USA > Wisconsin > Buffalo County > History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties Wisconsin (Volume 2) > Part 56
USA > Wisconsin > Pepin County > History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties Wisconsin (Volume 2) > Part 56
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Jan. 1, 1862, a new system went into effect, created by the legislature of 1861. The main provisions of this law were: (a) It created the office of county superintendent of schools; (b) the school district clerks were to report to the town clerks, who in turn reported to the county superin- tendent; (c) the power to divide the towns into school districts was vested in the town board of supervisors. The first superintendent under this sys- tem was Augustus Finkelnburg.
Rapid progress in creating new districts was made in the ten years following 1856. In 1866 there were 52 districts in the county, with 2,445 children enrolled, 1,300 of whom were boys and 1,145 girls.
From 1866 to 1876 only about two new districts a year were created. In 1876 there were 74 districts taught by 81 teachers and having an
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enrollment of 5,865 pupils, of whom 2,966 were boys and 2,899 were girls. Of these 3,753, or 62.2 per cent, were reported as attending.
In 1886 there were 82 districts taught by 92 teachers. There were 6,351 enrolled, of whom 3,240 were boys and 3,111 were girls. The reported attendance was 3,977, or a little less than 64 per cent.
Ten years brought but little change. In 1896 there were 85 districts taught by 123 teachers, with a total representation of 6,333, of whom 3,242 were girls and 3,091 were boys. The reported attendance was 4,064, or 64 per cent.
Ninety-one districts existed in 1906, taught by 114 teachers, the total registration being 6,083, of whom 3,112 were boys and 2,971 were girls. There was a reported attendance of 4,443, or 73 per cent.
In 1916 there were 92 districts with 132 teachers. The total number of children was 5,541. There was a reported attendance of 3,723, or 67.2 per cent.
There are still 92 districts in 1917-18 with 132 teachers. The number of children was 5,345. There is a reported attendance of 3,479, or 65.1 per cent.
Comparing the school population of the decades here enumerated, it will be seen that it increased up to 1886, when it reached its highest mark, 6,351, after which it gradually decreased until in 1918 there is a school population of 5,345, or 1,000 less than in 1886, when it reached the highest point.
There is no record as to when the first graded school was established in the county. In 1872 there were but two graded schools in the county, one at Fountain City and one at Alma, each with two teachers. Alma and Fountain City then had brick schoolhouses and Mondovi a large frame building. Waumandee also had one brick schoolhouse, and a few other districts had frame houses. For the most part, however, the schoolhouses were of logs. Some were substantially built, but others were of the crudest kind. The furniture consisted for the most part of unplaned benches and desks. No facilities were provided for an even temperature. A stove over- heated those nearest to it, while those in the further corners were chilled and cold.
In 1876 there were four graded schools in the county, Alma City with three teachers; Fountain City with three teachers; Mondovi with two teachers; and Waumandee District No. 2 with two teachers.
In 1886 there were four graded schools: Alma City with five teachers; Fountain City with four teachers; Mondovi City with three teachers; and Waumandee District No. 2 with two teachers. District No. 2, Waumandee, about that time abandoned the practice of employing two teachers.
In 1901 the legislature created a system of state graded schools, pre- scribing certain qualifications for the teachers of such schools, and offered special state aid to districts maintaining such schools in the amount of $100 for schools of the second class employing two teachers and $200 for schools of the first class employing three or more teachers. The special state aid has been increased by subsequent legislatures to $200 for schools of the second class and $300 for schools of the first class, also an additional
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$100 for offering a course of instruction in manual training and domestic science.
The first state graded schools to be established in this county under this act were: District No. 1 Joint, Belvidere and Cochrane; District No. 1, Gilmanton; and District No. 5, Nelson. After the law had been in opera- tion for a few years state graded schools were established also in District No. 1 Joint, Modena; District No. 3 Joint, Belvidere; and District No. 3 Joint, Town of Alma.
The first high school established in the county was located at Alma. Later on high schools were established in Mondovi and Fountain City. The first and only township high school in the county was established at Gilmanton in 1911 with A. S. Wells as principal and Mabel Bahr as assist- ant. The statistics for 1903 are as follows :
High schools and grades below high-Alma City with eight teachers; Fountain City with six teachers; Mondovi with ten teachers. State graded schools-No. 1, Belvidere (now Belvidere and Cochrane), two teachers; No. 1, Gilmanton, two teachers; No. 5, Nelson, two teachers.
