Gc
977.601 M.U
R24c
v.l
1198433
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
3 1833 01080 7474
JL
THE HISTORY
OF
Redwood County
MINNESOTA
COMPILED BY
FRANKLYN CURTISS-WEDGE
Member of the Minnesota Historical Society, Member of the National Historical
Society, Member of the Wisconsin Archaeological Society; Editor
of the Histories of Goodhue, Dakato, Rice, Steele,
Mower, Freeborn, Fillmore, Winona, Wright
and Renville Counties, Minnesota.
REVIEWED BY
JULIUS A. SCHMAHL
Secretary of State
ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME I
CHICAGO
H. C. COOPER JR. & CO.
1916
±198433
PREFACE
The aim of this work is to present in an available form, the
facts which the average citizen should know about those events
of the past which have been important in making the county
what it is today. To the recital of these events have been added
the biographies of present and former residents, that the reader
may judge of the kind of men who have had their part in the life
of the county, where they came from, under what conditions their
youth was spent, what preparation they had for existence in
this county, at what period of the county's progress they arrived
here, and what they did toward its future progress. For the sake
of future generations, these biographical sketches have also been
made to include genealogical and family records.
The patrons of this history are almost exclusively the people
of the county itself. It has, therefore, seemed wise to gather
from various printed sources the story of the county before the
arrival of the first settlers. In this way the reader will find in
these two volumes, in accessible form, the material which other-
wise could be made available in the average home only by the
possesion of a large library.
The census reports of the United States government are ac-
cessible to all, and it has not therefore seemed best to reprint
from those reports extensive statistics regarding nationality and
agriculture. The subjects, have, however, been treated in a
general way. without reprinting the routine figures from the cen-
sus reports.
County, village and township records, as well as various re-
ports of state offiicals bearing on Redwood county have been
searched with care. The Northwestern Gazetteer, published every
two years, beginning with 1876, has also proven a valuable source
of information. The newspaper files have also been closely ex-
amined. The source of the information contained in each chap-
ter is given at the close of the chapters.
The records in Redwood county have been unusually well kept.
But a handicap in the preparation of the history has been the
neglect of many of the people of the county to respond to re-
quests for information. In reply to more than 500 letters sent
out requesting reminiscences from people who have lived in the
county for more than thirty-five years, less than ten replies have
been received. Hundreds of letters asking for information re-
garding churches, postoffices, early settlers, and official events
have likewise remained unanswered.
iv PREFACE
Our representatives have, however, met with unfailing courtesy
in their personal interviews with the people, and many thanks are
due to all citizens of the county who, by their assistance, have
helpod to make the publication what it is.
The proof sheets of the historical part of the work have been
read with care by Hon. Julius A. Schmahl, Secretary of State.
Mr. Schmahl has also been frequently consulted during the prog-
ress of the work, and has made many valuable suggestions.
Our association with the people of the county has been a
pleasant one. We have conscientiously performed our task, and
in placing the history in the hands of those whom it most con-
cerns, our hope is that it will increase the interest that all should
feel in the history of the state and county.
H. C. COOPER, JR., & CO.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS
PAGE
Location — Natural Drainage — Lakes — Surface — Soil — Natu-
ral Resources — Railroads — Trading Centers — Occupations
— Population — Nationality — Townships — Original Surveys
— Original Timber — Education 1
CHAPTER II
ERAS AND PERIODS
Geologic Era — Prehistoric Era — Period of Exploration —
Agency Period — Massacre Period — Mission Period — Agri-
cultural Era — Pioneer Period — Grasshopper Period —
Period of Rapid Growth — Modern Period 7
CHAPTER III
PHYSICAL FEATURES
Topography — Soil — Timber — Geological Structure — Gneiss
and Granite — Decomposed Gneiss and Granite — Cretacious
Beds — Lignite — Glacial and Modified Drift — Terminal Mo-
raines— Modified Drift of the Last Glacial Epoch 10
CHAPTER P7
PREHISTORIC INHABITANTS
The First Men — Mound Builders — Purpose of the Mounds —
Life and Habits of the Mound Builders — Location of the
Mounds 26
CHAPTER V
INDIAN OCCUPANCY AND TREATD3S
The Dakota Indians — Wapeton Dakotas — Indian Treaties —
Visit to Washington — Prairie du Chien Treaty of 1825 —
Second Treaty of Prairie du Chien — The Doty Treaty —
Preliminaries to the Final Session — Treaty of Traverse des
Sioux — The Ramsey Investigation of 1853 — Treaty of
1858 — Agencies and Forts 32
vi CONTENTS
CHAPTER VI
CLAIM OF TITLE
PAGE
Redwood County Under the Domain of Spain, France and
England — Redwood County as a Part of Louisiana Dis-
trict, Louisiana Territory, Missouri Territory, Michigan
Territory, Iowa Territory and Wisconsin Territory — Min-
nesota Territory Created — Minnesota State 58
CHAPTER VII
EXPLORERS, TRADERS, MISSIONARIES
Grosseiliers and Radisson — Hennepin and DuLuth — Le Sueur
— Lahontan — Carver — Port Snelling Established — Long,
Keating, Beltrami — The Pembina Refugees — Peatherstone
and Mather — Catlin— Nicollet and Fremont — Allen — Fur
Traders — The Missionaries — Chronology 70
CHAPTER VIII
THE LOWER SIOUX AGENCY
The Agency Established — Efforts at Civilization — Adminis-
tration of Affairs — Agriculture— Houses Erected for the
Indians — Conditions Before the Outbreak 88
CHAPTER IX
CAUSES OP THE OUTBREAK
Indians Defrauded by the Treaty — Stupidity and Injustice of
the Officials — Dishonesty of the Traders — Indians in Piti-
ful Condition — Indians Demand their Rightful Annuities
— Refused — Soldiers Enforce Stipulations of Officials .... 94
CHAPTER X
THE SIOUX OUTBREAK
Murders at Acton — Aid of Little Crow Enlisted — Massacre
Begins — Ruin Spreads on Both Sides of the Minnesota —
Fort Ridgely — New Ulm — Pursuit and Punishment 118
CHAPTER XI
THE MASSACRE IN REDWOOD COUNTY
Agency Officials Alarmed at Manifestations of Trouble —
First Shot Fired — Many Whites Murdered — Stories of
Narrow Escapes — Events in the Southern Part of the
County 135
CONTENTS vii
CHAPTER XII
EEDWOOD FERRY AMBUSCADE
PAGE
News of Massacre Reaches Fort Ridgely — Captain Marsh
Starts With His Men to Punish the Indians— Parley at the
Ferry — Indians Open Fire — Many Soldiers Killed — Cap-
tain Marsh Drowned — Thrilling Escapes 142
CHAPTER XIII
MASSACRE EXPERIENCES
Experiences of Mrs. Mary E. Schwandt Schmidt — Experiences
of George H. Spencer, Jr. — Experiences of John Ames
Humphrey — Hinman's Flight — Experiences of Miss West
— Fenske's Escape — Mrs. De Camp's Experience — Escape
of the Reynolds Family 149
CHAPTER XF?
MONUMENTS AND MARKERS
Colonel Henry H. Sibley Establishes His Rendezvous Near
Present Site of North Redwood, and Starts on His Expedi-
tion Against the Indians — Historic Sites in Redwood
County Marked by Permanent Memorials — Work of the
Minnesota Valley Historical Society 164
CHAPTER XV
COUNTY ORGANIZATION
Original Counties — Wabashaw — Dakotah — Blue Earth — Ren-
ville— Redwood — McPhail — Lyon, Lincoln, Yellow Medi-
cine and Lac qui Parle Cut Off 168
CHAPTER XVI
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND THEDt MEETINGS
Work of the County Board Since 1865— Affairs of the County
Admirably Managed Through Many Trying Periods —
Financial Matters — Salaries of Officials — Roads, Bridges
and Ditches 175
CHAPTER XVII
COUNTY OFFICERS AND BUILDINGS
Lists of County Officers — County Court House — Alms House
and Poor Farm — County Jail 191
viii CONTENTS
CHAPTER XVIII
LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATION
PAGE
Districts Established — List of the Men Who Have Represented
Redwood County at St. Paul — Constitutional Convention
— Dates of the Legislative Sessions — Congressional Repre-
sentation 195
CHAPTER XIX
RIVER TRANSPORTATION
Story of the Minnesota River — -Steamboat Traffic — River
Shrinks and Traffic is Suspended 208
CHAPTER XX
HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES
Government Roads — -Early County Roads — Early Bridges —
State Roads — Development of Present System 219
CHAPTER XXI
RAILROADS
Story of the Building of the Various Lines Which Now Cross
Redwood County 232
CHAPTER XXII
EDUCATION
Growth of the System in Redwood County as Shown by the
Official Reports — Story of the Individual Districts —
Present Status — Future Prospects — Biographies of Super:
intendents 235
CHAPTER XXIII
LIVE STOCK
Statistics of Live Stock in Redwood County at Various
Periods as Shown by the Assessment Rolls 265
CONTENTS ix
CHAPTER XXIV
DITCHING
PAGE
Need of Artificial Drainage in Redwood County — Ditching
Inaugurated — Location and Style of the Present Ditches-
Plans for the Future 274
CHAPTER XXV
PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS
Ideals of the Profession — Pioneer Physicians in Redwood
County — Names of Redwood County Physicians from the
Various Issues of the Gazetteer — Records of Physicians
Registered at the Court House 283
CHAPTER XXVI
NEWSPAPERS OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The First Newspaper — Col. McPhail and the Patriot — Red-
wood Falls Mail — Redwood Gazette — Lamberton Commer-
cial— Lamberton Leader — Lamberton Star — Redwood Re-
veille— Redwood Falls Sun — Morgan Messenger — Walnut
Grove Tribune — Sanborn Sentinel — Belview Independent
— Revere Record — Wabasso Standard — Vesta Bright
Eyes — Vesta Censor — Milroy Echo — Wanda Pioneer Press
— Seaforth Item— Other Papers 294
CHAPTER XXVII
REDWOOD COUNTY TOWNSHIPS
Growth in Population — Swedes Forest — Kintire — Delhi — Hon-
ner — Underwood — Vesta — Sheridan — Redwood Falls —
Paxton — Sherman — Westline— Granite Rock — Vail — New
Avon — Three Lakes — Morgan — Gales — Johnsonville — Wa-
terbury — Willow Lake — Sundown — Brookville — Spring-
dale — North Hero — Lamberton — Charlestown 315
CHAPTER XXVIII
REDWOOD COUNTY CHURCHES
Distribution of Nationalities and Its Effect on the Establish-
ment of Churches — Influence of the Churches on the Set-
tlement of the County — Lists of the Churches of the
County— Story of a Few Typical Churches Briefly Told. . 365
x CONTENTS
CHAPTER XXIX
BUTTER AND CHEESE MAKING
PAGE
Slow Growth of Dairying in Redwood County — Butter Made
in the Homes — Statistics — Establishment of Creameries —
Present Status 396
CHAPTER XXX
AGRICULTURE OF TODAY
Agricultural Conditions — Soil Survey — Modern Methods —
Climatic Conditions — Rotation of Crops — -Alfalfa — Live-
stock— Dairying— Work of the County Agent — Latest
Developments — Wild and Tame Grasses — Farm Names —
County Fairs 401
CHAPTER XXXI
THE BISHOP WHTPPLE MISSION
Mission Established at The Agency Before the Massacre —
Work of Bishop Whipple — The Massacre — Indians Return
— Modern Mission Established — Lace Making — Biog-
raphies 421
CHAPTER XXXII
MATERIAL RESOURCES
Springs— Mineral Paint — Water Power — Clay Products —
Gold— Gravel— Wells— Surface Wells— Cretaceous Wells—
Archaen Wells — Public Water Supplies — Farm Water
Supplies 432
CHAPTER XXXIH
PIONEER EXPERIENCES
McPhail, His Life, Times and Cabin— The Frederick Holt
Family — Marion Johnson's Experiences — James Aitken's
Reminiscences — John Mooer Killed — E. G. Pomroy's
Reminiscences — J. S. Johnson's Experiences— Early Days
Near Walnut Grove — Mrs. Roset A. Sehmahl — The Days
that Tried Men's Souls 442
CONTENTS xi
CHAPTER XXXIV
COURTS, CASES AND ATTORNEYS
PAGE
Territorial Courts — District Courts in Redwood County —
Judges — First Cases — The Bar — Murders — Civil Cases —
— Justice Courts — Municipal Court — Probate Courts —
Appealed Cases 465
CHAPTER XXXV
REDWOOD COUNTY VILLAGES
Population — Redwood Falls — Belview — Clements — Delhi —
Gilfillan— Lamberton — Lucan— Morgan — North Redwood
— Revere — Rowena — Sanborn — Seaforth — Vesta — Wa-
basso — Wayburne — Walnut Grove — Wanda — Abandoned
Villages 489
CHAPTER XXXVI
OLD SETTLERS ASSOCIATION
Early Settlers of the Southeastern Part of the County Form
Society — Interesting Meetings — List of Officers — Roll of
Members, Giving Place of Birth and Date of Arrival in
This County 560
CHAPTER XXXVII
THE REDWOOD HOLSTEIN FARM
Rise in Land Values and Change in Redwood County Agricul-
ture Encouraged by the Sears-Gold Activities — The Fa-
mous Holstein Herd Established — Methods and Results. . 563
CHAPTER XXXVIII
DHTICULTLES OVERCOME
Large Tracts of Land Not Open to Settlement — Rush to the
Dakotas — The Grasshopper Years — Blizzards and Storms
—Prairie Fires 566
CHAPTER XXXIX
BANKS AND BANKING
Beginning of Banking in Redwood County-— The Present
Banks — Organization — Growth — Officials — Financial
Statements 570
xii CONTENTS
CHAPTER XL
POSTAL SERVICE
PAGE
Early Stage Routes — Early Postal Service — The Story of the
Present Offices — Postmasters and Locations — Discontinued
Offices 584
CHAPTER XLI
THE PIONEER PERIOD
McPhail Settles at Redwood Falls— Story of the Stockade-
Names of First Land Owners — Names of Early Tax
Payers — Type of Settlers — Early Homes — Nationality —
Early Population — Land Office Opened — First Land Sale. 596
XLII
REDWOOD FALLS PARKS
Natural Conditions — Lake Redwood Park — Redwood Falls
Park — Alexander Ramsey State Park — Easy Access to
Parks — Indian Legend of the Origin of the Name 608
CHAPTER XLIII
MERCANTILE AND CIVIC IMPROVEMENT
Early Business Houses — Growth of the Mercantile Interests —
Shifting of the Business Center— Redwood Falls in 1880—
Redwood Falls Today 614
CHAPTER XLTV
REDWOOD FALLS CEMETERY
Early Burial Places — First Deaths — Present Cemetery Started
— Ladies Take Charge — Splendid Work of the Redwood
Falls Cemetery Association
CHAPTER XLV
MILITARY COMPANY
Militia Organized — Armory Erected — Officers — Call to Mexi-
can Service — Embark for the Border — Now in Texas —
of the Company 622
YELLOW MEDICINE CO.
=QL
STV'EC ES FORt
?T f%. ^
T
qgv
v KINVIM
[1 E LHlTN
^ c°
mkvaL.
ScXu
\
->r H^
X
-" "^j^ a
*(c
IS
r
s •>£
/
A,
^
. SHERIDO
N£%
-j
-
JN
DE
R»
0<-
' E
s
T
/ REWipi (ALL
s
3 /
0
N
£
H
£^
g
A,
^^X^~ t.;.
■s
V
,.,.
...
Jv
~^ X-
■_
s
a
*5»
L
"
G
A
"■
Ro :k VAiLl
NEW AVO Is
Th
R
:e
L
fS
r
,..,
t/E
s
N
.""
CAA-
%m,A&so
[_
1 o
\N
(""^-C^^tB'i
n
^
......
\ ^S_
~" ^V^
S
N
.A
V
i.
JO
Mr
Sc
NV
ILIJ.E V.
_y Y11-^0^ v*?
^
\
c
£
5
^
"V^A-'E \Bl
BY J^^*
J
IW,
MC
o
^
CF
o
VI
-L
- t
\
7~
5
-
.1
I
A
M
»ftj-
\ :
S
Pi
f FV|
-€
DA
LE
NOR
TH
f
EC O JL A'^kEi
a* cnA*c;srow
I
=*
*i
-
"T urngji
r-^S _
'■
s^imr ^
~ y ~^ " *^v
y
1
33 BH ^
MURRAY CO.
39
COTrONWOOO CO.
38 37 36 35 34
CHAPTER I.
GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS.
Redwood county is situated in the southwestern part of Min-
nesota, within the basin of the Minnesota river which is its
boundary on the northeast. Two tier of counties (forty -eight
miles) intervene between it and the Iowa line, due south, and two
tier of counties (forty -two miles) intervene between it and the
South Dakota line, due west.
The lines of the Congressional survey which bound Redwood
county are as follows : Beginning at a point on the Minnesota
where that river is crossed by the range line between ranges 33
and 34, following that range line, to the township line between
townships 109 and 110; thence running west on said township
line to the range line between ranges 35 and 36 ; thence south on
said range line to the township line between townships 108 and
109 ; thence west on said township line to the range line between
sections 39 and 40; thence north on said range line to the town-
ship line (the Third Standard Parallel) between townships 112
and 113; thence east on said township line to the range line
between ranges 37 and 38; thence north on said range line to
the Minnesota river. The boundary is completed by the diagonal
course of the Minnesota river.
The counties surrounding Redwood do not differ materially
from it in general physical conditions. Across the Minnesota
to the northward is Renville county. To the east and south lies
Brown county. Cottonwood county is to the south as is also
a part of Murray county. Westward lies Lyon county. Yellow
Medicine county lies to the north and west.
The area of Redwood county is about 893.83 square miles or
572,052.87 acres. Of this some 14,930.13 acres are covered with
Natural Drainage. The Minnesota river, at the north side, in
this region, receives two large tributaries: the Redwood (called
by the Sioux the Tchanshaypi) river, which flows east across
the north part of Redwood county and enters the Minnesota
about two miles northeast of Redwood Palls; and the Cotton-
wood (called by the Sioux the Waraju) river, which also runs
easterly, crossing southern Redwood county, and dividing Brown
county into nearly equal parts on its north and south sides, unit-
ing with the Minnesota about one and a half miles southeast of
New Ulm. While commonly called the Cottonwood and thus
1
2 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
designated in this book, it is also sometimes called the Big Cot-
tonwood, to distinguish it from the Little Cottonwood, which
rises in Jackson county, flows through Brown county, and joins
the Minnesota in the northwest corner of Blue Earth county.
The Minnesota river receives from Redwood county several
small creeks, from one to five miles in length, the longest being
Crow Creek, five miles east of Redwood Falls, and Wabashaw
creek, in Sherman, the most northeast township of Redwood
county.
The most important of the small creeks that empty into the
Redwood river in the county of this name is Ramsey creek, five
miles long, in the south part of Delhi, the outlet of Ramsey lake.
Its junction with the Redwood is about a half mile north of Red-
wood Falls.
Numerous creeks of considerable size join the Cottonwood
river from the south in southern Redwood county, including
Plum creek, which flows by Walnut Grove; Pell creek, in the
west part of Lamberton; Dutch Charley's creek, which flows
within a mile south of Lamberton, after receiving Highwater
creek, a large tributary, unites with the Cottonwood about two
miles east of this station ; and Dry creek, which joins this river
in the southeast corner of Charlestown. Through this distance
of twenty-five miles, the Cottonwood river has no affluent from
the north. Sleepy Eye creek, the largest branch of the Cotton-
wood, joins it from the north, but not in this county. It flows
through the south central part of Redwood county, and unites
with the Cottonwood in the eastern part of Leavenworth town-
ship in Brown county.
Lakes. Redwood county has frequent small bodies of water,
and also sloughs, or marshy tracts, many of which are covered
by water during the wet portions of the year. In Redwood
county the most notable lakes are Ramsey lake, one mile long
from east to west, in Delhi ; Goose and Swan lakes, at the north-
west side of Underwood township, each about a mile long; two
lakes, three-quarters and a half a mile in length, in Kintire
Horseshoe lake, curved, more than a mile long, in Westline
Hall lake, a mile in length from northwest to southeast, in Gales
Willow and Rush lakes, each a half mile or more in length, in
Willow Lake township; the Three Lakes, which give this name
to the township in which they are situated ; and Hackberry lake,
three-fourths of a mile long, in the north part of Brookville.
Lake Redwood at Redwood Falls is an artificial lake, the water
being held back by a dam.
Surface. Most of Redwood county consists of a plain that
rises imperceptibly southwestward. This plain is intermediate
in altitude between the valley of the Minnesota river, on the
northeast, and the Corteau des Prairies on the southwest. With
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 3
reference to the Minnesota valley, which is 150 to 200 feet deep,
it constitutes a plateau, but in relation to the Corteau which lies
500 feet higher, it is a lowland tract. The ascent to the Corteau
begins in the southwestern extremity of the county, where the
upward grade is greatly augmented.
The county has almost universally a smooth, gently or moder-
ately undulating surface of unmodified glacial drift or till. Some
portions are nearly flat, and the whole county has this appearance
when overlooked in any broad, far-reaching view; but mostly
the contour is in broad swells of various extent, height and
direction, generally without any uniformity in trend and some-
times oval or nearly round. Between these swells and in many
low places are swamps and set lands. This condition is however
being eliminated by tiling and ditching.
The Minnesota river flows through a valley from a few rods
to a mile and a half in width, rising somewhat abruptly to the
rich swelling country some 150 to 200 feet higher. In the
valley are many farms admirably adapted to stock raising. The
bluffs between the lowland and the general level of the county
are for the most part heavily wooded.
Redwood and Cottonwood rivers, flowing eastward across the
county, occupy rather shallow valleys until they approach the
Minnesota, into which they discharge, they descend into deep
and picturesque gorges. This is especially true of the Redwood
river which cascades over granite ledges at Redwood Palls. Until
the principal streams have cut their valleys down to accord with
the Minnesota river, most of the county will have insufficient
natural relief for an adequate drainage, though this deficiency
as already noted is being supplied by an elaborate system of
ditching and tiling. Near the southwestern part of the county,
however, where the descent from the Corteau is relatively steep,
many ravines have been cut, some of which extend down to
the ground-water level and have permanent streams fed by
springs. That is why so many of the affluents of the Cottonwood
river come from the south.
Soil. The soil is a rich black loam, from two to four feet
deep, with "a clay subsoil. The only light soil is on the tops of
the bluffs. The soil is most admirably adapted to the production
of all the common cereals, garden vegetables and small fruits
of this latitude.
Natural Resources. Redwood county being an agricultural
county its greatest resources consist of its soil, climate and drain-
age. It has some natural timber, but the timber for the most
part has been planted and cultivated. There is a plentiful water
supply in wells and springs, and many excellent waterpowers.
The clay of the county in times past has been utilized for brick.
The gravel of the county is used for roads and for cement tiles
4 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
and bricks. Mineral paint has also been produced, and quarry-
ing is conducted to a minor extent. Boulders are used for foun-
dations and fences. Coal explorations have produced little re-
sults. The soil, location, climate, contour, drainage, water sup-
ply, and waterpowers are the only natural features which have
exerted any important economic influence on the development
of the county. For a time a gold mine was exploited and an
extensive plant erected but without producing gold in paying
quantities. "Soapstone" has also been secured near Redwood
Falls.
Railroads. Railroad service is provided Redwood by one
division of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad Co. and by four
divisions of the Chicago & North Western Railway Co. The
Watertown division of the Minneapolis & St. Louis was built
across the northern part of the county in 1884. The Winona-
Tracy branch of the Winona & St. Peter, now a part of the
North Western system, was built through the southern part of
the county in 1872. The Sleepy Eye-Redwood Falls division was
built to Redwood Falls in 1878. The Sanborn-Vesta division was
built between those points in 1899. The Evan-Marshall branch
was built through the central part of the county in 1902.
Trading Centers. The majority of the people of Redwood
county do their trading within the limits of the county. Spring-
field, Tracy, Morton. Cottonwood, Echo. Marshall and possibly
Wood Lake are trading points for people in this county. Lam-
berton and Sanborn get quite a little trade from outside the
county, and some from outside the county also comes to Walnut
Grove, Revere, Morgan, Milroy, Vesta, Belview, Delhi and North
Redwood. Redwood Falls also receives a considerable portion
of its trade from the people of Renville county. The catalogue
houses do a good business in this county, but somewhat less than
is usual in the average Minnesota rural community. Especially
in the Redwood Falls vicinity, the excellent service and numerous
sales given by the stores keeps the business at home. The im-
portant trading centers within the county are Redwood Falls,
Lamberton, Morgan, Walnut Grove, Revere, Sanborn, Wanda,
Wabasso, Lucan, Milroy, Seaforth, Vesta, Clements, Belview,
Delhi and North Redwood. Shipping facilities are also provided
at Rowena, Wayburne and Gilfillan.
Occupations. The county is entirely an agricultural one.
Aside from a small quarry and a few marble dressing establish-
ments, and a few cement block plants, the people are all en-
gaged in tilling the land and raising stock, except in the vil-
lages, and in the villages the people are dependent entirely on
the rural population for support.
Population. The population of Redwood county in 1900, was
18,425. In 1870, it was 1,829, but this is not a basis of compari-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 5
son, as the county then extended to the state line. In 1875 the
population was 2,982 ; in 1880 it was 5,375 ; in 1885 it was 6,488 ;
in 1890 it was 9,386 ; in 1895 it was 13,533 ; in 1900 it was 17,261 ;
in 1905 it was 19,034, and in 1910 it decreased to 18,425.
Nationality. The German nationality predominates, with the
Danish and the Norwegians as the next in numbers. The latest
official returns are for 1910. There are eleven negroes, of whom
five are black and six mulatto. There are 167 Indians. There
are 5,361 native whites of native parentage. There are 9,428 of
foreign and mixed parentage, of whom 5,981 are of foreign par-
entage and 3,448 of mixed parentage. The foreign born whites
number 3,457, or nearly nineteen per cent of the total population.
The foreign born whites are divided as follows. Germany, 1,527 ;
Denmark, 458 ; Norway, 449 ; Sweden, 268 ; Austria, 247 ; Canada
(not French, mostly Scotch), 184; England, 85; Ireland, 62;
Switzerland, 59; Scotland, 57; Russia, 21; Belgium, 13; Canada
(French), 7; Holland, 2; other foreign countries, 14. The native
whites with both parents born in the respective countries men-
tioned are : Germany, 3,029 ; Norway, 694 ; Denmark, 577 ; Aus-
tria, 363; Sweden, 307; Ireland, 178; Canada (not French), 118;
England, 72; Scotland, 63; Switzerland, 62; Canada (French),
20; Russia, 14; France, 9; "Wales, 7; Holland, 1; Hungary, 1;
all others of foreign parentage (both parents born in countries
other than above, and parents of foreign birth but of different
countries), 466.
Townships. The townships of Redwood county are : Swedes
Forest township 114, range 37 (fractional) ; Kintire, 113, 37 ;
Delhi, 113, 36 (fractional, and 114, 36 fractional) ; Honner, 113, 35
(fractional), 113, 34 (fractional); Underwood, 112, 39; Vesta,
112, 38 ; Sheridan, 112, 37 ; Redwood Falls, 112, 36 ; Paxton, 112,
35; Sherman, 112, 34 (fractional); Westline, 111, 39; Granite
Rock, 111, 38; Vail, 111, 37; New Avon, 111, 36; Three Lakes,
111, 35; Morgan, 111, 34; Gales, 110, 39; Johnsonville, 110, 38;
Waterbury, 110, 37; Willow Lake, 110, 36; Sundown, 110, 35;
Brookville, 110, 34; Springdale, 109, 39; North Hero, 109, 38;
Lamberton, 109, 37; Charlestown, 109, 36.
Original Surveys. Brookville, Morgan, Sherman, Sundown,
Three Lakes, Paxton, Honner, Charlestown, Willow Lake, New
Avon, Redwood Falls and Delhi were surveyed by government
officials in 1858. North Hero, Johnsonville, Vesta, Granite Rock,
Lamberton, Waterbury and Vail were surveyed in 1859. Sheri-
dan and Kintire were surveyed in 1864. Swedes Forest was sur-
veyed in 1866. Springdale, Gales, Westline and Underwood were
surveyed in 1867.
Original Timber. With the elimination of the prairie fires,
the river courses have become quite heavily wooded, while groves
have been planted on nearly every quarter section. Originally
6 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
the valley of the Minnesota was timbered, as well as the valleys
of the Minnesota and the Cottonwood. These trees on the Red-
wood and Cottonwood gradually diminished as their sources were
approached. The survey of 1858 found Charlestown plentifully
supplied with timber, but further up the Cottonwood there were
only isolated groups of trees with the exception of the walnut
grove in Springdale.
Education. The number of school houses in use in Redwood
county in 1915 and 1916 was 116, with 110 districts. There are
four consolidated schools, in the villages of "Wanda, Lamberton,
Redwood Falls, Walnut Grove. Delhi has voted to be a consoli-
dated school after Sept., 1917. School districts No. 91 and No.
41 consolidated with No. 31, now known as consolidated district
No. 31 in the village of Lamberton; school district No. 93 con-
solidated with No. 30, now known as consolidated district No. 30
in the village of Wanda. There are seven state graded schools,
and two state high schools, the latter in Redwood Falls and
Lamberton. The state graded schools are in Belview, Wabasso,
Morgan, Sanborn, Walnut Grove, Delhi, and Wanda. School
districts No. 109 in Morgan township, and No. 64 in Waterbury
township, receive no state aid. Of the graded schools all except
Wabasso, Delhi and Wanda do four years of high school work;
Wanda and Wabasso do two years of high school work. The
Lamberton and Redwood Falls schools have several special de-
partments, including manual training, domestic art, domestic sci-
ence, agricultural and commercial work. Walnut Grove, Wanda,
Morgan and Belview do manual training work. Walnut Grove
and Morgan do domestic science and agriculture. There were
enrolled in the graded and high schools for 1915 and 1916, 2,313
pupils. There are 13 semi-graded schools in the county which
means schools employing from 2 to 4 teachers. These are lo-
cated in Clements, Revere, Milroy, Vesta, Seaforth, Lucan, dis-
trict No. 7, New Avon township; district No. 19, North Hero
township; district No. 27, Sundown township; district No. 49,
Brookville township; district No. 67, Willow Lake township;
district No. 70, Sheridan township, and district No. 78, Water-
bury township. District No. 73, known as the Gilfillan school,
will be a semi-graded school after Sept., 1917. There are 80
class A, one room rural schools and 10 class B one room rural
schools. Four districts have seven months of school; none have
less; all the rest have either eight or nine months. In the rural
and semi-graded schools there were for 1915-1916, 3,239 pupils
enrolled, making a total enrollment for that year of 5,552 pupils
in the schools of the county. One hundred ninety-eight teachers
were employed. The average wages for all the schools in the
county, paid for men teachers was $88.75; for women, $60.09.
The average number of days each pupil attended was 126.9.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 7
All districts loan the text books free. We find improved heat-
ing and ventilating systems in every school building, except two.
The highest price paid for rural school teachers in 1916 was $70
(in four schools), and the lowest price paid was $45 (in one
school) ; the rest ranging from $50 to $65. There were 76 teach-
ers, rural and semi-graded, in 1916, who were graduates of the
Normal training department in high schools; there were seven
State Normal school graduates of the advanced course, and one
college graduate.
References. Vol. I, "The Geological and Natural History
Survey of Minnesota," 1872-1882.
Reports of the State and Federal Census, 1870-1910.
"Atlas of Redwood County," Webb Publishing Co., St. Paul,
1914.
CHAPTER II.
ERAS AND PERIODS.
For purposes of consistent study, the story of Redwood county
has been divided into eras and periods.
I — Geologic Eras. During these Eras the world was made
fit for human habitation. The study of this subject lies in
the realm of the trained geologist, and will not be considered at
length in this work. For the purposes of this history, however,
it is necessary to study the effect that the physical conditions
have had on the occupation of this region by man, the changes
that mankind has wrought in the physical conditions of the
county and the influence that the physical conditions of the
county have had upon mankind. It must be borne in mind that
the Geologic Eras have not passed, and that mankind is merely
living in the latest, not the last of these Eras.
II — Prehistoric Era. During the Prehistoric Era, mankind
in some form took up his habitation in Redwood county. Possi-
bly this occupation took place in Interglacial times. There have
been discovered no evidences of Interglacial man in Redwood
county. The only pre-historic evidences left in the county are
the mounds constructed by the Mound Builders, so-called. These
Mound Builders are believed to have been the ancestors of the
present day Indians, and differing from them in no important
aspects.
m — Indian Era. The Indian Era is divided into four periods :
(a) The Period of the Explorers; (b) The Period of the Agency;
(c) The Period of the Massacre ; (d) The Post-Massacre and Mis-
sion Period.
The Period of the Explorers. The testimony as to what
8 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Indians were living in Redwood county when the white explorers
came to this region is somewhat vague, and the subject worthy of
extended study far beyond the limits of this publication. In
1834, Pond describes the Minnesota river above Shakopee as
Wapeton country. However, the Sissetons and Yanktons were
not far to the westward, and the Sisseton country was not far
to the southward, while Sleepy Eye's band of the Sissetons, ap-
pear, for a time at least, to have ranged the region of the Cot-
tonwood, and even to have located at the mouth of the Little
Rock, in Nicollet county. Le Sueur, in 1700, reached the present
site of Mankato. Carver, in 1766 camped not far from the pres-
ent site of New Ulm, and possibly visited Redwood county. Pol-
lowing him came a long list of explorers, trappers, fur traders,
and missionaries. This period closed with the signing of the
Indian treaties of 1851. During the period of the explorers the
national and territorial sovereignty of Redwood county under-
went many changes.
The Period of the Agency. In 1853, Ft. Ridgely was started,
and in 1854 the Lower Sioux Agency, in what is now Sherman
township, Redwood county was established. The various Sioux
Indian tribes designated as the "Lower Tribes," settled about
the Agency. There they lived in more or less discontent until
the massacre. Many became reconciled, in a degree, to the ways
of the white men, moved into log or brick houses erected by the
government, and started farming under the supervision of the
government farmers. The establishment of the Agency had an
important economic influence on the future of Redwood county;
it kept the county from being settled before the massacre; it
caused a sawmill to be built in 1855 at Redwood Falls, which was
restored by the settlers in 1865 and used to finish lumber for
many of the pioneer homes; it caused the military road to be
built from Ft. Ridgely, via the Lower Agency to the Upper
Agency, thus providing a route of travel for the pioneers who
came after the massacre; it caused a considerable acreage of
land to be broken, thus providing many of the pioneers after the
massacre with wheat fields the first year they came, and it pro-
vided many of the pioneers, after the massacre, with homes of
brick and logs which the Indians had abandoned. Then too,
the setting aside of the land as an Indian reservation kept it
from entry by the pioneers under the homestead law, even after
the Indians had departed. It was placed on sale at an appraised
price in 1867, fell into the hands of speculators, and greatly re-
tarded the growth of the county. In Redwood county this reser-
vation embraced a strip ten miles wide, following the course of
the Minnesota.
The Period of the Massacre. The Sioux Indians, suffering
under the memory of many wrongs, arose on Aug. 18, 1862,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 9
slaughtered the whites at the Lower Agency, and spread their
devastation up and down the Minnesota. During the campaign
which followed, military headquarters for the punitive expedi-
tion was established at Camp Pope, not far from the present vil-
lage of North Redwood. For the next two years, Redwood
county was deserted, except for the soldiers, scouts and trappers.
Period of the Mission. The Mission period overlaps the Agri-
cultural Era. In Paxton township, just above the hill from Mor-
ton, is a group of buildings, consisting of an Indian church and
school, and here, in the center of a small Indian community, the
descendants of the "Friendly Indians" of the massacre days,
are given educational, religious and vocational instruction.
IV — The Agricultural Era. The Agricultural Era marks the
time from 1864 to the present day, the era of white occupancy.
This era may be divided into four periods: (a) The Pioneer
Period, 1864-1872; (b) The Grasshopper Period, 1873-1877; (c)
The Period of Rapid Growth, 1878-1905; and (d) The Modern
Period, 1906-1916.
The Pioneer Period. Col. Sam. McPhail, an Indian fighter,
erected a stockade at Redwood Falls in 1864, and attracted by
the waterpower, fixed upon that location as the site of a village.
A few families lived in the stockade that winter, and one fam-
ily lived on the shores of Tiger lake. With the spring of 1865
settlers began to spread out along the Redwood and up and
down the Minnesota. Not long afterward a settlement was made
in the walnut grove, not far from the present village of that
name, and along Dutch Charley creek in Lamberton and Charles-
town. Gradually the settlers scattered southward on the prairie
from Redwood Falls. However, the reservation was not subject
to homestead entry, and vast tracts in the central part of the
county were railroad, school and internal improvement lands,
and were likewise not subject to entry. Thus the settlements of
the county formed a shell, with unoccupied land in the center
for many years. Times, however, with the exception of the year
1867, when the long cold winter, and the wet late spring caused
much suffering, were prosperous until 1873. The Pioneer Period
may therefore be considered as extending from 1864 to 1872. In
1872 the railroad was built through the southern part of the
county.
The Grasshopper Period. In 1873 the crops were ravaged
by the grasshoppers who continued their devastations until 1877.
Redwood Falls was incorporated during this period, and stores
established at Lamberton and Walnut Grove.
The Period of Rapid Growth. In 1878 the railroad came to
Redwood Falls, and in 1884 one was built through the northern
part of the county. Gradually farmers came in, and settled up
the county, the population increased rapidly, more railroads were
10 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
built in 1899 and 1902, modern inventions took the place of the
crude appliances of pioneer days, and the county became one
of the leading agricultural regions of the state. During this
period the other villages of the county were established.
The Modern Period. The modern period begins with 1906, in
which year modern ditching and tiling was extensively in-
augurated, preliminary work having been done in 1905. This
period, inaugurated by the wet years which caused a severe set-
back to the county, has been characterized by the automobile
which has made communication easier and quicker, by the ditch-
ing which has drained the land to some extent, and by the mak-
ing of state roads which now net-work the county in all direc-
tions. It has also been characterized by the rapid rise in land
values, and by the incoming of many intelligent farmers from
Iowa and Illinois.
CHAPTER III.
PHYSICAL FEATURES.
Geologic Eras. During the Geologic Eras, in one of which we
are still living, the earth has assumed its present physical aspect.
The study of these successive changes, except those which have
been brought about by the occupation of modern man, and those
which are still taking place and may thus exert an influence on
the economic life of mankind, is beyond the scope of this work.
A consideration of the physical characteristics and geologic phe-
nomena observed in this county is, however, appropriate.
Topography. The surface of the county is, with the excep-
tions of the valleys of the streams, a series of broad swells. The
highest portions of the adjoining undulations vary from a few*
rods to a half mile or more apart; and their elevation is some-
times 5 to 15 feet, and again 20 to 30 feet, or rarely more, above
the depressions, to which the descent is usually by very gentle
slopes. These hollows have a form that is like that of the swells
inverted, being mostly wide, and either in long and often crooked
courses of unequal length, variously branched and connected one
with another, or in basins from one to one hundred acres or
more in extent, which have no outlet but are surrounded by land
5 feet or perhaps 10, 20 or 30 feet higher upon all sides. The
small swamps, which often fill the depressions, are called sloughs
or marshes, the former name being the most common in this
prairie region, while the latter is applied to them in wooded parts
of the state.
HISTORY OP EEDWOOD COUNTY 11
Many others of these depressions contain bodies of water,
which vary from a few rods or a hundred feet to five or ten
miles in length. All these are called lakes, and the term pond,
which would be applied to them in the northeastern United
States, is here restricted to reservoirs made by dams. The lakes
of this and surrounding counties usually lie in shallow basins,
bounded by gently ascending shores, which, however, are here
and there steep to the height of 10 to 15, and rarely 20 to 25
feet. These higher banks are mostly at projecting points of the
shore, and they have been formed by the undermining action of
the waves. The foot of such banks is plentifully strewn with
boulders that had been contained in the till, all the fine parts of
which have been thus washed away. Other parts of the lake
shore, adjoining tracts of lowland or marsh, are frequently bor-
dered by a flattened ridge of gravel and sand, often with inter-
mixed boulders, heaped up by the action of ice in winters, in
its ordinary freezing, thawing, and drifting, when broken up,
before the wind. These ice-formed lake-ridges rise only from
three to six feet above the line of high water of the lake, and
are from two or three to five or six rods wide. They occur most
frequently in situations where they separate the lake from a
bordering marsh, whose area evidently was at first a part of the
lake.
The most notable features of the topography of this region
are the valleys or channels that have been 'eroded in its broadly
smoothed and approximately flat expanse by creeks and rivers.
The smaller streams generally flow 15 to 30 feet below the gen-
eral level, with valleys from a few rods to a quarter of a mile
wide. The valley of the Redwood river is of small depth, 25 to
50 feet, along its course above Redwood Falls. At and below
this town, within a distance of one mile, this river descends a
hundred feet in a succession of picturesque cascades and rapids,
over granite and gneiss, decomposing portions of which form
towering cliffs, 100 to 150 feet high, on each side, from an eighth
to a quarter of a mile apart. This gorge, extending one and a
half miles before it opens into the broader bottomland of the
Minnesota river, is quite unique in its grand and beautiful scen-
ery, with dense woods along its bottom through which the river
flows, but crowned above by the verge of prairies whose vast
expanse, slightly undulating but almost level in this extensive
view, stretches away farther than the eye can reach.
In Redwood county the Cottonwood river lies in a depression
from a third to a half of a mile wide, composed of level alluvial
bottomland, 40 feet below the average surface.
The valley of the Minnesota river on the north side of this
and Brown county is from 165 to 180, and in some portions 200
feet deep, having a bottom land of alluvium 5 to 20 feet above
12 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
low water and from three-fourths of a mile to one and a half
miles wide, bordered by steep bluffs which rise to the general
level of the country. Within this valley at numerous places are
jutting knobs and small ridges of gneiss and granite, exposures
of Cretaceous strata, and terraces of modified drift, which are
described farther on in treating of geological structure. From
the top of the bluffs the vast prairie stretches away beyond the
horizon, having a smoothly undulating surface of till, which ap-
pears to be in general approximately level, though a considerable
ascent, varying in amount from 75 to 150 feet, is made imper-
ceptibly in a distance of twenty to twenty-five miles southwest-
ward across these counties.
Here and there this sheet of unmodified glacial drift or boul-
der-clay, the direct deposit of the ice-sheet, is sprinkled with
knolls, small and short ridges, or mounds, of gravel and sand,
which rise sometimes by steep, but again by moderate or gentle
slopes, 10 to 15 or 20 feet above the general level. The distribu-
tion and origin of these kame-like deposits of modified drift are
more fully noticed on a following page.
In the southwest corner of Redwood county, its even con-
tour, which to this distance from the Minnesota river may be
called in general a vast plain, is changed; and a gradual rise
of 200 or 300 feet takes place within a distance of a few miles,
along a massive terrace which extends from northwest to south-
east and east-southeast. This line of highland forms the north-
eastern border and first prominent ascent of the Coteau des
Prairies, which farther west rises gradually and at length steeply
again, to the much higher watershed between the Mississippi and
Missouri rivers. In southwestern Redwood county a gradual
rise begins a few miles south from the Cottonwood river, and in
six or eight miles southwestward to the corner of this county
amounts to about 250 feet, beyond which a slower rate of ascent
continues in the same direction to the belt of swelling and some-
what hilly till at the northeast side of lakes Shetek and Sarah,
in Murray county. On the Northwestern railroad, which makes
this rise obliquely running from east to west, the ascent from
Lamberton to Walnut Grove, in ten miles, is 79 feet; and in its
next eight miles, to Tracy, is 180 feet.
Elevations. In the early eighties, John E. Blunt, engineer,
of Winona, prepared a list of the elevations along the line of the
Chicago, Northwestern Railway in this region, selections from
which are here given, the miles indicated being the distance from
Winona, and the feet given being the elevation above the sea
level.
' Minnesota river, bridge (near New Ulm) 162.50 miles, 821
feet. Minnesota river, high water (near New Ulm) 162.50 miles,
807 feet. New Ulm, 165.31 miles, 837 feet. Siding, 169.00 miles,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 13
990 feet. Sleepy Eye, 179.72 miles, 1,034 feet. Redwood Palls,
205.00 miles, 1,028 feet. Springfield, 193.18 miles, 1,025 feet. San-
born, 201.56 miles, 1,089 feet. Lamberton, 208.77 miles, 1,144
feet. Walnut Grove, 218.98 miles, 1,223 feet.
The elevation of the Minnesota river along the north side in
this region at its ordinary stage of water, 20 to 25 feet below
its high floods, is approximately as follows: At the northwest
corner of Redwood county, 845 feet above the sea ; below Patter-
son's rapids, at the east side of Swede's Forest, 820 feet; at the
mouth of the Redwood river, 810 feet ; at the line between Brown
and Redwood counties, 789 feet; at Ft. Ridgely, 793 feet; at
New Ulm, 784 feet; at the mouth of the Big Cottonwood river,
782 feet.
The Redwood river enters Redwood county at a height of
nearly 1,100 feet above the sea, and its descent in twenty-four
miles to Redwood Falls is some 150 feet. Thence to its mouth,
in three miles, it falls about 140 feet, the greater part of this de-
scent being in less than a half mile at Redwood Falls.
At the west line of Redwood county the Cottonwood river
is about 1,120 feet above the sea, and it leaves this county and
enters Brown county at an elevation of about 1,030 feet. Its
height at Iberia is estimated to be 900 feet, and at its mouth, as
already stated, approximately 782 feet.
The highest land of Redwood county is the southwest part
of Springdale, its most southwestern township, about 1,400 feet
above the sea, being some 300 feet above the Cottonwood river,
ten miles distance to the north, and about 600 feet above the
lowest land of this county, the shore of the Minnesota river at
its northeast corner. Estimates of the mean elevation of its
townships are as follows: Sherman, 990 feet; Morgan, 1,030;
Brookville, 1,040; Honner, 900; Paxton, 1,025; Three Lakes,
1,060 ; Sundown, 1,070 ; Delhi, 1,000 ; Redwood Falls, 1,050 ; New
Avon, 1,080; Willow Lake, 1,100; Charlestown, 1,120; Swede's
Forest, 940; Kintire, 1,050; Sheridan, 1,070; Vail, 1,100; Water-
bury, 1,125; Lamberton, 1,140; Vesta, 1,080; Granite Rock, 1,120;
Johnsonville, 1,125 ; North Hero, 1,175 ; Underwood, 1,120 ; West-
line, 1,150; Gales, 1,175; Springdale, 1,275. The mean elevation
of Redwood county, derived from these figures, is 1,090 feet
above the sea.
Soil. The black soil, everywhere from one to two feet thick,
and often reaching to a depth of three or four feet in the depres-
sions, forms the surface, being glacial drift or till, colored by a
small proportion of humic acid derived from the decaying vege-
tation. This drift is principally clay, with which is an inter-
mixture of sand and gravel, with occasional but not frequent
boulders. The composition of this clay makes it quite unfit for
brick-making, but gives it a porous character, so that rain and
14 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
the water from snow melting are, to a certain extent, absorbed
by it, excepting the large part which is drained away by the
gentle slopes and the numerous water-courses, and some which
stands in the swamps and lowlands. Below the soil cellars and
wells find a continuation of this till, yellow in color and com-
monly soft enough to be dug with a spade, to a depth of ten to
twenty feet or sometimes more, and then dark bluish and usually
harder to a great depth beyond, which is seldom passed through.
The valley of the Minnesota river, 160 to 200 feet deep, has
cut through this mantle of till. Along this valley, and in the last
two miles of the Redwood valley before it joins the Minnesota,
irregular knobs and ridges of gneiss and granite are exposed
to view; and in some places these occupy nearly the whole width
between the bluffs of the Minnesota river. Generally, however,
the bottomland of the Minnesota river, as also of its large tribu-
taries, are flat tracts of very fertile fine alluvium, or interbedded
sand and gravel, covered by a rich soil of fine silt. These bot-
toms, which would be called intervals in New England, are ele-
vated five to fifteen feet above the streams, being thus mostly
within the reach of their highest floods in spring, but are very
rarely overflowed during the season of growing crops.
Redwood county was originally mainly prairie or natural
grass land, without tree or shrub, consisting of a continuous
green sweep, often reaching in gentle undulations and swells,
five to twenty feet high, as far as the view extended.
Timber. A nearly continuous though often very narrow strip
of timber is found immediately bordering the Minnesota river
through almost its entire course ; but generally much of the bot-
tomland is treeless. The bluffs on the northeast side of the Min-
nesota have, for the most part, only thin and scanty groves. The
southwestern bluffs are, for the most part, heavily wooded. The
greater abundance of timber on the southern bluffs of this and
other rivers in this region appears to be due to their being less
exposed to the sun, and therefore more moist than the bluffs on
the opposite side.
Along the Redwood river, and the Cottonwood river through
Redwood county and in western Brown county, and along the
upper part of the Little Cottonwood river, the width of wood-
land, excepting occasional interruptions, usually varies from a
few rods to an eighth of a mile ; but along the last twenty miles
of the. Cottonwod river and the last eight miles of the Little
Cottonwood, the timber generally fills their valleys, from a fourth
of a mile to one mile wide.
The lakes of Redwood county and of western Brown county
have only narrow margins of timber.
The farm groves which are now so conspicuous a feature of
the Redwood county landscape, have all been planted.
HISTORY OF .REDWOOD COUNTY 15
In northwestern Redwood county, Malcom McNiven has
enumerated the following species of trees and shrubs occurring
at Swan Lake, on the west line of Underwood : white elm, white
ash, box-elder, cottonwood, wild plum, willows, Virginia creeper,
climbing bitter-sweet, frost grape, prickly ash, choke-cherry,
black currant, and prickly and smooth wild gooseberries, and
wild rose, less frequent. Species not found at Swan Lake, but
common or frequently on the Redwood river, are bass, red or
slippery elm, iron-wood and sugar maple. Red cedars grow on
the cliffs of this river at Redwood Falls, and from them has arisen
one of the traditions of the name of this river and thence of
the county.
The Cottonwood river is said to have its name, which also
has been given to a county, from a very large, lone cottonwood,
beside this stream, in the south part of Redwood county, about
seven miles northwest of Lamberton ; but thjis tree has also a
luxuriant growth throughout the timbered bottomlands of this
river.
The northern limit of the black walnut appears to be at the
Walnut Grove, of about a hundred acres, from which comes the
name of the neighboring station and village on the railroad, the
grove itself being on Plum creek in sections 25 and 36, Spring-
dale, close to the south line of Redwood county, and one to two
miles southwest from Walnut Grove village.
Geological Structure. The foundation of Brown and Redwood
counties, northwest from New Ulm, consists of metamorphic
gneiss and granite, belonging to the great series denominated
Eozoic or Archaean, which embraces the most ancient rocks
known to geology. This is overlain by various shales, sandstones,
limestones and clays, the latter sometimes holding beds of lig-
nite, which are regarded together as of Cretaceous age. Creta-
teous strata, including lignite, outcrop in the bluffs of the Red-
wood river close north of Redwood Falls; in the bluffs of Fort
Creek near Fort Ridgely, in the west extremity of Nicollet county
and close to the Minnesota valley, about sixteen miles below the
last, and on the Cottonwod river in western Brown county.
Fossiliferous and sometimes lignitic clays of Cretaceous age
are occasionally encountered in the wells through this region,
especially at Walnut Grove and northward in western Redwood
county, and in Lyon county, adjoining this on the west. The
sheet of drift which forms the surface is thus often separated
by unconsolidated Cretaceous beds from the underlying floor of
crystalline rocks. Within the area here reported this gneissie
and granitic floor outcrops, away from the valley of the Minne-
sota river and Redwood, at only one or two points, which are
in Granite Rock township. These formations will be described
in the order of their age, beginning with the oldest.
16 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Gneiss and Granite. These rocks have the same composition,
being made up of quartz, feldspar and mica. Gneiss differs from
granite in having these minerals laminated, or arranged more
or less distinctly in layers. Nearly all of the metamorphic rocks
to be described here are varieties of gneiss, with which masses
of granite, syenite and mica and hornblendeschists occur rarely.
In the N. E. % of Section 12, Granite Rock, an exposure
of rock extends ten rods in length, from northwest to south-
east, with half as great a width, rising five to ten feet above
the surface of the undulating prairie. It is light grain gneiss,
much contorted, with its strike and dip obscure ; intersected
by few joints, which in some portions are absent across an
extent of three or four rods, enclosing in the southeast two
or three masses of nearly black mica schist, each two or three
feet long.
About five miles further west, in N. E. 14 of the S. E. %
of section 6, in the same township, is said to have an exposure
of the same rock about three rods in extent, with a larger
space around it where the rock lies only a few feet beneath the
surface.
The depth of these rocks in this region is generally from 100
to 200 feet or more, so that they are not reached by wells nor
by the channels of most of the rivers. Their only other outcrops
in Redwood and Brown counties are within the Minnesota valley
and are in the gorge of the Redwood river at and below Red-
wood Falls.
, The Minnesota valley, in the northwest corner of Swedes
Forest and in the edge of Yellow Medicine county, contains
abundant ledges for two miles, reaching 40 to 75 feet above the
river. A lone school house is situated among them, about a
mile east of the county line. Half a mile west from this school
house the rock is reddish gray gneiss, dipping 15 N. N. W. A
third of a mile west from this school house are massive granite
cliffs, probably rising 75 feet above the river, divided by joints
into nearly square blocks ten to fifteen feet in dimension. An
eighth of a mile east from the last it is obscurely laminated
gneiss, much intersected by joints, the principal system of which
dips 15 S. At the east side of the school house it is also gneiss,
somewhat water-worn, dipping about 5 S.
Within the next few miles following down the river, similar
ledges are seen on its northeast side, in the N. E. ^4 of section
16, in Sacred Heart, Renville county, rising about 50 feet above
the river; in the southeast part of section 17, Swedes Forest,
rising at several points 25 to 40 feet ; at south side of Big Spring
creek, in section 20 and the west edge of section 21, Swedes
Forest, about 50 feet above the river, and near the north line
of section 27, small in area and only about 20 feet high.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 17
From the small creek a mile farther east in section 26,
Swedes Forest, ledges of gneiss and granite abound in this valley-
through a distance of twelve miles, to the mouth of Redwood
river and Beaver creek. They often quite fill the bottomland,
occurring on each side of the river and rising from 50 to 125
feet above it. Between Redwood river and Beaver creek fre-
quent small ledges rise along the bottom of the Minnesota valley,
in knobs 40 to 60 feet above the river, but yet leave much open
tillable land. Between Beaver and Birch Cooley creeks out-
crops are mainly on the north side of the river, rising 100 feet
in their highest portions. Below the mouth of Birch Cooley they
are mostly on the south side, occurring in great abundance for
two miles above and three miles below the mouth of Wabashaw
creek. The highest of these are a mile above this creek, rising
75 to 125 or perhaps 140 feet above the river.
It will be remembered that the bluffs along this part of the
valley are about 175 feet high, so that none of these ledges were
visible until the surface of the drift-sheet had been considerably
channeled.
On the Redwood river where it enters the Minnesota valley,
one and a half miles northeast of Redwood Falls, the rock is
greenish, being apparently a "talcose quartzite," or protogine
gneiss, dipping 25 S. E. It forms cliffs 50 to 75 feet high, which
are continuous on the west side of the river a quarter of a mile
more. The picturesque gorge of the Redwood river at and below
Redwood Falls is principally cut through a similar gneiss, partly
decomposed, and sometimes almost completely kaolinized, over-
lain by Cretaceous strata, which in turn are capped with glacial
drift. The largest cascade, having a fall of about 25 feet, is
over a ledge of this protogine gneiss, much contorted and jointed,
often obscure in its lamination.
The dip of the principal system of joints, which appears to
coincide nearly with the lamination, is 20 to 30 N. At a cut
which has been made through the rock two rods east of this cas-
cade, it contains a nearly vertical trap dike, seen along an extent
of some thirty or forty feet, bearing N. 40 E., about two feet
wide, composed of dark greenish, compact rock, which weathers
to a reddish color, much joined in planes parallel with its walls.
Ten feet above the bottom of this cut, and higher, the cliff of
gneiss is much decayed and changed to impure kaolin.
Decomposed Gneiss and Granite. Very remarkable chemical
changes have taken place in the upper portions of many of the
exposures of gneiss and granite near Redwood Falls. The rock
is transformed to a soft, earthy or clayey mass, resembling
kaolin. It has a blue or greenish color, when freshly exposed;
but when weathered, assumes a yellowish ash color, and finally
becomes white and glistening. Laminae of quartz are generally
18 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
contained in this material, and have the same arrangement as
in gneiss, so that the dip can he distinctly seen. Veins of quartz
or feldspar, the latter completely decomposed, and the lines of
joints, are also noticeable, just as in granite or gneiss ; making it
evident that this substance is the result of a decay of rocks in
their original place.
Because of the enclosed quartzose laminae, grains and parti-
cles of more or less gritty character, throughout these kaolin-
like rocks, they appear to be unsuited for the manufacture of
porcelain or any kind of ware. So far as can be judged from
stream channels and other exposures, this decomposition reaches
in some places to a depth of 20 or 30 feet, perhaps more. All
grades of change may be found, from ledges where only here and
there a few spots have been attacked and slightly decomposed,
to portions where nearly every indication of the original struc-
ture has been obliterated.
Of these decomposed rocks on the Redwood river, Prof. N. H.
"Winchell wrote in the second annual report of the Geological
and Natural History Survey of Minnesota: "At Redwood Falls
the granite is overlain by the kaolin, which has been mentioned,
presenting, in connection with this substance, a very interesting
series of exposures, suggesting very interesting questions both
economical and scientific. About a mile below the village, on the
left bank of the river and at the northwest of the bend, is a con-
spicuous white bluff (probably that seen by Keating, and pro-
nounced white sandstone), composed of white kaolin clay. Near
the top of this bluff, where the rains wash it, it is silvery white,
and that color is spread over much of the lower portions, though
the mass of the lower part is more stained with iron, having also
a dull greenish tinge.
The white glossy coating which appears like the result of
washing by rains is spread over the perpendicular sides. On
breaking off this glossy coating, which is sometimes half an inch
thick, the mass appears indistinctly bedded horizontally, but con-
tains hard lumps and irony deposits. Further down, the iron
becomes more frequent, and gritty particles like quartz impede
the edge of a knife. The bedding is also lost, and the closest
inspection reveals no bedding. Yet there is, even then, a sloping
striation of arrangement of lines visible in some places on the
fresh surface that corresponds in direction with the direction of
the principal cleavage plane of the talcose and quartzitic slate
already described. In other places this arrangement is not seen,
but the mass crumbles out in angular pieces which are super-
ficially stained with iron.
The profile of the bluffs here presents a singular isolated knob
or buttress that rises boldly almost from the river. On either
side of this bold promontory are retreating angles in the bluff.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 19
A careful inspection of these ravines and of the adjoining bluffs
affords indubitable proof that this material, white and impal-
pable as it is, results from a change in the underlying granite
rocks.
"Just above this point is another exposure. It here supplies
what is locally known as the 'paint rock,' from an enterprise
started several years ago in the manufacture of mineral paint
from this material. The decomposed granite here has very much
the same appearance as the kaolin at Birch Cooley, but contains
more quartz, and is more stained with iron. It is a rusty brown
color, but within might be green or blue. It passes upward into
the greenish, and then white, kaolin clay already described, but
it stands out in a crumbling rusty buttress, exposed to the
weather, and has quartzitic grains and concretions, iron-coated,
and often an impure iron ore in considerable quantities. It shows
silvery or shining talcose flakes, the same as seen in the so-called
building rock, near the point where the railroad bridge crosses
the Redwood river at North Redwood.
"A short distance above this, nearly opposite Redwood Falls,
is situated the rock which was quarried for the manufacture of
paint. This has in every respect the same character and com-
position as that last described. It consists of a perpendicular
bluff or point, standing out from a lower talus that rises about
75 feet above the river, to the hight of 75 feet more. On the
top of this is the drift-clay hardpan, covered by four or five
feet of sand and gravel, the whole bluff being about 150 feet
above the river. This bold bluff, or promontory, stands between
re-entrant angles, its face falling down sheer thirty or forty
feet. There is here visible an irregular slatey or cleavage struc-
ture in the rock, that at a distance has the appearance of dip
toward the S. E. 30.
"This also contains quartz veins and deposits, accompanied by
iron, in some places too abundantly to allow of being cut with a
knife, though very much of it can be easily shaped with a knife.
It shows ' slickensides, ' or surfaces that seem to have been rubbed
violently against each other, causing a scratched and smoothed
appearance, even within the body of the bluff. These surfaces
are concave or curving, like putty hardened after being pressed
through a crevice."
Before the extensive denudation of the glacial period, it is
probable that all the granite and gneiss of this region were
covered by a similarly decayed surface. Upon the areas where
decomposed rocks still exist, the glacial plowing was shallower
than elsewhere. These kaolinized strata are exposed in a ravine
north of the Minnesota river, opposite to Minnesota Falls; in
the gorge of the Redwood river, below Redwood Falls; in many
of the ledges of the Minnesota valley for several miles next
20 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
below, especially in excavations made by roads at the foot of the
bluffs; in the valley of Birch Cooley near its mouth; and occa-
sionally for eight or ten miles farther southeast. They have been
found also in well-digging at considerable distance from the
Minnesota valley.
Cretaceous Beds. In western Redwood county wells occa-
sionally have gone through the drift and passed into clay or
shale below, apparently of cretaceous age, and sometimes proved
so by enclosed fossils. Such sections are reported at Walnut
Grove in North Hero township, and in Granite Rock.
Cretaceous strata doubtless lie next below the drift upon the
greater part of this district; but their only outcrops, excepting
within the Minnesota valley and the gorge of the Redwood river,
occur on the Cottonwood river in Brown county.
In Sherman, in Redwood county, Prof. Winchell records an
exposure of cretaceous beds of sandy marl, horizontally strati-
fied, seen in the road that descends from the Lower Sioux Agency
to the old ferry. At this place in 1860 Prof. A. W. Williamson
found in a cut for the road about thirty feet above the Minne-
sota river a large coiled shell, since lost, which agreed nearly
with the figure of Ammonites monilis seen in an English text-
book of geology.
Lignite. About four miles farther northwest, or half way from
the Lower Sioux Agency to Redwood Falls, a cretaceous out-
crop, including a thin layer of lignite, occurs in the south bluff
of the Minnesota valley, above Tiger lake, being in the southwest
corner of section 35, Honner, some three-quarters of a mile west
from the mouth of Crow creek. Mining for the exploration of
the lignite, which is an imperfectly formed coal, of inferior
quality, yet valuable for fuel, was undertaken here, on the land
of George Johnson, in 1871, by William H. Grant and others, a
horizontal drift, or adit, being excavated into the bluff to a dis-
tance of about 260 feet from its face southward. This followed
the same lignite, which, or at least, a black lignite shale, was
found continuous along all this distance, being level in the direc-
tion of the adit, but dipping to the west about three degrees, or
five feet in a hundred.
The adit is about a third of the way up from the foot to the
top of the bluff, or some sixty feet above the river. Several tons
of coal, sometimes quite clear for a thickness of six to nine
inches, were obtained from the mine, and were used as fuel. The
cost of the work, however, was about $2,000, without discovering
any portion of the bed that could be profitably mined.
Prof. Winchell describes the formation here explored, and the
similar lignite layer in the bluffs of the Redwood river, as fol-
lows: "This coal is from one of those layers in the Cretaceous
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 21
that are usually known as lignites. It is earthy, passing some-
times into a good eannel coal, or into a bituminous clay. The
compact cannal coal is in detached lumps, and occurs throughout
a band of about four feet in thickness. This lignite band was
followed in drifting into the bank at Crow creek, and was found
to divide by interstratification with black clay, showing some
leafy impressions and pieces of charcoal.
"The 'coal' here is said to overlie a bed of lumpy marl.
. . . In some of the concretions are small shining balls of
pyrites. . . . Over the 'coal' is a blue clay, requiring a tim-
bered roof in the tunnel. This clay is likewise Cretaceous. The
underlying lumpy or concretionary white marl becomes siliceous,
or even arenaceous, the concretions appearing more like chert.
Some of it is also pebbly, showing the action of water currents.
The same lignite coal also occurs elsewhere in the same region,
the exposures being kept fresh by the freshet waters. More or
less exploring and drilling, besides that done by Mr. Grant, has
been engaged in, in this vicinity, but never with any better
"Near Redwood Falls, on land of Birney Flynn, is another
outcrop of carbonaceous deposit in the Cretaceous. This is seen
in the left bank of the Redwood river. It is in the form of a
back bedded clay or shale, five or six feet thick, more or less
mingled with charcoal and ashes, the whole passing below into
charcoal fragments mixed with the same ash-like substance. In
the latter are sometimes large pieces of fine, black, very compact
coal, the same as that already spoken of at Crow creek as eannel
coal. These masses show sometimes what appears to the eye
to be fine woody fiber, as if they, too, were simply charred wood.
Further examination will be needed to determine their origin
and nature. They constitute the only really valuable portions
of the bed, the light charcoal, which everywhere shows the dis-
tinct woody fiber, being generally mixed with the light ashy sub-
stance, and in a state of fine subdivision.
"A short distance above Mr. Flynn 's land is that of George
Houghton, where the Redwood Falls' coal mine was opened.
This mine consists of a drift into the bluff, forty feet, following
a lignite, or charcoal bed in the Cretaceous. The bed here is
seven feet thick, the greater part of it being made up of black,
bedded shale or clay, though Mr. Flynn is authority for the
statement that it showed a great deal more of the real charcoal
than any other point discovered. Some fragments that lay near
the opening, contained about nine parts of charcoal to one of
ash, the whole very slightly cemented, and so frail as to hardly
endure transportation. In this drift were also numerous pieces
of what is described by the owners both here and at Crow creek,
as 'stone coal.' It is the same as that mentioned as probably a
22 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
cannel coal, occurring at Crow creek. It is these harder lumps
that are found scattered in the drift throughout the southwestern
part of the state."
This mining was done in 1868 or 1869, on the northwest or
left side of the Redwood river, about one and a quarter miles
north from Redwood Falls, on the south part of the S. W. %,
of section 30, Honner, the height of the drift being some 75 feet
above the river, and about the same amount below the top of
the bluffs and general surface of the country. The lignitic bed
is reported to dip slightly toward the southwest, and to be over-
lain conformably by shale, above which the upper part of the
bluff is till. Next below the black coaly layer is said to have
been a marl, varying from reddish to white, six inches to two
feet in thickness, underlain by yellow and blue clay. No expo-
sure of gneiss or granite is visible at this locality.
It appears nearly certain that no workable deposits of coal
exist in this region. Prof. Winchell summarizes his observations
and conclusions upon this subject as follows:
"First. The rocks that have been explored for coal, on the
Cottonwood and Redwood rivers, belong to the Cretaceous sys-
tem, and do not promise to be productive of coal in valuable
quantities.
"Second. The coal there taken out is of an inferior grade,
though varying from cannal coal to charcoal." . . . The
charcoal, "while it is the more abundant, is of less value for use
as fuel. It is light, and quickly ignites. ... It lies in irregular
sheets, generally not more than half an inch thick when pure,
but may be disseminated through a thickness of six or eight
feet. It is very fragile, hardly bearing transportation."
The cannel coal "is black, or brown black, lustrous, compact,
rather hard, and presents every aspect of a valuable coal. It
occurs in isolated lumps or pockets, in the same beds as the
charcoal, but less abundantly. It readily burns, making a hot
fire. In the air, when it has become dry, it cracks and crumbles
something like quicklime, but not to a powder."
"Third. As the rocks of the Cretaceous period are believed
to have existed throughout the most of this state, the only prob-
able exception being in the southeastern portion, including half
a dozen counties, such coal is likely to occur at a great many
places.
"Fourth. The 'float' coal which has so often attracted the
attention of the people, is derived, so far as yet known, from
the disruption of the Cretaceous rocks by the glaciers of the
ice period. It is scattered through the drift, and is met with in
wells and other excavations, and may be often picked up along
the beds of streams."
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 23
Glacial and Modified Drift. Glacial striae are plainly seen
upon the ledge of gneiss in section 12, Granite Rock, bearing
S. 50 to 60 E.
The surface of Redwood county is principally till, or the mix-
ture of clay with smaller proportions of sand and gravel and
occasional enclosed boulders, which was thus deposited in a
mingled unstratified mass by the ice sheets of the glacial period.
Its thickness in this county is generally from 100 to 200 feet.
Within the till are found occasional layers of sand or gravel,
which often yield large supplies of water in wells. Many of these
veins of modified drift were probably formed by small glacial
streams, and they ean not be regarded as marking important
divisions of the ice age. It is shown, however, by shells, remains
of vegetation and trees, found evidently in the place where they
were living, underlain and overlain by till, that this very cold
period was not one unbroken reign of ice, but that this re-treated
and re-advanced, or possibly at sometimes was nearly all melted
and then accumulated anew.
Two principal glacial epochs can be distinguished, in the first
of which all of Minnesota except its southeast corner was deeply
covered by the continental ice sheet, and its border was several
hundred miles south of this district, in Nebraska, Kansas, Mis-
souri and southern Illinois; whereas in the later very severely
cold epoch, the ice fields were of less extent, and terminated from
50 to 300 miles within their earlier limit, covering all the basin
of the Minnesota river, but not enveloping a large tract in the
southwest corner of Minnesota and leaving uncovered a much
larger area than before in the southeast part of the state. Be-
tween these glacial epochs the ice sheet was melted away within
the basins of the Minnesota and Red rivers, and probably from
the entire state.
The greater part of the till appears to have been deposited
by this earlier ice sheet; and during the retreat of the ice this
till was overspread in some places, especially along the avenues
of drainage, by the beds of modified drift, or stratified gravel,
sand and clay, washed from the material which had been con-
tained in the ice and snow and now became exposed upon its
surface to the multitude of rills, rivulets and rivers that were
formed by its melting.
In the ensuing interglacial epoch, this drift sheet was chan-
neled by water-courses till its valleys were apparently as numer-
ous and deep as those of our present streams. The interglacial
drainage sometimes went in a different direction from that now
taken by the creeks and rivers; and the valleys then excavated
in the drift, though partly refilled with till during the last
glacial epoch, are still, in some instances, clearly marked by
series of lakes. More commonly the interglacial water-courses
24 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
must have occupied nearly the same place with the valleys of
the present time; and there seems to be conclusive proof that
this was true of the valley of the Minnesota river.
A long period intervened between the great glacial epochs;
the earlier ice sheet gradually retreated northward; a lake was
formed in the Red river valley by the receding ice barrier on
the north; the outflow from this lake, and the drainage of the
Minnesota basin itself, appear to have excavated the valley of
the Minnesota river nearly as it now is; and the further reces-
sion of the ice sheet probably even allowed the drainage of the
Red river basin to take its course northward, as now, to Hudson
bay, this being indicated by fossiliferous beds enclosed between
deposits of till within the area that had been covered by this
interglacial lake and was afterward occupied by lake Agassiz at
the close of the last glacial epoch.
Again a severely cold climate prevailed, accumulating a vast
sheet of ice upon British America and the greater part of Min-
nesota. By this glacial sheet the valley of the Minnesota river
was partly refilled with till, but it evidently remained an impor-
tant feature in the contour of the land surface. During the final
melting of this ice sheet, its waters, discharged in this channel,
quickly removed whatever obstructing deposits of drift it had
received, and undermined its bluffs, giving them again the steep
slopes produced by fluvial erosion. This partial re-excavation
and sculpture were then followed immediately, during the retreat
of the ice sheet, by the deposition of the stratified gravel, sand
and clay, 75 to 150 feet deep, remnants of which occur as ter-
races on the sides of this valley, from its mouth to New Ulm,
and less distinctly beyond.
Had not the great valley existed nearly in its present form
through the last glacial epoch, it could not have become filled
with this modified drift, which must belong to the era of melting
of the last ice sheet. After the departure of the ice, the supply
of both water and sediment was so diminished that the river
could no longer overspread the former flood plain of modified
drift and add to its depth, but has been occupied mainly in slow
excavation and removal of these deposits, leaving remnants of
them as elevated plains or terraces.
Terminal Moraines. In Redwood county the morainic tract is
not prominent, and its course, which is believed to coincide
approximately with that of the Cottonwood river, has not been
traced. Close south of the valley of this river in the N. W. %
of section 14, Gales, numerous small hillocks and ridges, ten to
twenty feet high, rough with abundant boulders, were observed
to occupy a width from a few rods to an eighth of a mile or
more, reaching a half a mile or more in length from east to west ;
and from a bridge in section 10, Gales, a noteworthy hill, perhaps
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 25
sixty feet high, is seen in the view westward, situated not far
from where the Cottonwood river crosses the county line. Far-
ther northwest, this moranic belt is clearly traced across Yellow
Medicine and Lac Qui Parle counties, its most conspicuous ac-
cumulations being the Antelope hills.
During the later stages in the recession of this ice sheet,
when the fourth and fifth terminal moraines of its Minnesota
lobe were formed, its southern extremity was successively at
Kiester in Faribault county and at Elysian in Le Sueur county,
and its southwest boundary doubtless crossed Brown and Red-
wood counties, but the marginal accumulations of drift belonging
to these stages have not been traced here. A shallow lake
extended along the edge of the ice sheet across these counties
and acted to partially level down and smooth the morainic
deposits. It seems likely, however, that they are still recogniz-
able, and by careful observation might be mapped approximately.
At the time of the fourth or Kiester moraine, the ice margin
probably extended through the central part of Brown and Red-
wood counties; and the kame-like deposits near Sleepy Eye and
in Granite Rock and the northwest part of Vesta, may in part
represent this moraine. The fifth or Elysian moraine is probably
indicated similarly in section 33, Swedes Forest.
Modified Drift of the Last Glacial Epoch. Upon the sheet of
till which covers Redwood county are frequently noticed mounds
and knolls or short ridges of gravel and sand, 10 to 20 feet, or
rarely 30 feet or more, in height, which in any excavation are
seen to be irregularly interstratified and obliquely bedded. These
deposits appear to have been formed by streams that flowed from
the drift-strown surface of the departing ice fields of the last
glacial epoch ; having a similar origin with the eskers or kames,
which form prolonged ridges, or series of interlocking ridges
and mounds, in Ireland and Scotland, in Sweden, and in New
England. Conspicuous kame-like deposits of modified drift in
Redwood county were observed in the N. E. 14 of section 33,
Swedes Forest, where a mound of this class rises some 30 feet
above the general level; in the northwest part of Vesta, which
has numerous hillocks and short ridges of gravel and sand, 10 to
40 feet in height, trending from north to south more commonly
than in other directions; and in Granite Rock and thence south-
westward to the Cottonwood river.
Authority. "The Geology of Brown and Redwood Counties,"
by Warren Upham, contained in pages 562-558 of "The Geology
of Minnesota," published in 1884, the whole volume being Vol. I,
of the Final Report of the Geological and Natural History Survey
of Minnesota, 1872-1882.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
CHAPTER IV.
PREHISTORIC INHABITANTS.
Scientists declare that in the Glacial period, this region was
several times covered with a great ice sheet at recurrent inter-
vals. When for the last time the glacier receded, and its melting
waters subsidide, it left behind an area that in a few years
became a wonderfully diversified and beautiful region. Verdure
took the place of glaring ice and swirling waters. The smiling
expanses of gently rolling prairie, beautiful and virgin, dipping
here and there into swales and pools, or even into sparkling lakes,
covered in the summer with luxuriant grass and spangled with
flowers, were caressed by perfumed breezes, untrod by human
foot, and unmarred by human handiwork. In the ravines and
along the watercourses were forest trees and tangled under-
brush. And this varied landscape fairly quivered with animal
life. The American bison, commonly called the buffalo, ranged
the prairies, countless birds of all kinds flew over its surface,
great flocks of waterfowl lived in its marshes and pools. In the
edges of the wooded ravines, antlered animals such as the deer
and the elk, and the larger fur-bearing animals such as the bear,
were found in greatest profusion. All the smaller animals com-
mon to this climate found a home here. Prairie and woodland
presented a scene of teeming life and ceaseless animal activity.
A country so bountiful and inviting to man, whether primitive
or civilized, would remain uninhabited only while undiscovered.
At some period of the earth's history, mankind in some form took
up its abode in what is now Redwood county. How many ages
distant that period was no one can tell. It is evident that man
followed very closely the receding of the last glacier, if indeed
he had not existed here previous to that time. A discussion of the
possibilities of the existence of man in Minnesota during Glacial,
Inter-Glacial and Pre-Glacial ages is beyond the scope of this
work. It has been made a special subject of study by several
Minnesota savants, and many notable articles have been written
concerning evidences that have been discovered.
Many scholars are of the opinion that in all probability the
first inhabitants of the northern part of the United States were,
or were closely related to the Eskimo. While the data are very
meagre, they all point that way. The Eskimos seem to have
remained on the Atlantic seaboard as late as the arrival of the
Scandinavian discoverers of the eleventh century, for their de-
scription of the aborigines whom they call "skralingar" (a term
of contempt about equivalent to "runts") is much more conso-
nant with the assumption that these were Eskimos than Indians.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 27
So possibly it is permissible to picture the first human inhabi-
tants of Redwood county as a small yellowish-brown skin-clad
race, identical with the quartz workers of Little Falls, slipping
around nimbly and quietly in the woods and dells, subsisting
mainly on fish, but also partly on the chase. Their homes were
doubtless of the simplest descriptions, and their culture not above
absolute savagery.
The Eskimos seem to have followed more or less closely the
edge of the last receding glacier. Whether they were forced out
by a stronger race or whether they found the bleak shores of the
Arctic seas more suited to their physical make-up than the fertile
regions further south is only a matter of conjecture.
Scholars are of the opinion that the next inhabitants of Min-
nesota were tribes of the Siouan stock, in other words the ances-
tors of the present Sioux (Dakota) Indians. These peoples of
the Siouan stock appear to have built the mounds of southern
Minnesota. Possibly they lived in Redwood county. These Siouan
people were possibly driven out by the people of the Algonquin
stock, whereupon they eventually took up their homes in the
neighborhood of the upper valley of the Ohio river and possibly
elsewhere. How many centuries they lived there it is impossible
even to estimate. In the meantime the Algonquin peoples prob-
ably occupied the Minnesota region, and possibly Redwood
county. They did not make mounds. Some five hundred years
ago the Siouan Mound Builders were driven out from their homes
in the upper Ohio region where they had erected the mounds that
are now the wonder of the world, and a part of them found their
way to the homes of their ancestors in the upper Mississippi and
the Minnesota river region. The mounds built here by these
peoples were inferior to the ones built by their ancestors. In
coming up the valley it is possible that these Mound Builders
drove from the Minnesota regions the intruding Algonquins.
The Siouan Mound Builders, returning some five hundred
years ago from the Ohio region were doubtless the builders of
the mounds in Redwood county, though there are possibly some
mounds in this county built by the Siouan people during their
previous occupancy of the region.
The Mound Builders. Not so many years ago there was a
widespread belief that the Mound Builders were a mysterious
people of high culture resembling the Aztecs, and differing from
the Indian in race, habits and customs. Now, scholars are unani-
mous in their belief that the Mound Builders were merely the
ancestors of the Indians, doubtless, as already related, of the
Sioux Indians, and not characteristically differing from them.
These Mound Builders are the earliest race of whose actual resi-
dence in Redwood county we have absolute evidence. While
Redwood can not boast of mounds of such gigantic proportions as
28 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
some other parts of the United States, nor of such grotesque
formations as the serpent mound of Ohio, yet the mounds of
the county are sufficient in number, kind and distribution, to
present a rich field for archaeological inquiry, as well as supply-
ing evidence that Redwood county was populated by this ancient
people.
The larger groups are invariably situated near the water-
courses and usually on the lofty terraces that give a commanding
view of magnificent prospects. Such a distribution of the mounds
finds its explanation in the fact that the river banks afford excel-
lent sites for habitations, and the rivers afford routes of travel
in times of peace and war. Above all the streams furnish two
substances absolutely necessary for the maintenance of life,
namely water and food. The Mound Builder was not slow in
picking out picturesque places as a location for his village sites.
The distribution of the mounds bears ample proof of this. Any
one who visits the groups can not fail to be convinced that the
Mound Builders were certainly guided in the selection of the
location for the mounds by an unerring sense of beautiful scenery
and a high appreciation and instinctive love of nature as well
as by other factors.
Purpose of the Mounds. The mounds of Redwood county are
both oblong and round, varying from a swell of land to several
feet in height. Other varieties have also been found. The ar-
rangement of mounds in the various groups does not seem to
depend on any definite rule of order, but seems to result from a
process of mound building, extending over a considerable period
of time, each site for a mound being selected by the builders
according to the space, material, or topography of the locality.
