USA > Minnesota > Fillmore County > History of Fillmore County, Minnesota (Volume 1) > Part 55
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The New Richmond sandstone is from twenty-five to forty feet thick and outcrops in the principal valleys. It is not an important source of water supply.
The Oneota dolomite is essentially a magnesian limestone, but in this county carries some green sand and occasionally shaly layers. It is about 200 feet thick and is exposed in the valleys of Root river and its tributaries. It carries less water than the alluvium of the valleys and less than the overlying New Rich- mond. In itself it is not to be regarded as a source of water supply.
The Jordan sandstone is about 100 feet thick. It outcrops in the Root river valley as far upstream as Lanesboro and also along several tributaries of this stream in the eastern portion of the county. Along its exposures in the valleys the supplies of water that it yields are usually small, but to the west where it passes under the uplands it carries large amounts of water and is the strongest water-bearing bed encountered. Here the water
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must, however, be raised several hundred feet to bring it to the surface.
The St. Lawrence formation consists of about 175 feet of limestones, shales, and sandy beds, of which about seventy-five feet are exposed in the bottom of the Root river valley below Peterson. It carries a little water in the sandy beds, but because everywhere except in the valley mentioned it is overlain by the Jordan, which is a much stronger water bearer, it is of little importance as a source of supply.
The Dresbach sandstone occurs about 125 feet below Root river at the eastern boundary of the county. It is an open porous sandstone, saturated with water under considerable pres- sure, and yields supplies that rise nearly or quite to the surface of the river bottoms. In the valleys and near the edge of the up- lands this sandstone affords the best source of water, but where it is deep below the surface, as in the western part of the county, there is no advantage in sinking to it, as equally satisfactory supplies can be obtained from the Jordan at a considerably less depth.
Beneath the Dresbach sandstone are shales that carry little or no water. Below these shales is a sandstone that affords large volumes of water, but perhaps no more than the Dresbach sand- stone, although it is under somewhat greater head. At still greater depths is the red clastic series, resting in turn on a granite foundation.
Underground Water Conditions. Head of the Water. Flow- ing wells are obtained in the valleys of Root river and its affluents as far upstream as Rushford. The water comes from the Dres- bach and underlying sandstones and rises to 730 feet above sea level. It will not, however, rise to the surface in the upper parts of the valley, and on the uplands stands several hundred feet below the surface. Even in the highest portions of the county, the water from shallow horizons underlain by impervious forma- tions, may stand near the surface. The head of the drift wells varies with their position, depending on the altitude of the sur- rounding morainic masses and outwash plains. There are several flowing wells in township 101, range thirteen, near the state line, and others occur along the upper Iowa river in Iowa.
Quality of the Water. The water of the county is all moder- ately hard. It contains considerable quantities of calcium and magnesium and the bicarbonate radicle, but is not otherwise highly mineralized.
Wells. The wells of Fillmore county may be divided into several groups, the most important of which are (1) the shallow wells in glacial drift, (2) the shallow wells in alluvium, (3) the nonflowing rock wells, and (4) the flowing rock wells. The drift
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is not commonly a source of water except near the western border of the county, where it is fifty to seventy-five feet thick or more in places and usually carries considerable water at a level within easy reach of shallow open wells. Eastward across the county the drift decreases rapidly in thickness and yields but little water, so that it is necessary for wells to enter a rock formation. Except near the edge of the uplands, satisfactory supplies can be obtained at depths of 100 to 150 feet. Near the deepest valleys, however, the water is free to escape from the bluffs, and many of the up- land wells must penetrate to depths of several hundred feet. It is not unusual for wells near the bluffs to go 250 to 350 feet for their supplies, and in some of them water is not obtained until the level of the valley bottom is reached. In general the wells on the south side of the valleys are deeper than those on the north side, because of the southward dip of the rocks. In the deep valleys many farm and village wells obtain their supplies from the alluvium at very shallow depths, but more satisfactory wells are procured in the valleys by drilling into the underlying sand- stones, which are reached at moderate depths and from which the water rises nearly or quite to the surface.
