History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 88

Author: Mitchell, William Bell, 1843-
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago : H. S. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1110

USA > Minnesota > Stearns County > History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II > Part 88

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Freeport postoffice was established in 1879 with John Hoeschen as first postmas- ter. It was originally known as the Oak Station office. Mr. Hoeschen was fol- lowed by Henry Benolken. Then came Moritz Hoeschen, and after him John W. Kuhn, the present incumbent.

The village of Freeport has a church, a

school, two banks, two creameries, three general stores, two hardware stores, two grocery stores, one hotel, two blacksmith shops, one shoe and harness store, a mil- linery business, electric lights, water- works, and the usual activities found in a hamlet of this size.

A corn-canning factory was built in 1904 by a corporation of farmers and busi- ness men, at a cost of $13,000, but after it had been in operation two years it was found unprofitable. George Uhlenkott, by foreclosing a mortgage, secured the plant for about $5,000, sold the machinery, and the building is used for dwellings and for other purposes.

Thelen Brothers operate a large flouring mill, which was originally built by An- thony Hoeschen in 1898. The mill has un- dergone many improvements and now rep- resents a valuation of some $20,000.

In addition to the plants of the Free- port Creamery Association and the Golden Meadow Creamery, there is a cream sta- tion which receives and ships a consider- able amount of cream to outside dairy con- cerns, all of which goes to show that the diary industry has gained a strong foot- hold in this locality, that it is on the in- crease, and that it is an important source of wealth to our people.

A brief business directory follows: Jno. W. Kuhn, postmaster; Mrs. Dina Adrian, milliner; Benolken & Kuhn, general store; J. Borgerding & Co., lumber; M. M. Schlecht, manager; Farmers' State Bank, Herman Rose, president, Frank Rieland, cashier; Conrad Finken, wagonmaker; Freeport Co-Operative Creamery Associa- tion, Jos. Borgerding, secretary; C. M. Stuntebeck, superintendent of Electric Light and Waterworks; Freeport Farm- ers' Co-Operative Elevator, Jos. Borgerd- ing, secretary; Freeport House, Mrs. Dena Wolking, proprietor; Freeport State Bank, Moritz Hoeschen, president, J. W. Kuhn, vice-president, J. C. Harren, cash- ier; Anton H. Gau, grocer; Golden Mead- ow Creamery Co., Jno. J. Micklish, pro- prietor; Michael L. Harren, shoes; Nicho- las Hockert, hardware; Anton Hoeschen, drugs; Aug. Kampa, cigar manufacturer; Henry S. Leach, railroad agent; Jas. Roh- lın, meats; St. Rosa Co-Operative Cream- ery Association, Henry Stoetzel, secreta- ry (St. Rosa); Seitz & Kraker, general

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store; J. B. Stommers, blacksmith; Thelen Bros., flour mill; Omer H. Warner, physi- cian; H. Wensman, cement works.

Freeport Creamery Association .- The first steps toward organizing a creamery company in Freeport were taken Aug. 12, 1896. Stock to the amount of $3,100 was subscribed on that date by 41 sharehold- ers and a board of seven directors elected. This board consisted of Henry Blenke, Moritz Hoeschen, Christ. Welle, Anton Schulte, Joseph Borgerding, Bernhard Toenis and Geo. Heidgerken. At the first meeting of the directors the board select- ed the following members as officers: Henry Blenke, president; Geo. Heidger- ken, vice-president; Joseph Borgerding, secretary, and Moritz Hoeschen, treasur- er. At the meeting of the board January 16, 1897, bids were received for the erect- ing of the creamery building, and the con- tract for the work was let to John Albers as lowest bidder. The building and equip- ment were perfected by September, and on the tenth of that month Frank Enderle was engaged as first buttermaker.

