USA > Minnesota > Cottonwood County > History of Cottonwood and Watonwan counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume I > Part 27
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1872 by E. Clark. In the spring of 1872 the house and lot was bought by S. S. Johnson, who resided there for several years using the lower floor for flour. feed and pumps."
THE OLD "LOCK-UP."
In 1885 the village of Windom had a "lock-up," twelve by fourteen fcet, built of two-by-four dimension stuff and painted on the outside. It contained two cells, seven by twelve feet, and two iron-barred windows, twelve by thirty inches, six feet from the floor. At that date it was very poorly kept, inhabited by many rats and mice and naturally very unsanitary. For a time it was used by both county and village, but subsequently it was condenmed by the authorities.
WINDOM'S COMMERCIAL INTERESTS IN 1916.
In the summer of 1916 the business and professional interests of the city of Windom were as follow :
Auto-garage-John Moore, Silliman Brothers, Frank Pope.
Attorneys-Wilson Borst, Newton L. Glover, P. S. Redding.
Banks-Farmers State, First National and Windom National banks.
Barber shops-Newell P. Freeman, H. C. Hamilton and Richard S. Reese.
Blacksmith shops-John Loken & Son, Smestad & Grotte and Ole S. Thompson.
Bakeries-J. M. Eibright and the Windom Bakery.
Clothing stores-Gustav Mueller and G. A. Peterson.
Cigar manufacturer-O. S. Skillingstad.
Creamery-Windom Creamery Company.
Creamery stations-J. E. Jenness and E. E. Berry & Son.
Confectioneries-John F. Hinkley, Nick Hules, Thomas Hules, Charles J. Koob.
Draftsman-William A. Peterson.
Druggists-Andrew A. Quevli, Frank Stedman.
Ditch contractors-Samogge & Redding.
Dray lines-William Belton, W. E. Bates.
Dentists-John A. Adamson, Henry Beise and C. H. Vroman.
Elevators-Co-operative Elevator Company, St. John's Elevator Com- pany and G. W. Gillam.
Furniture dealers-James A. Crane, E. E. Berry & Son.
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Feed store-John Loken.
Feed Barns-Thomas Chatham, Miller Brothers.
Fuel dealers-Walter J. Johnson, Ole Grotte and the lumber companies
Grocers-J. M. Ebright & Son, Headley & Miller.
General contractors-Christopherson & Westgard, Carl Peterson.
General dealers-Michael L. Fisch, Foss Mercantile Company, A. Quevli & Co.
Hotels-The Park, Commercial.
Harness shops-James Devlin and A. D. Nelson.
Hardware dealers-Earl Marshall & Son, C. Nelson & Co., Albert Wynne.
Implement dealers-Jens Anderson, Ole Elvrum.
Ice dealer-Yerkee Brothers.
Jewelers-Arthur B. Cone, Charles W. Lowery.
Lumber dealers-Grosjean & Lampert Lumber Company, Struck-Sher-
win Lumber Company, and the Tuthill Lumber Company.
Liveries (horse)-L. T. Chatham, J. C. Church.
Mill-Richard Collins.
Music store-Edward E. Gillam.
Moving picture show-"The Wonderland."
Milliners-T. Kittleson, Mrs. Josephine Lowery.
Meat markets-M. S. Potter, Wieks & Burrill.
Merchant tailors-Nels Anderson, John Hoffman.
Newspapers-The Cottonwood County Citizen, The Windom Reporter. Notions-Orris M. Garrett, Windom Variety Store, S. L. Rogers.
Physicians-Dr. William T. DeCoater, Dr. Joseph H. Dudley, Dr. Ludwig Sogge, Dr. Frank R. Weiser, Dr. F. C. Griffith, Doctor Tegland. Photographer-Jesse O. Thompson.
Produce dealers-John F. Jenness, Windom Produce Company, J. F. Reide.
Restaurants-Minute Cafe, Frank R. Shaub, J. G. Hinkley.
Real estate dealers-Kettlewell & Jeffers, Silliman Brothers Land Com- pany, Ringkob-Peterson, Sanger Land Company, Marshall Land Company, Benjamin A. Cone, Andrew Cowan, George F. Robison, Robinson & Potter, J. T. Johnson Land Company.
Shoe store-Ed. Larson.
Stock buyers-Gus Swanholm, Miller Brothers, M. T. DeWolf. Tile works-W. P. Cowan.
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Telephones-Windom Mutual, Northwestern. Veterinaries-F. E. Judd, John Tyas.