Undoubtedly each mound was placed for some definite pur-
pose on the spot where it is found today, but what the purpose
of any particular mound was may be difficult to say. The spade
often partially tells us what we want to know, but sometimes it
leaves us as much as ever in the dark. When the interior of a
mound reveals human bones, then the inference is that the mound
served as a tomb, but intrusive burials, that is burials made long
after the mounds were built, complicate the problem. But when
a mound can be opened without revealing any trace of human
remains or of artificial articles, it seems safe to conclude that not
all the mounds were built for burial purposes. The erection of
such a large number of mounds as exist along the Mississippi and
its tributaries in Minnesota must have required an enormous
expenditure of time and labor. The tools with which all the work
was done were probably wooden spades rudely shaped, stone
hoes and similar implements which indicate a low degree of
industrial culture. Where the whole village population turned
out for a holiday or funeral, a large mound could be built in a
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 29
much shorter time than if the work was performed by only a few
individuals. The surface of the land adjoining the mounds in
Redwood county, and in fact all the mounds of this vicinity, fre-
quently shows plain evidences of where the material was obtained
for the construction of the mound. All in all, the regularity, sym-
metry and even mathematical exactness with which the mounds
are built show considerable skill and taste. The reader can pic-
ture to himself the funeral scenes, the wailings of the sorrowing
survivors, and the flames of the funeral pyres which were some-
times built. Or one can picture the mourning relatives waiting
beneath the tree in which the body has been suspended on a
scaffold while the elements are stripping the bones of flesh prepa-
ratory to their interment.
Life and Habits of the Mound Builders. Modern scientists
unite in the belief that the Mound Builders were Indians, the
ancestors of the Indians that the early settlers found here. The
old theory of a race of Mound Builders superior in intellect and
intelligence to the Indian has been exploded by archaeological
research, though a few of the older text books advance the now
obsolete theory.
The evidences that the race of Mound Builders was a race of
genuine Indians are many. Indians are known to have built
mounds. The articles found in the mounds are the same as the
articles found on the Indian village sites nearby. Invariably a
large group of mounds has nearby evidences of such a village.
The articles found in the mounds and on the village sites are
such as the Indians used.
Tomahawks, battle clubs, spearheads and arrows signify war
and the chase. The entire absence of great architectural remains
show that the Mound Builders lived in frail homes. The dearth
of agricultural implements speaks of the absence of any but the
most primitive farming. Ash-pits and fireplaces mark the bare
ground as the aboriginal stove. Net-sinkers imply the use of
nets; ice axes the chopping of holes in the ice to procure water;
stone axes, a clumsy device for splitting wood ; stone knives were
used for scalping, cutting meat and leather and twigs ; countless
flakes mark the ancient arrow maker's workshop; cracked bones
show the savages' love for marrow; shell beads, charms and orna-
ments in the shape of fish and other designs reveal a primitive
desire for ornamentation; chisels and gouges recall the making
of canoes; sun-dried pottery made of clay mixed with coarse
sand, clamshells or powdered granite and marked with rows of
dots made with a stick, thumbnail or other objects, or else marked
with lines, V-shaped figures or chevrons, all are an index of rather
a crude state of pottery making. The hand supplied the lathe
and the wheel.
All of these things tell us something of the habits and condi-
30 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
tion of the Mound Builders and are further evidence that the
Mound Builders differed in no important manner from the Indians
found here hy the early explorers.
The people were rude, semi-agricultural, warlike, ignorant of
all metals except copper, hunters with stone arrow and spear,
naked in warm weather and clothed with the skins of the huffalo
and hear in winter. Their skill in art was confined to the making
of such domestic utensils and such weapons of war and of the
chase as were demanded for the personal comforts and physical
necessities. They have left no literature, and these heaps of earth
and a few rude pictures scraped in soft stones, together with a
few crude relics, are our only source of information regarding
this once powerful people.
Location of Mounds. The artificial mounds of Redwood
county have never heen adequately surveyed or excavated,
though many interesting studies have been made of them. A
volume entitled ' ' The Aborigines of Minnesota, ' ' published by the
Minnesota State Historical Society in 1911, contains a valuable
resume of these explorations and studies as follows:
Mounds below Redwood Falls, S. E. y±, section 30, township
113-35, group of thirteen mounds, about 150 feet above the Min-
nesota river, of which seven are elongated and one is angled
twice in opposite directions in equal amounts, so that its parts,
at the extremities, are still parallel with each other. Redwood
river is 900 feet toward the west. The largest tumulus is 75 feet
by 5y2 feet, and has been excavated. Surveyed Sept. 29, 1884.
In 1867 the largest of these tumuli was opened by David
Watson by sinking a shaft from the center downward. He found
some very much decayed human bones at the depth of four feet.
From four feet to eight feet from the surface he found iron rust,
indicating, as he judged, that some tool had been oxidized and
lost. He also found in the immediate vicinity, glass beads of
many different shapes, sizes, colors and varieties, and more
human bones that were not so much decomposed, indicating
burial at two dates.
He also reported "rifle pits" in section 31, a little north of
the center, and gives a statement by an "intelligent Indian'
that that was the scene of a hard-fought battle of several days
duration. Similar pits were reported by Mr. Watson in 1868
on the north side of the Redwood river, on section 8, town
ship 112-36," similar to those near the mouth of the same river
— (Hill record).
Mounds a mile and a half below the Lower Agency (a) S. E,
i/4, N. W. Y4, section 9, township 112, 34; three tumuli about
100 feet above the bottomland. Surveyed Oct. 31, 1887; (b) S. W
!/4, N. E. %, section 9, township 112, 34. Lone mound about 100
feet above the bottomland.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 31
Mounds about one and three-quarters miles east-southeast of
the Lower Agency (a) S. y%, N. E. y4, section 9, township 112, 34;
a lone mound 100 feet above the bottomland. Surveyed Oct. 31,
1887. (b) N. E. %, S. E. y4, section 9, township 112, 34; three
tumuli about 100 feet above the bottomland. Surveyed Oct. 31,
1887. (c) S. E. y4, S. E. y4, section 9, township 112, 34; a lone
mound about 100 feet above the bottomland. Surveyed Oct. 31,
1887.
Mounds four and a half miles east of Redwood Falls, N. E. y4,
N. E. 14, section 3, township 112, 35; about 125 feet above the
river, on a ridge; three tumuli, about 30 feet in diameter, on
cultivated land. Surveyed Oct. 31, 1887.
There is a lone mound two and a half miles below Patterson's
Rapids, S. E. y4, N. E. y4, section 9, township 113, 36, 30 feet in
diameter, 10 feet high ; about 100 feet above the bottomland.
Mounds five and a half miles east of Redwood Falls, S. %,
N. E. y4, section 2, township 112, 35; about 125 feet above the
river. No. 5 is 30 feet by 2y2 feet, with an exterior ditch of
eight feet by one foot. The group embraces 10 mounds, of which
two are elongated.
There is a lone mound, S. E. y4, S. E. y4, section 6, town-
ship 112, 34, at the Lower Agency, immediately opposite Birch
Cooley creek, about 110 feet above the bottomland, 30 feet by
one foot.
On the Cottonwood river, somewhere not far from the South
Pass wagon roads, there are some mounds of small size. — (Hill
record).
A trapper reported one N. E. y4, S. E. y4, section 32, town-
ship 109, 35, on the right bank of a stream emptying into the
Cottonwood. — (Hill record).
Authority and References. P. M. Magnusson in the "History
of Stearns County," H. C. Cooper, Jr., & Co., 1915.
Edward W. Schmidt in the "History of Goodhue County,"
H. C. Cooper, Jr., & Co., 1910.
"The Aborigines of Minnesota," 1906-1911, a Report Based
on the Collections of Jacob V. Brower, and on the Field Surveys
and Notes of Alfred J. Hill and Theodore H. Lewis, Collated,
Augmented and Described by N. H. Winchel, published by the
Minnesota Historical Society, 1911.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
CHAPTER V.
INDIAN OCCUPANCY AND TREATD3S.
The archeology and anthropology of the American Indian is
still in its infancy. But a few fundamental facts stand out in
bold relief. We are told by scientists that man is of great
antiquity in America; and that though the aborigines' blood is
doubtless mixed with later arrivals in many localities and tribes,
still, barring the Eskimo, the fundamental race characteristics
are the same from Hudson Bay to Patagonia. Hence a common
American ancestry of good antiquity must be predicated of the
whole Indian race.
If an imaginary line is drawn east and west through the south-
ern boundary of Virginia, then except for the northwest corner
of British America, the Red Men in the territory north of this
line and east of the Rocky mountains, including the larger part
of the United States and British America, are and have been for
centuries almost exclusively of just three linguistic stocks: Iro-
quoian, Siouan and Algonquian. The one reason for classing
these Indians into three ethnic stocks is that the vocabularies of
their languages do not seem to have a common origin. Otherwise
these Indians are so familiar physically and psychically that even
an expert will at times find it hard to tell from appearance to
which stock an individual belongs. These three stocks are in
mental, moral and physical endowment the peers of any American
aborigines, though in culture they were far behind the Peruvians,
Mexicans and the nations in the southwestern United States.
But their native culture is not so insignificant as is the popular
impression. Except the far western bands who subsisted on the
buffalo, they practiced agriculture; and in many, if not in most
tribes, the products of the chase and fishing supplied less than
half their sustenance ; their moccasins, tanned skin clothing, bows
and arrows, canoes, pottery and personal ornaments evinced a
great amount of skill and not a little artistic taste. Their houses
were not always the conical tipi of bark or skins, but were often
very durable and comparatively comfortable and constructed of
timber or earth or even stone.
The Dakotas. As to how these stocks came originally into
this territory there is no certain knowledge but much uncertain
speculation. Here we shall be content to start with the relatively
late and tolerably probable event of their living together, in the
eastern part of the United States, some five centuries ago. Algon-
quians lived on the Atlantic slope, the Iroquois perhaps south of
Lake Erie and Ontario, and the Siouans in the upper Ohio valley.
These Siouan peoples had possibly previously occupied the upper
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 33
Mississippi region, but for some reason had left there. At any
rate, a century or so before the arrival of Columbus, found them
for the most part in the upper Ohio valley. What peoples, if any,
were in the meantime living on the plains of the upper Mississippi
is not definitely known. Of the Siouan peoples we are interested
in the main division of the Sioux, more properly the Dakotas.
Probably because of the pressure of the fierce and well organized
Iroquois, the Sioux, perhaps about 1400 A. D., began slowly to
descend the Ohio valley. Kentucky and the adjacent parts of
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois were certainly at that time a primitive
man's paradise, and the anabasis begun under compulsion was
enthusiastically continued from choice. They reached the con-
fluence of the Ohio and the Mississippi. Probably here they first
encountered the buffalo, or bison, in large numbers. The spirit
of adventure and the pressure of an increasing population sent
large bands up the Mississippi. When the Missouri was reached
no doubt some followed that stream. Those who kept to the
Mississippi were rewarded as they ascended the stream by coming
into what was from the viewpoint of primitive man a richer coun-
try. Coming up into Minnesota a forest region was encountered
soon after passing through beautiful Lake Pepin. Soon a roar-
ing cataract blocked the way of the Dakota canoes. St. Anthony
Falls, of which now scarce a remnant is left, thundered over its
ledge among the leafy boskage of banks and islands. Slowly
but surely up the stream pushed the Dakotas. Rum river was
reached, and its friendly banks were doubtless for many seasons
dotted with the Dakota's tipis. But when the hunter-explorer's
eyes first rested on the wide expanse of Mille Lacs, he rightly
felt he had found a primitive paradise. M'dewakan, the Spirit
lake, the lake of spiritual spell, soon became the site of perhaps
the largest permanent encampment or headquarters of the Sioux.
From there they scattered wide. Some of the bands discovered
the upper Minnesota river region and here settled. These return-
ing Sioux, it is believed, were the builders of all or nearly all of
the Redwood county mounds, though some may have been built
by their ancestors before they were expelled many centuries
earlier. The Redwood county mounds, though less in size and
smaller in number, have the same interest as those found in Ohio,
and which this same people are believed to have constructed.
The name "Dakota," which these Indians applied to them-
selves, means, "joined together in friendly compact." "Sioux"
is a contraction of the word Nadowessioux (variously spelled),
the French version of the Chippewa word meaning "Little
Adders," or figuratively, "enemies."
The Sioux were in many ways the highest type of the North
American Indian, and were physically, perhaps, among the high-
est types that mankind has reached. Living free lives close to the
34 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
democracy of nature, they saw no advantages in organized gov-
ernment; living on the boundless sweeps of the prairies and in
the limitless forests, they saw no virtue in that civilization which
shackles mankind to a daily routine of petty duties and circum-
scribes life to the confinement of crowded cities and villages.
There was no written code of law. Tradition and custom
alone dictated the conduct and morals of the Sioux. The spirit
of this traditional law was as stern as the Mosaic law of the Holy
Scriptures, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." A favor
was never forgotten, neither was a wrong. Possibly no race has
ever been so true to its standards as was the Sioux. Punishment
swift and sure was meted out to those who departed from these
precepts.
Just as Jehovah revealed himself to the Hebrews as a spirit,
permeating all space and all matter, the great Creator who
breathed in and through all things, so had the Great Spirit
revealed himself to the Sioux. The Sioux found God everywhere.
The waterfalls, the winds, the heat, the cold, the rains and the
snows, the trees and the birds, the animals and the reptiles, all
were "wakon," spiritual mysteries in which God spoke to them.
In an age when civilized Europeans were having their blood
drawn from their veins by a barber as a panacea for all diseases,
and believing implicitly in the curing powers of witches' brews,
made of such ingredients as snake's eyes and rabbit's claws, the
Sioux was bringing the ailing back to health by the use of sweat
baths and simple herbs.
But with the coming of the white man a great change took
place. Outspoken, absolutely truthful, the Sioux was no match
for the lying tongue of the white, by which he was robbed of
much more than by the white man's gun and powder. He was
no match against the insidious vices of alcohol and lust which the
white man introduced.
The life of the red man before he came in contact with our
so-called civilization, and even later when he had secured nothing
more than his gun, knife and kettle, was, though primitive and
coarse, not mean nor base. The Indian was healthy and sound
in mind and body, wholesome as the woods through which he
hunted.
He was poor and improvident, it is true, living from hand to
mouth, and taking little thought of the morrow. But this was
not moral nor physical shiftlessness, it was a part of his religion.
His creed pledged him to poverty; with God's boundless riches
spread around about him, his faith forbade his taking more than
was necessary for his immediate needs. No one was richer than
another. All food was shared. A friend was always welcome
to help himself at any time.
The chief was usually the man who by force of personality
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 35
could command sufficient respect to hold the position. While
there is no evidence that the office of chief was hereditary, never-
theless from the coming of the white man each trihe seems to
have had its royal dynasty, handing the ruling power of chief
from father to son through several generations. War and hunt-
ing parties, however, were led by any brave who could gather a
sufficient number of friends about him. One brave might be
chief of one expedition and another brave of a succeeding expe-
dition, while the permanent chief of the band seems to have
occupied more of a civil position, deciding disputes and giving
counsel. 11S8133
Wabasha, living at Ke-ox-ah (Winona), seems fu nave been
the great overlord of the Medawakanton Sioux, and he likewise
seems to have been recognized as ruler by many of the other
branches of the Sioux. Each band likewise had a permanent
chief, and as noted each expedition that was made had a tem-
porary chief.
All in all, the Indian as he was before the coming of the white
man, is deserving of all honor and respect. And horrible though
the warfare was that he later waged on the whites who had
secured his lands, terrible and wanton as was the revenge he
took on defenseless men, women and children, occupying his
ancient domains, bitter though the feeling against him must of
necessity be by those whose loved ones were ravished, mutilated
and murdered, nevertheless the methods of the most civilized and
modern warfare have taught the world that between the motives
of the wildest savage and the most cultured soldier there is little
difference when a man finds himself fighting for existence against
those whom he believes to have wronged him. The Indian's
method was to torture and mutilate, to strike such terror that
the enemy would forever after fear him. The civilized method
likewise mutilates, terrorizes and strikes sudden death against
those equally defenseless and inoffensive as were those the Indian
massacred. The Indian, regarded and treated by the whites as a
little lower than an animal, with even his treaty rights disre-
garded, struck, in the only way he knew, in behalf of the con-
tinued existence of himself and of his wife and babes, against a
race whose desire for broad acres was ever driving the Red Man
and his family further and further from the sweeps over which
his forefathers had ranged.
Evil days indeed came for the simple child of the forest, when
as scum on the advancing frontier wave of civilization came the
firewater, the vices and the diseases of civilized man. Neither his
physical nor his spiritual organization is prepared to withstand
these powerful evils of a stronger race, and the primitive red man
has often, perhaps generally, been reduced to a pitiful parasite
on the civilized community, infested with the diseases, the vermin
36 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
and the vices of the white man and living in a degradation and
squalor that only civilization can furnish.
The white man took from the Indian all his primitive virtues,
and gave him none of the virtues of the white man in return.
He taught the red man all of the evils of civilization before he
was advanced enough to accept its advantages, and tried to make
him conform suddenly with those habits of life which with the
white race have been the development of ages. Thus burdened
with the white man's vices, his own natural mode of living sud-
denly made impossible, driven here and there by the onrush of
civilization, cheated and defrauded by traders and government
officials alike, the Indian has degenerated until he is only a
travesty on the noble kings of the forest who once held sway
in the upper Mississippi and the Minnesota valleys. But a change
is now coming with an awakened public conscience. And the
results are encouraging. The census seems to indicate that the
Indian is no longer a vanishing race. Steady and considerable
progress is made in his civilization, and his physical condition is
improving.
Wapeton Dakotas. Information as to the occupancy of the
Minnesota valley during the era of the early explorers is some-
what vague. After the Dakotas in prehistoric times came up the
Mississippi river, and in the upper reaches of that river estab-
lished their homes, the Medewakanton and several subsidiary of
the Sioux made their headquarters about Mille Lacs, ranging
the rivers and forests and prairies from that point to unknown
distances. Probably some bands became permanently separated
from the main band. In the days of the early French explorers,
the Medewakantons were still living at Mille Lacs. The Warpe-
tonwans, apparently closely allied to the Medewakantons, were
ranging the territory west of the upper Mississippi river, between
the Crow and the Crow Wing rivers.
The Chippewas drove the Sioux from the Mille Lacs region,
and the deposed tribes established themselves at various points.
The location of the several bands inhabiting Southern Minne-
sota in 1834 has been told by the missionary, S. W. Pond, who
came to Minnesota that year. He has written :
"The villages of the Medewakantonwan were on the Minne-
sota and Mississippi rivers, extending from Winona to Shakapee.
Most of the Indians living on the Minnesota river above Shakopee
were Warpetonwan. At Big Stone lake there were both Warpe-
tonwan and Sissetonwan, and at Lake Traverse, Bianktonwan
(Yankton), Sissetonwan and Warpetonwan. Part of the Warpe-
kute lived on Cannon river and part at Traverse des Sioux.
There were frequent intermarriages between these divisions of
the Dakotas, and they were more or less intermingled at all their
villages. Though the manners, language and dress of the differ-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 37
ent divisions were not all precisely alike, they were essentially
one people."
Thus, at that time, Redwood county was Wapeton (spelled
Warpetonwan, Wahpeton and Warpeton) country, though the
Sissetons, the Yanktons and the Medawakantons were not far
away.
Nicollet in his map of the state placed the "Wapetons along
the Minnesota river in this part of the state, and the Sissetons in
the southwestern part of the state.
However, Sleepy Eye's village of Sissetons appears to have
been located for a time at least in the vicinity of the mouth of
the Little Rock, not far from the present area of Redwood
county, and Sleepy Eye and his people also appear at times to
have been located in the Cottonwood valley, at various points.
INDIAN TREATIES.
From prehistoric days up to the time of the treaties signed at
Traverse des Sioux, July 23, 1851, and at Mendota, August 5,
1851, ratified and amended by the United States Senate, June 23,
1852, and proclaimed by President Millard Fillmore February
24, 1853, the land now embraced in Redwood county remained
in the nominal possession of the Indians. Before this treaty,
however, several agreements were made between the Indians
of this vicinity and the United States government, regarding
mutual relations and the ceding of lands. The first of these was
the treaty with Pike in 1805, by which land at the mouths of the
Minnesota and St. Croix rivers was ceded to the government
for military purposes.
Visit to Washington. In 1816, the War of 1812 having been
brought to a close, the Indians of this vicinity made peace with
the United States and signed treaties placing the Sioux of this
neighborhood "in all things and in every respect on the same
footing upon which they stood before the late war." Perpetual
peace was promised, and it was agreed that "every injury or act
of hostility committed by one or the other of the contracting
parties against the other shall be mutually forgiven and forgot-
ten." The tribes recognized the absolute authority of the United
States. After Ft. Snelling was established, the officers at various
times engineered peace pacts between various tribes, but these
were usually quickly broken.
In the spring of 1824 the first delegation of Sioux Indians
went to Washington to see their "Great Father," the president.
A delegation of Chippewas accompanied, and both were in charge
of Major Lawrence Taliaferro. Wabasha, then properly called
Wa-paJaa-sha or Wah-pahJ^ah-sha, the head chief of the band at
38 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Winona; and Little Crow, head of the Kaposia band; and Wah-
natah, were the principal members of the Sioux delegation. When
the delegation had gone as far as Prairie du Chien, Wabasha and
Wahnatah, who had been influenced by traders, desired to turn
back, but Little Crow persuaded them to continue. The object of
the visit was to secure a convocation of all of the upper Missis-
sippi Indians at Prairie du Chien, to define the boundary line of
the lands claimed by the separate tribes and to establish general
and permanently friendly relations among them. The party made
the trip in keel boats from Fort Snelling to Prairie du Chien, and
from there to Pittsburgh by steamboat, thence to Washington
and other eastern cities by land.
Prairie du Chien Treaty of 1825. This treaty, signed August
19, was of importance to the Indians who ranged Redwood county
in that it fixed certain general boundaries, and confirmed the fact
that the present county lay entirely in Sioux territory. The
treaty was participated in by the Chippewa, Sauk (Sac) and Fox;
Menominee, Iowa, Sioux, Winnebago; and a portion of the
Ottawa, Chippewa and Potawatomi tribes living on the Illinois.
The line between the Sioux and the confederated Sauks and
Foxes extended across a part of northern Iowa. It was declared
in the treaty to run up the upper Iowa (now the Oneota) river
to its left fork, and up that fork to its source; thence crossing
the Cedar river to the second or upper fork of the Des Moines,
and in a direct line to the lower fork of the Calumet (Big Sioux)
river, and down that river to the Missouri river. On both sides
of this line extended a tract which came to be known as the
"Neutral Strip," into which the Winnebagoes were later moved
as a buffer between the Sioux and their enemies to the South.
The eastern boundary of the Sioux territory was to commence
on the east bank of the Mississippi river opposite the mouth of
the "Ioway" river, running back to the bluffs and along the
bluffs to the Bad Axe river, thence to the mouth of the Black
river, and thence to half a day's march, below the falls of the
Chippewa. East of this line, generally speaking, was the Winne-
bago country, though the Menominee country lay about Green
Bay, Lake Michigan and the Milwaukee river, and the Menom-
inees claimed as far west as the Black river. The Chippewa
country was to be to the north of the Winnebagoes and Menom-
inees, and east of the northern line of the Sioux country, the line
between the Chippewa and the Sioux beginning at a point a half
a day's march below the falls of the Chippewa, thence to the Red
Cedar river immediately below the falls, thence to a point on the
St. Croix river, a day's paddle above the lake at the mouth of
that river, and thence northwestward across the present state
of Minnesota. The line crossed the Mississippi at the mouth of
the Watab river just above St. Cloud. Thus both sides of the
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 39
Mississippi during its course along Renville county was included
in Sioux territory.
The boundary lines were certainly, in many respects, quite
indefinite, and whether this was the trouble or not, in any event,
it was but a few months after the treaty when it was evident
that none of the signers were willing to be governed by the lines
established, and hardly by any others. The first article of the
treaty provided: "There shall be a firm and perpetual peace be-
tween the Sioux and the Chippewas; between the Sioux and the
confederated tribes of Sacs and Foxes; and between the 'Io-
ways' and the Sioux." But this provision was more honored
in the breach than the observance, and in a little time the tribes
named were flying at one another's throats and engaged in their
old-time hostilities.
Second Treaty of Prairie du Chien. In 1830 a second treaty
with the Northwest Indian tribes was held at Prairie du Chien.
A few weeks previous to the convocation, which was begun July
15, a party of Wabasha's band of Sioux and some Menominees
ambushed a party of Fox Indians some twelve or fifteen miles
below Prairie du Chien and killed eight of them, including a sub-
chief called the Kettle.
The Foxes had their village near Dubuque and were on their
way to Prairie du Chien to visit the Indian agent, whom they
had apprised of their coming. They were in canoes on the Mis-
sissippi. As they reached the lower end of Prairie du Pierreaux
they paddled up a narrow channel which ran near the eastern
shore, where their concealed enemies opened fire. The Foxes
returned to their village, bearing their dead, while the Sioux and
Menominees went home and danced over their victory. A few
weeks previously the Foxes had killed some of Wabasha's band
on the Red Cedar river, in Iowa, and the Sioux claimed that their
part in the Prairie du Pierreaux affair was taken in retaliation
for the Red Cedar affair. In June of the following year a large
number of Menominees were camped on an island in the Missis-
sippi, less than a half a mile from Fort Crawford and Prairie du
Chien. One night they were all drunk, "men, women and chil-
dren." Two hours before daylight the Dubuque Foxes took
dreadful reprisal for the killing of their brethren at Prairie du
Pierreaux. Though but a small band, they crept into the Menom-
inee encampment, fell upon inmates, and in a few minutes put
a number of them to the gun, the tomahawk and the scalping
knife. Thirty Menominees were killed. When the entire Menom-
inee band had been aroused the Foxes, without having lost a man,
retired, crying out in great exultation that the cowardly killing
of their comrades at Prairie du Pierreaux had been avenged.
Because of the Prairie du Pierreaux affair the Foxes at first
refused to be present at the treaty of Prairie du Chien, but finally
40 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
came. Delegates were present from four bands of the Sioux, the
Medawakantons, the Wapakootas, the Wahpatons and the Sisse-
tons, and also from the Sacs, Foxes and Iowas, and even from the
Omahas, Otoes and Missouris, the homes of the last three tribes
being on the Missouri river.
At this treaty the Indian tribes represented ceded all of their
claims to the land in western Iowa, northwestern Missouri and
especially the country of the Des Moines river valley.
The Medawakanton, Sioux, "Wabasha's band, had a special
article (numbered 9) inserted in the treaty for the benefit of their
half-breed relatives.
The Sioux also ceded a tract of land twenty miles wide along
the northern boundary of Iowa from the Mississippi to the Des
Moines; consideration $2,000 in cash and $1,200 in merchandise.
The Doty Treaty. The Doty Treaty, made at Traverse des
Sioux (St. Peter), in July, 1841, failed to be ratified by the
United States Senate. This treaty embodied a Utopian dream
that a territory of Indians could be established, in which the red
men would reside on farms and in villages, living their lives after
the style of the whites, having a constitutional form of govern-
ment, with a legislature of their own people elected by them-
selves, the governor to be appointed by the president of the
United States. They were to be taught the arts of peace, to be
paid annuities, and to be protected by the armies of the United
States from their Indian enemies on the west. In return for
these benefits to be conferred upon the Indians, the United States
was to receive all the lands in what is now Minnesota, the Da-
kotas and northwestern Iowa. This ceded land was not to be
opened to the settlement of the whites, and the plan was to
have some of it reserved for Indian tribes from other parts of
the country who should sell their lands to the United States, and
who, in being moved here, were to enjoy all the privileges which
had been so beautifully planned for the native Indians. But
no one can tell what would have been the result of this experi-
ment, for the Senate, for political reasons, refused to ratify the
treaty, and it failed of going into effect. This treaty was signed
by the Sisseton, Wahpeton and Wahpakoota bands at Traverse
des Sioux, July 31, 1841, and by the Medawakanton bands at
Mendota, August 11 of the same year.
Preliminaries to Final Session. No other events or incidents
in all time have been of more importance in their influence upon
the character and destiny of Minnesota than the negotiations
with the Sioux Indians in the summer of 1851, commonly known
as the Treaties of Traverse des Sioux and Mendota. As a result
of these treaties a vast region of country large enough and nat-
urally rich enough for a kingdom was released from the sway of
its owners and opened to white settlement.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 41
Prior to these events only the lands in Minnesota east of the
Mississippi river were open to white occupation. The fine, fer-
tile expanse to the westward was forbidden ground. The waves
of immigration were steadily rolling in and beating against the
legal barrier in increasing volume and growing forces; and as
opposed to the demand of the whites for land and power the
rights and necessities of the Indians were of little weight. A
decent regard for the opinions of mankind and also a fear of the
revenge that the Indians might take, demanded, however, that
the government go through the form of a purchase, and that
some sort of price, even if ridiculously small, be paid for the
relinquished land.
In his message to the first Territorial Legislature Governor
Ramsey recommended that a memorial to Congress be prepared
and adopted praying for the purchase by treaty of a large extent
of the Sioux country west of the Mississippi. Accordingly a
lengthy petition, very earnest and eloquent in its terms, was,
after considerable deliberation, drawn up, finally adopted by
both houses and duly presented to Congress. This was in Octo-
ber, but already the national authorities had taken action.
In June, 1849, Orlando Brown, commissioner of Indian affairs,
addressed an official letter to Thomas Ewing, then secretary of
the interior, recommending negotiations with the Sioux, "for
the purpose of purchasing their title to a large tract of country
west of the Mississippi river." The commissioner said that the
object of the purchase was, "in order to make room for the
immigrants now going in large numbers to the new territory of
Minnesota, as the Indian title has been extinguished to but a com-
paratively small extent of the country within its limits." Sec-
retary Ewing approved the report and selected Governor Ramsey
and John Chambers, the latter a former territorial governor of
Iowa, as commissioners to make the proposed treaty.
In his annual report for 1848 Commissioner Brown had recom-
mended an appropriation to defray the expenses of a Sioux
treaty, but Congress failed to make it. So desirous was he for
the treaty in 1849 that he was willing to pay the attendant
expense out of the "small current appropriations" for his office,
and so he warned Ramsey and Chambers that "the strictest econ-
omy in all your expenditures will be necessary." He said if
they waited for a special appropriation from the next Congress
the treaty in its complete form would be postponed for two
years, and in the meanwhile there would be increasing trouble
between the Indian owners of the land and trespassing settlers.
In August, 1849, Commissioner Brown addressed a lengthy
letter to Governors Ramsey and Chambers informing them of
their appointment as commissioners to make the treaty and
instructing them particularly as to their duties in the premises.
42 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The instructions were not only clear, but very elaborate and
comprehensive, and so far as they could be given the commis-
sioners were told just what to do and just how to do it. The fact
that some of the directions were unwise and unwarranted was
due to the misinformation on the subject which the commissioner
had received, and his consequent lack of knowledge as to the
situation. For example, in describing the territory which the
commissioners were to acquire, Commissioner Brown expressed
the opinion that it contained "some 20,000,000 of acres," and
that "some of it," no doubt, contained "lands of excellent qual-
ity." With respect to the probable worth of the country to the
United States the commissioner expressed the opinion that, "from
its nature, a great part of it can never be more than very
trifling, if of any, value to the government." The country was
more valuable for the purpose of a location for homeseekers than
for any other purpose, and Commissioner Brown realized that
"only a small part of it is now actually necessary for that
object."
The contemplated and directed treaty with the Sioux in the
fall of 1849 was not held as contemplated. On repairing to
Traverse des Sioux in October, Commissioners Ramsey and Cham-
bers found that a large majority of the Upper Indians were
absent on their fall hunts. Coming down to Mendota, they found
the greater part of the Lower bands were absent gathering wild
rice, hunting in the Big Woods and elsewhere, and those still in
the villages were, under the circumstances, unwilling to engage
in any important negotiations.
At Mendota, however, a treaty was made with some of the
chiefs of the Medawakanton and Wapakooto bands providing for
the purchase, on reasonable terms, of what was known as the
"Half -Breed Tract," lying west of Lake Pepin, and which had
been set apart for the Sioux mixed bloods by the treaty of July
15, 1830. The tract comprised about 384,000 acres of now well
known and valuable country. The purchase was to be completed
as soon as possible, and the money given to the mixed blood bene-
ficiaries in lieu of the lands. The treaty was duly forwarded to
Washington, but never ratified by the Senate. In 1850 the agita-
tion for a more comprehensive treaty resulted in the important
negotiations of the summer of 1851, and the subject of the Lake
Pepin Half Breed Tract was put aside and soon forgotten.
At last, in the spring of 1851, President Fillmore directed that
a treaty with the Sioux be made, and appointed commissioners to
that end. The pressure upon him could no longer be resisted.
The Territorial Legislature had repeatedly memorialized Con-
gress, Ramsey had written, Sibley and Rice had reasoned and
pleaded, and Goodhue and the other Minnesota editors had well
nigh heated their types in their fervid exhortations to the na-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 43
tional authorities to tear down the barriers and allow the eager
and restless whites to grasp the wealth of the great inland
empire now furnishing home and sustenance to its rightful own-
ers. Already many settlers, as reckless of their own lives as they
were regardless of the laws of their country, were squatting with-
in the forbidden area.
The traders were especially desirous that a treaty be made.
It was the practice in such negotiations to insert a provision in
the treaty that the "just debts" of the Indians should be paid
out of the amounts allowed them. The American Fur Company —
then Pierre Chouteau, Jr., & Company — represented by Sibley
and the various sub-traders claimed that the Sioux of Minnesota
owed them in the aggregate nearly $500,000 for goods they had
received in past times; the accounts, in some instances, were
dated twenty years previously. If a treaty were made, all of the
accounts, both real and fictitious, and augmented to suit the
traders' fancy, would probably be declared as "just debts" and
paid out of such funds as might be allotted the Indians. That
the traders, including the firm of Choteau, Jr., & Company, did
all they could to have a treaty made may readily be believed.
Under a paragraph in the Indian appropriation bill of 1851,
approved February 27, all Indian treaties thereafter were to be
negotiated by "officers and agents" connected with the Indian
department and selected by the president. The appointees were
not to receive for their service in such cases any compensation
in addition to their regular salaries. Previously treaties had
been negotiated on the part of the government by special agents,
who were generally not connected with the public service and
who were paid particularly and liberally for these services.
In consideration of the great extent of country to be possibly
acquired, and the importance of the treaty generally, President
Fillmore appointed to conduct it, on the part of the government,
two prominent officials of the Indian department. These were
Governor Alexander Ramsey, ex-officio Indian commissioner for
Minnesota, and Luke Lea, the national commissioner of Indian
affairs. The instructions given them were in the main those of
Commissioner Brown, two years before, to Ramsey and Chambers
when it was designed that the treaty should then be made.
Treaty of Traverse des Sioux. Commissioner Lea arrived at
St. Paul, on the steamboat Excelsior, June 27. On the twenty-
ninth he and Governor Ramsey left Fort Snelling on the boat for
Traverse des Sioux, the site of the council ground selected for
the treaty with the two upper bands of Sioux, the Wahpetons
and Sissetons, who occupied the country of the upper Minnesota
valley. On board of the Excelsior were some beef cattle and
other supplies, to be furnished the Indians during the negotia-
tions. There were also on board about twenty-five white persons
44 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
who went up as excursionists and as sightseers and witnesses
of the proceedings.
The Excelsior landed at Traverse des Sioux early on the morn-
ing of Monday, June 30. This was a well known locality. Here
the Sioux, in early days, were wont to cross the Minnesota, on
their way between the Cannon river country and Swan lake, and
the ford bore the French equivalent for the "crossing of the
Sioux." From the earliest days there had been a trading post
here and in 1843 Reverend Riggs and his associates had estab-
lished a mission at the site. In the summer of 1849 this station
was in charge of Reverend Messrs. Robert Hopkins and Alex-
ander G. Huggins. The missionaries had comfortable residences,
and there was a frame mission house neatly painted and well
furnished.
There was also at "The Traverse," as it was often called,
the trading houses of Alexander Graham and Oliver Faribault,
with residence cabins and other log outbuildings; there was also
the old log warehouse in which the Doty treaty of 1841 had been
made and signed, while scattered along the ridge to the rear were
thirty or more buffalo skin tepees, occupied by Indian families
belonging to Chief Red Iron's band of Sissetons. Ten miles to
the northwest was the village of Chief Sleepy Eye's Little Rock
band of Sissetons, numbering two hundred and fifty. The site
of the Traverse, where the town was afterwards laid out, is two
miles east of St. Peter, or seventy miles southwest of St. Paul.
Word had been sent to all of the Sisseton and Wahpeton
bands — the Upper bands, as they were often called — that a treaty
was to be held at the Traverse early in July. They were notified
to be present; not only the chiefs, but the head men — the war
leaders and principal orators of the band — were to participate
in the deliberations. A large brush arbor was erected, under the
supervision of Alexis Failly, and beneath this comfortable shade
the treaty negotiations were to be held. A number of beeves
were slaughtered and boxes of hard-tack opened to feed the
expected visitors, while baskets of champagne and other refresh-
ments were offered for the entertainment of the white visitors.
But the arrival of the reluctant Indians was long delayed, and it
was not until July 18 that the representatives of the last bands
came in, very tired, very hungry and not favorable to the purpose
for which the council was called. They were heartily welcomed
by the designing whites and bountifully fed on fresh beef, pork
and hard-tack, but were refused whisky or other spirits, the
whites desiring all that for themselves.
There were present on the part of the Indians the two head
chiefs and the principal sub-chiefs of the bands, as well as their
head soldiers, chief speakers and prominent men of all classes.
On the part of the whites were Commissioners Lea and Ramsey ;
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 45
Dr. Thomas Foster, the secretary; and Alexander Faribault and
Reverend S. R. Riggs, interpreters. Other prominent white spec-
tators, some of whom acted as witnesses to the treaty, were:
James M. Goodhue, editor of the Minnesota Pioneer, who made
and published a daily report of the proceedings ; Frank B. Mayer,
a noted artist from Baltimore ; Major Nathaniel McLean, Sioux
Indian agent at Fort Snelling ; Doctor Thomas S. Williamson, the
missionary at Kaposia ; Judge James H. Lockwood, of Prairie du
Chien, who had ascended the Minnesota far above Patterson's
Rapids in 1816 ; Richard Chute and wife, then a newly married
couple from Indiana; H. H. Sibley, Colonel C. Henderson, Joseph
R. Brown, W. H. Forbes, Hugh Tyler, Reverend Alexander G.
Huggins, Martin McLeod, Henry Jackson, A. S. H. White, Wal-
lace B. White, Alexis Bailly, Kenneth McKenzie, Hercules L.
Dousman, Franklin Steele, F. Brown, William Hartshorn, William
G. Le Due, Joseph La Frambois, Sr., James McC. Boal, and sundry
French voyageurs, traders' employes and retainers, all of whom
were entertained sumptuously with delicious viands, and many
with fiery spirits and rare wines at the government's expense.
While waiting for the Indians the whites diverted themselves
in various ways, but chiefly in observing the Indian dances and
their other customs. It was intended to formally observe the
Fourth of July. Reverend Robert Hopkins, one of the local
missionaries, was drowned while bathing in the Minnesota, and
the intention was abandoned.
July 11 occurred the marriage of two mixed blood people,
David Faribault and Nancy Winona McClure. They were a fine
looking couple, attracted general admiration, and the whites gave
them a pretentious wedding reception. The groom was a son
of John B. Faribault, the pioneer trader, and the bride was the
natural daughter of Lieutenant James McClure of the regular
army, who was at one time stationed at Fort Snelling and died
in Florida during the Seminole War of 1837 ; she had been reared
by her Indian grandmother and educated and Christianized by
Reverend Messrs. Riggs and Williamson.
The ceremony was performed by Alexis Bailly, the trader,
who had been commissioned a justice of the peace. The wedding
reception was followed by an elaborate banquet prepared by the
whites, and at which there were a number of toasts presented and
responses made. Referring to her marriage reception years
afterwards Mrs. Faribault wrote : "I have often wondered how
so much champagne got so far out on the frontier." After the
wedding festivities the Sioux girls, to the number of twenty or
more, had a "virgin feast," in which none but vestals of un-
doubted purity were allowed to participate.
The Indians, as noted, came in from time to time in no haste
and evidently much opposed to parting with their lands. Nearly
46 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
all of the women and children were brought along. Chief Sha-
kopee, of the Lower bands of the Sioux, was in attendance a
great part of the time. On the tenth a band of twenty Chippewas
attacked a party of six Sisseton Sioux forty miles above Lac Qui
Parle and killed and scalped five of them; the sixth, a boy,
escaped by running. The Sioux went out and found their tribes-
men blackening in the sun; the bodies had been beheaded and
loathsomely mangled. The father of two of the murdered chil-
dren came into the Traverse July 15, bringing the tragic news.
He took part in the treaty, but sat with his face blackened, be-
cause of his bereavement.
July 18 the council opened under the brush arbor. Governor
Ramsey opened the proceedings with a short speech and was fol-
lowed by Commissioner Lea, who in explanation of the desires of
the white authorities made a lengthy address, with much in it
about the ineffable goodness and gigantic greatness of the ' ' Great
Father" of the Indians (the President) and his unselfish desire
that they sell to him all of their lands as far west at least as
Lake Traverse and the Big Sioux river down to the western
border of Iowa, retaining only enough land for their actual resi-
dence. The Sissetons and Wahpatons claimed the country from
Traverse des Sioux westward to the line indicated and the com-
missioners wanted all of it. After the speeches of the commis-
sioners, in order that their words might "sink deep into the
hearts" of the Indians, the council adjourned.
The following day, Saturday, the nineteenth, the council was
opened with a speech from Star Face (or "The Orphan," as the
whites called him) after a long silence and apparently much
reluctance to speak, and when he spoke he said simply that all
his young men had not arrived, and he was very sorry that the
council had opened without their presence, or that, as he ex-
pressed himself, the commissioners were "not willing to shake
hands with those that are behind." He said he understood that
some one had been sent to meet them on the road and turn them
back, and this made him feel very bad.
Then Sleepy Eye, the old Sisseton chief, who had been one of
the signers of the Prairie du Chien treaty of 1825, had visited
Washington, and had his portrait painted, in 1824, rose and said :
"Fathers: Your coming and asking me for my country makes
me sad ; your saying that I am not able to do anything with my
country makes me still more sad. The young men who are com-
ing (of whom Star Face had spoken) are my near relatives, and
I expect certainly to see them here. That is all I have to say.
I am going to leave and that is the reason I spoke."
Then, turning to the other Sissetons he said : ' ' Come ; let us
go away from here." Instantly there was great confusion. The
Indians left the arbor and were greeted with shouts by their
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 47
brethren. There were indications that the council was at an
end, and there was much excitement.
Governor Ramsey, however, knew the circumstances and
necessities of the Indians who had assembled. Calmly he said to
the interpreter: "Tell them that as our stock of provisions is
short, and they seem indisposed to talk, there will be no further
issue of provisions to them." Commissioner Lea added: "Tell
them they must let us know by this evening if they really wish to
treat. If we do not hear from them by that time we will go
below early tomorrow morning." The council then adjourned
and orders were given to get boats ready and to prepare to move
in the morning.
The word that they were to be given nothing more to eat pro-
duced great consternation among the Indians. Coming, as they
had, far from their homes, and solely for the benefit of the whites,
they had supposed that at least they were to be furnished pro-
visions while attending the conference, especially in view of the
riotous good times that the whites were enjoying out of the
expense fund. Hunger faced the Indians and their families on
their long journey back to their villages. The white men were
clearly saying : ' ' Give us your land at our own terms or we
will get it anyhow without a pretense of terms. We are in a
hurry, do not delay us, do not wait until all your men get here;
enter into this treaty as we have arranged for you to do, or take
your wives and children and go hungry until you can get back
home and get something to eat. It matters not to us that at our
request you have come here and given up gathering food for
weeks, do as we want you to or starve." Foreseeing the inevita-
ble the Indians agreed to again go into council on the following
Monday, and the officials knowing that the cause of the white
man was already won ordered that food should be distributed.
On Monday, the twenty-first, the council opened at noon. The
first speaker was Sleepy Eye, who sought to explain his view-
point of the events which had transpired. He said : "On the day
before yesterday, when we convened together, you were offended,
I hear, at what was said. No offense or disrespect was intended.
We only wanted more time to consider. The young men who
made a noise were waiting to have a ball play, and not under-
standing English thought the council was over, and as they did
so made the disturbance, for which we are very sorry."
Chief Extends-His-Head-Dress — or Big Curly Head, as the
whites called him — a Sisseton sub-chief, said: "I am not speak-
ing for myself, but for all that are here. We wish to understand
what we are about before we act — to know exactly the proposi-
tion made to us by the commissioners. The other chiefs and all
our people desire that you will make out for us in writing the
particulars of your offer for our lands, and when we have this
48 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
paper fully made out we will sit down on the hill back there
(indicating), consult among ourselves, come to a conclusion, and
let you know what it is."
Commissioner Lea then quickly prepared on paper the terms
desired by the United States, which had been declared verbally
at a previous meeting, and which were as follows :
"The Indians will cede to the United States all their lands in
the State of Iowa, as well as their lands east of a line from the
Red river to Lake Traverse, and thence to the northwestern cor-
ner of Iowa. The United States will (1) set apart a suitable
country for the Indians on the upper waters of the Minnesota
river for their future support; will (2) pay, say, $125,000 or
$130,000 to them to enable them to arrange their affairs prepara-
tory to removal, to pay the expense of removal, and to subsist
themselves for a year after removal — part of the above sum to be
paid in money and the other part to be paid in goods and pro-
visions; will (3) pay the Indians an annuity of $25,000 or $30,000
for many years — say thirty or forty years — part in money, part
in goods and provisions, and part to be applied to such other
beneficial objects as may be agreed upon."
The Indians deliberated over the words of these provisions
and let them "sink into their hearts" for two days and nights.
There was great divergence of opinion among them, the inter-
preters said. The majority seemed to realize that their lands
were of great value to the United States. But they had no
proper conception of the actual value in dollars and cents of the
great domain which they were about to sell. Their idea of num-
bers was limited, and they seemed to think that one hundred and
forty-five thousand dollars and seventy-five cents was far more
money than a million dollars, because the latter was the shorter
phrase and did not sound so imposing and formidable. When,
therefore, the commissioners made an offer, the poor unlettered
Indians did not know whether it was a fair one or not. Of course
they appealed to their traders and missionaries, who understood
the Dakota language, but the explanations offered hardly ex-
plained. Missionaries, traders and officials alike were deter-
mined that the land should be opened to white settlement. The
work of these traders and missionaries in finally effecting the
treaty was constant and very valuable to the whites. The serv-
ices rendered by Reverend Riggs, one of the official interpreters,
were most important. While the Indians were considering the
white men's proposition, Riggs, Sibley, McLeod, Brown and Fari-
bault were sent for at all hours of the day and night to explain
to the various bands the provisions of the treaty and their
application. The Indians, justly suspicious, would not be satisfied
with the meaning of any provision until at least three white men,
acting singly, had read it and interpreted it fully.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 49
July 22, the Indians, after much deliberation, proposed cer-
tain amendments, which they said they would insist upon as a
part of their treaty. These amendments were practically unim-
portant and the commissioners readily accepted. The treaty
was then prepared and on the following day was signed by the
contracting parties by Commissioners Lea and Ramsey and the
chiefs and the head men of the Sisseton and Wahpaton bands
of the Sioux. The ceremony of signing was somewhat impressive.
After the white commissioners had affixed their names the In-
dians selected the one of their number who should sign first.
This was Chief Eeen-yang Man-nie, or Running Walker (some-
times called "Big Gun"), chief of the Lake Traverse band of
Sissetons. Boldly he stepped upon the platform and touched
the goose quill pen in the hands of Dr. Foster. Next came Chief
Star Face, or "The Orphan." The commissioners tried to hasten
matters and to conclude the signing as soon as possible, but at
one time there was a hitch in the proceedings.
Old Sleepy Eye, who had said at the outset that he was sad
at heart because he had to sell his country, now arose, to the
great apprehension of the whites, and begged to say a few words.
He said that many of the Indians, young men and soldiers, had
without consulting their chiefs, concluded that the country which
they were asked to sell was worth $3,500,000, but that the com-
missioners were trying to get it for a less sum. The young men
had a right to be made satisfied. He also demanded other con-
ditions :
"You will take this treaty paper home and show it to the
Great Father," said Sleepy Eye, "but we want to keep a copy
here so that we may look at it and see whether you tell us the
truth or not — see whether you have changed it. As to paying
our debts to our traders I want to pay them what is right, but I
would like to know how much I owe them. If they have charged
me ten dollars for a gun I want them to tell me, and if they have
charged me ten dollars for a shirt I want them to tell me that.
I am a poor man and have difficulty in maintaining myself, but
these traders have good coats on. The prairie country in which
I live has not much wood j I live along with the traders, and they
are also poor, but I do not want to have to provide for them. I
think it will be very hard upon us when the year becomes white,
and I would like to have some provisions given me for the winter.
I would like to have what is mine laid on one side ; then when
we have finished this business I will know how many of my rela-
tives I can have mercy upon."
Colonel Lea assured Sleepy Eye that the money which the
United States would pay for the Indian land would amount to
more than the young men desired — to more than $3,500,000. He
sharply reproved Sleepy Eye and said: "We think it fortunate
50 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
for our red brothers that they have not entrusted the entire
treaty to Sleepy Eye, because they would not have made so
good a bargain for themselves as they have." As a matter of
fact the amount named in the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was
less than half of the amount Sleepy Eye requested. Out of the
sum named in the treaty the traders and cost of removal were
to be paid. Of what remained the Indians were not to receive
one cent — merely the interest for a certain number of years.
Even some of this interest was to be used to pay white teachers
and white farmers. And as a climax the payment of that part of
the interest which remained was, just before the massacre, with-
held and delayed under various pretenses. Even were the amount
named in the Treaty of Mendota added to the amount named
in the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux the total still falls far short
of $3,500,000.
Then Thunder Face, or "Limping Devil," a sub-chief of the
Sissetons, whose village was on the present site of the late Gil-
fillan farm, in Redwood county, came forward and signed. He
was followed by Sleepy Eye, who came gravely forward and
touched the pen. "Big Curly" was next, but after reaching the
platform he said: "Before I sign I want to say that you think
the sum you will give for our land is a great deal of money, but
you must well understand that the money will all go back to the
whites again, and the country will remain theirs." The Blunt-
Headed-Arrow, or "The Walnut," the Handsome Man, the Gray
Thunder, the Good Boy, and other noted warriors and head
men signed in order. Face-in-the-Middle was introduced by his
father, "Big Curly," who said: "This is my son; I would like
you to invest him with the medal which you have given to me
by my right as chief. He is to succeed me and will keep the
medal for you." Red Day next signed and was followed by
Young Sleepy Eye, nephew of and successor to the old chief upon
the latter 's death in 1859. They were followed by old Rattling
Moccasin, chief of a small band which generally lived in the
neighborhood of the great bend of the Minnesota. Old Red Iron
was the first Wahpaton chief to sign. ,
The treaty was signed by the following Sisseton and Wah-
paton chiefs, head men and chief soldiers :
Chiefs — Running Walker, or "The Gun;" Star Face, or "The
Orphan;" Thunder Face, or the "Lame Devil;" Sleepy Eye,
Extends the Train of His Head Dress, Walking Spirit, Red Iron
and Rattling (or Sounding) Moccasin.
Head Men — Blunt-Headed-Arrow, or "The Walnut;" Sound-
ing Iron, the Flute, Flies Twice, Mildly Good, Gray Thunder,
Iron Frenchman, Good Boy, Face in the Middle, Iron Horn, Red
Day, Young Sleepy Eye, Goes Galloping On, Cloud Man, the
Upper End, the Standard or Flag, Red Face (2) (there were two
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 51
Red Faces), Makes Elks, Big Fire, Moving Cloud, the Pursuer,
the Shaking Walker, Iron Lightning, Reappearing Cloud, the
Walking Harp that Sounds, the Iron that Shoots Walking and
Standing Soldier.
Of the Indian signers Red Iron and Sleepy Eye were the most
prominent of the chiefs. The head-man, "Goes Galloping On"
(or Anah-wang Manne in Sioux), was a Christian Indian and a
member of Reverend Riggs' Hazelwood Republic. He had been
baptized under the name of Simon Anahwangmanne, and was
commonly called Simon by the whites. He distinguished himself
by his fidelity to and services for the whites during the outbreak
in 1862. The Iron-That-Shoots-Walking was a Christian comrade
of Simou and called by his white brethren Paul Mazah-koo-te-
manne, but commonly Paul or Little Paul. He well nigh immor-
talized himself during the outbreak by his efforts in behalf of
the white prisoners.
As soon as the signing was completed a considerable quantity
of provisions and other presents, including silver medals, were
presented to the Indians. These presents, which had been fur-
nished by the government, had been piled up and displayed some-
what ostentatiously, under guard, while the treaty was under
discussion. The commissioners announced that the presents
would be distributed "just as soon as the treaty is signed," and
the announcement was sufficient to hasten the signing, and even
to remove many objections to the terms of the treaty. The mem-
bers of the rank and file of the great Indian host present kept
constantly calling out: "Sign! sign! and let the presents be
given out."
July 23, the next morning after the treaty had been signed,
Chief Star Face, or "The Orphan," and his band in their fullest
and richest dress and decoration, with all the animation they
could create, gave the buffalo dance and other dances and diver-
sions for the entertainment of the white visitors. A delegation
accompanied the commissioners to the river when they embarked
for Fort Snelling that evening and gave them a hearty goodbye.
A similar treaty was signed at Mendota, August 5, by the
lower bands of the Sioux, the Medawakantons and the Wah-
pakootas.
When the ceremony of signing the treaty was completed, both
at Traverse des Sioux and Mendota, each Indian signer stepped
to another table, where lay another paper, which he signed.
This was called the traders' paper and was an agreement to
pay the "just debts" of the Indians, including those present
and absent, alive and dead, owing to the traders and the trading
company. Some of the accounts were nearly thirty years' stand-
ing and the Indians who contracted them were dead. It was
afterward claimed that the Indians in signing the "traders'
52 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
paper" thought they were merely signing a third duplicate of
the treaty. The matter of payment had been discussed, but
Sleepy Eye had justly demanded an itemized account, and the
Indians had supposed that this request was to be complied with
before they agreed to pay.
The entire territory ceded by the Sioux Indians was declared
to be: "All their lands in the State of Iowa and also all their
lands in the Territory of Minnesota lying east of the following
line to-wit : Beginning at the junction of the Buffalo river with
the Red river of the North (about twelve miles north of Moor-
head, at Georgetown station, in Clay county) ; thence along the
western bank of said Red river of the North, to the mouth of
the Sioux Wood river; thence along the western bank of said
Sioux Wood river to Lake Traverse; thence along the western
shore of said lake to the southern extremity thereof; thence, in
a direct line, to the juncture of Kampeska lake with the Tehan-
Ka-sna-duta, or Sioux river; thence along the western bank of
said river to its point of intersection with the northern line of
the State of Iowa, including all islands in said rivers and lakes."
The consideration to the Upper bands was the reservation
twenty miles wide — ten miles on each side of the Minnesota —
and extending from the western boundary to the mouth of the
Yellow Medicine and Hawk creek, and $1,665,000, payable as
follows : To enable them to settle their affairs and comply with
their present just engagements, and to enable them to remove
to their new reservation and subsist themselves for the first year,
$275,000. To be expended under the direction of the President,
in the erection and establishment of manual labor schools, mills
and blacksmith shops, opening farms, etc., $30,000. The balance
($1,360,000) to remain in trust with the United States and five
per cent interest thereon, or $68,000 to be paid annually for fifty
years from July 1, 1852. This annuity was to be paid as follows :
In cash, $40,000; for general agricultural improvement and civil-
ization fund, $12,000; for goods and provisions, $10,000, and for
education, $6,000.
The written copies of the Traverse des Sioux and the Mendota
treaties, duly signed and attested, were forwarded to Washing-
ton to be acted upon by the Senate at the ensuing session of Con-
gress. An unreasonably long delay resulted. Final action was
not had until the following summer, when, on June 23, the Senate
ratified both treaties with important amendments. The provi-
sions for reservations for both the Upper and Lower bands were
stricken out, and substitutes adopted, agreeing to pay 10 cents
an acre for both reservations, and authorizing the President,
with the assent of the Indians, to cause to be set apart other reser-
vations, which were to be within the limits of the original great
cession. The provision to pay $150,000 to the half-bloods of the
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 53
Lower bands was also stricken out. The treaties, with the changes,
came back to the Indians for final ratification and agreement to
the alterations. The chiefs of the Lower bands at first objected
very strenuously, but finally, on Saturday, September 4, 1852, at
Governor Ramsey's residence in St. Paul, they signed the
amended articles, and the following Monday the chiefs and head
men of the upper bands affixed their marks. As amended, the
treaties were proclaimed by President Fillmore, February 24,
1853. The Indians were allowed to remain in their old villages,
or, if they preferred, to occupy their reservations as originally
designated, until the President selected their new homes. That
selection was never made, and the original reservations were
finally allowed them, Congress on July 31, 1854, having passed an
act by which the original provisions remained in force.
The Ramsey Investigation of 1853. During the greater part
of the year 1853 public attention in Minnesota and elsewhere
in the country was directed to an official investigation of the con-
duct of ex-Governor Ramsey in connection with the payment to
the representative of the traders of money to which the Indians
supposed themselves entitled under the treaties of 1851. The
Indians protested against paying any of their money in discharge
of their debts to the traders. They had at both treaties signed
a paper providing for the payment of these debts, but subse-
quently claimed that the nature of the "traders' paper" they
had signed was misrepresented to them as merely another copy
of the treaty.
At Traverse des Sioux the Indians' protest against paying
the traders took the form of menace and violence on the part of
Chief Red Iron and his band, and quiet was secured only by the
soldiers present through the seizing and imprisoning of Red Iron.
But Governor Ramsey was firm in his purpose that the traders
should be paid. At Traverse des Sioux he paid a representative
of the traders $210,000 which, he said, "paid $431,735.78 of Indian
indebtedness;" at Mendota he paid a representative of the trad-
ers $70,000, which, he said, "according to the traders' books of
account paid $129,885.10 of indebtedness."
In December, 1852, charges of conspiracy with H. H. Sibley,
Franklin Steele and others to defraud the Indians; that he had
made unlawful use of the public funds by depositing them in a
private bank and exchanging government gold for the bills of
that bank ; that he had been guilty of tyrannical conduct toward
the Indians in connection with the payment of the sums due
them, were made against Governor Ramsey. The authors of the
charges were Madison Sweetzer, of Traverse des Sioux, and
Colonel D. A. Robertson, of St. Paul. Sweetzer was a trader,
who had rather recently located at Traverse des Sioux, and was
connected with a rival company to that of Pierre Choteau, Jr., &
54 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
Company, the corporation to which Sibley, Steele and the others
charged with conspiracy belonged. Colonel Robertson was the
editor of the Minnesota Democrat, which was the organ of the
faction controlled by H. M. Rice, then the opponent of Sibley
and Ramsey.
The allegations against Governor Ramsey were, that he had
paid the traders various sums of money without the right to do
so, and that for so doing he had been paid by the beneficiaries,
and thus, in effect, had been bribed to violate the law and his
duty.
At the request of Mr. Sibley, then the delegate in Congress,
Senator Gwin of California, secured the passage of a Senate
resolution (April 5, 1853), ordering the investigation of the
charges against the ex-governor. At the same time the gov-
ernor's accounts as paymaster under the treaties were held up
until the investigation should be concluded. President Pierce
appointed Richard M. Young, of Ohio, and Governor Willis A.
Gorman, of Minnesota, commissioners to investigate, during
which testimoney was given by Madison Sweetzer, Dr. Charles
Wolf Borup and Joseph A. Sire.
The investigation and the taking of testimony began at St.
Paul July 6, and was concluded October 7, 1853. A large num-
ber of witnesses were examined — whites, Indians and mixed
bloods. Some of the most prominent citizens of the Territory
testified — Sibley, Brown, McLeod. Steele, Forbes and Alexander
Faribault, the traders; Reverends Riggs and Williamson, of the
missionaries; Dr. Thomas Foster, Captain W. B. Dodd, Henry
Jackson and David Olmsted, of the citizens; Wabasha, Little
Crow, Wacouta, Red Iron, Grey Iron, Shakopee, the Star and
Cloud Man, of the Indians ; Captain James Monroe, of the army ;
Indian Agent Nathaniel McLean, and many others.
Commissioner Young made an official report of the investiga-
tion to the commissioner of Indian affairs, which bears date
December 20, 1853. This report criticised the conduct of Gov-
ernor Ramsey in depositing the government funds in a private
bank and in paying out large amounts in bills and drafts on that
bank to beneficiaries under the treaty. It also contained some
strictures on various other features of the governor's conduct.
It did not, however, find him guilty of conspiring with the trad-
ers, nor of being paid by the traders for the part he took in
bringing about the signing of the treaties. February 24, 1854,
Senator James Cooper, of Pennsylvania, a member of the com-
mittee on Indian affairs, presented a report to the effect that
Governor Ramsey had been acquitted by the committee of all im-
propriety of conduct, and that one of the complainants, Colonel
D. A. Robertson, had retracted his charges. The resolution was
considered by unanimous consent and the committee discharged.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 55
As a matter of fact, the guilt, if guilt there was, was shared
by all. The whites desired that Minnesota be opened to settle-
ment, the traders demanded vast sums for the goods which they
had already sold to the Indians on credit, the only way the
Indians could be persuaded to sign the treaties was through the
influence of the traders, and the traders would not consent to
serve unless the Indians were compelled to sign the "traders'
paper." Probably the Indians had no idea what they were doing
when they signed the paper, and even of the treaty which they
knowingly signed they had no adequate conception, and the
white men who negotiated it were well aware that if the Indians
realized the truth about what they were doing they would never
sign even the treaty, to say nothing of the "traders' paper." It
was not a crime of individuals, it was merely one of the steps by
which one race through guile, trickery and force of numbers
and superiority of war equipment, was supplanting another and
more primitive people.
Treaty of 1858. June 19, 1858, the government made a treaty
with certain selected chiefs and braves of the Medawakanton,
"Wahpakoota, Sisseton and Wahpaton bands of Sioux for the
cession of their reservation, ten miles in width, on the north
side of the Minnesota, and extending from the west line of the
State to Little Rock creek, four miles east of Fort Ridgely. The
area purchased amounted to about 8,000,000 acres, and the price
to be paid was subsequently (but not until June 27, 1860) fixed
by the Senate at thirty cents an acre. The Indians agreed that,
in the aggregate for the four bands, the sum of $140,000 might
be taken from the purchase price to pay their debts owing to
the traders, or, as the treaty expressed it, "to satisfy their just
debts and obligations."
The influx of white settlers into the country of the Minnesota
valley, where were some of the finest lands in the State, had been
very large after the Indian title to the greater part of the coun-
try had been extinguished. The magnificent domain comprising
a great part of what are now the southern portions of Ren-
ville, Chippewa, Swift and Big Stone counties was looked upon
with covetous eyes by the homeseekers. The waves of immigra-
tion beat against the legal barrier which surrounded this fine
fertile expanse, and there was a great clamor that the barriers
be removed. "The country is too good for the Indian," said
the whites. The Indians themselves had not to any consider-
able extent occupied the north half of their reservation. Their
villages and nearly all of their tepees— except about Big Stone
lake — were situated in the south half. But a majority of the
Indians, owing to their previous experiences, were opposed to
selling any portion of their reserve. Some of the head chiefs
and the headmen, however, were willing to sell the north side
56 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
strip if they could get a good price for it. Major Joseph R.
Brown, then the Sioux agent, consulted with them and at last a
number of them agreed to accompany him to Washington to
make a treaty. Not all of the sub-chiefs nor all of the head-men
could be induced to go; some of them were opposed to the sale
of the land, and others were afraid of the results of a hostile
public sentiment. It required all of Major Brown's great influ-
ence with the Sioux to effect the important negotiations. The
Indians went to Washington in something like imposing array.
Major Brown gave high silk hats and other articles of the white
man's adornment to those who would wear them, and there
accompanied the party a retinue of whites and mixed bloods
from Minnesota. A. J. Campbell (commonly called "Joe" Camp-
bell) was the official interpreter, but assisting him was the shrewd
old Scotchman, Andrew Robertson, and his mixed blood son,
Thomas A. Robertson. Other members of the party were:
Nathaniel R. Brown, John Dowling, Charlie Crawford and James
R. Roche.
On behalf of the United States the treaty was signed by
Charles E. Mix, then commissioner of Indian affairs. Sisseton
and Wahpaton Indians who signed it were these :
Sissetons and Wahpatons — Chiefs, Red Iron, Scarlet Plume,
and Extends His Train. Headmen : Stumpy Horn, The Planter,
Walks On Iron, Paul Mah-zah-koo-te-Manne, John Other Day,
and Strong Voiced Pipe.
The small number of dignitaries named assumed to act for the
entire Sioux of Minnesota. It is not a matter of surprise that
there was dissatisfaction among the bands on account of the
limited list of their representatives on so important an occasion.
After the treaty had been signed the Indians were sumptu-
ously entertained, given broadcloth suits, high hats, and patent
leather shoes to wear, and had a grand good time, all at the ex-
pense of the Government. They were photographed and taken
to the theatres, and allowed to return home by way of Balti-
more, New York, Philadelphia and Chicago. When they re-
turned to Minnesota their tales of the magnificence and strength
of the whites were listened to by their people with interest and
in some measure reconciled them to what had been done.
The opening of the "north ten -mile strip," as the land was
called, was of great benefit to the development of Minnesota,
at least for a time. Settlers came in considerable numbers and
the country was improving rapidly when the Civil War inter-
rupted the peaceful course of events. Then in 1862 came the
Sioux outbreak and all of the civilization on the ten-mile strip
was pushed off by a great wave of blood and fire.
Agencies and Forts. The reservations as outlined in the
treaties, embraced a tract of land twenty miles wide, ten miles
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 57
on each side of the Minnesota, extending from the mouth of the
Little Rock (Mud creek) westward to Lake Traverse. The divid-
ing line between the Upper and Lower reservations was a line
drawn north and south through the mouth of Hawk creek. Thus
Redwood county for a ten-mile strip along the Minnesota, was in
the Lower reservation.
The removal of the Indians to their reservations was inter-
mittent, interrupted and extended over a period of several years.
With the establishment of the new Indian reserve and the
removal of the Indians thereto, came the necessity of a new
military post in Minnesota. The concentration of so many In-
dians upon an area really small in comparison with the country,
a part of which they had occupied, and all of which they claimed
to own, rendered the situation important and worthy of atten-
tion. A military post was necessary to preserve order should
the Indians become dissatisfied. There were to be two Indian
agencies for the Indians on the reservations. The Upper agency,
for the Sissetons and Wahpatons, was established near the mouth
of the Yellow Medicine and the Lower, for the Medawanton and
Wahpakoota bands, was placed about six miles east of the mouth
of the Redwood. Both agencies were on the south bank of the
Minnesota river.
The matter of the new military post was called to the atten-
tion of C. M. Conrad, then secretary of war, and General Win-
field Scott, then commanding the regular army, by Delegate
Henry H. Sibley.
General Scott concurred in Sibley's recommendation, and
the secretary of war approved it, and issued the necessary or-
der. In the fall of 1852 Captain Napoleon Jackson Tecumseh
Dana, then of the quartermaster's department, and Colonel
Francis Lee, then in command at Fort Snelling, were ordered
to select a suitable site for the new fort, "on the St. Peter's
river, above the mouth of the Blue Earth."
In the latter part of November, with an escort of dragoons
from Fort Snelling and after a three-days' march in the snow,
the officers reached Laframboise 's trading post, at the Little
Rock. Five miles above the Rock, on the crest of the high bluff
on the north side of the Minnesota, the site was fixed.
The new post was named Fort Ridgely, in honor of Major
Randolph Ridgely, a gallant officer of the regular army from
Maryland, who died of injuries received at the battle of
Monterey.
When Fort Ridgely was established Fort Riley, Kansas, was
ordered built. At the same time Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Fort
Scott, Kansas, were ordered discontinued and broken up.
Fort Ridgely took the place of Fort Dodge, and Fort Riley
was substituted for Fort Scott. The first garrison at Ridgely
58 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
was composed of Companies C and K of the Sixth Infantry, and
the first commander was Captain James Monroe, of Company K.
Companies C and K went up on the steamboat West Newton
from Fort Snelling, but later were joined by Company E, which
marched across the country from Fort Dodge, and arrived in
June, 1853, when work on the buildings was begun. When Com-
pany E arrived its captain, Brevet Major Samuel Woods, previ-
ously well identified with Minnesota history, took command by
virtue of his rank. The work of constructing the fort was in
charge of Captain Dana. The story of the Lower Agency is told
elsewhere.
Authority and References. This chapter is a somewhat free
compilation from articles by Return I. Holcombe in "Minnesota
in Three Centuries," and by P. M. Magnusson in the "History
of Stearns County." These articles were in turn compiled from
other sources. To this material, the editor of this work has added
numerous notes and facts, gathered chiefly from ' ' The Aborigines
of Minnesota," and from Part 2, of the "Eighteenth Annual Re-
port of the Bureau of American Ethnology," 1896-97. Informa-
tion has also been gathered from the "History of the Sioux
Massacre," by Charles S. Bryant, and contained in the History
of the Minnesota Valley, 1882. The article in Minnesota Valley
book was in turn compiled from the "History of the Minnesota
Indian Massacre," by Charles S. Bryant and Abel B. Murch,
1863.
CHAPTER VI.
CLAIM OF TITLE.
The history of the early governmental jurisdiction of the
valley of the Minnesota river is formulated with some difficulty,
as, prior to the nineteenth century, the interior of the country
was so little known and the maps upon which claims and grants
were founded were so meager, as well as incorrect and unre-
liable, that descriptions of boundaries and locations as given
in the early treaties are vague in the extreme, and very difficult
of identification with present-day lines and locations.
The Hon. J. V. Brower, a scholarly authority upon this sub-
ject, says ("The Mississippi River and Its Sources") : "Spain,
by virtue of the discoveries of Columbus and others, confirmed
to her by papal grant (that of Alexander VI, May 4, 1493), may
be said to have been the first European owner of the entire valley
of the Mississippi, but she never used this claim as a ground
for taking formal possession of this part of her domains other
than incidentally involved in De Soto's doings. The feeble ob-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 59
jections which she made in the next two centuries after the
discovery to other nations exploring and settling North America
were successfully overcome by the force of accomplished facts.
The name of Florida, now so limited in its application, was first
applied by the Spaniards to the greater part of the eastern half
of North America, commencing at the Gulf of Mexico and pro-
ceeding northward indefinitely. This expansiveness of geograph-
ical view was paralleled later by the definition of a New France
of still greater extent, which practically included all the conti-
nent.
"L'Escarbot, in his history of New France, written iu 1617,
says, in reference to this : ' Thus our Canada has for its limits on
the west side all the lands as far as the sea called the Pacific,
on this side of the Tropic of Cancer; on the south the islands of
the Atlantic sea in the direction of Cuba and the Spanish land;
on the east and the northern sea which bathes New France ; and
on the north the land said to be unknown, toward the icy sea as
far as the arctic pole.'
"Judging also by the various grants to individuals, noble and
otherwise, and 'companies,' which gave away the country in
latitudinal strips extending from the Atlantic westward, the
English were not far behind the Spaniards and French in this
kind of effrontery. As English colonists never settled on the
Mississippi in pursuance of such grants, and never performed
any acts of authority there, such shadowy sovereignties may be
disregarded here, in spite of the fact that it was considered neces-
sary, many years later, for various states concerned to convey
to the United States their more or less conflicting claims to ter-
ritory which lay far to the westward of their own actual borders.
"Thus, in the most arbitrary manner, did the Mississippi
river, though yet unknown, become the property, successively,
of the Iberian, Gaulish and Anglo-Saxon races — of three peo-
ples who, in later times, by diplomacy and force of arms, strug-
gled for an actual occupancy. Practically, however, the upper
Mississippi valley may be considered as having been in the first
place Canadian soil, for it was Frenchmen from Canada who
first visited it and traded with its various native inhabitants.
The further prosecution of his discoveries by La Salle, in 1682,
extended Canada as a French possession to the Gulf of Mexico,
though he did not use the name of Canada nor yet that of New
France. He preferred to call the entire country watered by
the Mississippi river and its tributaries, from its uttermost source
to its mouth, by the new name he had already invented for the
purpose — Louisiana. The names of Canada and New France
had been indifferently used to express about the same extent of
territory, but the name of Louisiana now came to supersede them
in being applied to the conjectural regions of the "West. Al-
60 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
though La Salle has applied the latter expression to the entire
valley of the Mississippi, it was not generally used in that sense
after his time; the upper part of the region was called Canada,
and the lower Louisiana; hut the actual dividing line between
the two provinces was not absolutely established, and their names
and boundaries were variously indicated on published maps.
Speaking generally, the Canada of the eighteenth century in-
cluded the Great Lakes and the country drained by their tribu-
taries; the northern one-fourth of the present state of Illinois —
that is, as much as lies north of the mouth of the Rock river;
all the regions lying north of the northern watershed of the
Missouri, and finally the valley of the upper Missouri itself."
This would include Redwood county.
But it is now necessary to go back two centuries previous
and consider the various explorations of the Mississippi upon
which were based the claims of the European monarchs. Pos-
sibly the mouth of the Mississippi had been reached by Spaniards
previous to 1541, possibly Hibernian missionaries as early as
the middle of the sixth century, or Welsh emigrants (Madoc),
about 1170, discovered North America by way of the Gulf of
Mexico, but historians gave to Fernando de Soto and his band of
adventurers the credit of having been the first white men to
actually view the Mississippi on its course through the interior
of the continent and of being the first ones to actually traverse
its waters. De Soto sighted the Mississippi in May, 1541, at the
head of an expedition in search of gold and precious stones. In
the following spring, weary, with hope long deferred, and worn
out with his adventures, De Soto fell a victim to disease and
died May 21, 1541. His followers, greatly reduced in number by
sickness, after wandering about in a vain searching, built three
small vessels and descended to the mouth of the Mississippi,
being the first white men to reach the outlet of that great river
from the interior. However, they were too weary and discour-
aged to lay claim to the country, and took no notes of the region
through which they passed.
In 1554 James Cartier, a Frenchman, discovered the St. Law-
rence, and explored it as far as the present site of Quebec. The
next year he ascended the river to Mont Real, the lofty hill for
which Montreal was named. Thereafter all the country drained
by the St. Lawrence was claimed by the French. Many years
later the King of France granted the ' ' basin of the St. Lawrence
and all the rivers flowing through it to the sea," to a company,
whose leader was Champlain, the founder of Quebec, which be-
came the capital of New France, whose then unexplored territory
stretched westward to well within the bouudaries of what is now
Minnesota. In 1613-15 Champlain explored the Ottawa river,
and the Georgian bay to Lake Huron, and missions were estab-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 61
lished in the Huron country. Missionaries and fur traders were
the most active explorers of the new possessions. They followed
the shores of the Great Lakes and then penetrated further and
further into the wilderness. As they went they tried to make
friends of the red men, established trading posts and raised the
Christian cross. In 1641 Jogues and Raymbault, Jesuits, after a
long and perilous voyage in frail canoes and bateaux, reached
the Sault Ste. Marie, where they heard of a large river, the Mish-
is-ip-e, flowing southward to the sea, and of a powerful Indian
tribe dwelling near its headwaters. Stories of vast fertile plains,
of numberless streams, of herds of buffalo, and of many people,
in regions far to the west and south, roused missionaries and
traders anew, and the voyages and trips of the explorers became
more frequent.
In 1659-60 Radisson and Grosseilliers, proceeding westward
from Lake Superior, possibly entered what is now Minnesota.
They spent some time in the "forty villages of the Dakotas, "
possibly in the vicinity of Mille Lacs, and were, it has been con-
tended, the first white men to set foot on the soil of this state.
The contention that these adventurers spent a part of the years
1655-56 on Prairie Island, in the Mississippi just above Red "Wing
is disputed by some historians, but still forms an interesting
subject for study and conjecture.
Some writers also claim that the Frenchman, Sieur Nicollet,
who should not be confused with the Nicollet of a later date,
reached the Mississippi in 1639.
Rene Menard, a Jesuit missionary, reached the Mississippi in
1661 by way of Wisconsin. This was twelve years prior to its
discovery by Marquette and Joliet, and to Menard historians in
general give the honor of the discovery of the upper waters of
the great river. Menard ascended the Mississippi to the mouth
of the Black river, Wisconsin, and was lost in a forest near the
source of that stream while attempting to carry the gospel to
the Hurons. His sole companion "called him and sought him,
but he made no reply and could not be found." Some years
later his camp kettle, robe and prayer book were seen in the
possession of the Indians.
In the summer of 1663 the intelligence of the fate of Menard
reached Quebec, and on August 8, 1665, Father Claude Allouez,
who had anxiously waited two years for the means of convey-
ance, embarked for Lake Superior with a party of French trad-
ers and Indians. He visited the Minnesota shores of Lake Supe-
rior in the fall of 1665, established the Mission of the Holy Spirit
at La Pointe, now in Wisconsin, and it is said "was the first to
write 'Messipi,' the name of the great river of the Sioux coun-
try," as he heard it pronounced by the Chippewas, or rather as it
sounded to his ears.
62 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
May 13, 1673, Jaques Marquette and Louis Joliet, the former
a priest and the latter the commander of the expedition, set out
with five assistants, and on June 17 of the same year reached the
Mississippi at the present site of Prairie du Chien, thence con-
tinuing down the river as far as the mouth of the Illinois, which
they ascended, subsequently reaching the lakes.
In 1678, the Sieur De Luth, Daniel Graysolon, under commis-
sion from the governor of Canada, set out from Quebec, to ex-
plore the country west of the Lake Superior region. He was to
take possession of it in the name of the king of France, and
secure the trade of the native tribes. De Luth entered Minne-
sota in 1679, reaching the great Sioux village of Kathio at Mille
Lacs, on July 2. "On that day," he says, "I had the honor to
plant His Majesty's arms where a Frenchman never before had
been."
In 1680 Accault planted the French royal arms near the
source of the Mississippi.
La Salle, however, was the first to lay claim to the entire
valley in the name of his sovereign. After achieving perpetual
fame by the discovery of the Ohio river (1670-71), he conceived
the plan of reaching the Pacific by way of the Northern Missis-
sippi, at that time unexplored and supposed to be a waterway
connecting the two oceans. Frontenac, then governor-general
of Canada, favored the plan, as did the king of France. Accord-
ingly, gathering a company of Frenchmen, he pursued his way
through the lakes, made a portage to the Illinois river, and, Jan-
uary 4, 1680, reached what is now Lake Peoria, in Illinois. From
there, in February, he sent Hennepin and two companions to ex-
plore the upper Mississippi. During this voyage Hennepin and
the men accompanying him were taken by the Indians as far
north as Mille Lacs. He also discovered St. Anthony Falls.
Needing reinforcements, La Salle again returned to Canada. In
January, 1682, with a band of followers, he started on his third
and greatest expedition. February 6 they reached the Missis-
sippi by way of Lake Michigan and the Illinois river, and March
6 discovered the three great passages by which the river dis-
charges its waters into the Gulf. Two days later they re-
ascended the river a short distance, to find a high spot out of the
reach of inundations, and there erected a column and planted a
cross, proclaiming with due ceremony the authority of the king
of France. Thus did the whole Mississippi valley pass under the
nominal sovereignty of the French monarchs.
The first definite claim to the upper Mississippi is embodied
in a paper, still preserved, in the colonial archives of France,
entitled "The record of the taking possession, iu his majesty's
name, of the Bay des Puants (Green bay), of the lake and rivers
of the Outagamis and Maskoutins (Fox river and Lake Winne-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 63
bago), of the river Ouiskonche (Wisconsin), and that of the
Mississippi, the country of the Nadouesioux (the Sioux or Da-
kota Indians), the rivers St. Croix and St. Pierre (Minnesota),
and other places more remote, May 8, 1689." (P. B. 0 'Calla-
han's translation in 1855, published in Vol. 9, page 418, "Docu-
ments Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New
York.") This claim was made by Perrot, and the proclamation
is supposed to have been issued from Fort St. Antonie on the
northeastern shore of Lake Pepin, about six miles from its mouth.
The previous proclamations of St. Lusson in 1671 at the out-
let of Lake Superior, of De Luth, in 1679, at the west end of the
same lake and at Mille Lacs, strengthened the French claims of
sovereignty.
