USA > Minnesota > Cottonwood County > History of Cottonwood and Watonwan counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume I > Part 26
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53
"Its shipping embraces grain, stock and flour and a large local trade has built up an aggregate of many large, thriving establishments creditable to the little city. Her school building is a model structure of modern con- venience and architecture. Her schools are on a par with any of the country, being taught by competent and skilled instructors. She has six churches; three solid banking institutions ; a flour-milling capacity of one hundred and twenty-five barrels daily; four large elevators, a tow mill and a splendid stock market. Windom now has a population of nearly fifteen hundred as cultured and refined people as can be found in our great state of Minnesota. The streets are wide and well kept, and the business portion of the place com- pletely surrounds a beautiful park which is nicely grown up to large shade trees and is laid out in beautiful driveways; some of the beautiful dwellings are nestled beneath the side of a towering hill, while others are on the banks of the historic Des Moines river, which carves its way to the great Missis- sippi, thence to the ocean. Then, in closing, we may be pardoned for men- tioning the two weekly newspapers."
It was in the early spring of 1871 that S. M. Espey first came to Win- dom, after having traveled over the territories from the Pacific slope in search of a home. He came to Windom before the railroad came through, hauled lumber from St. James to erect his store and, in company with A. P. Lukens, set up an establishment on the southeast corner of block 18. They engaged in the hardware business for a year or two and then the firm sold to Stark & Williams. Mr. Espey, soon after the opening of his store, was appointed postmaster and served in that capacity for ten years.
In 1871 John Hutton and W. H. Wilson began business together. In a short time Wilson sold his interests and, moving to LuVerne, engaged in
BRIDGE ACROSS DES MOINES RIVER, WINDOM.
MINN
windom
THIE DAM AT WINDOM.
BUILDING OF FOSS MERCANTILE CO., WINDOM.
.
HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING, WINDOM.
مل 1.1
1
28c
COTTONWOOD AND WATONWAN COUNTIES, MINN.
business there. During the several years of grasshopper devastation, Mr. Hutton gave immense credit to the farmers, with little prospect of payment, but, strong in the faith that the country must in the future outgrow its then bad record. he did much toward holding settlers on their claims, for without indulgence on the part of the business men depopulation would have become complete. The country rallied from the distress, the farmers began to pros- per, and Mr. Hutton, with the rest of the business men, were finally rewarded with the payment of old claims.
FIRST EVENTS.
The village of Windom was platted June 20, 1871, by A. L. Beach, of the St. Paul & Sioux City Railroad Company. One week before its platting, A. P. Lukens, S. C. Highly and others arrived with lumber and commenced the erection of buildings. Early in June of that year S. Hunddleston & Sons erected a bakery on lot No. 8, of block No. 8, and dug the first well in the village plat. They built an oven with blue clay obtained in the digging of the well. In this oven was baked Windom's first loaf of bread.
Among the first events in the young village may be mentioned the fol- lowing: The first sermon in Windom was by Rev. J. E. Fitch in Espey & Lukens' hardware building. The first dance in town was in the same building. The first attempt at organizing a lodge in Windom was in October, 1871, when the Masonic fraternity commenced its work here. The first at- torney in the place was Emory Clark. The first physician was Dr. Allen Smith, who commenced his practice in October, 1871. He returned to Ohio, from which state he had emigrated, and there died. The first death was that of P. A. Ruhberg, on March 13, 1873. The first school was taught as a "select" school by Miss Hellen F. Lawton, in the winter of 1871-2. The first train of cars to enter the village was early in July, 1871. The first post- master was S. M. Espey. The Presbyterian church was organized on October 15, 1871, with eight members and Rev. E. Savage as its pastor. The first Methodist Episcopal church quarterly conference was held at Win- dom in December. 1871. In September and October, 1871, ten thousand dollars were paid out in the village for wheat. In 1874 Windom had three churches-Baptist, Presbyterian and Methodist Episcopal. Prudence Masonic Lodge was also then in operation. In 1873 a large two-story school house was erected at a cost of four thousand dollars. The first term of school was taught there in the winter of 1873-4. In the spring of 1873
(19)
290
COTTONWOOD AND WATONWAN COUNTIES, MINN.
large quantities of lumber were rafted to Jackson and to points in Iowa, on the Des Moines river. That year the wagon bridge was constructed by N. H. Manning.
COMMERCIAL INTERESTS, 1872 AND 1882.
Upon the first anniversary of the village of Windom, the following business interests were represented :
Attorneys-E. Clark, J. G. Redding and A. D. Perkins.
