An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 23

Author: Rose, Arthur P., 1875-1970
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Luverne, Minn. : Northern History Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 924

USA > Minnesota > Rock County > An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota > Part 23
USA > Minnesota > Pipestone County > An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota > Part 23

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The final change in the personnel of the First National's management was made by reason of the death of President Jacobsen in 1905. Since then the offi- vers have been : A. D. LaDue, president : E. A. Brown, first vice president : O. P. Huntington, second vice president ; Wil- liam Jacobsen, Jr., cashier: D. M. Main. assistant cashier. On the same occasion the board of directors, then consisting of A. D. LaDue. E. A. Brown, O. P. Hunt- ington, G. C. Huntington and P. E. Brown. was increased to seven members, and William Jacobsen. Jr., and J. . 1.

Kennicott were chosen as the new direc- tors. On January I. 1906, the capital stock was increased to $100.000. to which were accumulated a surplus and reserved. profits of nearly $50,000. The brick block occupied by the First National Bank was erected in 1878.

The Rock County Bank, the second fi- nancial institution established in Luverne, has always been operated under the one name. It was organized May 2, 1882, and incorporated the same month as a state bank, with a paid up capital of $25,- 000. The following were the original offi- cers and stockholders: William Jacob- sen, president ; R. B. Hinkly, cashier ; O. P. Miller, J. K. P. Thompson, William Larabee, Frank Larabee, B. H. Hinkly, W. R. Kinnard, Daniel Stone, Ezra Rice and W. IF. Wilson.

In July, 1885, the capital stock of the bank was increased to $50,000. William Jacobsen was succeeded as president in May. 1888, by B. H. Hinkly. R. B. Hinkly. the first cashier, continued in that office until April, 1899, when he was elected to the presidency and C. J. Mar- tin, the present incumbent, became cash- ier. The final change in the management of the Rock County Bank. effected August 14, 1909, resulted in a complete reorgani- zation. The Hinkly and Larabee inter- ests were withdrawn, and the bank passed into the hands of a new company, C. J. Martin being the only member of the old board of directors to retain his connec- tion with the institution. The capital stock was placed at $25,000 and the fol- lowing were the officers .and directors elected : (. L. Sherman, president ; Er- nest Kiebach, vice president ; C. J. Mar fin. cashier : L. E. Coss, J. P. Coffey, J. P. Houg and S. A. D. Kennedy. The Rock County Bank is located in its own brick block. erected in 1883, on the north-

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HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

west corner of the intersection of Main and Cedar streets.

The Farmers National Bank has been established for twenty-three years. It was organized in 1888 under the state banking laws as the Security Bank of Lu- verne, and opened for business May 8, of that year, in the brick building it still occupies on the southeast corner of the intersection of Main and Cedar streets. The original officers were Angus Ross. president : Ezra Rice, vice president : and W. Hl. Halbert. cashier. On the death of W. I. Halbert. B. E. Schuck became cashier.

The change from the Security Bank to the Farmers National Bank occurred June 6, 1905. The capital stock of the institution is $25,000. Angus Ross, The principal organizer, is still the president. and B. E. Selmek is cashier. The pres- ent board of directors consists of the fol- lowing: P. E. Brown. J. A. Harronn, J. O. Ilelgeson, J. H. Graaf. J. W. Gerber. J. II. Sanders and B. E. Schuck.

The youngest of Luverne's banking concerns, the National Bank of Luverne. is an outgrowth of the Luverne City Bank, a private institution founded by Fred B. Burley. Mr. Burley opened his bank for business June 16. 1906. In De- cember. 190%, an association was formed. with Mr. Burley as prime mover, which absorbed the Luverne City Bank and was granted a charter by the treasury depail- ment to condnei a national bank. The incorporafor- and first officers of the Na- tional Bank of Luverne were P. O. Sky- berg, president ; Carl Wiese. first vice president : James McKeon, second vice president : Fred B. Burley, cashier; A. TI. Osborn. K. G. Oldre, C. L. Sherman and E. H. Canfield.

MANUFACTORIES.

Within the past few years there have been developed a member of important manufacturing concerns in Luverne, and in every instance none but local capital has been employed. These industrial en- lerprises have been beneficial agencies in the promotion of the city's prosperity. The demand for Luverne-made products has extended considerably beyond a local field of distribution.