For over eight decades thereafter, the claims of France were,
tacitly at least, recognized in Europe. In 1763 there came a
change. Of this change A. N. Winchell (in Vol. 10, "Minnesota
Historical Society Collections") writes: "The present eastern
boundary of Minnesota, in part (that is so far as the Mississippi
now forms its eastern boundary), has a history beginning at a
very early date. In 1763, at the end of that long struggle during
which England passed many a mile post in her race for world
empire, while France lost nearly as much as Britain gained —
that struggle, called in America, the French and Indian War—
the Mississippi river became an international boundary. The
articles of the definite treaty of peace were signed at Paris, on
February 10, 1763. The seventh article made the Mississippi,
from its source to about the 31st degree of north latitude, the
boundary between the English colonies on this continent and the
French Louisiana. The text of the article is as follows (Pub-
lished in the "Gentleman's Magazine," Vol. 33, pages 121-126,
March, 1763) :
"VII. In order to re-establish peace on solid and durable
foundations, and to remove forever all subjects of dispute to
the limits of the British and French Territories on the continent
of America; that for the future the confines between the do-
mains of his Britannic majesty and those of his most Christian
majesty (the king of France) in that part of the world, shall be
fixed irrevocably by a line drawn down the middle of the river
Mississippi, from its source to the river Iberville, and from
thence, by a line drawn along the middle of this river, and the
Lake Maurepas and Pontchartrain, to the sea." The boundary
from the source of the river farther north, or west, or in any
direction, was not given ; it was evidently supposed that it would
be of no importance for many centuries at least.
This seventh article of the definite treaty was identical with
the sixth article in the preliminary treaty of peace signed by
England, Spain and France, at Fontainebleau, November 3, 1762.
64 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
On that same day, November 3, 1762, the French and Spanish
representatives had signed another act by which the French
king "ceded to his cousin of Spain, and his successors forever
* * * all the country known by the name of Louisiana, including
New Orleans and the island on which that city is situated. ' ' This
agreement was kept secret, but when the definite treaty was
signed at Paris the following year, this secret pact went into
effect, and Spain at once became the possessor of the area
described.
At the close of the Revolutionary War, the territory east of
the Mississippi and north of the 31st parallel passed under the
jurisdiction of the United States. By the definite treaty of
peace between the United States and Great Britain, ratified at
Paris, September 3, 1783, a part of the northern boundary of
the United States, and the western boundary thereof was estab-
lished as follows: Commencing at the most northwestern point
of the Lake of the Woods, and from thence on a due course west
to the Mississippi river (the Mississippi at that time was thought
to extend into what is now Canada), thence by a line to be
drawn along the middle of said Mississippi river until it shall
intersect the northernmost part of the 31st degree of north lati-
tude. (U. S. Statutes at Large, Vol. 8, page 82.)
In 1800, by the secret treaty of San (or Saint) Udefonso
(signed October 1), Spain receded the indefinite tract west of
the Mississippi to France, which nation did not, however, take
formal possession until three years later, when the formality was
made necessary in order that the tract might be ceded to the
United States. Napoleon, for France, sold the tract to the United
States, April 30, 1803. The region comprehended in the "Loui-
siana Purchase," as this area was called, included all the country
west of the Mississippi, except those portions west of the Rocky
mountains actually occupied by Spain, and extended as far north
as the British territory.
By an act of congress, approved October 31, 1803, the presi-
dent of the United States was authorized to take possession of
this territory, the act providing that "all the military, civil, and
judicial powers exercised by the officers of the existing govern-
ment, shall be vested in such person or persons, and shall be
exercised in such manner as the President of the United States
shall direct." (United States Statutes at Large, Vol. 2, page
245.)
December 20, 1803, Louisiana was formally turned over to
the United States at New Orleans, by M. Laussat, the civil agent
of France, who a few days previous (November 30) had received
a formal transfer from the representatives of Spain. Redwood
county was included in the Louisiana purchase.
It will therefore be seen that the territorial claim of title
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 65
to Redwood county was first embraced in the paper grant to
Spain, May 4, 1493. It was subsequently included in the indefi-
nite claims made by Spain to lands north and northwest of her
settlements in Mexico, Florida and the West Indies; by the
English to lands west of their Atlantic coast settlements, and
by the French to lands south, west and southwest of their Cana-
dian settlements. The first definite claim to territory now em-
bracing Redwood county was made by La Salle at the mouth of
the Mississippi, March 8, 1682, in the name of the king of
France, and the second (still more definite) by Perrot, nor far
from the present site of Winona, May 8, 1689. This was also a
French claim. France remained in tacit authority until Febru-
ary 10, 1763, when, upon England's acknowledging the French
authority to lands west of the Mississippi, France, by a previous
secret agreement, turned her authority over to Spain. Octo-
ber 1, 1800, Spain ceded the tract to France, but France did not
take formal possession until November 30, 1803, and almost im-
mediately, December 20, 1803, turned it over to the United States,
the Americans having purchased it from Napoleon April 30 of
that year.
March 26, 1804, the area that is now Redwood county was
included in the widely spreading area of the Louisiana district,
and so remained until March 3, 1805. From March 3, 1805, to
June 4, 1812, it was a part of Louisiana territory. From June 4,
1812, until August 10, 1820, it was a part of Missouri territory.
From August 10, 1821, until June 28, 1834, it was outside the pale
of all organized government, except that congress had general
jurisdiction. From June 28, 1834, to April 20, 1836, it was a part of
Michigan territory. From April 20, 1836, to June 12, 1838, it
was a part of Wisconsin territory. From June 12, 1838, to De-
cember 28, 1846, it was a part of the territory of Iowa. The
admission of Iowa as a state left what is now Redwood county
without territorial affiliation until March 3, 1849, when Minne-
sota was admitted as a territory. In the meantime, however, im-
portant events were transpiring.
December 18, 1846, Morgan L. Martin, delegate for Wiscon-
sin territory, gave notice to the house of representatives that at
an early day he would ask leave to introduce a bill establishing a
territorial government of Minnesota. The name which was the
Sioux term for what was then the river St. Peter (Pierre) and
has now become the official designation was, it is believed, ap-
plied to the proposed territory at the suggestion of Joseph R.
Brown. It is a composite word and while there is some differ-
ence of opinion as to the exact meaning, the most generally
accepted is "sky tinted water," which is a very satisfactory and
poetical even if not accurate interpretation. The real meaning
is blear water or cloudy water or milky water, the river at cer-
66 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
tain stages in the early days having the appearance of what
we now call a "mackerel sky." The bill was introduced in the
lower house on December 23, 1846, by Mr. Martin. This bill was
left to the committee on territories of which Stephen A. Doug-
las of Illinois was the chairman. During its consideration by
congress, the bill underwent various changes. After reported
back to the house the name Minnesota had been changed by
Mr. Douglas to Itasca! a word formed by taking syllables from
the Latin words Veritas caput, meaning the true head. Mr.
Martin immediately moved that the name Minnesota be placed in
the bill in place of Itasca. Congressman Winthrop proposed the
name Chippewa, another from the word Ojibway, a tribe of
Indians then inhabiting the northern part of Wisconsin and
Minnesota. Congressman Thompson of Mississippi was opposed
to all Indian names and wished the new territory named for
Andrew Jackson. Congressman Houston of Delaware spoke
strongly in favor of giving to the new territory the name of
Washington. Of these proposed names only one, Washington,
has been preserved as the name of a state or territory. After
many months, counter motions and amendments, Minnesota was
retained in the bill which with a minor change passed the house.
In the senate it was rejected.
A second attempt was made two years later. January 10,
1848, Stephen A. Douglas, who having in the meantime been
elected to the United States Senate from Illinois, became chair-
man of the committee on territories in that body as he had previ-
ously been in the house, gave due notice to the senate that "at a
future day" he would introduce a bill to establish the territory
of Minnesota. He brought in the bill February 23. It was sev-
eral times read, was amended, referred to committee and dis-
cussed, but congress adjourned August 14 without taking ulti-
mate action on the proposition.
In the meantime Wisconsin was admitted to the Union May
29, 1848, and the western half of what was then St. Croix county
was left outside the new state. The settled portions of the area
thus cut off from Wisconsin by its admission to statehood privi-
leges were in the southern part of the peninsula of land lying
between the Mississippi and the St. Croix.
The people of this area were now confronted with a serious
problem. As residents of the territory of Wisconsin they had
enjoyed the privileges of citizenship in the United States. By
the creation of the state of Wisconsin they were disfranchised
and left without the benefits of organized government. Thus,
Stillwater, which had been the governmental seat of a growing
county (St. Croix), was left outside the pale of organized law.
Legal minds disagreed on the question of whether the minor
civil officers, such as justices of the peace, created under the
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 67
territorial organization, were still qualified to exercise the au-
thority of their positions. At a meeting held at St. Paul, in
July, 1848, the citizens of that (then) village considered the ques-
tion of the formation of a new territory. August 5 a meet-
ing of citizens of the area west of the St. Croix was held at
Stillwater, and it was decided to call a general convention at that
place, August 26, 1848, for a three-fold purpose: 1 — To elect
a territorial delegate to congress. 2 — To organize a territory
with a name other than Wisconsin. 3 — To determine whether
the laws and organization of the old territory of Wisconsin were
still in effect now that a part of that territory was organized as
a state. In the call for this meeting, the signers called them-
selves, "We, the undersigned citizens of Minnesota territory."
The meeting was held pursuant to the call. Action was taken in
regard to the first proposition by the election of H. H. Sibley,
who was authorized to proceed to Washington and use such ef-
forts as were in his power to secure the organization of the ter-
ritory of Minnesota. In regard to the second proposition, a
memorial was addresstd to the President of the United States,
stating the reasons why the organization of Minnesota territory
was necessary. The third proposition presented technical points
worthy of the attention of the wisest legal minds. The state of
Wisconsin had been organized, but the territory of Wisconsin
had not been abolished. Was not, therefore, the territory still
in existence, and did not its organization and its laws still prevail
in the part of the territory that had not been included in the
state? A letter from James Buchanan, then secretary of state
of the United States, expressed this view in a letter. If the terri-
torial government was in existence would it not give the resi-
dents thereof a better standing before the nation in their de-
sire to become Minnesota territory? Might not this technicality
give the delegate a seat in congress when otherwise he must,
as simply the representative of an unorganized area, make his
requests in the lobby and to the individual members? John
Catlin, who had been secretary of the territory of Wisconsin
before the organization of that state, declared that the territory
still existed in the area not included in the organized state and
that he was the acting governor, Territorial Governor Henry
Dodge having been elected United States Senator. Accordingly,
the people of the cut-off portion organized as the "Territory
of Wisconsin," and named a day for the election of a delegate,
John H. Tweedy, the territorial delegate from Wisconsin, having
gone through the form of resigning in order to make the new
move possible. In the closely contested election held October
30, 1848, Sibley won out against Henry M. Rice and accordingly
made his way to Washington, technically from the "Territory of
Wisconsin," actually as a representative of the proposed terri-
68 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
tory of Minnesota. As a matter of fact, indeed, Sibley, living
at Mendota, had ceased to be a citizen of the territory of Wis-
consin in 1838, when Iowa territory was created, and was a
resident of the part of Iowa territory which the organization of
the state of Iowa had left without a government, rather than of
that territory in question (between the Mississippi and the St.
Croix) which the admission of Wisconsin as a state had left with-
out a government. Sibley was, however, after much opposition,
admitted to congress and given a seat January 15, 1849, but not
without much discussion as to whether excluded territory was
entitled to continued political existence and representation, after
a state has been created out of part of a territory.
Mr. Sibley devoted himself assiduously to securing the passage
in the United States senate of the bill for the creation of the ter-
ritory of Minnesota which had been introduced at the previous
session and met with gratifying success. His efforts in the house
of representatives were less satisfactory, political questions enter-
ing largely into the matter, and it was not until March 3, 1849,
the very last day of the session — and then only through the
strenuous work of Senator Stephen A. Douglas, that "he suc-
ceeded in securing the passage of the bill. This was finally done
under suspension of the rules, the previous opposition having
been unexpectedly withdrawn.
As passed the act read as follows: "Be it enacted, * * *
That from and after the passage of this act, all that part of the
territory of the United States which lies within the following
limits, to-wit: Beginning in the Mississippi river at a point
where the line of 43° and 30' of north latitude crosses the same,
thence running due west on said line, which is the northern
boundary of the state of Iowa, to the northwest corner of the
said state of Iowa; thence southerly along the western boundary
of said state to the point where said boundary strikes the Mis-
souri river; thence up the middle of the main channel of the
Missouri river to the mouth of the White Earth river; thence
up the middle of the main channel of the White Earth river to
the boundary line between the possessions of the United States
and Great Britain; thence east and south of east along the boun-
dary line and between the possession of the United States and
Great Britain to Lake Superior; thence in a straight line to the
northernmost point of the state of Wisconsin, in Lake Superior;
thence along the western boundary of the state of Wisconsin to
the Mississippi river; thence down the main channel of said
river to the place of beginning, and the same is hereby erected
into a temporary government by the name of the territory of
Minnesota."
This being before the days of railroads and telegraphs in the
West, the good news did not reach St. Paul until thirty-seven
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 69
days afterwards, when it was brought by the first steamer com-
ing from the lower river.
At the time of the organization of Minnesota as a territory
the country was described as being "little more than a wilder-
ness." That which lay west of the Mississippi river, from the
Iowa line to Lake Itasca, had not yet been ceded by the Indians
and was unoccupied by the whites save in a very few instances.
On the east side, in this more immediate vicinity, were trading
posts with the cabins of a few employes at Sauk Rapids and
Crow Wing. Away up at Pembina was the largest town or settle-
ment within the boundaries of the new territory, where were
nearly a thousand people, a large majority of whom were
"Metis" or mixed bloods, French Crees or French Chippewas.
In "Minnesota in Three Centuries" attention is called to the
fact that at this time the east side of the Mississippi, as far
north as Crow Wing, was being settled here and there by people
who had come to the country when it had been announced that
the territory was organized. The settlers were almost entirely
from the Northern States, many being from New England. The
fact that the state which would succeed the territory would be
a free state, without slavery in any form, made it certain that
the first settlers would be non-slaveholders, with but few people
from the Southern States interested or in sympathy with South-
ern ideas.
The people of the territory of Minnesota were not long con-
tent with a territorial government. In the words of A. N.
Winchell, "December 24, 1856, the delegate from the territory
of Minnesota introduced a bill to authorize the people of that
territory to form a constitution and state government. The
bill limited the proposed state on the west by the Red River of
the North and the Big Sioux river. It was referred to the com-
mittee on territories, of which Mr. Grow, of Pennsylvania, was
then chairman. January 31, 1867, the chairman reported a sub-
stitute, which differed from the original bill in no essential re-
spect except in regard to the western boundary. The change
there consisted in adopting a line through Traverse and Big
Stone lakes, due south from the latter to the Iowa line. The
altered boundary cut off a narrow strip of territory, estimated
by Mr. Grow to contain between five and six hundred square
miles. Today the strip contains such towns as Sioux Falls,
Watertown and Brookings. The substitute had a stormy voyage
through congress, especially in the senate, but finally completed
the trip on February 25, 1857."
The enabling act, as passed and approved February 26, 1857,
defined the boundaries of Minnesota as follows: "Be it enacted
• • * That the inhabitants of that portion of the territory of
Minnesota which is embraced within the following limits, to-wit:
70 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
Beginning at the point in the center of the main channel of the
Red River of the North, where the boundary line between the
United States and the British possessions crosses the same;
thence up the main channel of said river to that of Bois des
Sioux river; thence (up) the main channel of said river to Lake
Travers ; then up the center of said lake to the southern extrem-
ity thereof ; thence in a direct line to the head of Big Stone lake ;
thence through its center to its outlet ; thence by a due south line
to the north line of the state of Iowa ; thence east along the north-
ern boundary of said state to the main channel of the Mississippi
river; thence up the main channel of said river and following
the boundary line of the state of Wisconsin, until the same inter-
sects the St. Louis river; thence down said river to and through
Lake Superior, on the boundary line of Wisconsin and Michi-
gan, until it intersects the dividing line between the United
States and the British possessions; thence up Pigeon river and
following said dividing line to the place of beginning; be and
the same are thereby authorized to form for themselves a consti-
tution and state government, by the name of the state of Min-
nesota, and to come into the Union on an equal footing with the
original states, according to the federal constitution."
These boundaries were accepted without change and are the
boundaries of the state at the present time. The state was ad-
mitted May 11, 1858.
Authority and Authorship. The principal portions of this
article were compiled by Hon. Francis M. Crosby and the editor
of this work, from the sources mentioned in the text, and also
from the United States Statutes at Large, and the "Charters and
Constitutions of the United States," for publication in the "His-
tory of Dakota and Goodhue Counties," H. C. Cooper, Jr., & Co.,
1910. To this has been added material compiled from various
sources by Return I. Holcombe. for "Minnesota in Three Cen-
turies."
CHAPTER VII.
EXPLORERS, TRADERS, MISSIONARIES.
The French explorers from the settlements in Canada and
about the Great Lakes gradually began to penetrate toward Min-
nesota. At various times traders, adventurers and priests disap-
peared from these settlements. What deaths they met or what
experiences they underwent will never be known. What places
they visited in the wilderness of the upper Mississippi is lost to
human knowledge. With the seventeenth century, however, the
area that is now Minnesota began to be known to the civilized
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 71
world. But it was not until the closing months of that century
that any recorded exploration was made of the Minnesota river.
To understand Pierre Charles Le Sueur's trip up a portion of
that river in the fall of 1700 it is necessary that a few of the
earlier Mississippi river explorers should be considered.
Grosseiliers and Radisson. The meager accounts which these
two explorers have left of their two expeditions which are sup-
posed to have penetrated into Minnesota, are capable of more
than one interpretation. Dr. Warren Upham believes that Gros-
seilliers and Radisson, the first known white explorers of Minne-
sota, entered it near the southeast corner, and proceeded up the
Mississippi through Lake Pepin to Prairie Island, just above
Red Wing. Here the French explorers and the Indians that ac-
companied them, together with other Indians, spent the year
1655-1656. Thus when Cromwell ruled Great Britain and Ire-
land, when the Puritan theocracy was at the height of its glory
in New England, and when the great emigration of Cavaliers
was still going on to Virginia, Minnesota saw its first white man
— unless indeed the Scandinavians visited this region centuries
before, as the Kensington Stone avers.
About New Years, 1660, if we may trust Radisson 's narra-
tion and its interpretation, our "two Frenchmen" are again in
Minnesota. Traveling with a big band of Indians, they passed
a severe January and February, with attendant famine, prob-
ably (according to Prof. Winchell) at Knife lake, Kanabec coun-
ty. According to Hon. J. V. Brower (in his monograph "Kathio,"
1901) the lake was called Knife lake and the Dakota tribe of
this region the Knife tribe (Issanti) because early that spring
deputations of Dakotas came to the encampment and here for
the first time procured steel knives from the white men and
from the Indian band that was with them. Until this time the
Stone Age had ruled supreme in the realm of Renville, but
now we may well suppose that within a short time many an enter-
prising brave cherished as his most precious possession one of
these magic knives that cut like a stroke of lightning. Very soon
after meeting these Dakotas at Knife lake, Grosseilliers and
Radisson went to the great Dakota village at Mille Lacs, and
were there received with every mark of friendship and respect.
Now follows the story of a seven days' trip to the prairie
home of the "nation of the Boefe" (buffalo), that is to say, the
Dakotas living farther west and south. This story seems likely
to be fiction, but if it is true, there is a fair chance that it was
to the region between the Big Bend of the Mississippi river and
the prairie region of the Minnesota valley. This was possibly
the nearest and most accessible buffalo country from Mille Lacs.
So it is possible that these two Frenchmen were the first white
men to approach Renville county. But the supposition favored
72 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
by Winchell is that they went due south. However that may be,
it is certain that with Grosseilliers and Radisson the first glim-
mer of European civilization reached Redwood county.
Hennepin and Du Luth. Robert Cavelier, better known in
history as the Sieur de la Salle, who had built a fort near Lake
Peoria, Illinois, decided in February, 1680, to send from there an
expedition up the Mississippi. For this task he selected three of
his associates. Accordingly, on February 29, 1680, Father Hen-
nepin, with two companions, Picard du Gay (Anthony Auguelle)
and Michael Accault (also rendered dAccault, Ako, dAko and
Dacan), the latter of whom was in military command of the
party, set out in a canoe. They paddled down the Illinois to
its mouth, where they were detained by floating ice in the Mis-
sissippi until March 12. On the afternoon of April 11, while
on their way up the Mississippi, they were met by a band of
Sioux on the warpath against the Illinois and Miami nation.
Being informed, however, that the Miamis had crossed the river,
and were beyond their reach, the Indians turned northward,
taking the Frenchmen with them as captives. The journey up
the river occupied nineteen days.
At the end of the nineteen days, the party landed near the
present site of St. Paul, and then continued by land five days
until they reached the Mille Lacs region. There Aquipaguetin,
the chief, who had previously been unfriendly to a certain extent,
adopted Hennepin in place of the son he had lost. The other two
Frenchmen were adopted by other families. After several months
in the Mille Lacs region, Hennepin and Pickard were given per-
mission in July, 1680, to go down the Mississippi to the mouth of
the Wisconsin, where they expected that La Salle would send
them supplies.
On their southward journey, accompanied by a Sioux chief,
Ouasicoude (Wacoota) and a band of Indians, the Frenchmen
descended the Rum river, and camped on an eminence opposite
what is now the city of Anoka. Accault was left as a hostage.
Continuing down the river with the Indians, Hennepin and Pick-
ard came to St. Anthony Falls, which Hennepin named in honor
of his patron saint. On July 11, 1680, while hunting for the
mouth of the Wisconsin river, the party was overtaken by Hen-
nepin's savage adopted father, Aquipaguetin, with ten warriors.
The two Frenchmen and the Indians then spent some time in
the vicinity of Winona, hiding their meat near the mouth of the
Chippewa, and then hunting on the prairies further down the
river, the old men of the tribe watching on the river bluffs for
enemies while the warriors killed buffaloes.
July 25, 1680, the party encountered Daniel Graysolon, Du
Luth and five French soldiers. There is some doubt about the
exact spot where this meeting took place, but it was probably
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 73
near the southeast corner of Minnesota, or possibly a little further
south. After the meeting, the eight white men, accompanied by
the Indians, went up the river. Du Luth had been exploring the
country of the Sioux and the Assiniboines, west of Lake Superior,
for two years, and had secured the friendship of these very
Indians who had captured Hennepin. Consequently, when he
learned what had happened since he last saw them, he rebuked
them for their treatment of the priest, saying that Hennepin was
his brother. The party reached the Issanti villages (the Mille
Lacs region) August 14, 1680. No mention is made of the route
which they took.
Toward the end of September the Frenchmen left the Indians
to return to the French settlements. A chart of the route was
given them by Ouasicoude, the great chief. The eight Frenchmen
then set out. Hennepin gives the number as eight, though it
would seem that the number was nine, for Hennepin and Pickard
had met Du Luth with five soldiers, and when reaching the Issanti
villages they must have been rejoined by Accault, though pos-
sibly the last named stayed with the Indians and pursued his
explorations. The party passed down the Rum river in the fall
of 1860, and started the descent of the Mississippi. After reach-
ing the Wisconsin they went up that river to the portage, thence
up the Fox river, thence to Green Bay, and thence to the settle-
ments in Canada.
Accault, one of Hennepin's companions, had been left with
the Indians near the present site of Anoka, when Hennepin and
Arguille took the memorable down-the-river trip on which they
met Du Luth. Accault took many journeys with the Indians,
even visiting the Itasca region, and it is not improbable that he
may have been taken to the region which lies north of the upper
Minnesota river and southwest of the Big Bend of the Missis-
sippi river.
Le Sueur. From 1681 to 1699, Nicolas Perrot made numer-
ous trips to the country of the upper Mississippi river. Several
of his posts were located in the vicinity of the lower end of Lake
Pepin, which is an enlargement of the Mississippi river extending
generally speaking from a short distance above Winona to a short
distance below Red Wing. One of these expeditions was prob-
ably that of Charville and Pierre Charles Le Sueur, taken up
the Mississippi above the Falls of St. Anthony, about 1690. They
probably went as far as the outlet of Sandy Lake.
Le Sueur wrote an account of this trip to refute certain ficti-
tious narrations by Mathien Sagean. Of this, in his excellent and
monumental work, "Minnesota in Three Centuries," in Vol. I,
pp. 253-4, Dr. Warren Upham says: "Brower and Hill come to
the conclusion that on the Mississippi at the outlet of sandy lake,
a village of Sioux doubtless then existed, as it has also been dur-
74 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
ing the last century or longer the site of an Ojibway village. The
estimates noted, that the distance traveled above the Falls of
St. Anthony was about a hundred French leagues, and that an
equal distance of the river's course still separated the voyageurs
from its sources, agree very closely with the accurate measure-
ments now made by exact surveys, if Le Sueur's journey ended
at Sandy lake.
"Very probably Charleville, whose narration of a similar
early expedition of a hundred leagues on the part of the Missis-
sippi above these falls is preserved by Du Pratz in his ' History of
Louisiana, ' was a companion of Le Sueur, so that the two accounts
relate to the same canoe trip. Charleville said that he was ac-
companied by two Canadian Frenchmen and two Indians ; and it
is remarkable that Charleville, like Le Sueur, was a relative of the
brothers Iberville and Bienville, who afterwards were governors
of Louisiana." As in Le Sueur's description of the sources of
the great river, Charleville also states that the Indians spoke of
the Mississippi as having many sources.
In the spring of 1695 Le Sueur and his followers erected a
trading post or fort on Isle Pelee, now Prairie Island, just above
Red Wing. Early in the summer of 1695 he returned to Mon-
treal with some Indians, among whom was a Sioux chief named
Tioscate, the latter being the first Sioux chief to visit Canada.
Tioscate died while in Montreal.
In his journeys to the Northwest, Le Sueur received reports
from the Indians which led him to believe that copper was to be
found near the place where the Minnesota river turns from its
southwest to its northeast course. Therefore he received a com-
mission to examine this mine and obtain from it some ores. In
April, 1700, he set out with a party of men from the lower Mis-
sissippi settlements in a sailing and rowing vessel and two canoes.
September 19 he reached the mouth of the Minnesota, and on the
last day of the month, having reached the mouth of the Blue
Earth river near the present site of the city of Mankato, he
ascended that river about a league, and erected a fort which he
named Fort L'Huillier, named for a prominent officer in the
service of the King of France. A short distance from the fort
they located their "mine." They spent the ensuing winter at
this fort, and in the spring of 1701 Le Sueur started down the
river with a part of his followers and with a load of green earth
which he believed to be copper. In due time he reached the
Gulf of Mexico. The party whom he had left at the garrison on
the Blue Earth followed him down the river at a later date. The
fact that seven French traders who had been stripped naked by
the Sioux, took refuge in Le Sueur's fort on the Blue Earth, and
the further fact that those whom he left at the fort, encountered
while going down the Mississippi a party of thirty-six Frenchmen
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 75
from Canada at the mouth of the Wisconsin, shows that aside
from the explorers recorded in history, various Frenchmen, now
unknown, penetrated the upper Mississippi region from time to
time even at that early day.
The data secured by Le Sueur were used in the preparation
of a map of the Northwest country by William De L'isle, royal
geographer of France, in 1703. Several of the larger and more
important physical features of southwestern Minnesota were
more or less accurately located. The Minnesota river appeared
upon this map, being labeled R. St. Pierre, or Mini-Sota. Its
course is somewhat accurately drawn. The Des Moines river
also has a place on the map, being marked Des Moines, or le
Moingona R., and its source was definitely located. There is
nothing in the writings of Le Sueur, however, to lead to the belief
that he extended his exploration much farther up the Minnesota
river than the mouth of the Blue Earth.
Lahontan. Early historians have endeavored to identify the
"Long River" of Lahontan with the Minnesota river of the pres-
ent day. In case this identification were correct then a French-
man sighted the fair area of Renville county only three years
after Hennepin made his memorable voyage up the Mississippi.
Modern historians, however, entirely discredit the writings of
this adventurer.
Baron de Lahontan is now regarded as the Baron Munchausen
of America. His explorations and journeys to the upper Missis-
sippi region were probably entirely fictitious and "Long River"
merely a creation of his own imagination.
Lahontan was born in France in 1666, and as a soldier of the
French empire came to America in 1683 as a boy of seventeen
years. The next ten years he spent in various parts of Canada,
and there doubtless heard the stories upon which he based his
pretended journeys. In 1693 he deserted his post of duty in New
Foundland and thereafter until his death, probably in 1715, he
spent his life as an exile, homeless and friendless, in Holland,
Denmark, Spain, the German provinces and England.
In 1703 at The Hague in Netherlands, Lahontan had narra-
tives of his pretended travels published in three volumes, written
in his native French language. Later in the same year a revised
edition of the work, entitled "New Voyages to North America,"
was issued in London. At present there are several other English
and French editions. A translation was made into German in
1711 and into the language of Holland in 1739. In this publica-
tion Lahontan pretended to have ascended the Missisippi river
and to have discovered a tributary called "Long River" flowing
into this river from the west. He gives in detail his many adven-
tures on this "Long River." Before he was discredited historians
had many arguments as to whether Lahontan ascended the Root
76 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
river or the Minnesota river, but we now know that he was never
within many hundred miles of either.
Carver. During the next sixty-six years after Le Sueur vis-
ited the Minnesota river country no white man was in South-
western Minnesota, so far as we know. Then, in November, 1766,
Jonathan Carver ascended the Minnesota. Carver was a Con-
necticut Yankee and explored the upper Mississippi in the inter-
ests of the British government.
Of his trip to this point Carver wrote : "On the twenty-fifth
of November, 1766, I returned to my canoe, which I had left at
the mouth of the River St. Pierre (Minnesota), and here I parted
with regret from my young friend, the prince of the Winne-
bagoes. The river being clear of ice by reason of its southern
situation, I found nothing to obstruct my passage. On the twenty-
eighth, being advanced about forty miles, I arrived at a small
branch that fell into it from the north, to which, as it had no
name that I could distinguish it by, I gave my own, and the
reader will find it in the plan of my travels denominated Carver's
river. About forty miles higher up I came to the forks of the
Verd (Blue Earth) and Red Marble (Watonwan) rivers, which
join at some little distance before they enter the St. Pierre.
"The River St. Pierre at its junction with the Mississippi is
about a hundred yards broad and continues that breadth nearly
all the way I sailed upon it. It has a great depth of water and
in some places runs very swiftly. About fifteen miles from its
mouth are some rapids and much higher .up are many others.
"I proceeded up this river about 200 miles, to the country of
the Nadowessies (Sioux) of the plains, which lies a little above
the fork formed by the Verd and Red Marble rivers just men-
tioned, where a branch from the south (the Cottonwood) nearly
joins the Messorie (Missouri) river." (The sources of the Cot-
tonwood river are near those of Rock river, the latter being a
tributary of the Missouri.)
On the seventh of December he arrived at the most westerly
limit of his travels, and as he could proceed no further that
season, spent the winter, a period of seven months, among a band
of Nadowessies (Sioux), encamped near what is now New Ulm.
In his map he draws three tepees opposite the present city of
New Ulm on the north side of the Minnesota river and makes
the statement, "About here the Author winter 'd in 1766." In
his hunting and exploration he doubtless penetrated Redwood
county. He says he learned the Sioux language so as to converse
with them intelligibly, and was treated by them with great hos-
pitality. In the spring he returned to the mouth of the Minnesota.
His account of this is as follows: "I left the habitations of
these hospitable Indians the latter end of April, 1767, but did not
part from them for several days, as I was accompanied on my
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 77
journey by near three hundred of them, among whom were
many chiefs, to the mouth of the River St. Pierre. At this season
these bands annually go to the great cave (now called Carver's
cave) before mentioned, to hold a grand council with all the
other bands, wherein they settle their operations for the ensuing
year. At the same time they carry with them their dead for
interment, bound up in buffalo skins."
As already stated, Carver hunted with the Indians over some
of the great plains of Southwestern Minnesota which, "accord-
ing to their (the Indians') account, are unbounded and probably
terminate on the coast of the Pacific ocean."
From information received from the Indians Carver made
some wonderful deductions as to the physical features of the
country. In his narrative of the trip he wrote : "By the accounts
I received from the Indians I have reason to believe that the
River St. Pierre (Minnesota) and the Messorie (Missouri), though
they enter the Mississippi twelve hundred miles from each other,
take their rise in the same neighborhood, and this within the
space of a mile. The River St. Pierre's northern branch (that is,
the main river) rises from a number of lakes (Big Stone lake)
near the Shining mountains (the Coteau des Prairies), and it is
from some of these also that a capital branch (Red River of the
North) of the River Bourbon (Nelson river), which runs into
Hudson's bay, has its sources. * * * I have learned that the
four most capital rivers of North America, viz., the St. Lawrence,
the Mississippi, the River Bourbon (Nelson) and the Oregon
(Columbia), or River of the West, have their sources in the same
neighborhood. The waters of the three former are within thirty
miles of each other; the latter, however, is rather farther west.
"This shows that these parts are the highest lands of North
America; and it is an instance not to be paralleled on the other
three-quarters of the globe, that four rivers of such magnitude
should take their rise together and each, after running separate
courses, discharge their waters into different oceans at the dis-
tance of 2,000 miles from their source. ' '
Of the country through which he traveled Carver wrote :
"The River St. Pierre, which runs through the territory of the
Nadowessies, flows through a most delightful country, abound-
ing with all the necessaries of life that grow spontaneously, and
with a little cultivation it might be made to produce even the
luxuries of life. Wild rice grows here in great abundance; and
every part is filled with trees bending under their loads of fruit,
such as plums, grapes and apples ; the meadows are covered with
hops and many sorts of vegetables ; whilst the ground is stored
with useful roots, with angelica, spikenard and ground nuts as
large as hen's egges. At a little distance from the sides of the
river are eminences from which you have views that cannot be
78 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
exceeded by even the most beautiful of those I have already de-
scribed. Amid these are delightful groves and such amazing
quantities of maples that they would produce sugar sufficient for
any number of inhabitants."
Ft. Snelling Established. With the establishment of Ft.
Snelling, the area of Redwood county became more widely known,
as the soldiers, traders and visitors there made many trips up
the river past the county.
February 10, 1819, the Fifth Regiment United States Infantry
was ordered to concentrate at Detroit preparatory to a trip which
was to result in the maintaining of a post at the mouth of the
St. Peter's (now Minnesota) river. After establishing various
garrisons at different places, the troops started up the river
from Prairie du Chien, Sunday, August 8, 1819. The troops num-
bered ninety-eight, rank and file. They were accompanied by
twenty hired boatmen. There were fourteen keel boats for the
troops, two large boats for stores, and a barge for Lieut-Col.
Harry Leavenworth, the commander, and Maj. Thomas Forsyth,
the Indian agent. This expedition established at Mendota the
military post now moved across the river and now known as
Ft. Snelling.
May 10, 1823, the "Virginia," the first steamboat to navigate
the upper Mississippi, arrived at Ft. Snelling, and thus what is
now Redwood county was placed in still closer communication
with the outside world. On board, among others, were Maj.
Lawrence Taliaferro and James Constance Beltrami, the Italian
explorer.
Long, Keating, Beltrami. Undoubtedly white men, engaged
in trade with the natives or trapping and hunting for the fur
companies or for themselves, visited that part of south-central
Minnesota which is now designated Redwood county in the early
part of the nineteenth century. But such men left few records of
their operations, and our information concerning the exploration
of the country is obtained almost wholly from expeditions sent
out by the government.
An early visitor to south-central Minnesota was Major Stephen
H. Long.
In accordance with orders from the War Department, an expe-
dition under the command of Major Long, with a corps of scien-
tists for observations of the geographic features, geology, zoology
and botany of the Northwest, traversed the area of Minnesota in
1823, passing from Ft. Snelling up the Minnesota valley, down
the valley of the Red river to Lake Winnipeg, thence up the
Winnipeg river to the Lake of the Woods, and thence eastward
along the international boundary and partly in Canada to Lake
Superior. Prof. William H. Keating, of the University of Penn-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 79
sylvania, was the geologist and historian of this expedition. One
of its members or its guest in the travel from the fort to Pembina
was Constantino Beltrami, a political exile from Italy, but becom-
ing offended, he left the expedition at Pembina and returned to
the fort by the way of Red lake and the most northern sources
of the Mississippi, traveling alone or with Indian companions.
The boat party entered the mouth of the Minnesota river, then
called the St. Peter, late in the night of July 2, and a stay of a
week was made there, for rest and to visit the Falls of St.
Anthony.
Provided by Colonel Snelling at the fort with a new and more
efficient escort of twenty-one soldiers, with Joseph Renville as
their Dakota interpreter, and with Joseph Snelling, a son of the
colonel, as assistant guide and interpreter, the expedition set
forward on July 9 up the Minnesota valley. A part traveled on
horseback, including Say and Colhoun, while the others, includ-
ing Long, Keating, Seymour and Renville went in four canoes,
which also carried the bulk of their stores and provisions. It
was planned that the land and river parties "should, as far as
practicable, keep company together, and encamp every night, if
possible, at the same place."
On July 13 they reached the vicinity of Traverse des Sioux
(St. Peter), and encamped at a beautiful bend of the river, called
the Crescent. Here the expedition left the canoes, reduced the
escort, and on July 15 moved westward by the route of Swan
lake. They now numbered in total twenty-four men, with twenty-
one horses. The most southern part of the course of the Minne-
sota having been cut off by the journey past Swan lake, this
stream was again reached and crossed a short distance below the
mouth of the Cottonwood river. Thence the expedition passed
along the southwestern side of the valley, and across the con-
tiguous upland prairies, to Lac qui Parle and Big Stone lake. The
latter lake was reached on July 22, and the Columbia Fur Com-
pany's trading post, at the southern end of Lake Traverse, the
next day. Joseph Snelling returned to Ft. Snelling from Pem-
bina by way of the Red and Minnesota rivers, thus passing Red-
wood county.
Of the Redwood river, Prof. Keating makes the statement that
its banks "are formed of a fine white sandstone." In this ob-
servation he was in error, having mistaken the conspicuous white
kaolin bluffs, which occur at this point, derived from the decom-
position of the granite "in situ" for sandstone. The red pipe-
stone was said to exist on the banks of the river three days'
journey from its source.
He notes a "very interesting fragment of rock" at the place
where the Redwood joins the Minnesota, said to be forty or fifty
feet in circumference, evidently out of place, of an enormous
80 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
mass, and irregular hemispherical form, cleft by lightning. This
mass was said to be granitic, presenting "very distinctly the ap-
pearance of a formation of concentric shales. The rock at
Patterson's rapids (section 29, township 114, range 36, northern
Delhi), was considered as primitive, but was not carefully ex-
amined.
Of the mouth of the Redwood river, Beltrami wrote: "We
now reached a valley of the most lovely and interesting character.
Never did a more striking illusion transport my imagination
back to the classic lands of Latium and Magna Graecia. Rocks
scattered, as if by art, over the plain, or plateau, and on the hills,
were, at a little distance, perfect representations of every varied
form of the ruins of antiquity. In one place you might think
you saw thermal substructures, or those of an amphitheater, a
circus, or a forum; in another, the remains of a temple, a
cenotaph, a basilicon, or a triumphant arch. I took advantage
of the time which chance procured me, to survey this enchanted
ground ; but I went alone, that the delicious reverie it threw me
into, might not be broken by cold heartedness or presumption.
My eyes continually met new images; at length they rested on a
sort of tomb, which for some time held me motionless. A thou-
sand afflicting recollections rushed to my heart ; I thought I be-
held the tomb of virtue and friendship; I rested my head upon
it, and tears filled my eyes. The spot was of a kind to soften and
embellish grief, and I should have long given myself up to its
sweet influence had I not been with people who had no idea of
stopping for anything but a broken saddle, or some such impor-
tant incident.
The rocks are granitic, and of so beautiful and varied a qual-
ity, that the tricking dealers of the Piazza Navona, at Rome,
would sell them for the most enthusiastic and, — in their own
opinion — the most learned antiquarians, as oriental and Egyptian
porphyry or basalt, which are now generally admitted to be
merely granite more elaborated by time and water.
The Pembina Refugees. The members of the Pembina colony
in the Red river valley were among the people who passed Red-
wood county during the era of exploration. In the early winter
of 1820 the Pembina colony sent a delegation to Prairie du Chien
for seed wheat, which could not be found nearer home. The men
set out on snow shoes and reached their destination in three
months. The route was by the way of the Red river to Lake
Traverse, then down the Minnesota, past Fort Snelling, and
thence down the Mississippi. At Prairie du Chien 250 bushels of
wheat was purchased at ten shillings ($2.50) per bushel. It was
loaded into flat boats, which were, with much hard labor, pro-
pelled up the Mississippi to the St. Peter, thence up that river
to the portage near Lake Traverse. The boats and cargo were
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 81
then transported across to the Red river and floated down that
stream to Pembina.
In 1827 a number of Swiss families left the Red river colony
to make new homes for themselves within the United States.
They were accompanied by several families of French Cana-
dians who had become "Selkirkers," that is, members of the
Selkirk colony. The refugees came down the valley on the Red
river — or up that stream — to Lake Traverse, and thence down
the Minnesota (or St. Peter's) to Fort Snelling. Alexis Bailly
and others who had visited the colonists in their Red river homes
had informed them of the superiority of the Minnesota country
over the Assiniboine region, and assured them that they would
be heartily welcome if they removed to the big, free, hospitable
and favored company of the Stars and Stripes.
Colonel Snelling gave the refugees a kindly reception and
allowed them to settle on the military reservation, west of the
Mississippi and north of the fort. The colonists at once set to
work and built houses, opened farms, engaged in work at the
fort, and were soon comfortable, contented and hopeful. All of
the refugees spoke French. The French Swiss and the French
Canadians seemed like kinsmen and dwelt together like brethren
in unity. It is of record that among these people were Abraham
Perry, a watchmaker, and Louis Massie, both Switzers, but the
names of the other heads of families have not been preserved.
July 25, 1831, twenty more Red river colonists arrived at
Fort Snelling. Up to the year 1836 nearly 500 more had come,
and by the year 1840 nearly 200 more, while from time to time,
for many years, frost-bitten and famine-stricken fugitives from
the Red river country found rest for their feet, food for their
bodies and comfort generally in Minnesota. But only about one-
half of these people remained here permanently. The others
went further south — to Prairie du Chien, to Illinois, to Missouri,
and some families journeyed to Vevay, Indiana, the site of a Swiss
settlement
Nearly all of the early residents of St. Paul were Red river
refugees and their children. Many of the descendants of good
old Abraham Perry were born in Minnesota and are yet citizens
of the state.
Featherstonhaugh and Mather. Another exploration of south-
western Minnesota was made in the summer of 1835 by G. W.
Featherstonhaugh, an English gentleman. He bore the title of
United States geologist and was commissioned by Colonel J. J.
Abert, of the Bureau of Topographical Engineers. Featherston-
haugh proceeded up the Minnesota river to lakes Big Stone and
Traverse, and to the high sources of the Minnesota on the Coteau
des Prairies west of these lakes. Featherstonhaugh was accom-
panied by William Williams Mather.
82 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
From Featherstonhaugh's expedition resulted two works, one
entitled "Report of geological reconnaisance made in 1835 from
the seat of government by the way of Green Bay and the Wis-
consin Territory to the Coteau des Prairies, an elevated ridge
dividing the Missouri from the St. Peter's (Minnesota) river,"
printed by the order of the Senate in 1836, and the other "A
Canoe Voyage up the Minnay Sotar," published in London in
1847.
Catlin. It was in 1837 that George Catlin, the famous traveler
and Indian delineator, passed near this county on his way to visit
the Pipestone quarries.
He organized the expedition at the Falls of St. Anthony and
was accompanied only by Robert Serril Wood, "a young gentle-
man from England of fine taste and education," and an Indian
guide, O-kup-kee by name.
This little party traveled horseback and followed the usual
route up the Minnesota. At Traverse des Sioux, near the present
site of St. Peter, Mr. Catlin and his companion halted at the
cabin of a trader, where they were threatened by a band of
savages and warned not to persist in their determination to visit
the quarries. They continued on their way, however, crossed to
the north side of the river at Traverse des Sioux, proceeded in a
westerly direction, and crossed the Minnesota to the south bank
near the mouth of the Waraju (Cottonwood), close to the present
city of New Ulm.
There Messrs. Catlin and Wood left the river and journeyed
"a little north of west" for the Coteau des Prairies. They trav-
eled through the present counties of Brown, Redwood and Lyon
and passed several Indian villages at several of which they were
notified that they must go back ; but, undaunted, they continued
their journey. Catlin states in one place that he traveled one
hundred miles or more from the mouth of the Cottonwood, and
in another place "for a distance of one hundred and twenty or
thirty miles" before reaching the base of the coteau, when he
was still "forty or fifty miles from the Pipestone quarries." He
declared that part of the journey was over one of the most beau-
tiful prairie countries in the world.
Most of Catlin 's distances were overestimated. The distance
from the mouth of the Cottonwood to the base of the coteau
where he came upon it is only about seventy-two miles in a direct
line ; then he was about thirty-six miles from the quarries.
Nicollet and Fremont. From 1836 to 1843, most of the time
assisted by John C. Fremont, afterward candidate for the presi-
dency of the United States on the Republican ticket, Joseph
Nicolas Nicollet prosecuted a geographical survey of the upper
Mississippi country. He explored nearly all portions of Minne-
sota and many other parts of the country theretofore unvisited.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 83
His operations in south-central Minnesota were quite extensive.
In 1838 Nicollet and Fremont made a trip to the vicinity of what
is now Renville county. In the party were six men, the others
being Charles A. Geyer, the botanist of the expedition ; J. Eugene
Flandin and James Renville.
Nicollet and Fremont traveled from Washington to St. Louis
and thence up the Mississippi river to H. H. Sibley's trading post,
near the mouth of the Minnesota river. Thence they journeyed
over the general route of travel up the east side of the Minne-
sota river, crossing at Traverse des Sioux. They proceeded west
across the "ox-bow," stopping at Big Swan lake in Nicollet
county, and crossed the Minnesota again at the mouth of the
Cottonwood. They proceeded up the valley of the Cottonwood,
on the north side of the river, to a point near the present site of
Lamberton, and then crossed to the south side of the river and
struck across country to the Pipestone quarries.
On Nicollet's map, issued in 1843, his route to the quarries
is indicated by a fine dotted line. This map at the time it was
issued was the most complete and correct one of the upper Mis-
sissippi country. It covered all of Minnesota and Iowa, about
one-half of Missouri, and much of the Dakotas, Wisconsin and
Illinois. The author gave names to many streams and lakes and
gave the first representation of the striking topographical fea-
tures of the western and northern parts of Minnesota. He
located, by astronomical observations, the numerous streams and
lakes and the main geographical features of the state, filling in
by eye-sketching and by pacing the intermediate objects. On his
map the country along the Minnesota river is labeled Warpeton
country and that further south Sisseton country. The Tclian-
shayapi or Redwood river, Waraju or Cottonwood river, and
Patterson's rapids all appear on the map.
After spending three days at the Pipestone quarries, where
is now situated the city of Pipestone, the Nicollet party visited
and named Lake Benton (for Mr. Fremont's father-in-law, Sena-
tor Benton) and then proceeded westward into Dakota, visiting
and naming Lakes Preston (for Senator Preston) ; Poinsett (for
J. R. Poinsett, secretary of war), Albert, Thompson, Tetonkoha,
Kampeska and Hendricks. Before returning to civilization Nicol-
let visited Big Stone lake and other places to the north. He
returned to the Falls of St. Anthony by way of Joseph Ren-
ville's camp on the Lac qui Parle.
Allen. The next recorded visit of white men was in 1844,
when an expedition in charge of Captain J. Allen came up the
Des Moines river, operating chiefly to chart that and other
streams. He passed through Jackson, Cottonwood and Murray
counties and came to Lake Shetek, which he decided was the
source of the Des Moines river. He gave that body of water the
84 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
jiarae Lake of the Oaks and described it as remarkable for a
singular arrangement of the peninsulas running into it from all
sides and for a heavy growth of timber that covered the penin-
sulas and the borders of the lake.
With Lake Shetek as temporary headquarters, Captain Allen
extended his explorations in several directions. He proceeded
due north from the lake and crossed the Cottonwood and later
the Redwood near the present site of Marshall. When thirty-
seven miles north of Lake Shetek he turned east and crossed the
Redwood again near the site of Redwood Falls. From the mouth
of the Redwood he explored the south shore of the Minnesota
river several miles up and down and returned to Lake Shetek.
The expedition then set out for the west and went down the Big
Sioux river to its mouth.
"From Lizard creek of the Des Moines to the source of the
Des Moines, and thence east to the St. Peter's is a range for elk
and common deer, but principally elk," wrote Captain Allen.
"We saw a great many of the elk on our route and killed many
of them; they were sometimes seen in droves of hundreds, but
were always difficult to approach and very difficult to overtake
in chase, except with a fleet horse and over good ground. No
dependence could be placed in this country for the subsistence
of troops marching through it."
Fur Traders. These explorers, Le Sueur, Carver, Long, Keat-
ing and Beltrami, Featherstonhaugh and Mather, Catlin, Nicollet
and Fvemont and Allen were men who gave their knowledge to
the world, and their journeys in the Minnesota river region
marked distinct epochs in its development. It should be under-
stood, however, that even before 1700 white men were probably
passing Renville county with more or less frequency. The fact
that several Frenchmen took refuge in Le Sueur's fort after being
stripped naked by the Indians, shows that white men visited this
region even at that early date.
Lac qui Parle, Big Stone lake and Lake Traverse made excel-
lent fur trading points, and were probably locations of such from
early in the eighteenth century. The furs from these posts were
brought down the Minnesota and past Renville county in canoes.
Of the several traders in the Minnesota valley toward the
close of the eighteenth century one of the principal ones was
Murdoch Cameron, a Scotchman.
As early as 1783, Charles Patterson had a trading post in Red-
wood county. He was located in what is now section 29, township
114, range 36 (Delhi township), at the place long known as Pat-
terson's rapids. It is not, however, definitely known on which
side of the rapids Patterson located. He may have been over
the river in Renville county.
Charles Le Page, a Canadian, made a trip from the Yellow-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 85
stone region in 1803. He reached the headwaters of the Minne-
sota, May 15, and with a band of Yanktons and Sissetons went
on to Mendota.
James H. Loekwood, the first white native of the United States
to trade with the Indians of this locality, came up the Minnesota
river in 1816, and maintained a trading post at Lac qui Parle
for a little over two years.
After Ft. Snelling was established, an Indian agency opened,
where the traders were required to obtain licenses from the agent.
In 1826 the records of the agent show that Joseph Renville was
at Lac qui Parle, and John Campbell at the mouth of the Chip-
pewa, both of which locations were not far from Renville county.
William Dickson and Hazen P. Mooers were at Lake Traverse.
Mooers was especially successful. It is recorded that in the sum-
mer of 1829 "the dry year," he made a trip from Lake Traverse
to Ft. Snelling with 126 packs of furs, valued at $12,000.
In 1833-23 Moers and Renville were at the same stations as
in 1826. Joseph R. Brown, afterward a pioneer of Renville
county, was on the Minnesota at the mouth of the Chippewa.
Joseph Renville, Jr., was at the Little Rock on the Minnesota, at
the mouth of the Little Rock (Mud) creek, which flows for a
part of its course in what is now Renville county. Joseph La
Framboise established himself at the mouth of the Little Roek
in 1834. He also had various other locations and was in Lyon
county when Catlin passed in 1837.
The Missionaries. In 1835 Thomas S. Williamson established
a mission at Lac qui Parle. In coming up the river as a mission-
ary for the American Board of Foreign Missions, Williamson had
met Joseph Renville. After surveying the situation carefully, the
missionary concluded to accompany Mr. Renville to the latter 's
home and store at Lac qui Parle and establish a mission station
there. On June 23 his party embarked on the Fur Company's
Mackinaw boat, which was laden with traders' goods and sup-
plies, and set out on a voyage up the Minnesota, then at a good
stage of water. The boat was propelled by poles, oars, a sail,
and by pulling the willows along the abrupt shores. Progress was
very slow and eight days were required to reach Traverse des
Sioux. From the Traverse the remainder of the journey was
made in wagons and Lac qui Parle was reached July 9 — seven-
teen days out from Fort Snelling. At Lac qui Parle Dr. William-
son and his companions established themselves as religious teach-
ers of the Wahpeton and Sisseton Sioux.
Dr. Williamson was accompanied by his wife and child, Alex-
ander G. Huggins and family, and Sarah Poage, a sister of Mrs.
Williamson.
In 1852 another mission was established a few miles above the
mouth of the Yellow Medicine river. In the summer of 1854, a
86 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
new section, New Hope (Hazelwood) was built two miles from
the Yellow Medicine station.
These mission stations brought to the region of Redwood
county nearly all the early Protestant missionaries of Minnesota.
Chronology. Following is a summary of the history of Minne-
sota during the period of exploration:
1635. Jean Nicollet, an explorer from France, who had win-
tered in the neighborhood of Green Bay, brought to Montreal the
first mention of the aborigines of Minnesota.
1659-60. Grosseilliers and Radisson wintered among the Sioux
of the Mille Lacs region, Minnesota, being its first white explorers.
In a previous expedition, four years earlier, they are thought by
some to have come to Prairie island, west of the main channel of
the Mississippi, between Red Wing and Hastings.
1661. Father Rene Menard left Kewennaw, on Lake Supe-
rior, to visit the Hurons, then in northern Wisconsin, and was
lost near the sources of the Black and Chippewa rivers. His
breviary and cassock were said to have been found among the
Sioux.
1679. July 2, Daniel Greyselon Du Lhut (Duluth) held a
council with the Sioux at their principal settlement on the shore
of Mille Lacs. Du Lhut, in June, 1680, by way of the St. Croix
river, reached the Mississippi and met Hennepin.
1680. Louis Hennepin, after captivity in the village of the
Mille Lacs Sioux, first saw the Falls of St. Anthony.
1689. May 8, Nicolas Perrot, at his Fort St. Antoine, on the
Wisconsin shore of Lake Pepin, laid formal claim to the sur-
rounding country for France. He built a fort also on the Minne-
sota shore of this lake, near its outlet, as well as other posts.
1690. (?) Le Sueur and Charleville ascended the Mississippi
above St. Anthony falls.
1695. Le Sueur built a fort or trading post on Isle Pelee,
now called Prairie island, above Lake Pepin.
1700. Le Sueur established Fort L'Huillier, on the Blue Earth
river (near the mouth of the Le Sueur), and first supplied the
Sioux with firearms.
1727. The French established a fort on the present site of
Frontenac on Lake Pepin. Forts were also erected on nearly
the same site in 1727 and 1750.
1728. Great flood in the Mississippi.
1763. By the treaty of Versailles, France ceded Minnesota,
east of the Mississippi, to England, and west of it to Spain.
1766. Captain Jonathan Carver visited St. Anthony falls and
Minnesota river. He claimed to have made a treaty with the
Indians the following spring, in a cave, afterward called "Carv-
er's Cave," within the present limits of St. Paul, at which he said
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 87
they ceded to him an immense tract of land, long known as
"Carver's Claim," but never recognized by government.
1796. Laws of the Ordinance of 1787 extended over the
Northwest territory, including the northeastern third of Minne-
sota, east of the Mississippi river.
1798-99. The Northwestern Pur Company established itself
in Minnesota.
1800. May 7, that part of Minnesota east of the Mississippi
became a part of Indiana by the division of Ohio.
1803. April 30, that part of Minnesota west of the Mississippi,
for the preceding forty years in possession of Spain as a part of
Louisiana, was ceded to the United States by Napoleon Bonaparte,
who had just obtained it from Spain.
1803-04. William Morrison, the first known white man to
discover the source of the Mississippi river, visited Elk lake and
explored the streams entering into the lake forming the head of
the river.
1805. Lieut. Z. M. Pike visited Minnesota to establish gov-
ernment relations there, and obtained the Fort Snelling reserva-
tion from the Dakotas.
1812. The Dakotas, Ojibways and Winnebagoes, under the
lead of hostile traders, joined the British during the war. Red
river colony established by Lord Selkirk.
1819. Minnesota, east of the Mississippi river, became a part
of Crawford county, Michigan. Fort Snelling established and a
post at Mendota occupied by troops, under command of Colonel
Leavenworth. Maj. L. Taliaferro appointed Indian agent, arriv-
ing April 19.
1820. Cornerstone of Fort Snelling laid September 10. Gov-
ernor Cass visited Minnesota and made a treaty of peace between
the Sioux and Ojibways at Fort Snelling. Col. Josiah Snelling
appointed to the command of the latter post.
1823. The first steamboat arrived at Mendota, May 10, Major
Taliaferro and Beltrami being passengers. Maj. Stephen H. Long
explored Minnesota river, the Red river valley, and the northern
frontier. Beltrami explored sources of the Mississippi.
1826. Great flood on the Red river; a part of the colony
driven to Minnesota, settling near Fort Snelling.
1832. Schoolcraft explored sources of Mississippi river, and
named Lake Itasca (formerly called Elk lake).
1833. First mission established at Leech lake by Rev. W. T.
Boutwell.
1834. The portion of Minnesota west of the Mississippi
attached to Michigan. Gen. H. H. Sibley settled at Mendota.
1835. Catlin and Featherstonhaugh visited Minnesota.
1836. The territory of Wisconsin organized, embracing the
88 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
part of Minnesota east of the Mississippi, the part on the west
being attached to Iowa. Nicollet visited Minnesota.
1837. Governor Dodge, of Wisconsin, made a treaty, at Fort
Snelling, with the Ojibways, by which the latter ceded all their
pine lands on the St. Croix and its tributaries ; a treaty was also
effected at Washington with a deputation of Dakotas for their
lands east of the Mississippi. These treaties led the way to the
first actual settlements within the area of Minnesota.
Authority. This article has been compiled by the editor from
many available sources regarding the early Minnesota explorers.
The chronology is from the Minnesota Legislative Manual.
References. "History of Minnesota," by Edward D. Neill.
"Minnesota in Three Centuries," by Warren H. Upham and
Return I. Holcombe.
Vol. I, "The Geological and Natural History Survey of Min-
nesota," 1872-1882.
"History of Lyon County, Minnesota," by Arthur P. Rose,
1912.
The Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society (fifteen
volumes).
See catalogue of the Minnesota Historical Society Library for
volumes dealing with the trips of the various explorers.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE LOWER SIOUX AGENCY.
The Sioux Indian Reservation as established by the treaties
of 1851, embraced a strip of land, twenty miles wide, ten miles
on each side of the Minnesota, extending from the mouth of the
Little Rock (Mud creek) a few miles west of New Ulm, to the
western boundary of the state. A reservation was divided into
the Upper and Lower reservations by a line a few miles west
of Redwood county. The strip on the northern side of the river
was little used by the Indians, and was by them relinquished in
1858.
The work of removing the Indians of the Mississippi and
lower Minnesota river country to the lower reservation was a
long and difficult task, and stretched over a period of several
years. Ft. Ridgely, a few miles east of Redwood county, was
started in 1853, but there were at that time no considerable
number of Indians living in the Lower reservation. In 1854, the
Lower Redwood agency was established in Sherman township,
Redwood county. A building was erected for agency headquar-
ters, and in time other structures for the officials, teachers, gov-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 89
eminent farmers, mechanics, laborers, missionaries, and even for
the Indians themselves were erected. Several stores were also
put up. In 1855 a sawmill was constructed at the falls within
what is now the city of Redwood Falls.
Gradually the Indians settled about the agency, and here, too,
gathered quite a colony of white people, and a few half-breeds
also settled near by.
The events in the life of the agency, will be related in the
following chapter under the head of "Causes of the Outbreak,"
and in that chapter also will be found the location of the differ-
ent tribes.
Splendid communication existed between the Lower agency
and the outside world. The ferry connected it with the govern-
ment military road to Ft. Ridgely, and from Ft. Ridgely there
were roads to St. Peter, and to Henderson, as well as trails
to many other pioneer points. From the Lower agency the mili-
tary road led to the Upper agency on the Yellow Medicine, while
across the river was the road westward from Ft. Ridgely to Ft.
Abercrombie. Another road from the Lower agency led south
to Col. Nobles' Government Wagon road from Ft. Ridgely to the
South Pass of the Rocky mountains. Many boats were plying the
Minnesota, bringing both supplies and passengers.
With the building of the Lower agency, the Government un-
dertook the difficult task of making white men out of the Indians.
The civilization and habits which the white race had acquired
through countless generations of development was to be thrust
upon a people whom Nature had designated for a wholly different
life. The race which had lived on the boundless sweeps, sleeping
in God's fresh air, and getting their livelihood by the chase,
were to be confined in houses and made to till the soil, while
proud warriors at whose command had been the unlimited wealth
of river and lake, of forest and stream, of hill and prairie, were
to be made into common laborers, splitters of wood, and delvers
of the earth.
Many of the white men concerned in this purpose were high
minded men of sincere convictions, but many were mere parasites,
preying upon the Indian, debauching his womankind, cheating
him in trade, and securing his funds and substance through trick-
ery and fraud.
In September, 1857, Joseph R. Brown was appointed agent
for the Sioux agency, succeeding Charles E. Flandrau. He im-
mediately began important reforms and his influence was vastly
more powerful than that of all his predecessors in the aggregate.
The Indians were nearly all blanketed and wild when Major
Brown took charge, but shortly he had influenced scores of them
to wear the garb of the white man, to have their hair cut short,
to cast their ancient adornments aside and instead to carry hoes
90 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
or spades or axes in their hands. They began to live in houses,
to cook their food on stoves, and to sleep on four-post bedsteads.
Numbers of them professed to be Christians. The Indian farming
operations, the work of building houses, and the other improve-
ments were superintended by white men in the employ of the
Government, but in some instances a full-blood Indian was in-
structor in farming for the other members of a band; such a
character was called a "farmer Indian." Oxen for teams,
wagons, plows, and other implements were issued by the Gov-
ernment, and distributed among the bands. The annual pay-
ments and issues of other supplies were made, for a time, regu-
larly, and a skilled physician was in attendance at each agency
to minister to the Indians in case of sickness, the medicines be-
ing furnished by the Government. The majority of the Indians,
however, continued the repose and trust of their faith in the
"medicine man" of the olden times.
The change in the administration of the Government in 1861,
resulting, as it did, in a general change in the minor offices
throughout the country, carried into retirement Major William
J. Cullen, superintendent of Indian affairs for the northern super-
intendency, and Major Joseph R. Brown, agent for the Sioux,
whose places were filled respectively by Colonel Clark W. Thomp-
son and Major Thomas J. Galbraith. Colonel Thompson entered
upon the duties of his office in May of that year, and Major Gal-
braith on the first day of June. In that month the new agent
and many of the new employes, with their families, took up their
residence on the reservations.
These employes, save a few young men who were employed
as laborers, were, with the two exceptions, men of families, it
being the policy of the agent to employ among the Indians as few
uumarried men as possible.
The new agent endorsed the policy and adopted the methods
of his predecessor almost entirely. Especially, did he endeavor
to make the Indians self-supporting. Those who were already
"farmers" or "breeches Indians," were favored and encouraged
in many ways, and those who were still barbaric and blanketed
were remonstrated with, and entreated to enter upon the new
life.
The autumn of 1861 closed upon the affairs of the farmer-
Indians quite unsatisfactorily ; their crops were light— the Upper
Sioux raised little or nothing. The cutworms and blackbirds had
destroyed or damaged almost all the crops. Under the direction
of Missionary Riggs, who lived among them, Agent Galbraith
fed one thousand five hundred of the Indians, with supplies
bought on credit, from the middle of December, 1861, to April
1, 1862, when they were able to go off on their spring hunt. He
also fed and cared for a number of old and infirm Indians, who,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 91
but for the assistance of the Government, must have starved
during that hard winter of 1861-1862.
The "farmer" Indians were kept at work during the winter,
making fence rails, cutting and hauling saw logs to the saw mills
at the Upper and Lower agency, and other work, and in payment
received regular issues of supplies for themselves and families.
In August, 1861, the agent hired the farmer of the Lower
agency to plow 500 acres of fallow land, in what was called
the public land, or the land cultivated by the Indians in common.
The price of plowing was from $1.50 to $2 per acre. At the same
time, 475 acres of similar land were plowed for the Upper Sioux ;
later the Lower farmers plowed 250 acres and the Upper farm-
ers.325 acres for their individual use. The plowing was done
at this time to kill the eggs of the cutworms. In November, 1861,
the fine stone warehouse, the walls of which are still standing,
was completed at the Lower agency. At this time there was a
good steam sawmill, with a corn grinding mill attached, oper-
ated by Government employes, at each of the agencies. In the
winter of 1861-62, the Indians delivered at the Redwood saw-
mill 650,000 feet of saw logs and 128 cords of shingle blocks, and
the Upper mill received from the same class 178,000 feet of logs.
The tree tops and other fallen wood from the log timber, was
cut into cord wood by the Indians, who were paid $2.55 a cord
at the Lower and $1.25 at the Upper agency ; this wood was used
for burning brick. The sawmill supplied the carpenter shops
with lumber for repairing sheds and wagons, and other imple-
ments, and even for building lumber. The "farmer" Indians
built stables and pens for their cattle.
In the early winter of 1862, Agent Galbraith had the plans
prepared for fifty new dwelling houses for Indian families, the
buildings to cost an average of $300 each, and the "farmer"
Indians were promised thirty more houses. In March, he pur-
chased and had shipped to the reservation 472 plows of various
sues, shovels, scythes, grain cradles and other implements; four
farm wagons and forty-five ox carts; for sowing and planting
20 bushels of beans and peas, 285 bushels of corn, thirty bushels
of wheat, 3,690 bushels of potatoes and proportionate quantities
of turnip, pumpkin and other vegetable seeds. The wheat, corn,
and potatoes were purchased from the "farmer" Indians, and
paid for in goods and extra provisions from the Government
warehouse. A large number of live stock was also furnished for
the Indians. In the spring, Major Galbraith purchased in St.
Paul a large quantity of builders' hardware, several hundred
suits of ready-made clothing, a set of blacksmith's and two sets
of carpenter's tools, a great quantity of wooden ware, furniture,
etc., and had them shipped to the Lower agency. During the
winter, 1861-62, the "farmer" Indians at the Lower agency made
92 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
18,000 good rails and posts. Over 200,000 brick had been burned
in the fall of 1861.
In the spring of 1862, there were planted for and by the Meda-
wakantons and Wahpakootas, on the Lower reservation, 1,025
acres of corn, 260 acres of potatoes, 60 acres of turnips and ruta-
bages (twelve acres of experimental spring wheat, and large
areas of beans, peas, and other field and garden vegetables. These
crops were all well cultivated, plowed, hoed and weeded, and
when the outbreak came were in much better condition than the
fields of many of their white neighbors, only a few miles away.
The amount of transportation over the road from the Lower
to the Upper agency was very large, and traversing this road
were numerous sloughs, coulies, brooks, and creeks difficult* of
passage. In the spring and summer of 1862, Agent Galbraith
built no less than eighteen substantial and permanent bridges
over the water courses on the agency road. The bridges were not
all completed until August 1, and were not much used prior to
the outbreak, but they were of great service to General Sibley's
army, when it invaded the Indian country.
In June, 1862, Agent Galbraith promised to build for Little
Crow, a good brick house, with all the then modern improve-
ments, if he would aid in bringing around his young men to habits
of industry and civilization, and would himself become a "farm-
er" Indian. The chief made the required promise of reforma-
tion and agreed to do part of the work himself. The site has
been marked by a granite tablet, put up by the late Charles D.
Gilfillan. A part of the cellar was finished, at the time of the
outbreak, in August, 1862.
By the second week in August, 1862, the Indian crops were in
fine condition, and everything looked prosperous for a bountiful
harvest. The worst trouble was with the crows and blackbirds;
vast swarms and flocks of these birds attacked the cornfields.
The grains were in the milk or soft stage, and the strong-billed
pests could easily tear open the husk and ruin an ear of corn
in a few minutes. The Indian women and children went to the
cornfields at dawn and remained until night-fall, busily engaged
all day in keeping off the little black-feathered creatures. All
the Indian cornfields at both agencies were strongly fenced to
keep out the stock, which was allowed to graze at large.
On the fifteenth of August the agent made a careful and con-
servative estimate of the crops his Indians would harvest that
fall. The lowest estimates were that the Lower Sioux would
gather and store 25,625 bushels of corn, 32,500 bushels of pota-
toes, 13,500 bushels of turnips, 240 bushels of wheat, a large quan-
tity of beans, pumpkins, etc. It was believed that all of this
great supply would be available for human food, as the Indians
had cut and stacked enough prairie hay to winter their stock, and
HISTORY OF EEDWOOD COUNTY 93
many of them were still at work cutting grass, when the terrible
outbreak began.
In 1862, the agency was a flourishing community, assuming
almost the aspect of a city. With its warehouse and other Gov-
ernment buildings, a nearly completed Episcopal church, some
traders' stores, a boarding house, and many dwelling houses, both
Indians and of whites. The steep road which had been graded
down the bank to the ferry, was constantly thronged with In-
dians, half-breeds, government employes, and the German set-
tlers, who had located in large numbers just across the river in
Renville county.
In the near neighborhood of the agency were the Indian vil-
lages of Little Crow, Blue Earth, Traveling Hail, Big Eagle,
Yacouta, Wabasha and Hushasha.
The four trading houses at the Redwood agency in 1862
were those of Capt. Louis Robert, William H. Forbes, Nathan
Myriek & Co., and Francois La Bathe, the latter a mixed blood
Sioux. All of these stood west of the principal agency buildings,
La Bathe's coming first, and then Myriek 's just east of the big
ravine. Across the ravine to the northward, near the crest of
the bluff, was Forbes' store, and to the west of Forbes', about
150 yards, was Robert's. Myriek 's was the largest in capacity.
Captain Robert was a prominent early settler and trader of
Minnesota. One of the principal streets in St. Paul is named in
his honor. He was a steamboat owner and captain, and also the
owner of many posts and stores. After the massacre, in 1865, he
opened the first store in Redwood Falls.
Authorities and References. This article is based upon ma-
terial by Return I. Holcombe, appearing in "Minnesota in Three
Centuries," and a pamphlet "Monuments and Tablets Erected
by the Minnesota Valley Historical Society." Major Holcombe 's
articles were based upon the report of Major Thomas J. Gal-
braith, for 1861-62, upon various published accounts of the massa-
cre, upon personal observations of the region, and upon the
personal testimony of Indians and whites, who lived at the
agency prior to the massacre, or who participated in some of its
stirring events.
94 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
CHAPTER IX.
CAUSES OF THE OUTBREAK.
The Sioux outbreak was the culmination of a long series of
injustices toward the Indians on the part of the whites. De-
bauched, defrauded, degraded; forced by fear of the strength of
the whites, and by misrepresentations, to dispose of their lands;
herded together on reservations; treated by the whites as half-
witted children, cheated by the traders and starved by the stu-
pidity of high officials at Washington, who, in addition to the
unfair provisions of unjust treaties, imposed additional condi-
tions; the Indians, knowing the revenge that the whites would
take for a murder already committed by some renegade braves,
arose in their might, and for a time nearly succeeded in regain-
ing their hereditary holdings.
The relations of the Sioux Indians to the white trespassers
on their lands were of a friendly nature from the time of the
arrival of the first white explorer. Adventurers and traders
came and went at will. The French, true to their policy, made
friends with the Sioux, and the English followed their example.
So deep was the friendship existing between the Sioux and the
British that they fought side by side in the Revolutionary War
and in the War of 1812.
With the people of the United States the Sioux were no less
tolerant, and until the great outbreak they remained faithful
to the obligations of the treaty they made with Zebulon M. Pike,
in 1805, with the exception already mentioned of a short period
during the War of 1812, when the Sioux, knowing little of the
Americans, and remembering their many obligations to the Eng-
lish, took up arms in behalf of the British king. Even during
that period Red Wing's band remained loyal to the Stars and
Stripes.
There were, of course, isolated cases in which individual Sioux
warriors wrought revenge for injuries received, just as there
are illegal acts committed in civilized white communities. The
despoiling of the French adventurers who, naked and bruised,
sought shelter in LeSueur's fort near Mankato in the winter of
1700-01; the murder of Pagonta, "The Mallard Duck," at Men-
dota by Ix-ka-tapay in 1761 ; the murder of the two cattle drovers
by a few wild Sisseton near Big Stone lake in 1846 ; the killing
of Elijah S. Terry by men of the same tribe near Pembina in
1852; the shooting in October of the latter year of Mrs. Keener
by Zv-yah-se were offenses in which the Sioux as a nation had
no part, for which the perpetrators only were responsible. In
fact, the Sioux boasted up to the time of the outbreak that never
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 95
in all history had a white man been injured in the Sioux country
with the approval of the Sioux as a people.
Gradually, however, discontent grew up between the Indians
and the whites, though an outward friendliness was maintained.
The real causes of the final outbreak were the treaties of 1851.
The Sioux did not want to give up their land. They desired to
live as they had lived through the countless centuries. In sign-
ing the treaties which relinquished their lands and condemned
themselves to a practical imprisonment on a reservation, the
Sioux were bowing to the inevitable.
Probably if the treaties had merely provided for the transfer
of their lands to the whites for a certain amount and the amount
had been paid, the Indians would have made the best of a bad
bargain, and on their reservations they might, as time progressed,
have worked out their own problem. But there were many other
provisions in the treaties.
By the treaty of Traverse des Sioux, dated July 23, 1851,
between the United States and the Sissetons and Wapetons,
$275,000 were to be paid their chiefs, and a further sum of $30,-
000 was to be expended for their benefit in Indian improvements.
By the treaty of Mendota, dated August 5. 1851, the Medawakan-
tons and Wapakutas were to receive the sum of $200,000, to be
paid to their chief, and for an improvement fund the further sum
of $80,000. Annuities were also to be paid for a certain number
of years. The several sums, which were to become payable when
the Indians reached their reservations, amounting in the aggre-
gate to $555,000, these Indians, to whom they were payable,
claimed they were never paid, except, perhaps, a small portion
expended in improvements on the reservations. They became
dissatisfied, and expressed their views in council freely with the
agent of the government.
In 1857, the Indian department at Washington sent out Major
Kintzing Prichette, a man of great experience, to inquire into
the cause of this disaffection towards the government. In his
report of that year, made to the Indian department, Major Prich-
ette says:
"The complaint which runs through all their councils points
to the imperfect performance, or non-fulfillment of treaty stipu-
lations. Whether these were well or ill founded it is not my
province to discuss. That such a belief prevails among them,
impairing their confidence and good faith in the government,
cannot be questioned."
In one of these councils Jagmani said : "The Indians sold their
lands at Traverse des Sioux. I say what we were told. For
fifty years they were to be paid $50,000 per annum. We were
also promised $305,000, and that we have not seen." Mapipa
Wicasta (Cloud Man), second chief of Jagmani 's band, said: "At
96 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
the treaty of Traverse des Sioux, $275,000 were to be paid them
when they came upon their reservation; they desired to know
what had become of it. Every white man knows that they have
been five years upon their reservation, and have yet heard nothing
of it."
"When the treatment of the Indians became widely known the
government could no longer cover up the matter and decided to
appoint Judge Young to investigate the charges made against
the governor, of the then Minnesota territory, then acting, ex-
officio, as superintendent of Indian affairs for that locality. Some
short extracts from Judge Young's report are here presented:
"The governor is next charged with having paid over the
greater part of the money, appropriated under the fourth article
of the treaty of July 23 and August 5, 1851, to one Hugh Tyler,
for payment or distribution to the 'traders' and 'half-breeds,'
contrary to the wishes and remonstrances of the Indians, and in
violation of law and the stipulations contained in said treaties;
and also in violation of his own solemn pledges, personally made
to them, in regard to said payments.
"Of $375,000 stipulated to be paid under the first clause of
the fourth article of the treaty of Traverse des Sioux, of July
24, 1851, the sum of $250,000 was delivered over to Hugh Tyler,
by the governor, for distribution among the 'traders' and 'half-
breeds, ' according to the arrangement made by the schedule of
the Traders' Paper, dated at Traverse des Sioux, July 23, 1851,"
(This was the paper which the Indians declared they were told
was merely another copy of the treaty. — Ed.)
"For this large sum of money, Hugh Tyler executed two
receipts to the governor, as the attorney for the 'traders' and
'half-breeds;' the one for $210,000 on account of the 'traders,'
and the other for $40,000 on account of the ' half-breeds ; ' the
first dated at St. Paul, December 8, 1852, and the second at Men-
dota, December 11, 1852.
"And of the sum of $110,000, stipulated to be paid to the
Medawakantons, under the fourth article of the treaty of August
5, 1851, the sum of $70,000 was in like manner paid over to the
said Tyler, on a power of attorney executed to him by the traders
and claimants, under the said treaty, on December 11, 1852. The
receipts of the said Tyler to the governor for this money, $70,000,
is dated at St. Paul, December 13, 1852, making together the sum
of $320,000. This has been shown to have been contrary to the
wishes and remonstrances of a large majority of the Indians."
And Judge Young adds: "It is also believed to be in violation
of the treaty stipulations, as well as the law making the appro-
priations under them."
These several sums of money were to be paid to these Indians
in open council, and soon after they were on their reservations
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 97
provided for them by the treaties. In these matters the report
shows they were not consulted at all, in open council ; but on the
contrary, that arbitrary divisions and distributions were made
of the entire fund, and their right denied to direct the manner
in which they should be appropriated. (See Acts of Congress,
August 30, 1852.)
The Indians claimed, also, that the third section of the act
was violated, as by that section the appropriations therein re-
ferred to, should, in every instance, be paid directly to the In-
dians themselves, to whom it should be due, or to the tribe, or
part of the tribe, per capital, "unless otherwise the imperious in-
terests of the Indians or some treaty stipulation should require
the payment to be made otherwise, under the direction of the
president." This money was never so paid. The report further
states that a large sum, "$55,000, was deducted by Hugh Tyler
by way of discount and percentage on gross amount of payments,
and that these exactions were made both from traders and half-
breeds, without any previous agreement, in many instances, and
in such a way, in some, as to make the impression that unless
they were submitted to, no payments would be made to such
claimants at all."
And, finally the report says, that from the testimony it was
evident that the money was not paid to the chiefs, either to the
Sisseton, Wapaton or Medawakanton bands, as they in open
council requested ; but that they were compelled to submit to this
mode of payment to the traders, otherwise no payment would be
made, and the money would be returned to Washington ; so that
in violation of law they were compelled to comply with the gov-
ernor's terms of payment, according to Hugh Tyler's power of
attorney.
The examination of this complaint, on the part of the Indians,
by the Senate of the United States, resulted in "whitewashing"
the governor of Minnesota (Governor Alexander Ramsey), yet
the Indians were not satisfied with the treatment they had
received in this matter by the accredited agents of the govern-
ment.
Neither were the Indians satisfied with the annual payments.
They had desired that they receive the money promptly and in
cash. Instead they received part of it in provisions, which gave
the whites many opportunities for taking advantages of them,
the market value of the provisions never being equal to the
amount which was taken out of the Indian fund to pay for them.
The Indians rightfully felt that they should be given the money
and allowed to do the purchasing themselves.
Then, too, a certain amount of the money due the Indians
each year was devoted to a "civilization fund," that is, for
agency expenses, erecting agency buildings, paying agents, teach-
98 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
ers, farmers, missionaries and the like, thus making another drain
on an already small sum. The Indian could not view with calm-
ness the luxury in which the whites were living on money which
rightfully belonged to the Indian, while the Indian himself was
living in poverty, shut off from the rich sweeps of land where he
had formerly received his sustenance and condemned to a man-
ner of life and work for which he had no aptitude
The action of the government in regard to the Inkpadoota
massacre, so called, added force to the smouldering dissatisfac-
tion. The Indians guilty of this tragedy were formerly members
of Sioux bands, but their own acts, in many cases murder of com-
panions and relatives, had shut them off from their own people,
so at the time of the 1857 outrage they were renegades, outlaws,
whose crimes against their own kinsmen had been such that the
Sioux had driven them forth to wander the prairies like savage
wolves, hated alike by Indian and Caucasian.
For many years they were in constant trouble with the whites,
their outlaw acts being many and black, though the authorities
took no action against them. Sometimes, however, an outraged
white settler visited summary punishment on his own account
without waiting for the authorities.
Early in March, 1857, Inkpadoota 's band of outlaws stole
some horses and sleds from some settlers on the Little Sioux river,
and on March 8 commenced their awful slaughter on Lake
Okoboji, in Dickinson county, Iowa. Spirit lake is connected
with this lake by open straits, and though only one man was
actually murdered on the banks of Spirit lake the affair is usually
called the Spirit lake massacre.
March 26 came the massacre at Springfield, in what is now
Brown county, this state. Inkpadoota, whose force consisted of
but twelve fighting men, in addition to women and children, was
pursued by several companies of soldiers. Many innocent Indians
were fired upon and maltreated, but Inkpadoota was not cap-
tured.
In June came the time for the annual payments to the Indians
at the agency. "When the Indians gathered there to receive their
money they were told that no payments would be made unless
they (the Indians) should go out and capture Inkpadoota. This
command was made on the order of Indian Commissioner J. W.
