History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 91

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

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Great Northern Shops .- Ground was broken for the Great Northern Shops at Waite Park July 1, 1890, and the machin- ery was started June 1, 1891. The plant is made up as follows: Car repair shop, 145 by 300 feet; wood-working shop, 69 by 257 feet; blacksmith and machine shop, 49 by 250 feet; paint shop, 97 by 300 feet; store- house and office, 49 by 182 feet. The pro- posed additions are: To the present car repair shop, 145 by 300 feet; to the present blacksmith and machine shop, 75 by 250 feet; to the present wood-working shop, 69 by 200 feet; new rolling mill, 375 by 150 feet; dry kiln, 75 by 75 feet.

The first superintendent of shops was W. V. S. Thorne, from May 1, 1891, to Oc- tober 1, 1892. Others have been: E. A. Wescott, from October 1, 1892, to July 13,

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HISTORY OF STEARNS COUNTY

1897; A. C. Deverell, from July 13, 1897, to January 22, 1899; Fritz Von Schlagle, from January 22, 1899, to June 1, 1899; C. H. Putnam, from June 1, 1899, to June 1, 1900; A. L. Graburn, from June 1, 1900, to August 1, 1906; F. C. Lindt, from August 1, 1906, to date.

The first storekeeper was John Moir, from April 1, 1890, to March 1, 1892. Others have been: James C. Myron, from March 1, 1892, to April 1, 1896; E. D. Hammond, from April 1, 1896, to November 1, 1905; G. H. Lundblad, from November 1, 1905, to October 1, 1913; G. E. Tallmadge, from Oc- tober 1, 1913, to date.

Monthly payrolls have increased from $10,000 to $38,000.

ST. AUGUSTA TOWNSHIP.

St. Augusta Township lies in the south- eastern part of the county. Its area is slightly in excess of that of a Congression- al township, by reason of its eastern bord- er being on the Mississippi River. The southern and eastern parts of the town- ship are watered by Johnson's Creek and its tributaries, the waters of which empties into the Mississippi River. The surface is rolling and is largely covered with brush and light timber. In places the soil is rich, with a clay sub-soil, and in other places it is light and sandy.

The first settlement was at the mouth of Johnson's Creek in 1854. John L. Wil- son, together with John H. Fibbe, Anton Imholte, and J. J. and George Laudenbach, formed an association with a view of es- tablishing a townsite at that place. During the following year a number of new set- tlers came in, and in 1856 land was sur- veyed and platted for a townsite called St. Augusta. Included in an omnibus act passed by the territorial legislature, ap- proved May 19, 1857, was a provision des- ignating a large amount of land in sections 6 and 7 as a town corporate under the name of St. Augusta, the corporate name of the organization to be the "Town Coun- cil of the Town of St. Augusta." Gowin Wilson was named as the first president, with Charles W. Wilson, William A. Corbett and R. H. Richmond as trustees, these to appoint a recorder and all other necessary officers. In 1864 the legislature passed a special act, approved March 4, amending the previous act for the pur-

pose of "continuing the town organization of the town council of the town of St. Augusta," whereby John L. Wilson was ap- pointed president, and B. H. Dingman, Henry Fietsam and Joseph Moeller, trustees, with power to execute all deeds, to such persons as might be entitled to them, in the said townsite.

Expensive improvements were made at the St. Augusta townsite, including the building of a saw mill and a grist mill, but with unsatisfactory and unprofitable re- sults, the surroundings, small number of settlers tributary, and general conditions not being favorable for the making of a town at that place.

Another account of the settlement of the rise and fall of the St. Augusta townsite project is as follows:

"The townsite of St. Augusta is exactly one week older in its corporate existence than St. Cloud. John L. Wilson filed his plat of the townsite of St. Augusta Janu- ary 10, 1855, and on January 17 placed on file the plat of the townsite of St. Cloud. With him in the St. Augusta enterprise was associated John O. Haven, a surveyor (afterwards quite prominent in Sherburne county), and the new townsite entered by Haven & Wilson was then located in Cass County, attached to Benton County for judicial purposes, this being before Stearns County was organized. The St. Augusta townsite was at the junction of the Neco- kada-Indian name for "Bright"-Creek with the Mississippi River and was a part of a tract of 250 acres of land owned by Mr. Wilson. The principal industry was a saw mill owned by John L. and Gowin Wilson and situated on the creek bottom about 600 feet from the point of juncture with the Mississippi. The logs floating down the river were held by booms above the islands and then forced up the creek to the saw mill. For a year or two the village thrived, and besides the saw mill there were two general stores, a Catholic Church, blacksmith shop, wagon factory and a resident physician. But a disaster overtook it in 1859, a tornado destroying the saw mill and practically every other building in the little hamlet. Besides all this the boom was broken and the logs let out to go to Lake Pepin, and the new ferry, which had cost $600, was carried away. The mill was rebuilt in 1863 and sawed

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800,000 feet of lumber from the only drive of logs that went down the Mississippi that year."

