St. Martin City

St. Martin City

St. Martin township lies near the center of the county. It has an area of 23,040 acres of which almost all are under cultivation, and embraces all of township 124 north, range 32 east. It is bounded on the north by the township of Oak, on the east by Farming, on the south by Zion, and on the west by Spring Hill. The southern part of the township is watered by the Sauk river, along the banks of which are some fine meadows bordered by prairie land, most of which is under cultivation. The northern part is brush and timber with some swamps and marsh land, a good portion of which is drained by ditches. In 1857 a settlement was made south of the river by Henry Ley, J. C. Noll, Peter Haehn, Peter Kuhl and Peter Frevel. Mr. Ley fell from a wagon and was killed in 1865; Mr. Kuhl died the same year; Haehn died in 1894; Noll in 1899, and Frevel in 1906. North of the river the first permanent settler was William Bosworth in 1857. He was followed during the same year by Eben and W. A. Pillsbury. Their land is now owned partly by Mrs.. Christian Rausch and partly by John Carding. The year following quite a number arrived, mostly Americans, so that this came to be known as the "American settlement." All

In 1858, a line of stages between St. Cloud and Fort Abercrombie opened a public thoroughfare along the valley, and passed through this town on the north side of the river. A postoffice, called Kennebec, was established at the residence of Eben Pillsbury, but both stage-route and postoffice were discontinued on the completion of the railroad to Melrose.

The territory now embraced in St. Martin township, was included in the town of Verdale, organized in 1858. In 1859 Marion was organized and included all the territory now contained in St. Martin, Lake Henry, Spring Hill, and a portion of Lake George. The name was soon after changed to Kennebec, and the territory reduced so as to contain only what is now St. Martin and Spring Hill. The name was again changed, in 1863, to St. Martin, and the town reduced to its present limits on the organization of Spring Hill, in 1871.

The officers elected at the organization of Marion, now St. Martin township, were: Supervisors, William Bosworth (chairman), Andrew Nett, and J. B. Getchell; clerk, E. E. Abbott; assessor, John C. Noll; and collector, Oscar R. Champlin. The present officers are: Supervisors, Mike McGowan (chairman), Henry Schaefer and Peter Mohs; clerk, Peter Kuhl; treasurer. Math Kuhl; assessor, Jos. Rausch.

The first school in the town was taught by a Miss Brooks in the winter of 1861-62, in the house of William Bosworth. This was a private school and derived its support chiefly from Mr. Bosworth. There are now four schools in the township; one in the village, consisting of two rooms, J. C. Diekmann, principal, and Henry B. Haehn, assistant; one in section twentythree, district 81, Ben J,. Kruchten teacher; one in section twenty, district 125, Henry J. Adrian teacher. The total number of pupils enrolled in these schools is 197.

The Sauk Valley Creamery Co. - This creamery was organized Feb. 10, 1897. The persons principally interested in the organization were: Math L. Mehr, John Carding, Jos. Noll, Nick Mohs, Henry Ahmann, John Fleischhacker and others. The first officers were: Math Mehr, president; Jos. Noll, secretary; Nick Mohs, John Carding and Henry Ahmann, directors. The creamery is located about a quarter of a mile out of the village of St. Martin. The site was obtained from J. C. Noll by a lease for twenty years. The present officers are: Nick Blonigen, president; Theo Mimbach, secretary; Mich. Schlick, Geo. Ehresmann and John Fleischhacker, directors. The old building is still used, but many changes have been made. Recently a new gasoline engine was installed. During 1912 1,110,251 pounds of milk, 320,152 pounds of cream and 113,518 pounds of butterfat were received, and $34,120.43 was paid out to patrons. The receipts from butter, milk, cream, etc., during the year were $37,120.07. There are about 86 patrons who own together about 1,000 cows.

St. Martin Village

The village of St. Martin is located in the southeast corner of the township of St. Martin in sections 25, 26 and 35, 36, on the south bank of the Sauk river.

The first house in what is now the village of St. Martin was a log shanty, 16 by 24 feet, built by Henry Ley in the fall of 1857. In 1866 Joseph Zimmerman opened a general store here and about the same time the postoffice was established ano named Leedstone. Later it was changed to St. Martin, and on Oct. 14, 1905, it was discontinued, a rural delivery route being established from Zion postoffice, five miles distant. This route is operated by Jos. Hammes.

There are at present one general store, two hardware and grocery stores, two saloons, two blacksmith shops, one wagon repair shop, one shoe repair shop and one creamery. There is one Catholic church and cemetery, a four-room school and a village hall.

The village of St. Martin was incorporated in the year 1891. The officers were P. X. Wenck, president; Henry Loosbroek, Nick Hockert, Peter Haehn, trustees; and Nick Bohnen, recorder. The first meeting was held on Jan. 12, 1892. The minutes of proceedings of that meeting show the members present to have been: F. X. Wenck, president; Henry Loosbroek, Nick Hockert, Peter Haehn, trustees; and Nick

Bohnen, recorder. The following resolution was passed: The liquor license in the village of St. Martin shall be .$500 per annum. The bond of Nick Schlicht for selling liquor was accepted and the recorder was authorized to issue the necessary papers. The bond of Maggie Loosbrock and John Luckanitch for selling liquor was accepted and the recorder authorized to issue the necessary papers. The meeting .adjourned until Feb. 2, 1892.

The present officers are: Val Haehn, president; Math. Barthel, Prank Reaser. John Mondloch, trustees; Henry B.. Haehn, recorder. The village has fire protection and cement sidewalks, and is at present planning to replace the old kerosene street lamps by gasoline lamps, four of which are to be installed if the one ordered on thirty days' trial proves to be satisfactory.