History of Wabasha County, Minnesota, Part 12

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn. cn
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Winona, Minn. : H.C. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1222

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HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY

Colvin (Mrs. E. E.) Smith. The chapter is named from Abigail Collins Burn- ham, wife of Major John Burnham, who served throughout the entire Revolu- tionary War without a furlough or leave of absence, and was a personal friend of Washington and LaFayette. The chapter has been active in all patriotic work. In the schools it has fostered Americanism by introducing the flag drill and by giving prizes for work done in the U. S. History classes. The public library has been furnished with excellent pictures of George and Martha Washington. As a part of the state work the chapter has repaired the side porch of the old Sibley House at Mendota. During the war, the members did their full duty as individuals and as a chapter, making generous contributions of money, sending knitted garments to the soldiers, and furnishing jelly to the hospital at St. Paul.

Telephone service on Greenwood Prairie had its beginning in the middle nineties, when Dr. Edwin S. Muir, then a practicing physician of Plainview, constructed a line from his office in Plainview to the Pottsdam Store, at Potts- dam, in Olmsted County, a distance of eight and a half miles. Its purpose was to place the physician in touch with his patients in the vicinity of Pottsdam.

As the outgrowth of this line, the Plainview Telephone Co. was organized by Dr. Edwin S. Muir, George C. Landon, Helen Patton and others. This com- pany was a branch of the Dwelle Telephone Co. of Lake City. It had a local exchange at Plainview, with lines extending about the village and into the sur- rounding rural districts. Connection was had with the Tri-State Telephone Co. at Wabasha, and thus the people of Plainview were placed in touch with the toll service of that company.

The Greenwood Prairie Telephone Co. was incorporated February 8, 1902, by Andrew French, F. D. Washburn, W. T. Lee, I. A. Grove, L. E. Ryan, Frank Appel and A. F. Hanneman, all of Plainview and vicinity. The first officers were Andrew French, president; W. T. Lee, vice-president; F. D. Washburn, treasurer; I. A. Grove, secretary and general manager. The company was started with an authorized capital of $25,000 and a paid-up capital of $1,500. An exchange was established at Plainview, with lines radiating into the sur- rounding country. Mr. Grove was succeeded as secretary and general manager by Andrew French. In 1905 the authorized capital was increased to $50,000. In 1906 the Elgin Telephone Co. was purchased. Through the purchase of this company toll line connections were established at Rochester with the North- western Telephone Co. In 1907, the company purchased the Plainview Tele- phone Co. This gave the company control not only of its competing local exchange in Plainview, but also of a line to Wabasha. Two years later, in 1909, James A. Carley, who had been a director of the company since 1903, purchased a controlling interest and has since been secretary and general manager. In 1912 long distance connection was had with both the Tri-State and the North- western Telephone Co.'s. The Plainview company was thus the first in the southern part of the state to have toll-line connection with both the Tri-State and the Northwestern Companies.

The company now has toll line connections at St. Charles, Rochester, Eyota, Wabasha and Kellogg. It has local exchanges at Plainview, Elgin and Millville. It also has lines running into the St. Charles exchange. More than 1,100 phones are in use, and the lines embrace more than 1,681 miles of wire. The reports show that in 1918 the average number of toll calls monthly was 6,300 and the average number of local calls monthly 82,660. In the winter some 12 people are employed, with an increase of linemen in the summer months. The annual receipts of the company are about $25,000. The valuation of the property is placed at $122,838.65. The sum of $25,754.22 has been set aside for repairs, and there is a surplus of $31,129.52. Practically every farm house within the area served by the company is now provided with a telephone, and has been for the past five years. Service has been available for practically every farm house since 1912. In addition to its lines and equipment, the com-

Standing, left to right-Dean Harrington, Mrs. Dave Wentworth, F. D. Washburn, Mrs. Orin Wood, C. D. Burchard. Sitting, left to right-H. T. Washburn, Mrs. E. L. Burton, Mrs. E. R. Cornwell.

HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY

pany owns a sightly building at Elgin, erected in 1916. The exchange at Plain- view is located in a building owned by James A. Carley. The officers of the company are: President, Mary C. Carley; vice-president and treasurer, E. L. Sylvester; secretary and general manager, James A. Carley.

