History of Houston County, Minnesota, Part 101

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge
Publication date: 1919
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1343

USA > Minnesota > Houston County > History of Houston County, Minnesota > Part 101

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The Caledonia Courier was started in Caledonia, April 8, 1877, by George B. Winship, who, as elsewhere stated, had learned his trade in the office of the short-lived "La Crescent Plaindealer." It was a seven-column folio, published at $2.00 a year, and was a really good paper, well edited and well printed. After conducting it for a little more than two years, Mr. Winship, finding the field restricted, and with no immediate prospects of improvement, went to Dakota and began the publication of the "Grand Forks Herald," a first class daily.

The Houston County Argus. In the middle and later seventies a young man named Edward S. Kilbourne was publishing at New Albin a little paper called the Spectator. The paper suspended publication about the beginning of the summer of 1879. The proprietor then went to the Red River valley looking for a location but found that conditions were not yet favorable. So he returned to this region, and in August, 1879, established the Houston County Argus. He continued it until May 12, 1880, when it

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was sold to H. D. Smalley & Co., by whom it was published until November 4, the same year. H. D. Smalley then withdrew, leaving it in the hands of P. J. Smalley, who conducted it on independent Republican principles. It was a seven-column folio, printed and conducted in a highly creditable manner, and had a circulation of about 600, about sixty of its subscribers living outside the county. P. J. Smalley was succeeded by W. D. Belden, in December, 1890. December 1, 1897, P. V. Ryan and W. E. Krick bought the paper. December 1, 1901, Mr. Ryan bought out Mr. Krick, and is still the efficient editor and publisher.

The early history of the village of Caledonia is coincident with the history of the township already given. Ralph L. Young came with his family in 1851 and settled in the southern part of the township. In 1852, Anthony Huyck and Peter L. Swartout settled a mile and a half from the village. They were jolly bachelors and many an amusing tradition centers about their actions. They were big souled men of unfailing courage, well fitted to meet the rigors of pioneer life. In 1852, Samuel Armstring and Joseph Pendleton took claims. The same year came William F. Dunbar, who looked over the land with the idea of bringing out a colony from Massachusetts.

The real founder of the village was Samuel McPhail, who came to Brownsville in 1851 and to Caledonia in 1853, where he platted the village. The advance guard of the Massachusetts colony came that year. They landed at Brownsville, and then made their way to Caledonia. They were soon followed by many others.

Among the prominent settlers of 1853 and the next few years may be mentioned Edwin H. Steward, John Dunbar, Henry Parmalee, Henry Bur- nett, Hugh Brown, James Hiner, L. W. Paddock, Nelson Haight, Eugene Marshall, J. W. Finn, Jacob Webster, Daniel Herring, Hiram Abbey, James Wing, John Burns, Thomas Burns, Michael Mead, Charles Metcalf, J. J. Belden, A. D. Sprague, Daniel Kerr, Jedediah Pope, Milton B. Metcalf, Oliver Dunbar, Wells E. Dunbar, Patrick Jennings, Reuben Rollins, Henry M. Rollins, Robert Lewis, Amasa Mason, Daniel Hainz, Elkana Huyck, Jesse Scofield, William H. Bunce, and others.

When Samuel McPhail settled here in June, 1853, he erected a log store and a log dwelling. He opened a small store in the store building but in 1854 was succeeded by Ara D. Sprague, who for many years, on the present site of the Sprague State Bank, conducted the only mercantile busi- ness in town. The business grew rapidly as the county settled up. "The Log Cabin" situated back of the present site of the Caledonia House was a large log building owned by James Hiner, and was for many years the only hotel in the village. Afterward Oliver Dunbar opened a hotel on the present site of the Williams House. The village was platted in the spring of 1854 for Samuel McPhail by Eugene Marshall, first county surveyor, and afterwards cashier of the Sprague-Easton Bank. The first school was taught in 1854 by Reuben Wells. The first preaching was held that year at the home of James J. Belden.