COMMERCIAL CLUBS.
In February, 1908, there was formed in Windom a Commercial Club, with officers as follow: President, W. F. Savage; vice-president, C. W. Gillam; secretary, F. G. Dunnicliff ; treasurer, John T. Johnson ; directors, W. J. Clark, T. C. Collins, M. L. Fisch. Rooms were kept open over the First National Bank until that structure was burned. The membership fee was thirty dollars.
The present Commercial Club was organized on March 4, 1914. All phases of business were represented at the meeting, which was held at the court house. It started out with seventy members. The first officers were : President, C. W. Gillam; vice-president, J. O. Thompson ; secretary, L. S. Churchill; treasurer, M. L. Fisch. The club has already secured many ad- vantages for the city of Windom. The present month-August, 1916-it has secured a great band tournament, representing bands from St. James, Currie, Heron Lake and other neighboring towns, six in all.
THE TOURIST CLUB.
The Tourist Club was organized in' October, 1896, with Mrs. T. C. Collins as president ; Mrs. Wellington, vice-president; Mrs. C. A. Greene, secretary ; Mrs. Force, treasurer. The club derived its name from the fact that the club members took up the study of things beyond their own imme- diate realm for the purpose of self-improvement. The membership is limited to twenty-five. The club carries an associate membership, members of which are taken from the active list. To become an honorary member one must have been an active member for a period of five years. At present there there are eleven associate members and four honorary members. The club meets every Monday evening. For the coming year the club begins the study of the "Romance Cities of America" and "Problems of the Day."
The officers for the coming year are as follows, among whom are Mrs. Collins and Mrs. Greene, who are holding the same offices as at the time of organization : President, Mrs. T. C. Collins; first vice-president, Mrs. George Robison ; second vice-president, Mrs. Gillis ; corresponding secretary, Mrs. Harriet Hunter; recording secretary, Mrs. Greene; treasurer, Mrs. Strunk; critic, Mrs. Chestnut; assistant critic. Mrs. Emor Smestad.
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WOMAN'S LITERARY CLUB.
The Woman's Literary Club of Windom was organized on June 27, 1903, with Mrs. C. W. Gillam as president. The club has studied the works and literature of many of the best writers, including Shakespeare, Marlowe and many others. But the efforts of the club are not confined wholly to the study of classic art and literature, but also home problems and home economics.
The officers elected for the year 1916 are as follow : Mrs. Carpenter, president : Mrs. J. T. Johnson, vice-president ; Mrs. Scurr. recording secre- tary; Mrs. A. D. Perkins, corresponding secretary ; Marie Quevli, treasurer ; Mrs. A. D. Perkins, chairman of program committee. The Mayview course of study has been selected for the coming year's work.
WINDOM PIONEERS.
The following is a list of the pioneers who helped to lay well the founda- tion stones of the sprightly little city of Windom: W. A. Smith, George F. Robison, William Besser, George Miller, O. Elvrum, D. C. Davis, C. A. Lowe, C. H. Rupke, H. A. Cone, John Hutton, E. Gillam, James Dolan, Frank Stedman, W. B. Williams, George E. LeTourman, C. W. Gillam, L. J. Robinson, J. F. French, Charles B. Pierce, R. H. Reese, W. A. Cook, E. L. Leonard, M. T. De Wolf, E. C. Huntington, T. C. Collins, H. M. Clark, E. Sevatson, R. R. Jenness, Will Gillam, S. S. Gillam, J. N. McGregor, H. Bosworth.
WINDOM'S GREATEST FIRE.