L. P. Johnson, who settled on some land in section 13, in 1855, with three brothers named King, platted a part of his farm into a townsite, which he called Neenah, but like its predecessor, St. Augusta, nothing remains of it.

The zealous missionary, Father Pierz, founded the first mission in 1856. A small log church which was built not far from the Wilson townsite of old St. Augusta, was soon replaced by a frame structure. In 1873 a new stone structure was erected for church purposes a mile west of the original townsite and the new hamlet of St. Augusta, which sprung up at this new location, though never incorporated as a village became a place of some signifi- cance. Henry Beumer opened the first store there, and the second one was opened by John Mayer shortly after.

The history of townships always clusters around certain centers, and what the vil- lage of St. Augusta was to the eastern part of the township, the little borough of Luxemburg was to the western part of it. Peter Lommel and Joseph Schoen appear to have been some of the earliest settlers, locating a few miles north of Luxemburg, on the St. Cloud road. John P. Hammerel, whose memory is well preserved among early settlers of Stearns county, opened a small store at Luxemburg in the early sixties, and after a Catholic congregation had been organized. The first postoffice in this end of the town was named West St. Augusta, but the name was later changed to Luxemburg Postoffice. John Moritz opened a blacksmith shop at Luxemburg about 1900. There is one store in the vil- lage, Paul Bach being the proprietor.

The creamery at Luxemburg was organ- ized in 1900 and a building erected in May of that year. There were 33 members of the association, who elected Jacob Weiler, president; Chas. Heid, vice-president; Henry Brauch, secretary; J. B. Otto, treas- urer; P. J. Winter, manager; Harry Zen- ner, Albert Bramer, D. Lommel, directors. The present officers are: Henry Lemm, president; Harry Zenner, vice-president; Stephen Strack, secretary and manager; J. B. Otto, treasurer; Nic Rauch, Henry Hansen, Adolph Iten, directors.

The St. Augusta parish dates back as one of the earliest in the county. The early church records contain items of in- terest as follows: Births: Barbara Weih- rauch, born May, 1856, parents: Baltes Weihrauch and Barbara Lottmann. Susan K. Laudenbach, born Sept. 12, 1856, par- ents: John H. Laudenbach and Maria K. Beckers. John D. Gohmann, born Oct. 1856, parents: John D. Gohmann and Maria Becker. Marriages: Frank Arnold Has- kamp and Katherine Esplach Nov. 28, 1859. Bernard Kiffmeier and Elisabeth Land- wehr, June, 1859. Burials: Anna Killian, April, 1858. Elisabeth Beuner, 1859.

The first school held in the town was in 1861, in a log schoolhouse on section eight. School was kept in an old church the fol- lowing year, and soon afterwards, con- venient school buildings began to be erected.

In 1859, this township was organized, and named Berlin, but afterwards changed to Neenah, and in 1863, the present name was adopted. Section eighteen, and the fractional sections, six, seven, eight, and eleven were added on the latter date, hav- ing formerly been attached to Lynden. The first election was held at the house of L. P. Johnson, in Neenah city, March 1, 1859, at which the following officers were chosen: Supervisors, L. P. Johnson (chair- man), Henry Vorjahn and Peter Lommel; clerk, Henry F. Kaestner; justices of the peace, Jacob Woll and H. Macavay, and assessor, John Kopp. The population of the township at the last census was 766, a large majority being Germans.

The Neenah grist mill was built about the year 1870 by Thomas Schutz, using power obtained from a dam on Johnston's creek. It had three run of stone, and one run of these is still in use. In 1878 it was bought for $8,000 by Henry Beumer, who remodeled it, changing it, with the excep- tion of one run, from stones to roller ma- chinery and added steam to the water power for use when necessary, these im- provements costing about $9,000. In 1899 the mill was sold by Mr. Beumer to Bar- ney Eversmann, by whom it was sold the year following to Henry Hess. In 1903 it was bought by M. D. Dreis, the present owner, who changed it into an exclusive feed mill. This is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, grist mill in the county. Thom-

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as Schutz, by whom it was built, died Jan- uary 26, 1915, at Watins, aged 82 years.

