USA > Minnesota > Stearns County > History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume I > Part 20
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and bridge purposes. A one-day's special session was held October 21 for routine business, as was a special session November 11 and 12.
The regular December session was held the sixteenth to the eighteenth, and an appropriation of $642 was made to the town of Oak for a bridge aeross Getehell ereek and road grading, and $2,500 to the city of Sauk Centre to aid in the construction and repair of a certain street known as the exten- sion of Third street, of a road eonneeting with said street and running east- erly, and of three bridges on said street and road. During the year seven liquor lieenses were granted, being about the average number since the $500 license fee went into effect, one each to the towns of St. Augusta, Lake Henry, Lake George, Krain (St. Anthony) and the village of Roseoe and two to Rockville.
1903. The board met January 6 for a two days' session. Present, J. D. Kowalkowski, H. F. Meyer, George Engelhard, Ignatius Kremer and J. H. Canfield; H. F. Meyer was re-elected chairman. Salaries were fixed as fol- lows: County attorney, $1,850; superintendent of schools, $1,800; elerk hire in auditor's office, $3,000; in treasurer's office, $1,200; assistant county super- intendent of schools (Anton Rieland appointed), $600; commissioner First distriet, $250; court house janitor, $480 and house rent.
A special session was held January 12 and 13, at which the report of the viewers on the Grove and Getty diteh No. 9 was accepted and an order entered for the construction of the diteh. Another special session, March 3-5, was devoted to routine business.
The regular session was held May 12-14. Persons who were selling liquor without a lieense-and the limited number of licenses taken out at the $500 fee would indicate that " blind piggers " were more or less numerous- were in very mild language invited to either procure a license or eease selling liquor against the provisions of the law in such case made and provided. The usual spring distribution of money for road and bridge purposes was made as follows: Avon, Roekville and St. Wendel, $200 each; Brockway and Zion, $450 each ; Crow Lake, Getty, Lake George and St. Martin, $100 each ; Eden Lake, Krain and Millwood, $400 each; Luxemburg and Lynden, $300 each; Crow River, $250; Lake Henry, $150; St. Joseph, $600; eity of St. Cloud, $600. The board adopted a resolution adding $2.50 to the state bounty of $7.50 for full-grown wolves and $1 to the bounty of $4 for eubs. Among the bills allowed was one of $1,280 for one-half the cost of a steel bridge over the Sauk river at the city of Sank Centre.
At a special session held June 9, a petition for an election to vote on the incorporation of the village of Rockville was received, and the election ordered for July 10, at Weisman Brothers' store, with John Weisman, Ben Garding and Henry Heek inspectors. The regular July session was from the tenth to the fifteenth. Road and bridge appropriations were made to Albany, $500; Ashley, $232.63; Collegeville, $300; Farming, $250; Grove, $112; Holding, $400; Lake George, $100; Melrose, $400; Raymond, $195; St. Augusta, $174.89; St. Martin, $200; Sauk Centre, $649.35. A tax levy of $66,400 for county purposes and one mill for schools was made. The levy for county purposes ineluded $20,000 for salaries of county officers, $15,000
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for roads and bridges, $6,100 for district court expenses, and $4,000 for small-pox cases. Board of equalization in session July 20-30.
A meeting was held September 8-10, at which the issuing of bonds to the amount of $3,660.40 to pay the cost of constructing ditch No. 9 was authorized. On the recommendation of the state public examiner, an additional allowance of $300 per year was made for clerk hire in the county auditor's office. Road and bridge appropriations of $130.50 for Maine Prairie and $200 for Wake- field were made. Appropriations of $570.25 to Oak and $500 to St. Wendel for road and bridge purposes were made at a special meeting held November 3-4. At a regular session held December 15-17, a number of bills were allowed for the control of contagious diseases. A special session was held, at which a petition received for a public ditch in the town of Lynden, to be known as ditch No. 10, was accepted and Arthur E. Morgan appointed to make a survey.
