Sanborn City

Sanborn City

Sanborn had its beginning in 1880. At that time John T. Yager had a farm here, and his farmhouse stood on what is now West street, just west of the west end of River street.

J. W. Dotson came here that year, and built a combination store and dwelling house, about 200 feet south of the present Atlas elevator. E. P. Dotson, son of J. W. Dotson, came in 1881, built a warehouse about where the stockyards now are, and dealt in grain and fuel. He also erected a residence. Thomas Poole, the father of Mrs. J. W. Dotson, lived with the J. W. Dotson family, and was appointed the first postmaster, keeping the office in the home of J. W. Dotson. Soon after, he resigned in favor or his son-in-law. In 1882, John Letford erected a general store. About the same time A. Schellenberger opened a blacksmith shop.

Business continued to gather at this point, and the Northwestern Gazetteer of 1884 shows these business activities : Armstrong, C, general store; Bingley, B. L., boarding; Dotson, Enos P., boarding; Dotson, John W., grain; Letford, John A., general store, postmaster and express agent; Merriam, L., wood; Shellenberger, A., blacksmith; Shuck, L., shoemaker; Waterman, C. P., lumber.

In 1886 the following names appear in the Gazetteer: Armstrong, C, general store ; Bingley, B. L., boarding ; Case, Dr. 0. A., druggist; Dotson, John W., grain; Letford, John A., hardware and furniture; Merriman, L., wood; Murray, T. A., harness and shoemaker; Posz, George, wagonmaker; Shellenberger, A., blacksmith; Wagner, Daniel, saloon; Waterman, C. F., lumber; Wells & Schraeder, general store and lumber.

Sanborn is now a flourishing village of many advantages. Particularly attractive is the public triangle, with its brick pumping station and village jail, its band stand and its stately bell tower. The pumping station is likewise used as a council chamber. In the early days fire protection was furnished by a cistern. In 1914 the present waterworks system was established. In the fall of 1915, electric light service was installed, the power being secured from Lamberton. A strong volunteer fire department, organized many years ago, is in the efficient charge of Dr. M. C. Piper.

An interesting feature of the village life is the magnificent building of the Sanborn Improvement Co., a stock organization, which is now on a profitable basis. The lower floor of the building is used as a theater and general meeting place, while the upper floor is fitted up as a lodge hall.

There are four churches, the German Lutheran, with a resident pastor; and St. Thomas Catholic, Methodist Episcopal and German Evangelical, served by pastors who reside elsewhere.

southeast quarter of section 26, town 109, range 36. It contained five blocks, three south of the railroad track, and two north. Three of these were whole blocks and the other two were fractional blocks. All the streets were 80 feet wide, except Main street, and a part of River street, which were 66 feet wide. All the alleys were 20 feet wide. Main street extending directly north and south. The northeast and southwest streets, beginning on the west, were: West, North (north of the tract), South (south of the tract) and Dotson. The northwest and southeast streets, beginning at the north, were : John, Yaeger, Leetford and River. The plat of the Winona and St. Peter Land Company's first addition to Sanborn was filed Dec. 26, 1900. The plat of the Winona and St. Peter Land Company, second addition to Sanborn, was filed May 26, 1899. The plat of Yaeger 's first addition to Sanborn was filed May 9, 1900, by John and Margaretha E. Yaeger. The plat of the Winona and St. Peter Land Company's third addition to Sanborn was filed Aug. 11, 1900. The plat of Lehne's addition to Sanborn was filed May 9, 1901. The land was owned by Julius and Mary Lehne. The plat of Wells and Schoeder's first addition to Sanborn was filed Nov. 9, 1888. The land belonged to O. D. and Tena Wells and William Auguste Schoeder. The plat of the Winona and St. Peter Land Company's fifth addition to Sanborn was filed Jan. 4, 1904. Thb plat of Yaeger 's second addition to Sanborn was filed Sept. 5, 1907. The land was owned by John and Margaretha E. Yaeger. The plat of the Winona and St. Peter Land Company's first addition to Sanborn was filed June 20, 1892. The plat of Dammonn's second addition to Sanborn was filed Jan. 16, 1903. The land belonged to John and Marie Dammonn. The plat of Dammonn's addition to Sanborn was filed on May 16, 1894. This land belonged to John and Mary Dammonn.