A fifty-thousand-dollar fire visited Windom in July, 1900. It com- menced about noon, with a high northwest wind. There was but little water in the tank and the hose owned by the town was rotten and soon found to be useless. Not an ax nor any implement for fire-fighting was to be found for the use of the firemen. It was believed the fire had its origin in the old Mason barn hay-loft, back of the Quevli store. When it was known that the fire laddies could do nothing, St. James and Heron Lake were appealed to for aid. The railroad gave special trains to bring the fire companies from these places. In a short time men and hose came from St. James and in less than thirty minutes from the time of call, the Heron Lake fire com- pany was landed in Windom. Dick Gage, the engineer that hurled the com- pany up from Heron Lake, made the run in an incredibly short time. On
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authority, never disputed, he made the twelve-mile run in twelve minutes and unloaded his freight at the Windom depot. The St. James company made their run in thirty-one minutes, including a stop at Bingham Lake. After the water supply was found giving out, the Heron Lake engine run to the Des Moines river, but it was found they could not force the water up that far, so when the Luverne company arrived a line of hose was estab- lished between the wagon bridge and town, but again it was found that the engines were not making steam sufficient. Then a steam threshing engine belonging to Matt Miller was fired and run to the scene and greatly aided the other engines in pumping water sufficient to check the flames somewhat. Coal ran out and a special was sent to Ileron Lake for a supply from the railroad yards. A passenger train brought a hundred laboring railroaders from Bingham Lake, and more were tendered if needed. These were sta- tioned all over the southeast part of Windom with pails of water ready to quench any fire that might be set from flying cinders, etc. As a matter of fact, had the home fire company been encouraged and the supply of water, so near at hand, been looked after before the day of fire, nearly all this heavy loss might have been saved Windom. The thanks of the people of the place to the kindness of the railroad company, the fire companies at St. James, Heron Lake and Luverne, are even to this late day being expressed by the citizens of the place.
A. Quevli was the heaviest loser. $17,000; he had $2,000 insurance. Thurston Bros. had $8,000 insurance and estimated their stock at $16,000. M. D. Gates had on stock about $1,500 insurance and, all told, lost about $5,000. Johnson & Foss had $800 insurance and lost about as much more. Fish Brothers had an insurance of $2,500, and saved most of their stock. A. Opperud lost the building in which Arthur Cone was doing business; this was worth about $2,000. O. Nason had $1,500 insurance and lost $2,000. Olf Erickson had some loss in his restaurant. Dr. Moen lost his library and many valuable surgical instruments, at a loss of $2,000. George F. Robison, L. J. Robinson and Dr. De Coater, all occupants of the Robi- son & Robinson building, lost about $2,000. The above named losses only include the business places and there was, besides these losses, several small buildings and barns, easily totalling a thousand dollars more.
OTHER CONFLAGRATIONS.
On March 1, 1885, a fire destroyed the store of R. R. Jenness, occupied by N. Freeman as a general store. Loss, $8,000; insured for part of the amount,
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On February 1, 1910, the First National Bank building, with most of its contents, was destroyed by fire, which originated in the basement. The first floor was occupied by the bank and the large store of M. L. Fisch. Mr. Fisch was the heaviest loser, with a loss of $25,000 ; insured for $15,000. The bank lost $16,000 on building and $3.500 on fixtures; insured for $10,000.
In November, 1910, another fire burned the Farmers' Elevator, built in 1885, at a cost of $5,000, and owned by E. Sevatson. It was insured for $4,000. Four thousand bushels of wheat was lost.
CHAPTER XVIII.
REMINISCENCES.
PIONEER DAYS IN GREAT BEND-BLIZZARD OF 1873.
By W. A. Peterson.
During the summer of 1872 the officers of school district of Great Bend township, erected a school house at the southeast corner of section 6, the second school house built in the county. It was a wooden building con- structed of pine lumber, quite a pretentious one for those early days; the frame, boards or "sheeting" had been nailed; over this was a covering of building paper and over that the half inch siding; the roof had been sheeted, papered and shingled, and there they had stopped for want of funds to pur- chase more material and the building was not finished on the inside at all. Shutters had been constructed of pine flooring, but had not yet been hung on the windows, but were artistically piled in one corner of the room. The school house was calculated to be located in the geographical center of the "district" and was, consequently, as is often the case, just a mile from everybody.
During the long and memorable winter of 1872-3, the school was being taught by John E. Teed, one of the young homesteaders and pioneers of the "far west." The school consisted of about twenty scholars of all ages, from the five-year-old-just mastering the intricacies of A, B, C,-to young men and women of sixteen to eighteen years of age. They had no patent individual desks and seats fastened to the floor, no elegant blackboard, smooth as glass, all around the four walls of the room; no steam or furnace heat ; no elegant and comfortable lavatories, nor in fact any of the modern improve- ments and conveniences of even the country school houses of nowadays.
The young seekers after knowledge of that generation of a half century ago had to be, and were, content with the plain pine benches and desks; a very small wood-burning stove in the center of the room, around which they huddled on a cold day, burning one side and freezing the other at the same time. They had to walk at least a mile in the keen, biting cold and through
(20)
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the deep snow to attend school, yet there were very few cases of tardiness or absence that winter when the weather was so that the youngsters could get out at all, and there was no ironclad rule compelling pupils to return home and lose a half day in case they were a few minutes late, to act as an incentive to make them prompt.