The pioneers have many interesting stories to tell of life in those distant times. Many of the settlers had been neighbors in New England. They

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lived here almost as one family. Confronted though they were by all the hardships, living in crude homes, with little literature except what they had brought with them, with no outside entertainment, they nevertheless managed to mingle sociability and enjoyment with their strenuous en- deavors. They had their dances and their candy pulls, their singing schools and spelling schools, their straw rides and sewing bees, and paid due atten- tion to church and school affairs.

Wild game was abundant, and some of the pioneers were skilled hunters. Deer, elk and bear added to the family larder. A few Winnebago Indians still lingered in the neighborhood. Among the best known were Porter and Lightfoot and his son, Little Priest.

The nearest grist mill at first was on Canoe Creek in Iowa. In 1855 a sawmill was built in the northern part of the township, and a few years later a grist equipment was added to it.

The nearest market was at Brownsville. The settlers often had to go as far as Lansing, Iowa, however, to obtain what they needed. Grain was hauled to Lansing and to points as far as Winona.

One of the greatest difficulties was the lack of an adequate water sup- ply. Some families had to walk long distances to get a jug of water for drinking purposes, and cattle had sometimes to be driven miles to be watered. A common method was to cart hogsheads from a creek by means of oxen. Many amusing stories are told of these trips. Sometimes in an emergency housewives were compelled to melt snow for household purposes. A little later cisterns were provided, and many times dams were built to hold flood waters. Now, however, wells give the farmers a more than adequate supply.

W. D. Belden, who came here as a boy, has many interesting memories of those far-distant days. He has been a constant resident of the village since it had three or four buildings and has been an active factor in its growth since. In speaking of the early days he has said :

"It is interesting to the younger generation to know that the early settlers lived in log houses, the chinks and openings between the logs being filled in with narrow strips of wood held in place and plastered up with clay at first, but soon after with lime mortar. Lime kilns soon were made, in which the lime rocks found near by were burned, and with sand also available, good mortar was to be had.

"The log cabin situated back of the present site of the Caledonia House was a large log building and was the first and only hotel the village had for a few years, and was owned by James Hines.

"At that time the only outlet for shipment of products out and mer- chandise in was by way of the Mississippi River, either at Brownsville or La Crosse, all freight having to be handled from one of these two points by team over unworked roads. Brownsville was then the most important and flourishing town in the county. There was practically no home market for farm produce such as vegetables, butter, eggs or milk, as nearly every one had a garden and raised their own vegetables, kept some chickens, a cow and a few hogs for their own consumption. Eggs were sold at 3 cents a dozen, butter at 10 to 12 cents a pound, dressed hogs at 5 to 6 cents a

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pound, and oats at 15 cents a bushel. Not until the railroad came here in 1879 were hogs marketed alive as now.

"The first few years most of the farm work was done with oxen. For many years cattle were permitted to run at large, even in the streets of Caledonia. At first the farms were enclosed with rails piled up in a zigzag way, called a 'Virginia worm fence;' then by 'post and rail fence,' and a little later with post and boards, lumber being so cheap at that time as to make a four-board fence quite economical. Later this style of fencing gave way to wire fencing, which is now generally used.

"Before the Civil War and for some time after, the principal products of the farms were wheat and oats, with a small acreage of corn for home consumption. Later the wheat seldom yielded sufficient to make it a profita- ble crop and farming became more diversified, with the result that the farmers in this county are among the most prosperous in the country."

By reason of its position Caledonia early became a great thoroughfare for traffic from the Mississippi River to points west. Thousands of early settlers bound for southern Minnesota landed at Brownsville and made their way through Caledonia to their chosen locations. Many also came up across the prairies from Iowa. There were times when the village pre- sented the sight of two almost continuous caravans of ox teams, one stream bound from Brownsville to western settlements, and the other stream con- sisting of people hauling produce or going after supplies to Brownsville. Many of these travelers stayed over night at Caledonia, and it therefore early became a business point of importance.