The first financial statement, rendered March 3, 1898, after six months' opera- tion, followers: Resources-Received for shares, $2,900.00; for butter, $11,926.92; for cans, etc., $238.21; total, $15,065.13. Expenditures-For creamery and equip- ment, $3,371.68; supplies, wood, ice, etc., $622.14; milk and cream, $10,318.43; but- termaker's wages and work, $167.75; to- tal, $14,480.00.

Frank Enderle was retained as butter- maker until May, 1899, when he was suc- ceeded by Peter Viehauser. He was fol- lowed by John Michael in January, 1901. In January, 1902, M. J. Hoeschen became buttermaker, and was succeeded by John J. Micklisch in October of that year. In- teresting figures produced by the financial statement in March, 1902, that is after the first five year's business, speak for the wonderful increase of the business up to that date. The statement covering the year from March, 1901, to March, 1902, contains items as follows: Total amount of milk received, 3,381,252 lbs .; butterfat obtained from said milk, 133,648 lbs .; cream received, 23,264 lbs .; butterfat ob- tained from said cream, 5,316 lbs .; total amount of butter made, 166,328 lbs .; paid patrons for butterfat, $29,962.12.

Taking a stride of ten years in the his- tory of the creamery from the year 1902 to 1912, we find the business steadily in- creasing. One fact is, however notable, the decrease in milk received and the in- crease of cream delivered. This is at- tributable to the fact that many farmers (by far the majority) have installed sep- arators, separate their milk at home, and deliver the cream only.

J. J. Micklisch resigned his position as buttermaker of the creamery three years ago, and J. H. Steinke succeeded him, and the creamery is under his efficient man- agement at the present time.

Thus far the financial statement for the year from February, 1911 to 1912, is as follows: Pounds of milk received, 1,495,- 234; pounds of cream received, 256,666; paid patrons for butterfat, $38,935.66.

The Golden Meadow Creamery .- When J. J. Micklisch resigned his position with the Freeport Creamery Association he, in partnership with M. M. Schlicht, opened and operated the Golden Meadow Cream- ery, thus giving the village a second cream- ery. The plant, though doing business on a smaller scale, has paid its proprietors a satisfactory profit. It is now owned ex- clusively by M. M. Schlicht, with Oscar Micklisch as buttermaker.

(Note .- The articles on Oak township and Freeport village were prepared for this work by the late Professor G. Har- ren.)

NEW MUNICH VILLAGE.

New Munich village is situated in the west central part of township of Oak, east of the Sauk river, on the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway. It is particularly known for its excellent cream- ery and brewery. It received its name from a Bavarian hunter, who came from Munich, Bavaria, and stayed with the first settlers for several years. In 1856 Henry Borgerding and Henry Marto built a small log house in the neighbor- hood where now the creamery stands. In 1857 William Bohmer and Anton Te Vogt built another log house in which they later opened up a small store. In 1859 the Rev. P. Matheus - O. S. B., built a small log house used as a Catholic church. It was rebuilt by the Rev. P. Meinulf Stuk- enkemper, O. S. B., in 1869; and the Rev.

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P. Luke Fink, O. S. B., built in 1910 the present brick church at a cost of $70,000.

Until 1859 the mail had to be brought from St. Joseph, Joseph Linneman was at that time the postmaster, but in the fall of 1859 a postoffice was established in New Munich and Almon Sutton, the first post- master, served for the next twenty-five years, when he was succeeded by John Frevel who, after his death, was in turn succeeded by his son George Frevel, who is still the postmaster. In 1861 John Froehler came from Ohio and built a small brewery which today is a large solid brick building owned by Math Pitzl, well known for its excellent beer through the entire county. In the month of March, 1896, the village was incorporated, Henry Hinzen was the first president, G. W. Wieber, Her- man Doetkott and Stephen Klapperich were the first councilmen, and John Froeh- ler was the first recorder. The present councilmen are Hermann Terhaar (presi- dent), Math Pitzl, J. G. Wieber and Ben Frieler; with George Frevel as recorder. In 1897 a farmer's creamery was built. Its first president was Hubert Rieland; its di- rectors, Herman Terhaar, John Rose and Peter Schlicht. After operating for three years it was sold to Bernard Frieler, and in 1911 it was again sold to A. H. Wester and C. W. Young, who rebuilt it and are still the owners. They have over one hundred patrons; and received 665,296 pounds of cream, 201,291 pounds of but- terfat, and 255,128 pounds of butter, and paid out to farmers $73,019.62 the last year.