Springs. In the deep valleys everywhere cut into the rock in the eastern portion of the county the water is free to escape and issues in numerous springs, some of them very large. These springs occur along lines that mark the upper surface of imper- vious shales and limestones. Many of the streams fed by such springs are capable of affording water power, and some of them are sources of supply for public waterworks. The strongest springs are said to be on the north side of the east-west valleys, the emergence of the water being facilitated by the southward dip of the rock.
Water Supplies for Cities and Villages. Lanesboro. The village of Lanesboro obtains much of its supply from large springs issuing from the New Richmond sandstone and possibly from the Oneota dolomite and Jordan sandstone. The spring known locally as the City spring is inclosed to form a cement-lined cistern about fifteen by thirty feet in size, from which the water is pumped by an electric motor into the village system. Although only about 27,000 gallons is consumed daily, the spring is said to be capable of yielding four times that amount. There is a large spring in the park near the village, the water of which apparently comes from the Jordan; another one and a half miles south of the village is one of the largest springs in this locality and was formerly used for water power. These springs are interesting geologically as well as economically, because they indicate that large streams flow through deep-lying Paleozoic rocks. The drainage of the region is sufficient to produce such underground erosion that long
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cavernous passages have been carved out of the limestone. Where these springs are used for drinking supplies, the source should be sought out and guarded against pollution.
Spring Valley. The public supply at Spring Valley was at first obtained from springs issuing from the limestones and shales. This source soon became inadequate and the present supply is derived chiefly from a well forty feet in diameter, sunk into the limestone and shale eighteen feet below the surface.
Preston. One of the most notable springs of the county is that furnishing the Preston public supply. It issues from bedding planes at the base of the New Richmond sandstone and the top of the Oneota dolomite. It is only two feet above the level of the river and was formerly subject to overflow, but is now pro- tected by cement walls. The water is collected in a cement cistern built down to the rock. The yield is said to be 250 gallons a minute, of which only about thirty gallons is required for the public supply. The flow is constant and independent of seasons. The water has but little permanent hardness and will not form much scale if heated before being admitted to boilers.
Bushford. The first public supply for Rushford was installed about 1887, the water being obtained from a well sunk on the side of the bluff above the village. This well was used for a number of years, but, because of the expense of pumping, a new well 553 feet deep was sunk in 1901 on low ground in the center of the village, and flowing water was obtained. The flow shows certain puzzling fluctuations. When the barometric pressure is low, and usually in the spring, it discharges out of a pipe one and a half feet above the ground, but at other times the flow stops. The changes are irregular, however, and may have some other cause besides variations in barometric pressure.
Chatfield. The village of Chatfield, which extends into Olm- sted county, has a system of public waterworks deriving its sup- plies from wells sunk to the Jordan sandstone. Private wells drilled to depths of sixty-five to 100 feet procure an adequate supply.
Harmony. The public supply at Harmony comes from a well 220 feet deep, which ends in the St. Peter sandstone. The water is reported to stand 130 feet below the surface. It is used largely for domestic purposes.
Wykoff. The public supply at Wykoff is derived from a well 600 feet deep, which has been pumped at the rate of 180 gallons a minute. The water is reported to stand 300 feet below the surface. It is used by most of the people for domestic purposes.
Fountain. The first deep well in the vicinity of Fountain is said to have been sunk by William Herman. Its success showed the possibilities of deep wells, and accordingly others were drilled
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by private persons and by the municipality. The first village well was originally six inches in diameter and 376 feet deep, but later it was sunk to a depth of 585 feet and now obtains a good supply, the water rising within 340 feet of the surface. A street well was sunk to a depth of 376 feet and was pumped by a wind- mill and later by a gasoline engine, but it finally failed. A new village well, sunk in 1906 to a depth of 608 feet, obtains water at depths of 90 feet and 370 feet and at the bottom.