For 1918 the statistics are as follows: High schools and grades below high-Alma City with eight teachers; Fountain City, seven teachers; Gil- manton Township High, three teachers; and Mondovi City, sixteen teach- ers. State graded schools-District No. 1 Joint, Belvidere and Cochrane, four teachers; District No. 1 Joint, Gilmanton, two teachers; District No. 3 Joint, Belvidere, two teachers; District No. 3 Joint, Alma town, two teachers; District No. 1 Joint, Modena, two teachers; and District No. 5 Joint, Nelson, two teachers.
The high schools at Mondovi, Gilmanton and Alma offer courses in agriculture. The Mondovi high school also offers besides its regular courses in English and Latin, courses in domestic science and a complete commercial course, also a teachers' training course. The Fountain City high school also offers a commercial course.
The Buffalo County Training School was established in Alma in 1902 for the purpose of training teachers. It is supported jointly by the state and county. The state pays annually the teachers' salaries and Buffalo county provides the additional funds necessary to maintain the school. It occupies a substantial two-story solid brick building, constructed on modern plans, beautifully situated on high ground overlooking the river, providing ample and commodious quarters. The building is well lighted and provided with a modern system of heating and ventilation, city water, drinking fountain and sewerage system. Special courses are maintained in domestic science and art, agriculture and manual training. The faculty consists of B. F. Oltman, principal; Nora A. Carter, supervisor of practice; and Alma May Ganz, domestic science. The training school board con- sists of Nic Weinandy (president), H. J. Niehaus and E. F. Ganz. The committee on common schools of the county consists of Valentine Thoeny, of Fountain City; E. A. Kenyon, of Gilmanton; and T. S. Saby, of Alma. The original faculty consisted of H. H. Liebenberg as principal and Carrie J. Smith, supervisor of practice. During its sixteen years of existence
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the school has graduated 323 students besides giving instruction to a large number who did not finish the course.
The following course of study is offered in the school:
First Year. I-Language and composition, reading and orthoepy, ag- riculture, food and nutrition, library reading, cooking and manual training, and algebra (elective). II-Language and composition, reading, arithme- tic, physical geography, spelling, sewing, and algebra (elective). III- Geography, physiology, arithmetic, general science, U. S. history, cooking, and algebra (elective). IV-Language and composition, American litera- ture, agriculture, physical geography, penmanship, sewing and manual training, and an elective study.
Second Year. I-Psychology and manual, reading and orthoepy, home geography and Wisconsin history, agriculture, library reading, cooking and manual training, and American literature. II-Methods and observation, composition and grammar, civics, arithmetic, penmanship, cooking, Amer- ican literature (five weeks), and physical geography (five weeks). III- Methods and observation, composition and grammar, geography, arithme- tic, physiology, sewing, and physical geography. IV-School management, U. S. history, physiology, agriculture, spelling, sewing and manual training, and an elective study.
One Year Professional Course. I-Reading and reading methods, lan- guage and language methods, arithmetic and arithmetic methods, agricul- ture, cooking, and physical geography. II-Geography and geography methods, civics, writing, spelling and library work, physical geography, cooking, and American literature. III-Physiology and hygiene, pedagogy, history and history methods, American literature, practice teaching, sew- ing, and reviews. IV-Agriculture, use of school library and rural sociol- ogy, school management and law, practice teaching, sewing, and reviews.
Throughout the year in all the courses there are plays and games and music and literary society work, with manual training given at convenient times.
The first authentic records we have of the schoolhouses of the county date from 1872. At that time, as already mentioned, Alma and Fountain City had brick school houses and Mondovi had a large frame building. In the country districts they had mostly log schoolhouses, although Wauman- dee had one schoolhouse built of brick, and frame houses began to make their appearance about that time. Fountain City and Alma now have modern brick buildings. Mondovi City has three brick buildings well heated and ventilated. The state graded schools are at present all located in modern brick buildings, Cochrane and Gilmanton having commodious four- room buildings with basements, while Nelson, Herold, Tell and Modena have modern two-room brick buildings.