1904. The board met January 5, with H. F. Meyer, George Engelhard, J. H. Canfield, J. D. Kowalkowski and Ignatius Kremer present. H. F. Meyer was elected chairman and J. D. Kowalkowski vice-chairman. Adjourned January 7. At a special session January 26, a petition from the St. Cloud Public Library Board, proposing in consideration of an appropriation of $150 (to be used in the part payment of the salary of an assistant librarian) to extend the privileges of the library, including the drawing of books, to residents of the county outside the city of St. Cloud, was laid on the table. A petition for a public ditch in the towns of Sauk Centre and Melrose, to be known as ditch No. 11, was accepted and George Ingram was appointed to make the necessary survey. Special sessions were held January 30 and March 1 for routine business.
A special session was held March 8-10, at which Dr. R. I. Hubert was elected county physician, at a salary of $200 per year, to succeed Dr. F. McGuire, resigned. A request from the St. Cloud Library Board for an appropriation of $300, on terms similar to the one which had preceded it, met with the response that " a proposition of this kind could not be enter- tained." At a special session held March 12, an order was issued establishing ditch No. 10. Another special session was held three days later at which John Schaefer, H. C. Block and Herman Ramler were appointed viewers for ditch No. 11. A special session held May 3 was devoted to routine business.
Appropriations for roads and bridges were made as follows at the regular session May 10-12: Ashley, $350; Crow River, $375; Eden Lake, $250; Farm- ing, Getty and Munson, $150 each; Luxemburg, Maine Prairie, St. Joseph, Rockville and St. Martin, $300 each; St. Wendel and Holding, $400 each ; city of Melrose, $250; North Fork, $200. Special sessions were held May 28, May 31 and June 18 for routine business. At a special session held June 25, an order was adopted establishing the Brockway and St. Wendel county ditch.
The regular July session met on the eleventh, adjourning the thirteenth. Appropriations for roads and bridges gave Albany, Avon, Krain and Mel- rose $400 each; Brockway, $600; Crow Lake and Grove, $200 each; Le Sauk, $675; Lynden, Millwood, St. Cloud and Sauk Centre, $300 each; Paynesville,
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$147.37; St. Augusta, $250; Spring Hill, $345; Zion, $168; village of Eden Valley, $400. The claims of a number of towns and villages for the suppres- sion of contagious diseases were allowed. A levy of a one-mill tax for schools and $65,500 for county purposes was made. A special session was held July 16, at which W. S. Bartholomew, John Neutzling and James M. Barrett were appointed viewers for ditch No. 13. Board of equalization, July 18-28. Spe- cial sessions were held July 30, August 10, August 20 and August 30, for the consideration of ditch matters.
The regular September meeting was held on the thirteenth, continuing two days. A petition for the holding of an election to vote on the annexing of lands in the original town of Paynesville, Gilbert's addition to Paynesville and Gilbert's second addtion to Paynesville to the village of New Paynesville was granted, said election to be held October 20 at J. G. Jackson's paint shop, with James H. Boylan, F. W. Phillips and J. G. Nehring inspectors. Road and bridge appropriations were made to Eden Lake, $138; Raymond, $139.17, and Sauk Centre, $250. Special sessions were held October 22, 25 and 29; November 15 and 16, and December 3 and 6, for the transaction of routine business.
At the regular session, December 20-22, the county auditor was instructed to check over all the tax records from January 1, 1903, to date, covering the period during which Charles A. Bernick was deputy county treasurer, all to be done under the direction of the state public examiner.
1905. The board met in regular session January 3, with J. D. Kowal- kowski, H. F. Meyer, Jacob Weber, George Engelhard, Ignatius Kremer and J. H. Canfield present-Messrs. Weber and Engelhard both claiming the elec- tion from the Third district. Theodore Bruener appeared as attorney for Mr. Engelhard and protested against the seating of Mr. Weber on the ground of ineligibility. H. F. Meyer was re-elected chairman and J. D. Kowal- kowski vice-chairman. An appropriation of $25 was made to the St. Cloud Humane Society to assist in the work of the society outside the city. Ad- journed January 5. Special sessions held February 4, 7, 10 and 25 were devoted mainly to the consideration of ditch matters. At a special session held March 7-9, the issuing of bonds was authorized in the sum of $1,606.42 to pay for the construction of ditch No. 10; $5,265.10 for ditch No. 12, and $1,260.62 for ditch No. 13. Frank Benolken was appointed appraiser of school lands in Stearns county.