The Luverne automobile, manufactured by the Luverne Automobile company, is a machine whose merits have attracted the attention of buyers in all parts of the northwest. Luverne is one of the few eit- ies in the middle west that can boast of a completely equipped automobile manu- factory. The industry developed from small beginnings. In 1893 F. A. and E. L. Leicher, under the firm name of Leich- er Brothers, established a wagon-making business which grew to substantial pro- portions. The Leichers in 1903 construct- od an antomobile in their shop, which on trial proved to be a success. This led them to branch out on a broader scale. and for a few years they turned ont ma- chines to supply a local demand.

A number of Laverne business men. realizing the importance of developing the enterprise the Leicher Brothers had commenced, in November, 1906, incorpor- ated a company with a capital stock of $50.000. and succeeded to the rights of the Lnverne Automobile company, which had previously been established by F. A. Leicher, E. L. Leicher, J. A. Kennicott and A. D. La Due. These gentlemen, to- gether with E. A. Brown. S. B. Nelson, S. (. Rea, William Jacobsen, Jr., C. O. Wright and J. W. Gerber. became stock- holders in the reorganized company. 1 year later the present two-story brick fac- tory building was erected and equipped

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HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

with new and modern machinery. Nearly twenty men are employed and the annual output of the plant averages seventy-live vars. The factory is under the manage- ment of Leicher Brothers.

Another firmly established Laverne en- terprise is the Luverne Brick & Tile com- pany, an industry which gives employment to more than thirty men the entire year. The founder of this institution, which has had an existence of thirteen years, was R. B. Hinkly. On the advice of experts in clay analysis who examined the soil on Mr. Hinkly's farm and pronounced it to be the very best for brickmaking purposes. that gentleman at once established a plani. small at first, to utilize the resources. In the course of a few years it was found nec- essary to increase the facilities, and the industry was placed on a firm footing.

The Luverne Brick and Tile company as a corporation began its existence in 1907. In the same year was built the present plant. a fonr story structure, which, with the several additions and other buildings subsequently erected. cov- ers a plot of ground 80x100 feet in extent. The company manufactures brick and hol- low terracotta building blocks and all sizes of drain tile and has an equipment for this purpose unexcelled by any similar institution in the state. The present ofli- cors of the concern are R. B. Hinkly, pres- ident : John Connell, secretary ; and B. S. Hinkly, superintendent.

Luverne is the home of two brick manu- factories. A company of local capitalists

was formed and incorporated in 1907 as the Lawverne Pressed Brick company, which established a thoroughly up-to-date plant for the manufacture of sand and Time products. The factory is located on an extension of the Omaha railroad tracks near a laige gravel pit of inexhaustible supply. The facilities for manufactur- ing are modern, and the plant is capable of an output of 20,000 brick per day. Lu- verne pressed brick has won wide favor through its excellence and is being used in the construction of many of the best buildings in this section of the state. (. W. Sheriff is the superintendent of the plant. The present officers of the Lu- verne Pressed Brick company are E. . 1. Brown. president: S. B. Nelson, vice president : W. E. E. Greene, secretary : and A. D. La Due, treasurer.

The Luverne Concrete company, manu- facturer of building blocks, drainage tile, curbing and other cement products, was organized in April, 1910, with the fol- lowing officers and board of directors : L. E. Coss. president : (. L. Sherman, vice president : C. J. Martin, secretary and treasurer; E. R. Coss. C. H. Peter- son. 11. E. Cornish and S. A. Coss. The sitecess of the enterprise was guaranteed. from its birth. The manufacturing plant, the largest of its kind in south- western Minnesota, extends over nine acres of land, has excellent facilities for ship- ping, and is equipped with modern ma- chinery. The main building has a floor space of 12,000 square feet.

CHAPTER XI.

INELS AND HARDWICK.

R ANKING second in size among Rock county villages is ITills, sit- uated in the southern part of Martin township, two miles from the Iowa state line. It is located at the june- tion of the Great Northern and Illinois Central railroads, giving it transporta- tion facilities excelled by no other town in the county excepting Luverne. As re- gards trade Territory, Hills has a strate- gir location, drawing its trade from an area of exceptionally prosperous country -a finer agricultural country than which it has never been the fortune of the auth- or of this volume to see. The village it- -elf is in keeping with the country sur- rounding. It is compactly built and pre- sents an attractive appearance, being gen- erally regarded as the neatest looking municipality in Rock county. It has broad streets, lined with substantial brick and frame business houses and handsome resi- dences, and shade and ornamental trees cover the entire townsite.