Furniture dealer-McMurtrey & Freeman.
Flour dealer-L. Clark.
General dealers-D. Patten & Co., M. E. Donohue, Hutton & Wilson. Harness shop-J. Hoople.
Hardware and implements-Espey & Lukens.
Hotel-The Windom, the Hyatt House.
Implement dealer-Graves & Co.
Jeweler-C. A. Ludden.
Lumber dealer-G. L. Loope, St. Paul Lumber Co., T. W. Gilleland, agent.
Meat market-H. M. Clark.
Newspaper-The Windom Reporter, S. and E. C. Huntington, editors. Nursery-E. B. Jordan, agent.
Physician-Dr. A. Smith.
Wagonmaker-E. Morton.
In a period of ten years the village grew considerably, as is evidenced by the business directory of 1882:
Attorneys-A. D. Perkins, Redding & Laing.
Agricultural implements-B. W. May, S. S. & A. W. Johnson.
Blacksmith shops-P. A. Ruhberg, John Svenson, Sherwood & Hubbel. J. McCurtrey.
Bank-Bank of Windom.
Druggists-D. Patten & Co., Tilford & Klock, A. Quevli.
Flour and feed dealers-S. S. & A. W. Johnson, LeTourneau & Gillam.
Furniture dealers-Mrs. L. D. Smith, Jenness Bros.
General dealers-John Hutton, R. R. Jenness, P. Seeger, A. Quevli, E. & S. Sevaton.
Harness shop-J. A. Hoople.
Hotels-The Clark House, owned by J. Clark; Windom Hotel, M.
291
COTTONWOOD AND WATONWAN COUNTIES, MINN.
.
Grimes, proprietor : The Hyatt House, W. W. Barlow, proprietor; City Hotel, John Nolan, proprietor.
Hardware dealers-R. E. McGregor, William Besser.
Hay pressers-J. H. Clark, Paul Seeger, J. G. Redding, Clark & May. Jeweler-C. A. Ludden.
Lime and fuel dealer-George Besser.
Livery-James Hanton, Gabriel Oleson.
Lumber dealer-J. H. Clark.
Meat Markets-H. M. Clark, Nason & Halter.
Millinery shops-Mrs. H. S. Ellis, Mrs. LeTourneau.
Mills-Windom Mill, owners Collins & Drake; Seeker's Custom Mill.
Machine shop-Novelty works, owned by L. Clark.
Physicians-C. A. Greene, J. H. Tilford, S. D. Allen.
Repair shop-H. C. Gillam. Restaurant-Mrs. A. H. Bosworth.
Real estate dealers-Huntington & Perkins, Redding & Laing.
Sorghum refinery-B. W. May.
Wagon shop-W. B. Cook.
In 1882 the village had seven hundred inhabitants, two neat little churches, Methodist and Episcopal, and a Presbyterian church under con- struction.
WINDOM POSTOFFICE.
Windom postoffice was established in 1871 and up to this date there have been no irregularities or robberies in the postoffice here. The receipts of the office, not including money order transactions, during the last fiscal year ending July 1, 1916, were $10,282.27.
Five rural free delivery routes extend out from Windom into the sur- rounding country. The following is a list of the postmasters who have served since the establishment of the Windom postoffice: S. M. Espey, HI. A. Cone, S. B. Stedman, Joseph McMurtrey, George E. LeTourneau, M. T. DeWolf. A. J. DeWolf, H. E. Hanson, G. E. LeTourneau, present postmaster. These names are given in the order in which the postmasters have served, nine in all, making the average term held by the several postmasters, five years. These men have been fairly representative citizens of the place and have sought to serve the patrons faithfully and well.
292
COTTONWOOD AND WATONWAN COUNTIES, MINN.
MUNICIPAL HISTORY.
Windom was separated from Great Bend township and incorporated as a village in the spring of 1875. Emory Clark, attorney, was elected the first president and C. H. Smith, recorder; the trustees were, M. Grimes, L. D. Smith, J. N. McGregor. The first ordinance was passed by the council on April 15, 1875, and related to the selling and bartering of intoxicating liquors within the village.
Among the presidents who have served the village have been: Emory Clark, John Clark, S. M. Espey, A. W. Annes, John Hutton, M. T. DeWolf, C. W. Gillam, W. A. Smith, E. H. Klock, Jens Anderson, L. Sogge and Gustav Miller.
RE-INCORPORATION.