The large springs from which Fountain derives its name are a mile or more northwest of the village and issue at a level 147 feet lower than the general level of the village. The water comes in large volume from solution crevices in the limestone immediately above the shales (see the above sections). At one time it was lifted by a ram to the village, but the springs were abandoned because of the muddiness of the water after storms, evidently due to the earth entering the underground passages through the sinks in the vicinity. Since these sink holes are often made the receptacles of refuse, the waters are liable to pollution, and the village did well to abandon its supply.
Mabel. The public supply at Mabel is here drawn from a well 140 feet deep, in which the water rises within forty feet of the surface. A majority of the people use private wells.
Canton. In the village of Canton there is a well 240 feet deep. The stock yards are supplied from a well reported to be 318 feet deep. These wells apparently derive their water from the New Richmond and Jordan sandstones, respectively.
Summary. The most reliable supplies in Fillmore county are derived from the deep sandstone formations. The water from these beds stands at a level far below the upland surface, but rises nearly to the level of the deepest valleys and near Rush- ford produces flows. Many satisfactory wells for farm and domestic supplies are obtained from the surface deposits and from the rock formations near the surface. These wells have an advantage over those going to the deep sandstones both in depth and in head. The waters from all the horizons utilized are similar in chemical composition. They contain rather large amounts of calcium and magnesium and the bicarbonate radicle, but little other mineral matter.
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CHAPTER XXXIX.
CREAMERY INTERESTS.
Rise of the Dairy Industry in Fillmore County-Early Farmers Kept a Few Cows for Home Use-Attention Turned to Stock Raising-The First Creameries-Farmers Benefit by Co-opera- tion-The Present Creameries-Edited by E. L. Babcock.
The first settlers in Fillmore county engaged in wheat raising almost exclusively, and the virgin soil yielded twenty to thirty bushels to the acre, year after year, No. 1, hard. For several years this staple had to be hauled across country to Mississippi points. With the coming of the railroad in 1868, Fillmore county was placed in closer communication with the wheat markets, and there was a corresponding increase in wheat production. Sol- diers had then been three years home from the war, much new land was being broken, and the county was becoming famous as a wheat center.
But the wheat decline, starting in 1878 and coincident with the big drop in wheat prices, caused the farmers to turn their attention to diversified farming and dairying. Progress in the direction of dairying, however, was slow. It is true that the early settlers brought with them a few cows for dairy and beef purposes, a few hogs which they marketed to some extent, and some poultry, but it was not until after the wheat failure that stock raising was considered as a leading feature of farm en- deavor. Following the failure, Shorthorns and native cattle were bred, and a portion of the former large wheat fields were turned into pastures. However, large herds were the exception rather than a rule, and dairying was conducted on only a small scale. At that time agricultural experiment in this country was in its infancy, and the modern method of acclimation was unknown. Corn brought from more southern states and planted here was an uncertain crop, owing to the late springs and early falls. It was believed that only tame grasses, like clover and timothy, could be raised here. Without corn and good grass, Fillmore 'county beef could not compete with the better class of stock sold in the market, nor could extensive dairying flourish under these circumstances. The average farmer owned four or five cows. A few herds were gathered here and shipped annually from this
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THOMAS FRANKSON
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county to the western plains and ranges. Horses were raised to some small extent and sold for a time at profit in the north- western markets, chiefly in the larger cities. Cattle raising, however, under such disadvantages brought little, if any, profit, and then, too, the market value of the horse soon fell. It was while the Fillmore county farmers were realizing less and less each year and while they were in doubt as to what branch of agriculture to adopt next, that their attention was attracted to the new process of making butter from cream separated from the milk by machinery.
The churning of butter had for many years been an irksome task on almost every Fillmore county farm. Most of this dairy- ing was on a small scale and the butter of a poor quality. A farmer here and there kept as high as a dozen or more milch cows, and established a reputation in the neighboring town for his wife's butter that enabled him to realize a fair price for his product. But private dairying meant doubtful profits, slavery for the women on the farm and much annoyance and waste of time to the farmer and his hired help. Accordingly, efforts were made at different times in several of the towns and villages of the county to make butter on a larger scale, and wagons were sent out in all directions to gather the cream from the top of the cans, paying the farmer by the measured inch. The first effort in this line was made in the southeast part of the county, by William Beard, who lived near Frankville, in Allamakie county, Iowa, and sent men to Fillmore county to collect cream from the farmers.