Although Hills takes a high rank in the matter of size and importance, it is one of the younger villages of Rock coun- ty. having come into existence after, and ils a result of. the building of the Sioux

)The first mention of a possible new town I have been able to find in the local press ap- peared in the Beaver Creek News-Letter of August 16. 1889. The item was as follows: "New towns are springing up around us like

City & Northern (now a branch of the Great Northern) railroad from Sioux ('ity to Garretson. The first building erected on the townsite was put up prior to this fime, however .- long before the lo- cation of a village there was thought of. This building was a church, the house of worship of the Inmanuel, Norwegian Evangelical Union (Synod), which was erected in 1885. From that date until late in the year 1889 the church alone occupied the townsite of Hills.

The Illinois Central railroad was built Through the neighborhood in the fall of 188 ;. and men who were following the fortunes of that road founded the town of Bruce, a couple of miles west of the future town of Hills, which, of course, precluded any idea of founding a town in such close proximity by the Illinois Cen- tral interests. But when the line of the Sioux City & Northern was definitely lo- cated and grading was commenced late in July, 1889, the farmers living in the vi- vinity of the point where the new road would cross the Illinois Central interested themselves in inducing the railway com- pany to locate a town at that point.1 In August, before track laying was begun, a

mushrooms in a hotbed. Another town. five miles south of us on the Sioux City & North- ern, will soon launch into the booming process that is necessary to build up towns in the west."

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HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

number of Martin township farmers rais- ed $1000 by subscription, with which they purchased of F. C. Finke a forty acre tract on the northeast quarter of section 28. This they turned over to the railroad authorities, with the understanding that a station should be located thereon, and a townsite platted. The matter of the os- tablishment of the new town hung are for some time" bul the representative of the railroad company accepted the forty acre tract and in September purchased a seven- teen arre tract adjoining from William Thompson.

The farmers residing in the vicinity were given the privilege of christening the new town. They chose the name Oslo, but before the site was platted, late in October, it was learned that there was a town of the same name in Marshall coun- ty. Minnesota, and those interested de- cided on Grant for the name. That name was also short lived, for when the local passenger tariff of the new road was issued early in December, the new station was listed Anderson, in honor of Goodman Anderson, then a resident of Martin township, now of Hills. The sta- tion was known by this name until the following spring.

The townsite was surveyed in Novem- ber, 1889, by O. C. Pitkin. The dedica- tion was made February 12. 1890. by E. W. Skinner. and the instrument was filed

""There appears to be some question as to whether or not a new town will be started at the crossing of the Sioux City & Northern and the Illinois Central near Bruce. in Martin town- ship. A tract of forty acres has been donated to the company for a townsite at the point men- tioned, but it appears that the Central road is opposed to the scheme and it is stated on what appears to be pretty good authority that the Sioux City & Northern company has no in- tention of putting in a depot there."-Rock County Herald. August 30, 1889.

"The original plat consisted of sixteen blocks. North and south the avenues were named Main, Water and Church; east and west the streets were numbered First to Sixth. Additions to Hills have been platted as follows:

Lars O. Kolsrud's, by Lars O. Kolsrud and Andrew Gunderson, July 21. 1893; surveyed by W. N. Davidson.

F. C. Finke's, by Frederick (. Finke, May 12. 1899; surveyed hy W. N. Davidson.

for record May 31 of the same year." The track was laid to and beyond the site of the town in the fall of 1889, and before the first of the next year a depot, section house, windmill and tank were erected. No one made his home there, however. and prior to the year 1890 Hills (or And- erson, as it was then called ) did not have a single inhabitant.

The first inhabitant of Anderson was Olaf Nordby, who came in January, 1890. as section foreman. The section house was occupied by one of his men who had a family, and Mr. Nordby boarded with them. Early in February B. F. Heastand came to Anderson as agent for the Sioux City & Northern and opened the station. The matter of selecting a permanent name for the town-to-be became a live issue early in the year and the matter was ar- gued for several weeks before any busi- ness enterprises were started,' On March 1 a public meeting was held, at which the name Hills was decided upon. This was given in honor of Frederick (. Hills, who was at the time the president of the Sioux City & Northern railroad.5

In the spring of 1890 Hills became a town in fact as well as in name. Several business enterprises were started. and be- fore the close of the summer season there were quite a number of stores, shops and warehouses, the greater number of which lad come in their entirety from the neigh-

Helgeson & Qualley's, by John Helgeson and O. G. Qualley, May 28, 1902; surveyed by W. N. Davidson.