March and April were devoted mainly to the consideration of ditch matters, no fewer than fourteen special sessions being held during those two months-on March 11, 14, 16-17, 18, 21, 25, 29 and 30, and April 1, 4, 8, 11, 15 and 22-for the reception of petitions for public ditches and the appoint- ment of engineers or viewers. There appeared to be a sort of ditch boom, affecting all parts of the county. A special session for routine business was held May 6.
The regular May session began the ninth, adjourning the following day. The distribution of funds for roads and bridges was made to the several towns as follows: Albany, Brockway and Krain, $500 each; Ashley and St. Martin, $350 each; Eden Lake, Farming and St. Augusta, $250 each; Getty,
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Maine Prairie, Millwood, Rockville, St. Cloud, St. Joseph and Spring Hill, $300 each ; Lake George, Lake Henry and Melrose, $200 each ; Collegeville, $240; Crow Lake, $100; Crow River, $150; Grove, $750; Holding, $450; Luxem- burg, $600; Munson, $1,800; North Fork, $175; Paynesville, $342.50; St. Wendel, $400; Zion, $400; city of St. Cloud, $300. The ditch season re-opened in May with a series of special sessions held, May 13, 20, 23 and 27, June 14 and 17, and July 1 and 8, devoted almost wholly to ditch matters. The ditch occupying attention at the last session being No. 25.
The regular July session was held the tenth to the twelfth. In addition to the levy of one mill for schools a tax levy of $51,000 was made for county purposes. The following supplemental road and bridge appropriations were made: Avon and Wakefield, $250 each; Oak and Raymond, $300 each; Eden Lake, $100; Fair Haven, $900; Lynden, $175; Sauk Centre, $500. Board of equalization in session July 17-27. Sessions were held July 29 and August 8 for the consideration of matters relating to ditches Nos. 26 and 27 and for routine business.
At a session held September 12-14, the issuing of bonds to pay for the construction of the following ditches was authorized: No. 11, $2,668.31; No. 15, $8,775.89; No. 16, $2,868.31; No. 17, $7,742.62; No. 18, $3,593; No. 19, $1,620.90; No. 21, $4,831.90; No. 22, $3,710.50. This money was secured from the State University and School fund at 3 per cent interest Road and bridge appropriations were made to St. Joseph, $350; Sauk Centre, $1,290.71; Spring Hill, $318.16. Special sessions were held October 31 and November 1 and November 28 for routine business, at the latter meeting $200 being appro- priated to St. Joseph and $200 to Holding for roads and bridges.
Special session for routine business were held December 4 and 5, and December 19-21, appropriations of $111.50 to Eden Lake and $275.90 to Paynesville being made for roads and bridges. Ten saloon licenses were issued during the year, one each in the towns of Getty, Luxemburg, Lake George, Lake Henry, St. Augusta, Krain, Zion and St. Wendel and two in Rockville.
1906. The board met January 2 and 3, with Joseph Kowalkowski, H. F. Meyer, George Engelhard, Ignatius Kremer and J. H. Canfield present ; H. F. Meyer being re-elected chairman and J. D. Kowalkowski vice-chairman. The issuing of bonds to the amount of $2,488.66 for the construction of ditch No. 24 was authorized. Special sessions January 15 and 18-19 were mainly occu- pied with ditch matters.
