Blue Earth County, Minnesota - Chapter 17: Events in Blue Earth County from, 1901

Progress Put In Motion

take their place. The sound of the war whoop, towards Mankato. The Minnesota A^alley Railof fife and drum, of the firing of guns, of mourn- ,vay, built from Mendota to Shakopee. Its first

It is to these new sounds and scenes that the g^gOO acres of land belonging to' the Winneeoncluding chapters of this history will be de- ^^^^ Agency in Blue Earth County were sold

The crops all over the county were quite good this year except in Butternut Valley and vicinity, where the grasshoppers swept everything before them.

On Sept. 6, 1865, Town 105, range 29, which had heretofore been attached to Shelby, and had been known first as Otsego, and afterwards as Willow Creek, was created into a new town christened "Pleasant Mound," and the first town meeting was held at the house of H. G. Longworth. On the same 6th day of September, town 107, range 29, which had heretofore been attached to Ceresco and known as Fox Lake, was by the county board made into a new town under the name of Lincoln, the first town meeting being held at the home of John W. Trask.

On Sept. 7th the County Commissioners elected E. D. B. Porter as Superintendent of the country schools for the year commencing Jan. 1, 1866. On the same date (Sept. 7th) the new Presbyterian church at Mankato was dedi- . cated.

At the fall election this year the' main interest centered about the fight between Col. B. P. Smith and Eobert Eoberts for the office of Eegister of Deeds. Both had been candidates before the Eepublican County convention, but Col. Smith had finally won after a very bitter fight. Mr. Eoberts and his friends had their Welsh blood up and refused to abide by the decision of their party. He sought and obtained the Democratic nomination for the office and there was another hot fight. The Welsh were Eepublicans almost to a man, but the most of them bolted their county ticket this fall and the Democratic party, though in the minority, was able to elect a number of its candidates for county offices, but Col. Smith because of his ^.eat popularity came out victorious by a small majority.

In October 1865, the postal money order system was first inaugurated in Blue Earth County at Mankato. On Dec. 11th and 12th, 1865 occurred a severe blizzard in which Thos. Lameraux, an old settler of South Bend, and several others lost their lives on the western prairie. There was deep snow and much cold weather all winter, and many people froze to death, but not in Blue Earth County.

In January, 1866, the weekly mail service from Mankato to Few Ulm was increased to a tri-weekly, for which Lewis D. Lewis was contractor. There had been for a long time a triweekly mail to South Bend, Garden City, Vernon and Shelbyville, a weekly mail to Mapleton, Sterling and Liberty, also, to Cobb Eiver, Watonwan, Willow Creek and Pleasant Mound. There were, also, two daily mails to Mankato; one from St. Paul and the other from Winona by way of Winnebago Agency.

In December, 1865, James P. Gail laid out the townsite of Lowell upon the Blue Earth Eiver, in section thirteen of Garden City township. Mr. Dustin during the winter built a large flour mill at this point, which was operated for several years. Nothing further came of the townsite. Geo. Marsh, also, completed a flour mill at Shelbyville.

During the spring and summer the Eed Jacket mill was erected on the Le Sueur by Harrington - and Scott, and soon became one of the most noted flour mills in the county. The same season Hegele & Henline added a grist mill department to their steam saw mill in Mankato, and the old stone windmill was built and operated by Phillip Touner in South Bend. These mills as a rule gave about thirty pounds of flour, five pounds of shorts, and eight pounds of bran for a bushel of wheat.

On March 13th, 1866, town 106, range 26, which heretofore had been called Winneshiek, was organized under the names of Beauford on petition of Chas. MacBeth and twenty-six others. The first town meeting was appointed to be held at the house of John Prey. On May 29th the town of Lyra was created on petition of M. L. Plumb and twenty-six others, the first town meeting to be at the house of L. Schroeder on the first Tuesday in July, but which was not held until September 22nd following.