County Auditor's Outlots, by County Auditor. October 16, 1909; surveyed by W. N. Davidson.

4"The parties interested in the new town of Anderson in Martin township are having a lit - tle squabble over the name-some are for and some against the name."-Beaver Creek News- Letter. February 21, 1890.

*Frederick C. Hills was born in England Jan- mary 23. 1842, and came to America with his parents at the age of seven years. He served three months in the civil war. being discharged because of physical disability. He located in Sioux City, lowa, in 1861, was one of the or- gunizers of the Sioux City & Northern, and for seven years served as president and general manager of that road. He died from poisoning in Sioux City, November 23, 1899.

SCENES AT HILLS

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HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

boring village of Bruce. To William Thompson, who lived on his farm adjoin- ing the townsite, and Orval E. MeClarey belong the honor of being the first to en- gage in business in Hills. In March these gentlemen erceted the first business house in the town, on Main street, one block from the depot, and on April 28 opened a grocery and hardware store. also engag- ing in shipping live stock." While Thomp- son & McClarey were establishing the first business house others were putting up buildings in the new town, and imme- diately after the pioneer store was started other business enterprises were founded.

In April the store building of Jacobson &' Sexe was moved across the fields from Bruce, and early in May that firm opened a general store one block north of the Thompson store. The same month A. T. Sexe moved his lumber yard from Bruce and installed P. H. Bly as manager. Ai the same time Ole Lund, the Bruce black- smith, moved to the more promising vil- lage with his family -- the first family to locate in Hills-and erected a shop and !osidonce.

Many of the settlers of Martin town- ship and most of the first business men of Hills were Norwegians. When the seventy-sixth anniversary of the independ- ence of Norway, May 12. 1890, occurred. all living in the vicinity joined in cele- brating the event, although only the above mentioned people were residents of the town. A bowery was erected and the exer- cises were held in a downpour of rain. Niels Jacobson was president of the day : Nels Iverson, vice president : Charles Nel- son and George Anderson, marshals. The advertising matter promised one hundred guns at sunrise and a mammoth parade, headed by two brass bands.

"This pioneer business firm dissolved partner- ship six months later. Mr. Thompson continu- ing the business and closing out the grocery stock.

So early as February a petition had been circulated among the farmers in the vicinity of the proposed town, asking for the establishment of a postoffice, and dur- ing the summer the office was established with J. N. JJacobson as postmaster .?

Besides the business enterprises men- tioned, a few others were put in operation before the close of the year 1890. Ware- honses were pot up by Anderson & Finke, who also engaged in the stock business. and A. T. Sexe, and an elevator was Imilt by the J. Q. Adams company. A. Ilen- driekson, a carpenter, erected a residence late in the year. A correspondent writing November 12 said : "We have every pros- pect for making a good town. We have three elevators, one general store. one large hardware store, one blacksmith shop and one large lumber yard, also two stock firms and two coal and wood firms." From the time the station was opened until the first of the next year over $2000 worth of freight business was done at the Hills station, according to a statement by the agent, B. F. Ileastand. The growth dur- ing the first year of its history had been substantial, and the year 1891 opened with more improvements in prospect.

During the second year of the town's history a two-story town hall costing $1500 was put up by a stock company. composed principally of farmers residing in the vicinity and a few business men of the town : a $3000 brick church was ereei- ed : Erick Colby established a livery and feed stable : Olaf Skyberg rented a part of the town hall and founded the second general store: Dr. C. P. Bissell put in a stock of drugs in Jacobson & Sexe's store and practiced his profession : L. A. Gil- beits and the Midland Elevator company erected warehouses; W. P. King estab-

"Mr. Jacobson served a four year term. being succeeded in 1894 by F. H. Fritz. Olaf Skyberg received the appointment in 1898 and has held the office since. One rural mail route is in operation from Hills. It was established April 1, 1904.

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HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

lished a photograph gallery; and six resi- dences were built.& AA business directory of Hills on November 20. 1891. shows the following: Jacobson & Sexo, general merchandise: Olaf Skyberg, general mer- chandise: William Thompson, hardware; A. T. Sexe, lumber. fnel, feed and grain. P. H. Bly. manager : C. P. Bissell, phy- sician and drug store: Erick Colby, liv- ery barn : Ole Lund, blacksmith : A. Hen- drickson, carpenter : B. F. Heastand, rail- road agent : J. Q. Adams & Company, ele- vator. A. J. Barbour, agent: L. A. Gil- beits, grain dealer. John Helgeson, mana- ger : Midland Elevator company. W. F. Johns. manager.

