Aurora Township

Aurora Township

The town of Aurora lies in the eastern tier of towns, and is bounded on the north by Dover, east by Dodge county, south by Oak Glen, and west by Owatonna. The first settlement dates back to June of 1856, at which time Oapt. J.

M. Ball, now a resident of Winona, A. B. Clark, G. W. Grimsliaw, and Charles Adsit, made claims and commenced farming operations. Soon after their arrival Amos Coggsweil, Steven A. Sargent, Harvey Eastman, Oscar King and a Mr. Perham put in an appearance and laid claim to a ehare of the soil of Steele county, and commenced at once preparing to receive a return for their investments and labor, and the ever generous soil repaid them without stint of measure for their care and trouble.

About one fourth of the land in this township is marsh land which in dry seasons affords the best of hay for stock, yet is nearly unavailable in very wet seasons, as the county has not yet become so thickly settled up as to pay the expense of draining. The soil of the marshes is of a deep and very rich alluvial deposit, which, when drained, will probably prove the most productive of any of the lands in the county. The other three-fourths of the town is composed chiefly of oak openings, with here and there fine patches of prairie land, with gently undulating surface, sufficiently so to make it of easy tillage.

The Milwaukee, St. Paul & Minneapolis Railroad runs through the entire length of the town and has a depot near the centre, making it an easy and convenient point for the shipment of wheat and other products. The town contains no stores or hotels ; has two school houses and one blacksmith shop, which latter has been put into operation the present season by H. H. Richards. This shop is near the depot and at present the only building in the vicinity.

The first white child that was a native of this town was Miss Helen Coggswell, daughter of Hon. Amos Coggswell; who was born on the 6th day of March, 1857. Joseph Branning and Miss Laura Pettie were the first to start o^ a trial trip in the matrimonial life-boat. Mrs. Steven A. Sargent first passed through the dark valley and embarked upon the ever-flowing river of returnless tide, on the 1st September, 1856. The funeral services were conducted bj Rev. Harvey Chapin, which was the first religious servicein the town.

The first school was taught in the summer of 1858, in & log school house, near Mr. Coggswell's, by Miss Jane Arnold, now Mrs. W. Odell, of Owatonna. Nearly all the religious denominations are more or less represented, thougb the Lutherans are the most numerous. There are no^^ church buildings and only occasional religious services. The. people are energetic and enterprising farmers who havenever yet allowed a whisky shop to be established within the limits of the town.

The 11th day of May, 1858, it first had an existence as an organized town, when the people elected their to^VM officers to run the official machinery. Aurora has been twice represented in the Minnesota Legislature, by George W. Pettie and Amos Coggswell, the latter of whom was chosenspeaker of the House of Kepseseniatives.

Oak Olen

The organization of Oak Glen as a town did not transpire until 1867, it having previous to this time been attached to the town of Aurora for all business purposes. At the time of the organization, Cyrenus Pettit was elected Chairman of Supervisors, and A. J. Snyder Town Clerk. There has been but one election since, at which time J. C. Carey was elected Chairman of Supervisors, and Mr. A. J. Snyder re-elected Town Clerk. The soil is about the same as found in other parts of the county, though there is considerabla marshfland in some parts of the town - probably - not more than two or three sections in all.

are three of these lakes, one covering somewhat over a section of land, and each of the other two about 100 acres. About one-third of the town, in the north-west portion, is covered with scattering oak, or oak openings, while the balance is rolling prairie or marsh.

"Wheat is the staple production in this as in all the other towns, and in fact nearly all over Minnesota. Mr. Geo. M. Topliff has a hop garden of some five or six acres, on which he is trying the experiment of hop-raising. He has also discovered a valuable peat bed, some three miles west of the little village of Blooming Prairie, which is said to be of as good quality as any found in any country. Mr. Topliff has tested the quality to the depth of about eight feet, and finds it better at that depth than nearer the surface.

The town was first settled in 1857, by David Bagley, Thos. Bray, Levi Annis, J. J. Brackett, and Ira Foster, near what is called the Oak Glen station on the stage route from Owatonna to Austin. The first birth occurred in the year 1859, James Bray, a son of Thos. Bray. The first marriage was celebrated in 1860, between Mr. Ira Foster a widow lady named Scott. The first ^school was taught in 1861, by Miss Hattie Lay ton, now Mrs. Joseph Carey. In 1860, the United Brethren held religious service, which is supposed to have been the first in this town- -ship. The Methodists and Baptists have occasional services in the school houses, but no denomination has any church buildings.

In 1867, when the Milwaukee, St. Paul and Minneapolis Tlailroad was put in operation, a station was made in the southern part of Oak Glen, called Blooming Prairie, which has attracted considerable business, and there are now some fifteen or twenty dwellings, and two stores, one kept by Charles Gardiner and the other by Sprout & Knudson.

The first stock of goods brought into the place was by Capt. A. C. Hawley, who opened and exposed them for sale in a tent, but soon thereafter removed to a room in the railroad grain warehouse, and in January, 18G8, sold the entire stock to Mr. Charles Gardiner. Messrs. Sterling & Searles established a lumber yard in the fall of 1867. A blacksmith shop was also put in operation by Chas. Hartley. Mr. Jacob Noteman was established as station agent, by the Kailroad Company, and D.|Higley as telegraph operator. A meat market and general provision store is just being established by Thos. O'Neil. Christopher Baldhardt opened the first hotel in the fall of 1867.

The country about the station is being rapidly developed into farms. This year, Selah Chamberlain and D. C- Shepard are opening up an extensive farm, and having several hundred acres broken and fitted for wheat the next season. Others are breaking smaller tracts, and business is growing finely.