USA > Minnesota > Renville County > The history of Renville County, Minnesota, Volume II > Part 28
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HISTORY OF RENVILLE COUNTY
The village has a municipally owned waterworks plant. The plant is an np-to-date modern reservoir system and the water is pure and is pumped from a deep artesian well. In case of fire, the pressure is very strong and entirely adequate. The town also owns its village hall. The town is supplied with electric power by the Minnesota Valley Power Co., from the Minnesota Falls, about ten miles west of Sacred Heart. They give a day and night service at reasonable rates.
Sacred Heart is a busy place. It has five elevators, a fonr mill. a Feed mill, a creamery, a farmers' livestock shipping asso- ciation, and several independent livestock dealers, a produce com- pany, two Imber yards, two garages, one hotel, three restau- rants. two banks, one newspaper, six general stores, one drug store, one furniture store, one jewelry store, one meat market, two millinery stores, two hardware stores and three implement deal- ers, one billiard hall, one undertaker, one photographer, two blacksmith shops, two livery and dray lines, one motion picture theater, two real estate firms, one harness shop, one shoe repair- ing shop, two barber shops, one physician, one dentist, four con- traetors and builders, one plasterer, and two painters and paper hangers.
Sacred Heart, as already noted, is situated in the center of the western four townships of Renville county. Its trade territory is the best drained and agriculturally is the best portion of Ren- ville county. The land in this part of the county lies about 150 feet above the Minnesota river, which flows by only seven miles south, and this, supplemented by numerous rivulets and streams, gives almost ideal natural drainage, and, to a large extent, ac- counts for the never failing and abundant erops of this com- minity, be the season wet or dry.
Corn, the last few years, has become the principal erop in this territory. Its yields have been immense. Wheat and other cereals form a close competitor. Alfalfa makes a splendid erop here, yielding four to five tons per acre. Several thousand acres have been put into this legume during the past five years in this county and it promises to surpass all expectations. Farmers are universally pleased with their alfalfa fields. Its production here is past the experimental stage. On many of our farms may be found big herds of Holstein, Guernsey, Shorthorn, or Hereford cattle. Hogs also have become a regular means of turning corn crops into cash. Fruits are also produced in great abundance here, and in the outskirts of town is located the Jorgan P. Flag- stadt & Sons' establishment, a splendid nursery which has done much to promote the horticultural interests of the community.
The past fifteen years have marked a stage of great improve- ment in Sacred Heart. The old wooden sidewalks have given way to sightly cement walks, cement crossings have been put in,
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and streets improved, and many other modern movements inan- gurated.
The waterworks system was inaugurated in 1898 and serves the principal streets of the village. There is a fifty-foot well, with a suitable tank, tower, pump house and other equipment.
The park is one of the beauty spots of Sacred Heart. It oe- cupies a whole block, and is beautiful with trees, grass and shrub- bery. The trees were set out by O. T. Ramsland and A. O. Jerde. The bandstand is an added attraction. The village hall originally stood on the park, but in 1902 it was moved to some village lots, located nearer the center of the village. An addition of 20 feet was built, the ceiling was raised four feet, and the inside papered and painted. In 1906, the old village lock-up was torn down and replaced with a $1,400 solid, up-to-date, brick village jail.
For some years the village streets were lighted with kerosene lamps. In 190S a contract was made with the Montevideo Light & Power Co., now the Minnesota Valley Power Co., for power to be furnished from Minnesota Falls. The streets are now well lighted, and the current is used extensively in business houses, stores, offices, flour mill, feed mill, blacksmith shops and homes.
The fire department consists of ten men. The equipment is excellent. O. C. Sparstad is the chief, N. T. Hove the secretary, E. P. Dosseth the treasurer and Martin Hanson the engineer.
The officers of Sacred Heart village are: President, O. C. Sparstad ; couneilmen, O. T. Ramsland, O. ]]. Eliason, E. P. Dos- seth ; recorder, G. P. Mangerud ; treasurer, W. A. Day ; assessor, Carl Anderson ; justice of the peace, B. T. Birk ; constables, A. O. Deason and P. P. Golie ; marshal, A. O. Deason ; board of health, Dr. F. L. Hammerstrand, H. B. Ilelgeson and N. E. Sorenson.
Sacred Heart is said to have the smallest indebtedness of any village in the county. The bonded indebtedness is only $4,000 and something like $1.350 has already been deposited in the bank toward meeting this amount.