The Greenwood Prairie Old Settlers' Association was organized February 6, 1877. H. P. Wildos was temporary chairman and Samuel B. Evans temporary secretary. The original name was "The Old Settlers' Union of the Southeastern Portion of Wabasha County and Vicinity," and the membership was confined to those settling here previous to January 1, 1858, together with their wives and husbands. The annual meeting was to be held in February. The constitution and by-laws were adopted February 28, 1877, with Dr. N. S. Tefft in the chair and R. C. Stillman as secretary. February 16, 1900, it was decided that any one having lived on Greenwood Prairie forty years should be eligible to mem- bership. The following have been the officers of the association: Presidents : 1877 and 1878, Dr. N. S. Tefft, 1879, George Bryant, 1880, 1881, 1882 and 1883, A. P. Foster; 1884, T. A. Thompson; 1885, G. R. Hall; 1886, G. W. Harrington; 1887, 1888 and 1889, T. G. Bolton; 1890 and 1891, R. C. Stillman; 1892 and 1893, F. L. Meachum; 1894, 1895, 1896. and 1897, Frank D. Washburn; 1898, Dr. N. S. Tefft; 1899, C. D. Burchard; 1900 to 1907, inclusive, G. F. Sylvester; 1908 and 1909, D. D. Harrington; 1910 to the present, Frank D. Washburn. Vice-presi- dents : 1877, George Farrer; 1878, I. W. Rollins; 1879, Joseph Richardson ; 1880, 1881 and 1882, R. C. Stillman; 1883 and 1884, Dr. N. S. Tefft; 1885, G. W. Harrington; 1886, John Gage; 1887, 1888 and 1889, George R. Hall; 1890 and 1891, C. O. White; 1892, George R. Hall; 1893, C. D. Burchard; 1894, George R. Hall; 1895, E. L. Sylvester; 1896 and 1897, George Gage; 1898, Mrs. P. C. Wood; 1899 to 1907, inclusive, D. D. Harrington; 1908 and 1909, George W. French; 1910, T. G. Bolton; 1911, W. P. Baldwin; 1912, 1913 and 1914, J. I. Vermilya; 1915, A. J. McRay; 1916, M. J. Horn; 1917 to the present, C. R. Grieve. Secre- taries : 1877, T. A. Thompson; 1878, H. P. Williams; 1879, John W. Bryant; 1880, 1881 and 1882, T. G. Bolton; 1883, 1884 and 1885, C. D. Burchard; 1886, 1887 and 1888, R. C. Stillman; 1899, C. D. Burchard; 1890 and 1891, D. D. Har- rington; 1892 and 1893, E. L. Sylvester; 1894, C. D. Burchard; 1895 and 1896, W. H. H. Pope; 1897, 1898 and 1899, George R. Hall; 1900 to 1907, inclusive, T. G. Bolton; 1908 to the present, E. L. Sylvester. Treasurers: 1877 and 1878, E. B. Eddy; 1879, George Farrar; 1880, H. P. Willson; 1881 to 1884, inclusive, George W. Harrington; 1885, Dr. N. S. Tefft; 1886 to 1889, inclusive, F. L. Meachum; 1890 and 1891, E. L. Sylvester; 1892 to 1895, inclusive, D. D. Har- rington; 1896, 1897 and 1898, E. L. Sylvester; 1899 to 1907, inclusive, Frank D. Washburn; 1908 to the present, Judson T. Wentworth. Much credit for infor- mation in this history is due to talks delivered at the Greenwood Prairie Old Settlers' meetings by A. P. Foster, R. C. Stillman, G. W. Harrington, T. G. Bol- ton and I. W. Rollins.

Plainview Poultry Association .- The Plainview Poultry Association was organized in 1913 by about 25 persons who were desirous of advancing the poultry interests in the community by raising more and better poultry. Since their organization was launched, they have held a poultry show every year and one only need attend these exhibitions to realize the advancement that has been made in the breeding and raising of pure bred poultry.

The first show held was small and the poultry exhibited was of an inferior grade which could not be accepted in the present shows. The show was a stimulus which made each exhibitor eager to do better the next season with the result that the poultry now shown by our local breeders is of the highest class and many of these same birds win in the larger shows held in the North- west. It is truly remarkable what such an organization can do in a few years for the advancement of the industry. This work has spread throughout the community so that many of our farmers have as fine flocks of pure bred poultry as can be found anywhere. Those having benefited from this knowledge realize

HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY

the advantage in raising standard bred poultry, for it is more pleasure to work with high class fowls and the monetary return for eggs and meat is far greater. This organization has been the means of starting a work that will be of great value to the community for years to come.