At a special session March 13 and 14 report was made as follows of the salaries and fees received by county officers during the preceding year : J. C. Crever, auditor, $4,655.80; Chris. Schmitt, treasurer, $3,260.38; Herman Mueller, clerk of district court, $3,029.72; John M. Emmel, register of deeds, $3,562.10; Hubert Hansen, probate judge, $3,139.93; Paul Ahles, county super- intendent, $1,800; J. B. Himsel, county attorney, $1,994.63; J. P. Bernick, sheriff, $5,335.97; J. D. Morgan, county surveyor, $10; J. B. Dunn, coroner, $54.30; county commissioners-J. D. Kowalkowski, $680.66; H. F. Meyer, $1,170.80; Jacob Weber, $721.10; George Engelhard, $34.40; Ignatius Kremer, $756.90; J. H. Canfield, $983.20. A special session was held in April to con-
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sider a petition for ditch No. 28, for which B. Kost, J. Ferschweiler and N. Mueller were appointed viewers.
At a special session held May 8 and 9, appropriations for roads and bridges were made to Ashley, Collegeville, Le Sauk, Raymond, St. Martin and St. Wendel, $300 each; Maine Prairie and St. Joseph, $400 each; Crow River, $425; Fair Haven, $1,000; Lake Henry, $150; Luxemburg, $900; Rock- ville, $200. A petition for ditch No. 29 was granted, and Julius Payne, John Schaefer and John Schwinghammer were appointed viewers. Special session June 23, routine business.
At a special session held July 9-11, additional road and bridge appropria- tions were made as follows: Crow Lake, $100; Eden Lake and Paynesville, $600 each; Getty and Millwood, $300 each; Lynden, $200; North Fork, $320; Zien, $442.25; village of Paynesville, $575; city of Sauk Centre, $210.65. The first road designated for improvement under the general laws of 1905 was that part of the St. Cloud and Breckenridge state road which lies between the city of St. Cloud and the village of St. Joseph. The tax levy for county purposes was $48,000, for schools one mill, and for roads and bridges one mill. Board of equalization in session July 16-26. At a session held September 7, a final order was issued establishing ditch No. 28 in the towns of Albany, Krain and Holding. A special session was held October 19, at which a final order was issued establishing ditch No. 29 in towns of Crow Lake and Crow River. Auctioneers' licenses were issued to J. N. Gilley, Nick Klein, J. Beste, John Schaefer and F. C. Minette.
At a special session held November 12 and 13, road and bridge appro- priations were made to Grove, $823.60; Oak, $499.78; Lake George, $400; Spring Hill, $312.62. E. N. Erickson and P. F. Benolken were added to the list of licensed auctioneers. The final session of the year was held December 18 and 19. A transfer of $10,000 was made from the revenue fund to the ditch fund, to be returned as soon as money was realized from the sale of ditch bonds. A number of bills for digging ditches were allowed, among others being $5,440.43 to O. F. Doyle and $1,257.86 to Simon Kutzman.
1907. The board met January 8, with H. F. Meyer, J. D. Kowalkowski, George Engelhard, Ignatius Kremer and J. H. Canfield present; the organiza- tion being the same as for the previous year. Dr. R. I. Hubert, H. F. Meyer and J. D. Kowalkowski were appointed members of the county board of health, with compensation at $5 per day. Anton Rieland was appointed assistant county superintendent of schools at a salary of $600 per year; . Ignatius Greven, janitor at the court house at $45 per month and house rent, and Dr. R. I. Hubert, county physician at $200 per year. Adjourned January 10. At a special session held March 5 and 6, it was voted to issue bonds in the sum of $2,488.66 at 4 per cent interest, to pay for the construction of ditch No. 24. Special session March 19 for routine business.