The present site of Sacred Heart was originally a rolling prairie in section 7. Even before the railroad came through, the locality was the center of a goodly group of farm houses.
The farm house of llendrick and Thomas Lien stood just east of the present site of the Northwestern Creamery Co., and 100 feet north of the Farmers' Elevator Co., the exact description of the site being the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of secton 6, just outside of the present village limits.
Anders Carlson lived near the northwest corner of the north- east quarter of the northeast quarter of section 12, Hawk Creek.
Ilendrik Kringsberg, better known as "Big Hendrik,' lived near the northeast corner of the southeast quarter of the north- east quarter of section 12, Ilawk Creek.
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Ole Rosaasen lived near the southeast corner of section 12, Hawk Creek.
Johannes Roste lived in the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of seetion 13, Hawk Creek.
Iver Gunderson lived near the northeast corner of section 18, Sacred Heart.
An eighth of a mile south of him was Erik Gunderson, for many years town clerk of Sacred Heart.
Jens Rolie lived near the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 8, Sacred Heart.
IIans Tompte lived near the northwest corner of the south- west quarter of section 8, Sacred Heart.
Halvor C. Aarnes lived near the northwest corner of the south- west quarter of the northwest quarter, of section 8, and still lives there.
Ilendrik Oberg lived near the northeast corner of the south- east quarter of section 6, Sacred Heart.
The railroad came through this locality late in the fall of 1878 and a village was platted on railroad land. There were no activities on the site, however, until the following spring.
In the meantime, two business houses had been erected in the locality, but not on the village site.
Ole Torbenson came from Wisconsin and took up his home with Ole Reishus, near the center of seetion 29, in Sacred Heart township. Ile there opened a small store.
P. B. Olson opened a small store near the home of Erik Gun- derson, already mentioned.
In the spring of 1879, IIans Field moved his home from his farm a mile east of town and opened a hotel on lots 17 and IS, block 3. Ile furnished board for the men engaged in erecting the railroad depot that spring.
In the summer of 1879, Ole Torbenson moved to the village of Saered Ileart and built a store facing the depot, near the alley, between lots 1 and 2, block 3. Later he turned the building around and built an addition, so that it stood on lot 1. block 3, facing the street. Ile continued in business for several years.
West of this store Hans Field erected a blacksmith shop and started business about the same time that Torbenson started busi- ness on the townsite.
That same summer, Anton Gerde and Henry Paulson, under the firm name of Gerde & Paulson, opened a general store on lot 13, block 3.
At about the same time, Anders Anderson opened a saloon on the northwest corner of block 11. The ladies of the town ob-' jected to this place, and wrecked the saloon and spilled the liquor. Mr. Anderson then erected a saloon on lot 5, block 3.
P. F. Walston opened a hardware store on lot 16, block 3.
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About this time, Christian Evenson and Henry Stenson, under the firm name of Evenson & Stenson, opened a store on lot 15, block 2. This was the first store on that side of the street.
Ole and Frederick Walstad opened a hardware store in lot 18, block 2.
A small hotel was built in the fall of 1879 on the northwest corner of block 2, by two Farmers, Raffel Johnson and Peter Lymes, but it was not used as a hotel until sometime Jater.
Pratt & Robinson erected an elevator in Sacred Heart in the fall of 1879 on the present site of the coal shed of the MeGregor Lumber Co. This elevator was burned as was another erected on the site. The first buyer was R. Lilly. He was followed by Ed. O'Connor, who bought grain at this elevator some ten years.
Kellogg, Lang & Miller erected an elevator in the fall of 1879. George Miller was the first buyer at this elevator. The same building is still standing.
These places of business constituted the commercial activities of Sacred Heart until the spring of 1880. The elevator was orig- inally on the east side of the railroad station. It burned and was rebuilt on the east side of Second street, being now known as the Crown elevator.
James MeIntyre was the first person to die in the new village. He was the depot agent in the winter of 1879-80 and was killed by the accidental discharge of a gun in climbing over a fence while rabbit hunting.
Early in the spring of 1880, E. O. Lyders came to Sacred Heart and opened a drug store on lot 10, block 2. He was the first doctor in the village.
This same spring, the O'Connor Brothers, Timothy, James, John, Edward and Michael, came to Sacred Heart village and engaged in business on lot 6, block 2.