ST. WENDEL TOWNSHIP.

St. Wendel lies in the northeastern por- tion of the county, and has an area of 23,- 040 acres.

The surface is undulating .. The south fork of Watab river flows in a northeasterly direction across the south- east part, and a number of small creeks meander through the town in various di- rections. A number of lakes dot the sur- face, the largest of which is Watab Lake in the southeast, and Big Marsh Lake in the northeast.

Probably the first settler in this town was a Mr. Merkling, who settled on sec- tion thirty-four some time prior to 1854. K. Eich settled on section twenty-four in 1854. John Haar made a claim on section twenty-six in 1856 ..

This territory was a part of Brockway for many years, but organized with the name of Hancock, in the spring of 1868, and changed to St. Wendel the same sum- mer. The first records were kept on slips of paper which cannot now be found. John I. Salter, who settled in section 22, in 1867, was the first chairman of supervisors, and the first town clerk.

ST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIP.

This township lies in the eastern por- tion of the county, with Saint Wendel on the north, St. Cloud on the east, Rockville on the south and Collegeville on the west. The northern portion of the town is most- ly prairie, but the southern part is more undulating, Sauk river crosses the south- eastern part of the town, forming some ex- cellent hay meadows and bottomlands. The South fork of the Watab river also flows in a northerly direction through the western part. There are a number of lakes, the largest being Kraemer lake, in the western portion of the town. Its area is 36 square miles, or 23,040 acres.

St. Joseph was one of the first settled towns in the county .. In 1854, two settle- ments were made, one in the vicinity of the present village of St. Joseph, by some German families, and the other on the east side of Sauk river, in the southeast corner of the town, by Americans.

The pioneer in the American settlement was J. C. Staples, a native of Maine, who

came in October, 1854, and took a claim on section twenty-six and twenty-seven. Accompanying him were his sons, James S., Ivory S., Edward, and William, the first two named taking land in section twenty- seven.

In the German settlement the first set- tler was Peter Loso, who made a claim on sections nine and ten, where he resided until his death, which occurred in 1877. Mr. Loso was followed the same fall by Michael Lenz, Nicholas Rassier, J. H. Linnemann, M. J. Orth, P. Kraemer, Adam Kepper, B. Fuchs, and M. Fiedler, all set- tling within a mile or so of the present vil- lage. N. Rassier settled on section four- teen.

Many German settlers came

in 1855. Among these were Nicholas Roeder, Jacob Roeder, Mike Roeder, Mike Lauermann, Jacob Thielen and John Dewenter and Math. Huff, all from Indiana; Math. Schild- ler and family and Joseph Zimmermann from Ohio; Casper Crever and family from Pennsylvania; John Loehr and Hubert Schiffmann from Wisconsin; Joseph Notzh, whose wife was a sister of Father Pierz, the missionary; and John Pogatschmick, from Austria; Conrad Marschall and fami- ly and George Aschenbremer and family from New York state.

In 1856 Andrew Schroeder and family, Fred Schroeder and family, consisting of his wife and daughter, Elisabeth (later Mrs. Geo. Gruber), William, Mary and Fred, the latter three still living, came from Newark, New Jersey, and bought out Math. Huff, whose claim was big enough for two. It is now the farms of John Schroeder and John Mertes. Mrs. Fred Schroeder, the wife of the elder Fred Schroeder, died in June of the same year, which was the first death at St. Joseph. During the same year M. J. Pung and fam- ily, John Gross and wife, Math. Braun and family, Peter Heinen and family, and God- hard Heinen and family came from Wis- consin. They bought the claims of Mike Lauermann, Jacob Thielen and Nicholas Kraus, who had claimed nearly the whole prairie east from St. Joseph. As the land had not been surveyed by the govern- ment, many of the claims were large enough for two.

Nicholas Jacobs, Nicholas Jacobs, Jr., Theodore Jacobs, and Edward Pick came

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HISTORY OF STEARNS COUNTY

from Wisconsin in 1855 and settled on that part of Jacobs' Prairie lying in the town- ship of St. Joseph. John Schaefer, a brother of George Schaefer, came from In- diana and took a claim south of St. Jo- seph village, north of the Sauk river. He was a single man and did not live much on it. While working out, some Americans came and took possession of it and he called on the Claim Association, who met the claim-jumper and his friends on the place. After arguing the case it was de- cided that the best fighter should have the claim. A ring was formed and the two men placed inside, it being agreed that no one should give aid to either one of them. After a moment's grapple, Schaefer threw his opponent and held him down and was declared the victor and owner of the claim. He sold the claim afterward to John G. Bechtold and bought part of Peter Kraemer's land, which is now the John Horsch farm. Mike Roeder, whose claim was north of the Sauk river bridge, sold out to Peter Schmitz, who later sold it to H. H. Cleveland. Nicholas Roeder sold his claim in 1857 to George Wedl and took a claim five miles west of Richmond.

