Stearns County, Minnesota - Chapter 51: Postal History, 1915

Pioneer Mail Facilities at St. Cloud - Growth of the St. Cloud Office - County Offices - Dates of Estabhshment and Lists of Postmasters - By C. D. Grinols, Postmaster at St. Cloud.

St. Cloud. - The first post office in the county was established at St. Cloud August 16, 1855, with Franklin Sisson postmaster. He kept the office in his clothing store that was located on the bank of the river just north of Tenth street south and east of First avenue. The building was of logs 16x24 feet in size, was lighted by four twelve-light windows, glass 8x10 inches. The mail was kept in a small box under the counter and all persons helped themselves.. Mr. Sisson was postmaster eight months. His compensation for the time was less than twenty-five dollars. The mail was carried from St. Paul in a two-horse hack and delivered semi-weekly. The hack did not cross the river at St. Cloud, but left the mail bag at a log hotel on the east bank of the river, and any person coming over brought the mail. The ferry-boat crossed the river at a point just east of the normal school building. The west side landing was under the high bluff. A road led along the bluff and came up from the river on what is now Tenth street south.

A very close second was the post office established at Arcadia, September 5, 1855, with Joseph Edelbrock postmaster. This was the name of that part of the present city which came to be known as Lowry's addition. The office at Arcadia was discontinued May 2, 1856, at which date Mr. Edelbrock was appointed successor to Mr. Sisson as postmaster at St. Cloud. He moved the office up town into a small frame storebuilding situated on the southwest corner of St. Germain street and Fifth avenue. He had a case of twenty-four call boxes made and placed in the rear of the store. The mail up to this time had been delivered at Sauk Rapids, where it could be had whenever the St. Cloud postmaster felt like making the three-mile trip across the river to get it, which Mr. Edelbrock said he did "whenever it came handy." But from the date of the consolidation of the two offices, which was brought about through the influence of Gen. S. B. Lowry, the mail was left at East St. Cloud, where, almost directly opposite the present state normal school buildings, was a log blockhouse, which had been built probably by Martin Wooley. The next year, 1857, frame additions were built to this by John Emerson, and for a number of years afterward it was a stopping place for teams going to the pineries on the upper Mississippi. One of the three "swing" ferries which conveyed teams and passengers across the river at lower, middle and upper town, was located here, and it was at this place that the stage line which carried the mails and passengers from St. Paul crossed until a bridge was built at St. Germain street.

In 1857 there was a semi-monthly mail which was carried by a man by the name of Evans - we called him "Traverse des Sioux." He carried the mail on his back and tramped from St. Cloud to a point near Big Stone lake to a place called Traverse. Camping nights in all kinds of weather, he seldom had to exceed two or three letters, and often none, but Gen. S. B. Lowry had a contract with the government to carry the mail on this route. In addition to his pay under the contract, he was permitted to enter 640 acres of land every 20 miles along the route by paying the sum of $1.25 per acre for the same. On this land he was supposed to erect stations, but it was not compulsory. It was Bnder this mail contract law that General Lowry finally perfected his title to what is bow Lowry's addition, and it was a similar mail contract that George P. Brott finally succeeded in perfecting the title to St Cloud city, Curtis survey.

mail continued as a semi-weekly. In 1857 a four-horse daily stage line was operated on the west side of the river from St. Paul to Ft. Ripley, but St. Cloud did not succeed in getting a daily mail until the fall of 1858.

Joseph Edelbrock held the office of postmaster at St. Cloud until January 22, 1859, (his first year's salary being |90.69), when Louis A. Evans was appointed to succeed him. The office was moved diagonally across the street, to the Wilson building. He was postmaster a little more than two years, his last year's salary being $252.63.

Following the election of President Lincoln in 1861, Henry Z,. Mitchell was appointed postmaster April 13 of that year. He moved the office into the one-story frame building that now stands on Fifth avenue south, opposite the Methodist church. He made important improvements in the boxes, and for the first time in the history of the St. Cloud postoffice the mail was handled exclusively by the postmaster and his clerk. During his term of five years, the salary increased from about $400 for the first year to $1,200 the last year. It was during Mr. Mitchell's term of office that several mail routes were established running into the interior of the county.