O. T. Ramsland settled on the village site on June 8, 1880, and, with Henry Stenson, bought out the interest of Christian Evenson in the firm of Evenson & Stenson. A few years later, Mr. Ramsland bought out Mr. Stenson and has since continued in business on practically the same site, being the oldest merchant in point of service, in the village.
The first marriage in Sacred Heart was that of Hannah, daughter of Hans Field, and Ole Torbenson, the pioneer merchant. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Johannes E. Bergh.
The first residence on the village site in addition to Hans Field's hotel was the home of Ole Torbenson, erected on lots 7 and 10. block 4, about the same time he built his store. The next residence was that of P. B. Olson, erected on lot 3, block 4.
The first assessment on village lots in Sacred Heart was made in 1880. Those who had secured lots were: Peter Synnes, lot 2. block 3: Ole Mathiason, lots 7 and 10, block 3; A. O. Gerde,
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HISTORY OF RENVILLE COUNTY
lot 1I, block 3, lot 13, bloek 4; Merrit A. Monson, lot 14, bloek 3; Evenson & Stenson lot 15, bloek 3: John Christoferson, lot 19, block 3; Ole Torbenson, lots 1 and 4, bloek 4; A. Hanson, lot 5, block 4; A. K. Anderson, lot 8, block 4; P. Jenson, lot 12, bloek 4; P. F. Walstrom, lot 16, bloek 4; Mrs. M. Field, lots 17 and 20, block 4, lot 1, bloek 9; E. Fagerlie, lot 2, block 10; F. H. Wolstad, lot 18, block 3; John J. Anger, lot 12, block 5.
The early growth of the village was rapid, and in 1882 bad progressed to the point where the following could be written of it: "The business of the village is transacted by three general stores, one millinery, one drug and fancy grocery store, two black- smiths, one shoe shop, a harness shop, tailor shop, meat market, two hardware, two hotels, two saloons; there is one physician; there are two elevators, the combined capacity of which is about 50,000 bushels."
The village was incorporated in 1883.
Ole Fugleskjel opened a lumber yard in 1882. It was located practically on the present .site of the B. T. Bird residence but a little to the west.
The next elevator in Sacred Heart was that of the Farmers' Produce Co. The building was erected on the present site but has been rebuilt and remodeled. The first buyer was A. C. Nedurd.
The next elevator was built by Ed. O'Connor. It is now op- erated by A. H. Collin. Mr. O'Connor built branch elevators at Minnesota Falls, Renville and Olivia, which he operated for many years. He also rented and operated the elevator at Bnf- falo Lake for a while.
Sacred Heart has had a number of fires. Stores, elevators, hotels, dwelling honses and the like have burned. One large fire swept the west side of block 2, destroying five houses.
The Ryan Hotel was built in the early days of the village. When it was destroyed in the spring of 1907, it was owned by Andrew Thompson, but eondneted by Mrs. Ole Walstad.
One of Sacred Heart's fires has resulted fatally. A few years ago a son of Berndt Hawkanson, in alighting from a train, fell and sustained injuries, from which he died two days later. A daughter was about to be married at the same time. While the family were at the son's home attending to his injuries, the mother-in-law of Mr. Hawkanson, and the prospective groom were left in the Hawkanson residenee. The house eaught on fire and was nearly consumed. The mother-in-law, Oleana Svieven, per- ished in the flames, and the prospective groom narrowly escaped.
The Farmers Milling Co., of Sacred Heart, was organized many years ago with Thomas King as president ; O. T. Ramsland as secretary, and P. C. Brevig as treasurer. It conduets a flour- ishing business.
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The Sacred Heart Produce Co., of Sacred Heart, was ineor- porated Sept. 30, 1886. The incorporators were: Haaken Agre, Karenus Agre, Simon Johnson, Hendrik Skoberg, Paul Berg, Hans Listerud, Peter Synnes, John Christoferson, Ole Christoferson, Jorgan Flagstad, A. II. Erickson, Andrew Reed, P. C. Brevig, C. A. Evenson, Ole Hendrickson, Dowell Larson, Ole Fugleskjel, Stensrud & Ramsland, E. O. Lyders, P. F. Walstrom, Gjerde & Paulson, Ole O. Melsness, and C. P. Bjorn, of Sacred Heart. The first president was O. T. Ramsland, the first secretary was Ole Fugleskjel. The company having lived through its chartered period of twenty-five years is about to reorganize. The officers are: President, T. S. Berg ; secretary, H. C. Omholt ; treasurer, Oscar Olufson; manager, A. A. Mostne ; grain buyer, E. S. Gun- derson. The first two carloads handled by the company were pur- chased by Henry A. Paulson and Ole T. Ramsland from Ole Enestvedt.