New Munich was still a small village until the summer of 1907, when the Min- neapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Com- pany built a branch from Brooten to Du- luth, passing through New Munich, which gave it a new impetus. Fred G. Leach was the first station agent, which position he still holds. Since that time New Munich has grown until it has at present the New Munich State Bank, with a capital and surplus of $17,500, incorporated Nov. 25, 1907 (P. A. Hilbert, president; Math Pitzl, vice-president; H. J. Terhaar, cashier) ; a postoffice, a Catholic church, a public school, a brewery, a creamery, a book- bindery, a harnessmaker, a garage, a livery and a dray line, an elevator, a lumber yard, a grist mill, a public hall, a drug

store, an implement shop, two hardware stores, two hotels, two blacksmith shops, four sample rooms, three general stores and three shoemaker shops. There are many fine dwellings, cement sidewalks, over 900 feet of water mains with an 80 foot water tank, an up-to-date electric light plant, and a beautiful waterfall in the Sauk river, which some day will probably fur- nish power for the village as well as for factories.

A brief business directory follows: Geo. Frevel, postmaster; Benolken & Rose, gen- eral store; J. Bentifield & Co., lumber; Josephine Botz, milliner; John Brandle, shoemaker; Geo. Frevel, general store; Jos. Frieler, livery; John Herbes & Co., hardware; E. W. Kampa, barber; F. G. Leach, railroad agent; H. Ley, blacksmith; J. P. Ludwig, hardware; New Munich State Bank, capital $12,000, surplus $5,500, P. A. Hilbert, president, H. J. Terhaar, cashier; Matt Pitzler, brewer; Jos. Rose, hotel; Frank Tinchert, shoemaker; J. G. Wieber, blacksmith; W. C. Young, cream- ery.

(Note .- The above article regarding New Munich is from the pen of H. J. Ter- haar.)

Still another has been added to Stearns county's long list of creameries. Articles of incorporation of the New Munich Co- operative Creamery Company have been filed. The company is incorporated at $10,- 000. The incorporators are Ben Mumbert, of Spring Hill; N. P. Sand, of Grove; Jo- seph Hoppe, of Oak; Ferdinand Viere, of Oak; Joseph Rieland, of Oak; Casper Lier- den, of Oak; Herman Raeker, of Oak; John M. Thielen, of Grove; Joseph Hus- mann, of Spring Hill; William Hoppe, of Oak; Joseph Gieske, of Oak; Ben Wiebolt, of Oak; Henry Kraemer, of Grove; Ben Reverman, of St. Martin, and George Metz- ger, of Oak.

PAYNESVILLE.

The story of Paynesville, looking back- ward for a space of fifty-seven years, as gathered from the persons engaged in making the incidents happening therein and from the scanty records which were preserved of the earlier days, is in many respects very unsatisfactory, but withal very absorbing. At times the want of a public record, as is the case in the town

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of Verdale for one or two years years dur- ing the Indian and Civil Wars is very sug- gestive and eloquently tells the story of all men "to the front."

The story of Paynesville from 1857 to the present day is a very real one to the few now left of the pioneers of fifty-seven years ago. Those gray-haired men and women in telling now of the incidents of the earlier life speak enthusiastically of the good old times, lightly of the hard- ships, eloquently of the friendships of those days and reverently and kindly of the many old settlers who have gone be- fore.

