Mower County, Minnesota - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 10 of those read), 1911

Agriculture

Importance of the Farming Interests of Mower County - Character of the Men Who First Came Here - Failure of Wheat Crop - Development of Diversified Farming - Advantages - Mail and Trading Facilities - Nature of the Soil - Sheep and Poultry Breeding - The Pork Industry - Registered Stock Predominant - Homes of the Farmers - Agricultural Societies - Grange Movement - Storm and Flood - Insurance Companies.

Mower county is acknowlodg't'd as being among the best and most prosperous agricultural and stock raising counties in Minnesota. Its people are wide awake and keep step with the progressive march of the times in all that pertains to a civilization of happiness, industry and culture. Like all this portion of the Northwest, the agricultural history of Mower county must record some disastrous failures. The whole southern and soutliAvestern portions of Minnesota, as well as the greater part of Iowa, have had serious disadvantages to contend with and obstacles to encounter. The first settlers of the county were mostly farmers, and they were, with but few exceptions, poor men, as is the case in the history of every agricultural region. In fact, few had more than enough to barely get settled upon their lands ; but they came with that which was in those days equal to it - training in agricultural pursuits, brawny hands that Avere able and not ashamed to work, and, in connection with industrious habits, the energy and determination to win success. The country Avas new, and there was no alternative but that success must be wrought from the soil, which was their only wealth and their only hope. And, in spite of all the obstacles and inconveniences, notwithstanding the fact that the whole aim of the farming community has changed, success has attended their efforts. Nor is the end yet reached, but the county has a mine of wealth yet undeveloped, which, as years roll on, will grow more and more valuable as the agricultural population become more and more able to utilize it.

Early in the development of this country wheat Avas the main product, and for a juunber of years excellent crops were raised with scarcely a failure. At the present time wheat has given up its former place to other cereals, and farmers find many other avenues in which- to devote their time and energy.

line between the great wheat state of Minnesota and the great corn state of Iowa. It lies in the grain belt and also in the corn belt. It is also the center of the great dairy belt.

Mower county occupies with but few exceptions, all of which are in northern Minnesota, the highest land in the Mississippi valley. The mean elevation above the sea is 1,300 feet, the highest point being in the central and southern portion where the elevation rises to 1,360 feet. The lowest elevation of the county is 1,119 feet, which is 600 feet higher than the Union station at St. Paul. Owing to the gradual rise toward the center, Mower county has perfect drainage, it being one of the few counties of the state without a lake or large pond. Numerous small streams flow through the county, which is blessed with an abimdance of good Avater. Beside the creeks and rivulets, there are innumerable flowing springs, gushing from the earth, many flowing 300,000 gallons a day and some to exceed a million gallons in twenty-four hours.

The high altitude gives to Mower county an ideal climate. Its mean temperatiire for summer is 70 degrees, the same as middle Illinois, Ohio and southern Pennsylvania. The extreme heat that is felt in these states is here tempered by the breezes of the elevated plateau. Its higher latitude gives two hours more of sunshine than at Cincinnati. This with an abundance of rainfall, 26.36 inches annually, on a rich soil, accounts for the rapid and vigorous growth of crops and their early maturity. There is a uniformity of temperature during the winter season in southern Minnesota, with bright sunshine, dry atmosphere, good sleighing and infrequent thaws that make life a pleasure in this bracing, healthy climate.

The soil is for the most part a deep, rich, warm loam with clay subsoil. There is but little gumbo soil in this county. Cultivation is easy and "irrigation and dry farming" that one hears so much about to-day, and which is so necessary to secure a crop on much of the new lands that are being opened up in the West, at so great an expense, are not needed here. During the past few years a number of farms have been tiled and with such marked success that within a few years most of the farms will be improved in this respect. The lay of the land is such that almost every farmer gets good drainage without difficulty. Two large factories, one manufacturing a cement tile and the other a clay tile, are located at Austin and have a tremendous total output.

Mower county ha.s good roads and in several road districts its roads are as fine as a city's street, thanks to the efficient work of townships good road organizations and to the use of the King split-log drag.

in 1904, and there is hardly a farm in the county that is above half a mile from a rural route. The entire population, aside from the county seat and the villages with postofifices, is served by this excellent system. Each route serA^es llO^families or an average of 600 people, and each route has an average length of twentyseven miles. Mower county's rural routes center as follows: Austin, BroAvnsdale, Dexter, Grand Meadow, Taopi, Rose Creek, Adams, Le Roy, Lyle, Racine, Elkton. Waltham, Sargeant.