The present officers of the association are Dr. E. E. Smith, Pres .; C. H. Ritter, Vice-Pres .; G. F. Sylvester, Treas .; L. F. Appleby, Sec'y, who with Henry Osborne, Martin Schwartz, E. R. Green, J. B. Lyon, W. A. Stephen and a few others have given freely of their time and money in order to continue this work for the advancement of the poultry industry. The above members have also put on the poultry exhibit at the Wabasha County Fair each year for the Fair Association and have made it one of the most attractive exhibits at the annual Fair.

PLAINVIEW TOWNSHIP.

Plainview Township lies in the extreme southern part of Wabasha County, and is bounded, generally speaking, by Highland Township, Wabasha County, on the north; Whitewater Township, Winona County, on the east; Quincy Township, Olmstead County on the south; and Elgin Township, Wabasha County, on the west. Its eastern line is coincident with the First Guide Meri- dian of the Government Survey. Its northern line is coincident with the Second Standard Parallel of the Government Survey, and for this reason Government Township 108-11 which constitutes Plainview Township, does not fall squarely south of Township 109-11, which constitutes Highland Township, and con- sequently for about a half a mile at the northwest, Plainview has Oakwood Township for its northern boundary.

The town for the most part is a rich, undulating prairie, approaching to the level in the northeast. Along the southeast the town is broken by the abrupt descent to the level of the Whitewater, and in the east by the bluffy vale of a small branch of that stream. The watershed between the Whitewater and Zumbro Rivers extends across the north central portion of the township, east and west from Plainview, the village being on the crest. From this watershed, "dry runs" extend toward both valleys, these runs in the springtime being filled with the rushing currents of the surplus surface waters. The soil is rich, productive, easy to till, and has the excellent merit of retaining an unchanging growing quality in seasons of wet and drouth alike.

The township was first settled in 1854, but the real influx came in 1855. Titles to land claims were somewhat complicated by uncertainty as to the Government's final action in regard to the Half Breed Track, in which the northeastern third of the county was included. The first settlers were Oliver Nelson Olson and Andrew A. Halverson, natives of Norway, who brought their families here from Wisconsin in 1854.

In 1855 the first American settlers located in the central part of the town- ship and established the village of Greenville. This became the nucleus of a settlement of other Americans, and to this day the traditions of the township are almost entirely those of New England, and the other Atlantic states, although there has been a considerable sprinkling of Scandinavian settlement, and in more recent years the people of Teutonic origin and birth have settled here in increasing numbers.

Much of the early American settlement centered about the village of Green- ville, afterward called Greenwood. The vanguard of settlers was a party con- sisting of E. B. Eddy, A. T. Sharp, Thomas Todd, William Boatman, and several temporary helpers, among whom was David Campbell. Mr. Eddy and Mr. Boat- man brought their wives. A few days later came David Ackley and Edwin Chapman. Within about a week arrived another party. Of this party, two, Benjamin Lawrence and A. P. Foster, remained and became prominent citizens.

CHAPTER XII.

ELGIN VILLAGE AND TOWNSHIP.

Elgin Village is the shipping point of a rich farming community which ex- tends into Olmsted County, and furnishes adequate trading facilities for the people it serves. To the stranger the village presents a particularly attractive appearance, the north side of its principal business street stretching eastward from the railroad station being filled with sightly brick and stucco buildings, which on the south side is the new hotel, and a number of wooden buildings, as well as the brick telephone office. Westward from the tracks are the two elevators and the water tower. The residence section is well laid out, with cement sidewalks and numerous shade trees, and contains many handsome modern homes.

The village is located at a point where the broad acres of Greenwood Prairie blends with the northern border of the beautiful valley of the Whitewater, a stream that here drains the fertile acres of Viola and Elgin townships, and is fed by a myriad of sparkling springs from the hill sides, which gives a diversity of landscape that challenges the admiration. The southern border of the valley is skirted with low lying bluffs fringed with belts of timber and copse wood, while the northern border of the valley is lost in the undulating prairies that stretch many miles to the northward, to be lost in turn in the rugged landscape of the Zumbro River.

Elgin is incorporated, and the municipal improvements include good fire protection, waterworks, and electricity, and an excellent school which will soon be housed in a $65,000 building. There are Methodist and Lutheran churches, a good newspaper, two live banks, a creamery and live stock shipping associa- tion, and a goodly number of stores.

The early history of the village coincides with the early settlement of the township, as the interests of the community which the first settlers started centered about sections 27 and 28, in which sections the present village is located. The claims of the first four settlers, George and Curtis Bryant, Henry H. Atherton and George Farrer were all in this vicinity.