Denver.
To the stupidity and stubbornness of this man Denver, Minne-
sota owes its Indian massacre of 1862. "Wise men in the territory
suggested that the people of the territory be allowed to raise a
troop of soldiers and go after Inkpadoota, supported by a detach-
ment of cavalry. But these men were promptly told by Secretary
of "War Floyd and Commissioner Denver that no suggestions were
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 99
desired and that the officials at Washington would handle the
affair as they saw fit.
Thus the weeks passed while the Indians endured untold suf-
ferings of illness and starvation. They saw their wives and chil-
dren hunger and sicken and die. The grasshoppers were eating
up their garden produce and their corn fields and truck fields
were spoiling of neglect while they waited at the agency for the
money that a great government owed them. And this great gov-
ernment, whose own well-armed and well-equipped troops had
failed to capture a small band of twelve men, though at one time
only a few miles away from them, demanded that the starving
Sioux awaiting their payments arm and equip themselves and
capture these outlaws, in whose doings they had no part and no
interest.
"Give us our annunities first, so that we can eat, and we will
go after Inkpadoota," said many of the Indians. "The treaty
I signed at Traverse des Sioux said our money would be paid us
regularly, and nothing was said about our having to go out and
bring in those who had killed white people. Ne-manka-Ha-yu-
sha" (skin your own skunk). Thus spoke Chief Red Iron. Super-
intendent Cullen and Agent Plandrau could only reply that they
were acting under orders from Commissioner Denver and must
obey him. But Cullen 's heart was not in the work; he sent an
agent, a Mr. Bowes, down to Dunleith, Illinois, then the nearest
telegraph station to Minnesota, so that speedy communication
could be had with Washington, and he telegraphed Denver,
repeatedly urging a repeal, or at least a modification of the
obnoxious order, which Cullen and Flandrau were as loth to
enforce as the Indians were unwilling to execute. But Denver
was obdurate, and Secretary Floyd was haughtily indifferent. At
last Ciulen and Flandrau appealed to Little Crow to help them.
They assured him that their superiors were determined that
before the annunities were paid the peaceable Indians must pursue
and destroy, or capture, Inkpadoota and all his band. If the
Indians persisted in their refusal to do what was required there
was the greatest danger of a bloody war between them and the
whites, and nobody knew that better than Little Crow. He was
asked to set an example by furnishing fifty men from his own
bands for the expedition against the outlaws, and to command
the expedition himself. "Your band shall first be furnished with
abundant supplies," said Major Cullen. The chief at once con-
sented, and visited the other chiefs and bands to induce them to.
join him.
On the eighteenth another council was held relative to the
expedition against Inkpadoota. Cullen, Flandrau, Special Agent
Pritchette and Major Sherman represented the whites. A num-
ber of new bright colored blankets and a fat beef were presented
100 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
to each band for a feast. The Indians decided to undertake the
expedition, with Little Crow in command, and no white troops
to go.
The next day, Sunday, July 19, the Lower Indians set out to
join the Upper Indians at Yellow Medicine, and from that agency
on the Wednesday following the entire party marched, Little
Crow in command. Major Cullen sent his interpreter, Antoine
Joseph Campbell, and three other half-breeds, John and Baptiste
Campbell and John Mooers. The entire party numbered over one
hundred men — Major Cullen says one hundred and thirty-one;
Joe Campbell reported one hundred and six. Major Sherman
furnished a wagon laden with provisions, drawn by six mules.
The expedition set out for Skunk lake — now called Madison
lake — about forty miles west of the Red Pipestone Quarry, in
what is now Lake county, South Dakota. Joe Campbell kept a
daily journal of the expedition, and from his itinerary, published
with the superintendent's report, it is learned that two days after
leaving Yellow Medicine the party reached Joseph Brown's
trading post on the head of the Redwood; here Glittering Cloud
was elected conductor or guide of the expedition. The next day
they encamped at the village of Lean Bear, head soldier of the
Sleepy Eye band. Then via the "Hole in the Mountain," and
Crooked river, the expedition reached Sunk lake on the afternoon
of July 28 and found the outlaws. Meanwhile the outlawed band
had quarreled and separated. Inkpadoota and three other war-
riors, with a number of women and children, had gone far to the
westward. The other eight fighting men, with nine women and
thirteen children, had come eastward and encamped at Skunk
lake, where there were ducks and fish in abundance. They occu-
pied six lodges, which were distributed along the lake shore for
three miles. The advance of Little Crow and his party had been
discovered, and all the lodges had been deserted, and their
inmates had fled to another lake twelve or fifteen miles to the
westward, then called by the Indians Big Driftwood lake, and
now called Lake Herman. Little Crow had a mounted advance
guard of seventeen men led by himself. They overtook the fugi-
tives crossing the lake, and after a short parley commenced
shooting, firing into and across the lake until the fugitives were
far out of range. In all three women, three men and three chil-
dren of the Inkpadootas were killed. It was never known or
cared whether or not the women and children were killed delib-
erately.
Upon the return of Little Crow and his force with the two
women prisoners, one of them the widow of Shifting Wind, who
had been killed, they were notified that perhaps they had not
clone enough to secure the payment of their annuities ; the author-
ities at Washington must decide. Commissioner Denver at first
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 101
ordered that the payment and issue of supplies should be with-
held until Little Crow should again go out and scour all the
western country until he had destroyed the remainder of Inkpa-
doota's band. The representations and protestations of Super-
intendent Cullen and of the department's special agent, Major
Kintzing Pritchette, could not change the unreasonable and stub-
born commissioner. Little Crow and party returned to the
agencies August 3. They and their women and children con-
tinued to go hungry, as the superintendent said, until about
September, when, during Denver's absence from Washington,
Acting Commissioner Charles T. Mix directed Superintendent
Cullen to make the payment and issue the supplies. Denver's
unwise and unjust course was to have its effect five years later.
The treaty of 1858 was not pleasing to the majority of the
Indians. It was made at Washington by a few Indians picked
by the white men for that purpose, and the braves declared that
those who made the treaty had no authority to give away the
Indian lands without the consent of the Indians as a whole.
By this treaty the Sioux relinquished their lands north of the
Minnesota, and confined their reservation to a strip ten miles
wide on the south side of that river.
The treaty also elaborated a scheme for forcing the Indian
to the white man's way of living. A civilization fund was pro-
vided, to be taken from the annuities, and expended in improve-
ments on the lands of such of them as should abandon their
tribal relations, and adopt the habits and modes of life of the
white race. To all such, lands were to be asigned in severalty,
eighty acres to each head of a family. On these farms were to
be erected out of the annuities the necessary farm buildings and
farming implements, and cattle were to be furnished them.
In addition to these so-called favors the government offered
them pay for such labors of value as were performed, in addition
to the crops they raised. Indian farmers now augmented rapidly,
until the outbreak of 1862, at which time about one hundred and
sixty had taken advantage of the provisions of the treaty. A
number of farms, some 160, had good, snug brick houses erected
upon them. Among these was Little Crow, and many of these
farmer Indians belonged to his own band.
The Indians disliked the idea of taking any portion of the
general fund belonging to the tribe for the purpose of carrying
out the civilization scheme. Those Indians who retained the
"blanket," and hence called "blanket Indians," denounced the
measure as a fraud upon their rights. The chase was then a
God-given right ; this scheme forfeited that ancient natural right,
as it pointed unmistakably to the destruction of the chase.
The treaty of 1858 had opened for settlement a vast frontier
country of the most attractive character, in the Valley of the
102 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Minnesota, and the streams putting into the Minnesota, on either
side, such as Beaver creek, Sacred Heart, Hawk and Chippewa
rivers and some other small streams, were nourishing settlements
of white families. Within this ceded tract, ten miles wide, were
the scattered settlements of Birch Coolie, Patterson Rapids, on
the Sacred Heart, and others as far up as the Upper Agency at
Yellow Medicine, in Renville county. The county of Brown
adjoined the reservation, and was, at the time, settled mostly by
Germans. In that county was the flourishing town of New Ulm,
and a thriving settlement on the Big Cottonwood and Waton-
wan, consisting of German and American pioneers, who had
selected this lovely and fertile valley for their future homes.
In the spring and summer of 1862 the several Sioux bands of
Minnesota who had been parties to the Treaties of 1851 and 1858
had, with a few exceptions, all their villages within the prescribed
limits of the reservation. The Yanktons were on the Missouri
river, in the region where the city of Yankton, South Dakota, is
now located. They never came east of Lac qui Parle. The Sisse-
tons were for the most part on the banks of Lake Traverse and
Big Stone lake, though some were to the westward. The Wahpa-
tons were near the Yellow Medicine, in the region known as the
Upper Agency. The Medawakantons and the Wahpakootas, the
"Lower Agency Indians,'" had their bands along the south bank
of the Minnesota, stretching from a little east of Yellow Medicine
eastward to some four miles below Ft. Ridgely.
The sub-band of Shakopee (Six, commonly called Little Six)
was a mile and more west of the mouth of the Redwood river.
All about the Lower or Redwood Agency were the other Medawa-
kanton sub-bands. The old Kaposia village of Little Crow was
on the south side of the Minnesota, a little west of the small
stream called Crow's creek, somewhat above the present village
of Morton. Near Crow's village was the band of the Great War
Eagle, commonly called Big Eagle (Wam-bde-Tonka), and this
had been the band of Gray Iron, of Fort Snelling. Below the
agency was the sub-band of Wah-pahah-sha (meaning literally
Red War Banner), who was commonly called Wabasha, and who
was the head chief of the Medawakanton band. Near him was the
village of Wacouta (pronounced Wah-koota, and meaning the
Shooter), who was now chief of the old Red Wing band. In this
vicinity was the band of Traveling Hail, sometimes called Pass-
ing Hail (Wa-su-he-yi-ye-dan). Old Cloud Man was alive, but
old and feeble, and had turned over the chieftainship to Traveling
Hail, formerly of Cloud Man's band of Lake Calhoun; and
farther down the Minnesota, but along the crest of the high bluff
bank was the band of Mankato, who had succeeded his father,
the historic old Good Road, in the chieftainship of one of the
prominent old Fort Snelling bands. The Wahpakootas were
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 103
reduced to one band, whose chief was Red Legs (Hu-sha-sha),
although Pa-Pay was recognized as one in authority. The Wah-
pakoota village was below Mankato's on the same side of the
river.
In the spring of 1861 the Republican party came into national
power. Major William J. Cullen, the Democratic Indian super-
intendent, was removed, and Clark W. Thompson, of Fillmore
county, was appointed in his stead. Joseph R. Brown, agent for
the Sioux, was removed, and his place taken by Thomas J. Gal-
braith, of Shakopee.
The new agent endorsed the policy and adopted the methods
of his predecessor almost entirely. Especially did he endeavor
to make the Indians self-supporting. Those who were already
"farmers" or "breeches Indians" were favored and encouraged
in many ways, and those who were still barbaric and blanketed
were remonstrated with, and entreated to enter upon the new life.
The autumn of 1861 closed upon the affairs of the farmer
Indians quite unsatisfactorily; their crops were light, the Upper
Sioux raising little or nothing. The cut worms had destroyed
well nigh all the corn fields of the Sissetons, and the same pests,
together with the blackbirds, had greatly damaged the crops of
the Wahpatons, Medawakantons and Wahpakootas. Agent Gal-
braith was forced to buy on credit large quantities of pork and
flour for the destitute Indians. Under the direction of Mission-
ary Riggs, who lived among them, Agent Galbraith fed 1,500
Sissetons and Wahpatons from the middle of December, 1861, to
April 1, 1862, when they were able to go off on their spring
hunts. He also fed and cared for a number of the old and infirm
and other worthy characters among the Lower Indians; but for
the assistance of the government numbers of these wretched
savages would have starved during that hard winter of 1861-1862.
The "farmer" Indians were kept at work during the winter
making fence rails, cutting and hauling saw logs to the saw mills
at the Upper and Lower Agency and other work, and in payment
received regular issues of supplies for themselves and families.
Prior to 1857 the payment to the Indians under the treaties
were made semi-annually. In that year Superintendent Cullen
changed this practice to one payment a year, which, until 1862,
had commonly been made about the tenth of June. This event
was a great red letter day in the Indian calendar. It engaged
attention for months before it came; it was a pleasant memory
for months afterwards. Every beneficiary attended the payment,
and many of the Cut Heads and Yanktonnais, that were not
entitled to receive anything, came hundreds of miles and swarmed
on the outskirts of the camp, hoping to get something, however
little, from the stock to be distributed. So there was always a
big crowd present at the payment and a rare good time.
104 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
The traders always received a liberal share of the money. For
a year the Indians had been buying goods from them on credit,
promising to pay in furs at the end of the hunting season. When
default was made in the payment, which was invariably the case,
the balance was promised in cash ' ' at the payment. ' ' The traders
were therefore always present near the pay tables, with their
books of account, and when the Indian had received his money
from the government paymaster he was led over to his trader and
asked to pay what he owed. The majority of the Indians were
willing to pay their debts, but there were others who would not
pay the most honorable debt if they could avoid it; usually the
latter class owed their traders more than the thirty dollars they
had received. Sometimes for some years a detachment of sol-
diers had been sent up from Port Ridgely to preserve order.
In 1861 the Lower Sioux had been paid June 27, and the
Upper Sioux July 18. On the seventeenth of June the "St. Peter
Guards," a newly recruited company, which became Company E
of the Second Minnesota, Captain A. K. Skaro, and the "Western
Zouaves" of St. Paul, which became Company D of the Second
Regiment, Captain Horace H. Western, arrived by the steamer
City Belle at Port Ridgely as its garrison, taking the place of
Company B, Captain Bromley, and Company G, Captain McKune,
of the First Regiment, which companies had been stationed at the
post since May. Captain McKune 's company, however, remained
at Ridgely until July 6.
About the first of July the Indians began certain demonstra-
tions indicating that they would make serious trouble if troops
were stationed at the agencies and near the pay tables during
the coming payments. They seemed to believe that the presence
of soldiers on these occasions was to coerce them into paying
debts to the traders, and they were opposed to the idea. They
soon organized a "soldiers' lodge" (or a-ke-che-ta tepee) to
consider the matter. A soldiers' lodge was composed of warriors
that were not chiefs or head soldiers, and who met by themselves
and conducted all their deliberations and proceedings in strictest
secrecy. Their conclusions had to be carried out by the chiefs
and head soldiers. If a war was contemplated the soldiers' lodge
decided the matter, and from its decision there was no appeal.
Many other matters concerning the band at large were settled
by the a-ke-che-ta tepee.
It was believed by the whites that the soldiers' lodges on the
Sioux reservation had determined on armed resistance to the
presence of troops at the pay tables. Agent Galbraith and other
white people about the agencies became greatly alarmed, and
June 25 the agent called on Fort Ridgely for troops to come at
once to Redwood. The St. Peter Guards were promptly sent and
remained at the Lower Agency until after the payment, which
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 105
passed off quietly. July 3 Major Galbraith again became alarmed
at the Indian signs and called for a strong force to come to Yellow
Medicine. McKune's company of the First Regiment and Skaro's
of the Second Regiment were at once started from Fort Ridgely,
but ten miles out were turned back. The next day Captain
"Western's company started for the Upper Agency, and on the
sixth was overtaken by Captain Skaro's and the two companies
reached the Yellow Medicine on the seventh, to the great relief
of the agent and the other government employes and traders and
their families, who were in great fear of the rebellious and menac-
ing Indians, chiefly young men and reckless characters. The pay-
ment at the Upper Agency was without disorder; the Indians
paid their debts, but some of them were reported as saying that
"this is the last time" they would do so.
July 23 the two companies of the Second Regiment marched
back to Fort Ridgely. August 13 detachments of both companies,
under Captain Western and Lieutenant Cox, were sent by Lieu-
tenant Colonel George, commanding the post at Fort Ridgely, to
the Spirit lake district, in Iowa, to protect the settlers in that
region from the depredations of certain Indians, who, it was
feared, contemplated another raid of the Inkpadoota character.
The command was absent for two weeks.
About September 1 the Indians at and above Yellow Medi-
cine became turbulent and frightened. On the eighth Company
E, Captain Skaro, was dispatched from Fort Ridgely and reached
the Yellow Medicine on the tenth. On the fifteenth Lieutenant
J. C. Donahower, with twelve men of Company E, was sent to
Big Stone lake as an escort to the government farmer, who was
directed to secure from the Sissetons about the lake some horses
which had been stolen by them and the Yanktonnais from white
settlers on the Missouri in southeastern Dakota. The lieutenant
returned to Yellow Medicine with three of the recovered horses.
The Sissetons and Yanktons stole about thirty horses that sum-
mer from Minnesota and Iowa settlers. September 23 Captain
Skaro left Yellow Medicine for Fort Snelling, where he joined
his regiment, which, in a few days, was sent to the South.
On the tenth of October, 1861, Companies A and B, of the
Fourth Regiment, became the garrison at Fort Ridgely. Captain
L. L. Baxter, of Company A, was commander of the post until
in March, 1862, when the companies with the remainder of the
regiment were sent to the Union army in front of Corinth, Mis-
sissippi.
Upon the organization of the Fifth Minnesota Infantry, March
29, 1862, three of the companies of that regiment were assigned
to garrison duty at the Minnesota forts. To Fort Abercrombie
was sent Company D, Captain John Vander Horck ; to Fort Rip-
ley, Company C, Captain Hall; to Fort Ridgely, Company B,
106 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Captain John S. Marsh. As Captain Marsh had not yet joined
the company, and as Lieutenant Norman K. Culver was on detail
as quartermaster, Sergeant Thomas P. Gere led the company on
its march, in zero weather, through a deep snow, from Fort Snell-
ing to Fort Ridgely, arriving at the latter post March 25. April
10 Gere became second lieutenant, and on the sixteenth Captain
Marsh arrived and assumed command of the post. There were
then at the fort, in addition to the officers and men of Company
B, Post Surgeon Dr. Alfred Muller, Sutler Ben H. Randall, Inter-
preter Peter Quinn and Ordnance Sergeant John Jones, and a
few soldiers' families living in cabins nearby. Sergeant Jones
was in charge of the government stores and of six pieces of
artillery of different calibers, the relics of the old artillery school
at the post, which had been left by Major Pemberton when he
departed for Washington with the last battery organization, in
February, 1861.
The Minnesota Indian payments for 1862 were greatly delayed.
They should have been made by the last of June, but the govern-
ment agents were not prepared to make them until the middle of
August. The authorities at Washington were to blame. For
some weeks they dallied with the question whether or not a part
at least of the payment should be made in greenbacks. Com-
missioner Dole, Superintendent Thompson and Agent Galbraith
protested that the payment should be in specie. Not until August
8 did Secretary Chase, of the Treasury, order Assistant Treasurer
Cisco, of New York, to send the Indians' money in gold coin to
Superintendent Thompson at St. Paul. The money — $71,000, in
kegs, all in gold coin — left New York August 11 and arrived at
St. Paul on the sixteenth. Superintendent Thompson started it
the next day for the Indian country in charge of C. W. Wykoff,
E. C. Hatch, Justus C. Ramsey, A. J. Van Vorhees and C. M.
Daily, and they, with the wagons containing the precious kegs,
reached Fort Ridgely, August 18, the first day of the great out-
break. The money and its custodians remained within the fort
until Sibley's army came, and then the money, in the original
package as stated, was taken back to St. Paul by the parties
named who had brought it up.
Meanwhile there was a most unhappy condition of affairs on
the reservation. The Indians had been eagerly awaiting the pay-
ment since the tenth of June. On the twenty-fifth a large delega-
tion of the chiefs and head men of the Sissetons and Wahpetons
visited Yellow Medicine and demanded of Agent Galbraith to be
informed whether they and their people were to get any money
that year; they alleged they had been told by certain white men
that they would not be paid because of the great war then in
progress between the North and South. The agent said the pay-
ment would certainly be made by July 20. He then gave them
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 107
some provisions, ammunition, and tobacco, and sent them back
to their villages, promising to notify them when the money came
of the exact time of the payment. He then went to the Lower
Agency and counseled the people there as he had the people at
Yellow Medicine, adding that they should busy themselves in
cutting hay for the winter and in keeping the birds from the
corn. These Lower Indians had worked hard during the summer
but their crops had not turned out well, owing to the numerous
birds and insect pests, and their stock of provisions was nearly
exhausted. Major Galbraith therefore issued them a supply of
mess pork, flour, salt, tobacco and ammunition.
Efforts have been made by many writers to show that the
condition of the Indians was no worse than that of the white set-
tler— that the Indian had a better chance to prosper than did the
white pioneer.
But the circumstances were much different. The pioneer had
come prepared for the rigors of pioneer life. He had come hop-
ing to better himself. It is true that in coming the pioneer
brought civilization. But he did not come for that purpose.
Much as we admire the pioneer, much as we appreciate the great
good that he has done, deep though the debt we owe him may
be, many though his hardships were, nevertheless there can be
no disguising the motive that brought him. He came because he
expected to be more prosperous here than he had been in the
place from whence he came.
The Indian had no such hope. He was not equipped for the
mode of life that was thrust upon him. He had owned these
stretches of land. He had lived in contentment. Through the
chase he had obtained a good living. When he gave up the op-
portunity of securing his accustomed daily livelihood he was
accepting the promise of a great nation that in exchange for his
land he would be paid certain sums for his support. He had given
up his land, he had given up his mode of making a living, he had
moved to the reservation, he had kept his part of the bargain;
yet the great government was breaking its part of the bargain
by every quibble and pretense possible.
The sudden change of life had brought ructions among the
Indians themselves. Some seeing that the white man by trickery
and superior strength, was bound to rule, urged that the Indians
make the best of a bad situation and take up the white man's
ways. These Indians were called the farmer Indians.
There were others, however, who saw that the Indian was not
adapted to the ways of the whites, and saw only slavery and deg-
radation in the ways of the farmer Indians, many of whom were
already dying of tubercular troubles as the result of their unac-
customed mode of life. These blanket Indians, as they were
called, believed in the old ways. They wanted the government
108 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
to keep its promise and make its payments according to agree-
ment, after which they wanted the government to leave them to
lead their own lives in their own way.
So these were arguments among the Indians, such matters as
adopting the white man's habits, clothing, and customs, obeying
instructions about not fighting the Chippewas, the election of
chief speaker of the Medawakanton band.
In the spring Little Crow, Big Eagle, and Traveling Hail were
candidates for speaker of the band. There was a heated contest,
resulting in the defeat of Little Crow to his great mortification
and chagrin and that of his followers, who constituted the greater
part of the blanket Indian party. His successful opponent,
Traveling Hail, was a civilization Indian and a firm friend of the
whites.
In June, as the time for the payment approached, a number
of the young Medawakantons and Wahpakootas formed a sol-
diers' lodge, to consider the question of allowing the traders to
approach the pay table. The chiefs and head men, according to
custom, were not allowed to participate in the deliberations of
this peculiar council, although they were expected to enforce its
decisions and decrees. After a few days of secret consultation
the council sent a delegation to Fort Ridgely, which, through Post
Interpreter Quiim, asked Captain Marsh, the commandant, not
to send any soldiers to the payment to help the traders collect
their debts. Captain Marsh replied that he was obliged to have
some of his soldiers present at the payment, but they would not
be used unless there was a serious disturbance of the peace, and
on no account would he allow them to be employed to collect the
debts owing to the traders by the Indians. This reply greatly
gratified the Indians and they returned to their villages in high
glee boasting of what they had accomplished.
The traders were indignant at the action of the Indian soldiers.
They vowed not to sell the Indians any more supplies on credit.
"You will be sorry for what you have done," said Andrew J.
Myrick, who was in charge of his brother's trading house at Red-
wood, "you will be sorry. After a while you will come to me
and beg for meat and flour to keep you and your wives and chil-
dren from starving and I will not let you have a thing. You and
your wives and children may starve, or eat grass, or your own
filth." The traders tried to induce Captain Marsh to revoke his
decision in their favor, but he would make them no promises.
In July the Lower warriors convened another soldiers' lodge.
This time the subject of discussion was whether or not they should
go on the war-path against the Chippewas, who had recently
given a lot of trouble. Incidentally the trouble about their debts
came up, and it was finally decided that if the soldiers guarded
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 109
the pay tables, and their bayonets were employed as instruments
for the collection of debts, the Indians would be forced to submit.
This was the soldiers' lodge about whose purpose and plans so
many startling and alarming statements were afterwards made by
the whites. At the time too, the whites were afraid. On one
occasion the Indians went down to Fort Ridgely and asked to be
allowed to play ball (or la crosse) on the parade grounds. Captain
Marsh refused to allow this, and it was afterwards printed that
on the occasion mentioned the Indians had planned and schemed
to get into the fort by stratagem, and then massacre the garrison
and every white person in the neighborhood.
The Upper Indians were in far worse moods than their breth-
ren at Redwood. In addition to their dissatisfaction in regard to
the delay in the payment — for they needed assistance most sorely
— they were incensed against the white authorities who had for-
bidden them to make war on the Chippewas. The latter made
frequent forays upon the Sioux of the upper country. In May
a hunting party of Red Iron's band was attacked on the Upper
Pomme de Terre by a band of Chippewas and chased from the
country, losing two men killed. About the twentieth of July the
Chippewas slipped down and killed two Sioux within eighteen
miles of Yellow Medicine.
These instances stirred the blood of the Upper bands and four
days later several hundred of them formed a war party and,
stripped and painted, and yelling and shouting, marched by the
Agency buildings and the camp of the soldiers and down the
Minnesota in the direction of Major Brown's stone mansion and
big farm, near where the Chippewas were supposed to be. The
majority of the Indians were mounted, but those who were on
foot went galloping along by the side of the cantering ponies and
kept up with them easily. The Chippewas had retreated and
could not be overtaken.
About the fifteenth of August, only a few days before the
outbreak, a man and his son of Red Iron's band were killed by
the Chippewas, while hunting, a few miles north of the river.
Their bodies were taken back to their village and exposed in
public for a whole day. Hundreds of Sioux came to see them.
A war party of a dozen or more set out after the murderers, fol-
lowed them up into the Otter Tail lake country, and did not re-
turn to the reservation until nearly two weeks after the outbreak.
Certain writers have frequently declared that the outbreak
was a long meditated and carefully planned movement of the
Sioux and Chippewas in combination ; that Little Crow and Hole-
in-the-Day were in constant communication and engaged in pre-
paring for the uprising for weeks before it occurred. The inci-
dents given of the tragic events, the homicides, and the fights
between the two tribes up to the very date of the Sioux outbreak
110 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
prove the absurd falsity of the claim that they were engaged as
allies in plotting against the whites. I
In the first part of July in this memorable year a brief period
of excitement and danger began at the Yellow Medicine Agency. !
The Upper Indians became turbulent and menacing, and serious
results Were avoided only by the greatest care and the intelli-
gent exercise of sound judgment.
As early as June 18, Captain Marsh, in command at Port
Ridgely, deemed it best, in anticipation of trouble among the
Indians at the payment, to strengthen his forces. On the
eighteenth Captain Hall ordered Lieutenant T. J. Sheehan, with
fifty men of Company B of the Fifth Regiment, from Fort Ripley
to re-enforce the garrison at Fort Ridgely. The Lieutenant and
his men arrived on the twenty-eighth, and the next day Captain
Marsh started them and fifty men of Company B, under Lieuten-
ant T. P. Gere for the Yellow Medicine, which post they reached
July 2. They carried with them a piece of artillery, a twelve-
pound mountain howitzer, and plenty of ammunition. Lieu-
tenants Sheehan and Gere were directed to obey the orders of . !
Agent Galbraith and to preserve peace and protect United States
property, "during the time of the annuity payment for the pres-
ent year." Sheehan ranked Gere, and was given command of the
detachment.
When the soldiers reached the Yellow Medicine, they found
the Upper Indians already arriving in large numbers in antici-
pation of the annuity payment, which was the prevailing and
absorbing topic. On the eighth a detachment of warriors, through
Interpreter Quinn, had a lengthy interview with the young of-
ficers. The Indians said: "We are the braves who do the fight-
ing for our people. We sold our land to the Great Father, but j
we don't get the pay for it. The traders are allowed to sit at the
pay table, and they take all our money. We wish you to keep
the traders away from the pay table, and as we are now hungry
we want you to make us a present of a beef." The lieutenant
answered that the payment regulations were in charge of Agent
Galbraith, whose orders they must obey ; that they had no beeves
or other provisions, save their own army rations, which -they
needed for themselves, but that they would tell the agent what
the warriors had said.
Every day brought accessions to the number of Indians about
the Agency. On July 14, when Agent Galbraith arrived, he' was
astonished and alarmed to find that nearly all of the Upper
Indians had arrived, that they were greatly destitute, and that
they were clamoring for ' ' Wo-kay-zhu-zhu ! Wo-kay-zhu-zhu, ' ' the
payment! the payment! The agent asked them reproachfully:
"Why have you come? I sent you away and told you not to
come back until I sent for you again. I have not sent for you —
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 111
why have you come?" The Indians replied: "It was such a
long time that we did not hear from you, that we feared some-
thing was wrong. Then, because of the war in the south, some
white men say that we will not get our money at all. We want to
find out about all this. We are destitute and hungry. You may
not have money, but you have provisions in that big house, and
this is the time of the year that we should receive both our money
and supplies; we want some of the supplies now. We will not
leave our camps until we get our money and all. ' '
Major Galbraith sent word of his predicament to Superin-
tendent Thompson and asked for instructions. The superintend-
ent answered that the agent was on the ground and must do as
he thought best. The agent then issued, in scanty quantities,
some rations of pork and flour and some cloth and other sup-
plies to the most destitute and deserving. The Indians were
grateful, and gave numerous dances and other entertainments as
returns for the favors.
To add to Major Galbraith 's perplexities, the presence of a
large number of Yanktonnais and other non-annuity Indians was
reported. On the day after his arrival he inspected the various
camps and found, to his disgust and dismay, that there were 659
lodges of annuity Indians, 78 lodges of Yanktonnais, 37 of Cut
Heads, and five of unidentified people, said to be Winnebagoes.
There were more than 4,000 annuity Sioux and about 1,000 Yank-
tonians and Cut Heads. Even a portion of Inkpadoota's band
was reported to be out on the prairies.
By July 18, the Indians had eaten nearly all of their dogs and
everything, else of an edible character in their camps, and there
was actual starvation among them. Still there was no payment
and no issue of supplies. Down in the Minnesota bottoms, almost
hidden in the high and succulent grass, were hundreds of fat
cattle belonging to the settlers and to be had for the killing, and
less than a day's march away were provisions of other kinds,
enough to feed an army, and to be had for the taking. Lieutenant
Sheehan feared that the strain would not endure much longer,
and sent down to Ridgely and brought up another howitzer. Gal-
braith, however, did not believe there was any danger, as the
Indians were apparently quiet and peaceable. On the twenty-
first the lieutenants interviewed Galbraith and plainly told him
that did he not at once relieve the most pressing necessities of the
Indians, he would be responsible for any casualty that might
ensue. The agent agreed that he would at once take a census of
the annuity people, issue an abundant supply of provisions, and
then send them back to their villages to await the arrival of their
money.
On the twenty-sixth the counting took place. The enumera-
tion was confined to the annuity Indians; the Yanktonnais and
112 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Cut Heads were ignored. All of the people eligible to payment
were assembled near the Government buildings, and a cordon of
soldiers thrown about the entire concourse. Each sub-chief called
upon the heads of families in his band to give the number of per-
sons in their respective families and when the number was an-
nounced those composing it were sent out of the lines to their
camps. The enumeration occupied twelve and a half hours.
The Indian census had been taken, but still Agent Galbraith
made no issue of provisions, as he had promised. The man seemed
beside himself, in the perplexities of his situation. He was a
drinking man, and it is said that he was intoxicated a great por-
tion of the time in an effort to meet the dangers which confronted
him with a "Dutch courage."
The next day after the census was taken, or July 27, Major
Galbraith sent Lieutenant Sheehan, with fourteen soldiers, four
citizens and the ever faithful Good Voiced Hail, as a guide, on a
futile and foolish chase after the half dozen of Inkpadoota 's band
reported to be hovering about the Dakota boundary, south and
west of Lake Benton. The men were all mounted and had two
baggage wagons. After scouring the country in a vain search
for trails or even signs, the detachment set out on the return
trip and reached Yellow Medicine August 3. The failure to over-
take the outlaws had a bad effect upon the Agency Indians, who
derided the work of the soldiers and were confirmed in their be-
lief that in matters pertaining to warfare of anj* sort, Indians
could easily outwit white men.
The fourth of August came but no paymaster was in sight,
and there had been no issue of provisions, save a few pieces of
hard tack, for two weeks. Early in the morning of the fourth the
Indians sent two messengers to Lieutenant Sheehan and informed
him that later in the day, they were coming to the Agency to
fire a salute and make a great demonstration for the entertain-
ment of the white people, and especially the soldiers. "Don't be
afraid," they said, "for although we will do a lot of shooting we
won't hurt anybody."
About 9 o'clock the soldiers were startled to see that, sud-
denly and without having previously been seen, the Indians had
surrounded the camp and were pointing guns at them. The
sentinels or camp guards were pushed from their beats and told
to go to their tents and stay there, and Private James Foster,
of Company B, had his gun wrested from him. At the same time
several hundred mounted and armed warriors galloped up, yell-
ing and shooting, and began riding wildly about. The real ob-
ject of this startling and thrilling demonstration was not appar-
ent until the Indian leader dashed up to the west end of the Gov-
ernment warehouse and struck its big door a resounding blow
with him tomahawk. Very soon the door was broken down and
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 113
the Indians rushed in and began carrying away the big fat sacks
of flour and the fatter slices of pork.
According to Lieutenant Gere's account, the situation was now
perilous in the extreme. The soldiers were outnumbered seven
to one by the excited warriors, who were priming, cocking, and
aiming their guns only a hundred feet away. Private Josiah
Weakley, of Company C, precipitated a crisis. An Indian had
pointed a gun at him, and the soldier swore a big mouth-filling
oath and hastily capped and aimed his gun at the savage to re-
sent the insult. He was about to the pull the trigger, when Jim
Ybright struck down the gun, and thus prevented the destruc-
tion of the entire command and of every other white person at
or about the Agency. For at that critical moment had a single
hostile shot been fired, by either white man or Indian, the great
savage outbreak of a fortnight later would have begun and its
first victims would have been the people of Yellow Medicine.
Lieutenant Sheehan ordered his little command to "fall in,"
and promptly every man, gun in hand, sprang into line. There
was no shrinking and apparently no fear. It was soon realized
that the object of the Indian attack was to secure the provisions
in the warehouse wherewith to feed themselves and their famish-
ing women and children. Had the murder of the whites been in-
tended, the bloody work would have been begun at once. It
seemed certain that the Indians would not fire the first shot.
But the peace must be preserved, even if it had to be fought
for, and the Government property must be protected at all haz-
ards. Lieutenant Gere had direct charge of the two cannon, and
the men of his company had been trained by old Sergeant Jones,
at Ridgely, to handle them. Taking the tarpaulin cover from one
of the guns, which was loaded with canister, Lieutenant Gere
aimed it at the warehouse door, through which the Indians were
crowding, going for and returning with sacks of flour. From the
cannon to the warehouse the distance was not more than 150
yards ; the ground was level, and the range point blank.
Instantly there were yells of surprise and shouts of warning,
and the Indians fell back on either side of the line of fire and the
range of the gun, leaving a wide and distinct lane or avenue be-
tween the cannon and the warehouse door. Lieutenant Sheehan
now appeared with a detachment of sixteen men, and that brave
soldier, Sergeant Solon A. Trescott, of Company B, at their head.
Down the lane with its living walls marched Sheehan and his
little band straight to the warehouse. Reaching the building the
lieutenant went at once to the office of Major Galbraith, too
impotent through fear, drink and excitement for any good.
Sergeant Trescott and his men summarily drove every Indian
from and away from the, warehouse. Only about thirty sacks of
flour had been taken.
114 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
Lieutenant Sheehan stoutly demanded that Galbraith at once
give to the Indians the provisions which really belonged to them,
and thereby avert not only starvation but probably war. But
the agent, now that the soldiers were in line and their leader in
his presence, became, through his "Dutch courage," very digni-
fied and brave. He said that if he made any concessions to the
Indians they would become bolder in the future, that the savages
must be made to respect his position and authority as their agent,
and not attempt to coerce him into doing his duty. He then de-
manded that Lieutenant Sheehan should take his soldiers and
make the Indians return the flour they had seized and which their
women were already making into bread.
Sheehan had his Irish spirit thoroughly aroused, and at last
forced the agent to agree to issue three days' rations of flour and
pork to the Indians, if they would return to their camps and send
their chiefs for a council the next day. Meanwhile the Indians
had assembled by bands about the warehouse and were addressed
by their chiefs and head soldiers, all of whom said, in effect:
"The provisions in that big house have been sent to us by our
Great Father at Washington, but our agent will not let us have
them, although our wives and children are starving. These sup-
plies are ours and we have a right to take them. The soldiers
sympathize with us and have already divided their rations with
us, and when it comes to the point they will not shoot at us, but
if they do, we can soon wipe them off the earth."
The three days' rations were issued, but the Indians declined
to return to their camps, unless they should first receive all that
was due them. They again became turbulent and threatened to
again attack and loot the warehouse. Lieutenant Sheehan moved
up his entire command directly in front of the warehouse and
went into fighting line with his two cannons "in battery." Then
the Indians concluded to forego any hostile movement and re-
turned to their camps. Their three days' rations had been well
nigh all devoured before midnight.
Agent Galbraith continued in his excited mood and eccentric
conduct. Months afterward, in writing his official report and de-
scribing the events of the fourth of August, he declared that
when the Indians assaulted the warehouse they "shot down the
American flag" waving over it. His statement was accepted by
Heard, who, in his history, states that the flag was "cut down."
Lieutenant Sheehan and the men who were under him at Yel-
low Medicine all assert that the flag was neither shot down or
cut down or injured in any way, but that when the trouble was
over for the day the banner was "still there." August 5 the
agent was still beside himself. He declared that the loyal old
Peter Quinn, who had lived in Minnesota among his white breth-
ren for nearly forty years and was always faithful to his trust,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 115
even to his death in the slaughter at Redwood Ferry — was not
to be trusted to communicate with the Indians. He ordered Lieu-
tenant Sheehan, who had brought Quinn from Ridgely, to send
him back and he requested that the loyal old man be "put off
the reservation."
Sheehan could bear with the agent no longer. He accommo-
dated him by sending Quinn away, but he sent the old interpreter
with Lieutenant Gere, whom he directed to hasten to Fort Ridge-
ly, describe the situation to Captain Marsh, and urge that officer
to come at once to Yellow Medicine and help manage Galbraith.
The captain reached Yellow Medicine at 1 :30 p. m. on the sixth,
having come from Fort Ridgely, forty-five miles distant, by
buggy in seven hours.
August 7, Galbraith having been forced to agree to a sensible
course of action, he, Captain Marsh and Missionary Riggs held a
council with the Indians. The agent had sent to Hazelwood for
Mr. Riggs and when the good preacher came, said to him appeal-
ingly: "If there is anything between the lids of the Bible that
will meet this case, I wish you would use it. ' ' The missionary as-
sured the demoralized agent that the Bible has something in
it to meet every case and any emergency. He then repaired to
Standing Buffalo's tepee and arranged for a general council that
afternoon. The missionary gives this description of the proceed-
ings:
"The chiefs and braves gathered. The young men who had
broken down the warehouse door were there. The Indians ar-
gued that they were starving and that the flour and pork in the
warehouse had been purchased with their money. It was wrong
to break in the door, but now they would authorize the agent to
take of their money and repair the door. The agent then agreed
to give them some provisions and insisted on their going home
which they promised to do."
Captain Marsh demanded that all of the annuity goods, which
for so long had been wrongfully withheld, should be issued im-
mediately, and Reverend Riggs endorsed the demand. Galbraith
consented, and the Indians promised that if the issues were made
they would return to their homes and there remain until the agent
advised them that their money had come. The agreement was
faithfully carried out by both parties to it. The issue of goods
began immediately and was continued through the eighth and
ninth. By the tenth all the Indians had disappeared and on the
twelfth word was received that Standing Buffalo's and the
Charger's band, with many others, had gone out into Dakota on
buffalo hunts. On the eleventh the soldiers left Yellow Medicine
for Fort Ridgely, arriving at that post in the evening of the fol-
lowing day.
All prospects of future trouble with the Indians seemed now
116 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
to have disappeared. Only the Upper Indians had made mis-
chief; the Lower Indians had taken no part nor manifested any
sympathy with what their brethren had done, but had remained
quietly in their villages engaged in their ordinary avocations.
Many had been at work in the hay meadows and corn fields. All
the Indians had apparently decided to wait patiently for the
annuity money. This agreeable condition of affairs might have
been established six weeks earlier, but for the unwise, yet well
meant work of Agent Galbraith, who should have done at first
what he did at last.
Believing that no good reason any longer existed for the pres-
ence of so many troops at Fort Ridgely, Captain Marsh ordered
Lieutenant Sheehan to lead Company C of the Fifth Minnesota
back to Fort Ripley, on the Upper Mississippi, the march to be
made on foot, across the country, by the most direct route. At
7 o'clock on the morning of August 17, the detachment set out,
encamping the first night at Cumming's Grove, near the present
site of "Winthrop, Sibley county.
After the troubles at Yellow Medicine were over a number of
discharged government employes, French-Canadians, and mixed
blood Sioux expressed a desire to enlist in the Union army, under
President Lincoln's call for "300,000" more.
The Government was advancing forty dollars of their pros-
pective bounty and pay to recruits, and as quite a number of the
would-be volunteers were out of employment and money, the
cash offer was perhaps to some as much of a stimulus to enlist as
was their patriotism. A very gallant frontiersman named James
Gorman, busied himself with securing recruits for the pioneer
company, which, because most of its numbers were from Renville
county, was called the "Renville Rangers." Captain Marsh had
encouraged the organization, and Agent Galbraith had used all
of his influence in its behalf. August 12 thirty men enlisted in the
Rangers at Yellow Medicine and on the fourteenth twenty more
joined the company at Redwood. Galbraith and Gorman, with
their fifty men, left Redwood Agency for Fort Snelling, where it
was expected the company would join one of the new regiments
then being formed. At Fort Ridgely Captain Marsh furnished
the Rangers quarters and rations and sent Sergeant James G.
McGrew and four other soldiers with them on their way to the
fort. At New Ulm they received a few men, and the entire com-
pany, in wagons, reached St. Peter in the afternoon of the
eighteenth.
Much that is false has been written regarding the cause of the
Sioux Outbreak, many idle speculations have been published as
absolute fact.
There certainly was no conspiracy between the Chippewas and
the Sioux ; there were certainly no representatives of the southern
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 117
Confederacy urging the Indians to revolt, Little Crow was most
assuredly guiltless of having long planned a general massacre.
Possibly, for such is human nature, the Indians, smarting under
untold wrongs, may have considered the possibilities of driving
out the whites and resuming their own ancient freedom. But no
details had been planned upon. The officials at Washington and
their representatives on the reservation were wholly and solely
responsible for the great massacre. The spark which lighted the
conflagration was the lawless act of a few renegades, but there
would have been no blaze from this spark had not the whites,
through guile and dishonesty, been gradually increasing the dis-
gust, discontent and resentment in the Red Men's breast.
The editor of this work holds no brief for the Indian. No one
realizes more than he the sufferings of those innocent settlers,
those martyrs to civilization, who underwent untold horrors at
the hands of a savage and infuriated race. In savage or civil-
ized warfare, no acts of heartless cruelty can be excused or con-
doned. In the wrongs to which the Indian had been subjected
the noble settlers of the Minnesota valley were guiltless.
Civilization can never repay the Minnesota pioneers for the
part they had in extending further the dominion of the white
man, for the part they took in bringing the county from a wild
wilderness to a place of peace, prosperity and contentment.
The treatment of the Indian by the settlers of this county was
ever considerate and kind, the red man was continually fed and
warmed at the settlers' cabins. There is no condoning the terrible
slaughter of these innocent, kind hearted, hospitable whites who
in seeking their home in this rich valley were not unmindful of
the needs of their untutored predecessors.
It should, however, be remembered that however cruel, lust-
ful and bloodthirsty the Indian showed himself to be, base,
treacherous, barbarous as his conduct was, cowardly and mur-
derous though his uprising against the innocent pioneers; never-
theless not his alone was the guilt. The officials who tricked and
robbed him, whose stupidity and inefficiency incensed him, whose
lack of honor embittered him against all whites, they too, must
bear a part of the blame for that horrible uprising.
It should be remembered too, that the white soldiers battling
for a great nation taught the Indian no better method than the
Indian himself practiced. The Indian violated the flag of truce,
and likewise the white soldiers fired on Indians who came to
parley under the white flag. The Indians killed women and chil-
dren, the white soldiers likewise turned their guns against the
teepes that contained the Indian squaws and papooses. The In-
dian mutilated the bodies of those who fell beneath his anger, and
there were likewise whites who scalped and mutilated the bodies
of the Indians they killed. The Indian fired on unprotected white
118 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
men, and there were white men too, who fired on unprotected
Indians who had no part in the outbreak.
Neither side was guiltless. And the innocent settlers, espe-
cially those heroic families living along the valley of the Minne-
sota, paid the horrible price for the crimes of both races.
Authority and references. See Chapter X.
CHAPTER X.
THE SIOUX OUTBREAK.
Sunday, August 17, 1862, was a beautiful day in western Min-
nesota. The sun shone brightly, the weather was warm, and the
skies were blue. The corn was in the green ear stage; the wild
grass was ripe for the hay mowing; the wheat and oats were
ready to be harvested.
A large majority of the settlers and pioneers in the Upper
Minnesota valley, on the north or east side of the river, were
church members. The large German Evangelical settlement, on
Sacred Heart creek held religious services on that day at the
house of one of the members, and there were so many in attend-
ance that the congregation occupied the dooryard. A great flock
of children had attended the Sunday school and received the
ninth of a series of blue cards, as evidence of their regular at-
tendance for the nine preceding Sundays. "When you come next
Sunday," said the superintendent to the children, "you will be
given another blue ticket, making ten tickets, and you can ex-
change them for a red ticket. ' ' But to neither children or super-
intendent that "next Sunday" never came.
At Yellow Medicine and Hazelwood there was an unusual
attendance at the meetings conducted by Riggs and Williamson.
At the Lower Agency Rev. S. D. Hinman, the rector of the sta-
tion, held services in Sioux in the newly erected but uncompleted
Episcopal church and among his most attentive auditors were
Little Crow and Little Priest, the latter a Winnebago subject,
who, with a dozen of his band, had been hanging about the Agency
awaiting the Sioux payments. Little Crow was a pagan, believing
in the gods of his ancestors, but he always showed great tolerance
and respect for the religious opinions of others.
Altogether there was not the slightest indication or the faintest
suspicion of impending trouble before it came. There are printed
statements to the effect that a great conspiracy had been set on
foot, or at least planned; but careful investigation proves these
statements, no matter by whom made, to be baseless and unwar-
ranted. Except the four perpetrators nobody was more startled
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 119
or surprised upon the learning of the murder of the first whites,
than the Indians themselves.
The Rice Creek Indians were deserters from the bands to
which they rightfully belonged, because they were discontented
with conditions and had grievances against their chiefs or others
of their fellow-clansmen. They were, too, malcontents generally.
They did not like their own people ; they did not like the whites.
Not one of them was a Christian, and they had nothing but con-
tempt for their brethren that had become converts. Many of
them, however, wore white men's clothing, and a few were good
hunters and trappers, although none were farmers. They de-
pended almost altogether for provisions upon their success in
hunting and fishing. Detachments from the band were constantly
in the big woods, engaged in hunting, although in warm weather
the game killed became tainted and nearly putrid before it could
be taken home; and from daylight until dark the river bank in
front of their village was lined with women and children busily
fishing for bullheads.
On Sunday afternoon, August 17, the Rice Creekers held an
open council, which was attended by some of Shakopee's band
located not far away. It was agreed to make a demonstration to
hurry up the payment, and that the next day every able-bodied
man should go down to the Lower Agency, from thence to Fort
Ridgely, and from thence to St. Paul, if necessary, and urge the
authorities to hasten the pay day, already too long deferred. But
nothing was said in the council about war. An hour or two later
nothing was talked of but war.
About August 12 twenty Lower Indians went over into the
big woods of Meeker and McLeod counties to hunt. Half a dozen
or more of the Rice Creek band were of the party. One of Shako-
pee's band, named Island Cloud, or Makh-pea "We-tah, had busi-
ness with Captain George C. Whitcomb, of Forest City, concern-
ing a wagon which the Indian had left with the captain. Reach-
ing the hunting grounds in the southern part of Meeker county,
the party divided, Island Cloud and four others proceeding to
Forest City and the remainder continuing in the township of
Acton.
On the morning of August 17 four Rice Creek Indians were
passing along the Henderson and Pembina road, in the central
part of Acton township. Three of them were formerly Upper
Indians, the fourth had a Medawakanton father and a "Wahpaton
mother. Their names, in English, were Brown Wing, Breaks Up
and Scatters, Ghost That Kills, and Crawls Against; the last
named was living at Manitoba in 1891. Two of the four were
dressed as white men ; the others were partly in Indian costume.
None of them was more than thirty years of age, but each seemed
older.
120 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
As these Indians were passing the house and premises of
Robinson Jones, four miles south of the present site of Grove
City, one of them found some hen's eggs in a fence corner and
proceeded to appropriate them. One of his comrades remon-
strated against his taking the eggs because they belonged to a
white man and a discussion of the character of a quarrel resulted.
To Return I. Holcombe, the compiler of this chapter, in June, 1894,
Chief Big Eagle related the particulars of this incident, as fol-
lows:
"I will tell you how this was done, as it was told to me by all
of the four young men who did the killing. * * * They came
to a settler's fence and here they found a hen's nest with some
eggs in it. One of them took the eggs when another said: 'Don't
take them, for they belong to a white man and we may get into
trouble.' The other was angry, for he was very hungry and
wanted to eat the eggs, and he dashed them to the ground and
replied: 'You are a coward. You are afraid of the white man.
You are afraid to take even an egg from him, though you are
half starved. Yes, you are a coward and I will tell everybody
so.' The other said, 'I am not a coward. I am not afraid of the
white man, and to show you that I am not, I will go to the house
and shoot him. Are you brave enough to go with me?' The one
who had taken the eggs replied: 'Yes, I will go with you and we
will see who is the brave.' Their two companions then said : 'We
will go with you and we will be brave, too.' Then they all went
to the house of the white man." (See Vol. 6, Minn. Hist. Socy.
Coll., p. 389; also St. Paul Pioneer Pres, July 1, 1894.)
Robinson Jones was a pioneer settler in Acton township. He
and others came from a lumber camp in northern Minnesota, in
the spring of 1857, and made claims in the same neighborhood.
January 4, 1861, Jones married a widow named Ann Baker, with
an adult son, Howard Baker, who had a wife and two young chil-
dren and lived on his own claim, in a good log house, half a mile
north of his step-father. The marriage ceremony uniting Jones
and Mrs. Baker was performed by James C. Bright, a justice of
the peace. In the summer of 1862 Mr. and Mrs. Jones adopted
into their family a deceased relative's two children, Clara D.
Wilson, a girl of fifteen, and her half brother, an infant of only
eighteen months. No children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Jones
after their marriage.
Jones was a typical stalwart frontiersman, somewhat rough
and unrefined, but well liked by his white neighbors. His wife
was a congenial companion. In 1861 a postoffice called Acton was
established at Jones' house; it was called for the township, which
had been named by some settlers from Canada for their old home
locality. In his house Jones kept a small stock of goods fairly
suited to the wants of his neighbors and to the Indian trade. He
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 121
also kept constantly on hand a barrel or more of cheap whiskey
which he sold by the glass or bottles, an array of which always
stood on his shelves. He seldom sold whiskey to the Indians ex-
cept when he had traded with them for their furs, but Mrs. Jones
would let them have it whenever they could pay for it.
August 10, a young married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Viranus
Webster, from Wisconsin, in search of a Minnesota homestead,
came to Howard Baker's in their fine two-horse wagon and were
given a welcome and a temporary home until they could select
a claim. As Baker's rooms were small, the Websters continued
to use their covered wagon as a sleeping apartment. Webster
had about $160 in gold coin, and some other money, and good
outfit, including a fine shotgun.
The Ghost Killer and his three companions went to Jones'
house, and according to his statement, made half an hour later,
demanded whiskey, which he declined to give them. He knew
personally all of the four, and was astonished at their conduct,
which was so unusual, so menacing and threatening, that — al-
though he was of great physical strength and had a reputation
as a fighter and for personal courage — he became alarmed and
fled from his own house to that of his step-son, Howard Baker,
whither his wife had preceded him on a Sunday visit. In his
flight he abandoned his foster children, Clara Wilson and her
baby brother. Reaching the house of his step-son, Jones said, in
apparent alarm, that he had been afraid of the Indians who had
plainly tried to provoke a quarrel with him.
Although the Jones house, with its stores of whiskey, mer-
chandise, and other articles had been abandoned to them, the
Indians did not offer to take a thing from it, or to molest Miss
Wilson. Walking leisurely, they followed Jones to the Baker
house, which they reached about 11 a. m. Two of them could
speak a little English, and Jones spoke Sioux fairly well. What
occurred is thus related in the recorded sworn testimony of Mrs.
Howard Baker, at the inquest held over the bodies of her husband
and others the day following the tragedy :
"About 11 o'clock a. m. four Indians came into our house;
stayed about fifteen minutes; got up and looked out; had the
men take down their guns and shoot them off at a mark; then
bantered for a gun trade with Jones. About 12 o'clock two more
Indians came and got some water. Our guns were not reloaded ;
but the Indians reloaded theirs in the door yard after they had
fired at the mark. I went back into the house, for at the time I
did not suspect anything, but supposed the Indians were going
away.
' ' The next thing I knew I heard the report of a gun and saw
Mr. Webster fall; he stood and fell near the door of the house.
Another Indian came to the door and aimed his gun at my hus-
122 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
band and fired, but did not kill him ; then he shot the other barrel
of the gun at him, and then he fell dead. My mother-in-law, Mrs.
Jones, came to the door and another Indian shot her ; she turned
to run and fell into the buttery ; they shot at her twice as she fell.
I tried to get out of the window but fell down cellar. I saw Mrs.
Webster pulling the body of her husband into the house; while
I was in the cellar I heard firing out of doors, and the Indian
immediately left the house, and then all went awar.
"Mr. Jones had told us that they were Sioux Indians, and
that he was well acquainted with them. Two of the Indians had
on white men's coats; one was quite tall, one was quite small, one
was thick and chubby, and all were middle-aged ; one had two
feathers in his cap, and another had three. Jones said to us:
'They asked me for whiskey, but I could not give them any.' "
(See History of Meeker county, 1876, by A. C. Smith, who pre-
sided at the inquest and recorded the testimony of Mrs. Baker.)
In a published statement made a few days later (See com-
munication of M. S. Croswell, of Monticello, in St. Paul Daily
Press, for September 4, 1862) Mrs. Webster fully corroborates
the statements of Mrs. Baker. She added, however, that when
the Indians came to the Baker house they acted very friendly,
offering to shake hands with everybody; that Jones traded Bak-
er's gun to an Indian that spoke English and who gave the white
man three dollars in silver "to boot," seeming to have more
money; that Webster was the first person shot and then Baker
and Mrs. Jones; that an Indian chased Jones and mortally
wounded him so that he fell near Webster's wagon, shot through
the body, and died after suffering terribly, for when the relief
party came it was seen that in his death agonies he had torn up
handfuls of grass and turf and dug cavities in the ground, while
his features were horribly distorted.
Mrs. Webster further stated that she witnessed the shooting
from her covered wagon ; that as soon as it was over the Indians
left, without offering any sort of indignities to the bodies of their
victims, or to carry away any plunder or even to take away Web-
ster's and Baker's four fine horses, a good mount for each In-
dian. Mrs. Webster then hastened to her dying husband and
asked him why the Indians had shot him. He replied: "I do not
know; I never saw a Sioux Indian before, and never had any-
thing to do with one." Mrs. Baker now appeared from the cellar,
and, with her two children ran into a thicket of hazel bushes
near the house and cowered among them. As soon as Webster
was dead and his body had been composed by his wife, she, too,
ran to the bushes and joined Mrs. Baker.
The two terror-stricken women were considering, as best
their mental condition would permit, what they should do, when
a half-witted, half-demented fellow, an Irishman, named Cox,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 123
came along the road. At once the women entreated him for as-
sistance. The poor imbecile only grinned, shook his head and said
to them that they were liars and that there had been no Indians
here. When they pointed to the bloody corpses he laughed and
said: "Oh, they only have the nose-bleed; it will do them good,"
and then passed on, crooning a weird song to a weirder tune. A
few days later, the report was that Cox was a spy for the Indians
and he was arrested at Forest City and sent under guard, via
Monticello, to St. Paul, where, on investigation, he was released
as a harmless lunatic.
Horrified and half distracted, Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Webster,
with the former's two children, made their way for some miles
to the house of Nels Olson (who was afterward killed by the
Indians), where they passed the night. The next morning they
were taken to Forest City and from thence to Kingston and Mon-
ticello. Their subsequent history cannot here be given.
Soon after their arrival at Nels Olson's cabin Ole Ingeman
heard the alarming story of Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Webster and
galloped away to Forest City with the thrilling news, stirring up
the settlers on the way. He reached Forest City at six o'clock in
the evening, crying, "Indians on the war-path!" In an hour six-
teen of the villagers, with hunting rifles and shotguns, were on
their way to Acton. It soon grew dark and nine of the party
turned back. The other seven — John Blackwell, Berger Ander-
son, Amos N. Fosen, Nels Danielson, Ole Westman, John Nelson,
and Charles Magnuson — pressed bravely on. Soon they were
joined by another party of settlers headed by Thomas McGan-
non. Reaching the Baker place, the settlers approached the house
warily, lest the Indians were still there. In the darkness they
stumbled over the bloody bodies of Jones, Webster and Baker,
and found the corpse of Mrs. Jones in a pantry.
In the gloom of midnight the pioneers passed on to Acton
postoffice, Jones' house. Here they expected to find the Indians
dead drunk in Jones' whisky, but not an Indian was there. Pros-
trate on the floor, in a pool of her virgin blood, and just as she
had fallen when the Indian's bullet split her young heart in twain,
lay the corpse of poor Clara Wilson. No disrespect had been
shown it and she had been mercifully killed outright — that was
all. On a low bed lay her little baby brother of two years, with
not a scratch upon him. He had cried himself to sleep. When
awakened he smiled into the faces of his rescuers, and prattled
that Clara was "hurt" and that he wanted his supper. John
Blackwell carried him away and the child was finally adopted by
Charles H. Ellis, of Otsego, Wright county.
In a corner of the main room of the Jones house stood a half-
filled whisky barrel, and on a long shelf, with other merchandise,
was an array of pint and half-pint bottles filled with the exhila-
124 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
rating beverage. The Indians had not touched a drop of the
stuff— so they themselves declared, and so appearances indi-
cated. The numerous printed statements that they Avere drunk
when they perpetrated the murders are all false. Moreover,
Jones' statement that they wanted whisky and "acted ugly" be-
cause he would not let them have it, may well be disbelieved.
After he had fled from the house, disgracefully abandoning Clara
Wilson and her baby brother, who were all that could say them
nay, the Indians might have seized enough of the whisky to make
the entire Rice Creek band drunk ; and when they returned from
Baker's and killed Miss Wilson they could easily have plundered
Jones' house, not only of its whisky, but of all its other contents,
but this they did not do. Of all Jones' household goods and his
tempting stock of merchandise, not a pin was taken and not a
drop of whisky drank. At Baker's they were as sober as judges
and asked for water. (See Lawson and Tew's admirable History
of Kandiyohi county, pp. 18-19; also Smith's History of Meeker
county.)
On Monday, August 18, about sixty citizens assembled at
Acton and an inquest was held on the bodies of Jones, Webster,
Baker, Mrs. Jones, and Clara Wilson. The investigation was
presided over by Judge A. C. Smith, of Forest City, then pro-
bate judge and acting county attorney of Meeker county. The
testimony of Mrs. Baker and others was taken and recorded and
the verdict was that the subjects of the inquest were, "murdered
by Indians of the Sioux tribe, whose names are unknown." The
bodies had changed and were changing fast under the warm Au-
gust temperature, and were rather hastily coffined and taken
about three miles eastward to the cemetery connected with the
Norwegian church, commonly called the Ness church, and all five
of them were buried "in one broad grave." (See Smith's His-
tory, p. 17.) Some years later at a cost of $500, the State erected
a granite monument over the grave to the memory of its inmates.
While the inquest was being held at the Baker house, eleven
Indians, all mounted, appeared on the prairie half a mile to the
westward. They were Island Cloud and his party. The two In-
dians that had come to Baker's the previous day, while the Ghost
Killer and his companions were there, and had left, after obtain-
ing a drink of water, and before the murders, reported to the
main party that they had heard firing in the direction of the
Baker house. Ghost Killer and the three others had not since
been seen, and Island Cloud and his fellows feared that the whites
had killed them in a row, while drunk on Jones' whisky. (Island
Cloud's statement to W. L. Quinn and others.) They were ap-
proaching the Baker house to learn what had become of their
comrades when the crowd at the inquest saw them. Instantly a
number of armed and mounted settlers started for them, bent on
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 125
vengeance. The Indians, wholly unaware of the real situation,
and believing that their four comrades had been murdered and
that they themselves were in deadly peril, turned and fled in
terror and were chased well into Kandiyohi county. Both whites
and Indians in the vicinity of Acton were at this time wholly
unaware and altogether unsuspicious of what a great conflagra-
tion was then raging the Minnesota valley and which had been
kindled by the little fire at Howard Baker's cabin.
All of the attendant circumstances prove that the murder was
solely the work of the five persons that did the deed, and that they
had no accessories before or after the fact. It was not perpetrated
because of dissatisfaction at the delay in the payment, nor because
there were to be soldiers at the pay table ; it was not occasioned
by the sale of the north ten-mile strip of the reservation, nor be-
cause so many white men had left Minnesota and gone into the
Union army. It was not the result of the councils of the soldiers'
lodge, nor of any other Indian plot. The twenty or more Indians
who left Rice Creek August 12 for the hunt did not intend to kill
white people; if they had so intended, Island Cloud and all the
rest would have been present at and have participated in the
murders at Baker's and Jones' and carried off much portable
property, including horses. The trouble started as has been
stated — from finding a few eggs in a white man's fence-corner.
After the murder of Clara Wilson — who, the Indians said, was
shot from the roadway as she was standing in the doorway look-
ing at them — the four murderers, possibly without entering the
Jones house, went directly to the house of Peter Wicklund, near
Lake Elizabeth, which they reached about one o'clock, when the
family were at dinner. Wicklund 's son-in-law, A. M. Ecklund,
who had a team of good young horses, had arrived with his wife,
a short time before, for a Sunday visit at her father's One of
the Indians came to the door of the house, cocked his gun, and
pointed it at the people seated around the dinner table. Mrs.
Wicklund rose and motioned to the savage to point his gun in
another direction. He continued, however, to menace the party
and thus distract their attention while his companions secured
and slipped away with Ecklund 's horses. Then, mounted, two on
a horse, the four rode rapidly southward. Some distance from
Wicklund 's they secured two other horses, and then they pro-
ceeded as fast as possible to their village at the mouth of Rice
Creek, forty miles from Acton.
They reached their village in the twilight after a swift, hard
ride, which, according to Jere Campbell, who was present, had
well nigh exhausted the horses. Leaping from their panting and
dripping studs they called out: "Get your guns! There is war
with the whites and we have begun it!" Then they related the
events of the morning. They seemed like criminals that had per-
126 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
petrated some foul deed and then, affrighted, apprehensive and
remorseful, had fled to their kinsmen for shelter and protection.
Their story at once created great excitement and at the same
time much sympathy for them. Some of their fellow villagers
began at once to get ready for war, by putting their guns in order
and looking after their ammunition supplies. Ho-choke-pe-doota,
the chief of the Rice Creek band — if he really held that position
— was beside himself with excitement. At last he concluded to
take the four adventurers and go to see Chief Shakopee about the
matter. Repairing as speedily as possible to the chief's village,
on the south side of the river, near the mouth of the Redwood,
they electrified all of its people by their startling story, which,
however, many of them had already heard.
Shakopee (or Little Six) was a non-progressive Indian, who
lived in a tepee and generally as an Indian — scorning the ad-
juncts of the white man. The story of the killing stirred him,
and the excitement among his band, some members of which were
already shouting the war-whoop and preparing to fight, affected
him so that, while he declared that he was for war, he did not
know what to do. "Let us go down and see Little Crow and the
others at the Agency," he said at last. Accordingly Shakopee,
the Rice Creek chief, two of the four young men who still smelled
of the white people's blood they had spilled, and a considerable
number of other Rice Creekers, and members of Shakopee 's band,
although it was midnight, went down to consult with the greatest
of the Sioux, Tah 0 Yahte Dootah, or Little Crow. Messengers
were also sent to the other sub-chiefs inviting them to a war
council at Little Crow's house. The chief was startled by the ap-
pearance of Shakopee and the others, and at first seemed non-
plussed and at a loss to decide. Finally he agreed to the war,
said the whites of the Upper Minnesota must all be killed, and he
commended the young murderers for shedding the first blood,
saying they had "done well." Big Eagle thus relates the incident:
"Shakopee took the young men to Little Crow's frame house,
two miles above the Agency, and he sat up in bed and listened to
their story. He said war was now declared. Blood had been
shed, the annuities would be stopped, and the whites would take
a dreadful vengeance because women had been killed. "Wabasha,
Wacouta, myself, and some others talked for peace, but nobody
would listen to us, and soon the general cry was : 'Kill the whites,
and kill all these cut-hairs (Indians and half-bloods who had cut
their hair and put on white men's clothes) that will not join us.'
Then a council was held and war was declared. The women be-
gan to run bullets and the men to clean their guns. Parties
formed and dashed away in the darkness to kill the settlers.
Little Crow gave orders to attack the agency early next morning
and to kill the traders and other whites there.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 127
"When the Indians first came to Little Crow for counsel and
advice he said to them, tauntingly, 'Why do you come to me for
advice? Go to the man you elected speaker (Traveling Hail)
and let him tell you what to do.' But he soon came around all
right."
Between 6 and 7 o'clock on the morning of August 18, the
first shot was fired and the first white man was killed at the
Lower Agency and the dreadful massacre began. James W.
Lynd, ex-state senator from Sibley county, was a clerk in My-
rick's trading house at the agency. He was standing upon a door
step watching the movements of some Indians who were coming
along with guns in their hands and acting strangely. Suddenly
one of them named Much Hail, or Plenty of Hail (Tan-wah-su
Ota). (Until a few years since it was generally understood from
the best authorities that the fatal shot was fired by Walks Like a
Preacher, who died in prison at Davenport, but in 1901 Much
Hail, living in Canada, confessed that he was the one that killed
Mr. Lynd.) drew up his gun and pointing it at Mr. Lynd, said:
"Now, I will kill the dog that would not give me credit." He
fired and Mr. Lynd fell forward and died instantly.
The massacre then became general. The whites were taken
quite unawares and were easy victims. No women were killed,
but some were taken prisoners; others were allowed to escape.
The stores presented such enticing opportunities for securing
plunder of a greatly coveted sort that the Indians swarmed into
and about them, pillaging and looting, and this gave many whites
opportunity to escape and make their way to Fort Ridgely, four-
teen miles. The ferryman, Hubert Miller (whose name was com-
monly pronounced Mauley, and whose name was printed in some
histories as Jacob Mayley) stuck to his post and ferried people
across to the north side until all had passed; then the Indians
killed him.
The Indians in large numbers crossed the Minnesota and be-
gan their bloody work among the settlers along Beaver and
Sacred Heart creeks and in the Minnesota bottoms. A few set-
tlers— and only a few — were warned in time to escape.
Shakopee's band operated chiefly in this quarter and the chief
that night said he had killed so many white people during the
day that his arm was quite lame. The other Lower bands went
down into Brown county and directly across the river.
The dreadful scenes that were enacted in the Upper Minne-
sota valley on that dreadful eighteenth of August can neither be
described nor imagined. Hundreds of Indians visited the white
settlement to the north and east and perpetrated innumerable
murders and countless other outrages. Scores of women and
children were brought in as prisoners and many wagon loads of
plunder were driven into the Indian camps. White men, women,
128 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
and children of all ages were murdered indiscriminately, and
under the most terrible circumstances. The bodies were com-
monly mutilated— sometimes shockingly — but very few were
scalped. Only one mixed blood Indian, Francois La Bathe (pro-
nounced La Bat) a trader at the Lower Agency, was killed.
About twenty mixed bloods joined the hostile Indians ; the others
who would not join were made prisoners. Many mixed blood
women were violated and otherwise misused. That night a large
number of the settlers' houses and other buildings were burned,
but many houses were spared. Some of the Indians declared that
they needed them to live in the coming autumn and winter.
There was no resistance worthy of the name. Very few set-
tlers had fire-arms or were accustomed to them. There were many
Germans that had never fired a gun in all of their lives. Then,
too, the Indian attacks were wholly unexpected. The savages ap-
proached their victims in a most friendly and pleasant manner
and slew them without warning. Very often, however, the white
man knew that he was to be murdered, but he made no attempt
to defend himself. Some who were being chased by the Indians,
turned and fired a few shots at their pursuers, but without effect.
Though hundreds of white people were murdered by the Indians
that day, not a single Indian was killed or severely injured.
Down the Minnesota river on both sides below Fort Ridgley
as far as New Ulm, and up the river to Yellow Medicine, the
bloody slaughter extended that day. The fiendish butcheries and
horrible killings beggar description. Here is one of many like in-
stances : Cut Nose, a savage of savages, with half a dozen other
Sioux, overtook a number of whites in wagons. He sprang into
one of the vehicles in which were eleven women and children and
tomahawked every one of them, yelling in fiendish delight as his
weapons went crashing through the skulls of the helpless victims.
Twenty-five whites were killed at this point. Settlers were slain
from near the Iowa line in Jackson county, as far north as Breck-
enridge, including Glencoe, Hutchinson, Forest City, Manannah
and other places. Fourteen were killed at White Lake, Kandi-
yohi county. The much greater number of whites were slaugh-
tered, however, within the reservations, and in Renville and
Brown counties. During the first week, it is estimated that over
600 whites were killed and nearly 200 women and children taken
captive.
The Whites at the Yellow Medicine Agency above the Lower
Agency, to the number of sixty-two, among them the family of
Indian Agent Galbraith, escaped by the aid of John Otherday, a
friendly Indian.
When the news of the outbreak reached Fort Ridgley, Captain
John S. Marsh, with forty-six of his men of Company B, Fifth
Minnesota, started for the Lower Agency. He was ambushed at
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 129
Redwood Ferry, twenty-four of his men were killed and he him-
self was drowned in attempting to cross the river. The survivors
of his command hid in the thickets and worked their way back
to the fort at night.
The Indians attacked Fort Ridgley on the twentieth and again
on the twenty-second of August, the latter day with 800 warriors.
The force in the fort numbered 180 men, commanded by Lieuten-
ant T. J. Sheehan. A small battery under Sergeant John Jones,
of the regular army, did effective service. There were 300 refu-
gees in the fort. After many hours' fighting, the Indians retired.
Had they charged they could have captured the fort, but Indians
do not fight in that manner. The saving of Ridgley was the sal-
vation of the country below, as its capture would have enabled
the Indians to sweep the valley. The loss of the garrison was
three killed and twelve wounded.
The most momentous engagements of the Indian war were
the attacks upon New Ulm, as the fate of more than 1,500 people
was at stake. The Sioux first assaulted it on the day following
the outbreak, but were driven off. That night Judge C. E. Flan-
drau, of the Supreme Court, arrived with 125 men, and the next
day 50 arrived from Mankato. Judge Flandrau was chosen to
command. On August 23 the Indians, some 500 strong, again
attacked the little city and surrounded it, apparently determined
to capture it. The battle lasted five or six hours. The Indians
set fire to the houses to the windward, and the flames swept to-
wards the center of the city, where the inhabitants had barricaded
themselves, and complete destruction seemed inevitable. The
whites, under Flandrau, charged the Indians and drove them half
a mile. They then set fire to and burned all the houses on the
outskirts in which the Indians were taking shelter. In all, 190
structures were destroyed. Towards evening the Indians re-
tired. Thirty-six whites were killed, including ten slain in a
reconnoissance on the nineteenth. Seventy to eighty were
wounded.
Owing to a shortage of provisions and ammunition, the city
was evacuated on August 25. The sick and wounded and women
and children were loaded into 153 wagons and started for Man-
kato. No more pathetic sight was ever witnessed on this conti-
nent than this long procession of 1,500 people forced to leave
their homes and flee from a relentless foe, unless it be the pathetic
picture, seen so many times on this continent of the Indians being
driven from the lands of their ancestors by the no less relentless
whites.
Heard's history thus vividly portrays conditions in the Minne-
sota valley at this period.
"Shakopee, Belle Plaine and Henderson were filled with fugi-
tives. Guards patrolled the outskirts, and attacks were con-
130 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
stantly apprehended. Oxen were killed in the streets, and the
meat, hastily prepared, was cooked over fires on the ground. The
grist mills were surrendered by their owners to the public and
kept in contant motion to allay the demand for food. All thought
of property was abandoned. Safety of life prevailed over every
other consideration. Poverty stared in the face those who had
been affluent, but they thought little of that. Women were to
be seen in the street hanging on each other's necks, telling of
their mutual losses, and the little terror-stricken children, surviv-
ing remnants of once happy homes, crying piteously around their
knees. The houses and stables were all occupied by people, and
hundreds of fugitives had no covering or shelter but the canopy
of heaven."
August 26, Lieut.-Gov. Ignatius Donnelly, writing to Gov.
Alexander Ramsey, from St. Peter, said :
"You can hardly conceive the panic existing along the valley.
In Belle Plaine I found sixty people crowded. In this place lead-
ing citizens assure me that there are between 3,000 and 4,000
refugees. On the road between New Ulm and Mankato are over
2,000; Mankato is also crowded. The people here are in a state
of panic. They fear to see our forces leave. Although we may
agree that much of this dread is without foundation, nevertheless
it is producing disastrous consequences to the state. The people
will continue to pour down the valley, carrying consternation
wherever they go, their property in the meantime abandoned and
going to ruin."
When William J. Sturgis, bearer of dispatches from Fort
Ridgley to Governor Ramsey, reached him at Fort Snelling on the
afternoon of August 19, the government at once placed ex-Gov-
ernor Henry H. Sibley, with the rank of colonel, in command of
the forces to operate against the Indians. Just at this time, in
response to President Lincoln's call for 600,000 volunteers, there
was a great rush of Minnesotans to Fort Snelling, so that there
was no lack of men, but there was an almost entire want of arms
and equipment. This caused some delay, but Colonel Sibley
reached St. Peter on the twenty-second. Here he was delayed
until the twenty-sixth and reached Fort Ridgley August 28. A
company of his cavalry arrived at the fort the day previous, to
the great joy of garrison and refugee settlers.
August 31 General Sibley, then encamped at Fort Ridgley
with his entire command, dispatched a force of some 150 men,
under the command of Maj. Joseph R. Brown, to the Lower
Agency, with instructions to bury the dead of Captain Marsh's
command and the remains of all settlers found. No signs of
Indians were seen at the agency, which they visited on September
1. That evening they encamped near Birch Coulie, about 200
yards from the timber. This was a fatal mistake, as subsequent
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 131
events proved. At early dawn the Sioux, who had surrounded
the camp, were discovered by a sentinel, who fired. Instantly
there came a deadly roar from hundreds of Indian guns all around
the camp. The soldiers sprang to their feet, and in a few minutes
thirty were shot down. Thereafter all hugged the ground. The
horses to the number of 87 were soon killed, and furnished a
slight protection to the men, who dug pits with spades and
bayonets. General Sibley sent a force of 240 men to their relief,
and on the same day followed with his entire command. On the
forenoon of September 3 they reached the Coulie and the Indians
retreated. Twenty-eight whites were killed and sixty wounded.
The condition of the wounded and indeed the entire force was
terrible. They had been some forty hours without water, under
a hot sun, surrounded by bloodthirsty, howling savages. The
dead were buried and the wounded taken to Port Ridgley.
After the battle of Birch Coulie many small war parties of
Indians started for the settlements to the Northwest, burning
houses, killing settlers and spreading terror throughout that
region. There were minor battles at Forest City, Acton, Hutch-
inson and other places. Stockades were built at various points.
The wife and two children of a settler, a mile from Richmond,
were killed on September 22. Paynesville was abandoned and
all but two houses burned. The most severe fighting with the
Indians in the northwestern settlements was at Forest City,
Acton and Hutchinson, on September 3 and 4. Prior to the battle
at Birch Coulie, Little Crow, with 110 warriors, started on a raid
to the Big Woods country. They encountered a company of
some sixty whites under Captain Strout, between Glencoe and
Acton, and a furious fight ensued, Strout 's force finally reaching
Hutchinson, with a loss of five killed and seventeen wounded.
Next day Hutchinson and Forest City, where stockades had been
erected, were attacked, but the Indians finally retired without
much loss on either side, the Indians, however, burning many
houses, driving off horses and cattle, and carrying away a great
deal of personal property.
Twenty-two whites were killed in Kandiyohi and Swift coun-
ties by war parties of Sioux. Unimportant attacks were made
upon Fort Abercrombie on September 3, 6, 26 and 29, in which a
few whites were killed.
There was great anxiety as to the Chippewas. Rumors were
rife that Hole-in-the-Day, the head chief, had smoked the pipe
of peace with his hereditary enemies, the Sioux, and would join
them in a war against the whites. There was good ground for
these apprehensions, but by wise counsel and advice, Hole-in-the-
Day and his Chippewas remained passive.
General Sibley was greatly delayed in his movements against
the Indians by insufficiency of supplies, want of cavalry and
132 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
proper supply trains. Early in September he moved forward
and on September 23, at Wood Lake, engaged in a spirited battle
with 500 Indians, defeating them with considerable loss. On the
twenty-sixth, General Sibley, moved forward to the Indian camps.
Little Crow and his followers had hastily retreated after the
battle at Wood Lake and left the state. Several bands of friendly
Indians remained, and through their action in guarding the cap-
tives they were saved and released, in all ninety-one whites and
150 half-breeds. The women of the latter had been subjected
to the same indignities as the white women.
General Sibley proceeded to arrest all Indians suspected of
murder, abuse of women and other outrages. Eventually 425
were tried by a military commission, 303 being sentenced to death
and eighteen to imprisonment. President Lincoln commuted the
sentence of all but forty. He was greatly censured for doing
this, and much resentment was felt against him by those whose
relatives had suffered. Of the forty, one died before the day
fixed for execution, and one, Henry Milord, a half-breed, had his
sentence commuted to imprisonment for life in the penitentiary;
so that thirty-eight only were hung. The execution took place at
Mankato, December 26, 1862.
The Battle of Wood Lake ended the campaign against the
Sioux for that year. Small war parties occasionally raided the
settlements, creating "scares" and excitement, but the main body
of Indians left the state for Dakota. Little Crow and a son
returned in 1863, and on July 3 was killed near Hutchinson by
a farmer named Nathan Lamson. In 1863 and 1864 expeditions
against the Indians drove them across the Missouri river, defeat-
ing them in several battles. Thus Minnesota was forever freed
from danger from the Sioux.
In November, 1862, three months after the outbreak, Indian
Agent Thomas J. Galbraith prepared a statement giving the num-
ber of whites killed as 738. Historians Heard and Flandrau
placed the killed at over 1,000.
On February 16, 1863, the treaties before that time existing
between the United States and the Sioux Indians were abrogated
and annulled, and all lands and rights of occupancy within the
State of Minnesota, and all annuities and claims then existing
In favor of said Indians were declared forfeited to the United
States.
These Indians, in the language of the act, had, in the year
1862, "made unprovoked aggression and most savage war upon
the United States, and massacred a large number of men, women
and children within the State of Minnesota ; ' ' and as in this war
and massacre they had "destroyed and damaged a large amount
of property, and thereby forfeited all just claims" to their
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 133
"monies and annuities to the United States," the act provides
that "two-thirds of the balance remaining unexpended" of their
annuities for the fiscal year, not exceeding one hundred thousand
dollars, and the further sum of one hundred thousand dollars,
being two-thirds of the annuities becoming due, and payable dur-
ing the next fiscal year, should be appropriated and paid over
to three commissioners appointed by the President, to be by them
apportioned among the heads of families, or their survivors, who
suffered damage by the depredations of said Indians, or the troops
of the United States in the war against them, not exceeding the
sum of two hundred dollars to any one family, nor more than
actual damage sustained. All claims for damages were required,
by the act, to be presented at certain times, and according to the
rules prescribed by the commissioners, who should hold their first
sesion at St. Peter, in the State of Minnesota, on or before the
first Monday of April, and make and return their finding, and all
the papers relating thereto, on or before the first Monday in
December, 1863.