On September 9, 1884, an election was held to determine whether the village should remain under the original charter or reorganize under the provisions of the law of 1883. The reasons for this action on the part of the council were the doubts in regard to the construction of the charter. which had been amended and so mutilated by the insertion of an amendment in the wrong place as to make it almost impossible to construe it at all, this leaving the city with a form of a charter which might have been good, but under which it was unsafe to proceed further. The trouble was discovered at the time of the Woolstencroft prosecution in 1882, but it was not until 1884 that the charter began to show lack of value in the prosecution then pending. It was thought by able counsel that the village had no right to prosecute for an offense against the ordinances and the opinion involved so mitch doubt that the council thought it wise to incorporate under the general laws rather than take a chance of testing the old charter in the courts, with little hope of success. The result of the election upheld the opinion of the council, the proposition carrying by a vote of sixty-six to thirty-nine. The first officers under the new incorporation were: A. D. Perkins, president ; C. F. Warren, recorder; trustees, C. A. Ludden, A. W. Johnson and John Hutton.
In 1916 the town was again re-incorporated and this time with the fol- lowing officers: Gustav Muller, president: O. E. Elness, J. O. Thompson and T. A. Perkins, trustees; P. S. Redding, clerk.
The present indebtedness of the town is forty-five thousand dollars. An electric light system was installed in 1915 and 1916 at a cost of twenty-
ـجة
FARM SCENE NEAR WINDOM.
BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF WINDOM.
293
COTTONWOOD AND WATONWAN COUNTIES, MINN.
six thousand dollars and a great amount of money has been expended on street improvement, for which the town has every reason to be proud. In the way of fire protection, the city depends upon direct pressure and is equipped with two hose carts, one hook and ladder wagon, one thousand feet of fire hose and a volunteer fire company of twenty-five men.
In the way of parks, the town has two, well provided with shade trees and nicely kept.
THE WATERWORKS.
The water suply for the town of Windom up to early in the year 1913 was from a well, generally supposed to be two hundred and eighty feet deep. In addition to this deep well, were a couple of small points feeding into the bottom of a large pumping reservoir from a sixty-five-foot vein.
The deep well pumping outfit had become stopped up in some manner and all efforts to dislodge the obstruction or get hold of it failed. It was decided to procure a deep well drilling outfit and put down a twelve-inch pipe and point in the reservoir where the small points were feeding into the bottom. A contract was entered into with the J. F. McCarthy Company, of Minneapolis, to do the work. A twelve-inch pipe and a point or strainer was put down to the sixty-five foot vein, with the result that an additional supply of water was secured, but not enough to supply the demands.
While the well outfit was still on the grounds, it was decided to try and remove the obstruction in the deep well. When the obstruction was en- countered the drillers could not drill through it faster than six to eight inches in two days and they could not pull the old pipe and get to the strainer. The deep well was abandoned.
The supposition prevailed that another twelve-inch pipe to the sixty-five foot water vein might supply enough water to make another storage reser- voir and thus get a sufficient supply without going to the expense of another deep well. The drilling machine was moved to the west side of the power house and a twelve-inch pipe put down. The water vein was very shallow and so full of fine sand that its use was almost out of the question. A test was made and, at the very best, the flow was only eighty-five to ninety gal- lons per minute. The old deep well pump was set up over this well and pumped occasionally to help out the reservoir supply on the east side.
On the 8th of June, 1914, the council decided to put down another deep well and advertised for bids. The J. F. McCarthy Company were the suc- cessful bidders, the price being six dollars per foot, the town to furnish the fuel for the engine and they to pay all other expenses. Work was com-
294
COTTONWOOD AND WATONWAN COUNTIES, MINN.
menced on July 13, 1914. The well when completed consisted of a twelve- inch hole to the depth of two hundred and ninety-one feet from the surface of the ground.
The pipe used was standard well pipe, forty-nine pounds to the foot. The well is equipped with twenty feet of No. 12 Johnson strainer in two pieces, six and fourteen feet long respectively. This screen sets in about a foot of clay on the bottom of the well; a course of gravel strata of nearly nine feet above that and another strata of gravel about six feet above that. This gives the well about fifteen feet of gravel on the strainer. As a test, the well was pumped twenty-three hours continuously, from ten o'clock in the morning, September 4, to nine o'clock in the morning. September 5. This test developed over two hundred and twenty gallons per minute and seemed to improve as the pumping continued.
WINDOM LIBRARY.