A big freshet early in April carried away a number of bridges and mill dams over the county, as was usual when there was deep snow the previous winter. The wooden bridges and dams of those early days could not stand much of a flood.

mined by the Blue Earth Cmmty Fair Association in favor of Garden City. Mankato made a strong bid for it and offered a bonus of $1,174; while all Garden City could raise as bonus was $818, but a twenty acre site could be bought at Garden City for $550 wiiile the same quantity of land at Mankato cost $1,000. About the 1st of May, 1866 President Johnson remitted the sentences of death in the case of the 173 Sioux Indians, who were yet alive at Davenport prison and they were turned over to the care of the Sioux Agency in Nebraska.

On the 31st of May General W. T. Sherman arrived at Madelia on his way to Ft. Eidgely and an effort was made to have him visit Mankato but he was unable to do so.

The Legislature in the session of 1865 had authorized Mankato to issue $10,000 and Garden City $3,000 in bonds for the building of school houses in their respective districts, which bonds were voted and contracts let for the buildings in the summer of 1866.

Boardman and Wampler had the contract for the Mankato building, which is the original part of the present Union building. Until this structure was completed our county seat had no public school building, except the little log structure of 1855, which had long been too small and dilapidated for use. So the school had been kept in halls, vacant stores, and any old place that could be got. The Garden City school house was built at a cost of $4,000.00.

The Legislature of 1866, through the efforts of Daniel Buck, then State Senator from our county, passed an act locating the second state Formal school at Mankato, on condition that the village raised $5,000.00 as a bonus to be used in purchasing of a site and otherwise. On September 14th, 1866, a mass meeting met at the city hall in Mankato to devise means for raising the money, and a soliciting committee w-as appointed as follows: John J. Shaubut, John F. Meagher, H. Dubuison, J. Wm. Hoerr, David Wilcox, E. D. B. Porter, John E. Beatty, James Shoemaker, E. J. Marvin, John F. Hall, Eev. J. E. Conrad, and Daniel Buck.

At Manliato the M. E., Baptist, Episcopal, and one or two other denominations built church buildings, this year. Mead and Lovejoy, who had been manufacturing cement brick at Garden City, started the same industry at Mankato, but only made enough for the residence of Judge James Brown.

Navigation was good for a short period in the spring, and then the river became too low for any but flat boats. Among the boats engaged in the trade of our county this year were: The Chippeway Falls, Mollie Mohler, Julia, Otter, Stella Whipple, Albany, Pioneer, Pearl, Cutter, Enterprise, Mankato, Hudson and. Flora. J\ corps of United States engineers, under Capt. Davis, were employed this year in making surveys of the Minnesota river, with reference to its improvement. It demonstrated among other things that in the distance from the mouth of the Yellow Medicine to mouth of the Blue Earth river a distance of seventy miles, the fall was twenty-eight feet. A survey of the Blue Earth showed an average fall of five feet to the mile.

Progress was made this year towards road improvements in the vicinity of Mankato. Through the efforts of James Shoemaker the Glenwood ravine road was laid out and several hundred of dollars subscribed and expended in its improvement. Seven hundred and fifty dollars was expended in grading the Belgrade hill. The road up the Thompson ravine was, also, opened and graded.

The year 1866, closed with a very belligerent feeling between Mankato and New Ulm, caused by the lynching on December 86th in rather a barbarous fashion of two Mankato citizens by a mob at New Ulm. The victims were Campbell and Liscom, two trappers, who in a saloon row killed a prominent resident of New Ulm. An excited mob soon gathered and took both men from the Jail, hung them and threw their bodies into the river, through a hole in the ice. For a few days the mob had full control of the usually quiet German town and defied arrest, and things looked warlike. A number of determined men under Capt. L. N. Holmes of Mankato and the sheriff finally went to New Ulm and found and brought away the bodies of the two men and obtained such, evidence as could be got regarding the affair. Arrests were made and the trials dragged in the courts for some years. One John Gut was convicted and sentenced to be hung, but, after a long legal battle, his sentence was commuted to imprisonment. The other ring leaders defaulted their bail and left the country.