The President appointed for this duty, and with the advice
and consent of the Senate, the Hons. Albert S. "White, of the State
of Indiana ; Eli R. Chase, of Wisconsin, and Cyrus Aldrich, of
Minnesota.
The duties of this board were so vigorously prosecuted, that,
by November 1 following their appointment, some twenty thou-
sand sheets of legal cap paper had been consumed in reducing to
writing the testimony under the law requiring the commissioners
to report the testimony in writing, and proper decisions made
requisite to the payment of the two hundred dollars to that class
of sufferers designated by the act of Congress.
On February 21 following the annulling of the treaty with the
Sioux above named, Congress passed an act for the removal
of the Winnebago Indians, and the sale of their reservation in
Minnesota for their benefit. "The money arising from the sale
of their lands, after paying their indebtedness, is to be paid into
the treasury of the United States, and expended, as the same is
received, under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, in
necessary improvements upon their new reservation. The lands
in the new reservation are to be allotted in severalty, not exceed-
ing eighty acres to each head of a family, except to the chiefs,
to whom larger allotments may be made, to be vested by patent
in the Indian and his heirs, without the right of alienation."
These several acts of the general government moderated to
some extent the demand of the people for the execution of the
condemned Sioux yet in the military prison at Mankato awaiting
the final decision of the President. The removal of the Indians
from the borders of Minnesota, and the opening up for settlement
of over a million of acres of superior land, was a prospective
134 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
benefit to the State of immense value, both in its domestic quiet
and its rapid advancement in material wealth.
In pursuance of the acts of Congress, on April 22, and for the
purpose of carrying them into execution, the condemned Indians
were first taken from the State, on board the steamboat Favorite,
carried down the Mississippi, and confined at Davenport, in the
State of Iowa, where they remained, with only such privileges
as are allowed to convicts in the penitentiary. Many of them
died as the result of the confinement.
On May 4, 1863, at six o'clock in the afternoon, certain others
of the Sioux Indians, squaws and pappooses, in all about seven-
teen hundred, left Fort Snelling, on board the steamboat Daven-
port, for their new reservation on the Upper Missouri, above Fort
Randall, accompanied by a strong guard of soldiers, and attended
by certain of the missionaries and employes, the whole being
under the general direction of Superintendent Clark W.
Thompson.
Authority and References. Chapters IX and X are based upon
Major Return I. Holcombe's material in Minnesota in Three Cen-
turies. Other works have also been consulted. Among the works
which may be read in this connection are :
"The Minnesota Indian Massacre," by Charles S. Bryant and
Abel B. Murch, 1863. A variation of this work appears in the
"History of the Minnesota Valley," George E. Warner and
Charles M. Foote, 1882, as the "History of the Sioux Massacre,"
by Charles S. Bryant.
"The Sioux Indian Massacre of 1862-63, I. V. D. Heard."
"Indian Outbreaks," by Judge Daniel Buck, 1904.
"The Indians' Revenge," by Rev. Alexander Berghold, 1891.
' ' The Dakota War Whoop, ' ' by Harriet E. Bishop-McConkey.
"Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars," a state publica-
tion.
All the published histories of Minnesota contain accounts of
the massacre, as do many county histories of Minnesota. The
collections of the Minnesota Historical Society are rich in mate-
rial on the same subject. Major Return I. Holcombe, already
mentioned, is still pursuing his investigations of the massacre,
and Marion P. Satterlee is also doing most excellent work along
the same lines.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 135
CHAPTER XI.
THE MASSACRE IN REDWOOD COUNTY.
The four trading houses at the Redwood Agency in 1862 were
those of Captain Louis Robert, William H. Forbes, Nathan My-
rick & Co., and Francis La Bathe, the latter a mixed blood Sioux,
and a close relative of the great chief, Wabasha.
August 18, 1862, Captain Robert, Nathan Myrick, Major
Forbes ; Stewart B. Carver, a member of the Myrick firm ; and
Henry Belland, who was in partial charge of the Forbes store,
were all absent. Andrew J. Myrick, a member of the Myrick
firm, and Hon. James W. Lynd, a distinguished scholar, and a
former member of the Minnesota senate, were in charge of the
Myrick store.
The morning of Aug. 18 dawned bright and clear, and the peo-
ple at the agency set about their usual duties. It was evident,
however, that something was astir among the Indians. The road
was filled with the stalwart braves, stark naked for the most
part, painted in gaudy war colors, and fully armed.
Philander Prescott, the elderly friend of the Indians, and the
government interpreter, inquired of Little Crow the meaning of
such a display. He was told by the Indian chief to get in his
house and stay there. To questions asked by the Rev. J. D.
Hinman, the devoted Episcopal missionary, Little Crow made no
reply. Alarmed at these manifestations of danger, the clergy-
man and the interpreter warned the other whites and prepared to
flee.
Then the murderous storm broke loose, the first to be killed
being James W. Lynd, the store clerk, and John Lamb, a team-
ster. Lynd was standing in the doorway of the Myrick store
about 7 o'clock in the morning. Puzzled at the war-display of
the Indians, he was watching a group of them approach the store,
when one of them, Plenty of Hail, or Much Hail (Tan-waj-su-
Ota) drew a gun, pointed it at Mr. Lynd, said: "Now I will kill
the dog that would not give me credit," and shot him dead in
his tracks. His body was not mutilated and was subsequently
buried where it lay, by Nathan Myrick, of St. Paul. George W.
Divoll and a cook named Fritz, were quickly killed, and a search
made for Andrew J. Myrick. Myrick had hidden himself in the
building, but frightened out when the Indians talked of burning
the structure, he started to flee toward the Minnesota river. He
was soon killed, his body riddled with arrows, and mutilated
with a scythe which was later found transfixed in his heart. His
head was cut off, and his mouth filled with grass by an Indian, to
136 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
whom a few days earlier in refusing credit at the store he had
tauntingly said, in response to the Indian's plea of hunger, "Go
eat grass."
In the meanwhile the Indians were trying to get the govern-
ment horses from the stables. James Lamb, the hostler, remon-
strated with them, and according to one authority, stabbed one
of the Indians with a pitchfork. Lamb was killed on the spot,
and others in the barn also slaughtered. A. H. Wagner, superin-
tendent of farms at the agency, was also killed in endeavoring to
prevent the theft of the horses.
While Wagner and Lamb were being killed at or near the
barn, John Penske was pierced in the back by an arrow. Unable
to run, he hid in a haydoft, and there extracted the arrow shaft,
leaving the head buried some three inches. At 4 o'clock in the
afternoon, driven out by the approaching flames, he wrapped
himself in an Indian blanket, and thus disguised as a squaw, he
made his way through the plundering Indians, arriving at Ft.
Ridgely on the fourth day, after many thrilling adventures.
Francis La Bathe, commonly written La Batte, was killed in
his store. Although a mixed blood and a blood relative of his
murderers as well as closely allied with them through his Indian
wife, his life was not spared. His kitchen or living room nearby
was afterward used as a court room in which were tried many
of the Indian prisoners by the military commission.
James Powell, a young man residing at St. Peter, was at the
agency herding cattle. He had just turned the cattle out of the
yard, saddled and mounted his mule, as the work of death com-
menced. Seeing Lamb and Wagner shot down and Fenske
wounded near him he turned to flee, when Lamb called to him
for help; but, at that moment two shots were fired at him, and,
putting spurs to his mule he turned toward the ferry, passing
close to an Indian who leveled his gun to fire at him ; but the caps
exploded, when the savage, evidently surprised that he had failed
to kill him, waved his hand toward the river, and exclaimed,
"Puckachee! Puckachee!" Powell did not wait for a second
warning, which might come in a more unwelcome form, but
slipped at once from the back of his animal, dashed down the
bluff through the brush, and reached the ferry just as the boat
was leaving the shore. Looking over his shoulder as he ran, he
saw an Indian in full pursuit on the very mule he had a moment
before abandoned.
At about the same time Lathrop Dickinson was killed. J. C.
Dickinson, who kept the Government boarding-house, with all his
family, including several girls who were working for him, suc-
ceeded in crossing the river with a span of horses and a wagon ;
these, with some others, mostly women and children, who had
reached the ferry, escaped to the fort. J. C. Dickinson was after-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 137
ward killed at Birch Cooley, Sept. 2, 1862. He was with the burial
party under Major Brown.
Very soon after, Dr. Philander P. Humphrey, physician to
the Lower Sioux, with his sick wife, and three children, also suc-
ceeded in crossing the river, but never reached the fort. All but
one, the eldest, a boy of about twelve years of age, were killed
upon the road. They had gone about four miles, when Mrs.
Humphrey became so much exhausted as to be unable to proceed
further, and they went into the house of a Mr. Magner, deserted
by its inmates. Mrs. Humphrey was placed on the bed ; the son
was sent to the spring for water for his mother. * * * The
boy heard the wild war-whoop of the savage break upon the still-
ness of the air, and, in the next moment, the ominous crack of
their guns, which told the fate of his family, and left him its
sole survivor. Fleeing hastily toward Fort Ridgely, about eight
miles distant, he met the command of Captain Marsh on their
way toward the agency. The young hero turned back with them
to the ferry. As they passed Magner 's house, they saw the Doc-
tor lying near the door, dead, but the house itself was a heap of
smouldering ruins; and this brave boy was thus compelled to
look upon the funeral pyre of his mother, and his little brother
and sister. A burial party afterward found their charred re-
mains amid the blackened ruins, and gave them Christian sepul-
ture. In the charred hands of the little girl was found her china
doll, with which she refused to part even in death. The boy went
on to the ferry, and in that disastrous conflict escaped unharmed,
and finally made his way into the fort.
In the meantime the work of death went on. The whites,
taken by surprise, were utterly defenseless, and so great had been
the feeling of security, that many of them were actually unarmed,
although living in the very midst of the savages.
In the store of William H. Forbes were some five or six per-
sons, among them George H. Spencer, Jr. Hearing the yelling
of the savages outside, these men ran to the door to ascertain
its cause, when they were instantly fired upon, killing four of
their number, and severely wounding Mr. Spencer. Spencer and
his uninjured companion hastily sought a temporary place of
safety in the chamber of the building. One of the men killed
was Joseph E. Belland, who was in charge of the store. Another
was Antoine Young. Alexis Dubuque was killed either at the
Forbes or the Myrick store.
The store of Louis Robert was savagely attacked. Patrick
McClellan, one of the clerks in charge of the store, was killed.
There were at the store several other persons; some of them
were killed and some made their escape. Among those killed
were the Frenchmen Brusson, Patnodc. Laundre and Peshette.
John Nairn, the Government carpenter at the Lower Sioux
138 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
agency, seeing the attack upon the stores and other places, seized
his children, four in number, and, with his wife, started out on
the prairie, making their way toward the fort. They were ac-
companied by Alexander Hunter, an attached personal friend,
and his young wife. Mr. Nairn had been among them in the em-
ploy of the Government, some eight years, and had, by his urbane
manners and strict attention to their interests, secured the per-
sonal friendship of many of the tribe. Mr. Nairn and his family,
assisted by advice from friendly Indians, reached the fort in
safety that afternoon, two of his children having previously
reached the fort with J. B. Reynolds, who had overtaken them.
Mr. Hunter had, some years before, frozen his feet so badly as
to lose the toes, and, being lame, walked with great difficulty.
When near an Indian village below the agency, they were met
by an Indian, who urged Hunter to go to the village, promising
to get them a horse and wagon with which to make their escape.
Mr. Hunter and his wife went to the Indian village, believing
their Indian friend would redeem his promises, but from inability,
or some other reason, he did not do so. They went to the woods,
where they remained all night, and in the morning started for
Fort Ridgely on foot. They had gone but a short distance, how-
ever, when th?y met an Indian, who, without a word of warn-
ing, shot poor Hunter dead, and led his distracted young wife,
a mixed blood Sioux and a bride of a month, away into captivity.
Mrs. Hunter, whose maiden name was Marian Robertson, was
afterward rescued at Camp Release.
The murders at the Lower Agency continued for hours. The
white-haired interpreter, Philander Prescott (now verging upon
seventy years of age), hastily left his house soon after his meet-
ing with Little Crow, previously mentioned in this chapter, and
fled toward Fort Ridgely. The other members of his family re-
mained behind, knowing that their relation to the tribe would
save them. Mr. Prescott had gone several miles, when he was
overtaken. His murderers came and talked with him. He rea-
soned with them, saying: "I am an old man; I have lived with
you now forty-five years, almost half a century. My wife and
children are among you, of your own blood; I have never done
you any harm, and have been your true friend in all your trou-
bles; why should you wish to kill me?" Their only reply was:
"We would save your life if we could, but the white man must
die; we cannot spare your life; our orders are to kill all white
men; we cannot spare you."
Seeing that all remonstrance was vain and hopeless, and that
his time had come, the aged man with a firm step and noble bear-
ing, sadly turned away from the deaf ear and iron heart of the
savage, and with dignity and composure received the fatal mes-
senger.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 139
Thus perished Philander Prescott, the true, tried, and faith-
ful friend of the Indian, by the hands of that perfidious race,
whom he had so long and so faithfully labored to benefit to so
little purpose. Shakopee (Little Six) and Medicine Bottle were
captured on the Canadian border by John McKenzie and were
tried and hanged for this murder at Ft. Snelling in 1865.
The number of persons who reached Fort Ridgely from the
agency was forty-one. Some are known to have reached other
places of safety. All suffered incredible hardships ; many hiding
by day in the tall prairie grass, in bogs and sloughs, or under
the trunks of prostrate trees, crawling stealthily by night to avoid
the lurking and wily foe, who, with the keen scent of the blood-
hound and ferocity of the tiger, followed on their trail, thirsting
for blood.
Among those who escaped into the fort were J. C. Whipple,
of Faribault, and Charles B. Hewitt, of New Jersey. The serv-
ices of Mr. Whipple were recognized and rewarded by the Gov-
ernment with a first lieutenant's commission in the volunteer
artillery service. The Rev. J. D. Hinman and his family were
also among those who escaped.
The situation of the agency was somewhat favorable to the
escape of those who were quick-witted, and who were not killed
in the first terrible onslaught. The agency was situated on a high
bank. North of the agency is a steep incline to the river bottom.
This incline is traversed by ravines and was covered with trees
and shrubbery. The refugees by hiding in this shelter could
make their way, unobserved by the howling and plundering In-
dians, to the river, where the large ferry awaited. The ferry-
man, Hubert Miller, carried fugitives over until murdered by
the savages, sturdily sticking to his post long after he could
have found safety in flight. Even after the ferry stopped run-
ning, some of the fugitives crossed hand over hand on the ropes.
Among these was Joseph Schneider. Others swam the river or
waded it in shallow places.
All that day the work of sack and plunder went on ; and when
the stores and dwellings and the warehouses of the Government
had been emptied of their contents, the torch was applied to the
various buildings, and the little village was soon a heap of smoul-
dering ruins.
The bodies of their slain victims were left to fester in the
sun where they fell, or were consumed in the buildings from
which they had been unable to effect their escape.
So complete was the surprise, and so sudden and unexpected
the terrible blow, that not a single one of all that host of naked
savages was slain. In thirty minutes from the time the first gun
was fired, not a white person was left alive. All were either
140 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
weltering in their gore or had fled in fear and terror from that
place of death.
William Landmeier, the Reynolds hired man, did not join the
Patoile family, and would not leave the Reynolds home until he
had been twice warned by Moore that his life was in danger.
He then went down to the river bottom, and following the Min-
nesota river, started for the fort. When some distance on his
way he came upon some Indians who were gathering up cattle.
They saw him and there was no way of escape. They came to
him and told him that if he would assist them in driving the cattle
they would not kill him. Making a merit of necessity he com-
plied and went on with them till they were near the Lower
agency, when the Indians, hearing the firing at the ferry, sud-
denly left him and hastened on to take part in the battle then
progressing between Captain Marsh and their friends. William
fled in an opposite direction, and that night entered Fort
Ridgely.
The whites elsewhere were faring as badly as those at the
Lower agency. At the Redwood river, ten miles above the
agency, on the road to Yellow Medicine, resided Joseph B. Rey-
nolds, in the employment of the Government as a teacher of farm-
ing to the Indians. His house was within one mile of Shakopee's
village. His family consisted of his wife, a niece — Mattie Wil-
liams, of Painesville, Ohio — Mary Anderson and Mary Schwandt,
hired girls. William Landmeier, a hired man, and Legrand Davis,
a young man from Shakopee, was also stopping with them tem-
porarily.
On the morning of August 18, at about 6 o'clock, John Moore,
a half-breed trader, residing near them, came to the house and
informed them that there was an outbreak among the Indians,
and that they had better leave at once. Mr. Reynolds immediately
got out his buggy, and, taking his wife, started off across the
prairie in such a direction as to avoid the agency. At the same
time Davis and the three girls got into the wagon of Francis
Patoile, a trader at Yellow Medicine, who had just arrived there
on his way to New Ulm, and they also started out on the prairie
accompanied by Antoine Le Blaugh.
After crossing the Redwood river near its mouth, Patoile
drove some distance up that stream, and, turning to the left,
struck across the prairie toward New Ulm, keeping behind a swell
in the prairie which ran parallel with the Minnesota, some three
miles south of that stream.
They had, unpursued, and apparently unobserved, reached a
point within about ten miles of New Ulm, and nearly opposite
Fort Ridgely, when they were suddenly assailed by Indians, who
killed Patoile, Davis and Le Blaugh, and severely wounded Mary
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 141
Anderson. Mattie Williams and Mary Schwandt were captured
unhurt, and were taken back to Waucouta's village.
The poor, injured young woman survived her wounds and
the brutal and fiendish violation of her person to which she was
subjected by these devils incarnate, but a few days, when death,
in mercy, came to her relief and ended her sufferings in the
quiet of the grave !
Mattie Williams and Mary Schwandt were afterwards re-
stored to their friends by General Sibley's expedition, at Camp
Release. We say, restored to their friends; this was hardly true
of Mary Schwandt, who, when release came, found alive, of all
her father's family, only one, a little brother; and he had wit-
nessed the fiendish slaughter of all the rest, accompanied by cir-
cumstances of infernal barbarity, without a parallel in the his-
tory of savage brutality.
On Sunday, Aug. 17, George H. Gleason, Government store-
keeper at the Lower agency, accompanied by the family of Agent
Galbraith, to Yellow Medicine, and on Monday afternoon, ignor-
ant of the terrible tragedy enacted below, started to return. He
had with him the wife and two children of Dr. J. S. Wakefield,
physician to the Upper Sioux. When about two miles above the
mouth of the Redwood, they met two armed Indians on the road.
Gleason greeted them with the usual salutation of " Ho ! " accom-
panied with the inquiry, in Sioux, as he passed, "Where are you
going?" They returned the salutation, but Gleason had gone but
a very short distance, when the sharp crack of a gun behind
him bore to his ear the first intimation of the death in store for
him. The bullet passed through his body and he fell to the
ground. At the same moment Chaska, the Indian who had not
fired, sprang into the wagon, by the side of Mrs. Wakefield, and
driving a short distance, returned. Poor Gleason was lying upon
the ground, still alive, writhing in mortal agony, when the sav-
age monster completed his hellish work, by placing his gun at
his breast, and shooting him again. Such was the sad end of
the life of George Gleason ; gay, jocund, genial and generous, he
was the life of every circle. His pleasant face was seen, and his
mellow voice was heard in song, at almost every social gathering
on that rude frontier. He had a smile and pleasant word for
all ; and yet he fell, in his manly strength, by the hands of these
bloody monsters, whom he had never wronged in word or deed.
Some weeks afterward, his mutilated remains were found by the
troops under Colonel Sibley, and buried where he fell. They were
subsequently removed by his friends to Shakopee, where they
received the rites of Christian sepulture.
Mrs. Wakefield and children were held as prisoners, and were
reclaimed with the other captives at Camp Release.
142 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
In the Southern Part of the County. John F. and Daniel
Burns, who were living near Walnut Grove, escaped the massa-
cre by flight.
Charles Zierke, "Dutch Charlie," who lived in what is now
Charlestown, heard the news of the uprising, and started for
New Ulm. He was pursued and overtaken by the Indians while
nearing that city. By sharp running he reached New Ulm, or-
ganized a rescue party, returned to the place of the encounter,
and frightening away the Indians, rescued his wife and children,
and recovered his team and goods.
It was through the southern part of Redwood county that
Mrs. Lavina Eastlick and her two sons, Mrs. Alomina Hurd and
her two children, Thomas Ireland, and other Lake Shetek refugees
made their escape.
Authority and References. The material in this chapter is
based largely on the ' ' History of the Sioux Masacre, ' ' by Charles
S. Bryant. For references see preceding chapter. While the
editor of this work has used Bryant as his authority, there are
many other interesting works on the same subject, notably the
famous work by Heard.
CHAPTER XII.
REDWOOD FERRY AMBUSCADE.
The startling news of the tragic scenes at the Lower agency
reached Fort Ridgely at about 10 o'clock on that day (August 18,
1862), but the extent and formidable character of the great In-
dian uprising were not understood until several hours later. The
messenger who bore the shocking tidings was J. C. Dickinson,
the proprietor of a boarding house at the agency, and who brought
with him a wagon load of refugees, nearly all women and chil-
dren. Captain Marsh was in command of the fort, with his com-
pany (B, Fifth Minnesota), as a garrison. Lieutenant T. J.
Sheehan, with Company C of the same regiment, had been dis-
patched to Fort Ripley, on the Upper Mississippi, near St. Cloud.
Sending a messenger with orders to Lieutenant Sheehan recall-
ing him to Fort Ridgely and informing him that the Indians were
"raising Hell at the Lower agency," Captain Marsh at once pre-
pared to go to the scene of what seemed to be the sole locality
of the troubles. He was not informed and had no instinctive
or derived idea of the magnitude of the outbreak. Leaving about
twenty men, under Lieutenant T. P. Gere, to hold the fort until
Lieutenant Sheehan 's return, Captain Marsh, with about fifty
men of his company and the old Indian interpreter, Peter Quinn.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 143
set out for the agency, distant about twelve or fourteen miles to
the northwest. On leaving Fort Ridgely the captain and the
interpreter were mounted on mules; the men were on foot, but
the captain had directed that teams, with extra ammunition and
empty wagons for their transportation, should follow, and Gen-
eral Hubbard's account, in Volume I of "Minnesota in the Civil
and Indian Wars," says that these wagons overtook the com-
mand "about three miles out."
In due time the little command came to the Redwood Ferry,
but there is confusion in the printed accounts as to the exact
time. Sergeant Bishop says it was "about 12 o'clock noon."
Heard says it was "at sundown," or about 6 o'clock. Some of
the Indians remember the time as in the evening, while others say
it was in the afternoon. As the men were in wagons the greater
part of the way, the distance, allowing for sundry halts, ought
to have been compassed in four hours at the farthest. Half
way across the bottom the captain ordered the men from the
wagons and marched them on foot perhaps a mile to the ferry
house and landing.
Meantime on the way, the soldiers had met some fifty fugitives
and seen the bodies of many victims of the massacre.
The motives of the heroic and martyred Captain Marsh have
often been discussed by historians and others. He was an officer
of sound sense and good judgment, and had already come in
intimate contact with Indian life and action, and knew of their
discontent and their desperate mood.
While he did not realize the general character of the massacre
he must have understood that a considerable number of Indians
were engaged in it. The language of his dispatch to Lieutenant
Sheehan, however, would indicate that he at that time believed
the trouble to be strictly local and confined to the Redwood
agency.
Some historians have thought that he had confidence that his
force was strong enough to punish the guilty Indians and to bring
the others to a sense of law and order. Other historians believe
that he realized something of the danger before he left the fort,
and that his realization of his danger increased as he continued
on the journey, but that as a soldier and an officer he could do
nothing else than to keep on until he met the murderous Indians
and the God of Battles had determined the issue between them.
Possibly he believed that the Indians upon seeing the uniformed
soldiers would realize the enormity of their offense and the swift
punir.hment which they were likely to meet at the hands of the
organized and equipped military forces. Possibly he believed
that the powerful chiefs would come to their senses at the sight
of the soldiers and confer with him with a view to co-operating
with the government in punishing the guilty.
144 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Peter Quinn, the old interpreter, with his forty years' experi-
ence among the Sioux in Minnesota, knew the danger to be seri-
ous. On leaving Ft. Ridgely with Captain Marsh and his men he
said to Sutler B. H. Randall : "lam sure we are going into great
danger; I do not expect to return alive." Then with tears in
his eyes he continued: "Good-bye, give my love to all."
R. A. Randall, a son of B. H. Randall, declares that his father
remonstrated with Captain Marsh, urging upon him the gravity
of the situation and the necessity of staying at the fort to pro-
tect the refugees who might seek safety there. Captain Marsh
at first listened to the remonstrance and determined to stay at
the fort. But later he changed his mind. He was a soldier, his
duty was to punish the murderous assassins, and he could not
sit idly in the fort while the guilty were allowed to go on their
way to further crimes. "It is my duty," he said to Sutler Ran-
dall as he started.
There is some evidence that as the ferry was reached the cap-
tain realized the peril of the situation and the hopelessness of his
task with so inadequate a force, and had given, or was about to
give, his men order to retire just as they were fired upon.
Return I. Holcombe, the author of nearly all of this chapter,
says : ' ' The weight of evidence tends to prove either that Marsh
did not realize the extent of the outbreak and the grave peril of
his position, or else he was nobly oblivious to his own welfare and
determined to do his duty as he saw it."
When Captain Marsh and the men under him reached the crest
of Faribault's Hill they saw to the southward, over two miles
away, on the prairie about the agency, a number of mounted
Indians ; of course, the Indians could and did see Marsh and his
party. Knowledge of the coming of the soldiers had already
reached the Indians from marauders who had been down the
valley engaged in their dreadful work, and preparations were
made to receive them. Scores of warriors, with bows and guns,
repaired to the ferry landing, where it was known the party
must come. Numbers crossed on the ferry boat to the north
side of the river and concealed themselves in the willow thickets
near by. The boat was finally moored to the bank on the east or
north side, "in apparent readiness for the command to use for
its crossing, though the dead body of the ferryman had been
found on the road," says General Hubbard.
Of the brave and faithful ferryman, Rev. S. D. Hinman, who
made his escape from the agency, has written :
' ' The ferryman, Mayley, who resolutely ferried across the
river at the agency all who desired to cross, was killed on the
other side, just as he had passed the last man over. He was dis-
emboweled; his head, hands and feet cut off and thrust into the
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 145
cavity. Obscure Frenchman though he was, the blood of no
nobler hero dyed the battlefields of Marathon or Thermopylae."
When the command reached the ferry landing only one Indian
could be seen. This was Shonka-ska, or White Dog, who was
standing on the west bank of the river, in plain view. For some
time he had been "Indian farmer" at the Lower agency, engaged
in teaching his red brethren how to plow and to cultivate the soil
generally, receiving therefor a salary from the government. He
had, however, been removed from his position, which had been
given to Ta-o-pi (pronounced Tah-o-pee, and meaning wounded),
another Christian Indian. White Dog bore a general good repu-
tation in the country until the outbreak, and many yet assert
that he has been misrepresented and unjustly accused.
A conversation in the Sioux language was held between White
Dog and Interpreter Quinn, Captain Marsh suggesting most of
the questions put to the Indian through the interpreter. There
are two versions of this conversation. The surviving soldiers say
that, as they understood it, and as it was interpreted by Mr.
Quinn, White Dog assured Captain Marsh that there was no
serious danger; that the Indians were willing, and were waiting,
to hold a council at the agency to settle matters, and that the
men could cross on the ferry boat in safety, etc. On the other
hand certain Indian friends of White Dog, who were present,
have always claimed that he did not use the treacherous language
imputed to him, but plainly told the interpreter to say to the
captain that he and his men must not attempt to cross, and that
they should "go back quick." However, White Dog was sub-
sequently tried by a military commission on a charge of dis-
loyalty and treachery, found guilty, and hung at Mankato. He
insisted on his innocence to the last.
While the conversation between White Dog and Interpreter
Quinn was yet in progress the latter exclaimed, "Look out!"
The next instant came a volley of bullets and some arrows from
the concealed foe on the opposite bank of the river. This was
accompanied and followed by yells and whoops and renewed
firing, this time from the Indians on both sides of the river. They
were armed chiefly with double-barreled shotguns, loaded with
"traders' balls," and their firing at the short distance was very
destructive. Pierced with a dozen bullets, Interpreter Quinn was
shot dead from his saddle at the first fire, and his body was after-
ward well stuck with arrows. A dozen or more soldiers were
killed outright, and many wounded by the first volley.
Although the sudden and fierce attack by overwhelming num-
bers was most demoralizing, Captain Marsh retained his presence
of mind sufficiently to steady his men, to form them in line for
defense, and to have them fire at least one volley. But now the
Indians were in great numbers on the same side of the river, only
146 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
a few yards away. They had secured possession of the log ferry
house, from which they could fire as from a block house, and
they were in the thickets all about. Many of them were naked,
except as to breech clouts. Across the river near the bank were
numbers behind the logs belonging to the agency steam saw mill,
and a circle of enemies was rapidly being completed about the
little band.
Below the ferry a few rods was a dense willow thicket, from
two to ten rods in width and running down the north or east
bank of the river for a mile or more. Virtually cutting or force-
ing their way through the Indians Captain Marsh and fourteen
of his men succeeded in reaching this thicket, from which they
kept up a fight for about two hours. The Indians poured volleys
at random from all sides into the thick covert, but the soldiers
lay close to the ground and but few of them were struck. Two
men, named Sutherland and Blodgett, were shot through the
body and remained where they fell until after dark, when they
crawled out, and finding an old canoe, floated down the river and
reached Fort Ridgely the next day. Of a party of five that had
taken refuge in another thicket, three were killed before dark.
One of the survivors, Thomas Parsley, remained in the thicket
with his dead comrades until late at night, when he, too, escaped
and made his way to the fort.
Gradually the imperiled soldiers worked their way through
the thick grass and brush of the jungle in which they were con-
cealed until they had gone some distance east of the ferry. Mean-
time they had kept up a fight, using their ammunition carefully,
but under the circumstances almost ineffectually. The Indians
did not attempt to charge them or "rush" their position, for
this was not the Indian style of warfare. Of the second great
casualty of the day Sergeant John F. Bishop says :
"About 4 o'clock p. m., when our ammunition was reduced to
not more than four rounds to a man, Captain Marsh ordered his
men to swim the river and try and work our way down on the
west side. He entered the river first and swam to about the
center and there went down with a cramp."
Some of the men went to the captain's assistance, but were
unable to save him. He was imwounded and died from the effects
of the paralyzing cramps which seized him. Some days after-
wards his body was found in a drift, miles below where it sank.
The ground where Captain Marsh and his company were
ambuscaded was, as has been stated, at and about the ferry land-
ing on the north side of the Minnesota river, opposite the Lower
agency. From the landing on the south side two roads had been
graded up the steep high bluff to the agency buildings, and from
the north landing the road stretched diagonally across the wide
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 147
river bottom to the huge corrugated bluffs, two miles or more
away, at Faribault's Hill. The hill was so named for David
Faribault, a mixed blood Sioux, and a son of old John Baptiste
Faribault, and who lived at the base of the hill. He and his fam-
ily were made prisoners by the Indians and held during the out-
break. At Faribault's Hill the road divided, one fork leading
up the hill and over the prairie to the eastward and northwest,
running along the crest of the bluff to Fort Ridgely. The other
followed the base of the bluff down the river. There were two
or three houses between the ferry landing and the bluff, and at
the landing itself was a house. All about the landing on the
north side the ground of the main ambush was open; it is now
covered with willows and other small growths of the nature of
underbrush.
After the drowning of Captain Marsh, the command, consist-
ing of fifteen men, devolved upon Sergeant John F. Bishop. The
men then resumed their slow and toilsome progress toward the
fort. Five of them, including the sergeant, were wounded, one
of them, Private Ole Svendson, so badly that he had to be carried.
The Indians, for some reason, did not press the attack further,
after the drowning of Captain Marsh, and all of them, except
Ezekiel Rose, who was wounded and lost his way, reached Fort
Ridgely (Bishop says at 10 o'clock) that night: Rose wandered
off into the country and was finally picked up near Henderson.
Five miles from the fort Bishop sent forward Privates James
Dunn and W. B. Hutchinson, with information of the disaster, to
Lieiitenant Gere.
The loss of the whites was one officer (Captain Marsh)
drowned; twenty -four men, including twenty-three soldiers, and
Interpreter Quinn, killed, and five men wounded. The Indians
had one man killed, a young warrior of the Wahpakoota band,
named To-wa-to, or All Blue. When the band lived at or near
Faribault this To-wa-to was known for his fondness for fine dress
and for his gallantries. He was a dandy and a Lothario, but he
was no coward.
The affair at Redwood Ferry was most influential upon the
character of the Indian outbreak. It was a complete Indian vic-
tory. A ,majority of the soldiers had been killed; their guns,
ammunition and equipments had fallen into the hands of the
victors ; the first attempt to interfere with the savage programme
had been signally repulsed, all with the loss of but one man.
Those of the savages who had favored the war from the first were
jubilant over what had been accomplished and confident of the
final and general result. There had been but the feeblest resist-
ance on the part of the settlers who had been murdered that day,
and the defense made by the soldiers had amounted to nothing.
There was the general remark in the Indian camps that the
148 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
whites, with all of their vaunted bravery, were "as easy to kill
as sheep."
Before the successful ambuscade there had been apprehension
among many of the Indians that the outbreak would soon be sup-
pressed, and they had hesitated about engaging in it. There were
also those who at least were loyal and faithful to the whites and
would take no part in the uprising. But after the destruction of
Captain Marsh and his command all outward opposition to the
war was swept away in the wild torrent of exultation and
enthusiasm created by the victory. Heard says :
"The Indians were highly jubilant over this success. What-
ever of doubt there was before among some of the propriety of
embarking in the massacre disappeared, and the Lower Indians
became a unit upon the question. Their dead enemies were lying
all around them, and their camp was filled with captives. They
had taken plenty of arms, powder, lead, provisions and clothing.
The 'Farmer' Indians and members of the church, fearing, like
all other renegades, that suspicion of want of zeal in the cause
would rest upon them, to avoid this suspicion became more bloody
and brutal in their language and conduct than the others."
If Captain Marsh had succeeded in fighting his way across the
river and into the agency, thereby dispersing the savages, it is
probable that the great red rebellion would have been suppressed
in less than half the time which was actually required. The
friendly Indians would doubtless have been encouraged and
stimulated to open and even aggressive manifestations of loyalty ;
the dubious and the timid would have been awed into inactivity
and quiescence. As it was, the disaster to the little band of sol-
diers fanned the fires of the rebellion into a great conflagration
of murder and rapine.
Immediately after the destruction of Captain Marsh's com-
pany at the ferry Little Crow dispatched about twenty-five young
mounted warriors to watch Fort Ridgely and its approaches.
About midnight these scouts reported that a company of some
fifty men was coming toward the fort on the road from Hutch-
inson to Ridgely. Little Crow then believed that the garrison
at Ridgely did not number more than seventy-five and that it
would be a comparatively easy matter to capture the fort with
its stores, its canon and its inmates. At the time he did not
know that the Renville Rangers had returned from St. Peter and
reinforced the garrison.
Tuesday morning, August 19, Little Crow with 320 warriors
from all of the Lower bands except Shakopee's — only the best
men being taken — set out from the agency village to capture
Fort Ridgely. Half way down dissensions arose among the rank
and file. A majority wanted to abandon the attack on the fort
temporarily and to first ravage the country south of the Minne-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 149
sota, and if possible seize New Ulm. Little Crow urged that the
fort be taken first, before it could be reinforced, but this prudent
counsel did not avail with those who were fairly ravenous for
murder and plunder, which might be accomplished without
danger, and cared less about the risk of attacking the fort, which
would be defended by men with muskets, even though its capture
would be a great military exploit. About 200 of this faction left
and repaired to the settlements in Brown county about New Ulm
and on the Cottonwood, Little Crow, with about 120 men, re-
mained in the vicinity of the fort watching and waiting.
Authority and References. The material for this chapter is
based upon "Minnesota in Three Centuries," by Return I. Hol-
combe, and upon the "Recollections of the Sioux Massacre," by
Oscar Garrett Wall. Many other works have also been con-
sulted. Mr. Wall was a member of Captain Marsh's company
stationed at Fort Ridgely, but was not with the detail which set
with the disaster at the ferry. He, however, heard the story the
next day from the survivors. Major Holcombe, in preparing his
article, consulted all available printed records and manuscripts,
personally interviewed some of the survivors, and also talked
with Indians who were present at the ambuscade.
CHAPTER XIII.
MASSACRE EXPERIENCES.
Experiences of Mrs. Mary E. Schwandt Schmidt. Johann
Schwandt and his wife Christina with their five children, their
son-in-law John Walz, and a friend of the family, John Frass,
started in May, 1862, from Fairwater, Fond du Lac county, Wis-
consin, with their household goods, provisions, two yokes of
oxen, a few cows and some calves. After an overland journey,
which occupied more than a month, they settled on Middle creek
in what is now Flora township.
I was then a girl of fourteen and my brother August was ten
years of age. We walked the entire distance, driving the stock
and picking flowers by the wayside, and when we were tired we
would stop and rest and let the cattle eat. Our dear mother
would cook the meal and spread the cloth on the grass, and we
would all sit around and enjoy the meal more perhaps than the
king in his palace eating from golden plates and drinking from
crystal glasses. The land which my father settled on was in the
wilderness of the Minnesota river bottomlands and the grass was
tall and coarse, and the cattle did not like it, but there was no
other. My father chose this place because there was timber there,
150 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
and the first thing the men did was to hew down some trees and
peel the bark off of them. They then built a log cabin of two
rooms, and, as at first we had no doors, they put blankets at the
openings, and covered the roof with grass and bark. After a
few weeks, when father went to New Ulm to do some trading, he
bought some doors and windows and also shingles. I accompanied
him to do some shopping for my mother and sister. It took us
four days to go and come back, it being about forty miles from
where we lived and traveling with oxen was very slow. After
we had some doors and windows in our cabin we lived quite
comfortably. The men started to break up the land and cut
some hay on father's place, and as both Mr. Walz and Mr. Frass
had taken a claim up on the prairie they all went up there to
break the land, and all were happy and contented, but it was not
to be for long.
By this time the Indians had started to become troublesome.
They would come in parties of six to eight and beg for something
to eat, for they were always hungry. Our family was a large one
and mother could not give them very much, but I remember she
always gave them bread. However, it was meat they wanted,
and that we did not have very much of ourselves. There was
another great pest that bothered us greatly. Our cabin was built
about forty feet from the timber that I spoke of, and in this tim-
ber there were thousands and thousands of wild pigeons, keeping
up a constant cooing from the break of dawn until nightfall. I
do not know what has become of them, for they seem to be all
gone. I think they left when the country became more settled.
My parents had been on their farm about two months when
that most terrible day, the eighteenth of August, came. Out of
eight persons there was only one left to tell the story. At noon
when the family were just about to eat the noon meal, a party
of Sioux Indians came and soon all was over. August, ten years
old, was struck on the head with a tomahawk and was left as
dead. In the night he revived and crawled into the tall grass
and reached the fort. He still has the scar on his head. He now
lives in British Columbia, at Vancouver.
About three weeks before the outbreak Legrand Davis came
to our house and wanted to know if I would go over the river
to Joseph B. Reynolds, who kept a stopping place. He wanted
a little girl to run errands, dust and so forth, and as they were
going to start a school for the Indians I could go to this school
at the same time. I needed more schooling and thought this a
good chance to acquire it. Mother did not like me to go, but
Mr. Davis promised to bring me back in two or three weeks, so
she reluctantly gave her consent. Little did I think that it was
the last time I would see her dear face on this earth. The Rey-
nolds's treated me very kindly, more like their own child than a
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 151
servant, and I liked to live there. After I had lost my parents they
wished to adopt me, but I went to live with an uncle in Wisconsin
who also took my brother August. The eighteenth of August
came on a Monday. We had just had our breakfast at the Rey-
nolds's and Mary Anderson was just putting on the wash boiler
preparing to do the week's washing. Suddenly John Mooer, a
half-breed, came running in and said we should all get away as
fast as we could, for the Indians had broken out and were killing
all the settlers as fast as they could. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds got
into a buggy and drove off, and Mattie Williams, Mary Anderson
and myself got into a lumber wagon with three men that had
stopped over night at the house. The team belonged to Francis
Patoile, a Frenchman, who hauled goods for the government
from one agency to another. The wagon was filled with things
they wanted to save, so we started, Mr. Patoile driving the team.
We drove from seven in the morning until four in the afternoon,
and were about eight miles west of New Ulm when we met a
party of Indians. We all jumped from the wagon and ran, but
we did not run very far before they were upon us, dragging us
back. By that time they had killed all the men and some were
scalping them. Mary Anderson was shot through the abdomen
and died on the fourth day after the shooting. My clothes were
riddled by the bullets, but none harmed me. A skirt which I
wore has seven holes shot through it and is now in the possession
of the D. A. R. at their museum at the Sibley house, Mendota.
This skirt was made of heavy muslin and was part of the cover
of our wagon when we settled in Renville county.
When we came back to the wagon the Indians had already
broken open all the trunks and were dividing the contents. They
had with them about twelve other wagons and a great number of
horses. The wagons were loaded with plunder of all kinds which
they had stolen from the settlers. They ordered us into the
wagons and started back to the agency. It was about ten o'clock
by the time that we reached Wacouta's home. It was very dark
and there was a tallow candle burning. The house was swarming
with Indians. Wacouta chased them out and told us to hide up
in the loft and he would bring us water and food in the morning,
and we were up there three days and two nights. The wounded
girl cried for water, for she had a raging fever. During the
second night Mattie Williams and I crawled down and went to
a corn field, getting some green corn with which we tried to
quench her thirst. On the third night we were told to come
down, and were taken to Little Crow's village. Mary Anderson
died during the night. Mattie Williams' captor took her to his
tepee, where he lived with his squaw, and as my captor had no
tepee he said he would kill me to be rid of me. When Snana, one
of the Indian squaws heard this, she came and looked me over
152 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
carefully and went away, returning in a short time leading an
Indian pony, which she gave my captor, and then took me by
the hand and brought me to her tepee. I was adopted into the
tribe and had to call her mamma, and she dressed me in Indian
clothing and made pretty moccasins for me. She wrapped me
in a snow-white blanket, which was, of course, stolen, but it did
not stay white very long. Snana was married to Good Thunder
and had two papooses. I had to take care of the baby papoose.
I always tried to do all she told me and to please her in all things.
There was a bond of sympathy between us because she had just
lost her oldest daughter.
After seven weeks of captivity I was released at Camp
Release by General Sibley and his army, with the rest of the
white prisoners, and as that occasion has been written up so many
times I will not mention it here. Mattie "Williams was a niece of
Mr. Reynolds and was visiting from Ohio. She was highly edu-
cated and had a beautiful character. Mary Anderson was a
pretty Swedish girl and was to have been married soon to a
young man from Shakopee. I was only a plain little German
girl who did not know much at all at that time. My Indian
mother parted from me at Camp Release and we did not meet
again for thirty-two years, but have met many times later, and
I received many nice letters from her. She loved me very much,
and I have always felt a gratitude towards her which I could not
express in words, for she saved me from a terrible fate when she
bought me from my captor with her only pony. — By Mrs. Mary
Emilia Schwandt Schmidt, in the History of Renville county,
1916.
Experiences of George H. Spencer, Jr. "When I reached the
foot of the stairs, I turned and beheld the store filling with In-
dians. One had followed me nearly to the stairs, when he took
deliberate aim at my body, but, providentially, both barrels of
his gun missed fire, and I succeeded in getting above without
further injury. Not expecting to live a great while, I threw
myself upon a bed, and, while lying there, could hear them open-
ing cases of goods, and carrying them out, and threatening to
burn the building. I did not relish the idea of being burned to
death very well, so I arose very quietly, and taking a bed-cord,
I made fast one end to the bed-post, and carried the other to a
window, which I raised. I intended, in case they fired the build-
ing, to let myself down from the window, and take the chances
of being shot again, rather than to remain where I was and burn.
The man who went up-stairs with me, seeing a good opportunity
to escape, rushed down through the crowd and ran for life; he
was fired upon, and two charges of buckshot struck him, but he
succeeded in making his escape. I had been up-stairs probably
an hour, when I heard the voice of an Indian inquiring for me.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 153
I recognized his voice, and felt that I was safe. Upon being told
that I was up-stairs, he rushed up, followed by ten or a dozen
others, and approaching my bed, asked if I was mortally
wounded. I told him that I did not know, but that I was badly
hurt. Some of the others came up and took me by the hand,
and appeared to be sorry that I had been hurt. They then asked
me where the guns were. I pointed to them, when my comrade
assisted me in getting down stairs.
"The name of this Indian is Wakinyatawa, or in English,
'His Thunder.' He was, up to the time of the outbreak, the head
soldier of Little Crow, and, some four or five years ago, went to
Washington with that chief to see their Great Father. He is a
fine-looking Indian, and has always been noted for his bravery
in fighting the Chippewas. When we reached the foot of the
stairs, some of the Indians cried out, 'Kill him!' 'Spare no
Americans!' 'Show mercy to none!' My friend, who was un-
armed, seized a hatchet that was lying near by, and declared
that he would cut down the first one that should attempt to do
me any further harm. Said he, 'If you had killed him before I
saw him, it would have been all right ; but we have been friends
and comrades for ten years, and now that I have seen him, I will
protect him or die with him.' They then made way for us, and
we passed out; he procured a wagon, and gave me over to a
couple of squaws to take me to his lodge. On the way we were
stopped two or three times by armed Indians on horseback, who
inquired of the squaws 'What that meant?' Upon being answered
that 'This is Wakinyatawa 's friend, and he has saved his life,'
they suffered us to pass on. His lodge was about four miles above
the Agency, at Little Crow's village. My friend soon came home
and washed me, and dressed my wounds with roots. Some few
white men succeeded in making their escape to the fort." — From
Bryant's History.
Experiences of John Ames Humphrey. John Ames Humphrey,
a boy of twelve years at the time of the massacre, was the son of
Dr. Philander P. Humphrey, the physician at the Lower Agency.
His experiences during the massacre are told in an interesting
manner, as follows:
"After a bright, restful Sabbath, the fateful Monday, August
18, 1862, arrived. My mother was ill in bed, but had nearly re-
covered. I slept with my dear little brother in an upper room.
In the small hours of that morning I could not sleep soundly;
like a nightmare, apprehension of impending disaster settled
down. Shake it off I could not, until in desperation I dressed and
went down stairs. Talking about premonition, I quite under-
stand what the word means. Apparently nobody else in the
house was awake. I took the water pails, and, quietly leaving
the house, went a short distance to a spring, with the intention
154 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
of making journeys enough back and forth to fill the tubs for
the weekly washing. The weight of my foreboding was so heavy
upon me that I walked slowly and lingered when I got to the
spring, expecting every instant to see or hear something horrible.
Leaving the spring and reaching the top of the hill, I saw Indians
in parties of three or four hurrying into our small village from
the direction of the encampment of Little Crow and other chiefs.
These took up convenient points for observation at first. Soon
I saw a teamster approach a wagon, with his pair of horses.
Then one party of Indians ran to him and demanded them. He
refused the request, when one of them emptied the contents of
his gun into his abdomen. His suffering was so dreadful to wit-
ness that another Indian soon quieted him with the butt end of
a gun. This was the beginning of the outbreak at the Lower
Sioux Agency.
"I immediately ran, as fast as my bare feet would carry me,
to our house. By this time father had dressed and was in the
surgery, and I said to him, 'Father, something awful is going to
happen.' He replied, 'Nonsense,' and kept on with his work.
I then begged him to step outside the house and look for him-
self. He would not move. I then told him what I had seen ; not
before would he move and show any interest. After a good look
outside, without saying a word, he walked into the house hurried-
ly and assisted mother to get up and dress. I meantime looked
after the children, and then we all walked out by the back door,
leaving everything behind. We started toward the ferry, with
intention of crossing and making our way to Fort Ridgely. But
father had been too slow. Those precious minutes through his
blind sense of security cost the lives of himself, wife, and two of
their three children.
"When we reached the ferry, it was to find the ferry man
gone and the then typical western flat-bottomed boat, which was
propelled across the stream by means of a rope and pulleys, on
the opposite bank. All the small canoes and row-boats were
there as well. Hopelessness was depicted in father's face, for he
could not swim ; and he had threatened me with punishment such
as I had never experienced (which was saying a great deal), if
he ever found that I had 'been in swimming.' Occasionally when
my guilty eyes had noticed a searching glance of his shot at me,
I had felt that I wilted; but congratulate me, my hair was dry
and punishment was postponed. I had learned to swim. There
had been nobody to 'give me away,' for I always sneaked off
alone, and I did nearly drown once, but the fascination was upon
me and I persisted. I now boldly plunged into the river, swam
to the other side, secured a small boat and rowed back to them,
and we all crossed in silence. Looking back, I somehow feel
that, after this exhibition of my skill, all should have been
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 155
allowed to escape. Had we been only those few minutes earlier,
all our lives would have been saved, for a number of our neigh-
bors who were ahead of us at the ferry escaped to Fort Ridgely
by wagon conveyance.
"We were too late, and, therefore, now plodded on foot along
the main road toward the fort. The sun's rays soon beat down
upon us with such power that they began to affect my mother,
while the small children were unable to walk rapidly. When we
had covered probably two and a half miles, we stopped, while
for by that time mother had become actually faint. We had no
breakfast, not even a cup of tea, before starting. We then dis-
covered a path and at the end of it, only a few yards distant, a
cabin, which we reached to find it vacant, as its occupants had
fled. Until then we had neither seen nor heard Indians, and
prospects for escaping seemed to brighten. My father took down
a pail and directed me to follow a foot-path till I should find the
spring and to return with water. I secured water, down in a
ravine which proved to be well wooded, as was also the pathway
leading to the spring. Returning a little more than half the dis-
tance, I heard the crack of a rifle, and listening, presently heard
the sound of voices, both from the direction of the cabin. I knew
we had been overtaken and debated whether or not I should com-
plete the return and try to help. Quickly I decided that my
presence would be useless. Then I deposited the full pail a few
yards from the path, ran back to the spring and from it ran
along the ravine. There I was hidden from sight, and could
make plans in comparative safety. I must have been alone an
hour or two, when I decided that the Indians would not have
waited longer in the expectation that I would return to the
family. Then I decided to carefully seek the open road toward
Fort Ridgely and below the cabin. In doing so I met the owner
of the cabin, Magner by name, who, accompanied by another
man, was sheltering as I had been. I joined them, before long we
ventured to the main road.
"Looking down the road, we discovered men coming toward
us, who proved to be Captain Marsh with about fifty soldiers,
hastening to the Agency to quell the disturbance there, which
had been reported early in the forenoon by the first refugees
who had fled to the fort. Magner and his companion imparted
to Captain Marsh what information they had and we all joined
the expedition.
"This to me was a return journey, but I knew it was the
safest way to get a look at that cabin and learn the fate of our
family. To go there was the matter of only a few minutes. The
little force halted when the footpath was reached, and, with
Magner and a few soldiers detailed for the purpose, I approached
the spot where the building had been. The murderers had set
156 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
fire to it, and the smouldering ruins which had fallen into the
cellar, contained the mortal remains of my mother and brother
and sister. That was the first suggestion, as we all stood there,
and subsequent investigation (made a few days later) proved
that it was correct. My father's body lay a few feet away. A
bullet had pierced the center of his forehead, and the fiends had
cut his throat. His axe, a poor weapon for such conditions, but
the only one he possessed, lay near him, showing that he went
outside the cabin and met them like a brave man. How long I
stood there, 1 do not know ; the shock was so great that I became
momentarily insensible to material surroundings and saw only
in spirit the scene of death — truly I was alone with my dead.
"When I came to my normal self, every living person had
vanished, and I ran fast up the road to overtake the soldiers.
This had been their first introduction into the land of desolation,
which was extending rapidly. Soon the road descended along
the valley bluff which follows the north side of the Minnesota
river. The sight of dead men, women, and children, now became
frequent all the way to the ferry which we had crossed a few
hours before. The effect was depressing, and the few words
spoken were in undertone. Those poor souls fleeing for their
lives had been shot down from the cover of underbrush and tall
coarse grass which grow rankly in these western river valleys.
"The ferry boat had been left temptingly on the north side
of the river, and Indians were in plain sight on the opposite side,
on the bluff which rises abruptly to the Agency. A parley took
place, through Interpreter Quinn, between Captain Marsh and
the Indian leader. . It is now apparent that the object of the
Indian was to induce Captain Marsh to send his force across, and
when the boat was in mid-stream, to pick his men off from both
banks. Probably not a man would have escaped, and, had the
Indians who were hidden in the tall grass on the side where we
were, not been too impulsive I believe that their plan Avould have
succeeded. There was not a suspicion that we were surrounded
by them until they rose suddenly and poured their fire across
into us. More than half of our men fell, and it seems a miracle
that a single man escaped. But the grass that had hidden them
hid us, and those who lived were led by Providence out of the
ambuscade to a point not far down the river. Captain Marsh
was unhurt and escaped with a small party of survivors. During
the firing I had sat in an army wagon on top of a barrel of pro-
visions. When I saw the immediate effect of the fire from the
Indians and realized the position, I joined the survivors and
made it a point to keep about in the middle of them so that I
should not fail to keep up. Several soldiers did become separated
from us in the confusion and excitement.
"Captain Marsh insisted upon crossing the river at the point
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 157
just mentioned, in opposition to the judgment of his men. He
was in command, however, and would have had his way had he
not entered the water first, considerably in advance of his men,
and drowned in mid-stream in sight of all. He could not swim,
and help did not reach him.
"How it came about I do uot know, but the party I was
with had now dwindled to perhaps ten or twelve men. We kept
on down the river, still on the north side, and about dark, filed
up onto the bluff into the Fort Ridgely road. I think Magner
was with us. The poor fellows were tired, and having, as it
seemed to them, escaped from the jaws of certain death, became
a bit demoralized and relaxed their vigilance. Two of them
dropped their muskets and were going on without them ; I picked
them up, and was trudging along having a strong feeling within
me that they might be wanted, when they took them from me
without saying a word. We reached the fort about midnight,
and then ended a long and eventful day.
"I stayed during the siege, but will not give my experience
of it, as many others have written faithful and graphic accounts.
Final relief came when General Sibley arrived with men and a
long line of wagons loaded with provisions for the besieged." —
From the Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society.
Hinman's Flight. Among the refugees who arrived in the
afternoon from the Agency was Rev. J. D. Hinman, an Episcopal
missionary, stationed at Redwood. Having arisen early to start
on a journey to Faribault, he was out in the tranquil morning
that gave no suspicion that the curtain was about to rise on one
of the most appalling massacres, at his own door, ever known to
American history. He was ready for his departure between six
and seven o'clock, when unusual signs for the hour among the
Indians attracted his attention. The Indians were almost naked,
and carried their guns. Their numbers increased, and people
began to wonder at their unusual appearance, which some inter-
preted to mean that a raid was to be made on some Chippewa
band known to have invaded the neighborhood. The Indians
squatted nonchalantly on the steps of the various buildings, their
demeanor betraying no sign of hostility.
Now a signal gun broke the silence in the upper part of
town. Even this was doubted to be a sign of hostility, until other
shooting up the street and the hasty fleeing of people towards the
bluff overlooking the river, began to be alarming. White Dog
ran past Mr. Hinman at this juncture, and to an inquiring word,
replied that "awful work had been started." He was no doubt
himself taken by surprise, though later in the day his cunning
and his treachery played an important part in the betrayal of
Marsh. Little Crow also passed Mr. Hinman about this time, but
with a scowl, declined to answer an inquiry of the missionary,
158 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
though they knew each other well, and the chief, now sullen, had
always been polite and friendly. The firing had now become a
fusillade, and people were being shot down on every hand. The
traders were the first objects of hatred to fall, riddled with
bullets. As the bloody work progressed, the savages grew wild
and furious, their hideous yells, the crash of their guns, work of
the torch, the shrieks of their helpless victims, begging vainly
for mercy, creating a scene horrifying in the extreme. Rev. Hin-
man fled before the spreading tide of death had reached him,
and gaining the river, fortunately found a skiff with which he
hastily crossed, making good his escape to the fort.
Experiences of Miss West. Miss Emily J. West, a teacher at
the Episcopal Mission at the Lower Agency, gives, in a letter,
these experiences of that fatal August 18, 1862: "Soon after
breakfast I heard firing of guns, but thought nothing of it till
Mr. Hinman came in and told me to run. The Indians were then
very near our house, taking horses from the Department stable;
they were all armed, and ready for battle.
"I ran with Mr. Hinman towards the ferry, but in the con-
fusion was separated from him. I passed three or four Indians,
who took no notice of me, but shot a man quite near who was
trying to save his horse. I crossed the ferry with only one
woman, a neighbor of ours, and two children, one nine and the
other eleven. Then, to avoid the river, along which the road to
Fort Ridgely ran, we struck off, two or three miles, in the prairie.
After walking some distance we came near a log house, and were
going to it for safety, when we saw four Indians approaching us
from different directions. When they came to us, they recognized
me, called me a missionary, said I was good. I offered them my
hand; they shook hands with me, told me they were going to
that house; that we must not go there, but to the fort; pointed
the way, and left us. We afterward heard of their killing
inmates of that house.
' ' These were not Christian or civilized Indians, but they knew
me, and thus showed their respect for the occupation in which
I was engaged.
"After leaving them, we walked steadily on without any
further alarm, but, of course, looking for it all the time, with
very little hope of reaching the fort, which, however, we did,
about five in the afternoon, under the protection and guidance of
our Heavenly Father. You can imagine with what grateful
hearts we saw the fort after our weary walk of twenty miles;
for we had made it such by the course we took, and our blistered
feet could not have carried us much further.
"We remained at the fort ten days, exposed to the attacks
of the Indians. There were two severe engagements, when all the
women and children, about three hundred, were obliged to lie
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 159
flat on the floor of a stone building to avoid the bullets of the
Indians. On the 28th, a large body of troops arrived, and gave
us an escort to St. Peter, where we found our bishop tending the
wounded in the hospital. He gave us his horse and carriage
to bring us to Faribault.
"I cannot close without contradicting the reports that have
gone abroad respecting the Christian Indians. I did not in a
single instance hear of one of them committing any act of
violence. Many of them were stripped of their white man's
dress, clothed with a blanket, and compelled to aid in breaking
in the warehouse to save their lives. It must be remembered
they are very few in comparison with the wild ones." — From
Tanner's "History of the Diocese of Minnesota."
Fenske's Escape. A remarkable but difficult and painful
escape was that of John Fenske. At the moment when Wagner
and Lamb fell dead near the barn, an arrow pierced Fenske's
back. Unable to run far, he hid in a hay-loft. He extracted
the arrow himself, but the point which was about three inches
long, remained in the wound, causing fearful pain. When he
noticed from his hiding place that no white man was alive on
the Agency, and that the devouring flames were approaching
nearer and nearer to him, he came down from the loft, and,
wrapping himself in a blanket, crept away. It was about 4
p. m. The Indians were too busy with plundering to notice
him. Covered with the blanket, and the way in which he
was compelled to walk on account of his excessive pain, gave
him the appearance of a squaw. A burning house between him
and the plundering Indians was another circumstance in his
favor. But he was obliged to fly towards the prairie, where he
met some Indians driving cattle, and they requested him to help
them. These took him for a squaw. He reached the Big
Wabash, a creek, a gathering place for the Indians. Following the
bank of that river he expected to cross the Minnesota below the
Agency and escaped to Fort Ridgely, to which place all the
fugitives directed their steps. Fenske was, however, held up
by an Indian on horseback, who shot at him three times, but
without effect. The superstitious Indian believed him to be a
magician, and, stricken with fear, he hurried away as fast as
his pony could carry him. Fenske reached Fort Ridgely only
on the fourth day on account of his excessive pain, and the point
of the arrow was removed. He recovered and was afterwards
city marshal of New Ulm. On his way to the fort he entered a
house, hoping to find some white people and get some nourish-
ment, but all had fled, leaving a kettle with meat on the hearth.
When he left that place again he looked around in hopes of see-
ing some one, and he noticed several Indians busily engaged in
plundering a house near by. He also noticed that Indians had
160 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
killed a heifer close to where he stood. It did not take him long
to decide upon going further. — From "The Indians' Revenge."
Mrs. De Camp's Experiences. Many incidents of a tragic,
comic, or thrilling character occurred during this long and
wearisome siege. When the writer entered the fort, on the
nineteenth, with the Renville Rangers, one of the first persons
he met was J. W. De Camp, of the Lower Agency. Mr. De
Camp was absent from home at the time of the outbreak, and
his wife and children were captured by the fiends, but it was not
known at that time what had been their fate. He was a man
of fine feelings and generous and noble impulses. He fortunately
had with him his Sharp's rifle. The friends of the writer were
also in the Indian country, and, as we both supposed, were
either massacred or captives. As we grasped hands, poor De
Camp remarked, with choked utterance, "Well, the red devils
have got our families." It was replied, "We will make them
pay the forfeit with their lives." "Yes," he replied, with
nervous energy; and, turning away with a groan, as of more
than mortal pain, remarked, between his clenched teeth, while
the tears of anguish rolled down his cheeks, "but, curse them,
they have not lives enough in the whole Sioux nation to pay it. ' '
During the siege that ensued that rifle was made to do
terrible execution, and woe to the redskin that came within its
deadly range. Courageous even to recklessness, wherever the
battle raged the fiercest, his form was to be seen, and the crack
of his unerring rifle was to be heard.
De Camp passed through the battles of Fort Ridgely un-
harmed, and went with the burial party to the Lower Agency,
hoping to learn, if possible, something of the fate of his family;
if they were among the dead, to give sepulture to their remains,
and end the horrible suspense haunting him as to their fate.
They were not among the murdered, and he went, with the rest
of the party, into camp at Birch Coolie that night, and, in the
desperate battle which ensued, was mortally wounded and taken
to Fort Ridgely, where he died. In the meantime, his wife and
children had been taken by the Indians toward the Chippewa
river. A favorable opportunity occurring, a friendly Sioux,
whose English name is Lorenzo Lawrence, a man of some educa-
tion, who speaks the English language well, secretly obtained a
boat and some provisions, and, taking Mrs. De Camp and her
two children and his own family, descended the Minnesota river
to Fort Ridgley in safety. Mrs. De Camp reached the fort, not
to meet the living husband she had hoped to see, but only to
look with tearful eyes upon the heap of earth that hid him from
her sight forever. — From Bryant's History.
Escape of the Reynolds Family. Joseph B. Reynolds resided,
at the time of the Sioux massacre, at the Redwood river, on the
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 161
Lower reservation, ten miles above the Lower Agency. He and
his wife were located there, in charge of the Government school,
near Shakopee's village, which had been established at this
point for the benefit of that band. His house was ten miles from
any white inhabitant upon that side of the Minnesota. John
Moore, a half-bred trader, resided one mile from him, at or near
the Indian village. Mrs. Valencia J. Reynolds, wife of Mr. J.
B. Reynolds, says:
"On the morning of August 18, I had arisen, and was busily
engaged preparing breakfast, when Francis Patoile, of Yellow
Medicine, came and called for breakfast for himself and another
man with him. It was soon ready, and, while Mr. Patoile and
the other persons then at the house were eating, Antoine La
Blaugh, who was living with John Moore, came to the house and
called for Mr. Reynolds. He said Mr. Moore had sent him to
tell us that the Indians had broken out, and had gone down to
the Agency, and over to Beaver Creek, to massacre the whites.
"We went back into the house and asked Mr. Patoile if he
would take us to New Ulm. He replied that he would not go
away without us, as we had but one horse and buggy. When I
went into the kitchen, I found nine squaws and one Indian in
the room.
"Mr. Reynolds had, in the meantime, sent La Blaugh back
after Mr. Moore, who came. Our horse was at the door when he
arrived, and we were putting some things in the buggy. He
told us to hasten our flight with all possible speed, and directed
us what course to take. The three girls, Mattie Williams, Mary
Anderson, and Mary Schwandt, got into the wagon with Francis
Patoile and his companion and Legrand Davis, making six per-
sons in that wagon. There was also an ox team, driven by a
boy who was working for us.
"Into this wagon we put a feather bed, tied up in a quilt,
and a trunk belonging to Mattie Williams. This boy was killed
near Little Crow's village. Mr. Reynolds and myself took the
buggy. When I went out the squaws were clearing every thing
on the table, dishes as well as food, and tumbling all into sacks,
which they carried for taking away their plunder. One of them
asked me if she might have the flour. I replied, 'Yes.' Another
said to me, 'Your face is so white you had better put some water
on it,' thinking me frightened, perhaps. We got into the buggy
and drove toward the Agency. Before we reached the Redwood
river, which was but a short distance from the house, we passed
the boy with the ox team, and that was the last we ever saw of
either wagon. At the river there was a half-breed, named Louis,
standing on the opposite bank. Mr. Reynolds asked him what
was the trouble. He replied that an Indian had just come from
the Lower Agency, who said they were killing all the whites
162 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
there. We drove on to the top of the hill, on the east side of the
Redwood. Here we saw Shakopee and two other Indians. We
stopped, and called Shakopee to us, and asked him what the
trouble was. He said he did not know, and kept motioning to
us with his hand to go out upon the prairie; but we kept the
main road until we came in sight of the Agency buildings. We
had seen only one old squaw while going over the road thus far,
but now we saw the Indians running toward the Agency, and we
turned to the right, and drove out on the prairie and went
around behind an elevation which ran parallel with the Minne-
sota river, and hid us from the observation of those at the
Agency. When opposite the buildings, we crawled up to the
crest of the ridge on our hands and knees, looked over, and saw
an Indian near us, driving in cattle. The doors of the stores
were open, and Indians were all about.
"We returned to the buggy and hastened on toward New
Ulm. After going on some distance in that direction, we saw
Indians in the road going up toward the Agency. We met two
squaws, who talked to us in the Sioux language, and urged us
to turn back, and asked us where we were going. Mr. Reynolds
told them we were going to hunt ducks, as we believed them to
be spies. We pressed on, and soon met an Indian, who wished
Mr. Reynolds to write him a paper, certifying that he was a
good Indian, as he wished to go to Faribault, because the bad
Indians were killing the white people at the Agency. 'That,'
said he, pointing to a horse at some distance off, 'is mine, and
those are my wife and papooses.' He seemed frightened, and
had no caps on his gun. He was a man somewhat advanced in
age, though not an old man.
"We soon overtook John Nairn, Government carpenter at
the Lower Agency, and his family. Escaping with them were
another man and a girl, Miss Frorip. We took two of Mr.
Nairn's children into our buggy, and drove on.
' ' We were now near the fort, on the opposite side of the river,
and in plain sight, and thought we would go to it, and turned
out of the road to do so but a body of water intervening, we
turned again toward New Ulm. We met Indians twice, with
ox teams, who turned out, giving us one-half the road, as is
usual. The last one we met Mr. Reynolds hallooed to, but he
would not answer a word. We met two squaws also, who were
going toward the Agency, and one of them ran off from the
road toward an Indian house. When we had got in sight of
the buildings of the settlers, below the reservation, which were
about a mile from us. we saw some sixty Indians, on the left of
us, nearly half a mile away, on foot, and between us and them
were two yoke of cattle attached to a wagon. There was, also,
an Indian on our left, on horseback, and another, also on horse-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 163
back, ahead of us, on our right, who had passed into a ravine.
Between these two was a naked savage, on foot, about eight rods
from us.
"Mr. Reynolds hallooed to him, supposing he was friendly,
until he saw him change his gun from the left hand to the right,
and look at the caps. The gun was a double-barreled one. Mr.
Reynolds then turned his horse around, and the Indian raised
his gun to his face and snapped both caps, but they failed to
ignite the powder. I turned my head and saw an Indian coming
after us on a white horse. He shouted to us to 'Puckachee,
puckachee, puckachee.' Mr. Reynolds asked him which way.
He pointed toward the Agency, and then rode between us and
the savage who had attempted to kill us, with his gun leveled
at him all the while, who tried again to get a chance to shoot
us, but was foiled by our protector. Then the other two on
horseback came up, and all started after us, when we moved
off as fast as we could toward the Agency. This chase was kept
up for about half a mile, when our friend on the white horse
rode in before the other three, and between them and the buggy,
and quite a parley took place between them, when they all fell
in the rear.
"We had gone, after this, about two miles, when we came
into the midst of about twenty squaws and boys and one old
man, going toward New Ulm. The squaws turned out of the
road, but the old man kept close to the track. Mr. Reynolds
reined in the horse as we approached them and asked the man
if he wished to kill him. He replied, in good English, 'No, no!
Go, go,' and walked on without even stopping. The next rise
of ground we reached we looked back, and saw one solitary In-
dian, on horseback, in pursuit of us. Soon after this we turned
off from the road to the right, having decided to attempt to go
to Fort Ridgely. After going about one mile we struck the fort
road leading from New Ulm. We had gone some distance on
this road when the horse gave out and we could not urge him
off a slow walk. Mr. Reynolds and myself got out, leaving the
children in the buggy. The grass was very tall, reaching above
my head. It was a prairie, but flat and low. After passing
through the tall grass we looked back to see if they were follow-
ing us. We saw two Indians standing some distance off, like
sentinels guarding the road, their gun-barrels glistening in the
"When we reached the bluffs back from the Minnesota river
bottom, the children also got out and we all walked a mile and a
half further to the river opposite the fort. Mr. Reynolds then un-
harnessed the horse, and attempted to swim the river on his
back, but both went out of sight together, under the water.
Mr. Reynolds then slipped off the horse and swam along by his
164 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
side and they both reached the opposite shore. He then went
up to the fort to get assistance to bring us across the river. As
soon as he was gone I hid myself and the children in the wil-
lows, near the river bank. I had moccasins on my feet, sending
the children ahead, I followed them, covering their tracks with
my own, turning my toes in as much like a squaw as possible.
"We remained concealed until Mr. Reynolds and the men came
down from the fort. They called to us that they could not see
us and wished us to come out in sight. We did so, and they
came over to us with a boat.
"While we were concealed I had heard the bushes crack
near us, and supposed Indians were searching for us; and when
we went to get in the boat we saw fresh moccasin tracks all
along the water's edge, clear up to where we went into the
willows. Mr. Randall, the post sutler, had sent his carriage
down to the river for us and we crossed over safely, got into
the carriage and rode up the hill to the garrison. I was bare-
headed, with an Indian blanket on, and my dress had been badly
torn in my journey to the river, but I felt thankful to escape
even with life. At the fort I went into the hospital and assisted
Mrs. Midler, the wife of the surgeon, in the care of the sick and
wounded for one day, and, after that, assisted in making cart-
ridges during the siege. In this way I was very busy until after
the last battle at the fort.
"The day after reinforcements reached us we left Fort
Ridgley and came below, utterly destitute, the savages having
destroyed or appropriated all the property we had in the world,
even to our personal clothing, and, as we afterward learned,
burned our house, with all its contents." (From Bryant's History.)
Note. In Vol. 6, of the Collections of the Minnesota His-
torical Society, will be found, at considerable length, the ex-
periences of Mrs. Mary Schwandt-Schmidt, pp. 461-474; of Mrs.
J. E. De Camp-Sweet, pp. 354-380; and of Mrs. Mary McClure,
pp. 439-460.
CHAPTER XIV.
MONUMENTS AND MARKERS.
Camp Pope was the point on the south side of the Minnesota
river, in Redwood county, above the Redwood river, selected by
General Sibley for the rendezvous and starting place of his
military expedition against the Indians in the spring of 1863.
After the defeat of the Sioux at Wood lake (Sept. 23, 1862),
those of them who still remained hostile fled into Dakota under
the leadership of Little Crow. General Sibley had but twenty-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 165
six mounted men, and was, for this and other reasons, unable to
pursue them. One band, numbering about 150 persons and com-
posed chiefly of those who did not want to fight but were afraid
to surrender, separated from the main body and was followed
and captured at the Wild Goose Nest lake, in what is now South
Dakota, by an expedition under Col. Wm. R. Marshall.
Nearly all of the Indians who went with Little Crow passed
the winter of 1862-3 at and about Devil's lake, in North Dakota.
In the early spring of 1863 it was determined by General
John Pope, then in command of the Northwest Department, that
a second campaign should be undertaken against the Sioux. At
a conference between Generals Pope, Sibley and Sully, at Mil-
waukee, it was decided that, as early in the summer of that year
as possible, General Sully should move from Sioux City, with a
force composed wholly of cavalry, and General Sibley should
march from some point on the Upper Minnesota, with a force of
three regiments of infantry, a regiment of cavalry, and two sec-
tions of light artillery, and that the objective point of both of
these commands would be Devil's lake, where it was supposed
the main body of Indians was concentrated and would be en-
countered.
The place of rendezvous for the forces composing the
column of General Sibley was selected by him at a favorable site
on the Minnesota above the Redwood — a mile west of north of
the present site of Redwood Palls — and the encampment named
Camp Pope. Its first occupation was in the latter part of April,
and its first commandant was Lieut. -Col. John T. Averill, of the
Sixth Minnesota Infantry. The force which finally assembled
and which composed General Sibley's column, consisted of the
Sixth Minnesota, Colonel Wm. Crooks; the Seventh Minnesota,
Lieut.-Col. W. R. Marshall; the Tenth Minnesota, Colonel James
H. Baker; the First Regiment of Minnesota Mounted Rangers,
Colonel Sam. McPhail, and the Third Minnesota Battery, Captain
John Jones. There was also a detachment of Indian and mixed
blood scouts under Major Joseph R. Brown.
Camp Pope was established April 19, 1863. It was first oc-
cupied by a detachment of the Sixth Minnesota, under Lieut.-
Col. Averill, which had brought up considerable stores of sup-
plies on the steamboat Favorite. At that day the Minnesota
river was often navigable for light draught steamers as high as
the mouth of the Redwood and sometimes beyond. The camp
was named in honor of Major-General John Pope, who was then
commander of the Military Department of the Northwest.
The work of organizing the Sibley expedition was greatly
and unreasonably delayed. It was not until June 16 when the
force, numbering about 3,000 men, all Minnesotans, moved from
Camp Pope up the Minnesota. But in the meantime the troops
166 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
had been drilling every day and otherwise preparing for future
duties, and so the time was not wholly misspent. The column
marched via Big Stone lake and encamped at Brown's Valley,
June 26. A month later occurred the notable engagements with
the Indians at Big Mound, Dead Buffalo lake, and Stone lake, in
what is now North Dakota.
General Pope's plan for subduing the Sioux was reasonably
magnificent in its character and intentions, but, like other mili-
tary schemes, came to nothing. General Sully's column of
cavalry was to proceed up the Missouri far enough to cut off the
retreat of the Indians to the westward, and then march eastward
and unite with the forces under Sibley and "crush the Indians"
at Devil's lake. The supplies for this column were to be taken
up the river on steamboats. General Sibley's supplies were to
accompany him in wagon trains across the country.
General Sibley carried out his part of the programme and
reached Devil's lake in due time, but, of course, finding no con-
siderable number of Indians. But the Missouri was too shallow
for navigation, the summer was dry, the grass of the prairies
withered, and the horses of Sully's command suffered severely
and many of them died. The boats grounded on sandbars and
could not proceed; the soldiers had no rations, and Sully's
column was forced to turn back without co-operating with Sib-
ley's. General Sibley made a toilsome and exhausting march,
but persisted until he succeeded in falling in with the Indians,
who were driven back, after successive engagements, until they
had been chased far across the Missouri. Then the Minnesotans,
having accomplished more than their share of the co-operative
movement, and secured their frontiers from further Indian raids,
returned to their quarters in their own State.
Camp Pope continued to be one of the posts on the patrol line
maintained to protect the settlers from marauding bands of
savages. It was probably due to Camp Pope that Redwood Falls
was established. In visiting the vicinity of Camp Pope as an
Indian fighter, Col. Sam. McPhail first conceived the building of
a city where the great drop of the Redwood river afforded such
excellent facilities for water power, and where the natural falls
made the power immediately available.
The Minnesota Valley Historical Society.
The Minnesota Valley Historical Society had permanently
marked many of the historic sites in Redwood and Renville coun-
ties, with monuments and tablets. The society was organized at
Morton, February 2, 1895, and incorporated under the State law,
March 15 of the same year. The first annual meeting was held
May 10 following. Hon. C. D. Gilfillan was its president, financial
backer and moving spirit, the society being merely a nominal
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 167
organization behind which he masked his patriotic purpose and
kindly generosity. His friend, Major Return I. Holcombe, the
distinguished historian, did the research work in connection with
the monuments and tablets, and superintended their erection.
He also edited a book, "Sketches, Historical and Descriptive, of
the Monuments and Tablets, Erected by the Minnesota Valley
Historical Society," which book is among one of Major Hol-
combe's most valuable contributions to the story of the massacre.
The sites marked in Redwood county are: Robert Forbes'
and Myrick's trading house; La Bathe's living room, where, after
the hostile Indians were driven from the State, more than a
hundred Indian prisoners were tried by the military commission;
the frame house in which lived Little Crow; the location of
Camp Pope ; and the grave of Hon. James W. Lynd. The monu-
ment marking the ground of the Redwood Ferry Ambuscade is
just across the river from Redwood county.
In the latter part of the year 1898, Charles D. Gilfillan con-
tracted with the P. N. Peterson Granite Company of St. Paul
for the construction and placing in position of the granite struc-
tures marking these spots, as well as marking a number of his-
toric spots in Renville county.
The character of the markers varies. But all are of granite,
all are suitably inscribed, and all are permanent. Some are sub-
stantial blocks, while some are imposing monuments.
Following are the inscriptions:
"Here Lie the Remains of Hon. J. W. Lynde, Killed by Sioux
Indians, Aug. 18, 1862."
"188 Feet North Stood Robert's Trading Post, Aug. 18,
1862."
"700 Feet North Lived Little Crow, Head War Chief of the
Sioux Indians, Aug. 18, 1862."
"Forty Feet North Stood Myrick's Trading Post, Aug. 18,
1862."
"400 Feet North Stood Forbe's Trading Post, Aug. 18,
1862."
"175 Feet North Stood the Building in Which Upwards of
100 Sioux Indians Were Tried by Court Martial, Convicted and
Sentenced to Death, Nov., 1862."
"Between This Point and the River on the North and East
Was Located Camp Pope, from Which General Sibley Marched
against the Hostile Sioux Indians, June 16, 1863."
It will be noted that the name of J. W. Lynd is misspelled
on the monument, and the apostrophe is misplaced on the Forbes
marker.
Authority and References. "Monuments and Tablets Erected
by the Minnesota Valley Historical Society," by Return I. Hol-
combe.
168 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
CHAPTER XV.
COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial governor of Minne-
sota, arrived at St. Paul with his family May 27, 1849. June 1,
1849, he issued a proclamation declaring the territory duly or-
ganized. June 11 a second proclamation was issued, dividing the
territory into three temporary judicial districts. The first com-
prised the county of St. Croix. The county of La Pointe and the
region north and west of the Mississippi and north of the Minne-
sota and of a line running due west from the headwaters of the
Minnesota to the Missouri river, constituted the second. The
country west of the Mississippi and south of the Minnesota
formed the third district. Judge Goodrich was assigned to the
first, Judge Meeker to the second, and Judge Cooper to the
third. A court was ordered to be held at Stillwater on the second
Monday, at the Falls of St. Anthony on the third, and at Men-
dota on the fourth Monday of August. Redwood county was
included in the third district, with Judge David Cooper on the
bench.
Until June 26 Governor Ramsey and family had been guests
of Hon. H. H. Sibley, at Mendota. On the afternoon of that day
they arrived at St. Paul in a birch-bark canoe and became per-
manent residents at the capital. On July 1 a land office was
established at Stillwater, and A. Van Vorhees, after a few weeks,
became the registrar.
On July 7 a proclamation was issued, dividing the territory
into seven council districts, and ordering an election to be held
on the first day of August, for one delegate to represent the peo-
ple in the House of Representatives of the United States, for
nine councillors and eighteen representatives, to constitute the
Legislative Assembly of Minnesota. Renville county was in-
cluded in the seventh district.
Original Counties. The first territorial legislature assembled
September 3, 1849, and adjourned November 1. By an act ap-
proved October 27, 1849, the territory was divided into nine
counties : Washington, Ramsey, Benton, Itasca, Wabashaw,
Dakotah, Wahnahta, Mahkahto and Pembina. Only the coun-
ties of Washington, Ramsey and Benton were fully organized for
all county purposes. The others were organized only for the
purpose of the appointment of justices of the peace, constables
and such other judicial and ministerial offices as might be
specially provided for. They were entitled to any number of
justices of the peace and constables, not exceeding six, to be
appointed by the governor, their term of office was to be two
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 169
years unless sooner removed by the governor, and they were
made conservators of the peace.