The town continued to prosper through the fifties, sixties and seven- ties. The railroad through here was opened for business Oct. 1, 1879.

The year after that found Caledonia a still more active business cen- ter. In that year there were three lumber concerns in Caledonia, which also sold general building material. These were the firms of Trask & Blair, C. Clark and Edwards & Osborne. The last mentioned was a La Crosse firm, John Tarr having charge of the yard at Caledonia. There were seven general stores, kept respectively by Sprague Brothers, M. Carpstein, Jacob Bouquet, John Boltz, John P. Lommen, E. P. Dorival and Nicholas Koob. W. D. Belden, Mrs. Julia O'Connor and F. & M. W. Bacon sold drugs and notions; A. H. Belding sold books, stationery, sew- ing machines and notions; A. D. Sprague and A. J. Flynn were hardware dealers; Mrs. E. Spettle kept a bakery; Fred Mersch and Charles Brick- man were wagon makers and repairers; A. B. Clark and John Gavin were blacksmiths; Mike Schmidt was a horseshoer and general jobber; Hudson Wheaton was a carpenter and builder; Daniel Hainz and Thomas Ryan were shoemakers, both keeping stores; J. J. Belden handled stoves and tin- ware; Peter Roberts was a harnessmaker, and Joseph Eden a tailor; Mrs. P. M. Hainz and Mrs. E. B. West were milliners; O. J. Weida kept a meat market; Mary Keegan and Maggie Zenner were dressmakers; Peter Steenstrup was a jeweler; Anton Zimmerhoke kept a barber shop, and Peter Mead a restaurant and confectionery; Christian Klein was a jobber and builder; Peter Arnoldy was proprietor of the brewery started in 1873 by Peter Wagner, which he purchased in 1880. He brewed about

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400 barrels of lager the first year. There were three physicians in the village, Dr. H. D. B. Dustin, Dr. William McKenna and Dr. George Nye. The attorneys were James O'Brien, H. W. Harries, P. J. Smalley and C. S. Trask. Wells E. Dunbar and E. P. Dorival were insurance agents. There were thirteen saloons, some of which kept pool and billiard tables, and were with hotel facilities for transient guests. The regular hotels were the Barnes House, an old institution kept by Spafford Williams; the De Soto House, kept by J. T. Hurd; the New York House, established in 1875, of which Peter Styer was the proprietor, and the Northwestern Hotel, established six years and kept by John Krane. There were saloons in connection with the two last mentioned hotels. In addition to the above mentioned enterprises there were in the village the usual proportion of carpenters, painters, glaziers, paperhangers and other artizans.

Since then the village has enjoyed a settled prosperity and the pros- pects for the future are of the brightest. The farm land in this vicinity is constantly increasing in value, new methods are constantly being intro- duced, and as the prosperity of the village and country are one, the friends of the village are looking forward to its continued growth and prosperity.

Caledonia was organized as a village in accordance with an act of the state legislature, approved Feb. 25, 1870; and the first election was held on Monday, May 2, the same year. M. M. Wooden and Thomas Abbotts were judges of election. N. H. Kemp was chosen moderator, and Nicholas Koob was appointed clerk. Forty-five votes were cast and each of the following persons received a unanimous vote for their respective offices : Trustees, D. L. Buell, Thomas Abbotts and Nicholas Koob; justice of the peace, M. M. Wooden; treasurer, T. W. Burns. The trustee appointed Nicholas Murphy as village clerk. Michael Lally was appointed surveyor of highways. D. L. Buell was appointed president of the board of trustees. The first ordinance was in relation to drunkenness and disorderly con- duct, fixing the penalty between five and twenty-five dollars. The second ordinance related to licenses, fixing the fee at $40. The third related to the obstruction of streets. The fourth to the hitching of horses, oxen or other draft animals to trees, gates or fences. The fifth provided a pound, and the sixth regulated the laying down of sidewalks.