Mower county's farms are all within easy access of a market, there not being a farm above seven miles from a village and not above a score are a greater distance from a village than six miles.

]\Iower county is a great corn country, raising over a million and a half bushels yearly. Mower county is one of the big barley counties of the country, raising a million bushels yearly. Mower county's oat crop exceeds 4,000,000 bushels yearly. Mower county's other big crops are wheat. 200,000 bushels, and potatoes, 400,000 bushels. Mower county also raises the finest of hay on its 73,753 acres of meadow. Mower county is annually sliipping thousands of dollars' worth of apples from its 100,000 apple trees. Mower county's phmis, picked from 20,000 trees, are of excellent ({uality and find a ready market. Mower county has two large nurseries, selling home-grown fruit, ornamental and shade trees, guaranteed to be true to name and to grow. Mower county has two farmers' mutual insurance companies, the Mower County Farmers' Mutual Fire and Lightning Company, carrying $5,250.- 000 of insurance, and the Austin Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Minnesota, insuring crops from loss by hail all over the state. Mower county has a splendid system of bridge building, a majority of the bridges being of iron and concrete. It is the policy of the county board to replace old bridges with those of iron and concrete. Mower county's all-grain farmers have been moving to the unbroken prairies, leaving their farms here to be taken by progressive diversified farmers of the older states. Mower county is one of the great thoroughbred cattle counties of the state. ]\Iower county farmers find a ready market for their hogs with the Hormel Packing Company, located at Austin, which has a daily capacity of turning 5,000 milk-fed hogs into the famous Dairy Brand hams and bacon. iMower county farmers find a ready market for garden truck in the city of Austin and the villages of the county.

The farms of Mower county are similar to the farms of any other county having a rich soil. It has its good farms and its poor farms. Or better stated, it has its good farmers and its poor farmers. Agriculture, like every other trade or profession, his its successes and its failures, but perhaps not as many complete failures.

The first settlers found here a rich, unbroken virgin soil, a land that had had none but nature's care from time immemorial. Century after century, year after year, the grasses grew in all their richness and the prairie tiowers bloomed to waste their fragrance on the summer air. No foot trod the unbroken stretches save that of wild beast or bird, or the red warrior. No plowshare turned the green sod, nor was it torn by the iron tooth of the harrow, from the time an almighty power had unrolled it like a carpet until 1852, when Jacob McQuillan and party drove to this land from Ohio in wagons and nailed their coffee mill to a tree in what is now Racine township. They turned the first sod and sowed "wheat," and wheat was the crop that the land of Mower county raised in abundance until 1878. Then came the wheat failure. For over a quarter of a century the land had let man take crop after crop of the finest cereal from her without putting anything back, and then it protested. Then the farmers tried the next year and the next and hardly got their seed back. Then those who could afford it went further north and west where there were other virgin lands. But some were too poor to go. Some of these turned their attention to other crops and a few to stock raising. But as late as 1884 Mower county had but four creameries. In that year came the discussion of diversified farming for ]\Iower county, but for several years but little was done along that line. Within the last few years the dairy farmer has come upon the scene. Some came from other states and have thriven and grown prosperous on the land which the wheat farmer thought was exhausted. The county has grown prosperous with this change of farming and during the last few years hundreds of up-to-date farmers from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin have taken up their abode on Mower county farms. Here they find a rich soil from two to five feet deep, ready for them, a land covered with rich grasses and ready to yield abundance in oats, barley and other small grains, and producing corn that vies with that of the states above mentioned. Here they find land as rich and yielding as heavy crops as the $150 land they had left and selling at from $50 to $80 an acre, because the owners were ready to retire or desired to go to the land of a single crop, wheat. With their coming there is a great increase in tlie valuation of farm property, farm products and live stock.

With the coming of these farmers from the older states has come farm tiling - open ditches have been used for years but hardly a rod of tile was laid by the all-grain farmers. Now there are thousands of rods being laid each year.