Wabashaw. Wabashaw county, as "erected" by the act of
October 27, 1849, comprised practically all of the southern part
of the present state of Minnesota. Its northern boundary was
the parallel running through a point on the Mississippi opposite
the mouth of the St. Croix, and a point a trifle north of the
mouth of the Yellow Medicine river ; the southern boundary was
the Iowa line ; its eastern, the Mississippi ; and its western the
Missouri; and it also included the big peninsula between the
Missouri and the Big Sioux rivers, and all of what is at present
southeastern South Dakota. This embraced the present Red-
wood county.
Itasca and "Wabashaw were attached to Washington county,
the three counties being constituted the Second judicial district,
with Hon. David Cooper on the bench.
Dakotah. Dakotah county was also "erected" by the act of
October 27, 1849. Its eastern boundary was the Mississippi, its
northern boundary was a line drawn due west from the mouth
of the Clearwater river, its southern boundary was a line drawn
due west from a point on the Mississippi opposite the mouth of
the St. Croix, while the western boundary was the Missouri
river. Dakotah county did not at that time include Redwood
county.
The legislature of 1851, by Chapter I of the Revised Statutes,
passed January 1, divided the territory into Benton, Dakota,
Itasca, Cass, Pembina, Ramsey, Washington, Chisago and Waba-
shaw counties and defines their borders.
Dakota (the final "h" having been dropped) county was
made to consist of all that part of the territory west of the
Mississippi river and lying west of a line drawn due south from
Medicine Bottle's village at the Pine Bend of the Mississippi
river (between the present cities of South St. Paul and Hastings)
and south of a line beginning at the mouth of the Crow river
(emptying into the Mississippi between Hennepin and Wright
counties), and up that river and the north branch thereof to its
source, and thence due west to the Missouri river. Under this
revision, Dakota county embraced all of the present Redwood
county. Dakota county was attached to Ramsey county for
judicial purposes.
Blue Earth. By an act passed March 5, 1853 (Hennepin
county having been established March 6. 1852), the legislature
organized the counties of Dakota, Goodhue, Wabasha, Fillmore,
Scott, Le Sueur, Rice, Blue Earth, Sibley, Nicollet and Pierce.
All the land south of the Minnesota not included in the other
counties was created as Blue Enrth county. The eastern line of
Blue Earth county was practically the line between Ranges 22
170 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
and 23, crossing what are now Freeborn and Waseca counties.
The northern boundary was the Minnesota river and an irregular
line coinciding somewhat loosely with the present southern
boundary of Le Sueur county. The southern and western bound-
aries were the southern and western boundaries of the territory.
Thus Blue Earth county then included what is now the western
part of Freeborn and Waseca counties and possibly small por-
tions of what is now Le Sueur county, as all of what are now
Redwood, Lac qui Parle, Yellow Medicine, Lincoln, Pipestone,
Rock, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Cottonwood, Jackson, Watowan,
Brown, Martin, Blue Earth and Faribault counties, as well as
land to the westward outside of the present state. Under this
act. Blue Earth was constituted a fully organized county.
Brown. February 20, 1855, the legislature passed an act de-
fining the boundaries of the following counties : Olmsted, Dodge,
Mower, Freeborn, Blue Earth, Faribault, Steele, Rice, Dakota,
Scott, Le Sueur, Nicollet, Sibley, Carver, Renville, Davis, Wright,
Stearns, Brown, Goodhue, Newton, Benton, Wabasha, Fillmore,
Hennepin, Pierce, St. Louis and Todd. Brown county, as con-
stituted by this act, had for its eastern boundary the line be-
tween Ranges 29 and 30, from the Minnesota river to the Iowa
boundary. Its northern boundary was the Minnesota river, its
southern and western boundaries the southern and western
boundaries of the territory. The western line of Blue Earth
county was located as at present. The western line of Fari-
bault county was six miles further west than at present. Brown
county as constituted by this act included the present Redwood
county. February 11, 1856, Brown county was declared a fully
organized county, with the county seat at New Ulm.
Renville. When Renville county was created February 20,
1855, it did not take in any of the present Redwood county. How-
ever, by an act approved March 8, 1860, an entirely new Ren-
ville county was proposed. The act read as follows:
"Section 1. That the upper and lower Sioux reservations as
denned by the government survey made by 'Sevan & Hutton,'
except so much thereof as lies east of Range thirty-four (34) and
south of the Minnesota river, be and the same are hereby at-
tached to and become a part of the county of Renville.
"Section 2. At the general election it shall be competent for
the legal voters in the said county of Renville to elect all V
county officers, justices of the peace and constables, as : .
county may be entitled to by law, which officers shall qua ^y
and enter upon the duties of their office at the time, and in lie
manner prescribed by law.
"Section 3. It shall be the duty of the first board of county
commissioners which shall be elected in pursuance of this act,
as soon after said board shall have been elected and qualified
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 171
I
according to law, as the said board or a majority thereof shall
determine, to locate the county seat of said county to all intents
and purposes until otherwise provided by law.
"Section 4. The county of Renville is hereby attached to
the county of Nicollet, for judicial purposes, until the county
officers of said county shall have been elected and qualified as
contemplated by this act.
"Section 5. That from and after the election and qualifica-
tion of the county officers of Renville county as aforesaid the
said county shall be included in the Sixth judicial district.
"Section 6. The change in the county lines of Renville county
as provided for in section one of this act shall be submitted to
the electors of the counties affected by said change at the next
general election for their approval or rejection.
"Section 7. This act shall take effect from and after its
adoption."
Shortly after this, Renville county was organized, the county
seat established at Beaver Falls, and a set of officers is believed
to have been elected. The organization was swept away by the
massacre.
The upper and lower reservations consisted of a strip of land
twenty miles in width, ten miles on each side of the Minnesota
river extending from the mouth of the Little Rock (Mud) creek
in the western part of Nicollet county to the south end of Lake
Traverse, thus taking in a small part of what is now South Da-
kota. Renville county as constituted by the act of 1860 took
in all this strip except that part of it which is now included in
Brown county. That part of Redwood county lying in what was
originally the reservation strip, was therefore by this act, tenta-
tively included in Renville county. The remainder continued for
the time being as a part of Brown county.
Redwood. Redwood county was established by act of the
legislature approved February 6, 1862. At that time Brown
county was established with the present boundaries of that
county with the exception of Townships 108 and 109, Ranges 34
and 35. Section 2 provided that all parts of the old Brown
county not included in the new Brown county should constitute
Redwood county.
By this act, Redwood county consisted, tentatively, of a large
tv' \ bounded on the east by the range line between Ranges 33
34, from the Township line between Townships 108 and 109.
OiMhe south it was bounded by the Township line between
Townships 108 and 109 from the Range line between Ranges 33
and 34 westward to the state line. On the west the boundary
was the state line running from the Township line between
Townships 108 and 109 north to Big Stone lake. The other
boundary was the Minnesota river. As created at that time,
172 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
consequently Redwood county contained all of the. present coun-
ties of Lac qui Parle, Yellow Medicine, Lincoln, Lyon and Red-
wood counties, and Township 109, Ranges 34 and 35 in what is
now Brown county.
Previous to the presidential election of 1864 the pioneers of
Redwood Palls petitioned Governor Miller for the establishment
of an election district, in pursuance of which the governor set
off the whole created county, then including the present county
with Lyon, Lincoln, Yellow Medicine and Lac qui Parle coun-
ties, and two townships in Brown county as such district. The
election of 1864 was held at the house of J. S. G. Honner inside
the stockade; the election board being 0. C. Martin, T. W. Cas-
ter and Ed. McCormick. In reference to the election, Col. Mc-
Phail says: "We cast 65 votes, all straight Republican; no intim-
idation, no bull-dozing." The 65 votes is somewhat prob-
lematical, as the roster does not show that number of perma-
nent settlers at that time.
It was under the authority of this act that the people of all
unorganized areas in the county continued to vote in Redwood
Falls for fifteen years or more after the county was in full opera-
tion.
Not only did the people of the county hold a presidential
election in the fall of 1864, but they likewise elected county
officers, an act which later had to be legalized, for, though the
county had previously been created, its creation had not been
confirmed, and no election of county officers had been ordered.
As approved by an act of the legislature (Chapter LXX),
March 4, 1864, the line between Sections 35 and- 36, from the
Township line between 107 and 108, northward to the Minne-
sota river, was constituted the west boundary of Brown county,
subject to the approval of the voters. This would have given
to Brown county, the townships now in Redwood county, lying
east of a line drawn north and south through Redwood Falls.
The proposition, however, never went into effect.
February 23, 1865, the legislature (Laws of 1865, Chapter
71), passed "An act to change and define the boundary lines of
Redwood county and adjoining counties, and to organize Red-
wood county." It established the boundary lines of Cotton-
wood and Brown counties as at present, subject to the approval
of the voters. The boundary lines of Redwood county were also
established, subject to the approval of the voters as follows:
"Beginning at the intersection of the middle line of the
Minnesota river and the range line between Ranges 33 and 34;
thence in a northwestwardly direction on the middle line of the
main channel of the Minnesota river to the western boundary of
the state of Minnesota; thence in a southerly direction on the
western boundary of the state to the Township line between
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 173
Townships 108 and 109 ; thence east on said line to the Range
line between Ranges 35 and 36 ; thence north on said line to the
Township line between Townships 109 and 110; thence east on
said line to the Range line between Ranges 33 and 34; thence
north on said line to the place of beginning."
By this act the lines between Redwood county, and Brown
and Cottonwood counties were established as at present. Red-
wood county also took in all the present counties of Lyon, Lin-
coln, Yellow Medicine and Lac qui Parle counties.
Section 7 read: "The county of Redwood is hereby de-
clared an organized county, and the county seat thereof tem-
porarily located at Redwood Falls; the last election of county
officers for Redwood county held at the election precinct of Red-
wood Falls is hereby confirmed and ratified; and said officers
until their successors are elected and qualified, shall have full
power and authority to do and perform all the acts and duties
of their respective offices within the limits of Redwood county as
defined in section one of this act which the officers of other
organized counties can do and perform within their respective
counties."
The first regular election was held in November, 1865, and
the location of the county seat at Redwood Falls confirmed, as
well as a set of officers elected.
This legislative act of February 23, 1865, having been duly
ratified by popular vote, the boundaries thereof were the legal
boundaries of Redwood county at the time of the passage of the
General Statutes of 1866, Chapter 8, by Section 55 of which
Townships 109-34 and 109-35 were transferred from Brown to
Redwood counties. But this change in the lines of the counties
was not submitted to popular vote, as required by the Constitu-
tion, Art. II, Section 1, in the case of organized counties, and
consequently the Section 55 in question never became a law and
the boundaries remained as established by the act of 1865.
But acting under the authority of the Revised Statutes of
1866, and without waiting for a popular vote, the county com-
missioners of Redwood county notified the people of Township
109, Ranges 34 and 35, on September 8, 1869, that they were a
part of Redwood county. A bill for expenses during the time
when the two townships were so considered was afterward pre-
sented to Brown county. Another attempt was later made to
include these two townships in Redwood county.
By an act approved March 6, 1871, the people of Brown, Cot-
tonwood and Redwood counties were authorized to vote on the
subject of detaching Township 108, Ranges 34 and 35 from
Brown and attaching it to Cottonwood ; and detaching Township
109, Ranges 34 and 35 from Brown and attaching same to Red-
wood. Redwood county voted in favor of the proposition in
174 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
November, 1871. But the proposition was defeated by the vote
in Brown county. According to the New Ulm Plaindealer for
November 17, 1871, the vote in that county was 307 votes for the
proposition, and 748 against it.
Lyon county was created March 2, 1869. It then included
Lincoln county. Lac qui Parle and Yellow Medicine counties
were created March 6, 1871. Yellow Medicine continued to be
attached to Redwood county for judicial purposes only, until
February 25, 1874.
Chapter 175, Special Laws of 1872, passed February 27, 1872,
provided that "All taxes hitherto assessed on real or personal
property within the limits of Yellow Medicine county before the
boundaries thereto were established by Chapter 98 of the Gen-
eral Laws of 1871 and now delinquent or which may hereafter
become delinquent, shall be paid to the treasurer of that coun-
ty." Redwood county refused to make this payment and suit
was brought. The act was declared illegal, on the ground that
the delinquent taxes were due to Redwood county because the
expenses of the period for which the taxes were delinquent had
been incurred in behalf of the part set off as Yellow Medicine as
much as in behalf of the part which was retained in Redwood
county. The delinquent taxes were subsequently collected by
the officials of Yellow Medicine county and turned over to Red-
wood county.
McPhail county as approved by an act of the legislature
March 1, 1866, took in a tract bounded on the north by the
Minnesota river, on the west by the Dakota boundary, on the
south by the present southern boundary of Lyon and Lincoln
county, and on the east by the Range line between Ranges 39
and 40, from the Township line between Townships 108 and 109,
north to the Minnesota river. This county was never organized
and Redwood continued as before.
Authority and References. Session Laws and Revised Stat-
utes, of the Territory and State of Minnesota, 1849-1915.
History of Renville County, Minnesota, by Franklin Curtiss-
Wedge.
The Legislative Manual of Minnesota, 1915.
The New Ulm Plaindealer, November 17, 1871.
Court Records of Redwood County in the Custody of the
Redwood County Clerk of Court.
History of Lyon County, Minnesota, by Arthur P. Rose.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 175
CHAPTER XVI.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND THEIR MEETINGS.
The affairs of Redwood county have been prudently admin-
istered, and the spirit of the commissioners, while ever mindful
of the fact that the tendency of every agricultural community is
in favor of the lowest tax rate, has nevertheless been one of
progress and improvement.
The pioneer period from the organization of the county in
1865 to and including 1872, was one of organization, wherein the
commissioners were confronted with the task of laying the foun-
dation of the future business of the county. Everything was
new and untried in a new country. Until late in 1867 there was
no real estate to tax. Funds were scarce, the people were poor.
For the first few years the expenses were much greater than the
receipts.
During this period, the commissioners perfected the organ-
ization of the county, established the first townships, ordered the
first roads and bridges, designated official printers, organized
school districts, purchased supplies for the county officials,
divided the county into commissioner districts, appointing
various offices, attended to miscellaneous matters, and met the
financial problems as best they could. At the beginning of this
period Redwood county, for which the commissioners must ad-
minister, extended to the state line. Lyon, including Lincoln
county, was cut off March 2, 1869, while Lac qui Parle and Yel-
low Medicine were cut off March 6, 1871.
The problem of the boundary line between Brown and Red-
wood counties came up during this period. February 23, 1865,
the legislature had passed an act to change and define the
boundaries of Redwood county. That act described the line be-
tween Brown and Redwood counties, as it is at present con-
stituted, and the line was ratified by the voters. But the com-
pilers of the Revised Statutes of 1866 ignored the act of 1865
and gave the boundaries as described by the previous act of
1862. This would include in Redwood county, Township 109,
Ranges 34 and 35, now in Brown county. September 8, 1869,
the commissioners notified the people of those two townships
that under the Revised Statutes they were a part of Redwood
county. Some money was expended by the county in those two
townships, for which Brown county was afterward charged. It
was finally decided that the two townships were not a part of
Redwood county, the provisions of the revision not having been
passed upon by the voters. A vote was taken, November 17,
1871, by the people of both counties on the question of whether
176 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
the two townships should be detached from Brown and placed
in Redwood, and the proposition was defeated. The anxiety of
the people of Redwood county to secure these two townships is
explained by the fact that the region in dispute was then sup-
posed to contain coal and iron.
For the most part this period was one of prosperity on the
part of the people, though the hard winter and late spring of
1867 left many of the people destitute, and Governor Marshall
was appealed to for seed and clothing. Secretary of State Hans
Mattson and Major M. E. Powell, of Redwood Falls, made a per-
sonal canvass of the situation in this county. The commissioners
met the problem, and pledged the faith of the county in return
for necessary supplies.
1865. The first meeting of the board of county commissioners
was held at the auditor's office at Redwood Falls, April 19. On
motion of J. S. G. Honner, 0. C. Martin was elected chairman.
The bonds of Jacob Tippery as county treasurer, and of J. H.
Thompson as sheriff, were accepted. The board then adjourned
until 1 o'clock. In the afternoon E. E. Jeffries was appointed
auditor pro tern in place of T. W. Caster, who was absent. The
county was divided into three commissioner districts, No. 3 be-
ing created first, then No. 2 and then No. 1. An unnumbered
school district was created. Colonel Sam McPhail was appointed
county road supervisor and James W. Harkness was appointed
assessor. The legislative grant for a state road from New Ulm,
via Redwood Falls and Yellow Medicine to Whetstone river, was
accepted. The license fee to sell liquor was placed at $25. Col.
McPhail was authorized to procure supplies for the use of the
county officials. Those present at this meeting were 0. C. Mar-
tin and J. S. G. Honner, supervisors ; J. R. Thompson, sheriff ; and
E. E. Jeffries, auditor pro tem. September 5, the board met but
at once adjourned. September 12, Edward March was appointed
district school examiner for the county, 0. C. Martin was author-
ized to secure a suitable room for the county offices, it was voted
to levy a tax of 2% mills for school purposes, 6 mills for state
purposes and 3 mills for county purposes. It was decided to
borrow money from Colonel McPhail by issuing him county
orders at 12 per cent discount. At this meeting Martin, Honner
and Caster were present. At the meeting held October 14,
Samuel M. Thompson, Charles Folsom and John McMillan, Sr.,
were appointed judges of the election to be held at the house of
J. S. G. Honner in Redwood Falls. The whole county was con-
stituted an election precinct. December 23 routine business was
transacted. The county auditor's salary was fixed at $50 a year.
1866. The first meeting of the board of county commission-
ers was held January 2, with 0. C. Martin and Hugh Curry, com-
missioners, and Edward March, auditor, present. 0. C. Martin
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 177
was appointed chairman. April 20, the commissioners made a
report of the financial condition of the county. The receipts
were shown to be $110.76 of which $75 had been received for
three liquor licenses, and $35.76 from the general tax fund of
1865. The expenses were $333.44 and consisted entirely of bills
for fees, salaries, and supplies. It was shown that county orders
to the amount of $106.75 had been taken in and cancelled. A bill
for $126.75 and outstanding orders of $99.94 constituted the total
indebtedness. The remainder of the meeting was devoted to
school, road and license matters. School district No. 1, as organ-
ized, took in the territory surrounding Redwood Falls. District
No. 2 lay to the eastward and took in the territory surrounding
the Lower agency. The first road declared a public highway ran
east from Redwood Falls on the township line to the ferry at the
Lower agency, a branch of it extending northward to the Minne-
sota river along the east line of section 34, in what is now Honnor
township. The sawmill road in Redwood Falls was declared a
public highway, and a road was ordered laid out from the village,
to intersect the old military road in the direction of the Yellow
Medicine agency. September 4, John Winter, who lived near
the place where military road crossed the Yellow Medicine, put
in his appearance as a member of the county board, this being the
first time that a third member had sat. Road Petition No. 1 was
received, and the township of Yellow Medicine was created. Sep-
tember 5, road and school matters were considered, and Edward
March was appointed county superintendent of public instruc-
tion. The following tax levy was made : state, 6 mills ; county,
3 mills; school, 2 mills. School district No. 3 was organized.
Liquor licenses were also granted. The county auditor and the
county attorney were each voted an annual salary of $100.
1867. The first meeting was held January 1, in the auditor's
office with O. C. Martin, Hugh Curry, and Isaac Willey commis-
sioners, and Edward March, auditor, present. O. C. Martin was
elected chairman. It was decided to strike the name of John
Winter from the minutes of September 4, 1866. Roads and bridge
matters were considered and bills ordered paid. The first cor-
oner's jury in the county, consisting of Dr. D. L. Hitchcock, C. P.
Griswold, S. M. Thompson, J. W. Harkness, Hugh Curry, and
Carl Holtz, were ordered paid for investigating the case of a man
found dead on Rice creek. April 6, the financial report of the
county was rendered. The receipts amounted to $55.48. Of this,
$55 had been received for liquor licenses, and only forty-eight
cents taxes had been paid. Taxes remaining unpaid amounted
to $135.74. The general tax fund amounted to $63,857 and
$63,479 remained still unpaid. The entire special county tax of
$72.36 still remained unpaid. The total expenditures for the
year were $511.24. This left an indebtedness of $455.76, which
178 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
added to $222.68, the indebtedness of the previous year, made a
total county indebtedness on March 12, 1867, of $678.44, all in
county orders most of which were held by Colonel McPhail. At
the meeting of May 21, the commissioners decided to accept the
offer of assistance from Governor William R. Marshall, and
pledge the faith and credit of the county therefor. Col. Samuel
McPhail was appointed distributing agent to issue seed and
subsistence to the heads of families and other persons in need.
September 24, the rates of taxation were levied as follows : state
tax, 5 mills ; county, 10 mills ; school tax, 2 mills ; special county
tax, 3 mills. The special county tax was to be applied to pur-
chasing supplies for the county offices. On the next day bounties
were voted for the killing of blackbirds, striped and pocket
gophers. The personal property of the county was equalized by
adding $25.00 to the tax statement of John Fuzzard. The sheriff
was ordered to procure a suitable house for the use of the circuit
court.
1868. The board of county commissioners met January 7,
with B. H. Monroe and Hugh Curry, commissioners, and Edward
March, auditor, present. B. H. Monroe was chosen chairman.
Grand and Petit jurors were selected. The following salaries
were voted : Auditor, $200 (for year ending March 1, 1868, and
the same for the year ending March 1, 1869) ; county superin-
tendent of schools, $25 (for the year ending January 7, 1868) ;
county attorney, $200 (for the year ending January 7, 1868).
March 2, the commissioners changed the boundary line between
Redwood Falls township and Yellow Medicine township. They
appointed Charles P. Griswold sheriff. It was ordered that any
person bringing suit before any justice in the county must first
give security sufficient to cover the cost. William H. Morrill,
treasurer of the county, was ordered to collect the delinquent
taxes of 1866 and 1867. The financial report for the year end-
ing March 10, 1868, showed the total receipts to be $206.11 ; $50
of this being from liquor licenses and $156.11 from the county
tax. The expenses for the year were $532.05, leaving a deficit
for the year of $325.94. At that time the county had assets to
the amount of $215.55, consisting of $33.59 due for delinquent
taxes of 1866, and $181.96 due for delinquent taxes for 1867.
Outside of the indebtedness to the state the total liabilities were
$1,085.12. Of this $100.75 was still owing for books, and $984.37
was represented by outstanding county orders. There was also
$87.04 due the state on delinquent state taxes. School monies had
been received and dispersed to the amount of $234.64. This school
fund represented sums received in 1867 and 1868 from state,
county, and district taxes. On September 16, D. O. King put in
his appearance as the third member of the board. The treasurer
was again commanded to collect the delinquent taxes. The board
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 179
of equalization on September 16, fixed the value of farm lands in
the county. A tax of 10 mills was levied on every dollar of tax-
able property in the county to pay up the county indebtedness.
It was announced on December 28 that the abstract rolls of the
county had been started by Sam McPhaill, who, for $27.70 had
copied from the land office records an abstract of all entered
lands. School districts No. 4 and No. 5 were created.
1869. The board of county commissioners met January 5,
Gorham Powers, D. 0. King, B. H. Monroe, and 0. C. Martin,
commissioners, and Edward March, auditor, were present. D. 0.
King was chosen chairman. The salary of the county attorney
and of the county auditor was raised to $250 a year. On March
9, there was a dispute as to whether B. H. Monroe or Gorham
Powers was legally a commissioner. Colonel Sam McPhail,
county attorney, gave a written opinion from which the commis-
sioners decided that Gorham Powers was not legally elected and
therefore was not a member of this board of commissioners.
School district No. 6 was created. A small part of school district
No. 1 was transferred to school district No. 4. March 10, the
liquor license fee was raised to $50. It was decided that a small
building should be erected on a lot purchased for that purpose,
to be used by the county officers, the cost not to exceed $300.
The financial report for the year ending March 9, 1869, was given.
The receipts for the year were $669.92, of which $574.43 was
county tax, $62.50 was from liquor licenses, $19.74 was from fees
on deeds. Total expenses for the year were $957.43, including
salaries and supplies. The liabilities were $2,243.55, of which
$1,030.97 was outstanding orders, $1,081.83 was due the state
on the state tax for 1868, and a bill of $132.75 for books was still
unpaid. There were still $2,187.25 of unpaid delinquent county
taxes, and $1,081.83 delinquent state taxes due, making a total
of $3,269.08 in assets. The school funds collected and distributed
amounted to $163.77. The county orders cancelled were $748.40.
On September 7, school districts No. 7 and No. 8 were created.
There was a change made in the boundaries of school district
No. 2. The township of Sherman was organized. A petition was
presented for the change of the boundary line of commissioner
district, but was rejected, because it was unauthorized by law.
The commissioners sat as an equalization board, on September 8.
September 9, the proceedings of the board of commissioners were
ordered published in the Redwood Falls Mail, at the cost of $5
per session. The people of two townships now in Brown county
and directly east of the present township of Charlestown, were
notified that they were a part of Redwood county. The rate of
taxation was the same as the preceding year: state, 5 mills;
county, 10 mills ; school, 2 mills. The commissioners provided for
the erection of the building for the county offices. On November
180 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
16 Gorharu Powers appears as commissioner, his right to a seat
in place of B. H. Monroe having been established. Road, school,
and liquor license matters were taken up. E. A. Chandler was
appointed to the office of superintendent of school to succeed
Edward March, resigned.
1870. The county commissioners met January 4, with D. 0.
King, 0. C. Martin and Gorham Powers, commissioners, present.
D. O. King was chosen chairman. A clerk of court also appears
for the first time. The present township of Sheridan was organ-
ized, at that time named Nolton. A change of a part of the road
known as the county road to the Lower Sioux agency was favor-
ably reported. Books and stationery for the county offices were
provided. On January 6, E. A. Chandler was appointed county
superintendent of schools for two years, and the salary was raised
to $50 per year. The building for the county offices was accepted,
on January 8. On March 8, the school district No. 9 was created
and Evind Knutson was transferred from district No. 7 to dis-
trict No. 3. Several petitions were presented and granted for
reduction of the assessed valuation of property, during the next
two days. In the minutes of March 10, is found the first record
of prosecution for selling liquors without a license. March 25,
finds only D. O. King and 0. C. Martin present. The financial
report for the year ending March 25, 1870, was rendered. The
total receipts were $1,863.01, of which $1,695.68 was from taxes
and $145.50 was from licenses. The total expenses were $1,593.33
including salaries, fees and supplies. The liabilities amounted to
$1,177.85, consisting of outstanding orders. There were still
$5,062.91 due from delinquent tax and from other taxes $325.74,
making a total of $5,388.65 in assets. Orders amounting to
$1,558.38 were cancelled. On May 25, three new school districts
were organized. September 6 the commissioners sat as an equal-
ization board. The first petition to build a bridge was granted,
this being over Wabasha creek. The rate of county tax was
raised to 10 mills.
1871. On January 3 the board of county commissioners met,
O. C. Martin, Gorham Powers, and Jacob J. Light being present.
O. C. Martin was chosen chairman. The county attorney's salary
was fixed at $300 per year. During the past year the first county
map had been made. A committee of three were appointed to
view the locality and measure the distance across the Redwood
river with the view of building a bridge, for which the state had
appropriated $5,000. The township of Cerro Gordo was organ-
ized. This lay entirely outside the present boundaries of the
county. Another township, lying outside the present county, and
named Camp Release, was formed. On April 11, school districts
14, 15, 17 and 18 were organized the districts 7 and 8 organiza-
tion being illegal. On May 18, two new townships were organ-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 181
ized, both lying outside the present county. On May 18 the con-
tract was let for the building of a bridge across the Redwood
river at Redwood Falls and the Stage Road from Redwood Falls
to New Ulm was to be repaired. A bill was presented for the
building of a state road from Redwood Falls, west to the state
line, but was rejected. A road from Redwood Falls to the Lyon
county border was provided for. Two new school districts and
a new township were created. On September 13, only two com-
missioners were present. They voted to levy an 8-mill county
tax for the ensuing year. In the minutes of November 2, Dr.
William D. Flinn is appointed as county physician, this being the
first time that such an office is recorded. The bridge erected
across the Redwood river was ordered protected with a sign to
be placed at either end of it, warning people, driving over it, not
to move faster than at a walk. School and road matters were
considered. It was ordered on November 3 that all real estate
records relating to real estate in Redwood county and found
in the records of Brown county, should be copied.
1872. The county commissioners met January 2, with Jacob
J. Light, Harvey Wingett, and David Tibbetts present. They
chose Jacob J. Light chairman of the board. The boundaries for
the commissioners' districts were changed. The salary of the
county attorney was fixed at $400 per year. On January 4, the
salary of the county superintendent of schools was raised to $100
per year and Dr. William H. Flinn appointed to that office. Feb-
ruary 29 Peter Van Yandt is paid $65 for keeping paupers, this
being the first mention of paupers kept and provided for, in the
county. On March 1, A. C. Randall collected a bill for medicine
which he had supplied the poor. March 2. a pauper from Jackson
county was ordered to leave Redwood county. The annual finan-
cial report for the year was rendered March 12. The total re-
ceipts were $3,554.89, of which $159.50 was from licenses and
$3,395.39 was from taxes collected. The total expenses were
$4,838.63. The liabilities were outstanding orders amounting to
$3,468.95, and the total assets amounted to $12,117.93, of which
$850 was personal property and $907.83 were Brown county
bonds, with bills against Brown county amounting to $314.10 ; the
delinquent tax of $9,968.16 including the interest made up the
balance. At the meeting of March 23, H. Wingett was chosen
chairman pro tem in the absence of Jacob J. Light. The site
known as the Court House Square was given to the county by
Colonel Sam McPhail. On March 30, the offer of Mr. Radcliff to
draw up plans and specifications for the new court house was ac-
cepted. The first mention of a Redwood Palls banker, W. F.
Dickinson, was made at this meeting, he being given the power
to sell county bonds issued to build the court house. June 4, the
plans for the new court house were received and approved.
182 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
School and road petitions were read. On June 14, it was ordered
to obtain bids for a complete set of plats and field notes of Red-
wood county. The rate of county tax was to be 10 mills, and the
special road and bridge tax of 1 mill was levied for the first time.
Organizing townships and other matters were considered on Sep-
tember 4. Money for handcuffs and leg shackles was appropri-
ated.
During the grasshopper period the board was beset with many
problems. In addition to school, tax, road, financial, bridge, town-
ship, and other matters which had confronted the previous boards,
the boards of this period erected a court house, attended to the
matter of issuing railroad bonds, distributed seed wheat to suf-
ferers from the grasshopper ravages, provided for the protec-
tion of the borders of the county against forest fires, and at the
same time gradually improved the finances of the county.
1873. The board met January 7, Jacob J. Light, Harvey
Wingett, and David Tibbetts, commissioners present. Harvey
Wingett was chosen chairman. In the financial record of March
19, is found the first mention of naturalization papers filed. The
total expenses for the year were $4,386.58; total receipts were
$4,426.57, most of which was from general taxes; the total assets
were $12,064.62, most of which was in delinquent taxes, $9,332.40,
and personal property, $1,050.00. On April 1, the board met
and organized three school districts and one township. The re-
turns of the election for the railroad bonds were received; total
number of votes 243 ; in favor of the bonds, 235, opposed, — . The
county paper was the Redwood Falls Gazette. It was decided
that there was no safe place to keep the records of the county;
so a court house was ordered built on the "court house square,"
the cost not to exceed $2,200. The bid, amounting to $2,150, for
building the court house, was accepted. The funds, books and
effects yet in the houses of V. C. Seward and belonging to the
district court, were demanded returned to said office. On Sep-
tember 2, the board sat as an equalization board. They made the
rate uniform throughout the county, the rate being, county, 10
mills, and road and bridges, 1 mill. Two new townships were
organized and other necessary business was attended to. Road
and school matters were considered at the meeting of September
16. Lewis M. Baker, having resigned his office as register of
deeds, the board appointed G. W. Braley to fill the vacancy for
the unexpired term, on October 6.
1874. On January 6, the county commissioners met with the
following members present: David Tibbetts, Harvey Wingett,
and W. H. Hawk. David Tibbetts was chosen chairman for the
year. After the official bonds had been approved, a new county
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 183
school superintendent was appointed. The salary of the county-
attorney was lowered from $400 to $200. January 7, the license
fee was lowered to $35. The annual financial report was rendered
March 12 as follows: total expenses, $7,131.85; total receipts,
$6,235.84, consisting of taxes largely; total assets, $17,303.78,
mostly delinquent taxes. Township, road and bridge matters
were considered. On March 21, it was voted to distribute seed
wheat among the farmers who needed it. On July 28, four school
districts were organized. In the records of September 30 a re-
ward is offered to anyone who gives proof of any person who
wantonly sets a prairie fire before May of the following year.
Township and road matters were considered October 9.
1875. On January 5, the board met with A. M. Cook, William
H. Hawk and D. Tibbetts, commissioners, present. A. M. Cook
was chosen chairman. On January 28, in a special session, the
board appointed A. M. Cook treasurer of the State Relief Fund,
to distribute money to those who needed relief on account of
the grasshoppers. On March 10, the resolution was adopted to
cancel the $1,192.40 in outstanding orders because they were sup-
posed to have been paid. The following annual report was ren-
dered: total expenses, $7,991.06, besides $383.30 spent for roads
and bridges; total receipts, $8,940.57, consisting in a large meas-
ure of taxes and interest; total assets, $8,615.59, most of which
was delinquent and uncollected taxes. July 26 the rate of county
tax was fixed at 5 mills, and the road and bridge tax at 1 mill.
The county was divided into five commissioner's districts.
1876. On January 4, the board, now consisting of five mem-
bers, met with D. O. King, Charles Porter, L. Bedall, J. M. Little,
and Mathias Keller, present. The first named commissioner was
elected chairman. The salary of the county attorney was fixed
at $350 per year. D. O. King and J. M. Little were appointed
a committee on court house and court house grounds. D. L.
Bigham was elected county superintendent of schools, on Febru-
ary 1. On March 16 the bond of the bank of Redwood Falls, as
depository of the county funds, was approved. The board ren-
dered their financial report showing the total expenditures to be
$6,799.24, including the road and bridge expenses of $227.63 ; total
receipts, $6,908.38, most of which was from taxes collected ; total
liabilities, $2,326.04, mostly outstanding orders; total assets,
$7,692.15, most of which was delinquent taxes and uncollected
taxes of 1875. This report shows the county funds in the best
condition thus far reported, but at the next meeting an expert
was hired to examine and balance the county funds. On June
19 the time was spent in organizing four school districts and
one township. July 24 the commissioners acted as an equalizing
board. It was voted that $7,000 be raised as taxes to defray the
county expenses, and that $1,000 be raised by the road and bridge
184 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
tax. On September 6, the board decided not to issue the railroad
bonds until the railroad was completed to Redwood Falls. Strips
of grass were ordered burned along the south and west borders
of the county to prevent forest fires from coming in. On Septem-
ber 20, a petition was read before the board that the bonds for
the railroad to Redwood Falls be issued immediately. D. 0. King,
Mathias Keller and J. M. Little were appointed to act as a com-
mittee to confer with the railroad company with the view of mak-
ing a compact with them.
1877. On January 2, the board of county commissioners met,
with D. 0. King, J. M. Little, Charles Porter, and Frank Schan-
dera present. Mathias Keller appears on February 15 as the fifth
commissioner. The bonds for the new railroad to connect with
"Winona were ordered issued immediately. The road was to be
completed by October 1, 1877. On February 26 the board distrib-
uted some of the money which the state had previously appropri-
ated for buying seed grain for the sufferers from the grasshop-
pers' ravages. On March 20, the treasurer rendered his annual
report as follows : total receipts, $8,532.57 ; total expenses,
$6,545.75 ; total assets, $16,754.62 ; total liabilities, $959.27, in out-
standing orders. On March 21, strips were ordered plowed around
the county at the boundary lines to act as guards against prairie
fires. On June 18, the board voted to pay the state what was due
it, as delinquent state tax. On July 23, they sat as an equalizing
board. The amount of $5,000 was to be raised for county ex-
penses; $975 was to be raised for roads and bridges. On Octo-
ber 12, J. M. Little was chosen chairman to fill the vacancy caused
by the resignation of D. 0. King.
The period of rapid growth began with the close of the grass-
hopper years and extended to 1905. The routine business of the
county gradually increased in volume and entailed an additional
amount of attention on the part of the commissioners. During
this period all the remaining townships were organized, many new
school districts were created, roads gradually networked the
county. A poor farm was bought and sold. A new court house
was erected. To the three villages which were incorporated by
the legislature, Redwood Falls, Walnut Grove and Lamberton,
the county commissioners during this period added thirteen more.
In the following resume, the names of the commissioners, notes
regarding salaries, and a few other important matters are given,
the other subjects being treated adequately elsewhere. In 1904
the first attempt was made to establish a county ditch.
1878. The board of county commissioners met January 1.
Fred V. Hotchkiss, Frank R. Schandera, Mathias Keller, Charles
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 185
Porter, and 0. B. Turrell, commissioners were present. Fred V.
Hotehkiss was chosen chairman. On January 2, the salary of
the county attorney was lowered to $300. In the minutes of Jan-
uary 3, is the first record of a town voting on the liquor license
question. On March 5, applications for seed grain were consid-
ered and most of them allowed. On March 20, the salary of the
county superintendent of schools was fixed at $10' for every
school, there being at this time thirty-five schools in the county.
On July 15, 1878, the commissioners acted as an equalization
board.
1879. January 7, the county board met, with Fred V. Hoteh-
kiss, Charles Porter, O. B. Turrell, Frank R. Schandera, and
Archibald Stewart, commissioners, present. The first named man
was chosen chairman. On January 8, a petition was ordered sent
to the state to provide for two terms of district court in Redwood
county. The liquor license fee was raised to $100 per year. In
the minutes of the meeting of January 9, the first record is found
of a county officer being asked to resign. At the same meeting
the town officers for Johnsonville township were appointed, the
people of that township having failed to elect. The Redwood
Gazette and the Lamberton Commercial were designated as the
county papers.
1880. The first meeting came on January 6. Fred V. Hoteh-
kiss, Charles Porter, O. B. Turrell, Archibald Stewart and W. H.
Owen, commissioners, were present. Fred Hotehkiss was re-
elected chairman. The salary of the county attorney was raised
to $400; that of the county auditor was raised to $1,200. On
January 9, the board decided not to grant any liquor licenses
for that year. The board on the following day organized the ter-
ritory not already made into townships, as road and assessment
districts. They appointed an assessor and road supervisor in each
of the six districts.
1881. The first meeting of the board was held on January 4.
Fred V. Hotehkiss, Charles Bennett, W. H. Owen, Archibald
Stewart and O. B. Turrell, commissioners, were present. On
January 5, the salary of the judge of probate was fixed at $300
per year.
1882. The first meeting of the board was held January 3,
O. B. Turrell, W. H. Owen, James Anderson, Alfred Clark and
George W. Skelton being present. The salary of the county at-
torney was raised to $450. Much time was taken in changing
school district boundaries.
1883. The first meeting of the board was held January 2,
James Anderson, Alfred Clark, Eli "Webb, James Longbottom and
L. B. Newton were present.
1884. The board met on January 1, with James Longbottom,
James Anderson, James S. Johnson, Eli Webb, and Alfred Clark,
186 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
commissioners, present. The liquor license fee was raised to $100.
The salary of the county attorney was made $400, on January 2.
A committee was appointed to purchase a poor farm for Redwood
county in Sherman township. On July 31, the Iowa and Minne-
sota Railroad Company applied for help in building a railroad
through Redwood Falls southward to the state line. Nothing was
done in this' regard.
1885. The first meeting of the board was held January 6,
with James Anderson, chairman, Eli Webb, James S. Johnson,
Joseph Tyson and William Lauer, commissioners, present. The
liquor license fee was lowered again to $50 per year.
1886. The first meeting of the board occurred on January 5,
with Joseph Tyson, chairman, William Lauer, Eli Webb, James
S. Johnson, and James Anderson, present. The "Redwood Ga-
zette" and the "Redwood Reveille" were chosen to do the county
printing. James Aiken and W. M. Todd were the respective pub-
lishers. The salary of the county treasurer was fixed at $1,200
a year.
1887. The first meeting of the board was held January 4, with
W. E. Baker, chairman, Michael Donner, H. H. Leavitt, D. W.
Whittet, and James Sommer, present. The liquor license fee was
raised to $100 per year. The salary of the county attorney was
raised to $600 per year.
1888. The board met January 4. The commissioners were all
present — W. E. Baker, James Sommer, H. H. Leavitt, Michael
Donner, and David W. Whittet. The Redwood Gazette was
chosen as the official paper for the county.
1889. The board met January 1. The following commission-
ers were present : W. E. Baker, chairman, Michael Donner, H. H.
Leavitt, James S. Johnson, and David W. Whittet. The village
of Morgan was incorporated.
1890. The board met on January 6, with the same commis-
sioners as at previous year. Five thousand dollars were appro-
priated for the enlarging of the court house.
1891. The board met January 6. James S. Johnson, David
W. Whittet, H. H. Leavitt, Frank Schandera, and F. W. Philbrick,
commissioners, were present. David W. Whittet was chosen
chairman. The salary of the county attorney was raised to $800.
The resolution was adopted on February 26 that the court house
was not sufficient for the needs of the county and a new one
should be built, the cost not to exceed $15,000.
1892. The first meeting of the board was held January 5, with
David W. Whittet, chairman, F. W. Philbrick, James S. Johnson,
Frank Schandera and H. H. Leavitt, present. The Redwood
Reveille and the Lamberton Leader were selected to publish the
county proceedings. The village of Belview was incorporated
during this year.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 187
1893. The board met January 3. F. W. Philbrick, James
Arnold, Frank Schandera, Frank Billington, and E. A. Pease,
commissioners, were present. F. W. Philbrick was duly elected
chairman. The Redwood Reveille was designated as the official
paper for the county. The salary of the county superintendent
of schools was fixed at $900, it having been $10 for every school
before this time.
1894. The first meeting of the board was held January 5. The
members, F. "W. Philbrick, chairman, Frank Billington, Frank
Schandera, E. A. Pease, and James Arnold, were all present. The
Redwood Gazette was chosen as the official paper for the county.
1895. The board met January 8, with the following commis-
sioners present : J. P. Cooper, Leo Altermatt, James Arnold,
Frank Billington, and E. A. Pease. James Arnold was duly
elected chairman. The Redwood Reveille was chosen the official
paper for the county. The sheriff resigned April 6, and it took
ballotting for five days to choose another. The county jail was
completed during this year. E. A. Pease resigned April 6, 1895,
and Christian Olson was appointed.
1896. The first meeting of the board was held January 7.
J. P. Cooper, chairman, James Arnold, Leo Altermatt, Frank Bil-
lington, Christian Olson, Commissioners, were present. The Red-
wood Gazette was chosen the official paper for the county for the
ensuing year.
1897. The board met January 5. The members present were
J. P. Cooper, chairman, Leo Altermatt, John W. Carlile, Thomas
J. Sloan, and Eric Wilson. The Redwood Reveille was chosen
as the official paper for the county for the ensuing year.
1898. The first meeting of the board was held January 4.
J. P. Cooper, chairman, Leo Altermatt, Eric Wilson, Thomas J.
Sloan and John W. Carlile, commissioners, were present. The
salary of the county superintendent of schools and of the county
attorney was each raised to $1,000 per year.
1899. The first meeting of the board occurred on January 3.
J. P. Cooper, chairman, Leo Altermatt, Eric Wilson, Thomas J.
Sloan, and J. W. Carlile, commissioners, were present. On Janu-
ary 5 the board decided to sell the poor farm. The Redwood
Gazette was made the official county paper. On April 18, a com-
mittee was appointed to see that the soldiers who had served in
the Indian, Mexican, or Civil Wars, were honorably buried when
they died. On July 18 the first typewriter was purchased for the
use of the county officers in the court house.
1900. The board met January 21 with the same chairman
and the same commissioners present as last year. Vesta and
Revere were incorporated as villages. The villages of Wanda
and Seaforth were organized on December 18.
188 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
1901. January 3, the commissioners met, with J. P. Cooper,
chairman, Leo Altermatt, J. W. Carlile, John F. Cain, and D. R.
McCorquodale, present. The salary of the county superintendent
of schools was raised to $1,100. In the minutes of the meeting of
July 8, 1901, is mentioned the ordering of five telephones for the
court house to be used in the county offices.
1902. The board met on January 7, the same chairman and
members as last year being present. The salary of the county
superintendent of schools was raised to $1,260. On July 25, a
sum of money was allowed to control infectious and contagious
diseases in Redwood county. The villages of Delhi and Lucan
were incorporated.
1903. The board met January 6. C. W. Mead, John F. Cain,
George Posz, J. W. Carlile, and D. R. McCorquodale, commission-
ers, were present. The county superintendent of schools' salary
was raised to $1,500 per year. The liquor license fee was fixed
at $500 on April 14. The villages of Clements and North Red-
wood were incorporated during the year.
1904. The board met on January 4, with the same officers as
in 1903. A public ditch was ordered surveyed in Willow Lake
township on July 11. This is the first mention of a public ditch
in Redwood county.
1905. The board met January 3. C. W. Mead, chairman,
George Posz, D. R. McCorquodale, C. H. Fredericksen and John
F. Cain, commissioners, were present. The first two county
ditches were ordered built during this year, but actual work was
not started until 1906.
The beginning of the modern period is marked by the year
1906, the year in which actual work was started on the first
county ditch. The ditching has continued rapidly, state roads
have been built, the new jail constructed, a county poor farm has
been purchased, a county superintendent of roads and a county
agent appointed, and many distinct advances made in school
matters.
1906. The board met January 2, with the same chairman and
members as last year. On January 2, the resolution was a opted
to have each commissioner appoint a county physician in hi dis-
trict. The first state road was ordered built in Redwood co ~>.
This is the first time such a thing is mentioned in the rec
The majority of the time was spent in granting petitions
county ditches.
1907. The first meeting of the board was held on January 8.
George Posz, chairman, D. R. McCorquodale, John F. Cain, C. H.
Fredericksen, and H. M. Aune, commissioners, were present. The
salary of the county superintendent of schools was raised to $1,300
per year. A board of health for Redwood county was appointed,
consisting of three members. On July 12, 1907, the board voted
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 189
to buy the land in the W. iy2 rods of lot 10 and all of lot 11, sec-
tion 36, town 113, range 36, containing 25% acres. This is the
present "poor farm" property. A county road superintendent
was appointed for Redwood county on July 8.
1908. The board met January 7, the same chairman and com-
missioners being present as in 1907. The salary of the county at-
torney was raised to $1,100 per year; that of the county super-
intendent of schools to $1,500 per year. A children's agricultural
contest was to be held in the county during this year under the
supervision of the county superintendent of schools.
1909. The board met on January 5. D. R. McCorquodale,
chairman, H. M. Aune, Eric Wilson, George Posz, and C. H. Fred-
ricksen, commissioners, were present. A school children's indus-
trial contest was arranged for to be held in Redwood county under
the supervision of the county superintendent of schools. The
salary of the sheriff was fixed at $1,200 per year. On September
29, the home for the county poor was completed.
1910. The board met January 4, with the same commissioners
present as last year. The salary of the county superintendent of
schools was raised to $1,600 per year. On July 11. 1910, a sum
of $300 was appropriated for the county exhibit at the state fair.
Most of the time was occupied with ditch matters.
1911. The board met January 3. D. R. McCorquodale, chair-
man, H. M. Aune, John Arends, Eric Wilson, and C. H. Frederick-
sen, commissioners, were present. The salary of the county super-
intendent of schools was raised to $1,700 per year. Many ditches
were completed and approved during 1911.
1912. The board met January 2 with the same chairman and
commissioners as last year. The salary of the county superin-
tendent of schools was raised to $1,800 per year. Ditch matters
filled the remaining meetings.
1913. 1 he board met January 7. C. H. Fredericksen, chair-
man, H. M. Aune, Eric Wilson, John Arends, and James P. Gaff-
ney, commissioners, were present. The "Redwood Falls Sun"
was cjjg^en as the official paper for the county for the ensuing
year.V,;/he contract for the present concrete bridge over the Red-
wr , river, at Redwood Falls, was let April 2. In the minutes
meeting of October 3, a sum of money is appropriated for
ing a county agent.
914. The board met January 6, with the same chairman and
ommissioners as the previous year. The "Morgan Messenger"
/as designated the official paper for the county for the ensuing
^ear. State roads and ditch matters filled the remaining sessions.
r 1915-16. The commissioners for these two years were : 1,
George Schmiesing ; 2, John Arends ; 3, Ed. Stefel ; 4, H. M. Aune
(chairman) ; 5, James P. Gaffney. Eric Wilson, from the first
190 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
district served a few months, but died in 1915, and George
Sehmiesing was appointed in his place.
Districts. For the election to be held in the fall of 1865, the
whole county of Redwood was constituted an election precinct.
The county then extended westward and northwestward to the
state line.
Commissioners' districts were designated on April 19, 1865,
as follows : 1 — Bounded on the northeast by the Minnesota river,
on the west by the state line, on the south by the township line
between townships 112 and 113, on the east by the range line be-
tween ranges 35 and 36. It consisted of the present townships
of Swedes Forest, Kintire and Delhi, and a vast tract to the west
and northwest. 2 — Townships 111, 112, ranges 34 and townships
110, 111 and 112, range 35. It consisted of the present townships
of Paxton, Sherman, Three Lakes, Morgan, and Sundown. 3 —
Bounded on the north by the township line between townships
112 and 113, on the west by the state line, on the south by the
township line between townships 108 and 109, and on the east
by the range line between ranges 35 and 36. It consisted of the
present townships of Redwood Falls, New Avon, Willow Lake,
Charlestown, Sheridan, Vail, Waterbury, Lamberton, Vesta, Gran-
ite Rock, Johnsonville, North Hero, Underwood, Westline, Gales
and Springdale, and westward to the state line. It will be seen
that the present townships of Honner and Brookville were
omitted from this description.
Sept. 7, 1869, a petition was presented for a change in the
boundaries of the commissioner districts, but it was rejected by
the board because unauthorized by law.
Another division was made Jan. 2, 1872. 1 — Included all the
land in Redwood county, west of the range line between ranges
36 and 37. This consisted of the present townships of Swedes
Forest, Kintire, Sheridan, Vail, Waterbury, Lamberton, Vesta,
Granite Rock, Johnsonville, North Hero, Underwood, Westline,
Gales, and Springdale. It is not definitely stated where the west-
ern boundary of Redwood county was. 2 — Included all the land
in Redwood county to-wit : commencing at the intersection of the
range line between ranges 34 and 35, with the Minnesota river,
thence west between the towns 112 and 113 to the range line
between 35 and 36, thence south to the south line of the county,
thence east to the east line of the county, thence north to the
Minnesota river, thence northwesterly along the river to the
place of beginning. This consists of the present townships of
Sherman, Morgan, Brookville, Paxton, Three Lakes and Sun-
down. Just where the southern boundary of the county was,
was not stated. 3 — Included all the territory of Redwood county
not included in districts 1 and 2.
The board being increased to five members, the division of
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 191
July 26, 1875, was made as follows : 1 — All the land south of the
north line of town 110 and west of the west line of range 36.
2 — All the land south of the north line of town 110 and east of
the west line of range 36. 3 — All the land in town 111, range
34, 35 and 36, and all that part of town 112, range 34, lying
in Redwood county, and all of town 112, range 35. 4 — All the
land of town 112, range 36, and all that part of town 113,
ranges 35 and 36, lying in Redwood county. 5 — All the land
not in the other four districts of Redwood county.
On July 26, 1880, Redwood county was redistricted into five
commissioners ' districts as follows : 1 — All the towns of North
Hero, Springdale, Gales, Johnsonville, Westline, and town 111,
range 38. 2 — All the towns of Vail, New Avon, Willow Lake,
Waterbury, Lamberton and Charlestown. 3 — All the towns of
Sundown, Brookville, Morgan, Three Lakes, Paxton and Sherman.
4 — All the towns of Redwood Palls, Sheridan, Vesta, and Under-
wood. 5 — All the towns of Kintire, Swedes Forest, Delhi, Hon-
ner, and all of town 113, range 34, in Redwood county.
On Jan. 5, 1886, the county was again re-districted as to
county commissioners' districts. 1 — All the land in the town-
ships of Springdale, North Hero, Gales, Johnsonville, Westline,
Underwood, Vesta, the unorganized town 111, range 38, and the
village of Walnut Grove. 2 — All the land in the township of
Lamberton, Charlestown, Waterbury, Willow Lake, Vail, New
Avon, and the village of Lamberton. 3 — All the land in the town-
ships of Sundown, Brookville, Three Lakes, Morgan, Paxton, and
Sherman. 4 — All the land in the village of Redwood Palls. 5 —
All the land in the townships of Sheridan, Redwood Falls, Kintire,
Delhi, Swedes Forest, and Honner.
Authority. Records of the doings of the county commission-
ers of Redwood county, transcribed by the various county audi-
tors and on file at the court house in the custody of the Redwood
county auditors.
CHAPTER XVII.
COUNTY OFFICERS AND BUILDINGS.
Redwood county has been fortunate in the type of men that
have administered its affairs in public office. With a few excep-
tions they have been men of integrity and ability, and the splen-
did condition of the records are a glowing tribute to the fidelity
with which they have labored. It is fitting that their names
should here be preserved for the perusal of future generations.
Auditor. April 19, 1865-March 1. 1866, T. W. Caster; March
192 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
1, 1866-March 1, 1871, Edward March; March 1, 1871-March 1,
1872, D. 0. King ; March 1, 1872-March 16, 1876, E. A. Chandler ;
March 16, 1876-Jan. 4, 1887, Isaac M. Van Schaack ; Jan. 4, 1887-
Jan. 6, 1891 ; Tillson Tibbetts ; Jan. 6, 1891-Jan. 3, 1899, Andrew
H. Andersen; Jan. 3, 1899-Jan. 8, 1907, Isaac N. Tompkins; Jan.
8, 1907 to the present time, Lars P. Larson.
Register of Deeds. April 19, 1865-Jan. 1, 1866, J. S. G. Hon-
ner; Jan. 1, 1866-Oct. 6, 1873 (resigned), Lewis M. Baker; Oct.
6, 1873-Jan. 4, 1876, George W. Braley; Jan. 4, 1876-Jan. 2, 1878,
Tillson Tibbetts; Jan. 2, 1878-Jan. 3, 1882, James B. Robinson;
Jan. 3, 1882-Jan. 5, 1897, George L. Evans; Jan. 5, 1897-Jan. 6,
1903, Norris W. Cobleigh; Jan. 6, 1903-Jan. 5, 1909, Otto C.
Goetze ; Jan. 5, 1909, to the present time, A. D. McRae.
County Surveyor. July 1, 1866-Sept. 4, 1867, T. W. Caster
Sept. 4, 1867-Jan. 4, 1872, George E. Oles; Jan. 4, 1872-Jan. 6
1874, I. S. Kaufman; Jan. 6, 1874-Jan. 6, 1876, David Watson
Jan. 6, 1876-Jan. 2, 1878, D. L. Bigham ; Jan. 2, 1878-Jan. 6, 1880
Tillson Tibbetts; Jan. 6, 1880-Jan., 1882, Samuel O. Masters
Jan., 1882-Jan. 4, 1887, Tillson Tibbetts ; Jan. 4, 1887-Jan. 3, 1893
Charles V. Everett ; Jan. 3, 1893-Jan. 8, 1907, D. L. Bigham ; Jan
8, 1907-Jan. 7, 1911, Louis J. Beevar ; Jan. 7, 1911, to the present
time, D. L. Bigham.
Judge of Probate. April 19, 1865-Jan. 3, 1869, Sam MePhail ;
Jan. 3, 1869-Jan. 3, 1871, Coulter Wiggins; Jan. 3, 1871-Peb. 2,
1872 (resigned), Victor C. Seward; Feb. 2, 1872-Jan., 1877, Hial
D. Baldwin ; Jan., 1877-Jan. 7, 1879, S. J. F. Ruter ; Jan. 7, 1879-
Jan. 6, 1885, John H. Bowers ; Jan. 6, 1885-Jan. 7, 1889, Hial D.
Baldwin; Jan. 7, 1889-Jan. 8, 1895, Erastus D. French; Jan. 8,
1895-Jan. 6, 1901, James B. Robinson ; Jan. 6, 1901-Nov. 30, 1909
(deceased), Geo. L. Evans; Nov. 30, 1909-Jan. 3, 1911, Charles
T. Howard ; Jan. 3, 1911, to the present time, A. R. A. Laudon.
Clerk of Court. Jan. 1, 1866-Jan. 4, 1870, Birney Flynn; Jan.
4, 1870-Jan., 1872, Julius R. White ; Jan., 1872-Nov., 1872, Victor
C. Seward ; Nov., 1872-Jan. 2, 1877, Hial D. Baldwin ; Jan. 2, 1877-
May 11, 1880, W. H. Hawk; May 11, 1880-Jan. 4, 1881, J. Wilson
Paxton ; Jan. 4, 1881-Jan. 7, 1889, Franklin Ensign ; Jan. 7, 1889-
Jan. 5, 1897, James L. Byram ; Jan. 5, 1897-Jan. 5, 1909, Fred L.
Warner; Jan. 5, 1909, to the present time, W. D. Weldon.
Coroner. Jan. 4, 1870-Jan. 4, 1872, Peter Swenson; Jan. 4,
1872-Jan. 2, 1878, Dr. D. L. Hitchcock ; Jan. 2, 1878-Jan. 6, 1880,
R. W. Hoyt; Jan. 6, 1880-July 25, 1881, L. S. Crandall; July 25,
1881-Jan. 1, 1883, C. S. Stoddard ; Jan. 1, 1883-Jan. 6, 1885, Amos
G. Hammer; Jan. 6, 1885-May 27, 1887, Frederick H. Morton;
May 27, 1887-Jan. 1, 1893, Giles R. Pease; Jan. 1, 1893-Jan. 5,
1895, L. S. Crandall ; Jan. 5, 1895-Jan. 4, 1899, C. P. Gibson ; Jan.
4, 1899-Oct. 23, 1901 (resigned), A. B. Hawes; Oct. 23, 1901-Sept.
21, 1903, H. Percy Dredge ; Sept. 21, 1903-Feb. 24, 1904 (moved
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 193
away), W. E. Belt; Feb. 24, 1904-Jan. 3, 1905, F. J. Bickford;
Jan. 3, 1905-March 12, 1914, Frederick H. Aldrich; March 12,
1914, to the present time, F. W. Brey.
Sheriff. April 19, 1865-Jan., 1866, John Ripley Thompson;
Jan., 1866-Jan., 1868, Norman Webster ; Jan., 1868-March 2, 1868,
John Ripley Thompson; March 2, 1868-Jan. 3, 1871, Charles P.
Griswold (appointed) ; Jan. 3, 1871-Jan. 3, 1876, Thos. McMillan;
Jan. 3, 1876-Jan. 2, 1878, James Durtnal ; Jan. 2, 1878-Jan. 8, 1880,
David B. Whitmore; Jan. 8, 1880-Jan. 3, 1882, A. L. Gale; Jan.
3, 1882-Jan. 4, 1887, Melville B. Abbett ; Jan. 4, 1887-Jan. 3, 1893,
Charles W. Mead ; Jan. 3, 1893-April 6, 1895, Casper Blethen (re-
signed) ; April 9, 1895-Jan. 5, 1897, Charles W. Mead (appointed) ;
Jan. 5, 1897-Jan. 8, 1901, E. A. Pease ; Jan. 8, 1901-Jan. 6, 1903,
Alvin Small; Jan. 6, 1903-Jan. 7, 1913, B. C. Schueller; Jan. 7,
1913, to the present time, Frank J. Hassenstab.
Treasurer. April 19, 1865-March 2, 1868, Jacob Tippery;
March 2, 1868-May 25, 1870, William H. Morrill (resigned);
May 25, 1870-March, 1875, L. F. Robinson ; March, 1875-March,
1876, George W. Braley; March, 1876-March, 1880, Amasa Tower;
March, 1880-Jan. 4, 1887, Alpheus A. Wilson ; Jan. 4, 1887-June
26, 1888, John S. G. Honner (deceased) ; June 26, 1888-Jan. 8,
1895, Emil Kuenzli ; Jan. 8, 1895-Jan. 3, 1899, Joseph R. Lankard ;
Jan. 3, 1899-Jan. 6, 1903, William P. Tenney ; Jan. 6, 1903-Jan. 5,
1909, J. Albert Johnson; Jan. 5, 1909-Aug. 18, 1911, N. V. R.
Hunter (deceased) ; Sept. 1, 1911, to the present time, Charles V.
Everett.
Attorney. Jan. 1, 1866-Jan. 1, 1871, Samuel McPhail; Jan. 3,
1871-Jan. 2, 1872, Coulter Wiggins ; Jan. 2, 1872-Jan. 6, 1880, M.
E. Powell; Jan. 6, 1880-Jan. 3, 1882, Alfred Wallin; Jan. 3, 1882-
Jan. 4, 1887, M. E. Powell ; Jan. 4, 1887-Jan. 31, 1894, Michael M.
Madigan (resigned); Jan. 31, 1894-Feb. 27. 1894, S. L. Pierce
(resigned) ; Feb. 27, 1894-Jan. 8, 1895, W. L. Pierce; Jan. 8, 1895-
Jan. 6, 1903, Frank Clague ; Jan. 6, 1903-Jan. 8, 1907, Charles T.
Howard; Jan. 8, 1907-April 13, 1910, William G. Owens (re-
signed; April 13, 1910, to the present time, Albert H. Enerson.
Buildings. The county buildings of Redwood county consist
of a commodious court house and sightly jail, at Redwood Falls,
and an unusually beautiful alms house, one mile west from the
city.
Redwood Falls has been the county seat of Redwood county
since the organization of the county. The first county officers
kept their books at their homes or at their regular places of busi-
ness. Later some of them secured small offices. The early courts
were held in various buildings.
The first action by the county board toward securing quarters
for county offices was taken Sept. 12, 1865, when O. C. Martin
was authorized to secure a suitable room for the transaction of
194 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
county business. Mr. Martin's office was used for the purpose
for several years.
On March 10, 1869, the board of commissioners decided to
purchase a lot and erect a county building at a cost not to exceed
$300, but a short time afterward Dr. D. L. Hitchcock and C. P.
Griswold offered to erect a suitable building and to rent it to the
county for $5 a month. This offer was accepted, and the officers
moved into the building early in January, 1870.
The present court house square was donated to the county by
Col. Sam. McPhail, and in 1872 plans were set on foot for the
erection of a court house thereon. May 5, 1873, the commissioners
appointed a committee to take charge of the erection of the build-
ing. The contract was let May 31, 1873, at $2,150. Of this, $1,400
was to be raised by issuing county orders from time to time at 7
per cent interest. The building was subsequently enlarged and
improved in various ways. Sept. 2, 1890, the sum of $5,000 was
appropriated for the purpose of further enlarging the building,
but the action was reconsidered in favor of an entirely new
structure.
Action toward erecting the present court house on the site
of the older one was taken July 13, 1891, when the county com-
missioners voted $15,000 for the purpose. The scope of the work
grew, and the court house as it stands costs between $35,000 and
$40,000. The building is splendidly adapted for the purpose, and
is fully equipped with electric lights, telephones, water and sewer
connections, and substantial vaults. The court room on the upper
floor seats from 800 to 1,000 people, and is a model of its kind in
every respect.
A resolution to erect a county jail, a few rods northeast of
the court house was passed by the commissioners, May 2, 1894.
The bid was approved June 6, 1894, and the building, together
with the heating plant in the court house and pail, was approved
Feb. 21, 1895. The court house and jail are both of brick, and
with their well-kept lawns, are ornaments of which the people
have reason to be proud.
Jan. 5, 1899, it was decided to sell the county poor farm, the
farm being too far from the county seat. Later the present farm
west of the city was purchased. The splendid structure which
adorns the farm, and which is probably the most magnificent alms
house in Minnesota, was completed Sept. 22, 1909.
Authority. These lists of officers have been gleaned with some
difficulty from the various records at the Redwood County Court
House and from the files of the newspapers, as well as from elec-
tion returns. The records in the individual offices were consulted
for signatures, the official bonds of the officers were examined,
and election returns looked over with care.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 195
CHAPTER XVIII.
LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATION.
Alexander Ramsey, of Pennsylvania, then only thirty-four
years of age, was appointed by President Taylor the first gov-
ernor of the new territory of Minnesota. His previous public
experience had been as a member of the Twenty-eighth and Twen-
ty-ninth congresses, in which he had displayed the sterling
qualities and the marked ability which characterized his long
after-career. From the time of his coming to Minnesota until
the close of his life he remained one of its most loyal and honored
citizens, filling many important positions both in the state and
the nation. He arrived in St. Paul, May 27, 1849, and the hotels
being full to overflowing proceeded with his family to Mendota,
a fur trading station at the junction of the Mississippi and Min-
nesota rivers, where he became the guest of Henry H. Sibley,
remaining there until June 26.
On the first of June he issued a proclamation, said to have
been prepared in a small room in Bass's log tavern which stood
on the site now occupied by the Merchant's Hotel, making official
announcement of the organization of the territory, with the fol-
lowing officers: Governor, Alexander Ramsey, of Pennsylvania;
secretary, C. K. Smith, of Ohio; chief justice, Aaron Goodrich,
of Tennessee; associate justices, David Cooper, of Pennsylvania,
and Bradley B. Meeker, of Kentucky; United States marshal,
Joshua L. Taylor; United States attorney, H. L. Moss. Mr. Tay-
lor, having declined to accept the office of marshal, A. M. Mitchell,
of Ohio, a graduate of West Point, and colonel of an Ohio regi-
ment in the Mexican war, was appointed to the position and
arrived in August.
A second proclamation issued by Governor Ramsey, June 11,
divided the territory into three judicial districts, to which the
three judges who had been appointed by the president were
assigned. The present Redwood county was included in the
Third district, which embraced all the southern part of the state,
the northern boundary of the district being the Mississippi from
the Iowa line to the mouth of the Minnesota, the whole length
of the Minnesota, and a line drawn from the source of the Min-
nesota west to the Missouri. Hon. David Cooper, associate justice,
was assigned to the bench and court ordered held at Mendota,
on the fourth Monday of August, 1849.
The census of the territory taken in 1849 by an order of
Governor Ramsey issued June 11, although including the soldiers
at the fort and pretty much every living soul in the territory
except Indians, footed up the disappointing total of 4,764 — of
196 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
which number 3,058 were males and 1,706 were females. Addi-
tional and revised returns made the population exactly 5,000 —
males, 3,253; females, 1,747.
Another proclamation issued July 7, 1849, divided the terri-
tory into seven council districts and ordered an election to be held
August 1 to choose one delegate to the house of representatives
at Washington, and nine councillors and eighteen representatives
to constitute the legislative assembly of Minnesota. The election
passed off very quietly, politics entering scarcely at all into the
contests, which were wholly personal. In all 682 votes were cast
for the delegate to congress, Henry H. Sibley, who was elected
without opposition.
The council districts were described in Ramsey's proclama-
tion as follows: "No. 1. The St. Croix precinct of St. Croix
county, and the settlements on the west bank of the Mississippi
south of Crow village to the Iowa line. 2. The Stillwater pre-
cinct of the county of St. Croix. 3. The St. Paul precinct (except
Little Canada settlement). 4. Marine Mills, Falls of St. Croix,
Rush Lake, Rice River and Snake River precincts, of St. Croix
county and La Pointe county. 5. The Falls of St. Anthony pre-
cinct and the Little Canada settlement. 6. The Sauk Rapids and
Crow Wing precincts, of St. Croix county, and all settlements
west of the Mississippi and north of the Osakis river, and a line
thence west to the British line. 7. The country and settlements
west of the Mississippi, not included in districts 1 and 6. The
territory now embraced in Redwood county was included in the
Seventh district, which generally speaking included all the ter-
ritory south of the Sauk and west of the Mississippi to the terri-
torial line, but none of the settlements on the west bank of the
Mississippi except such as might be found north of the settle-
ments near St. Anthony Falls and south of the mouth of Sauk
river.
1849 — The first territorial legislature — called the territorial
assembly — met Monday, September 3, in the Central House, St.
Paul, a large log building weatherboarded, which served both as
a state house and a hotel. It stood on practically the present site
of the Mannheimer block. On the first floor of the main building
was the secretary's office and the dining room was occupied as
the Representatives' chamber. As the hour for dinner or supper
approached the House had to adjourn to give the servants an
opportunity to make the necessary preparations for serving the
meal. In the ladies' parlor on the second floor the Council con-
vened for their deliberations. The legislature halls were not to
exceed eighteen feet square. Governor Ramsey, during his entire
term of office, had his executive office in his private residence, and
the supreme court shifted from place to place as rooms could be
rented for its use. Although congress had appropriated $20,000
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 197
for the erection of a capitol, the money could not be used as "a'
permanent seat of government" for the territory had not yet been
selected, so the machinery of government had to be carted around
in the most undignified manner. The seventh district was repre-
sented in the council by Martin McLeod, of Lac qui Parle ; and
in the house by Alexis Bailly, of Mendota, and Gideon H. Pond,
of Oak Grove.
1851 — The second territorial legislature met January 1 and
adjourned March 31. Martin McLeod again represented the
Seventh district in the council; while in the house were Alex-
ander Faribault, of Mendota, and B. H. Randall, of Fort Snelling.
The territory, having been divided into counties, it was appor-
tioned by the second territorial legislature (1851) into seven
districts. Dakota county, which included the present Redwood
county, was the Sixth district.
1852 — The third territorial legislature assembled January 7
and adjourned March 6. The Sixth district was represented in
the council by Martin McLeod, of Oak Grove; and in the house
by James McBoal, of Mendota, and B. H. Randall, of Ft. Snelling.
1853 — The fourth territorial ligeslature assembled January 5
and adjourned March 5. The Sixth district was again represented
in the council by Martin McLeod. B. H. Randall was again in
the house and the new member from the Sixth district was A. E.
Ames. This legislature changed the boundary lines of certain
counties and created certain new counties. The present Red-
wood county fell in Blue Earth county. In spite of these changes
in county lines, the boundaries of the legislative districts remained
the same.
Franklin Pierce having been elected president of the United
States in the previous November, promptly proceeded after his
inauguration, in accordance with the good old Jacksonian doc-
trine, to remove the "Whig officeholders and distribute the spoils
among the victors. The new territorial appointees were : Gov-
ernor, Willis A. Gorman, of Indiana; secretary, J. T. Rosser, of
Virginia; chief justice, W. H. Welch, of Minnesota; associates,
Moses Sherburne, of Maine, and A. G. Chatfield, of Wisconsin.
Soon after entering on the duties of his office, Governor Gorman
concluded a treaty at Watab with the Winnebago Indians for an
exchange of territory. At the election in October Henry M.
Rice was elected delegate to Congress.
1854 — In 1854 the legislature of Minnesota for the first time
assembled in a regular capitol building, its previous sessions
having been held haphazard wherever accommodations could be
had. This building, which was started as early as 1851, was
totally destroyed by fire on the evening of March 1, 1881, while
both branches of the legislature were in session. Some of the
more valuable papers in the various offices were saved, but the
198 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
law library and many thousands of documents and reports were
burned. The total loss was about $200,000. The present "Old
Capitol" was erected on the site of the first building. The fifth
session assembled January 4 and adjourned March 4. The Sixth
district was represented in the council by Joseph R. Brown; and
in the house by Hesekiah Fletcher and William H. Nobles.
1855 — The sixth territorial legislature assembled January 3
and adjourned March 3. Joseph R. Brown against represented
the Sixth district in the council, and Henry H. Sibley and D. M.
Hanson represented the district in the house.
By the apportionment of 1855 the present Redwood county
with the rest of the then Brown county was placed in the Tenth
district with Le Sueur, Steele, Faribault, Blue Earth, Renville,
Nicollet, Sibley and Pierce.
1856 — The seventh territorial legislature assembled January
2 and adjourned March 1. The Tenth district was represented
in the council by C. E. Flandrau, and in the house by Parsons
K. Johnson, Aurelius F. de La Vergne and George A. McLeod.
1857 — The eighth and last territorial legislature assembled
January 7 and adjourned March 7. The extra session lasted
from April 27 to May 20. The tenth district was represented
in the council by P. P. Humphrey and in the house by Joseph R.
Brown, Francis Baasen and O. A. Thomas.
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
March 3, 1857, congress passed an act authorizing the people
of Minnesota to form a state constitution. Each council district
was to be represented in this convention by two representatives
for each councilman and representative to which it was entitled.
The constitutional convention, consisting of 108 members, was
authorized to meet at the capital on the second Monday in July,
to frame a state constitution and submit it to the people of the
territory. The election was held on the first Monday in June,
1857. July 13 the delegates met but, a disagreement arising in
the organization, the Republican members organized one body
and the Democrats another, fifty-nine delegates being given seats
in the former and fifty-three in the latter, making 112 in all.
Each of these bodies, claiming to be the legally constituted con-
vention, proceeded with the work of formulating an instrument
to be submitted to the people. After some days an understand-
ing was effected between them, and by means of a committee of
conference, the same constitution was framed and adopted by
both bodies. On being submitted to the people, October 13, 1857,
it was ratified.
The Tenth district was represented in the Republican wing by
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 199
Amos Cogswell, Lewis McKune, and Edwin Page Davis. On the
Democratic side, from the Tenth district, sat: Joseph R. Brown,
C. E. Flandrau, Francis Baasen, William B. McMahon, and J. B.
Swan. Of these, Joseph R. Brown had been the Indian agent liv-
ing at the Lower Sioux Agency in what is now Redwood county.
The history of this convention is so graphically given by
W. H. C. Folsom, who was one of its members, in his interesting
volume, "Fifty Years in the Northwest," that we quote it almost
entire :
"The state was nearly equally divided betwen the Repub-
licans and Democrats, still the question of politics did not enter
largely into the contest except as a question of party supremacy.
The people were a unit on the question of organizing a state
government under the enabling act and in many cases there was
but a single ticket in the field. It was a matter, therefore, of
some surprise that there should be a separation among the dele-
gates into opposing factions, resulting practically in the forma-
tion of two conventions, each claiming to represent the people and
each proposing a constitution. The delegates, although but 108
were called, were numbered on the rolls of the two wings as 59
Republican and 53 Democratic, a discrepancy arising from some
irregularity of enrollment, by which certain memberships were
counted twice. The Republican members, claiming a bare major-
ity, took possession of the hall at midnight, twelve hours before
the legal time for opening the convention, the object being to
obtain control of the offices and committees of the convention, a
manifest advantage in the matter of deciding upon contested seats.
"In obedience to the call of the leaders of the party, issued
the day before, the writer, with other Republicans, repaired to
the house at the appointed hour, produced his credentials as a
delegate, and was conducted into the illuminated hall by Hon.
John W. North. The delegates were dispersed variously about
the hall, some chatting together, others reading newspapers,
smoking or snoring, and here and there one had fallen asleep in
his seat. Occasionally a delegate nervously examined his revolver
as if he anticipated some necessity for its use.
"The Democratic delegates were elsewhere, probably plotting
in secret conclave to capture the hall, and perhaps it might be
well enough to be prepared for the worst. Thus the remainder
of the night passed and the forenoon of July 13. As soon as the
clock struck twelve the Democratic delegates rushed tumultu-
ously in, as if with the purpose of capturing the speaker's stand.
That, however, was already occupied by the Republican dele-
gates and the storming party was obliged to content itself with
the lower steps of the stand. Both parties at the moment the
clock ceased striking were yelling "order" vociferously, and
nominating their officers pro tem. Both parties effected a tern-
200 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
porary organization, although in the uproar and confusion it was
difficult to know what was done.
"The Democratic wing adjourned at once to the senate cham-
ber and there effected a permanent organization. The Repub-
licans, being left in undisturbed possession of the hall, perfected
their organization, and the two factions set themselves diligently
to work to frame a constitution, each claiming to be the legally
constituted convention, and expecting recognition as such by the
people of the state and congress. The debates in each were acri-
monious. A few of the more moderate delegates in each recog-
nized the absurdity and illegality of their position and questioned
the propriety of remaining and participating in proceedings which
they could not sanction.
"The conventions continued their sessions inharmoniously
enough. Each framed a constitution, at the completion of which
a joint committee was appointed to revise and harmonize the two
constitutions, but the members of the committes were as bellig-
erent as the conventions they represented. Members grew angry,
abusing each other with words and even blows, blood being
drawn in an argument with bludgeons between two of the dele-
gates. An agreement seemed impossible, when some one whose
name has not found its way into history, made the happy sugges-
tion that alternate articles of each constitution be adopted.
When this was done, and the joint production of the two conven-
tions was in presentable shape, another and almost fatal difficulty
arose, as to which wing should be accorded the honor of signing
officially this remarkable document. One body or the other must
acknowledge the paternity of the hybrid. Ingenuity amounting
to genius (it is a pity that the possessor should be unknown)
found a new expedient, namely, to write out two constitutions in
full, exact duplicates except as to signatures, the one to be
signed by Democratic officers and members and the other by
Republicans. These two constitutions were filed in the archives
of the state and one of them, which one will probably never be
known, was adopted by the people October 13, 1857."
Mr. Folsom is slightly in error. The enabling act did not
specify any hour for the meeting of the convention, nor did it
designate any definite place in the capitol where the sessions
should be held, both of which omissions contributed to the con-
fusion in organization. W. W. Folwell, in his "History of Min-
nesota," narrates the preliminaries as follows: "To make sure
of being on hand, the Republican delegates repaired to the capitol
late on the Sunday night preceding the first Monday in June and
remained there, as one of them phrased it, 'to watch and pray
■ for the Democratic brethren.' These did not appear till a few
moments before twelve o'clock of the appointed day. Imme-
diately upon their entrance in a body into the representatives'
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 201
hall Charles R. Chase, secretary of the territory and a delegate,
proceeded to the speaker's desk and called to order. A motion
to adjourn was made by Colonel Gorman, and the question was
taken by Chase, who declared it carried. The Democrats left
the hall to the Republicans, who proceeded to organize the con-
vention. Fifty-six delegates presented credentials in proper form
and took their oaths to support the constitution of the United
States. At noon of Tuesday the Democratic delegates assembled
about the door of the hall, and finding it occupied by citizens
who refused to give them place, met in the adjacent council cham-
ber and proceeded to organize the convention. Henry H. Sibley
was made chairman, on motion of Joseph R. Brown, and later
became president of the body."
After the adjournment of the constitutional convention the
Republicans and Democrats held their party conventions, each
nominating a full state ticket and three condidates for Congress.
The Republican candidate for governor was Alexander Ramsey
and the Democratic candidate Henry H. Sibley. The election
was held October 13, 1857, the constitution being adopted by an
overwhelming vote; H. H. Sibley was elected governor by a
majority of only 240 in a total of 35,240 votes, and the Demo-
crats had a small majority in the legislature.
STATE REPRESENTATION.
The first Minnesota state legislature assembled December 2,
1857. There was a serious question, however, as to whether it
was really a state legislature, as Minnesota had not yet been
admitted to the Union. There was a question as to the recog-
nition of Samuel Medary, the territorial governor, as governor
of the state, but by a. vote of 59 to 49 he was so recognized by
the legislature, and he, in turn, in his message recognized the
law-making body as a state legislature. None of the state officers
could take the oath of office, and the Republican members of the
legislature entered a formal protest against any business what-
ever being done until after the admission of the state as a member
of the Union. But the Democrats, having a majority, decided to
hold a joint convention December 19 for the election of two
United States senators. Henry M. Rice was elected for the long
term on the first ballot, but it was not until after several ballot-
ings that General James Shields won the short term. He was a
new comer from Illinois and his election was a bitter pill for
many of the old Democratic war-horses, such as Sibley, Steele,
Brown and Gorman.
As a means of relieving the state from the awkward predica-
ment in which it was placed, the legislature adopted. March 1,
an amendment to the constitution authorizing the newly-elected
202 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
officers to qualify May 1, whether the state was admitted by that
date or not, this amendment to be submitted to the voters at an
election called for April 15. A second amendment, submitted at
the same time, provided for the famous $5,000,000 railroad bond
loan, which was the cause of great loss and great bitterness to
the people. Both amendments were overwhelmingly adopted,
but in November, 1860, the bond amendment was expunged from
the constitution, after $2,275,000 bonds had been issued. The
legislature, March 25, took a recess until June 2.
