St. Joseph City

St. Joseph City

This township lies in the eastern portion of the county, with Saint Wendel on the north, St. Cloud on the east, Rockville on the south and Collegeville on the west. The northern portion of the town is mostly prairie, but the southern part is more undulating, Sauk river crosses the southeastern part of the town, forming some excellent hay meadows and bottomlands. The South fork of the Watab river also flows in a northerly direction through the western part. There are a number of lakes, the largest being Kraemer lake, in the western portion of the town. Its area is 36 square miles, or 23,040 acres.

St. Joseph was one of the first settled towns in the county. In 1854, two settlements were made, one in the vicinity of the present village of St. Joseph, by some German families, and the other on the east side of Sauk river, in the southeast corner of the town, by Americans.

came in October, 1854, and took a claim on section twenty-six and twenty-seven. Accompanying him were his sons, James S., Ivory S., Edward, and William, the first two named taking land in section twentyseven.

In the German settlement the first settler was Peter Loso, who made a claim on sections nine and ten, where he resided until his death, which occurred in 1877. Mr. Loso was followed the same fall by Michael Lenz, Nicholas Rassier, J. H. Linnemann, M. J. Orth, P. Kraemer, Adam Kepper, B. Puchs, and M. Fiedler, all settling within a mile or so of the present village. N. Rassier settled on section fourteen.

Many German settlers came in 1855. Among these were Nicholas Roeder, Jacob Roeder, Mike Roeder, Mike Lauermann, Jacob Thielen and John Dewenter and Math. Huff, all from Indiana; Math. Schildler and family and Joseph Zimmermann from Ohio; Casper Crever and family from Pennsylvania; John Loehr and Hubert Schiffmann from Wisconsin; Joseph Notzh, whose wife was a sister of Father Pierz, the missionary; and John Pogatschmick, from Austria; Conrad Marschall and family and George Aschenbremer and family from New York state.

In 1856 Andrew Schroeder and family, Fred Schroeder and family, consisting of his wife and daughter, Elisabeth (later Mrs. Geo. Gruber), William, Mary and Fred, the latter three still living, came from Newark, New Jersey, and bought out Math. Huff, whose claim was big enough for two. It is now the farms of John Schroeder and John Mertes.. Mrs. Fred Schroeder, the wife of the elder Fred Schroeder, died in June of the same year, which was the first death at St. Joseph. During the same year M. J. Pung and family, John Gross and wife. Math. Braun and family, Peter Heinen and family, and Godhard Heinen and family came from Wisconsin. They bought the claims of Mike Lauermann, Jacob Thielen and Nicholas Kraus, who had claimed nearly the whole prairie east from St. Joseph. As the land had not been surveyed by the government, many of the claims were large enough for two.

from Wisconsin in 1855 and settled on that part of Jacobs' Prairie lying in the township of St. Joseph. John Schaefer, a brother of George Schaefer, came from Indiana and took a claim south of St. Joseph village, north of the Sauk river. He was a single man and did not live much on it. While working out, some Americans came and took possession of it and he called on the Claim Association, who met the claim-jumper and his friends on the place. After arguing the case it was decided that the best fighter should have the claim. A ring was formed and the two men placed inside, it being agreed that no one should give aid to either one of them. After a moment's grapple, Schaefer threw his opponent and held him down and was declared the victor and owner of the claim. He sold the claim afterward to John G. Bechtold and bought part of Peter Kraemer's land, which is now the John Horsch farm. Mike Roeder, whose claim was north of the Sauk river bridge, sold out to Peter Schmitz, who later sold it to H. H. Cleveland. Nicholas Roeder sold his claim in 1857 to George Wedl and took a claim five miles west of Richmond.

The first settlers suffered great hardships in the winter of 1856-57 on account of the severe cold and for want of provisions. On November 26, six inches of snow fell and it kept on snowing until the snow was two and a half feet on the level, not going off until late in April. There was snow in some places even on the eighth day of May. On April 28, the ice went out in the Mississippi at St. Cloud, As St. Paul was the nearest market no one dared to make the trip, which would take at least twelve days, going and returning, and the settlers ran out of flour and meat and other provisions.. The price of flour was $16 per barrel and no meat could be had at any price. Game was very scarce on account of the Indians, who got what little there was. The potatoes were nearly all frozen. Corn was ground in the coffee mill for meal by all settlers, as the nearest grist mill was some thirty-flve miles away, and no road led to that.