The growth of Hills during 1892 was substantial and its permanency was assur- ed. It distanced some of the neighbor- ing villages and boasted a larger growth than its rivals.9 Among the new enter- prises of the year were the town's first hotel by T. O. Strandness, a bank under the management of J. R. Wright, a har- ness shop by H. Julson and a pool hall by H. O. Rue. The building improve- ments amounted to over $12,000 and were as follows :

A. T. Sexe. store building. $4000

Sandbo Brothers & Skattum, drug store and harness shop 3000

A. T. Sexe, residence. . 2000

J. Helgeson, residence 1500

Il. Nerison, residence. 1500

T. O. Strandness, hotel. 1200

Olaf Skyberg, residence. 1000

P. H. Bly, residence 1000

O. Rue, residence. 800

Iver Heyme, residence 600

M. Olson, residence. 300

W. P. King, photograph gallery 200

Total $17,100

"""To say that Hills is booming is not saying much at present. The fact is, wo lack words to express the enterprise and thrift noticeable in all lines of business. All our business men are kept so busy that they must put out of consideration both comfort and repose to keep pace with the progress of the town. Lots and building materials go like hot cakes. Houses go up and new business enterprises are estab- lished. Hills is destined to become the metropo- lis of Rock county, to say the least, and the present antlook warrants us in predicting that

Despite the fact that there had been so much activity during the first few years of its existence, when the Hills Crescent was founded in August, 1893, it is learn- ed that the total population of the village was not over forty. There was some ad- vancement during the first half of the year 1893, and the report of the railroad business at the station for the year indi- câted a healthy business. Three hundred twenty-seven carloads of grain and forty- three of stock were shipped from the sta- tion : there were received twenty-one car- loads of lumber, forty-four of coal, thirty of merchandise. two of salt and thirty- two of miscellaneous goods. The panie of 1893 and the few years succeeding hard times had a depressing effect on the little village and not much progress was made until the late nineties.

An item of the greatest importance in the history of Ilills was the establishment of the station on the Illinois Central road. Ever since the founding of the town its citizens had endeavored to bring about this much desired action, but the Illinois C'ential interests had been more interest- ed in their town of Bruce and had stead- fastly refused to entertain the idea. The people of flills raised $400 by subscrip- tion to donate toward the building of a depot and daring the winter of 1893-91 the station was established and the depot built. resulting. practically, in giving the town a new railroad. The occasion was duly celebrated in a jollification held on the evening of January 3, 1894.

The next item we have to consider in the history of Hills was also an important

such will be the case in the no distant future." -Hills Correspondent. September 2, 1891.

""ITills, in its march of progress, is crushing the hopes and aspirations of some older towns. passing on over the dead and buried remains of the neighboring villages. It is the eternal law of life and growth. Something must die that other things may live. There is a 'sur- vival of the fittest.' "-Correspondent, Septem- Jær. 1892.

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HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

one-no less than the removal of the en- tire business section of the town. The village was originally located three blocks west of the present location, on low ground. In 1893 F. C. Finke platted an addition on the higher ground, and early in the year 1895 he submitted a proposi- tion for the removal of the business houses to Summit avenue of his addi- tion, which would place it about midway between the two depots. A meeting of the property owners on Main street was held early in April, when Mr. Finke made his proposition, to the effect that in case the move was made each property owner should receive free a lot of relative loca- tion to the one on Main street and that each building should be moved free of cost to the owner. On April 20, at an- other meeting, the proposition was accept- ed. Ole Sandbo, William Thompson and A. O. Skattum were appointed a com- mittee to represent the business men in the legal transaction. To the committee Mr. Finke delivered a hond, signel by himself. Goodman Anderson, J. C. Steensen and J. R. Wright, pledging the removal of the buildings free of cost and damage. The contract was signed on May 4, and at once the fourteen buildings comprising the business portion of the town were moved to the present site.

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An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 23

Author: Rose, Arthur P., 1875-1970 Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Luverne, Minn. : Northern History Publishing Company Number of Pages: 924

Author: Rose, Arthur P., 1875-1970
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Luverne, Minn. : Northern History Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 924