With the first of January, 1867, let us take a birdseye view of the county, as it appeared to two eye witnesses at the time. First comes Mankato with a population of about 3,300. It had about 305 frame, twenty-two brick, and four stone dwellings, fifteen dry goods stores, fifteen grocery stores, three hardware stores, five harness shops, four jewelry stores, two bakeries, two printing offices, twenty-two restaurants, eight cabinet shops, two chair shops, four ^''agon shops, four carriage shops, eight blacksmith shops, two paint shops, two millinery shops, four cooper shops, one gun shop, two barber shops, three grist mills, three saw mills, one fanning mill factory, one pump factory, two turning mills, one oil mill, four livery barns, two photograph galleries, five schools, two banks, six boot and shoe stores, ten doctors, seven law offices, five insurance offices, three drug stores, one bookstore, four butcher shops, eight hotels, one express office, twelve warehouses, one fire engine house, one hook and ladder company, one hose house, six churches, one pottery, one foundry, one barrel factory, one brewery, four brick yards, two lime kilns and one stone quarry.

One thousand one hundred and fifty tons of freight had been received during the year 1866, and 4,700 tons exported. J. J. Thompson & Co. had a line of teams carrying every day to and from the railroad terminals. One hundred ninety-three reapers and mowers and nineteen threshers were sold at Mankato during the year. The fur trade footed up to over $15,000.00 and the mercantile trade to over $600,000.00. There were three daily mails, one to St. Paul, one to Winona and one to Blue Earth City, one tri-weekly mail to "New Ulm and one semi-weekly to Madelia. The lower story of the Union School building had been completed, five teachers were employed, and about 300 pupils attended the public schools. The Catholic school, in charge of the Sisters of ISTotre Dam, had four teachers and about 180 pupils, and there were a number of private schools. Mankato Township had a large grist mill at Eed Jacket, on the Le Sueur, and three sawmills, one at Hoosier Lake, one at Tivoli and one owned by Burgess & Co. South Bend village had five general stores, two hotels, one ?aw and grist mill combined, one saw mill, one shoemaker, one blacksmith, and one cooper shop. There were two church buildings in the village and another in the township.

At Garden City village were: Garden City Mills, Harrington and Loveland proprietors, capacity 450 bushels of wheat per day, new warehouse, which will hold 15,000 bushels, the Yankee mills, Quayle & Friend proprietors, 250 bushels' capacity, a planing mill, shingle mill and saw mill attached, one steam saw mill, owned by L. E. Potter & Bros., with capacity of 10,000 feet of lumber per day, three general stores, one drug store, one hotel, one real estate office, one millinery, one harness shop, one shoe shop, two wagon shops, two blacksmith shops, one cooper shop, one livery stable, four doctors, one dentist, a public school with 150 scholars, and Baptist, Presbyterian and M. E. Churches holding regular services.

Watonwan in the same township had the Butterfield Mills, and New Lowell had the Dustin Mill, with capacity of 350 bushels of wheat per day, a carding mill was also attached. Vernon contained a steam mill, hotel, church and three stores. Shelbyville, had a hotel, saw mill, three stores, church and blacksmith shop. Shelby. Center had a mill and a store. Sterling Township had one store and two mills, a church and five school houses. Mapleton had three school houses, a store kept by Eobert Taylor, and a Free Will Baptist church organization. Lyra had one saw mill in operation and two other mills being built. Eapidan contained the large new flour mill of S. Kenworthy & Co., the saw mill of Eew & Heaton, and Lucius Dyer was building a saw mill on the Maple and, also, Simons & Mickle. -Judson had two stores, the Goodyear nursery and a church. Butternut Valley contained a hotel, a church building and two church organizations, and two school houses. Hilton, (now St. Clair) had three stores, a hotel, a saw and grist mill and a blaeksinith shop. Adjoining it was Winnebago Agency, where the agenfs house had been converted into a hotel by J. C. Truman, and Henry Poster had a large store and postoffice. McPherson Township had another sawmill. Every town in the county had school houses and was dotted over with farm houses, of which the great majority were log buildings. Everywhere during the summer season the breaking plow ' was in evidence and the vast wheat fields were growing rapidly larger every year.