In July, 1856, the grasshoppers came and covered the ground. They did no damage that year, but they deposited their eggs, and the next spring when these were hatched by the hot sun, the young grasshoppers covered the ground and destroyed everything that grew. In 1858, on account of unfavorable weather, the crop was a total failure. In 1859 there was enough raised for the home demand and in 1860, when a good crop had grown, the price of wheat was only thirty cents per bushel of 62 pounds. Oats were ten cents per bushel and corn was raised only for home use. In that year the land came into the market, and public notice was given by President Buchanan that unless the land was paid for within sixty days it would be sold to the highest bidder. No one had a dollar of money and none could be had for less than 36 per cent interest. Some of the settlers borrowed money from their friends in the east and paid for their land, others stayed on their claims without paying and got it under the homestead law, v.'hich went into effect in 1862.

The town was organized in 1858, and embraced the south half of St. Wendel, the east half of CoUegeville, and a portion of Avon, making a total area of 81 square miles. It has been gradually reduced to its present limits, by the establishment of the boundaries of the towns above mentioned.

The first election was held at the house of Peter Loso, and the following officers elected: Supervisors, Moses Morrison (chairman), John Loher and John Weber; clerk, John Payne; assessor, John A. Miller; collector, Nicholas Rassier; justices of the peace, Andrew Schroeder and Christian Becker.

In the Indian outbreak in 1862, when St. Cloud made up a company of mounted rangers to relieve and protect the settlers from Paynesville towards New London and New Ulm, St. Joseph also volunteered and made up a company of sixteen men and followed the company from St. Cloud. The members of the company were: Father Eberhard, O. S. B., Peter Loso, Martin Fiedler, Adam Mueller, Carl Voelk, John Flesch, John Schaefer, John Schmitz, Daniel Spanier, Anton Labonte, Peter Ludwig, John Danzl, Ferdinand Danzl, John Reischel, and Fred Schroeder (who is the only one of them now living). The St. Cloud company being all on horseback, the St. Joseph company having only three horses and two teams hitched to two lumber wagons, could not keep up with them.

When they reached Paynesville it was found that in the excitement all the men from Paynesville with the exception of a feeble old gentleman, eighty years old, had left their wives and children behind, unprotected, and joined the St. Cloud company to relieve a New London settlement. The women of Paynesville were nearly frantic from fear of the Indians and implored the St. Joseph company to stay with them and protect them. Father Eberhard, who was the captain, decided to stay with them and set out guards at night around the few houses where the people had flocked together. At two o'clock in the morning of the next day, Jacob Baeuml and another young man from Richmond came galloping with the news that the Chippewas from Crow Wing were on their way towards St. Cloud and St. Joseph and that the St. Joseph men were requested to return home immediately. The guards were called in at once and all started for home except John Schaefer, who managed some other men, who passed through Paynesville, to find and join the St. Cloud company. About ten Norwegian settlers from west of Paynesville had arrived the day before, so the women of Paynesville were not alone.

When the St. Joseph men arrived at home, the people of St. Joseph and surrounding country had all flocked together and guards had been set out at night. A company of militia was organized at once with Andrew Schroeder, captain, and Thomas Schoffen and Mathias Zimmer, lieutenants. A fort was at once built from the heavy square timber which Mr. Linnemann had on hand to build his flour mills. It was large enough to shelter and protect the people of the surrounding country. After it was completed the settlers one after another all went back to their homes, feeling much relieved as they knew where they could gather and defend themselves in time of danger.

One of the first settlers at St. Joseph, J. H. Linnemann, who is now dead, owned and operated a steam flouring mill. It was built in 1862, and contained three run of stones with a capacity of thirty barrels per day. In addition to the above a grain elevator at the depot, owned by Pillsbury & Hulbert, of Minneapolis, was built in 1879, 34 by 36 feet, with an engineroom and warehouse attached. Mr. Linnemann sold the mill in 1880 to the Maas, Palansch & Lommel Company who, after operating it for many years, dissolved partnership and turned it over to C. A. Maas, who operated it successfully until 1899, when it was destroyed by fire. The grain elevator built by Pillsbury & Hulbert in 1879 was also destroyed by fire two years later and another smaller one was built the next year, which was later removed to North Dakota as it was not a paying business. The flour mills needed nearly all the wheat raised in the locality.

In 1899, after the Maas flouring mill burned down, the Schroeder Mill Co. erected a substantial steam power flour mill near the Great Northern depot, with a capacity of seventy-five barrels wheat flour, an extra system for buckwheat and rye flour of fifty barrels capacity, and also rolls for grinding feed. The mill is now propelled by electric power furnished from St. Cloud and has all the latest and modern machinery. F. G. Schroeder, the oldest son of Fred Schroeder, is now the sole owner of the mill. He buys all the grain raised in the town of St. Joseph and adjoining town and pays the highest cash market price.