There is at present a strong movement toward sugar beet ( ulture. It has been found that the warm, deep loam of Slower county permits of large development of root. Two large sugar

AYhile Mower county is not a sheep raising county, it is the breeding place of thoroughbreds which are in demand in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, to which places many find their way. Following are the leading breeds in Mower county: Merinos, Cotswold, Shropshire, Soutlulowns, Lincoln, Oxfords, Hampshires and Horned Dorsets.

The poultry fanciers are the most numerous of all the thoroughbred raisers. Space forbids mention of all the varieties of poultry that are to be found in this county. At a recent county fair 123 A'arieties Avere shown, of which 99 were of the hen, six of the turkey, eleven of the duck and seven of the geese family. Alfred Ziemer, of this city, has a Buft' Orpington cock valued at $1,000, the highest priced bird of the breed in the United States. The Mower County Poultry Association is the largest organization of its kind in the state, and its annual show is larger than any other except those held at St.^Paul and Minneapolis. Slower county birds in the last shows in the Twin Cities took more prizes than any other county in the state.

There is one farmer in the county who claims that every domestic animal on his place, from the driving horse to the family cat, is thoroughbred and registered.

I\IoA\er county has no state highways of macadam. Tlie roads, which are made of the soil of the county, on the whole are good, and some of them are kept in the best of condition. This county was one of the first in the state to undertake road building, and it is interesting to note that the first bill ordered paid by the first board of couny commissioners Avas a bill presented Jul\ 7. 1856, by Louis Patchin, for work as road commissioner.

There was a time iu ]\lower county when like all new lands, the first consideration Avas to build good barns for tlie housing of the liocks and lierds and the home Avas the most inconspicuous object in the landscape. As the farmers prospered the log house disappeared and now there are not a half dozen log hoiises in th>' entire county. Now the farmers' house vies Avith the city residence and has many of tlie modern conveniences. AVhere electric light and poAver cannot be secured, gasoline engines furnish power and a number of farm houses are lighted by their OAvn gas plants. By the use of elevated tanks in the house or barn, or pneiunatic tanks in cellars, farm houses often have all the sanitary conveniences of a house in tOAvn. Our farmers recognize the value of keeping their ])roperty in the best of shape. Houses and l)arns are Avell painted. laAvns are carefully kept and fioAver gardens sliow iliat our jx'ople recognize that the things Avhich beautify add a value to life as well as to property.

Agricultural Societies

Mower County Agricultural, Horticultural and Mechanics' Society. On the third of September, ]86;i, the l)oard of eounty commissioners, consisting of R. C. Heath, Alanson Beach and G. T. Angell published a call for the organizing of a society of the farmers of the eounty. Agreeable to this notice a number of prominent citizens of the county met at the postoffice in Austin September 22, 1863. The meeting was called to order by B. F. Jones, upon whose motion J. P. Jones, of Nevada township, was elected chairman. B. F. Jones was elected secretary. After some discussion Ormanzo Allen, Olivar Somers and Sylvester Smith were appointed a committee to draft a constitution for the government of the soeiet}^

The following gentlemen were elected first officers of the society : President, Hon. Robert Lyle ; vice-presidents, John M. Morrell, Geo. N. Conkey and John M. Wyckoff from the first, second and third districts respectively; recording secretary, B. F. Jones ; corresponding secretary, Solomon Snow ; directors - Austin, V. P. Lewis; Lyle, S. R. Hughson; Windom, Alonzo Fairbanks; Red Rock, A. D. Brown; Udolpho, Charles Stimson; Nevada, J. P. Jones; Lansing, J. J. Rosenberg; Pleasant Valley, Robert Reed; Grand MeadoAV, Col. B. F. Langworthy; Racine, Addison Harris; Frankford, N. Goodsell; Bennington, Edwin Angell; Adams, Mathew Rooney: LeRoy, Daniel Caswell. This society held its first fair at the village of Lansing during the second week of October, 1864. It Avas an acknowledged success..

Mower County Agricultural Society. During the year 1868 the project of organizing a second agricultural society was agitated. On July 31, 1868, a number of prominent citizens met at the brick school house in Austin. J. L. Davidson was chosen chairman, and Lyman A. Sherwood, secretary of the meeting. A committee was appointed, consisting of C. H. Davidson. Capt. A. S. Everest, G. G. Clemmer and Thomas Gibson, to draft a constitution and by-laws.