The town of Caledonia, whose interests center in the village dates its organization back to May 11, 1858. The original meeting was called to order by Samuel McPhail. Nelson Haight was chosen moderator, and Eugene Marshall clerk. The whole number of votes cast at that election was 126. The officers elected were: Supervisors, Stephen Bugbee, chair- man, John Dorsch and Oliver Dunbar; town clerk, Truman B. Neff; assessor, William McGinnis; justices of the peace, Thomas Abbotts and J. Webster; collector, William W. Willis; overseers of the poor, Samuel Armstrong and Jedediah Pope; road supervisors, James H. Williams and Peter L. Swartout.

SPRING GROVE

Spring Grove is one of the prettiest and most thriving villages in south- ern Minnesota. The traveler alighting from the train is confronted with a 48

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beautiful triangular park, over which towers the imposing architecture of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran church, with its quaint evergreen- bordered church yard, while from the apex of the park sweeps the main business street, with its two substantial banks on either side, and their at- tendant business houses. The residence section is perhaps the most beauti- ful in the county, for there is probably not a village in the state of even twice its size that has so many beautiful homes, artistic in architecture, modern as to comforts, and surrounded with beautiful lawns, evergreen trees predom- inating as arboreal ornaments.

The population is almost entirely of Scandinavian birth or ancestry, as is that of the rich agricultural region surrounding the vilage, and to the thrift of these people is due the prosperity of village and country. Since the earliest days, the history of the village and countryside has been almost identical with that of the church, the only one in the village.

The village has the one church, two banks, a live newspaper, two eleva- tors, a creamery, a telephone company, electric light service and water works, and a feed mill, a hotel, two moving picture theatres, one of which is also a dramatic opera house, and a widely famed hospital, as well as the usual professional men and business houses.

The farmers co-operative movement is represented by the Farmers' Co-operative Creamery Association, and the Spring Grove Stock and Grain Co. This is also the shipping point for the Yucatan Creamery Association, not far away. The Wilmington Township Mutual Life Insurance Co. also has Spring Grove as its address.

Spring Grove village was incorporated late in 1889. . Nov. 2, 1889, thirty-four citizens, Asle Halverson, Lars Budahl, O. B. Nelson, O. B. Tone, Lars O. Dokken, G. E. Overstrud, E. Ellingson, J. M. Walhus, Andrew B. Foss, Andrew Lee, Otto Brenne, O. C. Hagen, H. M. Gjerdinger, Knud Olsen, S. H. Ellestad, Ole O. Roppe, Jr., Charles Hoegh, F. Bartholomew, H. N. Hendrickson, H. Hanson, N. P. Newhouse, P. Olsen Fallang, Gilbert Askum, Christian Olsen, Andreas Nikkelson, Hans S. Lee, Teman Gilbert- son, Iver Seby, Magnus Johnson, Hans J. Ellefsrud, C. Muller, Nels Hen- drickson, J. Muller, and E. A. Flaskerud petitioned the county board ask- ing for the incorporation of a village to embrace the south half of section 11, township 101, range 7, and the north half of the north half of section 14, an area of 480 acres, the population of which on Oct. 31, 1889, was rep- resented as 369 persons. It was set forth that of this territory, parts in the southeast quarter of section 11 had been platted by Mons Fladager, July 12, 1877, and Jan. 22, 1884.

O. B. Tone, one of the signers, was at that time chairman of the county board. On motion of H. R. Briggs at the regular session of that body, the petition was granted and the preliminaries placed in charge of Mr. Tone. An election was duly held Dec. 17, 1889, in charge of Lars Budahl, Ole O. Roppe, Jr., and H. N. Hendrickson, at which 75 votes were cast, 53 being in favor of the proposition and 22 opposed.

The first annual election was held Dec. 31, 1889, in charge of Ole C. Steneroden and E. Ellingson as judges and J. M. Walhus as clerk. Thirty-

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four votes were cast and there was but one candidate for each office: Presi- dent, Charles Hoegh ; trustees, N. Olson, O. B. Nelson and Asle Halverson; recorder, S. H. Ellestad; treasurer, H. N. Hendrickson; justices, L. Budahl and F. Bartholomew ; constables, J. J. O'Brien and O. G. Myrah.