The first house of public accommodation was the frame house erected in 1856 on the northwest quarter of section 28, by George and Waldo Farrar, and opened by George Farrar for the entertainment of travelers. This is considered the first hotel and the first place of business in the community. This hotel was closed in 1860, and shortly after that Zebina Weld opened a hotel in the north- west quarter of section 27.

In the meantime, in 1857, Benjamin H. Gould built and conducted a black- smith shop on the northeast corner of section 34. Mr. Gould, in 1858, erected for D. R. Sweezy, a blacksmith shop, a little south of what is now the east head of Elgin's principal business street. A flouring mill was built in 1860, on what was afterward known as the Mill lot in section 27, on the north branch of the Whitewater, by Parr & Ellis. In 1866 the mill was discontinued for lack of sufficient waterpower, and the machinery removed to Elba, in Winona County.

The first store was opened in the fall of 1863. In the fall of that year Albert Glines sent D. F. Ferguson to Minneiska for a load of goods, which Mr. Glines displayed for sale in the home of John Houghton in section 27. In the following winter, Mr. Glines moved his granary from his farm to what is now the northeast corner of Main and Mill Streets, in the village of Elgin, fitted it up for a store, stocked it with general merchandise, and started business in the

HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY

spring of 1864. This store was later taken over by the Richardson Brothers who conducted it for many years.

In 1874 Alexander Scott started a wagon-making shop on the corner of Park and School streets, which he continued for many years. Bryant Brothers & Johnson started a general store on the northwest corner of Park and Main streets. The first drug store in Elgin was started in 1876 by N. S. Head, but soon changed hands several times and was finally sold to Bryant Brothers & Johnson, who conducted it in connection with their general store.

In 1877, Bryant Brothers & Johnson erected a grain elevator on Main street, a few rods west of their store which was on the southwest corner of Main and Park streets. They marketed their grain in Eyota, the nearest railroad point. A few months later, in the same year, Richardson Brothers erected their elevator which with alterations and additions is still standing on the same site. Their market was at Mississippi River points. This year, 1877, was the banner grain year of southeastern Minnesota. The next year came the wheat failure, but these two elevators had plenty of grain in storage, for which they found a good market at a good price. When the railroad came, the Richardson Brothers found themselves in a suitable location with their elevator, but the Bryant Brothers & Johnson firm were compelled to move to the tracks, to its present location, the successive owners having been Louis Hoffman, J. W. Bryant, the Western Elevator Co., and D. F. Farsley.

The Winona & St. Peter railroad was completed through Elgin in Novem- ber, 1878. It enters the town in section 33 and extends in a northeastwardly direction through the village of Elgin, to section 13, where it enters Plainview Township. With the coming of the railroad there was considerable doubt as to where the village was to be located. Hitherto the principal street was Main street, running north and south some three blocks east of where the railroad is now located. The Richardson Brothers, being well located on Main street, and owning property in the vicinity were contented to have Main street remain the business street, more especially as they were well provided with shipping facilities through their elevator which was located along the right of way. George Bryant, on the other hand, planned a village along Broadway, two blocks west of the station, he too having shipping facilities near the right of way, having moved the Bryant Brothers & Johnson elevator from its location on Main street. The Bryant Brothers & Johnson store was moved from Main street to Broadway, and other business houses built along that street. So for a time there were two villages, one on Main street and one on Broadway, with the station and the elevators in between at the tracks. Before long, however, a compromise was reached, Main street and Broadway were abandoned as busi- ness streets, and the stores were moved to Park street, so that the business center now starts at the tracks and stretches eastward.

The first issue of the Minnesota Union, published July 4, 1879, contains a number of advertisements which may be taken as fairly indicative of the busi- ness interests of the village shortly after the arrival of the railroad. These advertisements were as follows: H. G. Richardson & Son, general store; Bryant Brothers & Johnson (George and Curtis Bryant and A. K. Johnson), general store; Eureka House, A. F. Durham; Elgin House, L. V. Rich; Northwestern Hotel, H. Sievert; George M. Clark, farm machinery; S. F. Wicklow, farm ma- chinery; W. T. Adams, meats; Henry Claussen, meats; E. W. Westover, black- smith; D. A. Hart, refreshments; Frank Kierman, billiard hall; W. J. Abbott, barber; Beardsley & Weber, harness makers; R. McBride, mason; Alex Scott, wagon maker; J. M. Williams, dentist; A. B. Clark, dentist.

