History of Houston County, Including Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 52

Author: Edward D. Neill
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 547

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"THE RAILROAD BONUS."

"Next Friday our citizens will be called upon to vote for or against the issuing of twenty thousand dollars in village bonds in aid or in ruin of our narrow gauge railroad. We are satisfied that the people know their business, and that they will establish their reputation for generosity and good sense, by thus surrendering a little to gain a great deal. We all know how earnestly Messrs. Ab- botte, Sprague, Harries, Koob and others have labored in the past to secure the building of the road; some of us, at least, know the great personal sacrifice of capital and labor which these gentle- men have made to build up our village and en- hance the value of our property, in connection with the commencement and completion of this great railroad enterprise. Shall we now tell them that their labors have been in vain? Or shall we not rather put our shoulders to the wheel and help forward this great enterprise? We may never again see a day so pregnant with results to our village, as will be next Friday. If we reject the honorable proposition of the railway manage- ment, by a refusal to vote the aid, we may never again have an opportunity to retrieve the loss and save our village from impending decay. Let us all lay aside every feeling of jealousy and ill will; let us look upon Friday as the day of our business and financial redemption; let us turn out, and not only vote but encourage our neighbors to vote. Some of our citizens are endeavoring to defeat the granting of aid, but they will fail again as they have failed before, and we feel warranted in assur- ring the truly honorable, honest and self-sacrificing gentlemen-who compose the management of the Caledonia and Mississippi Railway Company, that they will, on next Friday, be so loudly endorsed, and the vote of confidence in their integrity will be so decided and appreciative, that the enemies

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of the enterprise, at the closing of the polls and the counting of the votes will, to say the least, regret that they ever attempted to perform an im- possibility-to seduce the people of our village to vote against their own interest. To the polls, friends of Caledonia, and give the bonds a boost that will terrify and silence our enemies."

When the proposition, which was finally accept- ed, to have Caledonia aid the completion of the road by voting to issue bonds to the amount of $20,000, certain parties in La Crosse proposed to organize a company to construct a road from La Crosse to Omaha via Caledonia, which would be built without asking aid; and this was used as an argument against voting money for a road, when one could be secured for nothing, and the proposi- tion was well nigh defeated, as the parties in the rival interest came across, the day before, to influ- ence the vote.

The Journal, in its next issue, represented in.a dispassionate way, the feeling of the community, which time has shown to have been sound and comprehensive, it said :

" The people of this village, on last Friday, de- cided by a majority of thirty-two, out of a total vote of 185, to issue to the Caledonia and Mississippi railway company, $20,000 in the cor- porate bonds of this village, to aid in the con- struction of the narrow gauge road from this place to Sumner. For some time prior to the election, it appeared very doubtful which of the two parties- " bonds men " or " anti-bonds men," would carry off the palm of victory, but the meeting held at the court house, last Thursday night, dispelled all doubt on the subject, and plainly indicated that the heart, if not the head of Caledonia was in favor of voting the aid. Had Messrs. Colman and Paul, of La Crosse, attended the meeting and sat- isfiled our citizens of the determination of the La Crosse and Omaha company, to build and equip, within a seasonable time, a section of their road to this village, the result would, in my opinion, have been different; but they stayed away, and their ab- sence lent color to the charges of the rival com- pany, that their assurances were a mere ruse, and were manufactured for the sole purpose of defeat- ing or delaying the completion of our home enter- prize. It is true, several prominent men from La Crosse, including Col. Clark Thompson, rep- resented the La Crosse company and made such promises as they could under the circumstances;

but the attorney of the river road, Hon. W. S. Knight, of Dubuque, in an address of great power and apparent candor, satisfied our people, that the interests of our town would be best promoted by voting the bonds. Time only can determine which party to the controversy has the right on its side. If our village improve, our property rise in value, a good wheat market be established, our popula- tion increase, our slumbering industries be aroused, and general prosperity take the place of our pres- ent business depression, then indeed will our vil- lage have reason, years hence, in looking back on her action of May 23, 1879, to congratu- late herself on the wisdom that controlled her action and that gave us a home market at so trifling an expense.