The first settlers suffered great hard- ships in the winter of 1856-57 on account of the severe cold and for want of pro- visions. On November 26, six inches of snow fell and it kept on snowing until the snow was two and a half feet on the level, not going off until late in April. There was snow in some places even on the eighth day of May. On April 28, the ice went out in the Mississippi at St. Cloud. As St. Paul was the nearest market no one dared to make the trip, which would take at least twelve days, going and returning, and the settlers ran out of flour and meat and other provisions. The price of flour was $16 per barrel and no meat could be had at any price. Game was very scarce on account of the Indians, who got what little there was. The potatoes were nearly all frozen. Corn was ground in the coffee mill for meal by all settlers, as the near- est grist mill was some thirty-five miles away, and no road led to that.

In July, 1856, the grasshoppers came and covered the ground. They did no damage that year, but they deposited their eggs, and the next spring when these were hatched by the hot sun, the young grass-

hoppers covered the ground and destroyed everything that grew. In 1858, on account of unfavorable weather, the crop was a to- tal failure. In 1859 there was enough raised for the home demand and in 1860, when a good crop had grown, the price of wheat was only thirty cents per bushel of 62 pounds. Oats were ten cents per bushel and corn was raised only for home use. In that year the land came into the mar- ket, and public notice was given by Presi- dent Buchanan that unless the land was paid for within sixty days it would be sold to the highest bidder. No one had a dol- lar of money and none could be had for less than 36 per cent interest. Some of the settlers borrowed money from their friends in the east and paid for their land, others stayed on their claims without pay- ing and got it under the homestead law, which went into effect in 1862.

The town was organized in 1858, and embraced the south half of St. Wendel, the east half of Collegeville, and a portion of Avon, making a total area of 81 square miles. It has been gradually reduced to its present limits, by the establishment of the boundaries of the towns above men- tioned.

The first election was held at the house of Peter Loso, and the following officers elected: Supervisors, Moses Morrison (chairman), John Loher and John Weber; clerk, John Payne; assessor, John A. Mil- ler; collector, Nicholas Rassier; justices of the peace, Andrew Schroeder and Chris- tian Becker.

In the Indian outbreak in 1862, when St. Cloud made up a company of mounted rangers to relieve and protect the settlers from Paynesville towards New London and New Ulm, St. Joseph also volunteered and made up a company of sixteen men and followed the company from St. Cloud. The members of the company were: Fa- ther Eberhard, O. S. B., Peter Loso, Mar- tin Fiedler, Adam Mueller, Carl Voelk, John Flesch, John Schaefer, John Schmitz, Daniel Spanier, Anton Labonte, Peter Lud- wig, John Danzl, Ferdinand Danzl, John Reischel, and Fred Schroeder (who is the only one of them now living). The St. Cloud company being all on horseback, the St. Joseph company having only three horses and two teams hitched to two lum- ber wagons, could not keep up with them.

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When they reached Paynesville it was found that in the excitement all the men from Paynesville with the exception of a feeble old gentleman, eighty years old, had left their wives and children behind, unprotected, and joined the St. Cloud com- pany to relieve a New London settlement. The women of Paynesville were nearly frantic from fear of the Indians and im- plored the St. Joseph company to stay with them and protect them. Father Eberhard, who was the captain, decided to stay with them and set out guards at night around the few houses where the people had flocked together. At two o'clock in the morning of the next day, Jacob Baeuml and another young man from Richmond came galloping with the news that the Chippewas from Crow Wing were on their way towards St. Cloud and St. Joseph and that the St. Joseph men were requested to return home immediately. The guards were called in at once and all started for home except John Schaefer, who managed with some other men, who passed through Paynesville, to find and join the St. Cloud company. About ten Norwegian settlers from west of Paynesville had arrived the day before, so the women of Paynesville were not alone.