In the meantime the steps looking toward the recognition of
Minnesota's statehood by congress had lagged sadly. For some
unknown reason, President Buchanan had delayed until the mid-
dle of January, 1858, transmitting to the United States senate
the constitution adopted by the people. A bill for the admission
of Minnesota as a state was introduced by Stephen A. Douglas,
chairman of the committee on territories. When this bill came up
February 1, there was a prolonged discussion, a number of the
senators being in opposition because it would add another to the
number of free states, thus disturbing the "balance of power"
between the free and slave states. Among those participating
in the debate were Senators Douglas, Wilson, Gwin, Hale, Mason,
Green, Brown and Crittenden, the latter being much more mod-
erate in his expressions than most of his fellow senators from
the South. The debate continued until April 8, when the English
bill, which provided for the admission of Kansas as a supposed
slave state having passed, the opposition ceased, and Minnesota's
bill was adopted by a vote of 49 to 3. The bill then went to the
house, where it met the same kind of objections as had been
raised in the senate, the English bill standing in the way until
May 4, when it was passed. One week later, May 11, the bill
admitting Minnesota, passed the house by a vote of 157 to 38,
the following day receiving the approval of the President, and
May 12, 1858, Minnesota obtained full recognition as a state in
the Union. Informal news of the action of congress reached
St. Paul, by telegraphic information brought from La Crosse,
Wis., May 13, but the official notice was not received until some
days later, and May 24 the state officers elected in October, 1858,
took their oaths of office.
1857-58 — The first state legislature, as already noted, assem-
bled December 2, 1857. On March 25, 1858, it took a recess
until June 28, and finally adjourned August 12. The state was
admitted May 11, 1858. It will, therefore, be seen that, although
this legislature is called the first state legislature, nevertheless
it assembled in territorial times.
By the apportionment of 1857, set forth in the state constitu-
tion adopted Oct. 13, 1857, Nicollet and Brown counties (then
including the present Redwood) constituted the Seventeenth legis-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 203
lative district, with one senator and three representatives. The
counties of Le Sueur, Sibley, Nicolett, Blue Earth, Faribault,
McLeod, Renville, Brown and all other counties not included
within other judicial districts, were constituted the Sixth judi-
cial district. The Seventeenth legislative district was represented
in the senate by Thomas Cowan, and in the house by Ephraim
Pierce, Albert Tuttle and Frederick Redfield.
1858-59 — No session was held in the winter of 1858-59, mainly
owing to the protracted session of 1857-58, which was believed
to render unnecessary another one following so soon, the legis-
lature of that year having so provided by enactment.
1859-60 — The second state legislature assembled December 7,
1859, and adjourned March 12, 1860. The Seventeenth district
was represented in the senate by Thomas Cowan, and in the
house by John Armstrong, E. Rehfeld and William Pfaender.
By the apportionment of 1860, all of the present Redwood
county was included in the Nineteenth district, which was to con-
sist of Nicolett, Sibley, Renville, Pierce and Davis counties, and
that portion of Brown county west of Range 33. The district
was to have one senator and two representatives.
1861 — The third state legislature assembled January 8 and
adjourned March 8. The Nineteenth district was represented in
the senate by James W. Linde and the house by M. G. Hanscome
and E. E. Paulding.
1862 — The fourth state legislature assembled January 7 and
adjourned March 4. The Nineteenth district was represented in
the senate by Henry A. Swift and in the house by M. J. Severance
and Adam Buck, Jr.
On account of the Indian outbreak in 1862, an extra session
was called by the governor. It assembled September 9 and
adjourned September 29. The officers and members were the
same as at the regular session, except that L. K. Asker, from the
Ninth district, was not present at the regular session, but pre-
sented his credentials to the second session.
1863 — The fifth state legislature assembled January 6 and
adjourned March 6. The Nineteenth district was represented in
the senate by Henry A. Swift and in the house by William Huey
and W. Tennant.
1864 — The sixth state legislature assembled January 5, and
adjourned March 5. The Nineteenth district was represented in
the senate by Henry A. Swift and in the house by Samuel Coffin
and William Huey.
1865 — The seventh state legislature assembled January 3 and
adjourned March 3. The Nineteenth district was represented in
the senate by Henry A. Swift and in the house by Hamilton Beatty
and Henry Poehler.
204 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
1866 — The eighth state legislature assembled January 2 and
adjourned March 2. The Nineteenth district was represented in
the senate by Charles T. Brown, of St. Peter, and in the house by
Thomas Russell and J. S. G. Honner. At that time, Mr. Honner
lived in Redwood Falls. Later he moved to the Minnesota bottoms
in what is now Honner township.
By the apportionment of 1866 Redwood county was placed
in the Nineteenth district with Nicollet, Brown, Sibley, Renville,
Pierce and Davis counties. It was to be represented by one
senator and two representatives.
1867 — The ninth state legislature assembled January 8 and
adjourned March 8. The Nineteenth district was represented in
the senate by Adam Buck, of Henderson, and in the house by
Charles T. Brown and D. G. Shillock, of New Ulm.
1868 — The tenth state legislature assembled January 7 and
adjourned March 6. The Nineteenth district was represented in
the senate by Charles T. Brown and in the house by John C.
Rudolph, of New Ulm, and Adam Buck.
1869 — The eleventh state legislature assembled January 5 and
adjourned March 5. The Nineteenth district was represented in
the senate by Charles T. Brown and in the house by J. C.
Rudolph and J. C. Stoever, of Henderson.
1870 — The twelfth state legislature assembled January 4 and
adjourned March 3. The Nineteenth district was represented in
the senate by William Pfaender, of New Ulm, and in the house
by William L. Couplin, of St. Peter, and P. H. Swift, of Beaver
Palls.
1871 — The thirteenth state legislature assembled January 8
and adjourned March 3. The Nineteenth district was represented
in the senate by William Pfaender and in the house by W. L.
Couplin and J. S. G. Honner.
By the apportionment of 1871 Redwood county was placed in
the Thirty-seventh district, with Brown and Lyon counties, to be
represented by one senator and two representatives.
1872 — The fourteenth state legislature assembled January 2
and adjourned March 2. The Thirty-seventh district was repre-
sented in the senate by William Pfaender and in the house by
O. S. Reishus, of Yellow Medicine, and Henry Weyhe, of New
Ulm.
1873 — The fifteenth state legislature assembled January 7 and
adjourned March 7. The Thirty-seventh district was represented
in the senate by J. S. G. Honner and in the house by J. W. Blake,
of Marshall, and Charles C. Brandt, of Brown county.
1874 — The sixteenth state legislature assembled January 6
and adjourned March 6. The Thirty-seventh district was repre-
sented in the senate by J. S. G. Honner and in the house by Ziba
B. Clark, of Lac qui Parle, and Charles Hansing.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 205
1875 — The seventeenth state legislature assembled January 5
and adjourned March 5. The Thirty-seventh district was repre-
sented in the senate by John W. Blake and in the house by H. S.
Berg, of New Ulm, and Knud H. Helling, of New Ulm.
1876 — The eighteenth state legislature assembled January 4
and adjourned March 3. The Thirty-seventh district was repre-
sented in the senate by John W. Blake and in the house by Peter
P. Jacobson, of Lac qui Parle, and William Skinner, of Brown
couinty.
1877 — The nineteenth state legislature assembled January 2
and adjourned March 2. The Thirty-seventh district was repre-
sented in the senate by S. A. Hall, of Wood Lake, and in the
house by David Worst, of Redwood county, and E. P. Bertrand,
of Brown county.
1878 — The twentieth state legislature assembled January 8 and
adjourned March 8. The Thirty-seventh district was represented
in the senate by S. A. Hall and in the house by J. W. Williams,
of Marshall and Charles C. Brandt.
1879— The twenty-first state legislature assembled January 7
and adjourned March 7. The Thirty-seventh district was repre-
sented in the senate by K. H. Helling and in the house by Gorham
Powers, of Granite Falls, and J. P. Bertrand.
1881 — The twenty-second state legislature assembled January
4 and adjourned March 4. The Thirty-seventh district was repre-
sented in the senate by S. B. Peterson of New Ulm, and in the
house by J. C. Zeiske, of Sleepy Eye, and G. W. Braley, of Red-
wood Falls. Beginning with this year, a resident of Redwood
county has sat in every session of the legislature.
By the apportionment of 1881, Redwood county was placed
in the Ninth district with Brown county and was entitled to one
senator and two representatives.
An extra session was called for the purpose of considering
the legislation at the regular session relating to the state rail-
road bonds, which were declared unconstitutional by the supreme
court. The session was commenced October 11 and closed No-
vember 13.
1883 — The twenty-third state legislature assembled January
2 and adjourned March 2. The Ninth district was represented
in the senate by S. D. Peterson, and in the house by Joseph
Bobleter, of New Ulm, and Orlando B. Turrell, of Redwood Falls.
1885 — The twenty-fourth state legislature assembled January
6 and adjourned March 2. The Ninth district was represented
in the senate by S. D. Peterson and in the house by William
Skinner and Orlando B. Turrell.
1887 — The twenty-fifth state legislature assembled January
4 and adjourned March 4. The Ninth district was represented in
the senate by Thomas E. Bowen. of Sleepy Eye, and in the house
206 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
by William Skinner and J. N. Jones, of Westline, Redwood
county.
1889 — The twenty-sixth state legislature assembled January 8
and adjourned April 23. The Ninth district was represented in
the senate by T. E. Bowen and in the house by James McMillan,
of Redwood Falls, and C. W. H. Heidemann, of New Ulm.
By the apportionment of 1889 Redwood county remained in
the Ninth district with Brown county, to be represented by one
senator and two representatives.
1891 — The twenty-seventh state legislature assembled January
6 and adjourned April 20. The Ninth district was represented in
the senate by S. D. Peterson and in the house by Orlando B.
Turrell and Christian Ahlness, of Brown county.
1893 — The twenty-eighth state legislature assembled January
3 and adjourned April 18. The Ninth district was represented in
the senate by S. D. Peterson and in the house by William Skinner
and Orlando B. Turrell.
1895 — The twenty-ninth state legislature assembled January
8 and adjourned April 23. The Ninth district was represented
in the senate by E. D. French, of Redwood Falls, and in the
house by J. N. Jones and Nels Christenson, of Brown county.
1897 — The thirtieth state legislature assembled January 5
and adjourned April 21. The Ninth district was represented in
the senate by E. D. French and in the house by Henry Heimer-
dinger, of Brown county, and James A. Larson, of Walnut Grove,
Redwood county.
By the apportionment of 1897 Redwood county was placed in
the Nineteenth district, with Brown county, to be represented by
one senator and two representatives.
1899 — The thirty-first state legislature assembled January 3
and adjourned April 18. The Nineteenth district was represented
in the senate by George W. Somerville, of Sleepy Eye, and in
the house by Henry Heimerdinger and James A. Larson.
1901 — The thirty-second state legislature assembled January
8 and adjourned April 12. The Nineteenth district was repre-
sented in the senate by George W. Somerville and in the house
by S. D. Peterson and James A. Larson.
An extra session was called for the purpose of considering the
report of the Fox Commission created by Chapter 13, General
Laws of A. D. 1901. The extra session convened February 4,
1902, and adjourned March 11, 1902.
1903 — The thirty-third state legislature assembled January 6
and adjourned April 12. The Nineteenth district was represented
in the senate by George W. Somerville and in the house by S. D.
Peterson and Frank Clague, then of Lamberton, Redwood county,
now of Redwood Falls.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 207
1905 — The thirty-fourth state legislature assembled January
3 and adjourned April 18. The Nineteenth district was repre-
sented in the senate by George W. Somerville and in the house by
S. D. Peterson and Frank Clague.
1907 — The thirty-fifth state legislature assembled January 8
and adjourned April 22. The Nineteenth district was represented
in the senate by Frank Clague and in the house by S. D. Peter-
son and C. M. Bendixen, of Three Lakes, Redwood county.
1909 — The thirty-sixth state legislature assembled January 5
and adjourned April 22. The Nineteenth district was represented
in the senate by Frank Clague and in the house by C. M. Bendixen
and Albert Pfaender, of New Ulm.
1911 — The thirty-seventh state legislature assembled January
3 and adjourned April 19. The Nineteenth district was repre-
sented in the senate by Frank Clague and in the house by Joseph
R. Keefe, of North Redwood, Redwood county, and Albert
Pfaender.
An extra session was called for the purpose of enacting a
state-wide direct primary law applicable to all state officers, a
corrupt practices act and a reapportionment law. The extra ses-
sion convened June 4, 1912, and adjourned June 18, 1912.
1913 — The thirty-eight state legislature assembled January
7 and adjourned April 24. The Nineteenth district was repre-
sented in the senate by Frank Clague and in the house by Albert
Pfander and C. M. Bendixen.
At several successive sessions of the legislature prior to that
of 1913 attempts had been made to secure a new apportionment.
The last had been in 1897 and a great change in the population
had taken place in the meantime — the northern part of the state
having increased while in the southern part the gain had been
slight, in some counties an actual loss having taken place. At
the 1913 session, after a protracted struggle, a compromise bill
was agreed upon, by which the number of senators was increased
to 67, and the number of representatives to 130, although the
legislature was already one of the largest in the United States
and altogether out of proportion to the population. By this
apportionment, Redwood county was placed in the Fourteenth
district with Brown county and was to be represented by one
senator and three representatives.
1915 — The thirty-ninth state legislature assembled January
4 and adjourned April 22. The Fourteenth district was repre-
sented in the senate by L. E. Potter of Springfield and in the
house by Albert Hauser of Sleepy Eye, Alfred W. Mueller of
New Ulm and C. M. Bendixen.
Congressional Representation. Redwood county has never
elected any of its residents to Congress, though Orlando B. Tur-
rell was once a formidable candidate for the Republican nomi-
208 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
nation. Since the apportionment of 1871, Redwood county has
remained in the Second Congressional district with the excep-
tion of the period from 1901 to 1913 when it was in the Seventh
district. The Second district now consists of Blue Earth, Fari-
bault, Martin, Watonwan, Brown, Cottonwood, Jackson, Nobles,
Rock, Pipestone, Murray, Redwood and Lincoln counties.
Authority and References. Fifty Years in the Northwest, by
W. H. C. Folsom.
Legislative Manual of the State of Minnesota.
History of Minnesota by Edward D. Neill.
History of Minnesota, by W. W. Folwell.
Minnesota in Three Centuries, by Return I. Holcombe.
Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society, Vol. 14, Min-
nesota Biographies, by Warren Upham and Mrs. Rose B. Dunlap.
CHAPTER XIX.
RIVER TRANSPORTATION.
Minnesota received its name from the longest river which lies
wholly within this state, excepting only its sources above Big
Stone lake. During a hundred and sixty years, up to the time
of the organization of Minnesota Territory, in 1849, the name St.
Pierre, or St. Peter, had been generally applied to this river
by French and English explorers and writers, probably in honor
of Pierre Charles Le Sueur, its first white explorer. The ab-
original Sioux name Minnesota means clouded water (Minne,
water, and sota, somewhat clouded), and Neill, on the authority
of Rev. Gideon H. Pond, poetically translated this to mean sky-
tinted. The river at its stages of flood becomes whitishly turbid.
An illustration of the meaning of the word has been told by
Mrs. Moses N. Adams, the widow of the venerable missionary
of the Dakotas. She states that at various times the Dakota
women explained it to her by dropping a little milk into water
and calling the whitishly clouded water "Minne sota." This
name was proposed by General H. H. Sibley and Hon. Morgan
L. Martin, of Wisconsin, in the years 1846 to 1848, as the name
of the new territory, which thus followed the example of Wis-
consin in adopting the title of a large stream within its borders.
During the next few years after the selection of the terri-
torial name Minnesota, it displaced the name of St. Peter as ap-
plied in common usage by the white people to the river, whose
euphonious ancient Dakota title will continue to be borne by
the river and the state probably long after the Dakota language
shall cease to be spoken.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 209
The Chippewa name for the stream, Ash-kiibogi-sibi, "The
River of the Green Leaf, ' ' is now nearly forgotten, and the French
name St. Pierre is known only by historians.
The picturesque river which gave our commonwealth its name
had always been an important feature in the geography and his-
tory of this northwest country.
The geologist reads in the deep erosion of this valley, and in
its continuance to Lake Traverse, which outflows to Lake Winni-
peg and Hudson bay, the story of a mighty river, the outlet of
a vast ancient lake covering the Red river region in the closing
part of the Glacial period. What use, if any, the primitive men
of that time made of this majestic stream, we know not.
Many and varied have been the scenes enacted upon its banks,
scenes of thrilling adventure and glorious valor, as well as of
happy merriment and tender love. It was for centuries the
arena of many a sanguinary conflict, and the blood of the Iowas,
Dakotas, Ojibways, and white men, often mingled freely with
its flood.
For generations unknown the only craft its bosom bore was
the canoe of the Indian. Then came the French traders, with
their retinue of voyagers, who made our river an avenue of a
great commerce in Indian goods and costly furs. For over a
hundred years fleets of canoes and mackinaw boats, laden with
Indian merchandise, plied constantly along the river's sinuous
length. The sturdy voyagers, however, left to history but a scant
record of their adventurous life. A brave and hardy race were
they, inured to every peril and hardship, yet ever content and
happy; and long did the wooded bluffs of the Minnesota echo
with the songs of old France.
The first white men known to have navigated the Minnesota
were Le Sueur and his party of miners, who entered its mouth
in a felucca and two row boats on September 20, 1700, and
reached the mouth of the Blue Earth on the thirtieth of the same
month. The next spring he carried with him down the river a
boat-load of blue or green shale which he had dug from the
bluffs of the Blue Earth, in mistake for copper ore. Much more
profitable, doubtless, he found the boat-load of beaver and other
Indian furs, which he took with him at the same time. This is
the first recorded instance of freight transportation on the Min-
nesota river.
In the winter of 1819-20, a deputation of Lord Selkirk's Scotch
colony, who had settled near the site of Winnipeg, traveled
through Minnesota to Prairie du Chien, a journey of about a
thousand miles, to purchase seed wheat. On April 15, 1820, they
started back in three Mackinaw boats loaded with 200 bushels
of wheat, 100 bushels of oats, and 30 bushels of peas. During
the month of May they ascended the Minnesota from its mouth
210 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
to its source, and, dragging their loaded boats over the portage
on rollers, descended the Red river to their homes, which they
reached early in June.
The Mackinaw or keel boats used on the river in those days
were open vessels of from twenty to fifty feet in length by four
to ten feet in width, and capable of carrying from two to eight
tons burden.
They were propelled by either oars or poles as the exigencies
of the river might require. The crew usually comprised from
five to nine men. One acted as steersman, and, in poling, the
others, ranging themselves in order upon a plank laid lengthwise
of the boat on each side, would push the boat ahead; and as
each, in rotation, reached the stern, he would pick up his pole
and start again at the prow. Their progress in ascending the
river would be from five to fifteen miles per day, depending upon
the stage of the water and the number of rapids they had to
climb.
Dr. Thomas S. Williamson, the noted missionary to the In-
dians, in describing his first journey up the valley of the Min-
nesota, in June, 1835, gives an interesting account of how he
shipped his wife and children and his fellow helpers, Mr. and
Mrs. A. G. Huggins, with their goods, on one of these boats, which
was nine days in making the trip from Fort Snelling to Traverse
des Sioux.
In the correspondence of Mrs. S. R. Riggs, the wife of an-
other famous missionary to the Sioux, is found a vivid picture
of a Mackinaw boat, belonging to the old Indian trader, Phil-
ander Prescott, in which she ascended the Minnesota in Septem-
ber, 1837. It was about forty feet long by eight feet wide and
capable of carrying about five tons. It was manned by a crew
of five persons, one to steer, and two on each side to furnish
the motive power. Oars were used as far as to the Little Rapids,
about three miles above Carver, and thence to Traverse'des Sioux
poles were employed. The journey consumed five days.
Illustrative of the size and capacity of some of the canoes
used by the traders, we find George A. McLeod in April, 1853,
bringing down from Las qui Parle to Traverse des Sioux forty
bushels of potatoes, besides a crew of five men, in a single canoe
twenty-five feet long by forty-four inches wide, hollowed out of
a huge Cottonwood tree.
The first steamboat to enter the Minnesota river was the Vir-
ginia on May 10, 1823. She was not a large vessel, being only
118 feet long by 22 feet wide, and she only ascended as far as
Mendota and Fort Snelling, which during the period between
the years 1820 and 1848 were about the only points of importance
in the territory now embraced within our state. Hence all the
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 211
boats navigating the upper Mississippi in those days had to
enter the Minnesota to reach these terminal points.
Except for these landings at its mouth, and save that in 1842
a small steamer with a party of excursionists on board ascended
it as far as the old Indian village near Shakopee, no real attempt
was made to navigate the Minnesota with steamboats until 1850.
Prior to this time it was not seriously thought that the river was
navigable to any great distance for any larger craft than a keel
boat, and the demonstration to the contrary, then witnessed, has
made that year notable in the history of the state.
On June 28, 1850, the Anthony Wayne, which had just ar-
rived at St. Paul with a pleasure party from St. Louis, agreed
to take all passengers for $225 as far up the Minnesota as navi-
gation was possible. They reached the foot of the rapids near
Carver, the captain decided not to continue the passage, turned
the steamboat homeward. Emulous of the Wayne's achievement,
the Nominee, a rival boat, arranged another excursion July 12,
ascended the Minnesota, passing the formidable rapids, placing
her shingle three miles higher up the river. The Wayne, not to
be outdone, on July 18 with a third excursion party, ascended
the river two or three miles below the present city of Mankato.
The success of these boats incited the Harris' line to advertise a
big excursion on the Yankee, and that steamer reached a point
on the Minnesota river a little above the present village of Jud-
son, in Blue Earth county.
The steamer Excelsior, in the summer of 1851, conveyed the
treaty commissioners, their attendants and supplies to Traverse
des Sioux, and later the Benjamin Franklin No. 1 ascended the
river with a load of St. Paul's excursionists to nitness the
progress of the famous treaty. In the fall the Uncle Toby con-
veyed to Travers des Sioux the first load of Indian goods under
the new treaty.
The springing up of embryo towns in the Minnesota Valley
stimulated steamboat transportation, and during the early sea-
son of 1852, the steamboat Tiger made three trips to Mankato.
The midsummer rains having restored the navigable condition
of the river, the Black Hawk was chartered in July for three
trips to Mankato. She also made during the season two trips
to Babcock's Landing, opposite the present site of St. Peter, and
one to Traverse des Sioux. The Jenny Lind and Enterprise were
also engaged in the traffic.
Navigation was opened on the Minnesota in 1853 by the new
boat, the Greek Slave; the Clarion, also new, entered the trade
this year.
Two events of 1853, of much importance in the development
of the Minnesota river trade, were the establishing upon its head
212 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
waters of the Sioux Reservation and the erection in its vicinity
of Ft. Ridgely. The necessity thus created, of transporting to
such a distance up the river the large quantity of supplies re-
quired annually by both soldier and Indian, gave an impetus
for years to the steamboat traffic of the Minnesota.
The West Newton, Capt. D. S. Harris, secured the contract
to convey the troops with their baggage from Fort Snelling to
the new post. She was a small packet, 150 feet long and of 300
tons burden, and had been bought the summer before by the
Harris brothers to compete with the Nominee in the Mississippi
river trade. She left Ft. Snelling on Wednesday, the twenty-
seventh of April, 1853, having on board two companies of the
Sixth U. S. Regiment, in command of Captains Dana and Mon-
roe. To help carry baggage, she had two barges in tow. The
Tiger had also departed from St. Paul on the twenty-fifth, and
the Clarion on the twenty-sixth, each with a couple of barges in
tow, heavily loaded with supplies for the new fort and the agen-
cies. The West Newton, being the swiftest boat, passed the
Clarion at Henderson, and the Tiger near the Big Cottonwood,
and thence to the site of the new fort (Ft. Ridgely) at the
mouth of Little Rock creek, was the first steamer to disturb the
waters of our sky-tinted river.
The Minnesota this year remained navigable all summer, and
a number of boats ascended it to Ft. Ridgely and the Lower
Sioux Agency, while others went to Mankato and other points.
The passenger travel, as well as the freight trade, was excellent.
The winter of 1853-1854 was mild and open; the river broke
up early without the usual freshet. Owing to the success of the
prior season, the boatmen had great expectations. They were,
however, doomed to disappointment. Capt. Samuel Humbert-
son, who owned the stern wheel steamboat, Clarion, had sold it
and purchased a fine new boat, 170 feet long with thirty-eight
staterooms, which he called the Minnesota Belle. May 3, with
a large load of immigrants and freight, he started up the Minne-
sota. His new boat failed to climb the Little Rapids, near Carver,
and he had to abandon the trip. A rainfall a few days later
swelled the river, and enabled the Black Hawk to reach Traverse
des Sioux. The Iola and Montello, during the summer, ran
fairly regular trips between Little Rapids and Traverse des Sioux
supplementing the Black Hawk, Humboldt and other boats plying
below the rapids.
Large keel boats, denominated barges, propelled after the
ancient method by a crew of men with poles, became common on
the river this year. Andrew G. Myrick placed two of these
barges on the river in charge of the Russell boys. These vessels
were from 50 to 60 feet long, 10 to 12 feet wide, and with sides
4 to 5 feet high, along the top of which was fastened a plank
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 213
walk, for the use of the pole men. A small low cabin for the
cook was built in the stern, and during foul weather a big
tarpaulin was spread over the goods. A full crew consisted of
a captain, who also acted as steersman, ten to a dozen pole men,
and a cook. With a fair stage of water the usual speed up
stream was twelve to fourteen miles a day, but if sandbars or
rapids interfered a mile or two would be a hard day's journey.
Down stream, however, they would travel much faster. Most
of the supplies for Ft. Ridgely and the Sioux Agencies, as
well as for all up river towns, had to be transported this year
in such barges.
The snowfall in the winter of 1954-1855 was again light, conse-
quently the Minesota continued low during the following spring.
Louis Robert, having the contract this year to deliver the Sioux
annuities, took them up to the agency late in October in the
Globe, of which Edwin Bell was then captain. Within two miles
of the landing the boat struck on a rock, and the goods had to be
unloaded on the river bank. While Captains Robert and Bell
were gone to carry the Indian money, amounting to $90,000 in
gold, to Ft. Ridgely, the Indians, who were gathered in force
to divide the provisions, carelessly set fire to the dry grass, which
was quickly communicated to the pile of goods, and most of them,
including fifty kegs of powder, were destroyed.
Of his experiences, Capt. Edwin Bell had said: "In 1855
I had command of the steamer Globe, making trips on the Minne-
sota river, and in the early fall of that year we carried supplies
to the Sioux at Redwood Agency. The Indians would come down
the river several miles to meet the boat. They were like a lot
of children, and when the steamboat approached they would
shout, 'Nitonka Pata-wata washta,' meaning 'Your big fire-canoe
is good. ' They would then cut across the bend, yelling until we
reached the landing.
"In the fall of that year, 1855, their supplies were late,
when I received orders from Agent Murphy to turn over to the
Indians twelve barrels of pork, and twelve barerls of flour. As
soon as we landed, we rolled the supplies on shore. I was in-
formed that the Indians were in a starving condition. It was
amusing to see five or six of them rolling a barrel of pork up
the bank, when two of our deck hands would do the work in half
the time.
"A young Indian girl stood at the end of the gang plank,
wringing her hands and looking toward the boat, exclaiming
'Sunka sanieha, ' meaning 'They have my dog.' The cabin boy
told me the cook had coaxed the dog on board and hid it. I
could speak the language so as to be understood, and I mo-
tioned to the girl and said, 'Niye kuwa,' meaning 'Come here.'
She came on board, and I told the cook to bring the dog to me.
214 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
When the dog came, she caught it in her arms, exclaiming,
'Sunka wasta, ' meaning 'Good dog.' She then ran on shore
and up the hill. It seemed to me that white people took advan-
tage of the Indian when they could, even steamboat cooks.
"When the flour and pork were on level ground, the barrel
heads were knocked in, and the pork was cut in small strips and
thrown in a pile. Two hundred squaws then formed a circle,
and several Indians handed the pieces of pork to the squaws until
the pile was disposed of. The flour was placed in tin pans, each
squaw receiving a panful.
"Later, in the same season, we had an unfortunate trip. The
boat was loaded deep. Luckily Agent Murphy and Capt. Louis
Robert were on board. We had in the cabin of the boat ninety
thousand dollars in gold. About three miles below the agency,
we ran on a large boulder. After much effort, we got the boat
afloat. Major Murphy gave orders to land the goods, so that
they might be hauled to the agency. We landed and unloaded,
covering the goods with tarpaulins. There were about fifty kegs
of powder with the goods. While we were unloading, the agent
sent for a team to take Captain Robert and himself, with the
gold, to the agency. Then we started down the river. We had
gone only a few miles, when we discovered a dense smoke, caused
by a prairie fire. The smoke was rolling toward the pile of
goods, which we had left in charge of two men. When we
reached the ferry at Red Bank, a man on horseback motioned
us to land, and told us that the goods we left were all burned
up and the powder exploded. This was a sad blow to the Indians.
"The following is a list of the steamboats running on the
Minnesota river, during high water, in the year 1855 and later-.
Clarion, Captain Humberson; Globe, Capt. Edwin Bell; Time
and Tide, Capt. Nelson Robert; Jeannett Roberts, Capt. Charles
Timmens; Mollie Moler, Captain Houghton; Minnesota, Captain
Hays; and the Prank Steel and Favorite, both side-wheel steam-
ers. These boats were drawn off when the water got low; and
when the railroad paralleled the river, all boats quit running.
"On the sixteenth day of December, 1895, I called on Gov-
ernor Ramsey again, to talk over old times, forty-five years after
my first call. What changes have taken place since then ! When
I started to leave, I thought I would see how much the governor
remembered of the Sioux language. I said, 'Governor, nitonka
tepee, washta.' 'What did you say, captain?' asked the gov-
ernor. I replied, 'Nitonka tepee, washta,' 'Why, captain,' said
he, 'that means, my house is large and good;' and, with a wink,
' Captain, let 's have a nip. ' Of course we nipped, and said ' Ho ! '
All old settlers will know the meaning of the Sioux exclamation,
'Ho!' " ■
A good fall of snow during the winter of 1855-56 caused ah
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 215
abundant supply of water in the river next spring. The navi-
gation of the Minnesota for the season of 1856 was opened on
April 10 by the Reveille, a stern-wheel packet, in command of
Capt. R. M. Spencer. Four days later, the Globe, with Nelson
Robert as captain, departed from St. Paul for the same river,
and she was followed the next day by the H. S. Allen.
The Reveille was considered a fast traveler, and as an in-
stance of her speed it is recorded that on her second trip of this
year she left St. Paul at 2 p. m. on Thursday, April 17, with 132
passengers and a full load of freight, and arrived at Mankato by
Saturday; and that leaving the latter place at 5 a. m. the next
day, she reached St. Paul by 8 p. m. that evening, after having
made twenty-four landings on the way.
On May 5, the Reveille landed at Mankato a company of set-
tlers numbering two or three hundred, known as the Mapleton
Colony; and the following Saturday (May 10) the H. T. Yeatman
landed at South Bend a company of Welsh settlers from Ohio,
numbering 121 souls. The Yeatman was a large stern-wheel boat,
about the largest that ascended the Minnesota, and this was her
first trip. She continued in the trade only a few weeks, while the
water was high. Her captain was Samuel G. Cabbell. Regular
trips were made this year by several boats to Ft. Ridgely and
the Lower Sioux Agency, and some ascended to the Upper
Agency, at the mouth of the Yellow Medicine river.
The time table of Louis Robert's fine packet, the Time and
Tide, issued for this season, shows the distance from St. Paul to
Yellow Medicine to be 446 miles. To an old settler who actually
traveled on a Minnesota river steamboat in those early days, the
idea of a time table may seem rather amusing; for if there was
anything more uncertain as to its coming and going, or more void
of any idea of regularity than a steamboat the old time traveler
never heard of it. Now stopping in some forest glen for wood,
now tangled in the overhanging boughs of a tree with one or
both smoke-stacks demolished, now fast for hours on some sand-
bar, and now tied up to a tree to repair the damage done by
some snag, while the passengers sat on the bank telling stories,
or went hunting, or feasted on the luscious wild strawberries
or juicy plums which grew abundantly in the valley, were com-
mon occurrences in steamboat travel. Many a pioneer remembers
the Time and Tide, and how its jolly captain, Louis Robert,
would sing out with sonorous voice, when the boat was about to
start, "All aboard! Time and Tide waits for no man," and then
add, with a sly twinkle in his eye, "and only a few minutes for
a woman." Though we of today may think such method of
travel tedious, yet it had many pleasant features, and to the
people of that time, unaccustomed to the "flyers" and "fast
mails" of today, it seemed quite satisfactory.
216 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The Minnesota river trade was unusually brisk in 1857 owing
to a good stage of water. Two new boats entered this year,
the Frank Steele, a side-wheel packet, owned by Capt. W. F.
Davidson, and the Jeannette Robert, a large stern-wheel packet,
owned by Capt. Louis Robert. The total trips made during the
season was 292, of which the Antelope made 105.
The winter of 1857-1858 proved very mild, and the Minnesota
river broke up unusually early and was kept in good navigable
condition during the season. The Freighter was the only new
boat to engage in the trade this year. There were 179 arrivals at
Mankato from points above as well as below the former, though
did not exceed twenty-five or thirty. The total number of trips
was 394, the Antelope again heading the list with 201 to her
credit.
In 1859, the river broke up early after a mild winter, and
the Freighter arrived at Mankato, the first boat, on March 27,
having left St. Paul two days before. An abundant rainfall kept
the river in good navigable condition its entire length through
most of the season. The Favorite, an excellent side-wheel packet
of good size, built expressly for the Minnesota trade by Commo-
dore Davidson, entered as a new boat this spring.
As the water was quite high in the upper Minnesota, Capt.
John B. Davis, of the Freighter, conceived the idea of crossing
his boat over from the Minnesota to Big Stone lake and thence
to the Red river, and accordingly, about the last of June he at-
tempted the feat. Whether the crew found too much whiskey at
New Ulm or the boat found too little water on the divide, authori-
ties differ, but all agree that the captain and his crew came home
in a canoe about the last of July, passing Mankato on the twenty-
fifth of the month, having left his steamboat in dry dock near the
Dakota line. The Freighter was a small, flat-bottomed, square-
bowed boat. The Indians pillaged her of everything but the
hull, and that, half buried in the sand about ten miles below
Big Stone lake, remained visible for twenty or thirty years. The
captain always claimed that if he had started a month earlier
his attempt would have been successful.
The navigation on the Minnesota in 1860, owing to the low
water, was mostly confined to the little Antelope, in her trips to
Shakopee and Chaska. Of 250 arrivals at St. Paul she had to her
credit 198. The new boat Albany, of very light draught, also the
Eolian, which had been raised from the bottom of Lake Pepin,
where she had lain since the spring of 1858, and the Little Dorrit
were put into the trade instead of the Frank Steele, the Time
and Tide and the Favorite, which came up as far as St. Peter
for a trip or two. The Jeanette Robert managed to get up as
far as Mankato a few times, and during a small freshet in July,
made one trip to the Sioux Agency.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 217
The spring of 1861 opened with a big flood in the Minnesota.
The first boat, the Albany, left St. Paul on March 30, and arrived
at Mankato April 1. She was officered by J. V. Webber, captain
(who was now the owner, having purchased her from the David-
son company in March), Warren Goulden, first clerk, and Moses
Gates, engineer. It was claimed by the older Indians and traders
that the upper Minnesota was higher this spring than it had been
since 1821. In April the Jeanette Robert ascended farther up
the river by two miles than any steamboat had ever done before,
and might easily have accomplished what the Freighter attempted
and failed to do in 1859, to wit, pass over into the Red river, if
she had tried ; for the two rivers were united by their high flood
between lakes Big Stone and Traverse.
This season the Minnesota Packet Company, of which Capt.
Orrin Smith was president, put two first class boats, the City
Belle and Fanny Harris, into the river to compete with the
Davidson and Robert lines. The Fanny Harris, on her first trip,
which occurred during the second week of April, went to Ft.
Ridgely, and brought down Major (afterwards General) Thomas
W. Sherman and his battery to quell the southern rebellion,
which had just started. With her also went the Favorite, and
brought down Major (afterwards General) John C. Pemberton,
with his command of eighty soldiers, the most of whom being
southern men, were much in sympathy with their seceding
brethren.
The barges of Captain Cleveland were kept busy in the traffic
between Mankato and points below. The first shipment of wheat
in bulk from the Minnesota was made in June of this year, 1861,
on one of these barges. It comprised 4,000 bushels, and was
taken direct to La Crosse. Heretofore it had been shipped in
sacks. Wheat had now become the principal export of the val-
ley. During the earlier years all the freight traffic on the river
had been imported, but by this time the export of trains had
grown to be an important item. With so many Indians in the
valley the shipment of furs, which at first had been about the
only export of the country, still continued valuable ; but furs,
because of their small bulk, cut but little figure in the boating
business. This year the value of the furs from the Sioux agencies
was $48,416; and from the Winnebago country, $11,600.
From this time there was a gradual reduction in river traffic.
In 1866 the St. Paul and Sioux City railroad reached Belle Plaine,
and connections were there made with boats for points higher
up the river. In October, 1868, Mankato was reached, and in
1871 the Northwestern railway reached New Ulm, which prac-
tically ended the navigation of the Minnesota river.
After the settlers came in 1864, navigation on the Minnesota
was of but minor importance, though until 1875 boats continued
218 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
to ply that stream with some regularity, and some of the early
pioneers reached this county by boat.
From 1865 to 1876, it was always possible for small boats to
make a few trips to Redwood county in the spring.
In 1868 the Pioneer was chartered by D. L. Bigham in the
spring, loaded with lumber at St. Paul, and the trip to the Red-
wood Falls landing successfully made.
In 1869 the business men of New Ulm bought the Otter for
$3,000. This boat had a capacity of some 3,000 bushels of wheat.
Trips were made between Mankato and New Ulm several times
each week, and a number of trips were made to Redwood county.
Later the St. Anthony, a St. Croix lumber boat, brought lum-
ber to D. L. Bigham. Bringing lumber to the upper Minnesota
was a hazardous proceding in those days, and the lumber was
sometimes scattered along the river banks from Carver to
New Ulm.
The Tiger continued to ply the river, and once in a while made
a record run. It ia recorded that on May 14, 1870, the Tiger made
the trip from the Redwood Falls landing to Mankato in thirteen
and a half hours.
The Osceola, a small boat, owned by Mark D. Flowers and
Captain Hawkins, ascended the Minnesota as far as Redwood
once in 1872, twice in 1873 and once in 1874, the water having
been low and navigation difficult.
In 1875 a large warehouse was built at the landing on the
Minnesota, called Riverside, by a company, for the purpose of pro-
viding storage, and to give an outlet by the river for the wheat
crop, of which 60,000 bushels were brought and stored during
the next fall and winter. In the spring of 1876 two side-wheel
steamboats arrived at Riverside, laden with lumber, and took out
the wheat in store and a large amount from Redwood and private
parties. To warehouse men, and to Daniels & Son, who had
opened a general store and built a hotel, the transportation
scheme seemed solved, but it proved only a case of inflated hopes.
In a few days it was learned that the boats were stranded on a
sandbar at the mouth of the Blue Earth river, and the parties
who shipped the wheat were called on to furnish sacks and men
to transfer the grain to the railroad. This practically put an
end to the Riverside and steamboat transportation scheme. The
warehouse and hotel were removed to Redwood Falls and used
in building an elevator and hotel there.
Capt. Leroy Newton made a further effort to utilize the river.
He took a large barge and rigged a wheel at the stern, which was
propelled by an ordinary eight-horse thresher power. This, how-
ever, proved unsuccessful, though it was of some help to reach
New Ulm, which was the end of his run.
In 1876, owing to high water in the spring, the Ida Fulton,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 219
and Wayman X came up the river ; and ten years later one trip was
made by the Alvira. For another ten years no steamboat was
seen on the Minnesota until, taking advantage of a freshet in
April, 1897, Captain E. W. Durant of Stillwater, ran his boat,
the Henrietta, a stern-wheel vessel 170 feet long with forty state-
rooms, on an excursion to Henderson, St. Peter and Mankato.
(Compiled from articles in the collections of the Minnesota His-
torical Society.)
CHAPTER XX.
HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES.
The roads of Redwood county have exerted an important
economic and social influence upon its destinies. Along the lines
of the roads indicated in the government survey, the pioneers
settled, and the existence of the military roads constructed before
the Massacre was a powerful factor in the motives which caused
many of the pioneers after the Massacre to settle here rather
than elsewhere,
The first road in Redwood county was the old Military road,
connecting Ft. Ridgely with the two Indian agencies. From Ft.
Ridgely this road ran north of the Minnesota until reaching the.
ferry at the Lower Agency. There it crossed the river, and as-
cending the steep bank, reached the location of the principal
buildings of the Lower Agency in which is now Sherman town-
ship, in Redwood county. Thence it followed the general course
of the Minnesota river to the Upper Agency on the Yellow Medi-
cine. In places, this road was graded by the government. For
the most part, however, it consisted of two wagon-ruts, which
in time were worn deep into the prairie sod.
North of the Minnesota, and also following the general course
of that stream, was the Military road connecting Ft. Ridgely
with Ft. Abereombie. To the eastward, Ft. Ridgely was con-
nected with St. Peter and Henderson. From St. Peter and
Henderson, roads led in various directions. Thus road communi-
cation was early established between Redwood county and the
important settlements of the Territory.
The next important road in this region, followed in this county,
the course of the Cottonwood. It was termed Col. William Nobles'
Wagon Road from Ft. Ridgely to the South Pass of the Rocky
Mountains. The road was constructed in 1856-1857 by the United
States Government under the direction of Albert H. Campbell,
■who bore the title of "General Superintendent of Pacific Wagon
Roads," but the field work was in charge of Col. William H.
220 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
Nobles. For two years Col. Nobles had a permanent camp at
the "Crossing of the Cottonwood" in Lyon county, east of Red-
wood county, and there spent two winters.
In his report to the Secretary of the Interior, Jan. 18, 1858,
Col. Nobles says : "I have located and built a good wagon road
from Ft. Ridgely to the Missouri river, in latitude 43 degrees,
47 minutes, between Bijou hill and 'Fort Lookout.'
"The road has been selected and made with a view to accom-
modate the emigrant, by having a pass through a good country,
and in the vicinity of wood and water ; and also, with these valu-
able considerations always in sight, I have been able to complete
the road in almost a direct line from Fort Ridgely to the ter-
minus of the Missouri river . . . The rivers on the road to be
crossed are North Branch of the Cottonwood river (Sleepy Eye
creek), Cottonwood river twice, Redwood river, Medary creek,
Big Sioux river, Perrine creek, Riviere du Jacques or James
river, besides a number of small creeks.
"On the Cottonwood, I have constructed a rough bridge,
adapted to the present travel, but it is important that this river
should be well bridged at both of the crossings."
Albert H. Campbell in his report to the secretary of the In-
terior dated Feb. 19, 1859, says :
"This road was completed only as far as the Missouri river,
254 miles, some time in the fall of 1857, in consequence of the in-
sufficiency of the appropriation.
"The general location of this road is as follows: Beginning
at the ferry on the Minnesota river, which is 150 feet wide at this
place, opposite Ft. Ridgely. The general course of the road is
southwestwardly, passing through a marshy region a few miles
south of Limping Devil's lake to the noi*th fork of the Cotton-
wood (Sleepy Eye creek), a distance of about seventeen miles,
thence to the Cottonwood river, over a rolling country, with lakes
and marshes, about one and a half miles below the mouth of the
Plum creek, distance about nineteen miles. From this point the
road continues across Plum creek, and three good watering places,
to the crossing of the Cottonwood at Big Wood, about eighteen
and a half miles. Thence ... to the Big Sioux river . . .
This road, as far as built, is remarkably direct and is believed,
from the description of the country through which it passes, to
be the best location which could have been made, securing a
plentiful supply of water, grass and timber."
The crossing of the North fork of the Cottonwood (Sleepy
Eye creek) and one of the crossings of the Cottonwood, were
in this county. The route crossed in this county, Brookville,
Sundown, Charlestown, Lamberton, North Hero and Springdale
township. In Brookville, a branch extended north, passing
through Morgan to the Lower Agency in Sherman township.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 221
In the late fifties, when settlers pushed out to the Lake Shetek
country (in the northeast part of Murray county, and a few miles
southwest of Redwood county) they came over the Nobles road
to North Hero township, and then switched off, and proceeded
southwest along the general course of Plum creek. This route
is said to have been taken because water was more easily obtained.
In 1855, Aaron Myers and family established themselves in
section 31, Amiret township (township 110-40), some six miles
west of the present western boundary of Redwood county. In
1857, Mr. Myers sent one of his men, John Renniker, with his
oxen and a wagon, to New Ulm for supplies. Renniker, who had
previously lost his position with the Dakota Land Co. (this com-
pany in 1857 had platted a village called Saratoga in section 1,
Custer township — township 109, range 41 — seven miles west of
the present Redwood county line, and left Renniker in charge) for
selling intoxicants to the Indians, bought a ten gallon cask of
whiskey on his own account at New Ulm and started home. John
Campbell, a half breed, followed after with a party of seven
Sioux warriors, overtook him in North Hero township, near
where Col. Noble's wagon road crossed Plum creek, and murdered
him, after which they took his goods. Charles Hammer (Swede
Charlie), Hoel Parmle and Andrew Koch, friends of the murdered
man, found his body, carried it to Saratoga, and buried it on the
ridge north of Mr. Myers' house in Amiret township.
Sometime before the Massacre, John P. Burns and Daniel
Burns settled in the walnut grove that has given its name to the
village of Walnut Grove. They belonged to the Lake Shetek
colony, but by fleeing saved their lives at the beginning of the
Indian Outbreak.
In 1861, a route was laid out from New Ulm to Lake Shetek,
which crossed Redwood county south of the Nobles road, and
branched to the southwest two miles east of Walnut Grove.
On the route between New Ulm and Lake Shetek, Charles
Zierke, commonly known as "Dutch Charlie" lived near the point
where Dutch Charlie creek enters the Cottonwood, in Charlestown
township. He was fleeing toward New Ulm with his family at
the opening of the Outbreak, when he was overtaken by the In-
dians. He managed to escape, reached New Ulm, organized a
posse and rescued his family.
The third road projected by the government, followed the
general course of the Redwood river through this county. It is
mentioned in the government survey, and appears on some of
the early maps of the land office, though many of the early settlers
declare that nothing was known of it in the days of the early
settlement. The route started at the road connecting the two
agencies, and extended westward through Redwood Falls, Sheri-
dan, Vesta and Underwood townships.
222 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The earliest settlers after the Massacre reached Redwood
county in various ways. Some came by boat. For the most part,
however, they came with horses or oxen. Many struck out boldly
over the unbroken prairie. There were, however, several regu-
larly established routes of travel. Many who came to St. Paul
or Minneapolis followed the Minnesota river to St. Peter. From
there they struck out across Nicollet county, skirting south of
the lakes, stopping three miles south of what is now Nicollet sta-
tion, crossing the Redstone ferry below New Ulm and thus reach-
ing that city. From there they reached Redwood Falls by follow-
ing the old road by way of Golden Gate and Lone Tree Lake.
Others coming from St. Peter did not cross the Redstone ferry
at New Ulm, but kept along the north side of the river to Ft.
Ridgely. From there they could cross the Minnesota at the ferry
at that place, at the Martell ferry at the Lower Agency or else
went to Beaver Falls and crossed at the Wilcox ferry near the
old townsite of Riverside and the present village of North Red-
wood. Later a ferry was operated at Vicksburg, which was across
the river from the northwest corner of Delhi township. Some
early settlers reached Ft. Ridgely by way of Henderson, taking
the old government trail from that place.
Many of the early settlers did not go to St. Paul, but came
up across the prairies to Waseca and then to Mankato or St.
Peter. From Mankato the trip could be made on either side of the
river. However, in 1872 when the Winona and St. Peter Railroad
was built through the southern part of Redwood county, most
of the pioneers began coming to New Ulm or Sleepy Eye by
railroad and in 1878 the railroad was built to Redwood Falls itself.
Much of the attention of the county commissioners since the
first organization of the county has been devoted to the subject
of roads. The earliest settlement being at Redwood Falls, it was
natural that the first road action taken should concern the roads
connecting Redwood Falls with Ft. Ridgely and New Ulm, and
as there were quite a few settlers in Yellow Medicine county,
who were then included in Redwood county, and as Swedes
Forest began soon to be settled, it was also natural that the next
action of the board should concern the roads connecting Redwood
Falls with those points. As settlements sprang up in Lyon county,
action was taken in regard to a road along the line of the Red-
wood river. The earliest roads laid out by the commissioners
followed, for the most part, routes previously selected by the
government in agency days. In the southern part of the county
two east and west roads or trails already existed. As the settle-
ments began to grow along the Cottonwood region, the need of
roads connecting the northern and southern parts of the county
was seen, and roads were laid out from Redwood Falls to Spring-
field, and from Swedes Forest to Lamberton. Still later, a road
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 223
was projected from Walnut Creek to Redwood Falls. Thus was
the nucleus of a county road system inaugurated.
The first action regarding good roads was taken by the county
commissioners at their first meeting, April 19, 1865, when Col.
Sam McPhail was appointed road supervisor for the county, and
the legislative grant for a state road from New Ulm via Redwood
Falls and Yellow Medicine to the Whetstone river was accepted.
On April 20, 1866, the county commissioners declared that
a public highway existed eastward from Redwood Falls along
the township line between what are now Honor and Paxton town-
ships to the southeast corner of Section 34 in what is now Honor
township. From that point George Johnston, L. C. D. Brandt,
and the county surveyor were to locate a road north to the Minne-
sota river, while beginning at that point also John McMillan,
Cyrus D. Chapman, and the county surveyor were to locate and
survey the road eastward to the Lower Agency ferry. The street
between blocks 16 and 17 (original plat), Redwood Falls north to
the saw mill, sixty feet wide was declared a public highway.
Samuel M. Thompson, Jacob Tippery and the county surveyor
were ordered to locate a road from the village of Redwood Falls
by the most feasible route to intersect the old military road in
the direction of the Yellow Medicine Agency.
Road petition No. 1 was presented to the county commissioners
Sept. 4, 1866. David P. Lister and Henry Pratt were appointed to
view the road and report. This road was to leave the military
road at the house of George Olds, pass the houses of Benjamin
Sanders, John Portner, Henry Pratt and the lime kiln and rejoin
the military road at the Big Spring. The purpose of this road
was to connect the people living in the bottoms with the military
road.
Sept. 5, 1866, a road was ordered to commence at the old lime
kiln at the Minnesota bottoms and running westward along the
Yellow Medicine bottoms to section 31, township 115, range 38,
at the old crossing of the Yellow Medicine, thence westward to
the state line. I. G. Parks and John Winter were appointed to lo-
cate the road. Jan. 1, 1867, that part of this road which extended
from the lime kiln to the crossing and the road was ordered sur-
veyed from Redwood Falls on or near the line of the old military
road to where that road crossed the Yellow Medicine river and
thence west to the state line. David Doncaster of Yelow Medicine
and Samuel M. Thompson of Redwood Falls were appointed to
locate the road.
On Nov. 16, 1869, the board of county commissioners heard
the petition to discontinue a part of what was termed the county
road running between sections 34, town 113, range 35, and the
ferry at the lower Sioux Agency ; that is, the part of the road
which passes over sections 7 and 8 in town 112, range 34. This
224 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
meant that the ferry at the Lower Sioux Agency was being aban-
doned and one a mile or two up the river substituted. D. 0. King
and O. C. Martin were appointed to view the road and report.
On Jan. 4, 1870, D. 0. King and 0. C. Martin reported favorably
on the change. On May 25, 1870, the board ordered the old road
discontinued and the new one laid out. On July 28, 1874, a
petition was read for a change in the road leading from Redwood
Falls to the Lower Sioux Agency. David Tibbetts and W. H.
Hawk were appointed to view the road and reported at the next
meeting. The committee reported favorably as to the change in
the road and it was ordered laid out according to the report.
On July 23, 1877, a bridge was ordered laid out according to the
report. On July 23, 1877, a bridge was ordered built over Crow
Creek where the county road crosses on section 35, town 113,
range 35. The sum of $50 was appropriated for this purpose.
On May 19, 1871 a bill was read before the board of county
commissioners for laying a state road from Redwood Falls west
to the state line. It was rejected.
On Sept. 6, 1871, the petition for a county road from Redwood
Falls via T. W. Caster's to Lyon county was granted. Caster
at that time lived on the line between section 19, Underwood
township, this county, and section 24, Stanley township, Lyon
county. This road was therefore to follow the south bank of
the Redwood river.
On May 19, 1871, the board of commissioners appropriated $75
for repairing a part of the stage road from Redwood Falls to
New Ulm, provided that Redwood Falls appropriate $50 for the
same purpose. On Jan. 5, 1876, $200 was appropriated to be
expended in grading the hill north of "Wabasha creek, commonly
called "Wabasha Hill."
On Nov. 3, 1871, the county commissioners appropriated $50
for repairing and completing the approaches to the county bridge
over the Redwood River, provided that Redwood Falls also paid
$25 for the same purpose. On June 15, 1872, Harvey Wingett was
directed to oversee the work of repairing the county bridge across
the Redwood river.
On May 3, 1872, a petition was read before the board for a
new county road from Redwood Falls via Swedes Forest to in-
tersect the Yellow Medicine road on the western boundary of
the county. Harvey Wingett and D. Tibbitts were appointed to
view the road and report at the next meeting of the board of
commissioners.
On June 4, 1872, the board of county commissioners appro-
priated $60 to repair county road No. 2 near the residence of
G. N. Carter, provided that the town of Redwood Falls appro-
priate $60 for the same purpose. On June 14, 1872, on motion,
the board amended the resolution of June 4, and released the
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 225
town of Redwood Falls from her appropriation to this county-
road.
On Sept. 2, 1873, a petition was read for the change of the
county road over sections 24, 25, 26, in the town of Sheridan. It
was laid over till the next meeting, because it was necessary for
D. Tibbetts and Jacob J. Light to examine the advisability of
such a change. In the meeting of Sept. 16, 1873, the committee
reported favorably and the change was made.
On petition, Nov. 21, 1873, a new county road from Redwood
Palls to the south side of the county through the townships of
Redwood Falls, New Avon, Willow Lake, Sundown, in the direc-
tion of Bevins Station in Brown county, the board appointed
Jacob J. Light and D. Tibbetts to view the road and report at
the next session. On March 12, 1874, the petition was granted
and the road laid out accordingly. Fifty dollars was appropriated
to one person for damages to her land, caused by the making of
this road. Some money was also appropriated for building
bridges on the above road. On Jan. 2, 1877, the petition was
granted for grading the road through the "Big Slough" on sec-
tion 28 in New Avon.
On March 19, 1879, a sum of $30 was appropriated to be ex-
pended on the county road in section 13, town 111, range 37
(Vail township).
On July 28, 1874, a petition was read for a road beginning at
Redwood Falls and running straight west to the county line. It
was laid over till the next meeting and a committee appointed to
view the same. The committee reporting favorably, the road is
ordered laid out on Oct. 9, 1874. On March 10, 1875, a petition
was read before the board to change a part of this county road.
A. M. Cook and D. Tibbetts were appointed to view said road
and report at a later session of the board of commissioners. On
May 13, 1875, the road was changed between the center of sec-
tion 10 and the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of sec-
tion 11, town 112, range 36.
A petition for a new county road running from the south line
of the southwest corner of section 34, town 109, range 37 (Lam-
berton), thence north to the intersection with the Yellow Medi-
cine road, was read before the board on May 13, 1875. W. H.
Hawk and D. Tibbetts were appointed to view the road and to
report at a later meeting of the board of commissioners. On
July 26, 1875, the petition was granted and the road was ordered
to be laid out. No damages were paid to the owners of the land.
On May 13, 1875, a petition was read before the board of
county commissioners for a new county road running from the
village of Redwood Falls southeasterly past Three Lakes, and
to intersect the county road at the southwest corner of the south-
east quarter of section 24, town 110, range 35. A committee
226 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
was appointed to view the advisability of the road and report.
On July 26, 1875, this was granted and the road was declared
a public highway.
On Sept. 20, 1876, a petition was read before the board for
building a road from Walnut Grove to Redwood Falls. L. Bedall
and the county surveyor were appointed to view the road and
report later.
On Jan. 3, 1878, a petition, asking for a change in the county
road from Swedes Forest to Lamberton, was granted. Mathias
Keller and D. B. Whitemore were appointed a committee to make
the change as asked for in the petition.
When the state atlas was issued in 1874, seven roads extended
from Redwood Falls. The Beaver Falls road extended through
what is now Honner township, cutting across sections 31 and
29, and crossing the river in the western part of section 21. A
short branch of this road extended from the house of J. S. G.
Honner west to the Redwood, and southeast through sections
29, 32 and 33. The Yellow Medicine road crossed sections 36,
26, 23, 15, 16, 9, 8, 5 and 6, in what is now Kintire ; crossed sec-
tion 36, in Swedes Forest township, passed between the school-
house and the Swedes Forest postoffice at the corner of sections
25, 26, 35 and 36, Swedes Forest, passed west on the section line
between 26 and 35, 27 and 34, 28 and 35, 29 and 32, 30 and 31,
and angled northwest across section 30, past the Boiling Spring
into Yellow Medicine county. A short road extended from Red-
wood Falls to the west line of what is now Redwood Falls town-
ship, crossing sections 2, 3, 4, 9, 8 and 7, Redwood Falls township,
just north of the Redwood river. The road south of the Red-
wood river to the western boundary of the county at the west
edge of what is now Underwood township, crossed sections 1, 12,
11, 10, 9, 16, 17 and 19, in what is now Redwood Falls township;
sections 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 in what is now Sheridan;
sections 25, 23, 22, 21, 20 and 19, in what is now Vesta township;
and sections 24, 23, 22, 21, 20 and 19, in what is now Underwood.
Ceresco postoffice was on this road in section 20, Underwood.
The Springfield road crossed sections 1, 12, 13, 24, 25 and 36 in
what is now Redwood Falls; sections 1, 12, New Avon, followed
the section line between 11 and 12, 13 and 14, 13 and 24, crossed
24 and 25, New Avon; followed the present town line between
New Avon and Three Lakes, Willow Lake and Sundown, from
section 25, New Avon, to section 12, Willow Lake, where it
crossed the Sleepy Eye creek ; crossed sections 7, 8, 17, 16, 15 and
14, south of the Sleepy Eye in Sundown township, ran along the
section line between sections 14 and 23, and then extended south
between sections 23 and 24, 26 and 25, 35 and 36 to the south
edge of Sundown and the south boundary of the county. The
present Morton road extended due east from Redwood Falls to
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 227
the Minnesota river, on the township line between the present
towns of Honner and Paxton. The New Ulm road extended
from Redwood Falls due east for seven miles on a line a mile
south of the north line of Paxton, and on the line between sec-
tions 6 and 7, Sherman. At the agency it turned southeast across
sections 8, 9, 16, 15 and 22, to Wabasha creek, thus following the
present agency road from Redwood Falls to Wabasha creek.
There it angled across sections 22, 23, 25 and 26, to the east line
of the county and the east edge of Sherman township. The
agency branch of Col. Nobles' road left the agency road in sec-
tion 16, Sherman, crossed sections 22, 27 and 34 in Sherman;
sections 3, 10, 15, 22, 27 and 34 in Morgan ; and sections 3, 10, 15
and 22 in Brookville, connecting with Nobles' road in section 22,
Brookville. From section 27, Morgan, southward, the course was
a winding one. Col. Nobles' wagon road entered the county at
the east edge of section 24, Brookville. It left Brookville be-
tween sections 19 and 30, and entered Sundown between sections
24 and 25, crossing Sleepy Eye creek in section 24. It left Sun-
down at the southwest corner of that town and entered the north-
east corner of Charlestown. It left Charlestown a little north of
the line between sections 7 and 18 and entered Lamberton a little
north of the line between sections 12 and 13. It crossed the Cot-
tonwood in section 7, Lamberton, and left the township in that
section. It entered North Hero township in section 12, crossed
Plume creek near the corner of sections 4, 5, 8 and 9, leaving the
township on the section line between sections 6 and 7. It entered
Springdale on the section line between sections 1 and 12, and
left the township and the county in section 6. One branch of the
New Ulm-Lake Shetek-Lyon county road, entered Charlestown
and the county in section 13, and joined the other branch in sec-
tion 20. The other branch entered Charlestown and the county
in section 36, following the north bank of the Cottonwood to
section 19, where it crossed the river. It entered Lamberton
township in section 24. At Lamberton village it turned south a
short distance ; thence to the western boundary of the county
through North Hero and Springdale, on the section line, two
miles north of the southern county line. At the corner of sec-
tions 20, 21, 28 and 29, North Hero, a branch angled southwest
across sections 29 to 31, to the corner of Redwood. Murray and
Cottonwood counties, and thence to Lake Shetek.
Gradually, town and county roads extended to all parts of
the county.
Rude bridges were constructed along the Government roads
before the massacre. The first appropriations made for bridges
by the county commissioners Sept. 8 and 9, 1870, when $50 was
appropriated for building a bridge over Wabasha creek, and $25
each for building bridges over Ramsey and Rice creeks.
228 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Bridge building at Redwood Falls was inaugurated when the
legislature of 1871 passed an act appropriating $5,000 for the
construction of a Howe truss bridge across the Redwood river
at the dalles. This bridge was entirely of wood. The bill was
introduced by Hon. J. S. G. Honner, representative, and was
passed only after a hard fight. The amount was the first consid-
erable sum appropriated from the internal improvement fund
created by the 5 per cent given to the state in sales of govern-
ment lands.
March 16, 1871, the appropriation having been made available,
a committee consisting of Robert Watson, D. L. Bigham, E. A.
Chandler and A. M. Cook, was appointed to inspect the Redwood
river with a view to determining the most suitable location for
a bridge. The location at the foot of Third street was decided
upon, and the contract let May 19, 1871. Later the bridge was
several times repaired and renewed. Still later it was moved
to the present location, where in time it was replaced by the
permanent cement bridge which now ornaments the village.
An appropriation for bridging Crow creek was made Jan. 6,
1874, and for bridging Plum creek, July 27, 1874.
Other appropriations were also made from time to time.
In 1875, the state having appropriated $600 for a bridge over
the Cottonwood, the commissioners on May 13, 1875, appointed
a committee to select the site. The point selected was the sec-
tion line between sections 14 and 15, Lamberton township. The
contract was let July 10, 1875.
An appropriation was made Jan. 5, 1876, for a bridge over
High Water (Dutch Charlie) creek; and on Jan. 2, 1877, for a
bridge over Sleepy Eye creek, on the Lamberton-Redwood Falls
road.
All the creeks and rivers of the county are now well bridged,
as is also the Minnesota river between this county and Renville
county.
The Dunn law having been passed, the county commissioners
were petitioned for the construction of numerous roads under its
provisions, the first Dunn roads in this county being inaugurated
in the fall of 1911. Since then, by following a systematic plan
of procedure the present splendid system of Redwood county
roads has been made possible.
The commissioners aim to have three north and south state
roads, and three east and west state roads through the county,
and in addition to this, to connect all the villages with these six
principal thoroughfares.
State Road No. 1 extends from the Morton bridge westward,
passing through Redwood Falls and Vesta, and leaving the county
in the direction of Marshall, on the township line between Under-
wood and Westline. From the Morton bridge, this road runs
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 229
south into section 1, Paxton, about half a mile. Thence it runs
northwest in sections 1 and 2 until striking the township line
between Honner and Paxton. Thence it runs westward on the
north line of Paxton, Redwood Falls, Sheridan and Vesta, and
the south line of Honner, Delhi, Kintire and Yellow Medicine
county. On the north line of Vesta township, between sections
3 and 4 it turns southward, and runs on the section line to Vesta
village. It leaves Vesta midway between the north and south
line of section 16, and runs due west to the western line of sec-
tion 15, Underwood. Thence it runs due south on the section
line to the corner of sections 21, 22, 28 and 27 ; thence a mile west
between sections 21 and 28, thence due south between sections
28 and 29, 32 and 33, to the township line between Underwood
and Westline, and thence west on the township line to the west
line of the county. This road will be completed before snowfall
in 1916.
State Road No. 2, exactly divides Morgan township, extend-
ing from the middle of the south line of Sherman to the middle
of the north line of Brookville, and thence extending one mile
west on the township line between section 33, Morgan, and sec-
tion 4, Brookville. It passes through Morgan village. The road
is completed.
State Road No. 3 extends from the village of Morgan west-
ward to the west line of Three Lakes township, midway between
the north and south lines of the townships. This road, in time,
will be extended westward through New Avon, Vail, Granite Rock
and Westline townships, to the western line of the county, thus
connecting the villages of Morgan, Wabasso, Lucan and Milroy.
State Road No. 4, is under construction from the east boundary
of Willow Lake, due westward eight miles on a line midway be-
tween the north and south boundaries of the township to the
corner of sections 14, 15, 22 and 23, in Waterbury township.
State Road No. 5, enters the county on the eastern line of
Charlestown township, midway between the north and south lines
of the county, and extends westward to the western boundary of
the township. Thence it runs south half a mile on the line be-
tween section 19, Charlestown, and section 24, Lamberton. Thence
it angles northwest in sections 24 and 23, Lamberton, to Lam-
berton village. From Lamberton village it runs westward, mid-
way between the north and south lines of sections 21, 20 and 19.
Thence it extends south half a mile on the line between section
19, Lamberton, and section 24, North Hero. Thence it extends
westward across North Hero and Springdale, two miles north
of the county line, to the western boundary of the county and the
west line of Springdale. It passed through the villages of Lam-
berton, Revere and Walnut Grove. This road, the Springfield-
Tracy road, was built under the Elwell law as State Rural High-
230 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
way, No. 54, but will be maintained as State Road No. 5 under
the Dunn law.
State Road No. 6 starts at the northeast corner of Sheridan
and the northwest corner of Redwood Falls, and extends south-
ward on the line dividing the townships. At the southeast cor-
ner of Sheridan and the southwest corner of Redwood Falls, it
turns west a mile on the line between Sheridan and Vail. Thence
it runs south, a mile west of the east line of Vail, to Wabasso
village. Thence it turns westward a mile across section 23.
Thence it runs southward, two miles west of the east line of
Vail, Waterbury and Lamberton to the south line of Lamberton
and the south boundary of the county. It passes through Lam-
berton and Wabasso village. The road is completed.
State Road No. 7 starts on the south line of Kintire township,
midway between the east and west line of section 32, and runs
north the whole length of the township, one and a half miles east
from the west line of the township and the west line of the county.
On the north line of section 5, Kintire, and the south line of sec-
tion 32, Swedes Forest, it turns west one-half mile, and runs north
the whole length of the township to the Minnesota river, extend-
ing just a mile east from the west line of Swedes Forest and the
west line of the county. The road will be completed in 1916.
It passes through Belview village.
State Road No. 8 starts on the north line of Westline town-
ship, between sections 4 and 5, and runs due south two miles east
of the west line of Westline township, some two miles, to Milroy
village. The road will be completed in 1916.
State Road No. 9 connects Morgan and Redwood Falls. From
Redwood Falls it extends south on the township line between
Redwood Falls and Paxton, to the southwest corner of section
7, Paxton. It extends due east a mile on the south line of sec-
tion 7, Paxton, and then follows the diagonal course of the rail-
road southeast, crossing to the east side of the railroad just south
of Gilfillan.
State Road No. 10 starts at the northeast corner of section 6,
and the northwest corner of section 5, Sheridan township, and
runs due south, a mile east of the township line between Sheridan
and Vesta, to Seaforth village. This road will be completed in
1916.
Four more roads will probably be constructed in 1917. One
will start at the northeast corner of section 3, and the northwest
corner of section 2, on the north line of New Avon township, and
run due south, two miles west of the east line of New Avon and
Willow Lake, to the corner of sections 14, 15, 22 and 23, Willow
Lake. Thence it will run east a mile on the line between sec-
tions 14 and 23, and thence due south to Sanborn, on a line a
mile west of the east line of Willow Lake and Charlestown.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 231
Another will connect Delhi and Belview, and another will
start at Clements and run due south to the county line, midway
between the east and west lines of Three Lakes and Sundown.
Another will start on the north line of Brookville township, and
run south on a line midway between the east and west lines of
the township, to the very center of the township. There it will
turn east a mile, and thence turn due south to the township and
county line, running two miles west of the east line of the town-
ship and county.
Of the Elwell roads in the county, State Rural Highways Nos.
22 and 54 (will be state road No. 5) are completed. State Rural
Highways No. 50, No. 74 and No. 93, will be completed in 1916.
State Rural Highway No. 22, extends south from Redwood
Palls, a mile west of the east line of Redwood Falls township,
to the corner of sections 23, 24, 25 and 26. Thence it runs west
a mile, and thence south, two miles west of the east line of Red-
wood Falls township to the township line between Redwood Falls
and New Avon township.
State Rural Highway No. 50 starts at the corner of sections
7, 8, 17 and 18, Paxton township, runs south a mile between
sections 17 and 18, thence east a half a mile between sections
17 and 20; thence south a half a mile and east a half a mile in
section 20, thence south on a line two miles east of the west line
of Paxton township, to the line between Paxton and Three Lakes
townships.
State Road No. 7 starts on the south line of Kintire township,
midway between the east and west line of section 32, and runs
north the whole length of the township, one and a half miles east
from the west line of the township and the west line of the
county. On the north line of section 5, Kintire, and the south line
of section 32 Swedes Forest it turns west a mile, and runs north
the whole length of the township to the Minnesota river, ex-
tending just a mile east from the west line of Swedes Forest and
the west line of the county. The road will be completed in 1916.
It passes through Belview village.
State Rural Highway No. 74 starts at Milroy in Westline town-
ship, and runs south on a line two miles east of the west line
of Westline and Gales townships, to a point on the west line of
section 8, Gales township, midway between the north and south
line of the section. Thence it runs west through section 8.
State Rural Highway No. 93 extends straight south from Vesta
through Luean to the corner of sections 21, 22, 27 and 28, North
Hero township, running midway between the east and west lines
of Vesta, Granite Rock, Johnsonville and North Hero townships.
Authority and References. The Records of the Proceedings
of the County Commissioners of Redwood County in the custody
of the Redwood County Auditor.
232 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The Transcripts from the Field Notes of the Original Govern-
ment Surveys, in the custody of the Register of Deeds of Redwood
county.
State Road Records in the custory of the auditor of Redwood
county.
Personal testimony of L. P. Larson, who has been auditor of
Redwood county during the period of state road building.
"Dlustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Minnesota," A. T.
Andreas, Chicago, 1874.
"Map of State Roads in Redwood County," prepared by 0. L.
Kipp, district engineer, Minnesota State Highway Commission.
CHAPTER XXI.
RAILROADS.
Redwood county is crossed by five railroads, operated by two
companies, the Chicago and Northwestern Railway Co. and the
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad Co.
The Winona-Tracy branch of the old Winona & St. Peter, now
the Chicago & Northwestern, extends through the southern part
of the county, crossing the townships of Charlestown, Lamberton,
North Hero and Springdale, with stations at Sanborn, Lamberton,
Revere, and Walnut Grove. Springfield in Brown county is nine
miles east of Sanborn and Tracy in Lyon county is eight miles
west of Walnut Grove. The line was completed a few miles
west of New Ulm in June, 1872. The next sixty miles through
Redwood county and on to Marshall was rapidly constructed, and
the first construction train reached Marshall on Oct. 12, 1872.
Service was suspended during the long hard winter of 1873, and
regular service inaugurated in the spring.
The first train to run within the limits of Redwood county on
regular schedule left New Ulm at 9 o'clock on the morning of
April 14, 1873, made the run of eighty miles in seven hours, and
arrived at Marshall at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. H. B. Gary
was the conductor, and Robert McConnell, the engineer. The
train was made up of engine No. 26, a baggage car, a coach, and
twenty-five freight cars.
The Minnesota Valley division of the Winona & St. Peter, now
the Redwood Falls-Sleepy Eye branch of the Chicago & North-
western, was constructed in 1878. Lumber was brought to Red-
wood Falls by rail as early as July, 1878, and on Aug. 1, a regular
passenger service was inaugurated with W. C. Tyler as first sta-
tion agent. He kept his office in a box car, while the station was
being erected. This line crossed Morgan and Maxton townships
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 233
diagonally and has stations in this county at Morgan, Gilfillan
and Redwood Falls. Redwood Falls is the end of the line. Evan,
in Brown county, is seven miles from Morgan.
The county issued bonds of $50,000 for the construction of the
line to Redwood Falls. A petition was presented to the county
board on July 24, 1876, asking for the issuance of bonds for the
construction of a railroad which was to connect Redwood Falls
with New Ulm. An election called for Aug. 18, 1876, resulted in
a favorable vote by the people. On Sept. 6, 1876, the board de-
cided not to issue the bonds until the railroad should be completed
to Redwood Falls. Sept. 20, 1876, an insistent demand having
been made for the issuance of the bonds, a committee of D. O.
King, J. M. Little and Mathias Keller, was appointed to draw up
a contract with the railroad company. On Feb. 15, 1877, the
committee reported. On their recommendation the bonds were
issued, and placed with the Bank of St. Paul, to be paid to the
railroad should the line be completed and in use by Oct. 1, 1877.
The conditions were not met, and the bonds were withdrawn. On
Jan. 3, 1878 the commissioners extended the time for the com-
pletion of the road to Aug. 18, 1878. The railroad was built, and
the bonds duly issued.
The Evan-Marshall line of the Chicago & Northwestern was
built by the Minnesota Western Railway Company. Two surveys
were made, one from Morgan and one from Evan. The latter
was finally selected. Track laying started at Wabasso April 21,
1902, and Marshall was reached in July of that year. The stretch
from Wabasso to Evan was also rapidly completed, and the line
put in operation that summer and fall.
The line extends across the central part of Redwood county,
crossing Brookville, Three Lakes, New Avon, Vail, Granite Rock
and Westline townships, with stations at Wayburne, Clements,
Rowena, Wabasso, Lucan and Milroy. , Evan in Brown county is
five miles from Wayburne and Dudley in Lyon county is seven
miles from Milroy.
The Sanborn-Vesta line of the Northwestern extends from
Sanborn to Vesta, the tracks being in Charlestown, Willow Lake,
Waterbury, Vail, Sheridan and Vesta townships, with stations at
Sanborn, Wanda, Wabasso, Seaforth and Vesta. Vesta is the end
of the line. Dotson, in Brown county, is eight miles from San-
born. The road was built in the summer and fall of 1899, and
the first train was run Nov. 27, 1899.
The Pacific division of the Minneapolis & St. Louis was com-
pleted to Morton in 1882, and the construction westward through
Redwood county completed in 1884. It passes through Homier,
Delhi and Kintire townships and touches Paxton township as
well. The stations are at North Redwood, Delhi and Belview.
Morton in Renville county is seven miles from North Redwood
234 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
and Echo in Yellow Medicine county is three miles from Echo.
The Chicago & Northwestern Co. The Winona and St. Peter
Railroad Co., an outgrowth of the Transit line, of territorial days,
was organized March 10, 1862, and completed its road from
Winona to Rochester in 1864. Waconia was reached in 1867,
Janesville in 1870, St. Peter in 1871; New Ulm in June, 1872;
Marshall in November, 1872; and the western boundary of the
state in 1874.
The Winona, Mankato and New Ulm Railroad Co. was organ-
ized in 1870, and a railroad was built from New Ulm to Man-
kato. It was afterward acquired by the Winona and St. Peter.
The earliest part of the Chicago & Northwestern system was
known as the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad Co. incorpor-
ated under the laws of Illinois, Jan. 16, 1836. The real beginning
of the Northwestern under its present name was when the Legis-
lature of Wisconsin, on April 10, 1861, authorizing it to construct
a railroad from Fond du Lac to the Menominee river. In October,
1864, the Penninsular Railroad was acquired, thus securing the
trade of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
In 1867, the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Co. became in-
terested in the Winona and St. Peter and in 1870, the Mississippi
river was bridged at Winona. The Chicago & Northwestern ac-
quired by purchase the Winona and St. Peter June 7, 1900; the
Minnesota and Iowa on June 8, 1900 ; and the Minnesota Western
Railway on July 16, 1902.
The Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad Co. The original
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway Co. was a Minnesota corpora-
tion called the Minnesota Western Railroad Co., created March
3, 1853, by Chapter 66, Special Laws of 1853. In 1870, by author-
ity of the State Legislature, the name was changed to the Minne-
apolis and St. Louis Railway Co. This company, authorized by
the legislatures of both Minnesota and Iowa, absorbed the Minne-
apolis and Duluth, organized in April, 1871 ; the Minnesota and
Iowa Southern, created in 1878; and the Fort Dodge and Fort
Ridgely, incorporated in 1876. In the summer of 1888 the com-
pany went into the hands of a receiver, and in the fall of 1894
was sold under a decree of foreclosure. In November, 1894,
the company was reorganized under the name of the Minneapolis
and St. Louis Railroad Company. To preserve the corporate
rights of the company in the two states, that portion of its
property lying in the state of Iowa was conveyed to a committee
which, in January, 1895, organized the Minneapolis and St. Louis
Railroad and Telegraph Company of Iowa, which in February
following was formerly consolidated with the Minneapolis and
St. Louis Railroad Company under that title. The reorganization
was made under the laws of the both Iowa and Minnesota, and
the present company retains all the rights of the original and con-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 235
stituent companies. On January 1, 1912, the company acquired
by purchase all the railroad and connected property of the Iowa
Central and Minnesota and the Dakota and Pacific Railway
companies.
The main line from St. Paul westward, or what was originally
called the Pacific Division, was constructed from Hopkins to
Winthrop in February, 1882, and from Winthrop to Morton in
November, 1882. Morton remained the terminal of the line for
two years and in 1884 the line was continued to Watertown. The
construction work of the line through this part of the state was
done by the Wisconsin, Minnesota and Western Construction Co.
Acknowledgment. Thanks are due to Thomas Yapp and
H. B. Warren, assistant secretary and statistician, respectively,
of the State Railway and Warehouse Commission, for assistance
in the preparation of this chapter.
References. Railroads in Minnesota are discussed at length in
many of the standard Histories of Minnesota, and the story of the
building of various branches is treated in several county histories.
Interesting articles on the subject appear in the published "Col-
lections" of the Minnesota Historical Society. Valuable material
regarding the early railroads of the state; the "Five Million
Dollar Loan"; the repudiation of railroad bonds by the state and
the final settlement of the matter; together with a detailed his-
tory of the Winona & St. Peter; are to be found in the "History
of Winona County, Minnesota, 1913, by Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge.
Authority. Records of the State Railway and Warehouse
Commission.
"Minnesota in Three Centuries," by Return I. Holcombe.
Files of cotemporary newspapers.
Personal testimony of residents.
Outline Map of Redwood County prepared by A. D. McRae.
History of Lyon County, by Arthur P. Rose, 1912.
CHAPTER XXII
EDUCATION
The social and economic development of a community is most
admirably reflected in its schools. The first school in Redwood
county (exclusive of the agency schools) was taught in a living
room in a log cabin at Redwood Falls, protected from the Indians
by a stockade and a patrol of soldiers. The early schools were
held in the same kind of structures as those in which their pupils
lived. Some were in granaries, some in log cabins, some in sod
houses, and one or two in a brush or straw lean-to. The furniture
236 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
in the pioneer schools was of a nondescript variety. Some schools
had a bench running around three sides of the room, some had a
few rough boards for tables. In the first school taught in the
stockade, household furniture from the various cabins was used.
In some early schools the children brought their chairs to school
in the morning and took them back home at night. Some of
the schools had fire places, some had a crude stove. The first
text books were usually of a miscellaneous variety which the
families had brought with them from older communities. The
county was new, the pioneers were for the most part poor, they
were compelled to make the best of circumstances as they found
them, and the children likewise, in their schooling, were provided
with such make-shifts as were available.
As the people prospered, the schoolhouses were improved,
though it must be admitted, that the school facilities did not in
all instances keep pace with the developments along other lines,
for in some neighborhoods the school house was the last building
to be improved, and remained a crude, box like structure, a blot
on the landscape, long after the farms were provided with mag-
nificent barns and comfortable homes.
It has been the settled policy of the United States since the
Republic was formed, to assist new territories and states by grants
of land for common schools, a university, public buildings and
other purposes. The manner of disposing of the lands was left
with the people of the several states. The act of Congress, author-
izing a territorial government for Minnesota, was approved
March 3, 1849. Among other things, it provided that, when the
lands in the territory should be surveyed, sections 16 and 36 in
each township were to be reserved for the purpose of schools in
the territory or state which would follow.
The first legislative assembly of Minnesota enacted in 1849
a law for the support of common schools. A partial organization
of the system was effected the following year, and in 1851 Rev.
E. D. Neill was appointed territorial superintendent of common
schools.
But the early settlement of Minnesota was slow, so that in
1854 there were only five or six school districts in the territory,
and not more than a half dozen log school houses, of very little
value, with no organized public school system. There was at that
time no public school fund.