We must not now wrangle over the result, but advance as one man to promote the interests of the village, and thus make the additional tax, in- stead of a burden, a lasting blessing to our peo- ple. The road will soon be completed, with cars running between here and Sumner; let us wait patiently and test the result by actual experience, and not decry or too loudly extol in advance, the future results of the undertaking.

We cannot now afford to quarrel with, or censure one another; if harmony prevail, and all quietly, if not cheerfully, accept the situation, we can have nothing to fear; the debt incurred is but trifling in comparison to our ability to pay; the rate of in- terest is small, and the promise of an abundant harvest and an increased business activity, and improvements in our village, seem to insure us that the majority have not been mistaken. But the majority should not boast too defiantly over their victory. Majorities have been often wrong, and minorities are often right-time alone can tell; we know that some of the best men in the best men in the village, for honest reasons, voted against the bonds; and we also believe that some parties, who were not actuated by so worthy mo- tives, voted the other way. If the La Crosse and Omaha road be built through or near the vil- lage, then the minority were right in their oppo- sition, if not, then the majority have expressed the enlightened judgment of the people."

"Like the leaves of the forest when summer is Green, That host from La Crosse, on Thursday was seen.

Like the leaves of the forest, when autumn hath blown, This host on the morrow lay withered and strown.

For the "Narrow-gauge" ballots went in thick and fast, And the "Air line to Uma-ha! was a thing of the past."

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RAILROADS.

The $20,000 bonds were voted on the 23d of May, and the completion of the road at once went on. It was ironed and equipped, and a train en- tered the town on the 25th of September, 1879, and after waiting so many years the people were at last gladdened by the sight of the locomotive, and the sound of its welcome whistle. The "Journal," the only local pa- per, boiled over with enthusiasm, its cannon and rooster and head lines, with displayed type, gen- erally rivaled a victorious party journal the day after election.

The Journal said: "The long looked for and long wished for event has been realized-Caledo- nia is a railroad town, and Thursday, September 25th, 1879, will long be remembered as the day when the iron horse first made its appearance in our midst. There was nothing unusual transpired over the event, but it was plain to be seen in the faces of our citizens that they were all pleased with it, and were perfectly satisfied. The road will be pushed on west as rapidly as possible. Three en- gines are now on the road, and will be used to transport bridge timbers, iron, ties, etc., along the line, and will keep enough material on hand to keep the men busy."

"Regular trains will be running to-day, and soon the conductor's cheerful 'All aboard,' will be sounded along the line."

"That the narrow gauge road is going to benefit Caledonia, there is no question. It has already made a good wheat market for us, and soon will be a good cattle and hog market. Mr. P. A. Pope, the gentleman who has charge of the elevator here, informed us this (Friday) evening, that there were 7,000 bushels of grain already in store; that he had paid as high as ninety cents for A. No. 1 wheat. Would we have got this wheat market, had it not been for the railroad ? Hardly."

"The depot building is neat and tasty. The building proper is 24x52 feet; the office 12x24; the freight room 20x24. The carpenter work was finished last Saturday noon, and Mr. Al. Sherer, the company's carpenter, can well feel proud over the depot he has left us in Caledonia."

And so the citizens began to feel that, after all, they were a part of the great world, that they were let out from their imprisonment, and were now free to go and come whenever they pleased -by paying the regular fare.

About this time there was a reorganization of the

road, or rather of the company, and the name was changed to the Caledonia, Mississippi and Western Railroad Company, and the road was continued to Preston.

It seems that, unlike the history of many roads, this line was not mortgaged, and then foreclosed and sold to be bought in by a few individuals to fatten on its misfortunes; but there was an under- standing by which those who originally invested in the enterprise should have the bonds voted by the town as a full consideration and value for the franchises of the road. The bonds to run ten years, with an option afterwards up to twenty years. The matter is now entirely settled.

Some time, a year or so after the transfer of the road to the Chicago, Clinton, Dubuque & Min- nesota Company, that road itself went into the hands of the Great Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Company, by which it is still owned and operated; and thus is repeated what is hap- pening everywhere, an exemplification of the ancient utterance that "the big fish eat up the little ones." The road is sixty-four and one-half miles long, and cost $375,000, and is said to be one of the best paying branches.

SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF THE SOUTHERN MIN-

NESOTA RAILROAD.