The gathered cream plants were usually owned either by individuals or by the merchants and town people, who formed themselves into stock companies, though in one or two instances a few farmers formed stock companies among themselves and bought cream by the inch throughout a territory which often covered ten or fifteen miles in every direction.
The new separator process promised to do away with all the objectionable features of making butter at the farm, and to real- ize profits instead of the losses experienced by both the owners and patrons of the gathered cream plants. The separator had been invented in Sweden early in the eighties; accounts of it had been published and its merits discussed in all the leading agricultural papers. Creamery supply houses throughout the West were advertising the new machines widely and commended them to those who were engaged in the manufacture of butter. Co-operative separator creameries were already in operation 100 miles south of Fillmore county in Iowa, and the separator process had been adopted by the established creameries in the Illinois and Wisconsin districts. It was represented that the separator
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would skim so clean that but a small fraction of 1 per cent of butter fat would remain in the milk, and the separated milk could still be used as valuable feed for young stock on the farm.
With the belief that the use of the separator would make the manufacture of butter profitable and that dairying would prove a safe business for years to come, the Fillmore county farmers, after careful inquiry and investigation, formed themselves into co-operative associations. They borrowed money to the amount of many thousands of dollars, erected creamery buildings, bought separators, churns, butter workers, boilers, engines, vats and pumps, hired skilled butter-makers, and commenced those ship- ments of butter to the eastern markets which have increased steadily from year to year, and in return for which money to the amount of many millions of dollars has been paid to the creamery patrons.
Since the establishing of the dairy industry, and in connec- tion with it, the Fillmore county farmers have adopted the intel- ligent and safe policy of diversified farming. No large fields of any one crop are longer grown, but instead many different crops are put in, so that there is certain to be each year a good yield of something, principally corn, oats, flax, clover and grasses. To add to the resources of the county, it was discovered that the former belief that tame grasses could not be grown was errone- ous, for now clover and timothy, millet and grasses of all varie- ties grow here in great luxuriance and possess such unusual qualities that our butter excels in flavor and body that produced in other states. Corn, too, whether from acclimation of the seed or from longer seasons or from better cultivation, or from all these causes, has become a safe crop, and next to grass has become the chief crop.
The improved economic conditions in Fillmore county since the introduction of the co-operative creamery are apparent on every hand. Farm lands have risen in value and $100 an acre is not now considered an unusual price for a well improved farm. The small houses or log huts of the earlier period have given way to spacious farm houses well furnished and arranged for the convenience of the housewife. The straw sheds and rough stables have been replaced by the big barn with plenty of room for cattle, horses and hundreds of tons of hay and feed. The grain and corn binders, rakes, hay loaders and stackers, cultivators and machinery and tools of all kinds are sheltered in well built sheds. Every farm has a granary, an artesian well or a deep tubular well and a windmill, sometimes with gearing and attachments for grinding feed. The fences are of barbed or woven wire and in good repair. The stock is of good breed and is improving rapidly from year to year. The seed for crops
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is better selected. The fields are plowed in the fall and fertilized abundantly from the barnyard and tilled with the greatest care. The roads are better worked, graded and drained, and each year more miles of gravel are added and travel made more easy to the creamery and the market. There is a school house, com- fortably built and well equipped, within easy reach of every house. The farmers from being the debtor class have become the creditor. They buy more and better goods at a less price than formerly and pay for what they get in cash which they receive from the creamery without fail every month. They drive better rigs, or even automobiles, and travel more, study more, deal more with one another, are more in touch with business, acquire experience in bookkeeping and money matters-in short, the status of the Fillmore county farmer and his family has improved in every respect, and he himself attributes this changed economic and social condition to the co-operative separator cream- ery of which he is always a patron.
