Blue Earth County, Minnesota - Chapter 21: Cannon Yallby Eailway - Minneopa Gas Well - Gold on the Le Sueue, 1901

Turning back again to 1887, we note a few o^her events. On February 10, of that year the old settlers of Mapleton, Sterling and vicinity held a very successful reunion. It was held in the village of Mapleton, the speeches at Sprague's hall and the supper at Brown's hall. J. E. Brown was one of the moving spirits of tlie occasion. The two principal speakers were Eev. J. E. Conrad and attorney W. M. Plymat. Some 400 persons partook of the banquet. Among the old settlers who related their experiences at the evening program, were Joseph Dobie, John Johnston, Wm. Eandall, A. Moses, Wm. Wilde, James Emerson, F. Miller, Thos. Elliott, James Cornell, L. A. Cornell, M. B. Haynes, Bruce Hanna, Joseph Sprague, S. M. Keith, Mr. Eldridge, James Jordan, James Morris, C. G. Spaulding and Eev. F. A. Pratt. Eev. J. E. Conrad had compiled a list of the deceased settlers of 1856, which he gave as follows: Mrs. A. Annis, Mrs. Ira Annis, Artemas Stevens, Lizzie Taylor, Moses Herriman, Wm. Herriman, Mrs. M. L. Lockerby, J. Jackson, Elijah Horton, Mrs. Cook, Mrs. V. Hiland, Robert Taylor, Wm. Jones, Mrs. J. B. Conrad, Ira Annis, John Chase, Mrs. James Morris, David Smith, Chas. Jones and Isaac Smith. Thirty-one settlers of 1856, of this community were present at this reunion.

At Mankato in February, 1887, F. L. Watters purchased a 150 horse power engine and other necessary equipments for an electric light plant - the first in the county.

In the spring of 1887, the Cannon Valley Railroad (now Chicago and Great Western) was finished to Mankato and on June 18, the first passenger train on this road left this -^ity.

Independence day was celebrated this year at Good Thunder, where the Sioux chief of that name was present by invitation, it being erroneously supposed by the committee that the village had been named in his honor, instead of the Winnebago chief. Good Thunder. Celebrations, also, were held at Latourell's grove in Danville, at Wagner's grove in Cambria, and at two or three other places in the county.

July 26, 1887, Mankato voted bonds in the amount of $10,000.00 for sewer and $15,000.00 for parks, and on October 3, Sibley Park was bought for $13,088.00 by the city of the Givens' heirs, and on December 19, 1887, the grounds of the Southern Minnesota Stock and Fair grounds were, also, purchased and added to the park. Mapleton and St. Clair both built new school houses this year. On September 17, 1887, Lake Crystal was visited by a big fire which burned about half the business section of the village.

On January 1, 1888, the 'Free Delivery system was inaugurated in the Mankato postofEice with Michael J. Mullen, John G. Hoerr and Wm. J. Bradley as first carriers and Robert Thomas as alternate.

In March, 1888, the Mankato Band resigned as musicians of the Second Regiment Minnesota Militia after three years' service. The same month a new post office was created called "Ceresco," with Michael Eussell as postmaster. Another new postoffice was created at Eapidan Mills under the name of "Garrett," with Lewis B. Garrett as postmaster, but it was never opened. On March 16, 1888, another

In March, 1888, the "Lake Crystal Earmers' Insurance Association" was organized at Lake Crystal by the farmers of Garden City, Eapidan, Lincoln, Butternut Valley, South Bend, Judson and Ceresco. In December, 1887, Thos. Saulpaugh submitted a proposition to build a large hotel at Mankato on the corner of Front and Main streets, provided the lots were donate! to him. The Mankato Board of Trade during the winter raised the $14,000 required and purchased the lots for Mr. Saulpaugh, who during this and the following year erected thereon the present Saulpaugh hotel, which was opened in August, 1889.

In the spring of 1888 Col. J. E. Tourtellotte offered $8,000 to build a hospital at Mankato, which offer was accepted and the building complet" ed in 1888. During 1888 the Baptist church at Mankato was built at a cost of over $13,000.

May 4th, 1888, H. C. Hotaling, having bought a half interest in the "Mapleton Enterprise" changed it from a monthly to a weekly paper, and in a short time made it one of the best local journals in the state.

The Burns Club which had been started more than twenty years before and had observed its annual meetings at the various homes of the community, was reorganized June 9, 1888, at the residence of Joseph Dobie in Sterling. The former organization had been very incomplete, and the object was to have a more formal set of rules for the government of the club. The new officers were:

In September, 1888, the Southern Minnesota Pair Association gave another of its fairs at Mankato. In November the Lake Crystal Bank, which Randolph Mitchell had organized failed, and on January 1, 1889, a new bank was started at Lake Crystal by Marston, Larson and Davis, which proved a more permanent institution.

In the fall of 1888 Prof. Eoese started a small commercial school in the Buckley block, Mankato. This school is lifted into prominence by reason of its being the forerunner of two educational institutions, which have since become great and permanent factors in the educational work of this part of the state.

In the fall of 1888 a company was formed to bore a deep well on the farm of Wm. E. Williams, a few rods west of Minneopa Palls, in the hope of discovering natural gas. It was sunk tc the depth of 1,300 feet and an excellent flow of water was discovered, but no illuminating fluid.

On February 6th, 1889, W. B. Davies was appointed the first District Court reporter in the county, which position he has held ever since. March, 1889, Mr. Broome sold the "Boebachter" to Geo. J. Bhler & Co., and in May the "Mankato Herald" was started at Mankato as a morning daily by Mr. Wells, of Delavan. Neither paper survived long.

