning and then drive the oxen on the plow all day and at night gather the cattle and drive them home. For all this I received $8.00 per month, working full time, thirty or thirty-one days a month. Snakes were plentiful and I have killed as many as a dozen rattlesnakes in one nest. Over on section 36, Blaine township, Ida county, there was considerable sand, and snakes would gather in the sun in the early spring days in bunches. I also saw deer, and coyotes were plentiful. I helped catch one old one and five young ones at one time on the farm now owned by Mrs. Teresa Reynolds. The young ones were bought and taken back to Pennsylvania by land seekers.
At one time when the wheat was about two inches high I had a job catching grasshoppers. We had a grasshopper trap about twenty feet long which would hold three bushels of grasshoppers and we would get it full five or six times a day. This was an interesting job. There were plenty of prairie chickens. They would lay their eggs and hatch them out on the open prairie and it was entertaining to watch them sneak away through the grass with their little ones, for there would be from fifteen to twenty in a covey.
I herded cattle until harvest time when I went home to help my father harvest what little wheat and oats the grasshoppers had left us. Then I hired out to a half dozen farmers to herd their cows which had been staked out all summer. The farmers would bring the cows to one place in the morning and I would take and herd them all day and bring them back at night and as they were mostly milch-cows they would go home by themselves. I staid [sic] at each place for as many days as they had cows in the herd and for this I received $10.00 a month.
I continued in this job until I was called home on account of five of the family being sick with typhoid fever. There was a Dr. Hall [Hull] who roomed at the Sparks place just east of Odebolt, where Reuben Hokenson [Hokanson] now lives. I was sent for the doctor way in the night and there was only one house between home and the doctor's office. It had snowed and I had no trouble following the trail through the tall grass.
After a few weeks one of my sisters died and two weeks later my father also died, leaving my mother with us children to fight life's battle alone. After this I staid at home and helped Mother. Father had bought this land for $6.25 per acre and had paid $160.00 on it and was in debt for the balance, as well as for most of the property he had, besides the doctor's fee and the funeral expenses. It was mighty hard sledding for the next five years I can tell you.
I recall of having a few good hogs to sell and a buyer came out from town and said that he would give $1.50 per hundred weight for them. It took a mighty large hog in those days to bring $5.00. The next spring a man moved neighbor to us, from Illinois and he wanted to buy some brood sows. Mother told him we could have his pick of five at $5.00 apiece but he thought this was too much and only took two. Corn was as low as eight cents a bushel, wheat forty to fifty cents a bushel, eggs five to seven cents a dozen with butter about the same price.
Mother bought a cultivator from Henry Hanson but did not have the money to pay for it at the time. The following winter Mr. Hanson had some corn on his farm he wanted hauled to Odebolt, a distance of seven miles and he told Mother that she could have me haul it and by doing this pay for the cultivator. I would leave home in the morning and go to Mr. Hanson's place, load up forty bushels of ear corn and take it to Odebolt. For this I received eighty cents and if you don't think it was a day's work for a thirteen year old boy just try it yourself."
Clipping Source: "Fifty Years of Progress"; The Odebolt Chronicle
Vol. 51, Number 31, Thursday, August 25, 1938)
transcribed by B. Ekse from microfilm