A short distance west of the village, and located on the South fork of the Watab river, a flouring mill was built in 1856 by William Roehin, which contained but one run of stones, and was wholly devoid of a bolting cloth. It was operated by different parties, but passed into the hands of Mr. Danzl, in 1866. Mr. Danzl also had a saw mill on the opposite bank of the stream, propelled by the same water-power. In 1890 Mr. Danzl sold the mill to Fuchs & Schwarz, after the dam went out which took away the saw mill. The flouring mill was propelled by steam power for some time and later removed to Watkins.

School District No. 9 is the outgrowth of the school begun in 1856, in the little log church. They have a good two-story building, and the school is taught by the Sisters of the St. Benedict. The two-story four-room school building was built and owned by the public school District No,. 9, and was sold by them in 1913 to the parish for a parochial school on the condition that the proceeds thereof were to go tov.ards the erection of a new schoolhouse for the district. The new schoolhouse was completed in the fall of 1914, at a cost of $7,500, which covered heating, plumbing and furniture. It is a two-room building of red brick with basement and halls.

The Staples Settlement. - Early in the year 1854, Jacob C. Staples with his wife and a family of ten children, nine boys and one girl, ranging in ages from six to twenty-five years, lived on a farm in Waldo county, Maine. The broad Atlantic lay to the east and the American continent to the west. The father well knew that if he stayed where he was, such a large family of boys would in a short time be separated. So he sold his possessions there and at the age of fifty-three years started west the second day of October, 1854, accompanied by one of the older boys.

The route taken was from Belfast, Maine, to Boston, Mass., by steamer; from Boston by railroad to Buffalo, N. Y., and from there by steamboat to Detroit and thence by railroad to Chicago. On reaching Chicago, he made a side trip to Janesville, Wis., where two of his sons had preceded him the spring before, one of whom was married. The five of them then proceeded west to Galena, 111., traveling by railroad except the last twelve miles, which was made by stage, the railroad to Galena not having been completed at that time.

One arriving at Galena they were undecided as to the direction they would take from there, but through chance they met Jeremiah Russell of Sauk Rapids, Minn., who gave them a good description of the unlimited scope for settling a family or a colony up in his region. Taking into consideration the border warfare going on at that time in Kansas, they came to the conclusion they had better steer their course to the northward. They took passage on the steamer "War Eagle," then loading at the levee, for St. Paul, Minn.

Arriving at St. Paul, they found they were at the end of their journey as far as public conveyance was concerned. Undaunted, they purchased a yoke of oxen, a wagon, camping outfit and provisions and followed the old Territorial road to Sauk Rapids, where they found the country to be just about as Mr. Russell had described It. They commenced at once to explore in different directions, as it was getting well along in the fall of the year, and shelter for both man and beast had to be built before winter set in. At that time there were no roads aside from the old Territorial road from St. Paul to Port Ripley, and wherever they went there were streams and sloughs to cross, thickets of hazel and prickly ash to pass through, and, in crossing the Mississippi, the wagon had to be taken apart and ferried in a canoe while the oxen swam across. The land west of the Mississippi at that time had not been surveyed but "squatters," as they were called, under rulings of the General Land Office, were permitted to settle on it It was necessary, in order to get 160 acres, for the settler to spread his improvements so he would be sure to get some on each of four forties or his neighbor might possibly be ahead of him in putting improvements on some forty which the settler v/ished for himself when he "proved up."

Under these conditions, they crossed the Mississippi and made their way up the Sauk Valley about eight miles. Night coming on, they camped at the foot of a bluff west of Sauk river on what is now section 27, township of St. Joseph. This was October 25, 1854. The next morning they found a clear spring of water near by and good timber for building purposes. They went to work at once and before Christmas Day had a good log house and stable. As soon as they were fairly located, they explored farther, and found choice locations for all, including those back east who were old enough to take claims. The first business these pioneers undertook after being comfortably housed, was to cut and haul tamarack timber for more buildings and rails to fence their future fields.

The winter of 1854-55 was not extremely severe and every working day was improved in preparation for the work of the coming spring. The part of the family left in Maine came, bringing more cattle, which they bought in St. Paul, arriving at the settlement on the fourth of May, 1855. They found the pioneers had their potatoes planted, garden made and were breaking up the prairie in preparation for the planting of com. In breaking the rich mellow loam of the valley, it made them wonder why the Almighty had not placed these rich prairies near the Atlantic seashore where the first Europeans could have had them to settle on.