Charters were granted to the Root River Valley, Southern Minnesota, and Cedar Valley Railroad Companies in the winter of 1857.

The land grant was disposed of by the Terri- torial Legislature by an act approved May 22nd, 1857. Congress voted 14,325 acres of land to the road, and the State voted 2,388 acres of swamp land, and proceeded to guarantee the bonds to cover the amount, until $2,500,000 was so issued, when, as the companies were supposed to be not acting in good faith, the further issue of bonds was stopped, and the companies, having divided the avails among them, suspended.

These were the bonds that were so long in repu- diation, and opinion is yet widely divided as to whether, in equity, they ought ever to have been paid.

Up to the time of the collapse of the Root River Valley company, considerable grading had been done, but early in the sixties the Southern Minne- sota company was reorganized.

At a meeting in Riceford, on the 13th of May, 1863, the following officers were elected: T. B. Stoddard, President; Luke Miller, Vice-President;

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Charles D. Sherwood, Secretary; Edward Thomp- son, Richard Chute, and Hiram Walker, Executive Committee. The other Directors were: Parker Paine, A. G. Chatfield, Thomas McRoberts, and Charles H. Lee. In 1864, the Legislature of the State passed a resolution, asking congress for a grant of land to complete the Southern Minnesota Railroad.

The information at hand in relation to this road is somewhat limited, and it is proposed to give only the main features. As already stated, the work was commenced in the last half of the fifties; but the work then done was to little purpose, since the grade never supported either a tie or a rail for nearly eight years afterward, and when the work was finally commenced in earnest by a new com- pany, in 1865, several miles of the old grade (now occupied by the line of the river road) was aban- doned, and the village of La Crescent was left far to one side. Some bridges were also constructed at the time of first grading the road (1857), over Thompson's Creek at Hokah, and a trestle over the slough east of La Crescent. The original in- tention was to have a line started from the river, near the present railroad bridge, thence run across the bottom to the village, and curving around southward, run three miles in that direction to the point of the bluffs at the entrance of Root River valley into that of the Mississippi, and then to fol- low its present course toward Hokab. But the new company run the line nearly straight west from a lower point on the river, and the people of La Crescent were greatly disappointed, as the ter- minns of the road was several miles away. Efforts were even made to try and compel the company to change the line, but without success.

Prior to laying the track, a large quantity of railroad iron was barged up Root River during high water, and unloaded at convenient points. This was in September, 1866. A great deal of trestle work had to be built across the Mississippi bottom, so that track-laying did not commence until late in the fall of that year. The track was laid as far up the valley as Hokah without the use of a construction train. A locomotive and some platform cars were then brought over the river from LaCrosse, and before the close of the year the track was nearly completed to Houston, and in time, to Rushford, thirty miles west from the river. This distance completed the first stage of the line,

and Rushford remained the western terminus of the road for nearly two years.

In 1866, a machine shop and foundries were built by the railroad company at Hokah, where a good water power was obtained, with twenty-six feet fall, and with commendable energy the com- pany commenced to build their own cars, some fine passenger coaches being also constructed here. A further addition was made to the shop in 1870, at the close of which year upward of 300 cars had been built there.

In 1868, another westward move was under- taken. The line was now extended twenty miles further up the valley, to a point where a company of Massachusetts capitalists were engaged in founding the thriving town of Lanesboro. Here was the western terminns of the road during 1869. About this time an extension of the road was com- menced further west, at a point on the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad, located three miles north of Austin. A proper consideration of the future interests of the road would seem to have indicated that the extension ought to have commenced at that town, instead of what is now called Ramsey Junction, but because the people of Austin refused to pay the company a bonus of $100,000, they concluded to leave them to one side, as they had already done, or afterwards did, at La Crescent and Preston. The project was said to have been the building up of a rival town at the junction, but as that failed, mutual injury was the only result. The people of Austin, considering themselves unjustly treated, retaliated to the best of their ability by giving their business patronage to the other line of road. The time will probably come when the present line of the road will have to be changed nearer to the town. The extension begun at Ramsey Junction was carried westward to Wells, a town created by the railroad forty-two miles from the junction.