"As we came out of the woods on the hills on the trail southwest from Rich- mond one day in the fall of 1857, and looked across the valley of the Crow river, where Paynesville has since been built, it seemed to me that I had never seen a finer sight, nor a better looking country. We were not used to such country back in Pennsylvania. I then thought it the best on earth, and after living here fifty years, I am inclined to think that I was just about right that day back in 1857," is the state- ment made in 1907 by A. L. Elliott, who made his claim in 1857 just across the Crow river from this village, and lived here until he died in May, 1913.

Paynesville, or more properly speaking, the country which has since become Paynesville, must have presented a very attractive appearance to the prospective settler and townsite locater fifty-seven years ago, as the early records show three attempts to locate

townsites at and near what is now the location of this village.

The first attempt was made in the early summer of 1856 when a party of prospec- tive settlers, under the leadership of Wil- liam B. Reed, came out from St. Cloud, though originally from Hastings, and locat- ed a townsite as the papers have it, near the center of township one hundred and twenty-two, range thirty-two (now Paynes- ville townsite), at a "beautiful spot near a ford in the river." The proposed town- site was named Onawa, and the river was called Pleasant river. The party, however, soon returned to Hastings, and for some reason failed to file the claim under the townsite act, and the townsite of Onawa had no place upon the map. Tradition,

however, places it on the Crow river about one mile east of this village.

As locating Onawa, the following clip- pings will be of interest: "Onawa, which means 'wide-awake,' is twenty-five miles north of Kandiyohi, on the west side of the north branch of Crow River, about ten miles from Carnalian Lake. Its location is said to be beautiful. Dr. George H. Keith of Minneapolis is president and Chas. H. Clark, secretary."-St. Anthony Republican, Jan. 1, 1857.

"Onawa-This is the name of a new town situated on the north fork of Crow River, about ten miles from Diamond or Green Lake. A map of the town will be forthcoming as soon as practicable. The company who have located it are men of responsibility and are determined not merely to make it a paper city specula- tion, but a matter of fact town. The surrounding country abounds in timber, the townsite being a mile and half from the big woods, in a valley that for fertil- ity, compares with old Geneseo of New York."-Minnesota Democrat, December 13, 1856.

The second attempt to locate a town- site was made later in that same year (1856) when John McCormack and M. I. Bullard located a townsite in the same township and range (township 122 of range 32, now Paynesville), but were unable to designate the sections owing to the fact that the land had not been surveyed into sections. Upon the survey being made, the townsite of Messrs. McCormack and Bullard was found to be upon section 16, the school section, and the location was necessarily abandoned.

The third and successful attempt was made either in the fall of 1856 or in the spring of 1857, by the Paynesville Town- site Company, officered by James Phillips, as president, C. S. Snyder as vice presi- dent, M. L. Bullard as treasurer, and Ed- win E. Payne as secretary and agent. This company located a townsite upon the north half of section seventeen, in township one hundred and twenty-two, of range thirty- two, naming the townsite Paynesville, in honor of Edwin E. Payne, the secretary of the company.

The plat of Paynesville townsite bears date April, 1857, was acknowledged by Mr. Phillips as president and Mr. Payne as

LAKE KORONIS AND THREE ISLANDS.

INQUAY

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secretary, on August 19, 1857, and was filed in the office of the register of deeds in Stearns county, on August 20, in that same year, 1857.

In April, 1861, all that portion of the townsite of Paynesville comprised in the following lands, to-wit: W12 NW14, NE1/4 NW14 and N1/2 NE14, Section 17 was va- cated, leaving the portion of the original townsite south of the river and from the settlement south of the Crow has come the present village of Paynesville.

Edwin E. Payne and his brother-in-law, George Lincoln, were undoubtedly the first permanent settlers upon the lands in- cluded within the plat of the townsite of Paynesville, these gentlemen having gone onto these lands late in 1856.

During the summer and fall of 1857 a number of new settlers came in, among them being James H. Boylan, John Bait- inger, W. P. Bennett, J. B. Pease, Richard Porter, O. S. Freeman, Lyman Reed and others.