The first meeting of the new board was held Jan. 14, 1890. Dr. C. K. Onsgard was the first health officer. O. G. Myrah was the first street commissioner. Later in the year a number of sidewalks and cross walks were ordered. Thus the wheels of the village government were set in motion.

The presidents of the village have been: 1889, Charles Hoegh; 1894, A. Halverson; 1897, T. T. Bergh; 1899, Truls Paulson; 1903, Charles Hoegh; 1906, O. B. Nelson; 1907, Truls Paulson; 1908, Asle Halverson; 1909, G. C. Glasrud; 1914, C. J. Sylling; 1916, G. C. Glasrud; 1918, C. J. Sylling.

The recorders have been: 1889, S. H. Ellestad; 1897, H. L. Quanrud; 1898, C. J. Schansberg; 1903, F. E. Poerg; 1907, Helmer Ostle; 1908, E. O. Clauson; 1914, Ove Hoegh; 1917, E. L. Quinnell. March 9, 1910, John Vaaler was elected clerk, but refused to serve, and Mr. Clauson continued.

All the early elections were practically unanimous the candidates re- ceiving all, or within one or two of all, of the votes cast. Up to 1895, the greatest number of votes cast at any election was 34. In that year, owing to the water bond question, 63 votes were cast. But then interest waned, and in 1899, only 31 were cast. In 1900 there were 59 votes, the successful candidate for mayor having nine votes cast against him. The first real contest came in 1901 when Truls Paulson received 24 votes for president and Charles Hoegh 23. In 1902, Paulson received 58 votes and Hoegh 24. The next year out of 121 votes cast, Hoegh received 119. In that year, 1903, was the first contest for recorder, F. E. Joerg receiving 87 votes and H. L. Quanrud 34. In 1904, the total vote dropped to 42 and there were no contests. The license question coming up in 1905, there were 137 votes cast, but the only contest for an office was over the position of recorder, F. E. Joerg receiving 88 votes and Ove Hoegh, 50. On the license ques- tion, 33 votes were for license and 100 against. Again in 1906, the only con- test was over recorder, F. E. Joerg receiving 69 and Helmer Ostle, 48 votes. In 1907 came the first contest for trustees, Ole Hendrickson receiving 21 votes against A. O. Roppe's 58 for a position on the board. The next year, Asle Halverson was elected president with 58 votes against Henry Fladager, who received 33. In 1909, when the voters were divided over the question of selling Lot No. 56, there was a close contest for all the offices except that of justice. The proposition to sell was carried by a vote of 39 to 26. In- terest waned the next year, only 35 votes were cast and there were no con- tests. In 1911 there were contests for president and trustees but none were close.

In 1914 there were contests for mayor and trustees and clerk, but none were close except for clerk, Ove Hoegh defeating E. O. Clausen by a vote of 69 to 61. In 1915 there were no contests except for assessor, O. F. Karlsbratten receiving 33 and Charles Hoegh 25 votes. In 1916 there were no close contests, all except two being unanimous. The closest was

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for clerk, Hoegh receiving 54 and Clauson 27 votes. Glassrud had 71 votes for president, and Sylling 12. In 1917 the only contest was for mayor, G. C. Glasrud receiving 51 and J. N. Ristey 48 votes. In 1918 there were no close contests. For president, E. J. Foss received 26 votes against 40 for C. J. Sylling. In 1919 the election was unanimous.

Fire protection was established in 1891, when the village purchased land from Ole O. Roppe, erected an engine house and secured equipment consisting of 2 hand fire engines, trucks, platforms, hose and pails. As a preventive of fires, Ole O. Hagen was appointed to the position of chimney inspector. The village now has fire equipment consisting of three hose carts, a small hook and ladder truck, 700 feet of good 21/2-inch hose and a bell alarm. There is a volunteer fire department of 25 members.