District No. 3 Joint, Town of Alma, known as the Tell district, was the first rural school district to build a modern school with provisions for ventilation. It was quickly followed by No. 4, Gilmanton, and No. 2, Wau- mandee. There are at present, besides the above modern rural school buildings in No. 8, Mondovi; No. 1, Maxville; No. 4, Nelson, known as the
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Norwegian valley school; No. 6, Montana; No. 4, Glencoe; No. 1, Glencoe; No. 1, Waumandee; No. 6, Waumandee; Buffalo City; No. 1, Nelson.
The legislature during the session of 1907 passed a law granting special state aid of $50 a year for three years to rural schools hiring efficient teachers, installing a system of heating and ventilation and furnishing equipment as prescribed by the state superintendent. All but six of the rural schools in the county qualified under this law and today, with a few exceptions, our rural schools have a system of heating and ventilation and an equipment including supplementary readers, dictionaries, maps, etc. The long benches of 1872 have given way to modern single and double seats.
The first school libraries of any importance were found in Alma and Fountain City. They were mostly composed of donations by citizens. The legislature of 1887 enacted a law creating the township library system. As the law stands at present the county treasurer withholds ten cents for every child between the ages of 4 and 20 years. This fund is expended by the county superintendent in purchasing books for the different districts in the county. The first books appeared in the schools in about the year 1889. Their initial value was probably not in excess of $600. How the system has grown in the succeeding years may be seen from the fact that the report of 1918 shows a total of 20,195 volumes in the public school libraries of the county, purchased at a total cost of $11,037.
In 1888 there were Catholic schools at Fountain City and in the Wau- mandee Valley. In addition to the usual studies, courses were given in sewing, knitting and ornamental work. Boarding facilities were offered in connection with the schools. The German language was an important subject of instruction. There are now Catholic Parochial schools in Foun- tain City, Mondovi and Waumandee. There are also numerous Protestant Parochial schools connected with the various Lutheran churches, some of which are conducted throughout the school year, and others of which are vacation schools.
Conditions as shown in the report of the county superintendent for 1917-18 present many features of interest as compared with the old days when reading, writing and arithmetic were taught in a crude log cabin. During the year covered by the report, the superintendent made 136 official school visits. In this work he was assisted by the faculty of the Training School, by the supervising teacher and by the State Graded School In- spector. A teachers' institute was held in Alma in August, and a county teachers' meeting was held there in February. School board conventions were held in December in Alma and Mondovi.
A summary of the report shows the following items: Total number of districts, 92; total number of rural schools, 4; total number of state graded schools, 6; number of teachers employed in the state graded schools, 13; number of teachers employed in rural schools, 84; number of teachers em- ployed in grades below high schools, 17; number of teachers employed in high schools, 18.
Enrollment and graduates: Total number in rural schools, 2,247; total enrolled in state graded schools, 421; total enrolled in grades below high school, 597; total enrolled in high schools, 283; number who graduated
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from rural schools, 96; number who graduated from state graded schools, 36; number who graduated from grades below high schools, 54; number who graduated from high schools, 51.
Salary: Rural-Number receiving $40 and less than $45, thirty-four; $45 and less than $50, eleven; $55 and less than $60, seven; $60 and less than $65, three; $65 and less than $70, two. State graded-Number re- ceiving $45 and less than $50, five; $50 and less than $60, two; $60 and less than $65, one; $65 and less than $70, three; $75 and less than $80, one; $80 and less than $85, one. Grades below high schools-Number receiving $45 and less than $50, one; $50 and less than $55, nine; $55 and less than $60, four; $65 and less than $70, two; $70 and less than $75, one. High schools-Number receiving $60 and less than $65, one; $65 and less than $70, four; $75 and less than $80, two; $80 and less than $85, three; $95 and less than $100, three; $100 and less than $110, one; $110 and less than $120, one; $120 or over, three.
Enrollment in rural schools: Five children or fewer, one; six to ten children, two; 11 to 15 children, ten; 16 to 20 children, 11; 21 to 25 chil- dren, 20; 26 to 30 children, 17; 31 to 35 children, 11; 36 to 40 children, seven; 41 to 45 children, three; 51 to 55 children, one.
Miscellaneous: Number of children between ages of 4 and 20 years, 5,484; number of public gatherings held in schoolhouses, 319; number of children who were present every day school was in session, 249; number of districts furnishing free text books, 31; number of districts in which a foreign language is taught, 15; number of districts transporting children, two; number of wagons used, two.