From among those coming into Paynes- ville or vicinity at that time, two are still (1914) residents of this place, namely: James H. Boylan, who came to Paynesville in October, 1857, and John Baitinger and his wife, who took up a claim in the eastern end of this township in the early spring of 1857.

Paynesville was made a postoffice in 1857, an office established in the settle- ment and Edwin E. Payne was named as postmaster, holding the office but a few months and until President Buchanan ap- pointed James H. Boyland in the fall of 1857. Mr. Boyland held the office until 1861. The equipment of the office con- sisted of a tea-chest and some wooden mail boxes.

At that time Paynesville was on the mail route starting at St. Peter and end- ing at St. Cloud. The contract for carry- ing the mails was let to S. B. Lowry of St. Cloud, who sublet his contract for that portion of the route from St. Cloud to St. Peter, to Sam Wakefield of Cold Spring, who in turn hired A. L. Elliott, who made the trips on foot. The contractor received his pay in government lands such as he might select.

The first child born in Paynesville was Grace Lincoln, daughter of George H. Lin-

coln, one of the first settlers, her birth oc- curring in the fall of 1856.

On December 1, 1859, James H. Boylan and Miss Canarissia Richardson, then of Richmond, were married at Cold Spring. This was no doubt the first marriage of any person living at Paynesville. The first death was that of Luther Brown in 1859.

From 1857 to the time of the Indian out- break in August, 1862, the town had much the usual experience of all frontier towns. A number of new settlers had come in, among whom were Hugh, John and Robert Blakely, Daniel Chisholm, Stephen and Al- fred Harris, Michael and August Schultz, Gottlieb and August Knebel, Christ and William Helmer, Anton Wartenburg, S. P. Roach, A. L. Elliott, Fred Schroeder, Fred Gedosch, John Boylan and others.

During these five years a number of homes and buildings had been erected in the settlement known as Paynesville. Among the public buildings were the hotel, the Methodist church and a schoolhouse.

Very early did the minds of the settlers turn to the education of the children, and as early as the spring of 1859, work was commenced upon the construction of a log schoolhouse. In May, 1859, before its com- pletion, the school was blown down in a terrific wind storm. A frame schoolhouse was built in the spring of 1862, and the first school of which there is any record was taught that spring, by Frances Reed, daughter of Lyman Reed, then a resident of this place. Miss Reed later became the wife of Chan Harmon, and was for many years a resident of Sauk Center, where she died several years ago. This building also became part of the stockade and was burned during the Indian out- break.

On May 27, 1858, a meeting was held at Paynesville for the purpose of organizing a town. The records of that meeting are in existence and show that after consid- erable discussion it was determined to or- ganize a town, that such town should be named Verdale, and that it should include a large extent of territory, which territory has since been divided into the townships of Paynesville, Lake Henry, Zion, Crow River, Crow Lake, North Fork, Lake George and part of St. Martin. There were seven voters present and voting at that meeting, namely: Rev. C. S. Harrison,

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W. P. Bennett, O. S. Freeman, R. B. Porter, D. S. Twitchell, J. B. Pease and E. E. Payne, and each voter secured one or more office.

The township officers elected were O. S. Freeman, chairman; R. B. Porter and John McCormack, supervisors; J. B. Pease, town clerk; C. S. Harrison, assessor; D. Twitch- ell, collector; Samuel Parks, overseer of the poor; D. S. Twitchell and G. H. Lin- coln, constables; and W. P. Bennett and E. E. Payne, justices of the peace.

In the spring and summer of 1861 came the calls for troops for the civil war and the records show that the men of Paynes- ville responded patriotically.

Among those who enlisted at the first call were M. P. Beckley, Harrison P. Luce and the Rev. W. N. Darnell, who were enrolled in Captain Josiah E. West's com- pany of the Seventh Minnesota, and Alfred Harris and G. W. Reed, who were enrolled in Captain C. Beaulieu's company of the Ninth Minnesota.