They were away out upon the wild prairies of the frontier and some of them were well aware that they were getting to an age where if they did not improve the opportunity their. education would most likely stop short. They were very glad of an opportunity to attend a school that, primitive as the accommodations were, was as far ahead of the opportunities enjoyed by most parents in their youth, as their school house was behind the modern school building, with all its paraphernalia, and many of the middle aged men and women of today "graduated" from just such a school as is above described, that were among the boy and girl pioneers of the great West.
The morning of January 7. 1873, was a wild, warm, damp, foggy morn- ing ; such a mist hung over the prairie that it was almost a rain. They started for school that morning without any cold weather wraps; there was but one overcoat in the house that day; and that belonged to the teacher, who had brought it from necessity rather than choice, because he was "board- ing around" and intended going to a new place that night.
The pupils assembled at the school house as merry and thoughtless as any children, who, if they only knew it, are then spending the happiest hours of their lives, and went through the usual routine of the morning lessons and recitations. The lunch pails were emptied at noon and they were play- ing some games in the west end of the room, when a commotion was noted about the door, and that three or four children were apparently hastily pre- paring to go away. On inquiry it was found that Mr. D. W. Working had come with his team and was hurriedly urging his children to get ready to go home.
"What is the matter, Mr. Working?" someone asked.
"We are going to have a bad storm and I am going to get my children home as soon as possible," was his reply, as he hustled them into the sled and drove rapidly away.
Mr. W. had hardly got away from the school house door when there came from the northwest such a gale of wind as none had ever beheld before, and I'll take my oath they never want to see it again.
It strick the building with a rush and roar, with such violence that it rocked, shook and trembled like a distressed ship in a hurricane, and seemed as though determined to wrench it from its foundation, rend the slender frame
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asunder and hurl the building with its living human freight into eternity. The air was completely filled with fine, drifting, whirling particles of snow, as fine as the minutest particles of sand in a Sahara desert sand storm, render- ing it impossible to see a foot toward the storm, and only a few feet in any direction. Those who have ever witnessed a northwestern blizzard can form no idea of it, and it is not to be wondered that they regard the description given by the westerners of such storms as exaggerations, as "fish stories," but any old plainsman will sustain the statement that they cannot be exag- gerated ; that the half of the truth has not, and never will, be told regarding them.
The storm began about half past twelve o'clock Tuesday afternoon, and lasted without cessation until Thursday night at midnight. Oh, how that terrible wind did shriek and howl, whistle, and roar, all day and night Wed- nesday and all day and half the night Thursday, like the unchained demons of the bottomless pit turned loose, howling in insane demonical rage upon the bleak prairie, and at last moaning itself to sleep-its fury spent-as though singing a sad requiem for the victims of the elements whose bodies lay stark and stiff at intervals over the plain, frozen to death.
The scholars huddled together, seemingly stupified by the giant power of the fearful element raging without; gazing speechless with terror into the blanched faces of their companions, whose bloodless lips and wild eyes told of the thoughts of the older ones, inspired by the perilous predicament they were in. The wind was screeching and screaming around the building, which creaked and groaned like a living thing, searching out every little crack, nail or knot hole, and sifting the fine particles of snow into the room; on one pane of glass, in the northwest window, near the center of the pane, a bunch of snow formed in a fantastic wreath, forced through a hole made by some flaw in the glass, so tiny that it could not be detected with the naked eye.
The diminutive stove had never been large enough to furnish sufficient heat for that great shell of a room even in fair and comparatively warm weather, and as night approached the room began to grow cold and green willow wood, the largest of the sticks being as small as a man's forearm, and now it was discovered that there was but a quarter of a cord left ; not near enough to last through the night, even of that miserable fuel. There was nothing within a mile of the school house, and the situation was indeed perilous ; it was fully realized by the teacher and the older scholars. As niglit approached and it became colder it also became more lonesome and dreary. They took the shutters and placed them on a couple of benches as near the stove as possible, without setting fire to them; placed all the coats,
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shawls and wraps that were available on them, and made a bed in which were placed the ten or dozen little children, who, childlike, soon forgot their homesickness and fright in the blessed balm of the sweet sleep of childhood.
The older ones employed every means that fertile minds could suggest to keep sluggish blood in motion and bodies warm, and also to keep their minds diverted from the gloomy contemplation of the peril. They were huddled together around that wretched little stove and sung songs and told stories by the twilight of the fire shining through the open front door of the stove. This was all the light, but by its uncertain flicker I thought I discovered some of the boys and girls sitting so close together that I sus- picioned that the boys were gallantly trying to keep the girls warm, and cheer and support them by putting their arms around them.