The winters of 'this period were long and cold and the log houses and the clothing were none too warm. Few could afford fur overcoats or overshoes, or an extra stove in the house. The shawls and Indian blankets, which were the fashion with the men in the antibellum winters had given place to the blue soldier overcoats with the cape and brass buttons stamped with the hilarious eagle.

The great war debt was heavy on the people and the revenue collector was abroad in the land. Every deed, note, mortgage, contract and even match box and broom and every common household utensil and store commodity must bear the government stamp. The lawyers, doctors, dentists, etc., have to procure licenses.

The winter of 1866-7 was very severe with much snow, and there was, a big spring freshet, with the usual damage to bridges and dams, especially on the Watonwan. On Fel). 12tb, 1867, the Legislature authorized the County Commissioners of our county to issue $10,000.00 in bonds to build a county jail, but provided that the matter of the location of the jail be submitted the voters of the county at the election to be held April 2, 1867. This provision was inserted at the instigation of the citizens ot Garden City, -\\-ho still cherished hopes of securing the county seat. The vote resulted in 1655 votes for Manl^ato and 783 for Garden City. The contract was let soon thereafter to Lewis J. Lewis and the building erected during the summer and fall. The jail part was of stone and

On ilay 8th, 1867 the town of Butternut ^ 'alley was divided, all that portion located in Township 109 being, on petition of Geo. Owens and forty-three others, created into a new town, under the name of Cambria. The first town meeting was held as appointed on June 3rd, 1867, at school house in district Wo. 11.

The matter of hop culture received considerable attention this ^^ear and yards were planted by Shoemaker and Shepard and Andrew Hanna in West Mankato, and by parties in South Bend and Eapidan.

A bill v.'as passed by the Legislature in March appropriating $150,000.00 for the erection of three Normal school buildings, one of which to be at Mankato, but it was vetoed by Gov. Marshall and the Mankato normal building had to be postponed.

A number of new school districts were created this year in the new towns on the Winnebago Agency. On July 13th, 1867, several thousand acres of the Winnebago lands were sold mostly to speculators for bids ranging from $7.00 to $7.25 per acre.

About July 1, 1867, a raft of 50,000 feet of saw logs were floated from Lake Elysian through its outlet into the Le Sueur river. At the present village of St. Clair a number of tlie logs got stuck and were sold to the mills there. Most of the black walnuts were taken through. The navigation of the Minnesota was quite good this year. The Mollie Mohlcr alone made over 90 trips to Mankato. The other boats employed were the Chippeway Palls, Mankato, Jennette Eoberts, Julia, Ariel, G. B. Knapp, St. Anthony Palls, Tiber, Flora, Clipper and Hudson. On May the 10th, 1867, the JuHa struck a snag about two miles below Mankato and sank. John H. Barr and his two sons, George T. and John H., were among the passengers at the time. They were moving with their household goods to Mankato. None of the passengers were injured, but a lot of merchandise and goods more or less damaged. All efforts to raise the boat failed and she was dismantled and her hull still lies in the sands of the river.

Sneur to the Eed Jacket Mill, which stood Just winter with abundance of snow, below the present bridge of the Milwaukee Heretofore Mankato had been divided into missioners, on petition of Joshua Ady and This year the county had twenty-one postothers, and called Decoria, after three Winne- o^i^es named as follows: on the 5th of November. On March 24, 1868, the city charter of Man- In November of this year two new post- kato, which had been granted by the LegislaofEices were created, one called "Loon Lake," ture about a month previous, was adopted by a situated in Garden City town, with Mrs. E; vote of 315 to 31. James A. Wiswell was Oookson as postmistress, and the other called elected mayor of the new city, Jacob Pfaff, "Iceland," located in Lincoln township, with Treasurer; E. D. B. Porter, Eecorder; J. Wm. David Quinn as postmaster. On November 30, Hoerr and Wm. B. Torrey, Justices, and the 1867, the county purchased of Columbus Bal- city government went into effect on March lard its present Poor Farm, consisting of 160 31st, 1868.

acres in section one of Eapidan. The price In March, Hiram Yates, who had been appaid was $3,300.00 and the special committee pointed the first superintendent of the new farmng land could be found anywhere. Navigation was fairly good again this year, and the same boats were engaged as the previous season for the most part. As many as five steamboats a day sometimes arrived at the Mankato levee.