Answering later calls were John Phipps, Wm. Blakely, Daniel Chisholm, John J. Brown, W. P. Bennett and H. Jons, of the First Minnesota; Samuel P. Roach, of the Third Minnesota; Andrew Eickmeier and William Helmer, of the Seventh Minne- sota; and Joseph J. Reed of the Eighth Minnesota; John Blakely, of the First regi- ment of Heavy Artillery; Smith Flanders, of Hatch's Battalion; Robert and John Blakely, Anton Wartenburg, August Schultz and William Schroeder, of the Mounted Rangers and William Beckley, of the First regiment of Mounted Volunteers.

Paynesville and its citizens received the news of the Indian outbreak on August 20, 1862, when early in the morning of that day, there came to the settlement, a Mrs. Luneberg and Ole Gregerson, whose homes were near Norway Lake, about eighteen miles northwest from Paynesville, telling the story of their escape from the massacre by the Indians, which had taken place near their homes the previous day. A scouting party, made up of Hugh Blakely, Smith Flanders, Stephen Harris, Moses Pelkey and others was sent out to the scene of the massacre. Returning to Paynesville the second night, this party brought with them several families of settlers from the Norway Lake country. About the same time the settlers to the west and south

began coming into Paynesville with their families for safety. It was seen that steps must be taken for protection against the attacks of the savages. A company of Home Guards was organized with Stephen Harris, captain; John Blakely, first lieuten- ant; Hugh Blakely, second lieutenant, and John J. Brown, sergeant. The number of men in the company, and in fact in the settlement was less than fifty. Work was at once begun upon the construction of a fort. The Methodist church and the schoolhouse were moved up so as to form two sides, the other two sides being formed by sod, dirt and timbers. Into this fort all of the families in the settlement and those coming in for protection were housed in what was felt reasonably safe quarters, so long as the men and ammunition held out. Shortly after the completion of the fort, Captain Ambrose Freeman came out from St. Cloud, with a company of volun- teers, for the purpose of seeking endan- gered settlers and burying the dead. Cap- tain Freeman took his soldiers back to St. Cloud, and with them went a number of the occupants of the fort. Soon there came to the remaining occupants of the fort at Paynesville, news of a very large force of savages headed toward the set- tlement. Realizing the danger in store for them, should such report prove true, the remaining occupants of the fort started for Richmond, St. Cloud and other places, and the fort and buildings at Paynesville were abandoned the latter part of the month of August, 1862.

About September 11, no further news of Indians having been received, Hugh Blake- ly, John Blakely and Robert Blakely, O. S. Freeman, Hugh Jones, Smith Flanders, E. H. Bates, Peter Lagrow, and John Boy- lan, all of whom had taken refuge at Rich- mond, determined to return to Paynesville, for the purpose of threshing and securing the crops of grain which had been aban- doned. This the party did, taking with them teams and a threshing rig, and threshed undisturbed during the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth. The night of September 13th the fort, which was occupied by the threshing party was attacked by the In- dians, set fire to and destroyed. One of the party was wounded though not seriously. Taking the wounded man with them, the rest of the party managed to make good

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their escape and to reach Richmond again in safety on the morning of the fifteenth.

After burning the fort, the Indians plun- dered and burned all the other buildings in the settlement, save the hotel and farm buildings belonging to W. P. Bennett. The fact that Mr. Bennett and his good wife had always been willing to feed and lodge the Indians, will no doubt furnish an ex- planation as to the non-destruction of these buildings.

Shortly after the burning of the stock- ade, the Federal government sent out a portion of the 25th Wisconsin regiment, which enlarged and rebuilt the fort and re- mained there until December of that year, when its place was taken by a detachment of mounted Rangers. Until the early sum- mer of 1864, the fort was occupied by one or more companies of the regular army, and for many months a patrol was main- tained about Cape Bad Luck, near Lake Koronis, to Mannannah.

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History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 88

Author: Mitchell, William Bell, 1843- Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Chicago : H. S. Cooper Number of Pages: 1110

Author: Mitchell, William Bell, 1843-
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago : H. S. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1110