A petition was presented to the county board Aug. 24, 1891, showing that the population of the hamlet was 177 persons, and asking that parts of sections 25, 26, 35 and 36, township 109, range 36, be incorporated as the village of Sanborn. The signers of the petition were : Patrick Dinneen, J. W. Dotson, C. E. Armstrong, John Karlson, Chas. Yagle, John H. Posz, John Widnnan, O. D. Wells, George Posz, B. L. Ringle, W. A. Hackley, T. A. Muvooy, E. P. Dotson, S. L. Dotson, A. Gorwin, A. Shellenberger, John Yaeger, E. Crane, L. P. Madison, Geo. A. Drablon, David Gorvin, John A. Yaeger, C. F. Watherman, Henry Dietz, Chris Dingle, John Dammann, John Dotson, Herman Holtznagel, George Huhnergarth, M. Duly, H. Feverstein, F. C. Posz and A. Schmidt.

The commissioners granted the petition. A vote on the question was taken at the postoffice, Nov. 17, 1891, in charge of W. A. Hackley, E. P. Dotson and O. D. Wells, and of the 41 ballots cast, every one was in favor of the incorporation.

When the railroad reached the present site of Seaforth, in 1899, it was already a trading center of some importance. North of the present track, near the site of the present Presbyterian church, was located the Farmers Co-operative creamery Co., conducting a creamery and feed mill. Near the creamery was the store of J. C. Pratt. After the railroad came through, John Longbottom opened a hardware store in the fall of 1899, and at about the same time Kramer (Michael) & Borte (Paul J.) opened a general store. J. H. Queal & Co. (J. C. Barton, manager) and the C. M. Youmans Lumber Co. (J. H. Hayden, manager) opened their yards that same fall. Frank V. Stanek built his hardware store late that fall, but did not open the store until early spring.

The place was known for a while as Okawa Station. Early in 1900, when the canvass was made for the Northwestern Gazetteer, Okawa Station had a population of but twenty-five. Trains were running regularly, and telegraph and express service had been established. J. C. Pratt was the postmaster, and J. Raymond the railroad, express and telegraph agent.

The village grew rapidly and when the Gazetteer was issued in 1902, Seaforth had Catholic, German Lutheran and Congregational churches, a bank, a hotel, a creamery, a newspaper, and telephone service. The business directory for that year is as folfows:

Baldwin, Ward & Co., bankers; Boltz, Herman, grain; Borte, Paul J., general store; Bulen, B. F., & Son, hardware; Bulen Pearl, music teacher ; Byram, S. S., restaurant and notions ; Cerny, Anton, jeweler ; Choudek, John, furniture ; Drews, Gustave, hotel and saloon; Farmers' Co-operative Creamery; Goudy, W. R., grain ; Grams, A. C, meats ; Jellison, E. R., physician ; Johnson, George H, live stock; Kohl, W. J., saloon; Kramer, M., & Co., general store; Longbottom, John, & Son, farm implements; Maxa, Mrs. Mary, general store ; Milbradt, A. W., general store ; Milbradt, C. W., harnessmaker ; Moulster, Fred S., general store; Moulster, George, grain; Mushek, F., fuel; Nestaval, Joseph, saloon ; Palmer, J. J., drugs ; Pavek & Ousky, wagonmaker ; Pearson & Schmitz, livery; Queal, J. H, & Co., lumber and coal; Seaforth Concordia Band, Anton Cerny, leader; Seaforth Item, Roy Tuttle, publisher; Seaforth Orchestra, Anton Cerny, leader; Schmidt & Anderson, grain elevator; Schulz, John, blacksmith; Southwiek, W. S., railroad, express and telegraph agent ; Stanek, F. V., hardware; Svea, John, shoes, Tuttle, Roy, publisher Seaforth Item ; Van Selus, A. J., blacksmith ; Youmans, C. M., Lumber Co.