When the St. Joseph men arrived at home, the people of St. Joseph and sur- rounding country had all flocked together and guards had been set out at night. A company of militia was organized at once with Andrew Schroeder, captain, and Thomas Schoffen and Mathias Zimmer, lieutenants. A fort was at once built from the heavy square timber which Mr. Linnemann had on hand to build his flour mills. It was large enough to shelter and protect the people of the surrounding country. After it was completed the set- tlers one after another all went back to their homes, feeling much relieved as they knew where they could gather and defend themselves in time of danger ..

One of the first settlers at St. Joseph, J. H. Linnemann, who is now dead, owned and operated a steam flouring mill. It was built in 1862, and contained three run of stones with a capacity of thirty barrels per day. In addition to the above a grain ele- vator at the depot, owned by Pillsbury & Hulbert, of Minneapolis, was built in 1879, 34 by 36 feet, with an engineroom and

warehouse attached. Mr. Linnemann sold the mill in 1880 to the Maas, Palansch & Lommel Company who, after operating it for many years, dissolved partnership and turned it over to C. A. Maas, who operated it successfully until 1899, when it was de- stroyed by fire. The grain elevator built by Pillsbury & Hulbert in 1879 was also destroyed by fire two years later and an- other smaller one was built the next year, which was later removed to North Dakota as it was not a paying business. The flour mills needed nearly all the wheat raised in the locality.

In 1899, after the Maas flouring mill burned down, the Schroeder Mill Co. erect- ed a substantial steam power flour mill near the Great Northern depot, with a ca- pacity of seventy-five barrels wheat flour, an extra system for buckwheat and rye flour of fifty barrels capacity, and also rolls for grinding feed. The mill is now pro- pelled by electric power furnished from St. Cloud and has all the latest and modern machinery. F. G. Schroeder, the oldest son of Fred Schroeder, is now the sole owner of the mill. He buys all the grain raised in the town of St. Joseph and ad- joining town and pays the highest cash market price.

A short distance west of the village, and located on the South fork of the Watab river, a flouring mill was built in 1856 by William Roehin, which contained but one run of stones, and was wholly devoid of a bolting cloth. It was operated by different parties, but passed into the hands of Mr. Danzl, in 1866. Mr. Danzl also had a saw mill on the opposite bank of the stream, propelled by the same water-power. In 1890 Mr. Danzl sold the mill to Fuchs & Schwarz, after the dam went out which took away the saw mill. The flouring mill was propelled by steam power for some time and later removed to Watkins.

School District No. 9 is the outgrowth of the school begun in 1856, in the little log church. They have a good two-story build- ing, and the school is taught by the Sis- ters of the St. Benedict. The two-story four-room school building was built and owned by the public school District No .. 9, and was sold by them in 1913 to the parish for a parochial school on the condition that the proceeds thereof were to go to- wards the erection of a new schoolhouse

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for the district. The new schoolhouse was completed in the fall of 1914, at a cost of $7,500, which covered heating, plumbing and furniture. It is a two-room building of red brick with basement and halls.

(Note .- The above article concerning the history of St. Joseph is from the pen of Fred Schroeder.)

The Staples Settlement .- Early in the year 1854, Jacob C. Staples with his wife and a family of ten children, nine boys and one girl, ranging in ages from six to twenty-five years, lived on a farm in Waldo county, Maine. The broad Atlantic lay to the east and the American continent to the west. The father well knew that if he stayed where he was, such a large family of boys would in a short time be separa- ted. So he sold his possessions there and at the age of fifty-three years started west the second day of October, 1854, accom- panied by one of the older boys.

The route taken was from Belfast, Maine, to Boston, Mass., by steamer; from Boston by railroad to Buffalo, N. Y., and from there by steamboat to Detroit and thence by railroad to Chicago. On reach- ing Chicago, he made a side trip to Janes- ville, Wis., where two of his sons had pre- ceded him the spring before, one of whom was married. The five of them then pro- ceeded west to Galena, Ill., traveling by railroad except the last twelve miles, which was made by stage, the railroad to Galena not having been completed at that time.

One arriving at Galena they were unde- cided as to the direction they would take from there, but through chance they met Jeremiah Russell of Sauk Rapids, Minn., who gave them a good description of the unlimited scope for settling a family or a colony up in his region. Taking into con- sideration the border warfare going on at that time in Kansas, they came to the conclusion they had better steer their course to the northward. They took pas- sage on the steamer "War Eagle," then loading at the levee, for St. Paul, Minn.

Arriving at St. Paul, they found they were at the end of their journey as far as public conveyance was concerned. Un- daunted, they purchased a yoke of oxen, a wagon, camping outfit and provisions and followed the old Territorial road to Sauk Rapids, where they found the country to

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History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 91

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