CHAPTER XXXVIL
EXPERIENCES DURING OUTBREAK.
Stories Related by Eye-Witnesses-William Wichman's Narrative Mrs. Mary E. Schmidt's Story-Experiences of Charles Lam- mers -- German Settlement Wiped Out-Escape of Mrs. Pat- rick Hayden-Tale of Kearn Horan-At Birch Cooley-On the Sacred Heart-Brown's Family Captured.
Stern historical facts are enlivened by the little personal touches of interest that can be given by people who have actually been witnesses of some of the stirring events that have gone to make up the sum total of the story of human progress. In our own state there are many still living who have seen a wilderness inhabited by Indians and a few scattered settlers grow into one of the most prosperous portions of the Union. There are people living who went through the Indian Outbreak of 1862, who saw their relatives murdered, who took part in the heroie defense of the frontier, and who assisted in bringing the country once more under the sway of civilization after the deadly wave of fire, rapine and death had spent its force. In a previous chapter the story of the Outbreak has been told by historians. In this chapter we have gathered, for the purpose of perpetuating the names of some of Renville county's heroes, the stories told by the people of the county themselves who underwent some of the most thrill- ing experiences that can fall to the lot of humankind.
Wichman's Narrative. Doubtless there are among the younger generations of the present day many who have little realization of the trials, dangers and privations endured by the
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early pioneers who hewed their way through the primeval forests, tilled the soil with their ernde home-made implements, organized townships and counties, and by their sacrifices and denial made possible the enjoyment of the many advantages to be found in these modern times. It is the old settlers who are still with us who can realize fully the great contrast between the early days . when the people were jolted over scarcely defined trails seated on a plank placed across the sides of a rough eart drawn by oxen, and the present day when the people in palatial automobiles traverse smoothly kept roads, surrounded by the lavish beauties that Nature has spread in the Minnesota valley and the comforts and luxuries of one of the best agricultural counties in the whole state.
I was born in Brown county, this state, April 5, 1859. Look- ing back over the years since my father and brother Fred were hauling freight with ox teams in 1859 between Ft. Ridgely and Ft. Abererombie over a blazed trail, the changes which have taken place seem truly marvelous. In that year on one of their trips they came upon a party of government surveyors who had pitched their tents on the bank of Beaver creek on the site of what is now known as the John Storch farm, and learned they were making a survey of Beaver Falls township. In the fall of the year 1860 my parents moved to that township and settled in section 14, in the locality at that time known as Beaver Creek settlement. At this time our family consisted of my father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Diedrich Wichmann, and four sons, Cosmos Fred, Diedrich H., Henry J. and William, and two daughters. Dorothy and Fredericke. On arriving at the homestead a rude house was erected and a barn put up with poles and a thatched roof made of wild hay. These buildings came near being destroyed the following year by prairie fire, but an old Indian known as "Schimmel Father" (from the fact of his old age and habit of riding a white horse) came along on horseback, and dipping his blanket in a tub of water mother had at the honse. fought the fire, saved the house as well as a hay stack near by and the straw barn.
My brother, John C. Wiehman, born here August 14, 1861, was probably the first white child born in the county. Little did the family think that day that soon we must fly to save our lives from massacre and pillage and from fires set to destroy settlers' homes. The Indians had, during the previous winter, camped in the woods back of our home, and during the periods when heavy snows covered the ground came to the house for such supplies as we could furnish them. That the snowfalls there were heavy was for years proven by a large oak stump. the dead trunk from which father had out for wood. The stump was cut off oven with the top of the snow and stood about five feet above the ground.
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Through this snow it was necessary for the ox team to wallow to drag the log out.