The present society was organized at the meeting of the Grange council, held October 1, 1874, when it was found that the farming class was anxious to organize an agricultm-al society, such as existed in many other counties. After the usual preliminaries, the farmers proceeded to organize a society by electing officers both from within and without the Grange. The society was to be called the Mower County Agricultural Society, and its object was the promotion of agriculture, horticulture and the mechanical arts. G. W. Grimshaw was elected president ; C. J. Felch, vice president; Miles M. Trowbridge, secretary; H. F. Deming, treasurer. The executive committee consisted of nine members: S. Y. Paddock, M. C. Potter, Merril Mason, N. H. Thompson, William Rutherford, H. Knudson, E. I. Stimson, J. F. Cook and W. L. Austin. The society was incorporated March 31, 1875. The annual county fair is now held at Austin, and the live stock exhibit at the fairs exceeds that of any county fair in the state.

The Mower County Poultry Association is one of the strongest organizations of this nature iu the state, and there is nut a more enthusiastic class of breeders tJiau the men who form this association. The association holds an annual poultry show which is largely attended. A. W. Edson is president of tlie association and Alf. A. Ziemer is secretary.

The Wheat Failure

In 1877 Mower county farmers reaped the last of the liig wheat crops, which for twenty years had made this the land of Eldorado of the settler from the East. The history of this county from the year of the wheat failure in 1878 to the present time is of unusual interest. To give the reader an idea of the time of the failure, we quote the diary of one of the early settlers. ' ' August 19, 1877. To-day I threshed forty acres of wheat, got 1,156 bushels, which went sixty-two pounds to the bushel." August 26, 1878. It has rained almost every day, mud everywhere; have tried to cradle a little wheat for seed, and have saved but little. Am very blue."

years. During these years the farmers tried time and time again to raise wheat as they had for a quarter of a century previous, and each year saw the debt against the farmer growing larger and larger. Many who could do so left the county and went west to the Dakotas. But from the year of the big wheat failure dates the real growth of the county. In the failure of the wheat the farmer was driven to adopt other methods of agriculture, and diversified farming took the place of the one-crop system. The adoption of the new plan was necessarily slow. To the farmer who had in 1876 purchased 160 acres and paid for it with his wheat crop in 1877 diversified farming seemed a long and hard road to the material prosperity of the individual. But there were men who in their younger days were raised in this school and who were quick to see what could be done with the rich earlyworked soil, and they became the pioneers of the movement. Today they are the rich and prosperous farmers of the county. Thirty years ago the county from boundary to boundary line was one great sea of golden wheat. To-day its surface is like a great mosaic of corn, barley, oats, clover, timothy, and pasture bh;e grass. Herds of pure-bred Shorthorn, Holstein, Jersey, Galloways, Aberdeen- Angus, Hereford, Red Polled, Guernseys, and Ayrshires may be found in all parts of our county, and thousands of pure-bred sheep of Merino, Cotswold, Shi'opshire, Southdown, Lincoln, Oxford, Hampshire, and Horned Dorset breeds may be found there. The following breeds of horses are raised in the county: Norman, Persian, Clydesdale, French draft and English shires, besides a high grade of coach, draft and trotting horses. Hog raising is a feature of every farm, and the following breeds are found : Berkshire, Poland-China, Chester White, Duroc-Jersey, Sutfolk, improved Yorkshires, and small Yorkshires. At the annual fairs of the Mower County Agricultural Society all the above breeds are shown in registered animals. The livestock exhibit is one of the greatest attractions of the fair, and is yearly growing larger. It is not the intention of the writer to mention the individual efforts that have brought about the present prosperity and demonstrated the value of diversified farming. Their work speaks for itself. But we are glad to say that many of those pioneers of diversified farming in Minnesota yet live to see their plans come to fruition and to see those who laughed at them when they entered upon the breeding and raising of registered stock here adopt a similar method in order to keep up with the progress of the age. But the farmer of thirty years ago did not realize these advantages, and if he did, the single crop method was the most advantageous up to the year 1878. Mower county, lying on the boundary line of Iowa, lies witliin the corn belt aiul at the same time is within tin' small ^-I'aiii belt. Coi'n of as iine a growth as that of Iowa is raised in great quantities to fatten the droves of hogs to be found on every farm. At Austin, the county seat, is a packing house with a capacity of 2,000 a day, where the highest market price is paid, and which is within easy reach of the farmer with hogs to sell. Oats and barley are the other big crops raised in the county, and there are fourteen trading points besides the city of Austin at which the farmer can dispose of his produce. Reaching from Austin are two telephone systems that ramify every corner of the county and reach over 1,100 farm houses, besides the 950 homes within the city. Mower county Avas the first county of Minnesota to have installed a complete rural mail route. Three lines of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, three lines of the Chicago Great Western, and one of the Illinois Central traverse the county so that bi;t little land lies as far as ten miles from railroad facilities. These are the changes of a quarter of a century of diversified farming not fully perfected. But Mower county is yet to be known along another line - that of apple raising. It has been sufficiently proven that apples can be raised on her soil. For instance, F. W. Kimball, of Austin, in 1907 shipped his apples to Illinois and netted from his two and a half acres of orchard over $700, after paying $148 for barrels, besides the expense of picking and packing. Within the past few years more and more apple trees have been planted by the farmers of the county, and this industry will count among the valuable assets when some future writer twentyfive years hence shall speak of the remarkable prosperity and growth of one of the richest and most representative agricultural counties of the Northwest.