Special activities: Number of boys' and girls' agricultural clubs, six ; number of schools in which warm lunches have been served, nine; number of schools in which some hand work has been done, 43; number of schools having some playground apparatus, 12; number of schools in which some form of evening school has been held, five; number of schools in which credit for home work was given, 11; number of schools containing parent teacher associations, 43; number of schools having community clubs, 47; number of schools doing work in manual training, nine; and number of dis- tricts having school gardens, 16.
Several well-known educators have filled the office of county superin- tendent in Buffalo County. Their terms of service have been as follows: Augustus Finkelnburg, 1861-1863; C. F. Kingsland, 1863-1864; Robert Lees (to fill vacancy), 1864-1865; James Imrie, 1865-1867; Robert Lees, 1869- 1871; Lawrence Kessinger, 1871-1877; John C. Rathbun, 1877-1881; Law- rence Kessinger, 1881-1886; George Schmidt, 1886-1894; Mary E. Shane, 1894-1896; William J. Eberwein, 1896-1907; and Henry J. Niehaus, 1907 to the present time.
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CHAPTER XIII
MODERN CITIES AND VILLAGES
Buffalo County has four incorporated cities, Alma, Fountain City, Mon- dovi and Buffalo City, and one incorporated village, Cochrane. Nelson, Gilmanton and Modena are also flourishing settlements, while scattered throughout the county are many small hamlets and community centers of more or less importance. The early history of the important points has been told in earlier chapters.
Mondovi
Mondovi, the largest city in Buffalo County, is pleasantly situated at the terminus of the Mondovi-Fairchild branch of the Chicago & North- western Railway. Ford Creek from the east and Whelan Creek from the north, here join and form Mirror Lake, which finds its outlet into Beef River through a short stream called Mill Creek. The business section is on a broad plateau west of the creek, while the station and elevators are east of it.
Founded by Americans from the eastern states, the city has the air of a New England or New York town, with its broad streets, its magnifi- cent shade trees, and its sightly homes surrounded by beautiful lawns and flowering shrubbery.
Excellent opportunities for an education are provided by the public schools, consisting of kindergarten, graded school and high school, and by the Sacred Heart Parochial School taught by the Sisters of St. Francis. The religious life of the community is cared for by the Methodist Episcopal, Catholic, Congregational, Norwegian Lutheran, German Lutheran and Evangelical churches.
Among the fraternities, the Masons, the Eastern Star, the G. A. R., the Women's Relief Corps, the Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen, the Royal Neighbors, the Beavers, the Knights and Ladies of the Maccabees, the Yeomen and the Equitable Fraternal Union.
There are two mills, the Ruseling Mill and the Lockwood Roller Mills ; two creameries, the Farmers' Co-operative Creamery and the Dairyman's Association; a canning factory, the Mondovi Co-operative Canning Co .; three lumber companies, the Mondovi Lumber Co., the O. & N. Lumber Co., and Walter Walsh; a cement block factory, several stock buying firms and bridge contractors, and two elevators, the Mondovi Equity Exchange and the Badger Grain Co .; a first class hotel, four garages, and a wagon maker.
There is a good opera house and public hall, the Bijou; a well-equipped hospital; two newspapers, the Buffalo County News and the Mondovi Her- ald; two banks, the First National and the Mondovi State Bank; four law offices and two physicians.
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The town is a noted shipping point for canned goods, butter, eggs, poultry, hides, wool, grains, sheep, cattle and horses.
The city was incorporated in 1899, the first officers being: Mayor, B. S. Lockwood; clerk, R. Southworth; treasurer, C. E. Otis; municipal judge, W. L. Houser; justices, H. B. Pace and W. L. Standish; aldermen, first ward, Charles Ford and O. G. Hawkins; aldermen, second ward, H. B. Pace and M. K. Fisher.
The municipality has a city hall, a fire department, a waterworks system supplied by a flowing well and a reservoir, and there is also an ex- cellent sewer system. Electricity is furnished by the Wisconsin-Minnesota Light & Power Co. The city owns the grounds where the annual county fairs are held.