The family was now transplanted from the rock-bound hills of New England to the fertile valley of the Sauk river. That spring other settlers came, among whom were the Wood family, consisting of Quincy, Pearly and David Wood and their widowed mother; Benjamin Davenport and John Payne. Later came Henry Brinkman, Hiram and Wm. Taylor, Moses Morrison, Edwin McClure, the Stanger brothers, Michael Undersander, Elisha Alden, John Dressier, John Hatzberger, Peter Michels, Fred Schilplin, Charles Yager, Mr. Obert and son. Miles, and soon others followed. The crop of the season of 1855, although a "sod crop," was abundant. Everything planted seemed to flourish. The natural meadows along the river, covered with a luxuriant growth of blue-joint, made the best of hay, and the settlers improved their time putting it up. In the spring of 1856 the surplus hay and corn was all needed by the influx of new settlers. During that season the pioneers raised their first wheat. It all had to be threshed by flail, so it was December before the first two loads were ready to send by ox teams to Elk river, forty-five miles distant, to be made into flour. That season, just after the wheat was harvested, swarms of locusts alighted and deposited their eggs in the ground. Although they were too late to do much damage that year, everyone feared that those eggs deposited in the ground boded evil for the coming year.

The spring of 1857 was late - solid ice In Sauk river the first of May. The settlers sowed and planted as usual, but when the wheat and oats came up there were myriads of little locusts ready to devour them. Some corn was raised that year, but no wheat or oats. It was especially hard on those who had planted their first crops. After the "grasshopper year" had passed, everything moved on smoothly until 1861, the opening of the Civil War, and 1862, the year of the Indian outbreak.

The first call for volunteers, issued by President Lincoln in 1861, was responded to by Benjamin F. Staples and Wm. O. Taylor, who left their farming implements in the field and went to Fort Snelling to help fill the ranks of the First Minnesota Infantry. Mr. Staples went through all the marches, skirmishes and battles of that historic regiment and lived to return to his farm. Mr. Taylor was instantly killed and Mr. Staples taken prisoner while the regiment was withstanding a charge of a Confederate brigade at Antietam.

Others of the settlement volunteered in other organizations later. Fred Schilplin and David Blackburn in the Third Regiment, John Dressier in the Seventh, Henry Brinkman and Charles Yager in the First Regiment Heavy Artillery, Chas. A. Staples in the Fourth Regiment, Miles Obert and Jacob Staples in the Second Battery, Light Artillery, and John Stanger in an Ohio regiment. Thus it will be seen that the little settlement furnished its full quota of volunteers to perpetuate and preserve the national government.

The year 1862 opened auspiciously as far as the settlement was concerned. In August of that year the Sioux Indians at the Agency on the Minnesota river massacred the settlers in that region and came as far northeast as the Sauk valley, but did not actually penetrate this settlement. They caused, however, a great deal of apprehension among the settlers. Although well armed, the men did not feel safe in leaving their families exposed in the homes while they were working in the fields.

The first three children that were born in the little settlement were: Fred A. Staples, now of Billings, Montana; Julius C. Payne, now of Waite Park, and Elizabeth Brinkman, now wife of Jacob Staples of the original settlement.

The first school in what is now District No. 10, was taught in the house of E. M. McClure by Stanley Russell of Sauk Rap- Ids, during the winter of 1862-63. In the fall of 1863, a small frame schoolhouse was erected on section twenty-three which was used for a schoolhouse a number of years. In the fall of 1886 a new schoolhouse was built on section twenty-six, v.'hich is used at the present time.

As mentioned at the beginning of this sketch, when the first settlers came, the land was not surveyed and each settler took his claim to suit himself. The incidents that are herein noted happened on what were afterward sections 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 34, and 36, township of St. Joseph, and section 3, township of Rockville. These sections all lie within the Sauk valley proper except sections 25, 35, and 36.

Sauk river enters the township at the southwest corner of section 34 and runs northeasterly through over four sections ot land and passes out on the east side of section 13. Parallel to the general course of the river and back from either side runs a bluff or range of hills of glacial formation. The soil between these hills in the \ alley proper is a rich sandy loam very productive, and that of the hills is of a clay formation. There is on section 24 an excellent granite quarry and another one one section 26 which has never been worked.