Tlie Grange movement in Mower county has been an important one, and although but two of the original societies remain within the county at the present time, the movement accomplished its purpose in the bettering of farm conditions and the dignifying of the agricultural interests of the county. In 1873 and 1875 the Grangers elected E. II. Wells, of Lansing, to the Minnesota senate, on a Farmers' Alliance ticket, and in several campaigns took an active part in the Anti-Monopolist movement in politics. In addition to this the prices paid by farmers for commodities were lowered by the establishment of Grange stores at various places, and in fact it may trutlifully be said that the Grange in this county Avas the forerunner of the general idea of farmers' co-operation which has resulted in creameries and stores on the community

On March 18, 1873, and in the few months following, nineteen granges were started in this county. They were : Hope Grange, Andrew Peters, master ; Pleasant View Grange, George Elliot ; Brownsdale Grange, H. E. Tanner; Rose Creek Grange, D. S. B. Mollison ; Lyle Grange, R. B. Foster ; Union Grange, D. Austin ; Enterprise Grange, No. 181, J. C. Hawkins; Frankford Grange, G. Tryer ; Prairie Grange, B. F. Langworthy ; Cedar River Grange, M. Teeter; Nevada Grange, G. Halverson; Hamilton Grange, E. W. Elder; Cedar Valley Grange, W. J. Merrick; Riverdale Grange, M. M. Trowbridge ; Woodlawn Grange, A. K. Vanderwalker ; Lansing Grange, L. Hawley ; Nevada Union Grange, Sherman Clow. These Granges were very progressive and did a great deal of good for the interests of agriculture, horticulture and animal industry. Many advantages were also received in a social way, as the farming people became better acquainted with each other.

June 30, 1873, a County Grange was organized at the Baptist church in Brownsdale. This was designated the Mower County Council. The meeting was called to order by F. A. Elder, the deputy. B. F. Langworthy was elected chairman and George C. Weed secretary of the temporary organization. Twelve Granges were represented, seventy-five delegates being present. The following officers of the council were elected to serve for one year: Master, J. S. Bowers ; overseer, L. E. Pearco ; secretary, George

At the meeting of the council held October 1, 1874, it was found that the farming class was anxious to organize an agricultural society, such as existed in many other counties. After the usual preliminaries, the farmers proceeded to organize a society by electing officers both from within and without the Grange. The society was to be called the Mower County Agricultural Society and its object was the promotion of agriculture, horticulture and the mechanical arts. G. AV. Grimshaw was elected president ; C. J. Felch, vice president ; Allies AI. Trowbridge, secretary ; H. F. Deming, treasurer. The executive committee consisted of nine members : S. Y. Paddock, Ar. C. Potter, Alerril Alason, N. H. Thompson, AVilliam Rutherford, H. Knndson, E. J. Stimson, J. F. Cook and AV. L. Austin.

after many years of inactivity, Enterprise Grange, No. 181, was reorganized as No. 604 by C. B. Hoyt at the Enterprise schoolhouse. The following officers were elected : Master, C. L. Rice : overseer, C. B. Sayles ; lecturer, Mrs. C. B. Sayles ; steward, E. V. Hart ; assistant steward, Arthur Loucks ; chaplain, Mrs. C. L. Rice ; secretary, F. G. Page; treasurer, H. R. Mills; gate keeper. Con. Downey ; Flora, Rosabel Pike ; Pomona, Mrs. F. G. Page ; Ceres, Mrs. E. B. Loucks ; lady assistant steward, Ruth Eraser; organist, Mrs. F. G. Page. The officers were installed by C. B. Hoyt and the members were obligated. At that time Enterprise Grange had a membership of 103. It is now the banner grange of the state. This and Lansing Grange, No. 605, Arthur Parkins, master, are the only ones now in existence in the county.