Elgin was already a hamlet of considerable importance in 1884. At that time the business houses were as follows: Richardson Bros., grain elevator and lumber yard; J. W. Bryant & Co., grain elevator and coal yard; E. Ordway & Son, hardware, tinware and pumps; Landon, Burchard & Co., drugs and medicines; H. G. Richardson & Co., dry goods, groceries, clothing, etc .; Fred.

HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY

Meyer, blacksmith and horseshoeing; M. H. Moody, harnessmaker and car- penter; Alex. Scott, wagonmaker; F. A. Amsden, harnessmaker; William Beantler, boots and shoes; Frank Ressler, butcher; E. O. Morton, carpenter, painter and windmills; Mercer Bros., blacksmithing and horseshoeing; John Graham, carpenter; Frank Kiernan, saloon and billiards, and E. Meilke, saloon and pool. There are two hotels in Elgin, the Eureka House, M. H. Safford, proprietor, and the Northwestern Hotel, E. Meilke, proprietor. Dr. W. T. Adams, then of the firm of Landon, Burchard & Co., had his private office in the rear of that company's drug store. J. B. Norton, justice of the peace, had his headquarters in the office of the Richardson Brothers' elevator. Dorr Dicker- man, the town clerk, had his office in the store of E. Ordway & Son.

The fire of 1889 is an event long remembered in Elgin. On the night of November .. , a dance was in progress in the dance hall over the store of the Richardson Brothers, on the north side of Park street, when a fire broke out in the old tanks in the rear of the store, probably caused by a lighted cigar. The fire was discovered by one of the dancers, and the young men present at once turned in an alarm and went after the village fire apparatus. The fire rapidly spread in two directions to the saloon building on one side and the bank on the other. The fire volunteers soon had three streams of water play- ing on the flame, and heroic work of these volunteers, together with the fact that two large wooden buildings had recently been pulled down to make room for two proposed brick buildings, undoubtedly saved the entire business section from ruin. Disastrous as the fire was, it resulted in good to the village, for that side of the street was soon afterward built up with brick blocks.

The village of Elgin had no separate government from the township until 1894, when it was incorporated. The first officers were: President, J. W. Bryant; trustees, H. G. Richardson, L. Hoffman, and D. W. Searles; recorder, John R. Houghton; treasurer, C. H. Siem; constables, B. S. Ordway and John Tradup; justice of the peace, Robert Williams. The streets, business houses and residences are well lighted with electricity, furnished by.the Commonwealth Utilities Co. For some years the streets were lighted with kerosene lamps. In 1911, the village put in an acetylene plant for street lighting, the vote being taken by the council March 4 of that year. The Commonwealth Utilities Co. was granted a franchise March 4, 1911. A contract for street lighting was signed by the council Feb. 13, 1917, and the electric current turned. on Feb. 8, 1917. The council meetings are held in the First State Bank. The village building houses the jail, the pumping station, and the fire apparatus. There is also an additional small building as a more conveniently located shelter for one of the hose carts.

The first move toward a waterworks system in Elgin was taken March 4, 1895, when land for the purpose of erecting a plant was purchased from J. W. Bryant and the Richardson Brothers, not far from the Richardson Elevator. A well was drilled, a tower and tank erected, windmill power installed, and 6-inch mains placed down the business street. With this beginning, the system has gradually been extended. The windmill was early found inadequate, and a gasoline engine installed. Later another well was drilled and another gasoline engine installed. In 1908 a new tower and tank were constructed. In 1917 a kerosene engine was put in, being paid for the first year. The works now consist of a direct and gravity system, with a gravity pressure of 60 pounds. The elevated tank on a 100-foot tower has a capacity of 47,250 gallons. The water supply is from two wells, 100 and 240 feet deep. There are six-inch mains along the main streets of town, and others of four inches. There are twenty hydrants. The water is distributed to every part of the village through well constructed mains, and there are very few houses in the village that are not supplied with the city water. Water is supplied to the users, at a moderate expense. Lawns are sprinkled at the option of owners, and streets are sprinkled in any part of the village, when residents request it. The water has a force

HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY

sufficient to throw a double stream of water over the highest buildings, in the remote parts of the village, while on the business streets, from four to six powerful streams are available at once. In this system Elgin takes considerable pride, and is further honored in being one of the pioneers in establishing water- works among the small towns of this part of the state.

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History of Wabasha County, Minnesota, Part 12

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn. cn Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Winona, Minn. : H.C. Cooper Number of Pages: 1222

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn. cn
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Winona, Minn. : H.C. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1222