In the summer of 1862, after the rye had been cut and shoeked, father went to the ageney and was employed by the government putting up hay. After having spent Sunday at home he was returning Monday, August 18, to work, and had reached the ferry and was waiting to be taken aeross the river when he heard shoot- ing on the hills on the opposite bank of the river. Learning of the ontbreak of the Indians he pulled off his boots on a pile of lumber nearby, and with his boots in his hand started baek across the prairie to the bluffs, thence home to warn his family and the set- tlers. On the way home father met one of the Earle boys, who was riding a horse. Upon being informed of the outbreak the latter spurred his horse and at once notified several neighbors. A little farther on father met Mr. and Mrs. F. W. Schmidt, who were hauling hay, and they, too, prepared at once to get away. Arriving home father found mother and Diedrich hauling hay. They threw off the greater part of the load, leaving just enough for a eushion on the raek and hastily reached the house. Father tore down the hog pen and rounded up the eattle, while Henry notified the Judge Henry Ahrens' family (who then resided on the place still known as the Judge Ahrens homestead. occupied at present by the Frank Ahrens family), and Brother Diedrich noti- tied the Shepherd family on the farm now oceupied by Schafer brothers, and soon, the Ahrens and Sehmidt families having arrived, all started for Ft. Ridgely, each driving an ox team and taking with them their stoek. On the way to Ft. Ridgely the writer fell through the bottom of the hay rack and, not being missed by the other members of the party, would have been lost had the Ahrens family not discovered him when they came along and Judge Ahrens pieked him up. Arriving at Ft. Ridgely we found my brother Fred, who had been employed there by a butcher named Nix, afterward Captain Nix, of New Ulin, and he joined us on our trip thereafter. The party drove on through Ft. Ridgely in order to save their cattle and camped that night at Cummins Grove, near the present town of Henderson. The Schmidt and Ahrens family took another route from here, while we went on to Illinois. We drove as far as Harton with the ox team and there father traded for a team of horses, with which the trip was resumed. At MeGregor we crossed the river on a ferry, and having no money father gave the ferryman a two-year-old heifer in payment. For about two years, or until after harvest in 1864, the family resided in IHinois. We then moved back as far as Redstone, this state, near New Ulm, and resided there until the spring of 1865, when we returned to the homestead at Beaver creek. Upon arriving there the house was found to have been burned, but the hay stable still standing. The family oeeupied
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HISTORY OF RENVILLE COUNTY
that until a new house could be erected. (The cellar of the first house has always been preserved and may still be seen at the old homestead.) Shortly after erecting our house my brothers, Fred and Diedrich, while on one of the trips to New Ulm for provisions, were notified of another Indian uprising near Hutchinson, and hastened home, and we again started on a hasty trip for protec- tion. One of our horses had a small eolt and this was loaded into the wagon with us and a hasty trip started. Arriving at Fort Ridgely Colonel William Plaender, then in command, offered to furnish Father all needed arms and ammunition if we would return. Together with the three older boys and Judge Ahrens' father returned, and for a long time our house was a signal tower beyond which settlers would not venture until receiving a safety signal shot therefrom. After being ummolested for several months the other members of our family and that of Judge Ahrens, accompanied by the Schafer family, who thereafter occupied the Shepherd homestead, returned to once more peacefully occupy homes in beloved Beaver.
During those early years of residence at Beaver all mail and supplies must be transported from New Ulin over a mere blazed trail without bridges of any kind.
For a period of four years a plague of grasshoppers overtook the pioneers, they arriving first on July 4. Several methods were devised to destroy the pest, but the two most successful appar- ently were by the use of a clothes line rope tied to the collars of two horses and the rope dragging between the horses kept the hoppers on the jump and relieved growing erops. The other method was to suspend a tin pan filled with tar under a cart and as the eart was drawn through a field great masses of grass- hoppers would be caught. So well did the tar preserve them that these piles of hoppers could be seen for months. The only thing which seemed to thrive that year were the chickens and they were exceedingly fat.
The Wichman house was for years the place used as a church for our neighborhood, until a log church was later erected on the farm.
The first school held at Beaver in which our young folks were educated was at Elmus Bush's claim shanty, taught by Mrs. Bush. It had a thatched hay roof with a dirt floor and the seats were made by placing blocks on the floor and on top of these laying planks. The shack was lighted by only one full and one half size window. The year's school in those days consisted of three months each spring.
The memory of the days of trial and pioneer adversity undoubtedly have added much to the enjoyment in later years of the many advantages in the way of excellent school and church facilities, county and state organizations, splendid railway aceom-
1
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HISTORY OF RENVILLE COUNTY
modations and state highways which have proven so pleasant to a life-long resident of Renville county .- By William Wichman.
Mrs. Schmidt's Story. Johann Schwandt and his wife Chris- tina with their five children, their son-in-law John Walz, and a friend of the family, lohn Frass, started in May, 1862, from Fair- water, Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, with their household goods, provisions, two yokes of oxen, a few cows and some ealves. After an overland journey, which occupied more than a month, they settled on Middle creek in what is now Flora township.
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