The grange is considered of great benefit to all patrons of husbandry, agriculturally, educationally, and a great help in cooperative buying in large quantities, greatly to the benefit of the consumer. Educationally and socially it is a great benefit to any community. It was the cause of getting rural free delivery, and long defunct Granges are now rapidly springing into new life on every side. It is surely a great organization to get the producer and consumer together, thus avoiding too many middlemen's profits. It is also against the big combination and trusts. It has subordinate county, state and national Granges which are doing a splendid work.

Storm And Flood Of 1908

The month of June, 1908, brought to Mower county a series of severe storms that culminated on the afternoon of Saturday, June 20, with the most disastrous one that has ever swept the county vdthin the memory of man. The loss to buildings and to crops was estimated at the time to be about $750,000, and this was followed on June 22 by a flood at the city that did damage to the amount of many thousands of dollars.

For several days there had been an unusual degree of humidity. On Thursday, June 18, there were cyclonic conditions. That evening a brilliant electrical storm swept the entire county and several buildings were destroyed by lightning. At 9:30 p. m. a tornado struck the village of Adams, doing damage to the amount of $2,500. The path of the tornado was four rods wide and e."xtended a quarter of a mile. There were small twisters in Dexter and Sargeant townships. The lightning caused a $10,000 fire at Sargeant village. The bolt set fire to the ]\Iartin Stephenson grain elevator which liurned to the ground. The fire extended to the coal sheds, to the Chicago Great Western depot and a freight car was there totally destroyed. Lightning also struck the steeple of the German Lutheran church in the Seebach district in Dexter, practically destroying it. Several barns were destroyed by fire, caused by lightning, and much live stock was killed.

On the succeeding night, Friday, June 19, another wonderfully brilliant electrical storm SAvept the county, killing inuch live stock and burning several barns.

Saturday, June 20, came with an increase of the cyclonic conditions. The morning was warm and the air was filled with moisture. As the day wore on the sultriness increased. Soon after noon the storm, clouds again appeared. By 3:15 it was so dark that lamps were lighted in stores and workshops. Just i)erore i o'clock a deep black cloud came up from the southwest Avith an advance line of foaming whitish cloud that reminded omof the surf beating against the shore. Just behind this lighter cloud appeared the sign of the approaching tornado - a copper colored band. The storm cloud caused intense fear and hundreds sought shelter in cellars. The tornado marked cloud veered to the west of the city, but the black cloud that followed passed directly over Austin. A few drops of rain, followed by hail varying from the size of a pea to the size of a walnut, fell. "With the hail came a wind storm which lasted forty minutes. The course of the wind in that short space of time changed from the southwest to the north. Houses were racked to the foundation and many Avere unroofed. Barns and sheds Avere bloAvn doAA'n, trees that had AA-eathered the elements for half a century were torn out by the roots and rolled about as playthings of the storm king. The electric current Avas turned off from the station, for hundreds of electric light, telephone and telegraph Avires were strcAvn about the streets. Hardly a street was passable and the fire department, street department and half a hundred men AA'erc put to work as soon as the storm abated to cut a direct Avay along the streets of the city. At Evergreen Farm a thousand evergreen trees were destroyed. Great damage Avas done at beautiful OakAvood cemetery. Some of the heaviest losers bj"^ the storm in Austin Avere : The Hormel Packing Company, Avhich had fine l)uildings partly unroofed, thousands of doUars Avorth of sugar and saltpeter spoiled by tlie rain, Avhich also ruined a large amount of printed labels. Loss about $15,000. At the county fair grounds the grand stand, fine art building, ladies' building, poultry exhibit hall, besides many of the sheds and barns, Avere destroyed. The loss there was about $10,000. The round liouse and machine shops of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul road Avere damaged about $8,000. A. N. Kinsman's green houses Avere riddled Avith hail and tlic aaIiuI tAvisted the frames. His loss Avas estimated at $5,000. 'I'hc two tdeplione systems were damaged $5,000 each. "Wind and rain damaged the Grand hotel about $2,000. Some of the other heavy losses by the storm were Austin Cement Stone Company, building damaged $3,000; Austin Steam Laundry, $2,000; George Hirsh, $1,500; Donovan & Goslee, $2,000; S. M. Normal College, $1,000; Franklin school Iniilding, $1,000; Gripman Bros., $1,000. Twenty-two other buildings, damaged $200 to $1,000. Besides this almost every building in the city was damaged to some extent. Lightning struck the steeple of St. Augustine's church and tore out a rock of brown stone Aveighing 300 pounds.