At a session May 14-15, road and bridge appropriations were made as follows: Avon and Holding, $250 each ; Collegeville, Eden, Lake, Fair Haven, Luxemburg, Melrose, Raymond, St. Joseph, St. Martin and Wakefield, $300 each ; Crow Lake, Lake Henry and St. Cloud, $200 each; Holding, $250; Maine Prairie, $400; Oak, $121; Rockville and St. Augusta, $100 each ; Spring
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Hill, $139; city of St. Cloud, $800. S. S. Chute was appointed superintendent of highways, at $5 per day and expenses while actually employed. Commit- tees as follows were appointed for the several commissioner districts for the surveying, building or improving of any road or street in any incorporated city or village or any bridge or culvert on any public road or highway: First district, Commissioners Kowalkowski, Meyer and Canfield; Second district, Commissioners Meyer, Canfield and Kowalkowski; Third district, Commis- sioners Engelhard, Meyer and Kremer; Fourth district, Commissioners Kre- mer, Engelhard and Meyer; Fifth district, Commissioners Canfield, Meyer and Kowalkowski. The plans and specifications of state highway No. 1, pre- pared by the county superintendent of highways, were accepted. The appointment of Charles Schmidt as assistant county superintendent of schools was approved. A special session for routine business was held June 21.
At the regular July session, meeting on the eighth and adjourning on the ninth, appropriations for roads and bridges were made as follows: Ash- ley, $515; Albany, $250; Avon, $200; Brockway, $100; Farming, Getty, Le Sauk, Lynden and Zion, $300 each; Krain, $350; Millwood, $200; North Fork, $257.50; Spring Hill, $475; village of Cold Spring, $100. A tax levy of $46,000 for county purposes and one mill for roads and bridges was ordered. Board of equalization was in session July 15-25.
A special session held July 31 authorized the issuing of bonds to pay for the construction of ditch No. 26, $34,566; No. 28, $8,446; No. 29, $14,136, the loans being made from the State University and School fund at 4 per cent. Special session August 13, routine business.
At a special session held September 10 and 11, a petition was received for an election to incorporate as a village certain territory in the town of Le Sauk, in Stearns county, and in the town of Sauk Rapids, Benton county, the larger part being in the county of Stearns. The petition was granted, the date for the election being October 5, and the place the office of the Sartell Bros. Company, with William L. Sartell, A. L. Smitten and Anton Smudde inspectors. Road and bridge appropriations were made to Grove, $225; Munson, $296.63; St. Wendel, $350; village of Albany, $150. The issuing of $2,124 in bonds to pay for ditch No. 25 was authorized. A special session was held October 21 and 22, at which $100 was appropriated to Lake George, $1,000 to St. Augusta, $400 to Brockway and $505 to Paynesville for road and bridge purposes. The closing session of the year was held December 17 and 18, at which further road and bridge appropriations were made as follows: Crow River and Luxemburg, $300 each ; Eden Lake, $144.25; Hold- ing, $172.50; Lake Henry, $479.50; Millwood, $100; Sauk Centre, $359.64.
1908. The regular January session opened the seventh, with J. D. Kowalkowski, H. F. Meyer, Ignatius Kremer, George Engelhard and J. H. Canfield present, the organization of the past year being continued. It was voted to supplement the state bounty of $7.50 for full-grown wolves and $3 for cub wolves with an addition of $2.50 and $2 respectively for all such wolves killed in Stearns county. The road from Rockville to Cold Spring was designated as State Highway No. 2 and the road from St. Joseph to Albany as State Highway No. 3. There was a lively "scrap " over the
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county printing, the first occasion on which the serene surface of the patronage waters had been disturbed in many years. The St. Cloud Times made an offer to publish the financial statement, proceedings of the county board and all official notices for one-half the legal rate, this offer to include publication in the daily and weekly Times and the Nordstern, and the delinquent tax list at nine cents per description. The St. Cloud Journal-Press, for itself and a combination of outside weekly papers, made a bid to do the work for one-half the price offered by the Times Publishing Company. The offer of the Times was accepted as " the lowest that has been received by the board, in com- parison to their value as mediums to bring the news before the taxpayers of the county." The town of Paynesville was given $175 for roads and bridges at a special session held March 3-4. Special session April 10, routine business.
