Springfield City

Springfield City

Springfield was originally known as the village of Burns. It was surveyed into lots in 1877 at a station point along the new railway then called the Winona & St. Peter, but now the Northwestern line. It is in sections 18 and 19, township 109, range 34 west. The first business house was erected in 1872 by H. M. Gamble. In 1881 the village had a population of three hundred ; in 1890 it had reached seven hundred and sixteen ; in 1900 it was placed at fifteen hundred and eleven, and in 1910 it stood fourteen hundred and eighty-two.

Springfield was incorporated as a village in 1881. The first village records were all destroyed by fire. It is known, however, that J. S. Colomy was the first president of the village. The officers for 1916 are: Fred Bott, president ; A. G. Anderson, J. F. Bauch, Herman Birkemeyer, trustees; Edward J. Fernholz, recorder; C. H. Asch, treasurer; John Schultz, assessor; J. J. Ray and J. Farrell, justices of the peace; Jack Foster and August Bigot, constables.

The village owns a fine waterworks plant. It is of the gravity type and is supplied with water from three flowing wells which flow into an eighteen hundred barrel reservoir at the pumping station, and is then pumped to an elevation of one hundred and ten feet to a tank holding seventy-five thousand gallons. This gives a total height from the main business section of the town of about one hundred and fifty feet. There are now in use about three miles of water mains and thirty-six fire plugs or street hydrants.

Of the lighting of Springfield it may be stated that electricity lights the place. It has a two-unit system - one directed to a fourteen by twenty-one Lentz engine generator 100-kw., and the other unit belted to an Ideal engine generator 50-kw., giving a continuous service.

The postoffice was established here in 1873, with M. H. Gamble as postmaster. The amount of business transacted there in the last year was five thousand six hundred and forty dollars. Five rural routes extend out from Springfield.

Commercial Interests In 1916

The Springfield Milling Company, an incorporated concern, does a splendid flourishing business and has a capacity of over six hundred barrels a day. They usually sell the product in the states of Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Pennsylvania.

St. John's Hospital was founded on money raised by subscription a number of years ago. It is situated on the south side of the river on a beautiful hillside - an ideal location for such an institution.