The loss in the country to buildings and crops ran into hundreds of thousands of dollars. A tornado swept across the township of Udolpho, cutting a path two to three rods wide and extending to Waltham township. Along this line the wind and hail destroyed every blade of the growiag crops. The damage at Lansing was light, most of it occurring near the Austin line. The storm at Dexter made the fields look as if they had been plowed. At Grand Meadow the hail storm v.'as so severe that scarcely a pane of glass was left in the windows on the north side of any iiouse in the township or village. Racine escaped Avith little rain and hail. In Waltham and Sargeant the storm did damage estimated at $30,000. In Adams village 600 panes of glass were broken by the hail. This township suffered severely in loss of crops, windmills and barns. Lodi suffered heavily from liail. In some parts of the county the hail congealed into jagged chunks of ice as big as a man's fist and hogs and horses were killed in the fields. Trees were stripped of every vestige of bark. There seems to have been several tornadoes connected Avith the storm, for the ruins left in Avidely separated toAvnships shoAved the marks of tlie tAvister.

The Tlood Of June 22

On Sunday everybody was out viewing the ruins of the Avind storm. There was no thought of more damage to come. Monday morning found the Cedar river rapidly rising and before the day ended the Avaters had taken out the iron bridge which spanned the Cedar on Bridge street, swept through the Kinsman greenhouses, doing thousands of dollars Avorth of damage. They fiooded the electric light station, shutting doAvn the poAver and leaving the city in darkness. The Austin gas plant Avas submerged and damaged $2,000. The plant of the Austin Weed Externiinator Company Avas under water and damaged about $1,000. The Avater Avas so high a couple of men rowed a boat into Brown's barber shop Avhich was then located in the basement of the George Hirsh block. There was no way to drive across the

Cedar river as all the bridges were submerged excepting the Chicago Great "Western railroad bridge. Practically all work in the city was suspended and the people went out to watch the greatest flood the city had ever seen.

Insurance Companies

The Mower County Farmers' Fire and Lightning Mutual Insurance Company is a permanent feature in this county. It has 2,499 policies in force at the present time amounting to some $5,717,-758. The company was organized as the Mower County Fire Insurance Company at a meeting held at the court house September 16, 1885. W. D. Medbery Avas in the chair and R. Eckford acted as clerk. The nine directors elected were: G. L. Case, Robert Eckford, H. W. Lightley, J. J. Furlong, G. Seebach, J. A. Thompson, Daniel Williams, Ole 0. Finhart and E. S. Hoppin. The officers were: President, G. L. Case; secretary, R. Eckford; treasurer, E. S. Hoppin. The name was soon changed to the Farmers' Fire and Storm Mutual Insurance Company. Business was commenced December 1, 1885, and one year later 203 policies were in force, covering insurance of $271,226. In 1891 the name was changed to the Austin Farmers' Fire Insurance Company. Early in 1901 it became the Austin Farmers' Fire and Lightning Insurance Company, and on May 8 of the same year it assumed its present name. The present officers are : President, J. J. Furlong : secretary, A. Hotson ; treasurer, C. Proeschel; J. H. DeRemer, Frank Haney, D. L. Tanner, C. L. Schroeder, H. F. Kezar and Nils Anderson.

The Austin Mutual Hail Insurance Company A\as started in ]Mankato in 1896 and Avas moved to various places. Senator Charles F. Cook took hold of the concern some two years ago and moved the headquarters to Austin. This has given it new life, and it is growing rapidly. About one thousand policies are in force and some hundred agents employed. The officers are: President, C. F. Cook ; vice president, Andrew French ; treasurer, H. L. Banfield.