Lanesboro being fifty miles west from the river, and Ramsey Junction, 185 miles, a gap of fifty- five miles remained to be closed up. This was done the next year, the two parts of the road be- ing united in one line, October 26, 1870. The same year the road was also extended to Winne- bago City, making a complete line 190 miles west of Grand Crossing.

During the spring of 1872, the shops at Hokah were abandoned (except as a repair shop) and re- moved to Wells. The company now had seven-

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STATISTICS.

teen locomotives, and more than 300 cars of all kinds. The locomotives were chiefly wood burn- ers, but the great coal fields of Iowa having now been brought within reach, five of them were sold, and the others altered over so as to use coal as fuel. After several years the main shops of the road were again transferred back to Hokah, be- cause Wells was too far away from their base of supplies.

Winnebago City remained the western terminus of the road for some time, when forty-three miles more were added to the line, which completed it to Jackson, 216 miles from La Crosse, and abont 208 miles from the junction of the Sont hern Minnesota railroad with the river line. It should be borne in mind that since the construction of the La Crosse bridge, trains on the road now run to that city over parts of two other lines adjacent to the river; Grand Crossing having been abandoned for gen- eral use, and the people of La Crescent now have, what they once hoped for, the convenience of west- ward bound trains at their own doors, to say noth- ing of others that move toward the three other car- dinal points.

A few years ago the road fell into the hands of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Company, and now it is a part of a great through east and west line.

THE CHICAGO, CLINTON, DUBUQUE & MINNESOTA.

This road, although a valuable one to the coun- ty in many respects, is much less of a local line than either of the other two, which have been more fully described.

This road has been through a part of the ex- perience of most other roads, but it is now in the hands of that great corporation, The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, and runs along the west bank of the Mississippi, through the towns on the river, and is a part of a great through line be- tween Minneapolis & St. Louis.

STATISTICS.

TEMPERATURE .- From the most careful obser- vations made for a few years, the mean annnal temperature must be not far from 44 degrees Fah- renheit.

The mean temperature for each month will be about as follows, although there is little fixity in this regard from one year to another. January, 24 ° ; February, 33 ° ; March, 40 ° ; April, 52 ° ; May, 57 º; June, 69 º ; July, 72 °; August, 73° ; September, 60 ° ; October, 48 °; Novem-

ber, 33 º ; December, 30°. This observation was made in a year which was above the average in temperature. The highest ranges in the sev- eral months are abont as follows: January, 43 º ; February, 56 ° ; March, 63 º ; April, 73 º ; May, 74°; June, 89°; July, 95 °; August, 98 °; September, 90 ° ; October, 79 ° ; November, 55 ° ; December, 60 º. The lowest, Jannary, 8° be- low; February, 17 º ; March, 27 ° ; April, 37 ° ; May, 40 ° ; June, 54 ° ; July, 62 º ; August, 55 ° ; September, 37 ° ; October, 24 ° ; November, 16 ° ; December, 5 °.

POPULATION.

At the census taken in 1860, the first general enumeration after the county was organized, the population was given as 6,645. The State census in 1855 gave 9,788. The United States Court in 1870 returned 14,958. The State census in 1875 showed 16,566. And the last decennial census by the general government placed the county at 16,339, which revealed the exceptional fact that the county has lost in population, within five years, the number of 227. This depreciation is accounted for in several ways, or rather there were several causes for it; and if the enumeration had been made a year or two before, the loss would have been still more striking.

The prospects of a speedy construction of the Caledonia & Mississippi railroad had attracted quite a number of new-comers previous to 1875,- but its completion was so long deferred, that many were discouraged, and a change of climate was re- solved upon. This loss, however, has been more than made up, and when the next decennial rolls around, the figures representing the population of Houston county will be swollen sufficient to sat- isfy the ordinary vanity of the average resident.

REAL ESTATE.

The number of acres in the county, exclusive of town lots, is 339,934, and the number actually improved is 129,189. The average value of the land per acre, including all improvements, is $8.55. According to the equalized estimate of the State Board, the whole value of real property in the county is $3,287,465, which is a little over $201 for each man, woman, and child in the county. The total number of acres in the county, after de- ducting the estimated water area, is 364,080.

VITAL STATISTICS.