Great credit is due to the farmers of Fillmore county for fostering the co-operative creamery idea, and there have been so few failures that the good work has gone on almost unre- strained until it is altogether our greatest industry. So, with a soil that raises the best grasses in the world, the people look to see the returns increased many fold as the years go on. The flavor that our better gets from the sweet and nutritious grasses enables Fillmore county butter to top the market in the eastern cities.
The large returns from milk and butter in the past few years have encouraged the farmers to breed better cattle, and the number that are using pure bred dairy sires has increased very materially in that time, and in another five years will add many full-blood and high-grade animals to our herds. Many full-blood and high-grade dairy herds have sprung up in the past few years. The dairy cow is queen of the farm and one of the great- est mortgage lifters in existence. She is virtually a machine which turns the products of the farms into greatest profit. In order to get the largest returns her ways and her disposition must be understood. She affects almost any branch of farming and she is the most economical producer on the farm. There are at the present time about 62,000 cattle in the county, 22,000 being dairy cows.
There are now twelve creameries in Fillmore county. Nine are co-operative and three independent.
The annual report of the Dairy and Food Department of the state of Minnesota gives a recapitulation of the creameries in Fillmore county. In the following list, gathered from that re- port, the name of the creamery association appears first, then
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the shipping point, then the name of the secretary and, lastly, the name of the buttermaker :
Independent. Arendahl Creamery, Arendahl township, M. O. Kjos, George J. Anstad; Choice Creamery, Peterson, G. T. Eiken, G. T. Eiken; Lanesboro Creamery, Lanesboro, C. C. Madson, C. C. Madson.
Co-operative. Amherst Creamery Association, Amherst, E. L. Babcock, E. M. Sederberg; Farmers' Co-operative Creamery As- sociation, Ostrander, H. O. Larson, H. Halvorson; Farmers Co- operative Creamery Association, Rushford, Aasmund Vaagen, Joseph Plonty ; Farmers' Creamery Company, Spring Valley, L. D. Ilamlin, Justin Plonty ; Farmers' Co-operative Creamery Com- pany, Granger, J. E. Burkholder, - -; Mabel Creamery Association, Mabel, D. W. Bacon, Thomas Christopher; Norway Creamery Association, Norway, Gerhard Byholt, G. J. Overland; Preston Creamery, Preston, A. G. Olson, William Maberry ; Wykoff Co-operative Creamery Company, Wykoff, W. H. Miller, Thomas Reese.
An effort has been made to present in this history the story of all the present creameries in the county, but a number of the secretaries have failed to furnish the desired information. A few typical histories of the several institutions follow :
The Amherst Co-operative Creamery, located on the north- east quarter of the southeast quarter of section twenty-seven, Amherst township, was organized February 11, 1904. The first officers elected were : J. C. Henderson, president ; Oscar E. Lewis, vice president ; E. L. Babcock, secretary ; C. O. Blagsvedt, treas- urer; William E. Griffith, Thomas Anderson, O. M. Blagsvedt, M. O. Blagsvedt and H. J. Eddy, board of managers. The creamery was organized under the association plan, with sixty- four members, and a pledge of 414 cows. The sum of $4,500 was borrowed on association notes to build and equip a creamery and house for the buttermaker, the same to be paid from a sinking fund created by deducting one cent per pound for each pound of butter manufactured. The building was finished and the first butter manufactured on July 5, 1904, with Arch A. Furnham as buttermaker. The first year's business amounted to $7,414.81. Since then the business has been: 1905, $18,076.74; 1906, $21,559.44; 1907, $36,596.87; 1908, $42,938.54; 1909, $46,- 927.73; 1910, $50,067.90; 1911, $41,259.84; total, $264,841.92.
The annual report for 1911 showed a total expenditure of over $8,000.00 for buildings, machinery, repairs and improve- ments, and the debt all paid from the one cent sinking fund. At present there are over two hundred patrons furnishing cream from about 1,000 cows. There have been only two changes in the officers, I. M. Ward taking the place of O. E. Lewis, and
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