On August 21, 1866, Reuben M. Richardson was appointed postmaster. He moved the office up street to a small frame building located just south of Reichert's bakery on Fifth avenue north. Mr. Richardson occupied the building for a family residence and placed the postoffice in the front room which was about 16x20 feet in size. He was postmaster a little over two years. The last year his salary was $1,500.

One month and one day after General Grant was inaugurated president of the United States, April 5, 1869, he commissioned Josiah E. West postmaster at a salary of $1,600 a year. At that time the postmaster was required to pay the rent of the office building, to pay his clerks, and for light and fuel, and also furnish the postoffice boxes and furniture of every description. Mr. West purchased the frame building of C. F. & W. Powell that is still standing on the northwest corner of Fifth avenue (then Washington avenue) and First street south (then Lake street). He discarded all the old boxes and furniture and installed a case of 300 call boxes and 26 lock boxes, with a new distributing table, at a cost of about $400. The boxes were located about 40 feet back from the front door, and the front part was occupied by a stationery store and news stand. The back part of the building was partitioned off for West's real estate and insurance office, where the postmaster and the clerks in the insurance office could be easily called to asist in distributing the mail and to take the clerk's place at meal time. Henry J. Emmel (twice since then elected to the legislature from a district in the western part of the county), was West's first clerk. He was in the office from 6 o'clock a. m. until 9 o'clock p. m. He slept in the office to receive and give out mail, as the mail stages arrived and departed at all hours day or night. This one clerk made up and stamped all the mail, registered letters and packages, issued money orders and attended to the delivery. He was frequently called up in the night to give some one the mail. For all this he received $50 a month. In 1873 J. E. West v;as reappointed. The salary had been increased to $1,700. In 1878 he was again reappointed postmaster. During this term, at the expense of $1,850, he fitted up the building now occupied by the Fifth Avenue hotel, with modern postoffice furniture, with Yale lock boxes, and moved the office to that location. St. Cloud then had the best equipped third-class office west of Chicago, and it is doubtful if there was any its equal in the United States. The salary was increased to $1,800, with no allowance for rents, clerks, light or fuel. After paying the expenses of running the office and a small allowance for wear and damage to furniture, there was not to exceed $300 a year for the postmaster.

In 1882 he was again appointed. The business of the office had increased to the extent that at the next readjustment of salary the St. Cloud office would have been named second class, with a salary of $2,000 and allowance for rent and clerk hire, but just at that time, in 1883, letter postage was reduced from three cents to two cents per one-half ounce. This kept the office in third-class and reduced the salary to $1,700.

A change of administration having taken place, President Cleveland, March 1, 1886, appointed Joseph Edelbrock, St. Cloud's second - almost first - postmaster, to the position after an interval of thirty years less two months. Mr. Edelbrock moved the office into the building now occupied by B. F. Carter for a drug store. He purchased the boxes and office furniture of Mr,. West, and was the first St. Cloud postmaster to get the benefit of the allowance made to second-class postmasters, as Mr. West only had the office three months after it was made a second-class office. It was during Mr. Edelbrock's administration, October 1, 1889, that the mail carrier system was established at St. Cloud, with three carriers - George A. Dickinson, who had lower town; Michael B. Miller, who had upper town, and J. J. Jackson, who had the east side and the reformatory. Today seven carriers are employed, the three above named being included in the number, their services having been continuous during this quarter of a century. Then the salary was $600 per year, now it is $1,100 for the older carriers, new ones starting in at $800, with an increase of $100 per year until $1,100, the maximum, is reached. Three of the carriers have wagons, Mr. Jackson having had one from the beginning for his long route.

J. E. West was again appointed February 25, 1890. He then built a brick building 33x80 feet with a good substantial fireproof vault, with steam heat and electric lights, and leased this building to the postoffice department for the post oflace. It was located on Fifth avenue, where J. P. Bisenius' plumbing establisnment now is. He personally re-purchased the postoffice boxes and fixtures, and they were his personal property. During this term of four years the salary was increased to $2,400, with rent of building and an allowance for clerks.