The first public well in Spring Grove dates back long before village days. Mons Fladager blasted a seventy-foot well, and lined it with masonry, that being long before the days of the drilled wells. A windmill was placed over this and troughs extended to the street, thus providing water for public use. The first steps toward establishing the village waterworks were taken on Sept. 19, 1894, when land was purchased from Lars Budahl for $350, for the purpose of establishing a water supply. March 12, 1895, by a vote of 56 to 9, the voters authorized the issuing of $3,000 bonds. It was decided to have a plant operated by a windmill, but as the work pro- gressed it was found necessary to have a deeper well and establish a gaso- line engine pumping station, with tower and tank. The complete system with mains and hydrants was completed in the early spring of 1896 at a cost of $3,927. The system has since been extended.

The waterworks are conducted on an elevated tank system, with an 1,800 barrel tank on a 60 foot tower. The water supply comes from two deep wells, the pumping power being furnished by a gasoline engine. The pressure is 30 to 35 pounds. The village has about 3,000 feet of six-inch mains, 16 double hydrants, and 4 dead ends.

Jan. 3, 1898, it was voted by the council to light the village streets with kerosene lights. April 17, 1901, it was voted by the council to in- troduce a gasoline system. In the meantime in 1892, the contract having been let Dec. 9, 1891. March 18, 1893, S. G. Reque was authorized to draw up plans for an electric light plant. A vote was taken on March 10, 1903, by the citizens on the question of issuing bonds of $5,500 for the pur- pose, and a favorable decision was reached by a vote of 70 to 50. But on June 16, 1903, the council rejected all bids, and the proposition was abandoned. March 12, 1912, bonds of $7,500 were voted for a city hall, electric light plant and extended water works. The work was completed that year. The city hall is a sightly brick structure of one story, housing the plant and the council chamber, and lock up, and providing shelter for the fire apparatus. The same year a new city well was provided. Aug. 31, 1915, a contract was made with the Root River Power & Light Com- pany for service for a period of fifteen years. At the same time $1,750 was voted to improve the local plant, so that the village now has excellent light service for street, commercial and residential purposes.

The Root River Power & Light Co. with home offices at Preston and

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power plant at Brightdale Park, supplies the village of Fountain, Preston, Harmony, Canton, Prosper, Mabel, Spring Grove, Caledonia and Houston. The officers are: president, Tollef Sanderson; vice-president, A. G. Olson; secretary-treasurer, S. A. Langum. A. H. Hanning is the general manager.

One of the beauties of Spring Grove already mentioned is the public park, a triangle of land lying west of the stately church. The eastern part of this park was presented to the village by the church. In 1914 the vil- lage erected a bandstand. In the meantime, a number of lots had been sold at the western apex. In 1916, these lots were occupied by several buildings. At the apex was a cellar hole, the store of T. T. Bergh having been torn down. East of this was a long building, extending from street to street, at an angle. It was vacant, the north end having previously been occupied by the Onsgard State Bank and the south end by the Olson & Kieland general store. Next east of this store was the blacksmith shop of H. P. Dahl. In the spring of 1916, Rev. Alfred O. Johnson and Albert Hallan appeared before the council representing the Church Auxiliary Board, the young peoples' society of the church, and presented a proposi- tion by which that body agreed to present the village with $3,400 toward purchasing these lots, removing the buildings, filling up the holes, and converting the entire triangle into a park. The proposition was accepted, the buildings were removed and the ground levelled, the remainder of the expense being met by the village. The shrubbery which adorns the park was put in by the Ladies' Improvement Club. This club, officially named the Community Improvement Society, was organized April 4, 1917, with these officers: president, Mrs. C. M. Langland; vice-president, Mrs. Ove Hoegh; treasurer, Mrs. J. N. Ristey ; secretary, Mrs. C. J. Helland.

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History of Houston County, Minnesota, Part 101

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge Publication date: 1919 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1343

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge
Publication date: 1919
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1343