On May 4th, 1868, the First National Bank of Mankato was organized by James B. Hubbard, Stephen Lamm, A. C. Woolfolk, J. F. Meagher, J. B. Murphy, J. A. Willard, L. C. Harrington, Daniel Buck, J. T. Williams, J. J. Shaubut, J. M. Thomson, J. A. James, A. T. Lindhohn and John N. Hall. Mr. Hall was made its first cashier. It was the first institution of the kind in the county. One or two private banks and state banks had existed before, but they were rather small. In fact, the people had had no special need of banks in those early days, for there was not much money. The new bank began business about September 12th. On September 11, 1868, a Board of Trade was organized by forty-three business men of Mankato, at the office of Payne and Hoerr. John H. Barr became its first president.

The Minnesota Valley Eailroad and the Winona and St. Peter Eailroad had been getting nearer every year to Mankato. The Valley road made a proposition to complete its railway into Mankato by December 1st, if a bonus of $15,000.00 in bonds, a right of way over 4th street and depot grounds between Plum and Elm streets were given it. The proposition was voted upon by the city on June 3rd and carried by a vote of 423 for to 142 against.

In June, 1868, two new postofEices were created in Blue Earth County, one located on northwest quarter of section 28 in Decoria, designated "Decoria," and the other situated on the northwest quarter of section 13, Beauford, called "Perch Lake."

In July of this year we hear of the first old settlers' meeting in the county. It met at the residence of John S. Hinckley in Mankato, and an Old Settlers' Association organized, with Mr. Hinckley as President, membership to which was eligible to only those who came to the county in 1854 or prior years.

This year (1868) Miaer Porter greatly improved and beautified the grounds about his summer hotel near South Bend by planting groves, arbors and fiowers and building swings, walks, fancy gates and fences, and the place was designated "Minneineopa Park."

For two or three years the Colorado beetle had been doing more and more damage each year to the potato crop. This year it was particularly bad. As yet the people had not discovered the best means for its destruction.

On October 7th, 1868, the first term of the Mankato Normal school opened in the basement of the il. E. Church at Mankato. The opening day proved stormy and only twentyseven scholars were present. The second day thirty-five were enrolled. On October 36, the school was removed to the second story of the new brick store building of John J. Shaubut on the corner of Front and Main Streets. These quarters were 100 feet long by twenty-two feet wide, and divided into four rooms. There were forty school desks, fifty-two scholars enrolled in the Normal department and sixteen in the Model. By the close of the first term there were ninety enrolled in both departments. Prof. G. M. Gage was its first president and Miss Susie Dyer (now Mrs. L. G. M. Fletcher) as first assistant. The second term opened at the same place with fifty-five pupils in the Normal department and twenty-four in Model department. Miss Emma H. Collins was added to the faculty as second assistant. The Legislature of 18G9 appropriated $30,000.00 for a Normal school building, and the corner stone was laid on June 19th, 1868, with appropriate Masonic rites by S. F. Barney, and an address by President Gage. The building and furnishings cost over $50,000.00 and an additional appropriation was made by the Legislature. The building was of brick, 126 by 116 feet, three stories high above basement, and embellished with two towers 120 feet high. It contained sixteen rooms. The architect was W. P. Boardman; contractor, Lewis J. Lewis; building committee: Daniel Buck (member of State Normal Board), James Brown and L. C. Harrington. On September 7th, 1870, the new building began to be occupied and in April,

The number of JSTormal students were 136, of whom 38 were males and 98 females. The first graduating class in 1870 had ten members. In 1871, the INormal department had 198 pupils and the Model department 174, making a total O'i 372. The graduating class of June 1873, numbered 23.