The Democratic party having returned to power, Andrew Henneman was appointed postmaster April 23, 1894. He purchased the boxes and furniture and fixtures, but soon afterwards sold them to McDonald and Howe, who leased to the postoffice department one side of the building known as the Times building,

Following the election of a Republican president in 1896, Harvey G. Wire was appointed postmaster, March 31, 1898. At this time the McClures fitted up the Mc- Clure block and put in new postoffice furniture complete and leased the building furnished to the postoffice department. Wire then removed the office to that location. Mr. Wire was postmaster for nearly seven years, and during his term the government completed the handsome granite building as a permanent home for the postofiice and for the land ofl^ce until its removal to Duluth. It was also during this time, February 1, 1902, that the rural service was established at St. Cloud. Rural route No. 1 crossed the Tenth street bridge, passing by the state reformatory into the Cater district, returning by the river road to the bridge. Mrs. Leslie W. Allen was the first carrier and continuing in the service until quite recently. There are now six rural routes from the St. Cloud office.

He was succeeded August 29, 1906, by Clinton D. Grinols, who has completed his second term, and has entered on his third, awaiting the appointment of his Democratic successor. (This appointment has since been made, March 13, 1915.. Joseph D. Kowalkowski being the appointee.) The salary of the postmaster at St. Cloud is now $2,900 per year.

Much credit for the efficiency of the office is due Frank J. Bach, who began January 1, 1880, when a mere boy, as a clerk under J. E. West, and has been almost continually in the service ever since, having for a number of years past filled the office of assistant postmaster.

The first domestic money order was issued July 7, 1865, to Henry W. Weary, and was payable to the Rock River Insurance company at Rockford, 111.; amount, $8.50; fee, 10 cents. At that time this was the minimum fee for any postal order; now i'. is 3 cents. During July of that year but 9 orders were issued, and in August only 28. At the present time as many as 126 are issued in a single day. The first domestic order paid at this office was issued at Mount Pleasant, Iowa. July 7, 1865 (the same date on which the first order was issued here) in favor of J. E. Putnam, of Big Lake, and was paid Jul7 19th.

- The first foreign money order was issued June 13, 1874, to C. Schulten, $20.00; fee, 50 cents (present fee, 20 cents), drawn on Germany and payable to F. Schulten. Only 4 foreign orders were issued up to February 1, 1875. The average issue of this office is now 80 per month. The foreign orders drawn on the St. Cloud office from 1874 to 1880 would indicate that it v:as during these years the only foreign money order office in this part of the state, as orders were paid to persons whose address was Perham, Litchfield, Big Stone Lake, Long Prairie, Morris, Rush Lake, White Earth, etc. In the earlier years the larger proportion of foreign orders were received, but now they are sent to various countries in the old world, showing how conditions have changed.

The St Cloud postoffice has always stood high with the postoffice officials at Washington, and strangers visiting St. Cloud have often spoken of it as one of the best conducted offices in the country.

During the past 60 years the St. Cloud postoffice has grown from a small box under a counter in a small log building to its present magnificent home, and the receipts of the office have increased from $90.69 (which was all paid to the postmaster the first year) to the sum of $41,- 438.75, for the calendar year ending December 31, 1914.

Following is a list of the postoffices of Stearns county, together with a list of the postmasters who have served, together with the dates of their appointment. In some instances, the dates of the establishment and discontinuance of the offices is also given.

Eighteen offices were established in Stearns county prior to 1860. They were: St. Cloud, Aug. 16; Arcadia, Sept. 5, 1855; Neenah, May 24; Clinton (now St. Joseph), July 23; Torah (now Richmond), July 24, 1856; Cold Spring City, Jan. 6; Rockville, Jan. 6; Marysville, May 8; Fair Haven, July 9; Paynesville, July 11; St. Augusta, Aug. 8; Sauk Centre, Oct. 31; Kennebeck, Oct. 31, 1857; Woodstock, July 15, 1858; Yarmouth, Jan. 5; Melrose, Aug. 17; Kandotta, Aug. 22; Oak, Oct. 27, 1859. Seven of these offices were located at townsites which for many years have not had an existence. It is a noteworthy fact that in almost every instance these offices were located at or near to a water power, where there was a grist mill or a saw mill.

The postmaster longest in service was David B. Stanley, of Maine Prairie, 25 years and 8 months; the second was M. A. Bussen, of Torah (now Richmond), 23 years and five months; the third, Eliel Peck of Kimball, 23 years; the fourth, J. E. West, St. Cloud, 21 years and 1 month. The first and fourth are dead; the second and third have given place to their successors within the past few months.