The Windom Library Association was organized in November, 1883. At the first meeting, which was held in the school house, G. M. Laing was chosen temporary chairman and H. J. Keith, secretary. The meeting pro- ceeded to perfect an organization which resulted as follow: Doctor Tilford. president ; Mrs. LeTourneau, vice-president ; Mrs. Huntington, secretary; Mr. Perkins, treasurer ; Mr. Espey, librarian. The object of the organization was to advance the mental and moral. interests of Windom and the surround- ing community. Any person could become a member of the organization upon the payment of two dollars or the contributing of five dollars worth of books. A ticket of membership could be used by any member of the family. For non-subscribers a nominal fee of ten cents was charged for the use of a book.
The state of Minnesota has made it possible for all towns and communi- ties that cannot support a library to make use of the traveling state library. It was really by this means that the present library was started.
The Tourist Club first made it possible to secure the traveling library of fifty volumes and had their headquarters in the directors' room of what is now the Farmers State Bank. After two or three years of successful opera- tion, it was requested of the club that they should take over the subscription library of the town, consisting of three hundred and fifty volumes. This was accomplished and a room was given them in the basement of the court house.
At present the library consists of one thousand one hundred volumes and
295
COTTONWOOD AND WATONWAN COUNTIES, MINN.
two traveling state libraries, one of which is the juvenile. Seventy-five books of general literature belonging to the state are in the library all the time. Three thousand five hundred books are loaned annually. In the way of maga- zines and papers nothing is taken but the Book Review.
The means of support is the one big question in connection with an institution of this kind. As the books are loaned free of charge to anyone in the county, little is derived from this source except in the way of fines, which amounts to about fifteen dollars per year. In order that expenses may be kept at a minimum, members of the Tourist Club act as librarian, serving in alphabetical order. The city council appropriates the small sum of fifty dollars annually and the club a sum equal to about half the amount. The library is kept open only on Saturday afternoons.
True, it can readily be seen that the library is being kept alive with the fond hope that in the near future it may receive the support from the town and county to which it is rightfully entitled.
FERRY.
In April, 1881, rain and melting snow occasioned a rapid rise in all the rivers with the result that the railroad and wagon bridges in Windom were washed out. The loss of the wagon bridge made immediate action necessary for a means of crossing the river until a new bridge could be built. Private boats were put into use for a day or two and twenty-five cents charged for the carrying of passengers across. The village council deeming that suitable means and safety should be provided for the convenience of the public, at once decided to operate a rope ferry, together with a small boat, first as a matter of convenience to the public and, second, to protect them from im- position. Failing to find private parties ready to engage in the enterprise, council began work upon the boats. In a day or two a skiff was put on for immediate use, which served well for the removal of freight and passengers until a larger boat could be built. But the large boat could not be used until eight hundred feet of one and one-half inch rope was secured. About two hundred dollars were expended, besides paying a man two dollars per day for operating the ferry.
To meet the outlay, the council established the following schedule of rates: Footmen, ten cents for round trip ; man and horse, ten cents cach way, fifteen cents a round trip; cattle, five cents each; teams, one way, twenty cents; both ways, twenty-five cents; single horse and carriage, fifteen and twenty cents; school children, free; tickets for foot passengers, in packages of twenty-five and upwards, half price.
296
COTTONWOOD AND WATONWAN COUNTIES, MINN.
THE FIRST ELEVATOR.
In August, 1873, D. Patten & Co. began the erection of a grain elevator, the first one to be built on the Sioux City & St. Paul railroad, with a capacity of fifteen thousand bushels. The firm commenced buying grain in 1871 in a little warehouse on the side track between Eighth and Ninth streets. Soon the capacity of this structure became too small and in 1872 the firm con- structed another warehouse between Ninth and Tenth streets, and finally the increased amount of business led to the construction of the elevator.
THE RUSE HOSPITAL.
The Ruse hospital was started by Mrs. A. Ruse in 1906 and has earned quite a reputation as a place of exact medical science and courteous treat- ment. All kinds of surgical operations and medical treatments are con- ducted by the physicians in charge, namely, Doctors Sogge, Dudley and Weiser. Most of the time three nurses are employed who have in their care about two hundred patients annually.
CIGAR FACTORY.
The cigar factory No. 194, owned and operated by O. S. Skillingstad, was started in 1905 by the present owner and since that time has enjoyed a most profitable business. Mr. Skillingstad manufactures several different brands. The high quality and satisfaction of his goods is evidenced by the fact that the smokers of the town of Windom consume nearly his entire out- put, which averages about one hundred thousand annually.
WINDOM ICE CREAM FACTORY.