The long, dismal night passed away at last, and with the coming of daylight came renewed action ; the youngsters yawned, stretched and awoke, gazing stupidly around the room at first, trying to recall where they were. Ellison D. Moers, who was the oldest and largest boy in school, announced his intention of trying to go to the house of Dr. R. N. Sackett, which stood just about a mile to the northwest of the school house, and right in the teeth of the gale, to get some relief for the now half famished little ones. It was a hazardous undertaking; one requiring a clear head, a steady nerve, and physical endurance, but as Ellison possessed these requisites and was deter- mined to go, he was bundled up in all the wraps they had, accompanied him to the door and bid him good-bye and God-speed, doubting if he would ever be seen alive again.
They whiled away the long, lonesome, tedious hours until some time about noon, when they heard a pounding at the door, and upon opening. two "tosled" snow images tumbled into the room. They were so bundled up and covered with snow that it was not known who they were at first, but soon found that they were the schoolmate returned, accompanied by the doctor.
They had brought a plentiful supply of food, a bottle of strong tea and a sharp ax. They fell ravenously upon that grub and slaked their thirst with the strong tea. After resting and warming the doctor decided to go back home and try to get his team to the school house and take the stormbound scholars over to his house: and so he set out, facing the terrific wind, accom- panied by the teacher, and about four o'clock p. m., they returned with the team and packed the little ones in the bottom of the sleigh box and covered them up "head and ears" with the blankets and robes. Ellison D. Mooers and the teacher did not go, but went to Ellison's home, which was something
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over a mile southeast of the school house, and as they went with the gale they did not have serious trouble in reaching the house.
I then lived about a mile and a quarter to the southwest of the school house and thought I could go home all right, but the teacher and the doctor refused to let me try it, and so I went with the other scholars to the doctor's house. Harvey Thompson and myself, being the two eldest boys in the party, had curled down in the rear end of the sled box to keep out of the drifting snow and cutting sleet as much as possible, as we were both very lightly clothed for braving such a blizzard.
We had gone but a few rods when the team was stopped and the doctor, turning to us, said in a frightful tone: "My God, boys, I've lost the track." Imagine, if you can, the feeling that came over us at this information. Drop- ping ice down your back on a warm day is hixury compared to it. We made the doctor promise to keep just where he was and we got out and went down on our knees on either side of the sled, calling to each other inces- santly, so as not to lose each other or the sled, for we could not see two feet from our faces, and by so doing one of us found the track and got the team into it. From that time on Harvey and myself kept our faces out over the side of the sled and within eighteen inches of the ground, watching that faint track as intensely as a cat would watch a mouse. The team left it several times before we finally reached the house, but one of us would imme- diately call in the wind.
We got to the house and as soon as Mrs. Sacket could get a warm meal -- the first we had since Tuesday morning-we all went to bed, "three in the bed and two in the middle," and made up for the sleeplessness of the night before. On Thursday morning the wind was blowing a severe gale, but it had stopped snowing and as the doctor had to make a professional visit, we started out at about ten o'clock a. m. and I got home all right. Just as we left the school house I went back to the blackboard and scribbled a message on it, telling anyone who might come to the school house what had become of the pupils.
Such an emergency always called out heroes and shows the stuff men are made of. This was no exception to the rule. In addition to the peril- ous and heroic journeys of Ellison D. Mooers, Dr. R. N. Sackett and John E. Teed, one more that was entirely disinterested and was the spontaneous act of a true man with a heart as big as an ox, who could not rest while he knew that human beings and especially children, were in peril, deserves more than passing mention.
Orrin Nason, familiarly known to many as "Tip," lived just about a
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mile directly west of the school house. My brother and Tip had been caught in Windom on Tuesday afternoon when the storm began, and as my brother's wife lay almost at the point of death they knew that they must go home if possible. They succeeded after a perilous journey that nearly cost them their lives, and Tip had been up to my house and found that I had not got home. He, of course, at once surmised that the school children were storm- bound in the school house and had nothing to eat. This troubled his big heart so much that he had his good wife pack a pail of provisions and he started out and brought it to the school house, arriving there just about half an hour after we had gone. He had not a chick nor a child in the world; no one in school nearer than his nephew, yet he risked his life and braved that awful storm to get relief to us, when a dozen fathers, having children in the school, did not dare to try to get them.
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