The first school in the vicinity of Mondovi was taught in 1857, by Mrs. George Sprague in a board shanty. The district about 1860 erected a log schoolhouse about a mile and a half south of the present city. In 1871, a building was erected at. a cost of about $3,000, on the site of the present high school building. This was burned in the winter of 1890-91, and in the fall of 1891, the present high school building was erected at a cost of $14,000. The kindergarten building was erected in 1900, and the graded school building in 1905. The first high school class, consisting of Mabel Farrington, Eva Fisher and Anna Smith, was graduated in 1890. The principals have been A. M. Locker, Hans Hanson, Henry Kneipe, George M. McGregor, Fred Thomas, James Nesbit, W. S. Freeman, W. T. Ream, P. T. Neverman, D. A. Schwartz and C. W. Dodge.
The Mondovi Co-operative Canning Co. was organized April 4, 1914, with an authorized capital of $25,000 and a paid-up capital of $13,500. The original officers and directors were: Henry Hurtley (president), Louis Haunschild (vice president), Jacob Canar (treasurer), Edward Ruplinger (secretary), James Dillon, Louis Whitworth, Ole J. Ward, Frank Koepp and Joseph Warren. Previous to this there had been an earlier effort which did not materialize. At once upon organization in 1914, Fred H. Bertschy, the manager, started work, and by September, the factory was erected, and started operations canning corn. In 1915 facilities were added for canning stringless beans, and a warehouse erected. After the season of 1916, Mr. Bertschy left and was followed by Philip Koch, who has since been in charge as superintendent and manager. The original officers are still serving, with the exception that Ole J. Ward has succeeded Jacob Canar as treas- urer, and William Linse has been added to the list of directors. The fac- tory has a large output, and cans the Mondovi and Kindergarten brand of . corn, and the Kindergarten brand of beans.
Alma
Alma, the county seat of Buffalo County, is located on a narrow strip of land between the Mississippi River and the towering bluffs which form its background. The business street extends parallel to the river at about the level of the old steamboat landing, while the residence street, lined with beautiful homes and substantial public buildings, is several rods higher, but also parallel to the river. A series of cement steps constructed by the city
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connects the two streets, and these steps, together with the moss-grown sluice ways for surplus water, and the terraced walls connected with many of the private residences and gardens, add greatly to the picturesque ap- pearance of the village.
Settled in the forties, and then known as Twelve Mile Bluff, the place began to assume the aspects of a village in the middle fifties, and since then the growth has been of a gradual nature, hastened somewhat by the establishment of the county seat here in 1861, and the Beef Slough rafting operations from 1867 to 1889.
Alma was incorporated as a village in 1868. Conrad Moser, Jr., was the first president, J. J. Senn the first clerk, Jacob Wirth the first treas- urer, and the first trustees were William Ehrich, John A. Tester, Fred Laue and William Brigaboos. The city was incorporated in 1885. The first mayor was Martin Polin; the first clerk John H. White; the first treasurer, Charles Neumeister. Fred Laue is the present mayor. The aldermen from the first ward are H. B. Niehaus, Christ Buhman and John Meili; from the second ward, R. C. Achenbach, W. H. Beneke and C. H. Kaste; from the third ward, Frank Harry, Christ Van Wald and William Henninger. The treasurer is T. S. Saby. The clerk, H. F. Ibach, is with the colors, and his place is being taken by S. P. Ibach.
Fire protection was furnished in the early days by a bucket brigade. In 1870 a hook and ladder company was organized. Six years later a hand engine was purchased and an engine company organized. Later a Silsby engine was in use until the present waterworks were established in 1912.
The waterworks are justly a matter of pride to the people of the city, and are embodied in what is known as the Ludlow system. Water is pumped from wells to the reservoir on the bluff back of the city, at an elevation of 175 feet, thus giving an eighty-pound pressure. This provides the principal streets with water for domestic use and fire protection, hy- drants being located at convenient points throughout the city. The con- struction committee consisted of J. S. Tenny, J. A. Ganz and Peter A. Tur- ton, Mr. Tenny at that time being the mayor and Mr. Turton the clerk.
Electric light service has been provided for the past twenty-five years, the first contract for street lighting having been let to George A. Kurtz, December 5, 1893. Mr. Kurtz sold to Dr. George Kempter. Later R. M. Smith, the present manager, organized a stock company. Of this company he gradually acquired the stock, and in 1918 sold to the Wisconsin-Minne- sota Light & Power Co.
The village hall erected in 1878, a substantial frame structure, is still in use.
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