The number of births in the county in 1879,

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was, males, 269; females, 271; total, 542. Of these, 16 were twins. The number of deaths in the county in the year 1879, was 143, making a natural increase of the population of 399.

The greatest number of deaths was in April- 21-the next in August-16-December-15- March-14-November-13-February-12. The smallest number was in January, only 5.

LONGEVITY .- There are quite a number of cases where persons in the county have lived to be 90 or upwards, and it is rare that there are epidemics or prevailing diseases.

MARRIAGES .- In the year 1880, there were 97 marriages in the county, and a single divorce.

NATURALIZATION .- The number of persons who took ont their first papers in 1880, were, Scandi- vavians, 103, Germans, Prussians, Bohemians, Poles, 50; Irish, English, Scotch, and other na- tionalities, 5.

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

Wheat was at one time the great staple pro- duced in the county, but on account of its failure to a great extent, and not unfrequently the low price, attention has been turned more particularly to corn as a remunerative crop. In 1879, the number of acres reported in wheat was 55,820; number of bushels raised, 543,898, being an ever- age yield of 9.76 bushels per acre, while the aver- age for the whole State was 11.30, and in some places an average of 22 bushels to the acre was obtained. The number of acres in wheat in 1880, was 52.617, a small decrease, which was still greater in 1881.

In 1868, the number of acres sown in wheat was 29,941, producing 521,172 bushels, an average of 17.40 per acre. In 1870, the number of acres in wheat was 36,747, yielding 559,682 bushels, at the rate of 15.23 per acre. In 1871, the crop was 39,- 380 acres, furnishing 549,496 bushels, averaging 13.75 per acre. In 1876, the number of acres sown to wheat was 59,003, returning 499,- 805, bushels, or only about 8.50 bush- els per acre. In 1879, the yield was but about 9.75 bushels per acre. These figures show a falling off in the production of wheat in the county and exhibits the reason why attention is turned to better paying crops.

OATS .- Of this crop in 1879, 13,788 acres were sown, yielding 445,855 bushels, or an average of 32.35 per acre, only a little below the average in

the whole State. In 1880, 14,330 acres were sown.

CORN .- In this cereal 19,342 acres were sown in 1879, yielding 638,233 bushels, at the rate of 32.95 per acre, just one bushel less than that of the State at large. The acreage for 1880 was in- creased to 23,308.

BARLEY .- In 1979, attention was paid to this crop, and 2,045 acres were sown, producing 47,- . 698 bushels, 22.80 as an average for each acre. The average for the State was 24.87 bushels; the acreage sown in 1880 was 3,385.

RYE .- There were 482 acres sown in 1879, which returned 7,662 bushels, or 15.93 bushels an acre, a bushel above the State average. But 310 acres were sown in 1880, although the soil is well adapted to its cultivation, and for several years it has commanded a good price.

BUCKWHEAT .- Of this crop 72 acres were sown in 1879, and 679 bushels harvested, an average yield of 9.43 bushels, which was a fraction below the State average; 43 acres only were sown in 1880.

POTATOES .- There were planted in 1879, 761 acres, which produced 74,102 bushels, or 97.37 an acre, the State average being 103.26. In 1880, 849 acres were planted.

BEANS .- Of this valuable crop but 32 acres were planted in 1879, but the product was 498 bushels, averaging 15.56 per acre, or more than 4 bushels above the State average.

HAY .- The cultivated hay crop of the county is not an unimportant one. In 1878, there were 8,- 770 acres in hay, producing 10,646 tons. In 1879, there were 0,434 acres, yielding 13,022 tons; and 9,698 acres standing in 1880.

FLAX SEED .- This production has begun to be cultivated in the county; in 1878, a single acre was raised, supplying 4 bushels of seed. In 1879, 14 acres were thus sown, with 124 bushels as a re- sult, and in 1880, 108 acres were cultivated.

TIMOTHY AND CLOVER SEED .- Several hundred bushels are produced each year.

OTHER FARM PRODUCTS .- The total acreage for the county in 1879, was 690. In 1880, 704.

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History of Houston County, Including Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 52

Author: Edward D. Neill Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Number of Pages: 547

Author: Edward D. Neill
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 547