Of the first settlers who came in 1854-55 but few remain. Of the number that came in 1854 but two are living at the present time, James Staples and wife now residing at Litchfield, Minn. Mrs. Staples kept house for the four men in the first house that was built.

Another one deserving of mention is Mary E. Payne, whose maiden name was Staples. She and her husband, John Payne, first settled on section 22 and, at the close of the Civil War, sold their claim there and bought the Taylor place in section 3, township of Rockville.. Her home has been in this settlement continuously for fifty-seven years.

At the time of the early settlement of Stearns county the laws of the United States or the rulings of the General Land OflSce required that a settler in order to preempt a claim on government land should have improvements on four different forties if he wished to secure a full quarter section, therefore, a settler going on to unsurveyed land would naturally spread his improvements over considerable land in order to be sure of his full quarter section. It was also a rule, whether it was law or not, that a settler should commence his improvements within six months from the time he staked out his claim. Claim-jumping and the work of "claim associations" were the cause of many and sometimes serious . disturbances. The following incident will serve to illustrate, what was a frequent occurrence.

Sometime during the year 1855 a man by the name of Schaefer staked out a claim on section 22, town of St. Joseph. It was naturally a good-looking piece of land, but he failed to make any improvements, and it was a temptation to anyone seeking land to "jump" the claim. Early in the year 1856 a man from Kentucky by the name of James Lackey seeing this claim without improvements concluded he would take it himself; therefore, securing help, got out logs sufficient to erect a log house. As soon as the logs were on the ground he invited the neighbors to help him "raise" it, which was customary at that time, and the first day they got the body of the house up ready for the rafters. The next morning when they went to finish the job they found the body of the house they had erected the day before lying flat on the ground, every log chopped in two pieces. The men who threw the house down were waiting for Lackey and his helpers and probably, if the two sides had been even-handed, there would have been a fight; but inasmuch as Schaefer's crew outnumbered Lackey's two to one the older men of the latter considering "discretion the better part of valor," retired, and left Schaefer in possession of the field and the debris thereon.

Some days later some men from the St. Joseph settlement came over to the Staples settlement to explain why they took such a summary way to drive Lackey off from Schaefer's claim. According to their story Schaefer had been sick and was unable to make the improvements according to law. However, that may have been. Lackey did not attempt to build on that claim again- Sometime after the foregoing events took place, Moses Morrison came into the settlement and bought Schaefer's claim, built a house and moved his family on to the place. When the land came into market the settlers had to "prove up" their claims and pay for their land. When Morrison went to "prove up" on his claim he found Lackey ready to contest it. Morrison finally won, but it cost him a good deal of time and trouble.

St. Joseph Village

of St. Cloud, on part of sections 9 and 10 in the town of St. Joseph. It is the seat of St. Benedict's Academy and College, and of the parent house of the Order of St. Benedict.

Peter Loso came here in the summer of 1854 and located land where the present village is located. J. H. Linnemann came here in 1854 and in 1855 started the first store, which was kept in a log building, the front part being used as a store and the rear part as a dwelling. The small stock of goods was brought by team from St. Paul. There were several small log houses erected in the year 1854.

The church of St. Joseph has one of the finest cemeteries to be seen in the county. The village built the first town hall in the county and still uses the same building. The Schroeder Milling Company owns and has operated a lOO-barrel capacity flour mill since 1899, when the old Linnemann mill burned to the ground. The Linnemann mill was built in 1862 and was the only mill west of Arnold's mill in the county at that time. Farmers came tc this mill with their grist as far as forty miles from the west. The postoffice was established in 1855 and J. H. Linnemann was the first postmaster. J. C. Klein is the present postmaster. The Great Northern railway was built in 1872-73. The first station agent was F. A. Heepner, the present agent is E. F. Lux.

The village of St. Joseph was incorporated Jan. 29, 1890, under Chapter 145, Laws of 1885,. The first officers were: President, Casper Capser; trustees, Martin Loso, Charles Maas, and Michael Pfannenstein; treasurer, Michael Loso; recorder, N. A. Parish. The present officers are: President, Ben Aschenbrenner; trustees, Joseph Staller, Joseph Hiemenz and William Kellner; treasurer, Michael Loso; and recorder, John Lauermann.

St. Joseph, with a population of 750, is one of the busy trading centers of the county. It is in the north-central part of St. Joseph township, on the Great Northern, seven miles west of St. Cloud. It has a Catholic church, a hospital, a ladies' academy, a convent, a bank, a flour mill, a creamery, and a hotel. It ships grain, hides and produce.