On October 3, 1868 the Valley Railroad (now called Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha) was completed to Mankato and the first train arrived. The first freight was shipped over it on October 8th and consisted of 200 barrels of flour from the Red Jacket mills. The regular passenger trains began running on October 12, 1868, and the fare to St. Paul was $4.00. On October 29, the advent of the railway was duly celebrated at Mankato, by the citizens of that town and of the county generally. A banquet and an excursion to St. I'aul were the two principal features. For many years the people of Blue Earth County had longed for a railroad. The uncertainty of river navigation and its short duration made it impossible for the boats to handle the rapidly growing traffic. It was a great day for both city and county. The days of their isolation were past, their problem of transportation was solved, henceforth they were a living part of the great commercial world. ISTo wonder they rejoiced. With the railroad came, also, the telegraph and, by October 17, 1868, the Northwestern Telegraph company had its lines completed and sent its first messages to and from Mankato, and our county seat was at last connected with the great civilized world by both rail and wire.

In November, 1868, Mr. Wise sold the "Mankato Weekly Record" to Orville Brown and J. T. Williams. For many years Mr. Williams was the principal politician of the county. Some called him the '"Political boss." He was very active, energetic and shrewd and knew every person in the county and knew how to reach men in a political way. He was a strong Republican and an ardent admirer of Senator Wm. Windom. For some reason or other Mr. Griswold of the Union had fallen out with Senator Windom and his friend Williams. It was necessary that Mr. Windom should have a political organ in Blue Earth County; Williams, therefore, negotiated for Windom the purchase of the Record. He then got 0. Brown, who was running the Faribault Republican, to dispose of that paper and' come to Mankato to take charge of the Record, which was changed from a Democratic to Republican paper. Mr. Williams was quick tempered and when he had quarreled with a person he wanted that person to know it. Mr. Brown was a man after Williams own heart for he had a special gift in the way of heaping coals of fire on an enemy's head, and keeping those coals good and hot. He was naturally an able and forcible writer on any topic, but in invective he was an expert, and his paper was always well spiced and gingered. With the last issue in November, Mr. Wise's connection with the Record ceased, and with the first issue in December the paper, which had been born and bred in pure Democracy, suddenly, under a new master was converted into a radical Republican. So abrupt was the transaction that some of the staid Democratic subscribers of the good old Bourbon variety, had to pinch themselves and feel of their pulses to make sure thej were not having a night-mare or something worse.

The County by this time had been making considerable progress along educational lines. In 1868 there were eighty-one summer schools taught and the whole number of scholars was 2077. During the winter of 1868-9 the whole number of public schools was 68 and the number of scholars attending 2093. There were 70 teachers employed, 45 of them males and 25 females. Two of the schools were graded, employing two teachers each. There were 115 organized districts in the county, and 23 new school houses built during the year, at an aggregate cost of $10,712.13. There were 77 school houses, one of brick, one of stone, thirty-four of frame and forty-one of logs. This does not include Mankato nor the private and parochial schools.

Wheat raising was now getting to be the principal farm industry. In January about 'j0,000 bushels were marketed at Mankato alone. The fact was that Mankato was about the only market point for wheat in the county or even Southwestern Minnesota, being the head of transportation. Since the advent of the Eailway in October 1868 to July 1, 1869, there had been shipped by it from Mankato 335,341 bushels of wheat and 20,769 barrels of flour, equal in all to 439,321 bushels. It was an every day sight in those days to see a line of fifty or sixty teams waiting their turn to unload at the elevator. The assessors reported 40,689 acres of land under cultivation in Blue Earth County in 1868, 25,566 of which were devoted to wheat, and the wheat raised in the county for that year amounted to about 550,000 hushels.

which indicates how the county was growing in an agricultural way, as well as how Mankato was developing as a manufacturing center. The wool trade of Mankato for the spring of 1869, amounted to 43,640 pounds. Then the fur trade still continued considerable in spite of the settling of the county. The two principal firms at Mankato dealing in furs at this time were, Barkman, Eeid & Kellog, and Marks & Hollenbeck. Between March 1st and July 1st, 1869, these firms purchased the following pelts: