USA > Minnesota > Douglas County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume I > Part 26
USA > Minnesota > Grant County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume I > Part 26
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Emmanuel Episcopal church at Alexandria was organized early in the seventies, among the leading families in the organization of the same being the Cowings, the Van Dykes, the Dickens, the Abercrombies, the Brophys and the Spragues, and on August 31, 1875, under the ministry of the Rev. George Stewart, the first rector, the present attractive old Gothic edifice which has ever since served the Episcopal congregation as a house of worship, was dedicated, the document attesting the fact being signed by Bishop Benjamin Whipple, first bishop of Minnesota, to whose memory a memorial window has been placed in the church. Among the other memorial windows in the church is one to the memory of Rt. Rev. Mahol Morris Gilbert, bishop coad- jutor; to Mary A. Cowing, one to Effie Viola Moore, one "presented by tourists," one presented by the St. Andrew's Brotherhood and one to Lucile Brown. The beautiful altar is a memorial to Louis J. Brown, the altar rail to Mary Henrietta Alleyne Mingfield, the altar chairs to Smith Bloomfield, the missal stand to Ellen Venoss, the cross and altar vases to Martha S. D. Plank, the litany desk to Richard and Cecelia Heard, the prayer book to Mary Ann and John James Peacock. There is also a window presented by the St. Monica Guild and one presented by "friends." There have been fifteen rectors of Emmanuel's Episcopal church since its organization, the Rev. George Stewart having been followed, in turn, by the Rev. I. T. Osborn, Rev. Thomas K. Allen, Rev. F. B. Nash, Rev. Mark Jukes, Rev. F. M. Bacon, Rev. Charles Rollit, Rev. James McCausland, Rev. F. E. Alleyne, Rev. George W. Barnes, Rev. Glen White, Rev. H. J. Kaiser, Rev. Samuel L. Mitchell and the Rev. E. C. Schmeiser, the latter of whom has been in charge since March, 1916.
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THE CHURCH OF CHRIST (SCIENTIST).
The Church of Christ ( Scientist) at Alexandria is a recent organiza- tion, the members of which began to hold regular Sunday services at the home of Mrs. Alta-Mae Jacobson on July 12, 1914. At that time there were only about seven or eight persons interested in the meetings, but the home soon became too small to accommodate the growing congregation and on November 22, 1914, the group moved into the present quarters of the Chris- tian Science church, a small hall over the Carlson grocery store on the city's main street. The group grew steadily and on March 21, 1916, organized an authorized Christian Science Society at Alexandria, complying with the rules of the First Church of Christ (Scientist) at Boston. There are seventeen charter members, four of whom are members of the Mother Church. The officers consist of a first reader, a second reader and a board of trustees. The first reader is Mrs. Alta-Mae Jacobson; second reader, Mrs. Caroline von Baumbach; trustees : President, Mrs. Margaret Unumb; treasurer, Miss Amelia Jasperson ; clerk, Alta-Mae Jacobson; Mrs. Mary Robards and Will- iam Olson. The group has a committee for the distribution of Christian Science literature, which sends the Monitor, a daily newspaper of clean journalism; the Sentinel, a weekly magazine, and the Journal, a monthly magazine.
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST.
The Seventh-Day Adventist church of Alexandria was organized on November 8, 1885, with twelve charter members and E. A. Curtis as elder. For awhile a rented building was used for a place of worship until a build- ing could be bought. The church building now occupied was dedicated for service on January 27, 1900, the dedicatory service being conducted by Pastor C. W. Flaise. Following Mr. Curtis the pastors of the church have been: G. L. Budd, E. M. Chapman, W. W. Ruble, and E. L. Sheldon, the present pastor.
Of the many young people who have grown up and been fostered by this church, four have become ministers of the Gospel and are holding posi- tions of trust in different places. A school room has been added to the church building and for nine months of the year a teacher is employed and instruction is given the children in the usual grade studies and on Bible sub- jects, especial effort being made to build up Christian character. There is in the church a strong Missionary Volunteer Society of young people, which meets regularly.
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There are several church companies at different places in the county which hold regular services, but have not as yet secured church buildings.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
Some years ago there was a Presbyterian church mission established at Alexandria under the direction of the mission board of that church, but it could not get a foothold and was presently abandoned. The only active congregations of the Presbyterians in Douglas county are those at Forada, presided over by the Reverend Owen, who is building up a flourishing and compact organization there, and the church at Evansville, which now has a stated pastor, and a church at Osakis.
CHAPTER XIII.
NEWSPAPERS.
It was not long after the establishment of a social order hereabout that the newspaper appeared and from the very beginning Douglas county has been favored by the presence of admirable mediums of publicity, the news- papers of the county ranking very high among the country journals of the state.
The first newspaper established in Douglas county was the Alexandria Post, which, under its present hyphenated name of the Post-Nezes, is still being published, having had an unbroken existence since September 23, 1868, on which date it was launched on the then untried "sea of journalism" in this section of Minnesota by William E. Hicks, owner of the Alexandria townsite, who was a tried New York City newspaper man, and who asso- ciated with him in the initial stages of the venture George W. Benedict, a practical printer, of St. Cloud, who before the year was out retired and the paper was continued alone by Hicks until late in the fall of 1870, when Joseph Gilpin, a veteran of the Civil War and an experienced printer, took over the publication, Hicks in the meantime having been elected to the Legislature and his townsite and other business interests requiring all of his time. Mr. Gilpin had grown up "at the case" on a newspaper in Buffalo, New York, and when the Civil War broke out had enlisted for service in a New York regiment. His health became broken and he found work at the printer's "case" in the city did not agree with him after the completion of his military service, therefore, in July, 1867, he came to Minnesota and for the benefit he thought might be derived in a physical way, homesteaded a farm on the shores of beautiful Lake Darling, just north of Alexandria, and thought he would become a farmer, but the old lure of the print-shop was too strong and a couple of years after the Post had been started, he traded his farm to Hicks for the newspaper property and resumed the calling with which he was much better acquainted than with the methods of breaking a frontier farm.
Mr. Gilpin continued the publication of the Post until 1874, in which year he sold the paper to A. B. Donaldson, of Minneapolis, a professor in
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the State University, and returned to his former home in Buffalo, but pres- ently returned to Alexandria and on August 1, 1877, started the Douglas County News, the publication of which he continued until 1894, when Charles Mitchell, of St. Cloud, came over and bought both the Post and the Vezes and consolidated the two papers under the present name of the Post- Neres. Charles Mitchell, a brother of William Mitchell, of the St. Cloud Journal, continued the publication of the Post-News until November 7. 1902. when he sold the paper to Ezra E. McCrea, of St. Paul, an experienced newspaper man, who has ever since been editor and publisher of the paper. Mr. McCrea, who formerly was deputy city clerk of St. Paul, had a ten-year experience in newspaper work before taking up the work at Alexandria, hav- ing been a reporter on both the Pioneer Press and the Dispatch at the state capital and had for some time been a reporter for the Associated Press in New York City.
OLD PAPER REVIVES MEMORIES OF ANOTHER DAY.
An examination of the files of the old Alexandria Post, preserved at the office of the Post-News would revive many memories of other days in the minds of old residents who might look over the same. The Post was an admirably printed sheet from the very start, its initial issue showing the work of a master hand. It was pointed out by the editor that the mechani- cal outfit, which had been shipped over from Chicago, was in place and ready for operation within two weeks after the order was placed. When the Post was established Grant and Colfax were the nominees of the Republican party for president and vice-president, respectively, and their names were carried at the mast-head of the paper in its very first issue. The electors on the Republican national ticket, whose names were published, were W. T. Rambush, of Freeborn county; Oscar Malmros, of Ramsey county; C. T. Brown, of Nicollet county, and T. C. Jones, of Anoka county. The con- gressional ticket was, for first district, M. S. Wilkinson; second district, Ignatius Donnelly; legislative ticket, for Stearns county, S. B. Pinney; out- side of Stearns county, William E. Hicks. Large attention was paid by the Post to local political conditions, a warm local fight, with particular refer- ence to the congressional nomination then being on. In the second issue of the Post there was printed the correspondence between Gen. L. T. Hubbard and Ignatius Donnelly regarding a plan of arbitration of the differences be- tween the two, arising out of the congressional nomination, the Post con- cluding its comment on the proposition by declaring that "should the board
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of arbitration settle the matter of differences between the candidates harmon- iously, which we trust they will, the choice of the board, we have no doubt, would be recognized and accepted by the entire party, and this is as it should be." The Republican county ticket for that year, as carried by the Post in its initial issue, was as follow: For auditor, William M. Pye; register of deeds, F. B. Van Hoesen : sheriff, G. W. Harper; corner, Daniel Shotwell; judge of probate, H. S. Boyd; surveyor, Henry Blackwell; treasurer, T. W. Sprague : court commissioner, N. B. Patterson ; county commissioner, second district, Levi E. Thompson.
Proper attention was paid to local social doings in those days and in the second issue of the Post there was printed a considerable item under the head of "The Alexandria Ball," the public being informed that "the ball given by Mr. McLeod, of the Woodhull House, on Monday night last, was a complete success. About thirty couples were present. Dancing began at nine o'clock and was continued until midnight, when supper was announced and all sat down to a splendid repast, served in Mrs. McLeod's inimitable style. Thorough justice being done to the substantials and delicacies of the supper, dancing was resumed and continued until daybreak. All the partici- pants went home pleased and satisfied. Russell's music, McLeod's supper and Darling's management are all that are necessary to make a night pass pleas- antly. These reunions of town and country are agreeable and aid greatly in promoting a friendly feeling among those present. We hope these social gatherings may be more frequent." That same issue of the paper devoted three columns to a report of the fourteenth annual conference of the Method- ist Episcopal church at St. Anthony, including a list of appointments for the several districts of the state, it being noted that C. F. Kingsland was appointed to the Alexandria church and O. Hoover to the Osakis church in the St. Cloud district. Under the head of "Our New Church," it was stated that "In our last issue we alluded to a movement towards erecting a Methodist church in Alexandria. As a further evidence of the energy and public spirit of the citizens in this matter, we take great pleasure in stating that the build- ing is already in course of construction, carpenters commencing work on Monday morning last. The citizens can now confidently calculate upon having a suitable house of worship ready for occupancy within sixty days." In the same column it was noted that "We were delighted with the good dis- play of the vocal powers of the ladies of Alexandria at the morning church service last Sunday. There is abundant material in our congregation for good singing and we hope to see an organ placed in the church to accompany our lady singers." This item is supposed to have had reference to the con-
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gregation of the Congregational church, which at that time was holding serv- ices in the old court house hall and to which Mr. Hicks later donated the fine corner lot on which the present Congregational church stands. Under the head of "Personal" it was noted in the second issue of the Post that "Mr .: G. W. Benedict, one of the proprietors of the Alerandria Post, went below on Sunday last. after assisting in the publication of the first number of our paper, which in point of mechanical appearance, we are not afraid to com- pare with any newspaper that has been started on the frontier of late years." The grain market quotations then were as follow: "Wheat is lower, selling at $1.05 for No. I. All the markets below are lower. Oats are quoted at 50 to 55 cents. Wheat at Center, $1 to $1.50."
The business interests of Alexandria seemed well represented even at that early date and the Post carried the following advertisers in its columns : F. B. Van Hoesen, attorney at law; Scandinavian House, L. Johnson, pro- prietor ; H. L. Gordon and L. W. Collins, Gordon & Collins, attorneys at law and real estate agents; Gates & Blood, general freighters, running "regularly once a week between St. Cloud and Alexandria, rates from $1.50 to $2 per 100 pounds :" Van Hoesen & Mitchell, F. B. Van Hoesen and James S. Mitchell, real estate agency; John S. Mower, attorney at law and insurance ; M. H. Tolan, bootmaker and repairer; George C. Whitcomb, county auditor and register of deeds, "any business required to be done by non-resident land holders executed promptly and no exorbitant charges;" Dr. Q. E. Andrews, physician and surgeon; Thomas Cowing, general merchandise; Woodhull House, John McLeod, proprietor ; Hammond, Rima & Co., shingle manut- facturers ; W. E. Hicks, lumber yard; C. Shultz, gunsmith and dealer in sportsmen's and hunter's goods; G. C. Marshall, saloon; E. G. Holmes, gen- eral merchandise and farm implements, Holmes City; John Sundblad, board- ing house and saloon: C. Sonday, merchant tailor; J. F. Bell & Company, St. Cloud, dry goods; Alexandria Flouring Mills, "the highest price paid for wheat ;" Joseph Gilpin, builder and plasterer; D. Fredenberg, carriage and wagon factory: Smith & Herbert, boots, shoes and leather ; St. Germaine, St. . Cloud; D. B. Hull, house, sign and carriage painting, glazier and paper- hanger: Andrew Lundberg, carpenter and jointer; Robert Walker, black- smithing and horse-shoeing; S. J. Holmberg, wagonmaker; J. H. Holla- bangh, hardware; T. F. Cowing, Alexandria Store, dry goods and general merchandise; J. B. Cowing, groceries and meat market; Pomme de Terre Station Hotel, D. Burns, proprietor ; Mueller Brothers, dry goods and general merchandise.
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THE ALEXANDRIA CITIZEN.
In the summer of 1893, W. S. Gilpin, son of the veteran editor, Joseph Gilpin, and Newton Trenham started a newspaper at Alexandria which they called the Citizen and which they began publishing largely in behalf of the Grange movement. Presently Gilpin sold his interest in the paper to Tren- ham and moved to Hamilton, North Dakota, where he started a paper which he conducted for three or four years, at the end of which time he went to Osseo, Wisconsin, and started there the Osscò News, which he is still pub- lishing. Trenham later sold the Citizen to J. A. Kinney, who is still con- ducting the same.
THE PARK REGION ECHO.
Twenty-six years ago a mian hy the name of Clark arrived at Brandon and proceeded to establish a newspaper for that thriving village. He was an ex-county attorney of Itasca county and considerable was expected of his venture by the people of that community. The paper he started he named Blue Bells. But he proved to be an eccentric sort and the publica- tion was rather erratic. Frequently, weekly editions would be omitted. He continued about a year and sold out to Hans Peterson and Fred Andrews, two of Brandon's promising and energetic young men. They edited the paper for some time, when it proved the income was not sufficient to keep the venture going.
But the people of Brandon had acquired a taste of having a local news- paper and were not willing to let matters drop so readily. At Evansville, A. C. Lawrence was located and they made an arrangement with him to take over the property. They assisted him to the extent of fetching. his household goods and family to Brandon and he began reviving the Brandon Echo. He gave the village a live and interesting newspaper, but he also encountered the same difficulty-small income-too small to maintain a family of three large people. It was claimed that the three together would tip the scales at more than 700 pounds and that they ate regularly three pounds of the best roast beef each dinner. The Echo was then sold to George S. Myron, who moved the plant into his house, the one now occu- pied by Anton H. Strom. Up to that time the plant had been located in the Decker building, yet standing south of the Larson hardware store. Mr. Lawrence went to Alexandria and there started a new paper which lasted only a short while, though.
Mr. Borgen was a good printer and put new life into the Echo.
It
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appeared to prosper and gain prestige. He was appointed postmaster and this gave him additional income and prestige, and he materially improved the publication. Large fonts of type were added and the old army press was disposed of and the Minnesota stop-cylinder press, on which the Alex- andria Post News had been published for several years was installed. The paper was changed from a four-page seven-column to an eight-page five- column. The business men of the village patronized him liberally and did what they could to assist in giving the community a live little local paper. But reverses set in and in time the ownership passed into the hands of the Brandon State Bank. Again the business men took a hold to retain the paper and keep it alive. Carl .A. Wold. the present editor, agreed to edit it for the bank until some other arrangement could be made. But this appeared to be a difficult matter and a proposition was made to Wold, which he accepted and became the owner of the plant.
Up to this time the temperance question had not received much atten- tion in the local papers. In fact the saloons had been the most prominent feature in the business and political life of a community. But a change was developing. Their work was growing distasteful and protests began to come frequently. The system was gradually changing from the local saloonkeeper who lived in the place and invested his income in the village, educated his children there and took a live interest in the development of the towns, as is customary of business men, to men who acted as mere agents for some brewery outside of the village and whose only interest in the place was the amount of profits turned in. This system produced a class of saloon keepers that sometimes did not act wisely or very scrupu- lously. They generated a general protest from the better class of residents and the temperance movement was on.
Mr. Wold upon assuming the management of the Echo at once dis- continued the liquor advertising. This was resented by the saloon keepers and at once a fight was on. Wold tried to avoid this and for a long time ignored the attacks and advocated prohibition and no-license. From this condition developed an organization in the county that has done much to create sentiment for no saloons and a dry county.
After three years work in Brandon, temperance advocates of the county started a movement to reorganize the paper and move the plant to Alexandria, where the Echo would be in a position to assume the work for the whole county. From a small circulation it has developed a large circulation and has the liberal support of the people.
The plant of the Park Region Echo is now equipped with a good
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cylinder press, jobber, linotype and other necessary machinery for news- paper and job work.
THE ALEXANDRIA REPUBLICAN.
A newspaper formerly published at Alexandria was the Republican, which was established more than twenty years ago by U. B. Shaver, who con- tinued its publication a few years, at the end of which time he sold it to A. C. Lawrence, who continued the publication of the same until growing financial difficulties caused him to seek a change of base and he moved the plant to Fergus Falls.
THE OSAKIS REVIEW.
The Osakis Review was established in 1890 by A. L. Heikes and was a four-page seven-column paper. It was printed on one of the first Wash- ington hand-presses ever brought to Minnesota. The Review became the property of Clement H. Bronson, the present publisher, in December, 1892, Mr. Bronson at that time enjoying the distinction of being the youngest editor in the state. From a four-page paper with a circulation of two hun- dred and forty copies weekly, the Review has grown to an eight- to sixteen- page seven-column newspaper, having a circulation of over one thousand five hundred copies weekly. The Review is now printed in a modern news- paper plant occupying a floor space forty by one hundred feet. The office is equipped with a linotype machine, power presses and attached newspaper folder, each piece of machinery being driven by an individual electric motor. The Reviewe has always been consistently Republican in politics.
THE BRANDON FORUM.
The Brandon Forum was founded at Brandon by A. B. Johnson ou October 15, 1910, about two years after the Echo had been moved from that village to Alexandria. Five years later, October 15, 1915, the Forum was purchased by W. J. B. Moses, who has since been editor and publisher of the same.
THE EVANSVILLE ENTERPRISE.
The Enterprise, published at Evansville, was established in 1889 by H. G. Urie, who later sold to P. A. Neff, who in turn sold the paper to W. N. Bronson, brother of the editor of the Osakis Review, who is still publish- ing it.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE BENCH AND BAR.
The first attorneys to locate in Douglas county for the practice of their profession were John Randolph and John S. Mower, who came to Alexan- dria in 1867, when this city was only a straggling village. Reuben Reynolds also came that same year. Mr. Reynolds was county attorney from 1871 to 1873. Mr. Mower was the first county superintendent of schools, serving from 1869 to 1873, and was also editor of a newspaper. F. B. Van Hoesen. one of the very early settlers at Alexandria, was a lawyer and served as county attorney from 1869 to 1871, but spent most of his years here as a banker.
In 1871, Knute Nelson, a young lawyer from Wisconsin, who had been admitted to the bar in Dane county in 1869 and practiced there two years, came to Alexandria and formed a partnership with Reuben Reynolds for the practice of law. Mr. Nelson was county attorney from 1873 to 1875; was elected to the state Senate in 1875; was elected to Congress in 1883 and served there until 1892; was elected governor of Minnesota in 1892 and served two terms; in January, 1895, he was elected United States senator and has since represented this state in the Senate.
Nelson Fulmer studied law in the office of Mr. Nelson and was admitted to the bar at Alexandria. Mr. Fulmer practiced law here for several years; was county attorney from 1875 to 1879, and later moved to St. Cloud, where he was collector of the McCormick Harvester Company and finally had charge of collections for that company in a large part of the state.
William F. Ball came to Alexandria from Canada in 1875 and opened an office for the practice of law. After residing here about ten years Mr. Ball moved to Fargo, North Dakota, where he died recently.
George H. Reynolds, a son of Reuben Reynolds, came to Alexandria in 1877. He was county attorney from 1879 to 1883. He afterward moved to St. Cloud and engaged in the practice of law there until his death in 1914.
Col. Horatio Jenkins, a native of Massachusetts, who had gone south after the Civil War, came to Alexandria from Florida in 1880 and engaged
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in the practice here until his death. He was county attorney from 1883 to 1889.
George L. Treat, a native of Wisconsin, and a graduate of Ann Arbor law school, began the practice of his profession at Alexandria in 1883, and has been here ever since, engaged in the law, loan and insurance business.
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