At a special session May 12 and 13, a number of appropriations were made for roads and bridges, Ashley, Eden Lake, Luxemburg, Raymond, St. Augusta and Sauk Centre receiving $400 cach; Collegeville, Farming, Getty, Grove, Lake George, Lake Henry, St. Martin and St. Wendel, $300 each ; Fair Haven, $450; Maine Prairie, $500; Melrose, $126; Rockville, $125; Spring Hill, $313.07. The county surveyor was directed to set the section corners in a number of towns. The committee on roads in the different commissioner districts were re-appointed for the coming year.
A special session was held May 26, at which a number of bills were allowed in connection with the location of judicial ditch No. 1 in Pope and Stearns counties. The regular July session, beginning the thirteenth, con- tinued for three days. Appropriations for roads and bridges were made to Brockway, $200; Holding, Krain and Lynden, $300 each; Crow River, $445; Lake George, $250; Le Sauk and Millwood, $350 each; Melrose, $400; North Fork, $150. A levy of $44,000 for county purposes and one mill for roads and bridges was made. Board of equalization in session, July 20-30. At a special session, August 6, the contract for the digging for state road No. 1 was let to C. A. Langdon for 19 cents per cubic yard. The Tri-State Land Company's plat of Elrosa was accepted and ordered to be filed, at a special session, August 11.
At a special session held September 22 and 23, resolutions were adopted rescinding the resolution adopted September 10, 1907, for the issuing of $2,124 in bonds to pay for the construction of ditch No. 25, and the resolution of July 31, 1907, providing for $8,446 in bonds to pay for ditch No. 28; and new resolutions providing similar issues of bonds for the ditches were adopted, the previous resolutions having apparently been irregular or defective. Additional ditch bonds were provided for at a special session held October 30 and 31, $3,122 being for ditch No. 27 and $2,896 for ditch No. 14. The following appropriations were made for roads and bridges: Rockville, $600; St. Joseph, $833.05; Wakefield, $400; Crow River, $164.26; village of Sartell, $100. At the regular session December 15-17, the plats of Hober- mann's addition and Schulte's first addition to Albany were accepted and approved. The bond of the county treasurer was fixed at $225,000 and of the county anditor at $10,000. A new state highway was established from the east line of the town of Albany to the city of Sauk Centre. Appropriations
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for roads and bridges were made to Munson, $183.01; Spring Hill, $575; Paynesville, $592.44; Maine Prairie and Luxemburg, $100 each.
1909. The regular opening session met January 5, adjourning January 6. The commissioners present were J. D. Kowalkowski, Ignatius Kremer, J. H. Canfield, Val. Herman and Jacob Weber. J. D. Kowalkowski was elected chairman and J. H. Canfield vice-chairman. The clerk hire for the auditor's office was fixed at $3,900 and for the treasurer's office at $1,300 for the year. An appropriation of $125 was made to the town of Avon for road and bridge purposes, and the same amount to the town of St. Wendel. Another state highway, from the village of Melrose to the village of Albany, was estab- lished. An appropriation of $25 was made to the St. Cloud Humane Society to be used in the traveling expenses of the executive agent in investigating cases of cruelty within the county.
January 27, special session for routine business. At a special session March 2 and 3, Dr. R. I. Hubert was re-elected county physician at $200 annual salary. B. Kost was appointed an appraiser of school lands in Stearns county. March 30, special session for routine business.
A special session was held May 4 and 5, at which applications for loans from the state of Minnesota for ditches Nos. 25 and 28 were accepted. The commissioner district road and bridge committees were re-appointed, Val- entine Herman succeeding H. F. Meyer and Jacob Weber succeeding George Engelhard. Appropriations for roads and bridges were made as follows: Albany, $275; Avon, Brockway, Collegeville, Eden Lake, Fair Haven, Farm- ing, Getty, Lake George, Lake Henry, Luxemburg, Paynesville, St. Martin and Wakefield, $300 each; Holding, Millwood and St. Cloud, $250 each ; Krain, $437.50; Maine Prairie, $400; Raymond, $500; St. Wendel, $125.50.
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