agent; Bank of Seaforth (capital $6,000), H. A. Baldwin (president), Charles M. Allen (cashier) ; Borte, Paul J., general store; Bulen, Benj. F., & Son (Benj. F. & Chauncey), hardware; Choudek, John, furniture; Cleveland, W. E., creamery; Donnelly, Michael, saloon; Drews, Gustave, proprietor Hotel Drews; Francois & Schmahl, Wm. Houck, manager, general store ; Goudy, Wm. R., grain; Hotel Drews, Gustave Drews, proprietor; Johnson, George H, live stock; Johnson, Wilbur R., jewelry and drugs; Longbottom, Edward, meats; Masek, Frank, fuel; Maxa, Mrs. Mary, general store; Mielke, Chas., saloon; Milbradt, August W., general store; Nestaval, Joseph, saloon; Ousky, Frank, wagonmaker ; Pearson & Schmitz, livery ; Queal, J. H., & Co., C. V. Palmer, agent, lumber and coal; Schmidt & Anderson, Frank Hassenstab, agent, grain elevator; Seaforth Item, Glen R. Tuttle, publisher ; Stanek, Frank V., hardware ; Tuttle, Glen R., publisher, Seaforth Item; Van Selus, Andrew J., blacksmith; Wagner, Michael, harnessmaker ; Youmans, C. M., Lumber Co., Paul Jaehm, agent.

Okawa (Seaforth) was surveyed on Oct. 8, 1899, for the Western Town Lot Company, by J. C. W. Kline. The plat was filed Oct. 20, 1899. The village was located in a part of S. W. V4 of section 29, town 112, range 37. All streets were 70 feet wide, except Main and Oak streets, which were each 80 feet wide, and Front street which was 60 feet wide. There were six blocks, each having ten lots, except blocks 1 and 2, which run as far north as Front street, parallel to the railroad track. The streets running north and south beginning at the west are Dewey, Main and Schley; the streets running east and west beginning at the north are Front, parallel to the railway track, Oak, Elm and Pine.

The petition for the incorporation of Okawa (Seaforth) was filed with the county commissioners Dec. 7, 1900, the proposed limits of the new village being in sections 29, 30, 31 and 36, township 112, range 37 (Sheridan township). The petition was granted and election ordered. The election was duly held in the A. O. U. W. hall, over the Sheridan Creamery building, in charge of B. F. Bulen, George B. Moulster and F. V. Stanek, and of the thirty-eight voting, every one voted in favor of the incorporation.

The population of the village on Dec. 6, 1900, according to the petition for incorporation was 185. The leading voters of the village, as they appear on the petition, were : B. F. Bulen, W. R. Goudy, C. E. Duncan, E. Longbottom, C. W. Bulen, W. C. Tabor, J. H. Hayden, Wm. Pratt, F. B. Hamilton, W. A. Longbottom, M. Kramer, A. Kramer, T. V. Kovanda, C. W. Milbradt, John Svea, J. C. Pratt, O. T. Drews, K. Daugherty, James O'Meary,

E. C. Barton, E. J. Smith, A. J. Van Selus, Albert Grams, Alvin Longbottom, John Choudek, John Maxa, F. V. Stanek, T. J. Boete, W. J. Kohl, Gust Drews, S. A. Durgin and E. R. Bollou.

The first officers of the village were : President, Geo. S. Moulster; trustees, W. J. Kohl, F. V. Stanek and Albert Grams; recorder, J. H. Hayden. The first council meeting was held March 12, 1901.

The fire protection of Seaforth is excellent : Volunteer fire department of ten men ; one hose reel with 1,500 feet of 2y2-inch hose, ladders (no truck) ; bell alarm; one Waterous gasoline fire engine, water supply from 30,000-gallon cistern under engine house and well at southeast corner lot 10, block 3; streets are slightly rolling.

There are three churches, Presbyterian, German Lutheran and Catholic. The Workmen, the Odd Fellows and the Catholic Order of Foresters maintain lodges here.