Probably but few Windom people realize that they have a most flourish- ing little manufacturing plant in their midst in the Windom Ice Cream Fac- tory. H. E. Hakes, the owner and proprietor of the ice cream factory and the creamery in connection, removed here from Bingham Lake in the fall of 1915, and his coming brought with it the removal of the ice cream plant from that place. Mr. Hakes has a most enviable reputation as a producer of pure ice cream, and the high quality of goods he puts out keeps spreading the sale of his products. He has the most improved machinery for the manu- facturing of ice cream and he is able to turn out several hundred gallons of
₹
NINTH STREET, WINDOM.
--
SOLDIERS' MONUMENT, WINDOM.
L
297
COTTONWOOD AND WATONWAN COUNTIES, MINN.
the cooling cream a day. Every train out of Windom carries it in large quantities. Besides Windom, he supplies every town on the Currie branch, as well as supplying dealers at Mountain Lake, St. James, Heron Lake, Sibley, Iowa; Slayton, Lake Nelson, Brewster, Adrian and other places. At the present time Mr. Hakes employs four people in the ice cream factory and on the milk and cream routes which he also owns.
THE FLOURING MILLS.
The flouring mill is one of Windom's prides. The mill was built by E. F. Drake and Samuel Collins in 1878. The first mill dam was con- structed in 1878 just opposite the mill. For some reason or other this dam proved very inadequate and was constantly washing out and in need of re- pair. The present dam was constructed in the summer and fall of 1885. The dam is one hundred and twenty-five feet long and forty feet wide at the top, giving a fall of ten feet. It was constructed of brush, hay and gravel and is known as Bell's patent. The system was successfully used by Captain Eads in his jetty work at the mouth of the Mississippi river. This dam is located about eighty rods below the wagon bridge and about twenty rods below the bridge is the mill race which leads to the flume, which is seventy feet long and fourteen feet square.
Water power alone was employed until 1882, when steam power was added, to be used when the water in the Des Moines river was too low to furnish the power required. In 1882 Drake became the sole owner and con- tinued to operate the mill until 1902, when T. C. Collins acquired the plant and continued to run it until his death, in October, 1914. In 1906 the firm became known as T. C. Collins & Son and since the father's death the son has had control and management of the concern. Thus three generations of Collins have had to do with the flour-making industry of Windom.
The daily capacity of the mill is one hundred and fifty barrels and their well-known brands of flour have ready sale within a radius of one hundred miles. Another article of merit that is here manufactured is a breakfast food.
The Windom Wagon Factory was organized January 10, 1899, with a capital stock of five thousand dollars. The officers in 1901 were, W. A. Smith, president ; C. W. Gillam, secretary and treasurer ; O. S. Thompson, general manager. During the first two years of operation this company built and placed on the market fifty splendid wagons.
298
COTTONWOOD AND WATONWAN COUNTIES, MINN.
TILE FACTORY.
The tile factory owned by Walter Cowan has been in existence for many years, but the exact date of its beginning cannot be obtained. Mr. Cowan has owned the factory for several years and has manufactured many thousands of tile. Since the farmers are beginning to realize the necessity of tiling. Mr. Cowan can hardly supply the demand. During the summer months he gives employment to several men and it may be said that throughi the influence of the factory much business is brought to Windom that other- wise would go elsewhere.
THE WINDOM MANUFACTURING COMPANY.
The Windom Manufacturing Company was one of the early industries of Windom. It served well its day of usefulness, when flax was raised on the broad prairies of southwestern Minnesota. About 1892-3 W. A. Turner established a large tow-mill at Windom. He had a large building and dry rooms in which the raw material was dried before entering further into the mill. He had a fifty-eight-horse-power engine to propel his machinery. He had to run the flax straw through his mill twice after it was taken from the dry room, which was kept at a temperature of two hundred and twenty degrees, with a drying capacity of one ton per hour. His mill had a capacity of six tons a day.
This concern also started in to manufacture a new kind of self-feeders for threshing machines, flax breaks and rice machines. After the growth of flax was discontinued in this section of the country, this factory had to abandon its enterprise, but, while running, paid ont eight thousand dollars a year for flax straw to the surrounding farmers.
LANDMARK REMOVED.
The folowing item is taken from the Windom Reporter of October 28, 1884: "One by one the old landmarks are being replaced by better and more substantial buildings. The old house on the corner of Third and Tenth streets, erected in 1871 by A. Huddleson and son, and occupied as a bakery and residence, was one of the first buildings in Windom and the one in which the first child was born in the village and named William Windom Huddle- son. The building soon after completion was vacated by Mr. Huddleson, who removed to Wisconsin, and was occupied through the winter of 1871-
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.