During the summer of 1889 Mapleton constructed a system of water works. In July, 1889, much interest was taken in the discovery of a mineral spring on the farm of J. W. Morse near the Le Sueur, on the line between Le Eay and Mankato Townships.

On July 10, 1889, the county was startled by the sensational death of John Schwartz of Pleasant Mound by having his throat cut by a razor when in bed. John Lentz, a hired man, was his only bed fellow. He claimed the act was suicidal, but because of certain suspicious circumstances Lentz was arrested, and after a long and hard legal battle was convicted of murder by a jury and sent to State Prison for life. After a few years, however, because of the uncertainty surrounding the case, he was pardoned.

On July 11, 1889, the "Diamond Flour Mill" of Lake Crystal was burned. It was owned at the time by Cray, Marston and Davis, but leased to McCarthy, Kingston & Co. As there was no insurance the loss fell heavily on its owners. The machinery had originally be- ' longed to the mill of Capt. Dickerson on Hoosier Lake, Mankato town. This same year, at Amboy, Jacob PfafE built a new roller mill. The

The weather during these years was rather dian Lake, German, Medo, Rapidan, Winnedry and all over the county deep wells were dug shiek. South Deeoria, Old Mapleton, Beauford,

Over five hundred such wells were sunk in 1889 The ticket embraced a number of the offiealone. ials of that time, and nearly all were endorsed

Mill had become a great center for wood and $30,000, but on June 26, just as the foundanative lumber. Allyn and Tuller and Fitcher tions of the now building were being laid, Mr.

summer a stock company was organized composed of Horace Cummins, J. D. Humiston, P. H. Kelly and Chas. Howard and a new store building erected and occupied.

May 5, 1890, the bill introduced by Hon. John Lind in congress dividing Minnesota into six Judicial Districts for the purpose of holding United States Court was approved by President Harrison. Mankato was designated as one of the six places for holding the court.

On May 17, . 1890, the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Sterling was celebrated with appropriate services. The Jackson Lake Band, composed largely of young men of that church, played, ministers, who had been connected with the church, were present on the occasion, and an enjoyable and profitable time had.

Other events of 1890, was the voting at Good Thunder of $5,000 in bonds to build a new school house, the voting of $30,000 in bonds by Mankato on Aug. 19, to build a new high school building. The building of a Linseed Oil Mill at Eapidan Mills, the building of a railway depot at Eapidan station and the reinoval to Eagle Lake of the old Wooden Mill by Cummins and McBeth, and the remodeling of the same as a roller mill, giving that village its first flour mill.

The money order system was inaugurated in June, 1890, at the St. Clair postoffice, and in January, 1891, at Eagle Lake, affording to those communities a much needed convenience. Feb. 3, 1891, a post office was established at Eapic!a.n Mills, with W. D. Hall Jr., of the Lake Crystal Mirror as postmaster. July 1, of the same year another postoffice called "Hawkins" was started at old Mapleton with Mrs. Jennette Taylor in charge.

Creameries were now beginning to multiply over the county. Mapleton, Lyra, St. Clair, Lake Crystal, Vernon Center and two or three other places were provided with these important industries.

1891, the Welsh held at Mankato one of their big Bistedfods, which was largely attended, Prof, W. P. Apmadoc of Chicago was the chief conductor and the music adjudicator.

There was considerable talk about this time of gold being discovered in the Le Sueur. Mr. Welsh, a California gold miner, spent some days digging in the ravines near the Eed Jacket bridge. In one of the little gullies he washed from the gravel at a depth of twelve to fifteen feet $62.50 of gold as he claimed. He then went to Duluth on some business and died there before returning to resume his mining. Others were considerably interested in hunting for gold and copper along this historic stream.

June 9, 1891, the Mankato Commercial College was started in the third story of the Model Block in Mankato. It was started by Prof. Paine as a branch of the "Northwestern College of Commerce and Institute of Shorthand," and professors, A. G. Matter and J. E. Brandrup were put in charge. At its opening there were only eight to ten scholars, but by today the school has grown to four or five hundred pupils.

About the first of September, 1891, an Alliance paper called the "Good Thunder Herald" was started at Good Thunrlcr, the Mecca of that organization, by Frank Griffin. October 13th, appeared the first number of the "Amboy Herald" with Carl Strom as manager and the Lake Crystal Mirror as publisher. The same fall the "Mankato Journal" started an annex at' Madison Lake, with J. K. Knapp as local editor. It was called "the Madison Lake Breeze." Having become the seat of a weekly newspaper, Madison Lake next aspired to become an independent village, and on Dec. 15, 1891, voted to incorporate, and the organization became complete on January 5, 1892, when the following village officers were chosen:

The year 1891 saw the chinch bug doing much damage to the crops; the caterpiller stripping much of the forest foliage of Mankato, Decoria, and Beauford townships; the starting at Mankato by J. J. Anderson of the manufacture of cement blocks for sidewalks; tlie building at the same place of the Christian church; the dedication at the county seat of a new high school building, which cost $42,- 934.97; the erection at the same place by 0. Cassidy and Mr. Mason of a large packing house 200x100 feet three stories high; the selection of a site for a government building at

]\rankato by Judge Thomas of Wisconsin, Judge Perkins of AVashington, and architect Edibrooke of Washington. $90,000 had been appropriated for the building the previous January by congress.

The building was slow in construction, and after being started, was enlarged and the appropriation increased to $150,000. The edifice was not completed until March, 1896. It is a large well built stone structure, with post office rooms below, and court rooms above.