In 1861 Governor Alexander Ramsey delivered a remarkable
address to the legislature, in which he stated that he believed in
fifty years from that time the three million acres of school land,
when sold, would yield an annual revenue which would raise the
Minnesota educational system above the level of that of any state
in the Union. He spoke with almost prophetic foresight for the
half century period has just passed and the state school fund
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 237
alone, in actual, interest-bearing securities, amounts to $21,500,000,
and there are more than a million acres of school land still unsold.
The school system of the state was six years old when Colonel
McPhail and his little band of asosciates located at Redwood Falls.
Previous to this settlement, the only schools that had been con-
ducted in Redwood county were the schools at the Lower Agency,
where the government, in 1854, started its attempt to make white
men of the Sioux Indians.
A number of children living in the stockade at Redwood Falls,
the only white children in the county, were taught, during the
winter of 1864-65 by Julia A. Williams, who thus became the
pioneer schoolteacher of the county.
The school system of Redwood county as an organized entity
dates from the first meeting of the county commissioners, April
19, 1865, when a school district was created consisting of the
present townships of Paxton, Honner and Redwood Falls.
In April, 1866, District No. 1 was created, with a schoolhouse
at Redwood Falls. Edward March, the county auditor, was
appointed school examiner Sept. 12, 1865, his compensation to be
$2 a day for time actually spent at his examining duties.
Redwood county received from the state fund, in 1867, $85
for school purposes. In addition, $21.79 was raised for the county
school fund, and $35.47 from the district school fund, making
a total of $142.76 available that year for operating the schools
of the county. Of this, District 1 received $46.51 for the spring
term and $36.03 for the fall term, making a total of $82.54 for
the year. District 2 received $10.11 for the spring term and
$9.85 for the fall term, making a total of $19.96. District 3
received $14.43 for the spring term and $25.72 for the fall term,
making a total of $40.15.
In 1868 the majority of the teachers of the cojinty, and indeed
of the state, were poorly trained and ill qualified to teach. For
the most part they were boys and girls who wished to work for a
few months in the year, and who found employment at teaching
at a season of the year when there was no other employment.
Teaching was not regarded as a trained profession, but an occu-
pation in which anyone could engage who had a better education
than the prospective pupils. Sometimes the subjects taught were
as new to the teacher as to the pupil, the teacher keeping one
lesson ahead of the pupil by studying at night.
The average wage per month in Redwood county for a male
teacher was $33 and for a female teacher $12. There were scat-
tering schools here and there. In only one school that winter
were there two teachers.
In 1869 eight districts had been organized and 169 pupils were
enrolled. E. A. Chandler, county superintendent, in his report
for 1870 says, "Redwood county is still in its infancy concerning
238 HISTOEY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
school matters but it has a healthy constitution and a rapid
growth is looked forward to."
La 1870 the salaries were nearly double what they were in
1868. The male teachers received an average salary of $50 a
month, and the female teachers an average of $22.50 a month.
In 1871 Redwood county paid $880.80 as teachers' wages.
Great improvements were being made in the school buildings, and
in the system and the teachers hired were better qualified and
better paid.
In 1872 the increase in teachers' wages corresponded with the
increase in pupils and school buildings, when $1,139.77 was paid as
teachers' wages. The ratio of female teachers to male was steadily
on the increase in Minnesota. In 1874 almost $3,000 was paid as
teachers' wages in Eedwood county.
In 1875 W. B. Herriott, county superintendent, declared that
the condition of the schools, although sadly in need of improve-
ment, were better than the statistics indicated. Progress was re-
ported for the five years. In place of one school building, there
were fifteen j in place of eight districts, there were twenty-seven ;
there were six times as many pupils. Great plans had been made,
but the hard times caused by the grasshoppers greatly interfered
with building and kindred work, and in some of the districts
the plans were not realized.
The work accomplished during the next year, 1876, was quite
satisfactory. Five new school houses were built and six new
districts were laid out.
In 1877 D. L. Bigham, the county superintendent, said in his
report that the schools were greatly indebted to the influence ex-
erted on them by the State Teachers' Institute held at Eedwood
Falls in the spring. This was the first institute held in the county,
but by an extra effort, almost every teacher was in attendance.
Lectures and good instruction were given, and the result was a
new life in the schools. On the whole, the schools of Eedwood
county made a decided advance during the year.
The question of text books was considered by the county com-
missioners Sept. 25, 1878, when $164.29 was appropriated in con-
nection with the state uniform text book scheme. Jan. 9, 1879,
the sum of $91.46 was appropriated from the county funds with
which to purchase cheap state text-books, Eobert "Watson ajid
Lyman Fuller being named as the purchasing committee.
E. L. Marshman, county superintendent, stated in his report
in 1885 that the schools were keeping pace in growth with other
worthy interests. The number of pupils had increased to 1,435
and there were fifty-two organized districts. There were forty
school houses and there was not so much changing of teachers as
in former years. The attendance was much better but far below
what it would have been if the compulsory school law had been
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 239
enforced, which was then virtually ignored in Redwood county.
The teachers' institute, as to attendance and interest was superior
to those of other years. The work of the institute instructors
sent by the state was excellent.
In 1886 the county superintendent's report declared that there
was not so much changing of teachers as in former years; that
the school officers were more liberal in compensating teachers
who showed their worthiness. The teachers' institute, as to
attendance and interest, was superior to those of others years.
The average wages of the teachers in 1885 was: males $39.00;
females $25.60.
In 1887 the county superintendent declared in his report that
the teachers were more enthusiastic over their work and were
regarding it more as a permanent work. School districts, in many
instances, were awakening to the fact that more good could be
accomplished by employing teachers permanently than by chang-
ing every term. Keener interest was manifested on the part of the
pupils when they realized the teacher had come to stay. The com-
mon school teachers still had little more than a high school educa-
tion. Few normal graduates taught in the common schools. But
the teachers were better prepared and the increase in salary they
demanded was seldom refused.
In 1890 the county superintendent's report showed gradual
progress. Seven new buildings had been erected in the past two
years and many of the old ones had been torn down and new ones
erected. The school library law commenced to make its influence
felt and in 1890 fourteen schools were supplied with fair sized
libraries. There was less change in the teaching force than in
any previous year. The work of teaching was better understood
and the teachers were better qualified to fill their positions.
Teachers' meetings were a great help toward unifying the work.
Everywhere the teachers were encouraged to read, annually at
least, one work on education. An effort was made to keep the
pupils in school after they reached the age of fifteen. A common
school diploma was offered to encourage them to remain and the
twelve diplomas, given the previous year, were highly prized.
Compulsory education was not enforced. Mild measures were
tried and some good was accomplished but less than seventy per
cent of the whole number enrolled attended school the whole
time. However, the law was too faulty to insure great success.
Nearly all schools at that time were supplied with classification
registers and the records left were very helpful to the incoming
teacher.
There was less change in the teaching force in Redwood county
than in any previous year. The work of teaching was much bet-
ter understood. Nearly all the schools were taught by teachers
who held a second grade license. Nearly all the teachers fol-
240 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
lowed as a guide the Common School Manual, which made the
work more unified. In 1890 the male teachers in Redwood county-
were receiving an average salary of $36 and the female teachers
$30. About $17,000 was spent for teachers' wages in Redwood
county that year.
New methods of improving the efficiency of the teachers were
continually being tried. The Teachers' Institutes had proved a
real help and in 1890 there was a summer school held for teachers
in Redwood county. The practical school room work was
taught and those who attended were greatly encouraged and
strengthened.
In 1894 an excellent training school was held in Redwood
county in the summer. One hundred and forty-seven earnest men
and women were enrolled, and a great deal of good work was
accomplished toward qualifying the teachers for their work.
Nearly $30,000 was paid to the ninety teachers who taught in
Redwood county in 1894. The males received on an average of
$40 a month ; the females $33. Of the whole number engaged in
teaching, all but nine had first and second grade certificates.
There were examined in 1894 one hundred and forty candidates,
of which sixty were rejected. Of the whole force then engaged
in teaching, two were college graduates, ten were normal gradu-
ates, and thirty were high school graduates. Fifty teachers had
attended a high school and twenty more had attended a normal
school without completing a full course. It will be seen that the
scholarship of the teachers was greatly improved.
In the report for 1895, County Superintendent S. J. Race said :
"Compulsory education does not compel. Only seventy per cent
of the pupils enrolled attended school regularly. Where a well
qualified teacher, a live, energetic one is at work in a well supplied
school room there is no trouble about attendance. The remedy
lies not in more stringent laws, but in more efficient teachers."
That year $32,000 was paid for teachers' wages, or an average
of $32 per month for males and $30 per month for females. There
were 147 candidates who applied for certificates, but only 80
secured necessary pass marks. The teaching force was gradually
improving. There were more "normal girls and boys" than two
years earlier, though it is true that the normal graduates were
for the most part teaching in the villages, the better salaries and
the longer school terms in the villages being among the induce-
ments which kept the best qualified teachers away from the little
country schools where as a matter of fact they were needed the
most.
The enrollment in the summer school in 1896 in Redwood
county was not as large as in 1894, but it was well organized and
the teachers received a great deal of help. The teachers' reading
circle proved of great aid in making the teachers better qualified.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 241
There had been but slight change in the wage question. Where
the teacher had shown broad scholarship, a disposition to work,
and an interest in her work, she had been retained at an increased
salary.
The teachers' wages showed an increase for 1897 when $33,782
was paid out. There were twenty-four male and one hundred and
four female teachers, at an average of $31 per month These aver-
ages do not include Redwood Falls and Lamberton, where the males
received $91 per month and the females $47 per month. In 1895
it was a rare sight to find a normal graduate in the rural schools.
In 1897 there were employed in Redwood county, seventeen nor-
mal school graduates, not including city and village schools, who
were paid an average of $38 per month. All the districts having
such teachers, except one, were convinced that it paid, and
were resolved to try the experiment again the following year.
In 1900 the county superintendent, S. J. Race, said in his re-
port that Redwood county showed remarkable improvement in
the last few years. New school houses with some beauty of
structure, some sanitary measures, and something relative to
heating and ventilation had been built. The "box-car" pattern
was left behind. The school libraries grew steadily. The law of
"Special State Aid to Rural Schools" was a wonderful stimulus
to Redwood County.
Ten schools tried a simple yet efficacious plan of heating and
ventilating school rooms. The method was to heat the fresh air
and to distribute in the room by means of registers.
The schools having eight and nine months' sessions all paid
$35 and $40 per month. Some paid $45 per month, and a few
$50.
In the earliest days of Redwood county teachers were first
granted their licenses to teach by the county examiner; later
by examiners in county commissioners' districts, and, when the
county superintendency was established, by the county superin-
tendents. Under them, the system gradually grew in efficiency.
From 1899 all teachers had been examined by the state superin-
tendent of public instutition, who issued questions upon which
applicants throughout the state wrote at the same time, the
manuscript being sent immediately to his office, under whose su-
pervision certificates were issued. By this system of uniform
examination, the standard for entering the teaching profession
was raised, the requirements made uniform, and due credit given
to those who have shown special fitness for and success in their
work.
The year 1904 was one of more progress than any other fop
ten years. Thirty-nine teachers were normal school graduates,
forty-nine were high school graduates, and seven were college
graduates. In the whole county there were sixty-six teachers
242 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
who held a state first grade certificates or higher qualifications.
The men received on an average $50 per month, the women $40
per month. All teachers with first grade certificates in rural
schools received from $45 to $50 per month. The higher salaries
paid had a tendency to put teaching on a more professional hasis.
The teacher with a third grade certificate or, more properly
speaking, a permit, is nearly weeded out.
In 1905 and 1906 all the schools, but one, in the county had
good libraries which were very helpful. The heating and venti-
lation questions reported a marked improvement. Twelve rural
schools had furnaces and fifty-seven used a Manuel-Smith system
with good results, which left twenty-eight districts which still
used the stove without any means of ventilation. The teachers
employed in Redwood county in 1905 held higher certificates
on an average than any other county in the state.
In 1906 there was paid for teachers' salaries for rural school
teachers $38,886, who had under their charge 3,093 pupils, while
the city and village teachers received in salaries $24,682 for teach-
ing 2,112 pupils.
July 13, 1908, the board appropriated $75 to be spent for a
Children's Agricultural Contest to be held under the supervision
of the county superintendent of schools. On Jan. 5, 1909, an ap-
propriation of $150 was made for a Children's Industrial Contest.
H. J. Bebermeyer, county superintendent, says in his report for
1910 that in Redwood county there were 113 school districts com-
prising 117 separate schools. The different kinds of schools were :
two high schools, six graded schools, eight semi-graded schools,
one hundred and three rural schools.
The efficiency of the teachers continued yearly to improve.
Teachers' meetings were held on Saturdays in the various parts of
the county and these meetings were followed by one meeting for
the entire county. In 1910, the percentage of teachers holding
first grade certificates was from sixty to 75.
The Redwood county superintendent in his report for 1912
said that about seventy per cent of the teachers in the county
held first grade certificates. During the past three years a teach-
ers' training department had been in session in the Redwood Falls
high school. Thus far all graduated from this department were
also graduates from this or some other high school. Nearly all
were teaching in the county and were doing excellent work.
Thus these departments were supplying the need of professionally
trained teachers for the rural schools.
In 1914 the average monthly wages of men teachers in the
rural schools in Redwood county were $65, and the average
monthly wages of women teachers were $51.
At the present time there are 110 districts in the county, three
having recently consolidated with others so that there no longer
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 243
exists Districts Nos. 41, 91 and 93. There are now, in the county
eleven graded and high school buildings, thirteen semi-graded
buildings which consist of two rooms or more, seven of these
being in the open country and the rest in small villages, and
ninety-two one-room buildings. The high schools are at Redwood
Falls, Lamberton, Belview, Sanborn, Walnut Grove and Morgan.
The graded schools not giving full high school work are at Wa-
basso, Delhi and Wanda. The four consolidated districts are at
Lamberton, Redwood Falls, Wanda and Walnut Grove, a fifth
one at Delhi having voted to consolidate will be ready for work
in September, 1917. The semi-graded schools are at Clements,
Lucan, Milroy, Revere, Seaforth, Vesta, District No. 7 in New
Avon township, District No. 19 in North Hero township, District
No. 27 in Sundown township, District No. 49 in Brookville town-
ship, District No. 67 in Willow Lake township, District No. 70
in Sheridan township and District No. 78 in Waterbury township.
During the year 1915-16 there were 5,552 pupils enrolled in the
schools of the county, 2,313 of which were in graded and high
schools and the rest in rural and semi-graded schools. The aver-
age length of the school term was eight and one-half months, or
170 days, out of which the average days attended by each pupil
was 126.9, as compared with 123 for 1914-15, 121 for 1913-14, and
119 for 1912-13. There were in 1915-16, 180 teachers in all the
schools of the county, the average monthly salary in graded and
high schools being $86 and in rural and semi-graded being $63,
making an average for the county of $75. The average monthly
wages for men in the high and graded schools was $108.50, for
women $63.50; in rural and semi-graded, for men $69, and for
women $57.
The qualifications of the. teachers employed in the rural schools
are improving from year to year. At the present time all the
teachers of the rural and semi-graded schools hold a first grade
certificate with the exception of four who hold a complete second-
grade. Out of the 122 teachers at the present time in the rural
and semi-graded schools, seven are state normal school graduates,
nineteen have attended a state normal school and seventy-seven
are graduated from a high school normal training department,
making a total of 102 having had special professional training,
only three of which have had their professional work outside
of the state of Minnesota. There are no men teachers in the rural
schools and only three men are employed in the semi-graded,
these being principals. In the high and graded schools there are
fifteen men, leaving a total of 180 women teachers in the county.
One great drawback to the progress which the schools should
make is the constant changing of teachers. In the school year
1915-16 there were only forty teachers who had been in the same
district three years or more; forty-three who had been in the
244 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
same district two years, and one hundred and fifteen who had
been in the same district only one year.
All the districts lend free text books. Every school in the
county has a library, and during 1915-16, 20,835 of these were
loaned for reading purposes. Every school has a bubbling drink-
ing fountain, providing a sanitary method of furnishing water
for the school children.
All the schools in 1915-16 received state aid except two, both of
which have voted to fit up to meet the requirements and will
make application for state aid for 1916-17.
Three things needed for an improvement in the physical sur-
roundings of the schoolhouses of the county are : grounds fenced,
trees, and concealed entrances to the outhouses. Last year there
were 277 trees planted. Thirty-two districts have the grounds
fenced and as many more have fences on three sides. A number
of school yards are surrounded by shade trees and some have
planted groves for protection on the north and west sides.
There are sixty-four of the rural schools that have furnished
better facilities for the children washing their hands at school
by providing a wash basin, liquid soap, and paper towels; about
half of the remaining number use individual linen towels. A few
schools use the family linen towels, and the rest use the danger-
ous, germ laden, disease spreading common towel.
The superintendents report for the year closing 1915 shows
the following facts. The aggregate indebtedness of all districts
was $216,193.82; spent for teachers' salaries, $105,105.93; spent
for new schoolhouses and sites, $20,674.62 ; the county as a whole
received from the state for apportionment, $28,597.26 ; for special
state aid, $37,227.22 ; and the total number of voters present at
the annual meeting in the entire county was 1,545 persons.
When the state of Minnesota was organized, sections 16 and
36 of every township in the state were set aside as school prop-
erty. This land has gradually been sold and the money put into
a permanent state school fund. Valuable mineral has been found
on much of this land, which makes the school fund limitless and
inexhaustible. The interest only from this fund is used, out of
which the apportionment maney for each pupil attending school
a certain number of days each year is paid. This amounts to about
$6, on the average, for every pupil each year. The state aid
money to schools is paid out of the annual fund which is appro-
priated by the legislature at each session. This money is derived
from taxes on all taxable property. The larger percentage of
this fund is paid by the three largest cities and the large corpora-
tions of the state. There is also a one mill local tax which is
collected from and paid back to each individual district. Any
other tax paid is the amount that is voted by the patrons at the
annual school meeting for the running expenses of their school.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 245
The school grounds average about one acre in size. In nearly
all the districts where new buildings have been erected or old ones
remodeled they have provided two acres, a portion of which is
used for lawn and landscape garden, some for school gardens
and the rest for play grounds, many of which are equipped with
teeter boards, swings, turning poles, giant strides, and other
playground apparatus. Provision is also made for various games,
such as croquet, tennis, basket ball and volley ball.
Redwood county, being one of the older counties of the state,
has many old one-room rural schoolhouses, but these are rapidly
being replaced by up-to-date modern buildings. Since 1905 there
have been thirty-six new buildings erected and ten old ones re-
modeled. Of these new one-room buildings nearly all have pro-
vided for a full basement, two cloak rooms, a large library room
and a store room. In the past three years five two-room rural
schools have been erected where before one-room schools existed.
These two-teaeher, or semi-graded, schools have added much to
the opportunities of the pupils living in the country. Most of
these two-room school buildings are so constructed that the parti-
tion separating the class rooms rolls or folds up, thus providing
a large auditorium for neighborhood gatherings. District 27 in
Sundown township went further than this when it built its two-
room school. This is a two story building with a community room,
kitchen and library on the second floor. The schoolhouse has
become the center of the township's social life. They have an
annual township fair held there, and among other events of the
year which take place at the schoolhouse is a farmers' institute.
Only twenty-two schools in the county still have double seats,
while twenty-three other schools are still using some double seats,
but these are rapidly being replaced by single ones. If the two
schools that are planning to secure state aid for 1916-17 for the
first time succeed in their efforts, every school building in the
county will have an approved system of ventilation. These sys-
tems consist of steam heat and forced air ventilation, or hot air
furnace and a gravity system of ventilation, or patented room
heaters. A number of the latter have been in use for many
years and more modern systems are gradually being installed in
their place.
The oldest schoolhouse in the county is in District 9, in Morgan
township, erected in 1876. The schoolhouses erected or remodeled
since 1905 are: No. 1 (remodeled), No. 2, No. 4, No. 5, No. 7,
No. 8, No. 13, No. 14 (remodeled), No. 19, No. 21, No. 23, No. 24.
No. 27, No. 28 (two buildings), No. 30, No. 31 (one building and
one remodeled), No. 33, No. 39, No. 42, No. 44, No. 47, No. 48,
No. 49 (remodeled), No. 50, No. 51, No. 56 (remodeled), No. 67
(remodeled), No. 69 (remodeled), No. 70 (remodeled), No. 74
(remodeled), No. 77 (remodeled), No. 78, No. 81, No. 82, No. 86,
246 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
No. 94, No. 95, No. 97, No. 101, No. 106, No. 110, No. Ill, No. 112
and No. 113.
There are two teachers in the schools of Districts 7, 15, 19, 26,
27, 49, 67, 70, 78, 104 and 108. There are three teachers in the
schools of Districts 95 and 102.
During the past year there were nine districts which, at public
expense, transported all or part of its pupils. Nearly half of the
schools have barns on the school grounds, for the accommodation
of the pupils who drive to school.
No county examinations are given in Redwood county. Pro-
motion from the eighth grade depends upon the results of the
state board examinations which are held twice a year in each
township in the county. The state requirements for eighth grade
graduation are rigidly inforced, no pupil being granted a diploma
without four of the required state board certificates.
Nearly all the rural and semi-graded schools do something
along the lines of elementary agriculture, sewing and manual
training.
Redwood conducts an annual acre corn contest, an annual
pig contest, a bread-making contest and a spelling contest, the
winners of which represent the county at the state contests. In
addition to this contest work, Redwood county has an annual
township school day. On this day all of the schools of each town-
ship meet at some central schoolhouse with the school officers
and patrons of the township. Half of the day is devoted to school
contest work, the other half to a joint program. At noon a town-
ship picnic dinner is served. This day has grown to be the red
letter day of the school year in every township. Each school
puts up, at the meeting place, an exhibit of the pupils' work,
thus affording the patrons an opportunity to make a comparative
study of the work done in the various schools. The schools of the
county have erected a school exhibit building at the county fair
grounds at Redwood Falls. In this building at the time of the
county fair all the schools of the county are given an opportunity
to exhibit work which has been done during the previous school
year. This county school exhibit affords an excellent opportunity
for the patrons from the different parts of the county to study
and compare the work which is being done by the schools.
Education is no longer thought to consist only of the work
done in the schoolroom with the children. A broader view is being
universally accepted and rapidly adopted in Redwood county.
The people of various sections are forming themselves into clubs,
the aim and purpose of which is general improvement of its mem-
bers, together with civic and farm improvement. There were
thirteen active adult club organizations, aside from churches and
lodges, in the county during 1915-16. The majority of these club
meetings were held at the schoolhouses.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 247
The supervising of the rural and semi-graded schools is done
by a county superintendent of schools, elected at large by the
people. The graded and high schools, unless consolidated, are
not directly under the supervision of the county superintendent
of schools, but are supervised by local principals or city superin-
tendents. The consolidated schools are under joint supervision
of the county and city superintendent. The supervision of rural
and semi-graded schools is very inadequate, as this work in Red-
wood county is done by one individual, the county superintendent,
who, besides, performs the many other duties connected with that
office. This means that there are 111 schools, most of which are
at least three miles apart, left to the care and responsibility of one
person. From this it will be readily seen that there can be no
real supervision in these schools. The city and graded schools
employ teachers with better qualifications and usually more ma-
ture than the rural and semi-graded ones. Yet each of these same
high and graded schools employ a well trained superintendent
who devotes his entire time and attention to his own individual
school. It seems an injustice to the boys and girls who happen
to live in the rural district that they should be taught, oftentimes,
by immature teachers having little training, without more direct
supervision than is possible under the present system. Many of
the states have already adopted plans to provide for several super-
visors for each county in that state. During the school year 1915-
1916 the superintendent of Redwood county made 240 visits, an
average of between two and three visits to each school. If some
plan could be adopted whereby the rural schools could have as
much supervision as the village schools, what wonders might be
accomplished with the children in the country!
The parochial schools of the county are located as follows :
Norwegian Lutheran, in the village of Belview, District 74;
Swedish Lutheran, in the village of Belview, District 74; Nor-
wegian Lutheran, in District 10 in Swedes Forest township; Nor-
wegian Lutheran, in District 52 in Swedes Forest township; Nor-
wegian Lutheran, in District 5 in Swedes Forest township ; German
Lutheran, in Section 5, Sheridan township ; German Lutheran,
in the village of Redwood Falls, District 1 ; German Lutheran, in
the village of Morgan, District 56 ; Catholic, in the village of Mor-
gan, District 56 ; Norwegian Lutheran, in section 28 of Sundown
township, District 27 ; German Lutheran, in the village of San-
born, District 17; German Lutheran, in the village of Wanda,
District 30; German Lutheran, in section 10 in Waterbury town-
ship in the church ; German Lutheran, in Willow Lake township,
section 10; German Lutheran, in section 9 in Johnsonville town-
ship ; German Lutheran, in the village of Vesta, District 102.
District 1. This district embraces the village of Redwood
Falls, and some surrounding territory. It was originally organ-
248 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
ized in 1866, and later made an independent district. The first
school was taught in the winter of 1864-65 in the stockade. Con-
ditions gradually developed until 1882, when the first high school
class was formed under Supt. P. V. Hubbard with an enrollment
of sixty-four pupils. In 1884 and 1885 it became necessary to
have a larger building, and the west portion of the present build-
ing was built. In 1886 the first class, consisting of five members,
was graduated from the high school. In 1892 the east portion
of the building was built. In 1900 there was a substantial brick
building consisting of ten rooms. In 1916 the building is being
remodelled and enlarged, and when opened in the fall will be the
equal of any high school in any town of this size in the state. In
addition to the regular high school course, courses are given in
manual training, domestic science, normal training, music and
agriculture.
District 2. The Crow Creek district, originally organized in
1866, is in the southern part of Honner and the north central
part of Paxton townships. The schoolhouse, erected in 1911 in a
grove on the banks of Crow Creek, is in the eastern part of sec-
tion 4, Paxton township. The people of the district are very
progressive and the school is well supported. An eight or nine-
months' term has been maintained for many years.
District 3. Originally organized in 1866, is in the northern
part of Vesta township. There are three schoolhouses in this
district. The building in 3 East was erected in 1892 and is lo-
cated in the southern part of section 11 ; the one in 3 West was
erected in 1901 and is located in the central part of section 18;
and the one in 3 North was erected in 1916 and is located in the
northeast corner of section 8. There are no trees around these
schoolhouses and the sites are small. The people of this district
have recently awakened to the advantages of better education
and now have nine months of school.
District 4. Originally organized in 1868, is in the north central
part of Redwood Falls township. The schoolhouse, erected in
1915, is located in the western part of section 10. The site is
large and well fenced and this is one of the most modern school-
houses in the county. The people are very progressive and awake
to every opportunity along educational lines and for many years
have had nine months' terms of school.
District 5. The Rock Valley district, originally organized in
1868, is in the northwest corner of Swedes Forest township. The
schoolhouse, erected in 1908, is located in the southwest corner of
section 17, and is a substantial building, the windows of which
are screened. The site is low and needs a fence. This was the
last district in the county to vote seven or more months of school
and it maintains a month of Norwegian parochial school at the
close of the public school term. The attendance is good. (Note.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 249
In 1872 district 5 was located in the southern part of Redwood
county, being in Charlestown and Lamberton townships, but this
was later changed to district 16.)
District 6. Originally organized in 1869, is in the northeastern
part of Paxton township and the northwestern part of Sherman
township. The schoolhouse in 6 East, known as the "Edison
School," and erected in 1889, is located in the southwest corner of
section 9 in Sherman township and the one in 6 West, called
the "Eberhart School," erected the same year as the "Edison
School," is located in the northwest corner of section 13 in Pax-
ton township. The enrollment in each school is small and the
schools are well equipped. Both schools have new modern out-
houses, some of the best in the county. The sites are large and
well fenced. The people of the community are very progressive in
school matters.
District 7. Originally organized in 1869, is in the southwest
quarter of New Avon township. The schoolhouse, named the
James Whitcomb Riley school and erected in 1915, is located in
the northeast corner of section 32. It is a fine modern two-room
building, with a full basement which is divided off, allowing for
rooms where industrial work may be done and also a large dining
room. The community has provided a cookstove, table and
benches for use in this room. The two class rooms are separated
by a rolling door which at times of community gatherings is
opened, making a large auditorium. The site is large and well
drained, but needs fencing. This is one of the most beautiful
rural buildings in the county.
District 8. Originally organized in 1869, is in the southeast
part of New Avon township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1908,
is located in the village of Rowena. This is a very good school,
having a well equipped schoolroom and a good barn.
District 9. Originally organized in 1870, is in the southeastern
part of Morgan township. The schoolhouse, called the "Wabasha
School," and erected in 1876, is located in a natural woods in the
eastern part of section 22. The site is small and needs leveling.
The school has fine modern outhouses.
District 10. Originally organized in 1870, is in the central part
of Swedes Forest. The schoolhouse, named "Open View" and
erected in 1891, is located in the southeast corner of section 28.
The building is well equipped and in a fairly good condition,
although the enrollment is small. The people are very progressive.
District 11. Originally organized in 1870, is in the central
part of Sheridan township. The schoolhouse, a poor building,
having been erected in 1898, is located in the southern part of
section 16. This is a good school with good equipment. The dis-
trict is narrow and nearly six miles long, and it should be re-
adjusted.
250 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
District 12. Originally organized in 1870, is in the southwest
part of Sheridan and the northwest part of Vail townships. The
sehoolhouse, known as the "Sheridan" school and erected in
1890, is located in the eastern part of section 32 of Sheridan
township. The building is in fair shape and is well equipped.
The people of this community are progressive.
District 13. Originally organized in 1879, is in the southeast
part of Sundown township. The sehoolhouse, called "East Sun-
down" and erected in 1915, is located in the northern part of
section 26. The building is new and situated on a beautiful site
which is well fenced. This is a fairly well equipped school.
District 14. Originally organized in 1871, is in the northwest
part of New Avon township. The sehoolhouse, remodeled in 1912,
is located in eastern part of section 8. The school is well
equipped and was a large school but at present has a small en-
rollment.
District 15. Originally organized in 1871, is in the south-
western part of Three Lakes township. The sehoolhouse, a two-
room building, erected in 1905, is located in village of Clements.
The sehoolhouse is well equipped and has steam heat, situated
on a beautiful site with trees and surrounded by a good fence.
District 16. Originally organized in 1874, is in the southwest
part of Charlestown township. The sehoolhouse, called ' ' Pleasant
View" and erected in 1892, is located in the southwest corner
of section 28 and is in fairly good shape and well equipped. It
is situated on a fine, high site, surrounded by trees.
District 17. Organized in 1871, is in the southeast part of
Charlestown township. The sehoolhouse is located in village of
Sanborn. Sewing is given in the grades.
District 18. Originally organized in 1871, is in the western
part of Delhi township. The sehoolhouse is located in the village
of Delhi. This has voted to be a consolidated district, with a
fine modern building ready for use in September, 1917. Sewing
is a special course offered in the grades.
District 19. Originally organized in 1871, is in the southern
part of Johnsonville township, and the northern part of North
Hero. The sehoolhouse, a two-room building, known as the
"Race" school, was erected in 1909. It is located in the west
central part of section 4. The school is very well equipped and
has a large play ground with play ground apparatus. The school
also has a good barn.
District 20. Originally organized in 1871, is located in the
west central part of Paxton township. The sehoolhouse, named
the "Longfellow" school and erected in 1912, is located in the
north central part of section 20. This school is well equipped
and has a fine playground surrounded by a good fence.
District 21. Originally organized in 1871, is in the southeast
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 251
quarter of Brookville township. The schoolhouse, named the
"Hillside" school, and erected in 1910, is located in the north-
west corner of section 26. This is a splendid large schoolhouse
which is well equipped. The community is progressive and sup-
ports a good school.
District 22. Originally organized in 1874, is in the northeast
part of Springdale township. The schoolhouse, named "Eugene
Field," and erected in 1903, is located in the north central part
of section 14. The building is fair and is well equipped. The
school yard is surrounded by a splendid woven wire fence.
District 23. Originally organized in 1874, is in the southwest
part of North Hero. The schoolhouse is located in Walnut Grove.
Manual training and sewing are offered in this school.
District 24. Originally organized in 1874, is in the south cen-
tral part of Springdale township. The schoolhouse, known as
"Sunnyside" and erected in 1909, is located in the north central
part of section 27. It is a good building on a large site located
on a national highway and it is well equipped.
District 25. Originally organized in 1874, is in the southwest
quarter of Brookville township. The schoolhouse, erected in
1901, is located in the central part of section 29. It is a good
building, well equipped and the site is well fenced.
District 26. Originally organized in 1875, is in the southeast
part of North Hero and the western part of Lamberton. The
schoolhouse, a two-room building erected in 1899, is located in the
village of Revere. They have a fine playground and many beauti-
ful trees. The water is supplied by an artesian well.
District 27. Originally organized in 1875, is in the southwest
part of Sundown township. The schoolhouse, called the "Sun-
down" school and erected in 1913, is in the central part of section
29. This is a large frame building with two class rooms and
cloak rooms on the first floor, and a community room, library, and
kitchen on the second floor. The school is well equipped. The
playground has swings, teeters and other apparatus. This is the
community center where "Farmers' Clubs" and "Mothers'
Clubs" meet. There is a piano in the auditorium.
District 28. Originally organized in 1876, is in the southern
part of Kintire township. The schoolhouse in 28 East, erected in
1912, is located in the southeast corner of section 22 and the one
in 28 West, erected the same year, is located in the south central
part of section 20. Both the school buildings are very good and
well equipped, but the enrollment is small.
District 29. Originally organized in 1876, is in the northwest
part of Lamberton township and in the southwest part of Water-
bury township. The schoolhouse, named the "Riverside" and
erected in 1894, is located in the southeast corner of section 5.
252 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The building is fair and located on a high beautiful site, sur-
rounded by fine trees. The school is well equipped.
District 30. Originally organized in 1876, is in the southwest
quarter of "Willow Lake township. The schoolhouse, a splendid
four-room building with basement rooms used for domestic
science, manual training and agriculture, is located in the village
of Wanda. This is a consolidated school since 1913, having two
wagons which bring the children in from the rural districts.
Sewing, cooking, manual training and agriculture are offered
here.
District 31. Originally organized in 1876, is in the southeast
three quarters of Lamberton township. This is a consolidated
school and is located in the village of Lamberton. There are two
buildings, the one which the high school now occupies is very
modern, being built in 1915. In the Lamberton high school are
given the following special courses: Normal training, domestic
science, agriculture and manual training.
District 32. Originally organized in 1876, is in the east central
part of Willow Lake. The schoolhouse, erected in 1900, is located
in the south central part of section 23. The building and the
equipment is good. The site is somewhat low but well kept.
A fine grove is found on the school site.
District 33. Originally organized in 1876, is in the northeast
part of Charlestown township. The schoolhouse, called "Ex-
celsior" and erected in 1908, is located in the south central part
of section 11. The building is very good. Many young trees
have been set out.
District 34. Originally organized in 1878, is in the northwest
quarter of Brookville township. The schoolhouse, known as
"Lakeside" and erected in 1891, is located in the central part
of section 8. This is a fairly good school building and is well
equipped except a heating and ventilating plant. The site is
rough and therefore does not make a very good playground.
District 35. Originally organized in 1878, is in the southwest
part of Gales township. The schoolhouse, known as the Nelson
school and in fair shape, is located in the west central part of sec-
tion 28. The interior is well equipped. There is a large area
in this district. No record is found of the date of erecting this
building.
District 36. Originally organized in 1879, is in the southwest
quarter of Underwood township. The schoolhouse, known as the
"Morgan" school and in fair shape, is located in the central parts
of section 29. The building is well equipped and a fine new barn
has been built. It is near a large grove. They have a nine months '
term of school. No record is found of the date of the erection
of this building.
District 37. Originally organized in 1879, is in the southwest
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 253
part of Westline township. The schoolhouse, known as the
"Irving" school and erected in 1900, is located in the south cen-
tral part of section 29. The building is good and well equipped
and the school is good.
District 38. Originally organized in 1879, is in the southeast
part of Westline. The schoolhouse, known as the "Van Sant"
school and erected in 1894, is located in the central part of section
26. The building is fair and well equipped.
District 39. Originally organized in 1879, is in the northwest
quarter of Gales township. The schoolhouse, known as the "Haw-
thorne" school, was erected in 1907 and is located in the central
part of section 8. The building is good, with good equipment,
and is situated on a fine large site. The enrollment in this school
is very small.
District 40. Originally organized in 1879, is in the northeast
quarter of Gales township. The schoolhouse, old and small, was
erected in 1884 and is located on an unsanitary site in the south
central part of section 11. The school is splendid and well
equipped. Movement is on foot to consolidate or build a new
building.
District 41. Originally organized in 1880, is in the northwest
part of Lamberton township. In 1915 this district consolidated
with Lamberton.
District 42. Originally organized in 1880, is in the northern
part of Springdale township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1915,
is located in the central part of section 8. They have a beautiful
new building, painted white with the roof stained green. The
school is good and well equipped. This is one of the most beauti-
ful buildings in the county.
District 43. Originally organized in 1880, is in the northwest
part of Westline township. The schoolhouse, known as the
"Sherwood" school, was erected in 1904 and is located on the
southern side of section 5. The building is good and well equipped.
The site is large, on which a young grove has been planted.
District 44. Originally organized in 1880, is in the northeast
quarter of Underwood township. The schoolhouse, known as the
"Cahoon" school and erected in 1909, is located in the central
part of section 11. They have a good school and a very good
building, well equipped ; also a large playground without any
trees.
District 45. Originally organized in 1880, is in the northwest
part of Charlestown township. The schoolhouse, known as the
"Garfield" school, was erected in 1890 and is located in the cen-
tral part of section 8. They have a good building, well equipped,
also an excellent barn. The site is beautiful, surrounded by large
shade trees.
District 46. Originally organized in 1880, is in the east-cen-
254 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
tral part of Sheridan township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1888,
is located in the east-central part of section 24. The building is
fair, but ■well equipped, and the enrollment now is small, although
at one time large. There is a good fence around the school
grounds. They maintain a nine-months' term of school.
District 47. Originally organized in 1880, is in the southeast
part of Paxton township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1908, is
located in the northwest corner of section 26. They have a splen-
did building on a beautiful site, surrounded by trees. The school
is well kept and well equipped, for the community is especially
interested in their school and its functions.
District 48. Originally organized in 1880, is in the northeast-
ern part of Johnsonville township. The schoolhouse, erected in
1910, is located in the southwest corner of section 12. There
is a good building on a small site near a large grove.
District 49. Originally organized in 1880, is in the northeast
quarter of Brookville township. The schoolhouse, known as the
"Franklin" school, was erected in 1903, with an addition in 1915,
and is located in the central part of section 11. It is a two-room
building, well equipped. A folding door separates the two class-
rooms and at community gatherings this door is raised, making
a good sized auditorium. The people of this community are splen-
did school co-operative patrons.
District 50. Originally organized in 1880, is in the east-cen-
tral part of Kintire township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1913,
is located in the south-central part of section 2. This is a fine
modern one-room building, on a two-acre site, which is well
fenced. A grove of young trees has been started. The school has
both a cistern and well on its grounds.
District 51. Originally organized in 1881, is in the southeast
part of Morgan township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1906, is
located near the southeast corner of section 26. This is a good
building and the enrollment is small.
District 52. Originally organized in 1881, is located in the
southwest corner of Swedes Forest township. The schoolhouse
erected in 1900, is located in the northwest corner of section 31.
They have a well kept, well equipped school. The grounds are
neat and well kept. One month of Norwegian parochial school
is taught at the close of the seven months' public school term.
District 53. Originally organized in 1881, is in the northeast
part of Delhi township. The schoolhouse, named Ramsey, was
erected in 1880, and is located in the central part of section 23.
The building is fair with good equipment. A good school is
maintained.
District 54. Originally organzed in 1881, is in the southeast
quarter of Vesta township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1905, is
located in the central part of section 26. The building is fair,
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 255
with good equipment. The enrollment is large, too many for one
teacher.
District 55. Originally organized in 1882, is in the east part
of Swedes Forest and the northwest corner of Delhi township.
The schoolhouse, erected in 1890, is located on the eastern side of
section 26. The building is old and the enrollment is small. The
people of the district are progressive and waiting for improved
roads before joining with some other district for a better school.
District 56. Originally organized in 1882, is in the central
part of Morgan township. The schoolhouse is located in the vil-
lage of Morgan. In this school domestic science, agriculture, and
manual training are given as special courses.
District 57. Originally organized in 1883, is in the northeast-
ern part of North Hero township. The schoolhouse, erected in
1883, is located in the northwest corner of section 14. The build-
ing is old, but well equipped and is surrounded by large trees.
They have a splendid nine-months' term of school.
District 58. Originally organized in 1883, is in the southeast
part of Granite Rock township. The schoolhouse, known as the
"Stevenson" school and erected in 1890, is located in the east-
central part of section 26. The building is old, the school large,
the attendance poor, and the equipment is fair.
District 59. Originally organized in 1883, is in the northwest
part of Johnsonville township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1905,
is located in the southwest corner of section 5. They have a good
building with good equipment, on a small site. The patrons'
attitude toward and interest in the school is improving.
District 60. Originally organized in 1884, is in the northeast
part of Vail township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1900, is lo-
cated in the southeast corner of section 11. The building is small
and the outbuildings are poor, situated on a small site which needs
fencing. The schoolhouse is fairly well equipped.
District 61. Originally organized in 1884, is in the northeast
part of Sheridan, southeast part of Kintire, southwest part of
Delhi and the northwest corner of Redwood Falls townships.
The schoolhouse, erected in 1893, is located in the north-central
part of section 1, Sheridan township. The building is fair and is
well equipped ; also, it has a good playground.
District 62. Originally organized in 1884, is in the east part
of Gales, and southwest part of Johnsonville townships. The
schoolhouse, named "Prairie Lawn," was erected in 1894 and is
located in the east-central part of section 25. The building is
fair with good equipment, situated on a large site.
District 63. Originally organized in 1885. is in the south-
central part of Redwood Falls township. The schoolhouse, erected
in 1890, is located near the southeast corner of section 28. The
equipment of the school is excellent, but the building is only fair.
256 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The site is fenced and dotted with beautiful shade trees. They
maintain a good nine-months' school.
District 64. Originally organized in 1885, is in the southwest
part of Waterbury township and in the east part of Johnsonville
township. The schoolhouse is located in the east central part of
section 30. The building is fair and the equipment does not meet
the requirements for state aid, but the district has voted to fit
up for aid this year. They have a seven-months' term and a larga
enrollment.
District 65. Originally organized in 1885, is located in the
north-central part of Vail township. The schoolhouse, erected in
1905, is located in the north-central part of section 17. A good
building with good equipment, is built on a small site. The en-
rollment is large.
District 66. Originally organized in 1886, is in the northwest
quarter of Underwood township. The schoolhouse, erected in
1903, is located in the west-central part of section 8. The building
is old and the equipment fair. There is good school spirit in
the community and a good school is maintained.
District 67. Originally organized in 1886, is in the northeast
part of Willow Lake township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1904,
with an addition in 1914, is located in the west-central part of
section 12. This is a two-room building, with excellent equip-
ment. The enrollment is large.
District 68. Originally organized in 1887, is in the southeast
quarter of Underwood township. The schoolhouse, a fair, but
small building, erected in 1888, is located in the central part of
section 26. The site, large and high, lies south and east of large
tree claims. The equipment is quite good.
District 69. Originally organized in 1887, is in the north-
western part of Honner township. The schoolhouse, called the
"Jefferson" school, remodeled in 1907, is in the village of North
Redwood. This is a two-room building, but only one teacher is
employed at the present time, one room being used as a playroom
and manual training shop. It is now associated with Redwood
Falls, so the industrial teachers from Redwood Falls supervise
the sewing, agriculture, and manual training work. The school
is steam-heated, and the school ground is well equipped with play-
ground apparatus.
District 70. Originally organized in 1887, is in the northwest
part of Sheridan, southwest part of Kintire, and northeast part
of Vesta townships. The schoolhouse, remodeled and a second
room added in 1913, is located in the northeast corner of section
6 in Sheridan township. It is a two-room building with good
equipment, including a sewing machine. The site is high and
well fenced, and a large grove of young trees has recently been
set out. Hot lunches are furnished during the winter months.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 257
District 71. Originally organized in 1887, is in the north-
central part of Sundown township. The schoolhouse, erected in
1900, is located in the east-central part of section 8. Conditions
show that the people in the community are interested in their
school as they have a good building with good equipment, the
site is fenced and well cared for, and a good school is maintained.
District 72. Originally organized in 1888, is in the central
part of Johnsonville township. The schoolhouse is located in
the west-central part of section 22, and is a small old building.
There is only a small enrollment and for the past two years the
school has been closed and the pupils transported to other schools
where the tuition charge is paid by the district.
District 73. Originally organized in 1888, is in the north-
east corner of Morgan township southeast corner of Sherman.
The schoolhouse is located in the northeast corner of section 3,
Morgan township. This is a fairly good building with good equip-
ment and a good playground.
District 74. Originally organized in 1889, is in the northwest
part of Kintire township. The schoolhouse is located in the
village of Belview. In this school, sewing and manual training
are given as special courses.
District 75. Originally organized in 1890, is in the southeast
part of Sheridan and the northeast part of Vail. The schoolhouse,
known as the "Alcott" school, and erected in 1904, is located in
the south-central part of section 35. The school is very well
equipped, but the building is fair. They support a good school.
District 76. Originally organized in 1890, is in the southwest
part of Vail. The schoolhouse, erected in 1895, is located in the
central part of section 29. The building is fair, but is well
equipped and the enrollment is large.
District 77. Originally organized in 1890, is in the south-
central part of North Hero. The schoolhouse, remodeled in 1909,
is located in the northwest corner of section 34. The building
and the equipment good.
District 78. Originally organized in the northeast part of
Waterbury township. The schoolhouse, known as the "Pratt"
school, was erected in 1915, and is located in the northeast cor-
ner of section 10. This is a very fine two-room building on a
site of two and one-half acres. The schoolhouse has a fine base-
ment which provides for indoor toilets, industrial room and two
furnace rooms. A folding partition between the class rooms
makes it possible to make the two rooms one large auditorium.
This building is heated by two furnaces, which give the best
satisfaction of any hot air system in a school building in this
county at the present time. Trees are found on the north and
west sides of the grounds. The people are progressive and main-
tain a good school.
258 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
District 79. Originally organized in 1891, is in the southwest
part of Granite Rock township. The schoolhouse, called "Supe-
rior," was erected in 1895, and is located in the southeast cor-
ner of section 30. This is a well equipped school, with a good
building and a good barn on a large site.
District 80. Originally organized in 1891, is in the northwest
part of Granite Rock township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1896,
is located in the northeast corner of section 11. The building,
situated near a grove, is good, with good equipment and a good
playground. The attendance has improved much over previous
years.
District 81. Originally organized in 1891, is in the northwest
part of Granite Rock township. The schoolhouse, named "La-
fayette," is located in the south-central part of section 5. The
building is very good, surrounded by a large playground. The
enrollment is large.
District 82. Originally organized in 1892, is in the southwest
quarter of Vesta. The schoolhouse, erected in 1915, is located
in the central part of section 29. This is a fine new building on
a new site which has been exceptionally well cared for. This
building is very convenient and economical. The interior is very
beautiful and affords every opportunity now possible to present-
day methods in a one-room rural school.
District 83. Originally organized in 1893, is in the southeast
part of Paxton, northwest corner of Morgan, northeast corner
of Three Lakes, and the southwest corner of Sherman. The
schoolhouse, named "Gilfillan," was erected in 1893, and is lo-
cated in the northwest part of section 6, in Morgan township.
They have a fair building with good equipment, and they employ
two teachers. There is a splendid school spirit in this com-
munity.
District 84. Originally organized in 1893, is in the southeast
part of Vail township. The schoolhouse is located in the village
of Wabasso.
District 85. Originally organized in 1894, is in the northwest
part of Waterbury township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1894, is
located in the south-central part of section 8. The building is
fair, with fair equipment, and the site is neat and clean.
District 86. Originally organized in 1894, is in the northeast
part of Sundown township. The schoolhouse, a good building,
was erected in 1907, and is located in the east-central part of
section 11. The equipments of the school are good and the school
is situated on a site well fenced and well cared for. They main-
tain a good school.
District 87. Originally organized in 1894, is in the northeast
quarter of Westline township. The schoolhouse, known as the
"Kipling" school, and moved into this district in 1894, is locate3
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 259
in the west-central part of section 11. The building is very poor
and altogether too small for the number of pupils. The equip-
ment is fair and the attendance is very irregular.
District 88. Originally organized in 1894, is in the southeast-
ern part of Willow Lake and the northeastern part of Charles-
town. The schoolhouse, named "Washington," was erected in
1895 and is located in the south-central part of section 35, of
Willow Lake township. The building is fair, and the site small,
but well kept. They maintain a good school with a large enroll-
ment.
District 89. Originally organized in 1895, is in the south-
central part of Delhi township. The schoolhouse, known as the
"Helen Keller" school, and erected in 1904, is located in the
northwest corner of section 34. This is an eight-cornered build-
ing, surrounded by good playground. There are a few trees
around the schoolhouse. The enrollment is too small for good
results.
District 90. Originally organzied in 1896, is in the southwest
part of Morgan township. The schoolhouse, known as the "Fair-
view" school, was erected in 1890, and is located on southeast
corner of section 30. They have a fair, but well equipped build-
ing, surrounded by a good playground, which is well fenced.
This building was evidently moved here from some other district.
District 91. Originally organized in 1896, was in the south-
west part of Lamberton township. In 1915, it consolidated with
the school district of Lamberton.
District 92. Originally organized in 1897, is in the east-cen-
tral part of Three Lakes and the west-central part of Morgan
township. The schoolhouse, named the "Betsy Ross" school, and
erected in 1898, is located near the northeast corner of section 24,
Three Lakes township. This is a good building with good equip-
ment, situated on a site well kept and well fenced.
District 93. Originally organized in 1898, is in the east-cen-
tral part of Waterbury township. It consolidated with Wanda
in 1913.
District 94. Originally organized in 1898, is in the northwest
quarter of Willow Lake township. The schoolhouse, erected in
1915, is located in the central part of section 8. They have a fine
new building with good equipment, surrounded by a good play-
ground.
District 95. Originally organized in 1899, is in the west-cen-
tral part of Westline township. The schoolhouse, a four-room
building, erected in 1909, is located in the village of Milroy. Three
teachers are employed and one year of high school work is of-
fered. They have beautiful grounds, equipped with playground
apparatus.
District 96. Originally organized in 1899, is in the southeast
260 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
part of Redwood Falls township. The sehoolhouse, erected in
1900, is located near the northeast corner of section 23. This is
a good building, well equipped on a good site. The enrollment
is too small for good results. They maintain a nine-months'
term of school.
District 97. Originally organized in 1900, is in the southeast
corner of Redwood Falls, northeast corner of New Avon, south-
west corner of Paxton and the northwest corner of Three Lakes.
The sehoolhouse, erected in 1908, is located in the central part of
section 1, in New Avon township. The building, equipment and
site are good. They have a large school in which good work is
done.
District 98. Originally organized in 1900, is in the southwest
part of Springdale township. The sehoolhouse, erected in 1901,
is located in the east-central part of section 30. The school build-
ing, which is a good one, is located in a large grove. The people
of this community are progressive and maintain a good nine-
months' term of school.
District 99. Originally organized in 1900, is in the south-
central part of Sherman township, and the north-central part of
Morgan township. The sehoolhouse, known as the "McKinley"
school, was erected in 1901, and is located in the southeast cor-
ner of section 32, Sherman township. The building is good and
well equipped, and the site is clean and well kept, but needs trees
and fence.
District 100. Originally organized in 1900, is in the west-cen-
tral part of Sherman township. The sehoolhouse, erected in
1899, is located in the northeast corner of section 30. It has a
good building, well equipped, on a fine site.
District 101. Originally organized in 1901, is in the east-
central part of New Avon and the west-central part of Three
Lakes township. The sehoolhouse named "The Golden Rule,"
and erected in 1914, is located in the east-central part of sec-
tion 13, of New Avon. They have a fine, well equipped school
which is on a low site. A good school is maintained.
District 102. Originally organized in 1901, is in the central
part of Vesta township. The sehoolhouse is located in the village
of Vesta. This is a four-room frame building, on a site dotted
with shade trees. The playground is fitted up with apparatus.
They employ four teachers and offer one year of high school
work. Sewing is taught in the grades.
District 103. Originally organized in 1901, is in the north-
central part of Sheridan township. The sehoolhouse, erected in
1901, is located in the central part of section 10. It is a good
building with good equipment, near a large grove. They maintain
a good school.
District 104. Originally organized in 1901, is in the south-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 261
west-central part of Sheridan township. The schoolhouse, known
as the "Okawa" school, and erected in 1902, is located in the
village of Seaforth. This is a foiir-room building, very well
equipped, but only hire two teachers.
District 105. Originally organized in 1904, is located in the
southwest corner of Three Lakes. The schoolhouse, named
"Marion," was erected in 1900 and is located in the southeast
corner of section 27. The school is well equipped although the
building is fair and the site small. They maintain a good school.
District 106. Originally organized in 1904, is in the central
part of Three Lakes. The schoolhouse, called the "Sunrise"
school, and erected in 1907, is located in the south-central part
of section 16. This is a good building, on a site which is fenced.
The enrollment is large and the attendance fair.
District 107. Originally organized in 1904, is in the north-
central part of Three Lakes, and in the south-central part of
Paxton township. The schoolhouse, called the "Lincoln" school,
and erected in 1904, is located in the southeast corner of section
32. This is a good building, with good equipment, located on a
site which is well fenced.
District 108. Originally organized in 1904, is in the central
part of Granite Rock township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1904,
is located in the village of Lucan. This is a two-room building,
situated on beautiful grounds, having fine shade trees and
equipped with playground apparatus. The basement is fitted up
for a shop for elementary manual training work. There is splen-
did co-operative school spirit in this district.
District 109. Originally organized in 1904, is in the east-
central part of Morgan township. The schoolhouse, erected in
1904, is located in the northwest corner of section 13. They have
a good building and this year equipped for state aid.
District 110. Originally organized in 1906, is in the central
part of "Waterbury township. The schoolhouse, known as the
"Lowell" school, was erected in 1906, and is located in the east-
central part of section 16. This is a good building, well equipped,
on a high site. They maintain a good school.
District 111. Originally organized in 1906, is in the north-
west part of Redwood Falls township. The schoolhouse, erected
in 1907, is located in the north-central part of section 8. They
have a good building, well equipped, on a large high site. Young
trees have recently been set out.
District 112. Originally organized in 1908, is in the south-
east part of Johnsonville and the northeast part of North Hero
township. The schoolhouse, erected in 1909, is located in the
northeast corner of section 35. This is a very good school build-
ing, having good equipment. The site needs trees and fence.
District 113. Originally organized in 1910, is in the north-
262 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
central part of Johnsonville township and the south-central part
of Granite Rock. The schoolhouse, known as the "Hiawatha"
school and erected in 1910, is located near the northwest corner
of section 10 in Johnsonville township. They have a splendid,
well equipped building, situated on a large site near a large
grove. The equipment is very good and a good school is main-
tained.
All the city and village schools have a nine-months' term of
school and in the rural schools, not otherwise mentioned, there is
an eight-month's term.
County Superintendents. The first county superintendent
was Edward March, first appointed school examiner and then
superintendent. He was appointed Sept. 5, 1866, and served until
Nov. 16, 1869, when he resigned. E. A. Chandler served from
Nov. 16, 1869, to April 1, 1872. Dr. W. D. Flinn served from
April 1, 1872, to April 1, 1874. William B. Harriott was super-
intendent from April 1, 1874 to Feb. 1, 1876. D. L. Bigham
served from Feb. 1, 1876, to Feb. 1, 1878. R. W. Hoyt served
from Feb. 1, 1878, to March 19, 1879. M. M. Madigan was ap-
pointed his successor, and after serving a short time was suc-
ceeded by D. L. Bigham in 1880. Mr. Bigham was followed by
R. L. Marshman. It was in 1886 that S. J. Race was appointed.
He served until Nov. 2, 1906, and was followed by H. J. Beber-
meyer. Mrs. Adella Huntington-Pratt has served since Jan. 1,
1912.
For the year ending Jan. 7, 1868, the county superintendent
received a salary of $25. Jan. 6, 1870, it was raised to $50 a year.
Jan. 4, 1872, it was increased to $100 a year. March 20, 1876, the
compensation of the county superintendent was fixed at $10 a
district, provided that he should fulfill his duties in accordance
with the state laws. Jan. 3, 1893, the salary plan was resumed,
and the county superintendent was to receive $900 a year. This
was increased Jan. 5, 1897, to $910 ; Jan. 4, 1898, to $1,000 ; Jan.
8, 1907, to $1,300; Jan. 7, 1908, to $1,500; Jan. 4, 1910, to $1,600;
Jan. 3, 1911, to $1,700; and Jan. 2, 1912, to $1,800.
S. J. Race was born in Philadelphia, Pa. ; educated in the
public schools and graduated from the university of that state.
He taught school in Dakota county, Minnesota; later removed
to Redwood Falls, and entered the mercantile industry. In 1886
he was called to the superintendency of the Redwood county
schools, in which place he continued for nearly twenty years. The
county, when he assumed charge of the schools, had an organiza-
tion of sixty-four districts. When he resigned in 1906 it had an or-
ganization of one hundred and ten. The schools in the beginning
were poorly equipped and not very efficiently taught. The standard
of scholarship was rather low; there were few, if any, teachers
holding state first grade certificates. The normal school graduate
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 263
had not made her advent into the country. Heating, ventilation
and sanitation were practically undreamed of in the country
school. The average length of term was about five months,
this being gradually extended till it became an average of a little
more than seven months in 1906. Libraries, free text books, and
supervision came in 1896, so that the standard of scholarship of
the teachers was very materially raised. School board members
seemed to have awakened an educational consciousness through
co-operation. During the last ten years of his connection with
the country schools of the county, he was appointed by the state
superintendent of public instruction to act as president of the
state examining board for granting professional certificates, and
to personally inspect state summer schools, and to act as a con-
ductor of the state teachers' institutes. He says, "the constant
association with the state department of education put a special
emphasis on the improvement of the rural school and the coun-
try life problem ; and if the schools of the county made any im-
provement during the twenty years I was associated with it, it
is largely due to the interests awakened by the teachers and the
school boards themselves that brought about the excellency of
the school system that prevailed at the time I left the work in
1906."
At the present time Mr. Race lives in Minneapolis, being con-
nected with the Northwestern School Supply Company, and be-
ing manager of the Minneapolis Teachers' Agency.
It is a recognized fact in the whole county that it was through
the efforts of Mr. Race that Redwood county became an educa-
tional county, and that its schools are today recognized as among
the best in the state. When he began his work here in 1886, the
schools were unorganized, scantily equipped, and poorly taught.
He began immediately to systematize the work and improve the
teaching force. Later he emphasized better equipment and bet-
ter buildings. It is largely through his efforts that the Redwood
county schools are so excellent today.
H. J. Bebermeyer was born at Lakeland, Minn. His early
education was obtained in the public schools of his native county,
after which he entered Central Wesleyan college at Warrenton,
Missouri, from which he graduated in 1890. Returning to his
native state he taught for two years in the rural schools, four
years in St. Paul college, five years as principal of schools at
New Prague, and two years as principal at Jordan. In 1903 he
came to Wabassa and entered the furniture and undertaking
business. In 1906 he became a candidate before the primaries
for the Republican nomination for county superintendent of
schools. He was successful at both the primaries and the polls,
and in 1908 was re-elected without opposition. In 1912 the was
succeeded by Mrs. Adella Huntington-Pratt. Supt. Bebermeyer
264 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
was a tireless worker and ranks as one of Redwood county's best
superintendents of schools. He is at the present time the editor
of the newspaper at Granite Falls, Minn.
Mrs. Adella Huntington-Pratt was born in Platteville, Wis.
Her early education was obtained in the public schools of that
place, later being graduated from the Platteville Normal school.
She holds a first grade state professional certificate from this
state. She has attended summer school for two years at the
University of Minnesota, for one year at Chicago, and for one
year at Chautauqua, New York. After graduating from Normal
Mrs. Pratt taught for one year in the rural schools of Wisconsin.
She came to Redwood county the following year and taught in a
rural school in the southern part of the county and during the
next four years she taught in the grades in Redwood Palls. For
two years she was assistant in the high school and the next year
held the place of principal of the high school in Redwood Falls.
She was Normal instructor in the same school the following year.
In 1912 she was elected to the office of county superintendent of
schools in Redwood county, by popular vote, which place she has
most efficiently filled since that time. She has done much to make
the schools of Redwood county better. Four districts have con-
solidated during her term of office, many new schoolhouses have
been erected, and the schools in general are much improved. The
teachers and school officers have awakened to a realization of the
great need of co-operation in working for the best schools for the
children in the rural communities. It is due largely to Mrs.
Pratt's efforts that the schools of Redwood county have made
such rapid strides for better schools in the past four years.
Authorship. This article has been prepared under the per-
sonal supervision of Mrs. Adella Huntington-Pratt, county super-
intendent of schools. The work on the auditor's records and the
reports of the county superintendent's reports and records has
been done by Miss Lillian Jensen, assisted by Miss Esther Jensen
and Miss Adeline Anderson. The work on the reports of the
state superintendents of public instruction has been done by Miss
Evelyn Bolin.
Authority. Reports of the county superintendents of schools
(manuscript) in the custody of the Redwood county auditor.
Reports of the state superintendents of public instruction
(printed).
Records of the county commissioners (manuscript) in the cus-
tody of the Redwood county auditor.
Records of the county superintendent of schools (manuscript)
in the county superintendent's office.
Personal observations of Mrs. Adella Huntington-Pratt.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 265
CHAPTER XXIII.
LIVE STOCK.
When the assessment of 1868 was taken the majority of the
settlers were assessed for two horses apiece, and a cow or two,
and in some cases a pig. In the present county outside of the
Swedes Forest settlement there were 101 horses, 297 cattle, 277
sheep and 67 hogs. The sheep were all in Charlestown, where
Joseph T. Bean owned 11 horses, 15 cattle and 99 sheep, and
Charles Porter owned two horses, one cow and 178 sheep. F. W.
Byington of Paxton had five hogs, the largest number in the
county. Bernhart Kuenzli of Homier, had twenty-five cattle,
the largest number in the county.
During the Pioneer Period there was a gradual increase in
stockraising in the county, as shown by the assessment returns.
In 1872, the last year of the Pioneer Period, there were in the
county 397 horses, 105 being under three years old, and 292 be-
ing over that age. They were divided as follows : Under three
years — Redwood Falls, 89; Sheridan, 4; Sherman, 6; Charles-
town, 6. The average value was $35.70, the highest being $38.33,
in Sherman, and the lowest $31.25 in Sheridan. Over three years
—Redwood Falls, 219; Sheridan, 30; Sherman, 26, and Charles-
town, 17. The average value was $65.02, the highest being $66.40
in Sheridan, and the lowest $64.12 in Charlestown.
There were 1,125 cattle; 409 being under two years old; 468
being cows over two years old ; and 248 being oxen and steers.
They were divided as follows: Under two years old — Redwood
Falls, 269; Sheridan, 41; Sherman, 79; Charlestown, 20. The
average value was $8.85, the highest being $9.10 in Charlestown
and the lowest $8.69 in Redwood Falls. Cows over two years old
—Redwood Falls, 319 ; Sheridan, 49 ; Sherman, 61 ; Charlestown,
39. The average value was $20.23, the highest being $20.75 in
Sheridan and the lowest $19.45 in Redwood Falls. Oxen and
steers — Redwood Falls, 117; Sheridan, 58; Sherman, 31; Charles-
town, 42. The average value was $31.20, the highest being $31.78
in Charlestown and the lowest $30.34 in Sheridan.
The sheep numbered 595, there being 84 in Redwood Falls,
and 511 in Charlestown. The average value was $1.62.
In the county at this time there were 307 swine, 200 being
in Redwood Falls, 69 in Sheridan, 9 in Sherman, and 29 in
Charlestown. The average value was $2.81, the highest being
$5.00 in Sherman and the lowest being $1.25 in Redwood Falls.
Redwood Falls township had not been created but was gen-
erally understood to consist of everything in the county not other-
wise organized as townships. Sheridan and Sherman consisted
266 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
of their present area, Charlestown consisted of Charlestown and
Lamberton.
The year 1873 marked the beginning of the grasshopper
period. Brookville, New Avon, Sheridan, Sherman and Sundown
then consisted of their present areas; Charlestown consisted of
Charlestown and Lamberton ; Swedes Forest consisted of Swedes
Forest, Kintire and the northern part of Delhi; while Redwood
Falls was generally understood to consist of the rest of the county.
In the county at that time there were 635 horses (as com-
pared with 397 in 1872), 139 (as compared with 105 in 1872) be-
ing under three years old, and 496 (as compared with 292 in
1872) being over that age. They were divided as follows : Under
three years old — Brookville, 6; Charlestown, 5; New Avon, 10;
Redwood Falls, 78 ; Sheridan, 7 ; Sherman, 19 ; Swedes Forest, 7 ;
Sundown, 7. The average value was $28.30, the highest being
$32.14 in Sheridan and Sundown townships, and the lowest $22.00
in Charlestown. Over three years old — Brookville, 39; Charles-
town, 44 ; New Avon, 36 ; Redwood Falls, 244 ; Sheridan, 60 ; Sher-
man, 31; Swedes Forest, 18; Sundown, 24. The average value
was $59.85, the highest being $67.58 in Sheridan and the lowest
$46.14 in Charlestown.
There were 2,161 cattle (as compared with 1,125 in 1872) ;
837 (as compared with 409 in 1872) being under two years old;
793 (as compared with 468 in 1872) being cows over two years
old; 531 (as compared with 248 in 1872) being oxen and steers.
They were divided as follows : Under two years old — Brookville,
47 ; Charlestown, 28 ; New Avon, 41 ; Redwood Falls, 455 ; Sheri-
dan, 53; Swedes Forest, 50; Sherman, 132; Sundown, 31. The
average value was $7.60, the highest being $8.80 in Redwood
Falls, the lowest $6.22 in Swedes Forest. Cows over two years
old — Brookville, 58; Charlestown, 60; New Avon, 51; Redwood
Falls, 352; Sheridan, 53; Sherman, 81; Swedes Forest, 86; Sun-
down, 52. The average value was $16.95, the highest being $19.60
in New Avon and the lowest $15.10 in Charlestown. Oxen and
steers — Brookville, 44 ; Charlestown, 53 ; New Avon, 33 ; Redwood
Falls, 179 ; Sheridan, 44 ; Sherman, 49 ; Swedes Forest, 65 ; Sun-
down, 64. The average value was $26.80, the highest being $29.55
in Brookville, the lowest $21.69 in Swedes Forest.
The sheep numbered 425 (as compared with 595 in 1872), there
being one in Brookville, 323 in Charlestown, 62 in Redwood Falls,
one in Sherman, 36 in Swedes Forest, and the rest of the town-
ships having none. The average value was $1.64, the highest
being $2 in Brookville and Sherman, the lowest being $1 in Red-
wood Falls.
There were 290 (as compared with 307 in 1872) swine, 9 being
in Brookville, 25 in Charlestown, 15 in New Avon, 135 in Redwood
Falls, 56 in Sheridan, 30 in Sherman, 3 in Swedes Forest, 17 in
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 267
Sundown. The average value was $2.60, the highest heing $2.66
in Redwood Falls, the lowest $2.00 in Brookville.
Eleven mules and asses had been brought into the county,
divided as follows : Charlestown, 2 ; New Avon, 2 ; Redwood
Falls, 4; Sherman, 1, and Sundown, 2; the average value being
$58.63.
The year 1877 marked the last grasshopper year. That year
the little insects disappeared in the summer. But the memory
of their devastations had limited the crop acreage and the effect
of their presence remained throughout the summer.
In 1877 Delhi did not include fractional town 114-36, Swedes
forest consisted of Swedes Forest, Kintire, and fractional town-
ship 114-36. Sheridan, New Avon, Sherman, Brookville, Sun-
down, Willow Lake, Charlestown, Lamberton, North Hero, Spring-
dale, Three Lakes, Underwood, and Gales townships, all had their
present area ; Willow Lake, North Hero, Springdale, Three Lakes,
Underwood and Gales having been organized since 1873. Charles-
town and Lamberton had been separated since 1873.
In the county at that time there were 943 horses (as compared
with 635 in 1873), 163 (as compared with 139 in 1873) being
under three years old, and 780 (as compared with 496 in 1873)
being over that age. They were divided as follows : Under three
years old — Redwood Falls, 55; Swedes Forest, 13; Sheridan, 8;
New Avon, Delhi and Underwood, 5 ; Sherman, 11 ; Brookville,
17; Sundown, 10; Willow Lake and Gales, 3; Charlestown, 12;
Lamberton and Three Lakes, none; North Hero, 2, and Spring-
dale, 14. The average value was $20.12, the highest being $20.91
in Sherman and the lowest $19.28 in Springdale. Over three
years old— Redwood Falls, 279; Swedes Forest, 32; Delhi, 32
Sheridan, 28; North Hero, 28; New Avon, 41; Sherman, 52
Brookville, 60; Sundown, 35; Springdale, 35; Willow Lake, 16
Charlestown, 46; Lamberton, 58; Three Lakes, 11; Underwood, 8,
and Gales, 9. The average value was $42.07, the highest being
$43.56 and the lowest $40.08.
There were 4,646 (as compared with 2,161 in 1873) cattle;
1,256 (as compared with 837 in 1873) being under two years old;
2,215 (as compared with 793 in 1873) being cows over two years
old; 1,175 (as compared with 531 in 1873) being oxen and steers.
They were divided as follows : Under two years — Redwood
Falls, 335 ; Swedes Forest, 91 ; Sheridan, 68 ; New Avon, 55 ; Sher-
man, 89 ; Brookville, 77 ; Sundown, 82 ; Willow Lake, 47 ; Charles-
town, 90 ; Lamberton, 63 ; Delhi, 63 ; North Hero, 70 ; Springdale,
35 ; Three Lakes, 22 ; Underwood, 37, and Gales, 32. The average
value was $5.18, the highest being $5.77 in Three Lakes, the low-
est $5 in New Avon, Brookville, Springdale and Underwood.
Cows over two years — Redwood Falls, 580 ; Swedes Forest, 151 ;
Sheridan, 98; New Avon, 110; Sherman, 140; Brookville, 207;
268 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Sundown, 158 ; Charlestown, 158 ; Willow Lake, 71 ; Lamberton,
124; Springdale, 124; North Hero, 113; Delhi, 74; Three Lakes,
21 ; Underwood, 50, and Gales, 36. The average value was $11.67
the highest being $12.69 in North Hero, and the lowest $11.17 in
Gales. Oxen and steers — Redwood Falls, 319 ; Swedes Forest,
102 ; Sheridan, 43 ; New Avon, 65 ; Sherman, 82 ; Brookville, 73 ;
Sundown, 67 ; Willow Lake, 45 ; Charlestown, 69, and North Hero,
69; Lamberton, 44; Springdale, 70; Delhi, 48; Three Lakes, 18;
Underwood, 38, and Gales, 23. The average value was $16.82,
the highest being $21.30 in Gales, and the lowest $13.81 in Lam-
berton.
The number of sheep was 1,560 (as compared with 425 in
1873). They were divided as follows: Redwood Falls, 543
Swedes Forest, 133 ; Sheridan, 1 ; New Avon, 142 ; Sherman, 5
Three Lakes, 5; Underwood, 5; Brookville, 54; Sundown, 14
Gales, 14; Willow Lake, 12; Charlestown, 438; Lamberton, 34
North Hero, 32; Springdale, 28, and Delhi, 100. The average
value was $1.47, the highest being $1.59 in New Avon and the
lowest $1.00 in Sheridan and Sherman.
In the county at this time there were 690 swine (as compared
with 290 in 1873). They were divided as follows: Redwood
Falls, 269 ; Swedes Forest, 43 ; Sheridan, 39 ; New Avon, 22 ; Sher-
man, 25 ; Brookville, 50 ; Sundown, 54 ; Willow Lake, 27 ; Charles-
town, 55 ; Lamberton, 19 ; North Hero, 20 ; Springdale, 16 ; Delhi,
17; Three Lakes, 5; Underwood, 21 and Gales 8. The average
value was $1.69, the highest being $3.75 in Gales and the lowest
$1.11 in Sundown.
There were 16 mules and asses in the county divided as fol-
lows : Redwood Falls, 14, and Willow Lake, 2, the average value
being $44.06.
In spite of the serious setbacks caused by the grasshopper
ravages, the county had steadily increased its agricultural en-
deavors from 1873 to 1877, although the taxable area had been
decreased.
The number of horses under three years of age increased from
139 in 1873 to 162 in 1877. In 1874 the number decreased to 124,
jumped to 173 in 1875, and decreased to 147 in 1876. The horses
over three years, cattle under two years, and cows over two years
show a gradual increase. The number of oxen and steers, jumped
from 531 in 1873 to 1,221 in 1876, and then dropped to 1,175 in
1877. The number of sheep jumped from 670 in 1873 to 974 in
1876 and then decreased to 560 in 1877. The number of swine
jumped from 290 in 1873 to 785 in 1876, and then decreased to
690 in 1877.
The year 1878 marks the beginning of the period of rapid
growth.
Waterbury township had been organized since 1877, Swedes
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 269
Forest still consisted of Swedes Forest and Kintire. Redwood
Falls township still consisted of Honner, Vesta, Redwood Falls,
Paxton, Granite Rock, Vail, Morgan, Johnsonville and Westline.
During the period of 1878-1905, Johnsonville and Westline were
organized in 1879, and Honner, Kintire, Morgan, Paxton, Vail,
and Vesta were organized in 1880 and Granite Rock in 1889, al-
though it had been taxed as a separate entity since 1880.
In the county in 1878 there were 1,511 horses, 236 being under
three years old, and 1,275 being over that age. They were divided
as follows: Under three years old, Redwood Falls, 66; Swedes
Forest, 13 ; Charlestown, 13 ; Sheridan, 8 ; New Avon, 9 ; Lamber-
ton, 9 ; Sherman, 21 ; Brookville, 21 ; Sundown, 11 ; Willow Lake,
3; Gales, 3; North Hero, 15; Springdale, 14; Three Lakes, 1;
Delhi, 17; Underwood, 6, and Waterbury, 6. The average value
was $23.30, the highest being $26.35 in Delhi and the lowest $22.85
in Brookville. Over three years old : Redwood Falls, 425 ;
Swedes Forest, 51; Sheridan, 39; New Avon, 37; Sherman, 43;
Brookville, 93 ; Sundown, 61, and North Hero, 61 ; Willow Lake,
28 ; Underwood, 28 ; Charlestown, 77 ; Springdale, 77 ; Lamberton,
89; Three Lakes, 50; Delhi, 56; Gales, 44, and Waterbury, 16.
The average value was $45.90. The highest being $47.50 in Red-
wood Falls and the lowest, $43.85 in Sheridan.
There were 6,008 cattle, 1,750 being under two years old, 2,465
being cows over two years old, and 1,783 being oxen and steers.
They were divided as follows : Under two years old, Redwood
Falls, 397; Swedes Forest, 128; Sheridan, 83; New Avon, 84;
North Hero, 84; Sherman, 77; Brookville, 141; Sundown, 124;
Willow Lake, 86; Charlestown, 143; Lamberton, 89; Springdale,
65; Three Lakes, 44; Delhi, 80; Underwood, 49; Gales, 48, and
Waterbury, 28. The average value was $5.24, the highest being
$5.90 in Gales and the lowest $4.75 in Brookville. Cows over two
years old: Redwood Falls, 604; Swedes Forest, 148; Sheridan,
106 ; New Avon, 97 ; Sherman, 108 ; Brookville, 246 ; Sundown,
161 ; Willow Lakes, 90 ; Charlestown, 170 ; Lamberton, 154 ; North
Hero, 135 ; Springdale, 145 ; Three Lakes, 46 ; Delhi, 111 ; Under-
wood, 50; Gales, 59, and Waterbury, 35. The average value was
$14, the highest being $14.80 in Brookville and the lowest $12.46
in North Hero. Oxen and steers: Redwood Falls, 470; Swedes
Forest, 134 ; Sheridan, 61 ; New Avon and North Hero, 81 ; Sher-
man, 112; Brookville, 89; Springdale, 89; Sundown, 82; Willow
Lake, 40; Charlestown, 102; Lamberton, 78; Three Lakes, 43;
Delhi, 69; Underwood, 175; Gales, 53, and Waterbury, 24. The
average value was $21.12, the highest being $37.13 in Charlestown
and the lowest $19.34 in Sherman.
The number of sheep was 2,598. They were divided as follows :
Redwood Falls, 576 ; Swedes Forest, 129 ; Sheridan, 81 ; New Avon,
371 ; Sherman, 28 ; Brookville, 97 ; Sundown, 25 ; Willow Lake, 26 ;
270 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Charlestown, 420; Lamberton, 56; North Hero, 38; Springdale,
161; Three Lakes, 11; Delhi, 442; Underwood, 5; Gales, 16;
Waterbury, 116. The average value was $1.55, the highest being
$1.79 in Delhi and the lowest $141 in Brookville.
The swine numbered 714, divided as follows : Redwood Falls,
172 ; Swedes Forest, 63 ; Springdale and Sheridan, 27 ; New Avon,
20 ; Sherman, 19 ; Brookville, 45 ; Sundown, 41 ; Willow Lake, 26 ;
Charlestown, 73; Lamberton, 55; North Hero, 46; Three Lakes,
14; Delhi, 40; Underwood, 17; Gales, 12, and Waterbury, 17.
The average value was $1.50, the highest being $1.80 in New Avon,
the lowest $1.50.
There were 31 mules and asses, divided as follows : Redwood
Falls, 4; New Avon, 1; Brookville, 6; Willow Lake, 9; North
Hero, 2; Springdale, 2; Three Lakes, 3, and Underwood, 4. The
average value was $52.45, the highest being $54.50 in Underwood
and the lowest $51.66 in Three Lakes.
During the period of rapid growth, the agricultural progress
of the county was remarkable, and an almost marvelous increase
was seen in stock raising in the county. Up to the late eighties
and early nineties, there were many large herds of steers in the
county, some numbering as high as a thousand head. But about
that time dairying began to assume more important aspects,
and gradually the herds of steers became smaller and the herds
of dairy cows larger. This was brought about by the taking up
of all the land, and the cultivation of tracts that had hitherto
been wild and open.
Johnsonville and Westline first appear on the assessment rolls
in 1879. In that year 30 people were assessed for personal taxes
in Johnsonville and 24 in Westline. Honner, Kintire, Morgan,
Paxton, Vail, Vesta, and Granite Rock (unorganized) first appear
on the assesment rolls in 1880. In that year 51 people were
assessed for personal taxes in Honner, 17 in Kintire, 18 in Morgan,
56 in Paxton, 16 in Vail, 19 in Vesta, and 12 in Granite Rock
(unorganized).
The agricultural assessments in detail for Johnsonville and
Westline in 1879, and Kintire, Honner, Morgan, Paxton, Vail,
Vesta and Granite Rock (unorganized) in 1880 were as follows.
Johnsonville. Horses, under three years old, 5; total value,
$100 ; average value, $20. Three years old and over, 51 ; total
value, $2,588; average value, $50.74. Cattle, under two years
old, 44 ; average value, $5.20 ; total value, $229. Cows, 48 ; total
value, 562; average value, $11.70. All other cattle two years
old and over, 44 ; total value, $876 ; average value, $19.90. Sheep,
35 ; total value, $53 ; average value, $1.51. Swine, 13 ; total value,
$29; average value, $2.23.
Westline. Horses, three years old and over, 37; total value,
$1,859; average value, $50.24. Cattle, under two years old, 14;
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 271
average value, $5.14 ; total value, $72. Cows, 33 ; total value, $388 ;
average value, $11.75. All other cattle two years old and over,
17 ; total value $338 ; average value, $19.88. Mules and asses, 7 ;
total value, $360; average value, $51.42. Swine, 10; total value,
$23; average value, $2.30.
Honner. Horses, under three years old, 15; total value, $390;
average value, $26.00. Three years old and over, 54; total value,
$2,736; average value, $50.66. Cattle, under two years old, 27;
average value, 6.22 ; total value, $168. Cows, 69 ; total value, $827 ;
average value, $11.98. All other cattle two years old and over,
12; total value, $356; average value, $29.66. Mules and asses,
8; total value, $410; average value, $51.25. Sheep, 2; total value,
$3; average value, $1.50. Swine, 21; total value, $60; average
value, $2.86.
Kintire. Horses, under three years old, 1; total value, $32;
average value, $32. Three years old and over, 42; total value,
$2,107; average value, $15.60. Cattle, under two years old, 42;
average value, $6.00; total value, $252. Cows, 43; total value,
$516; average value, $12.00. All other cattle two years old and
over, 18; total value, $253; average value, $14.50. Mules and
asses, 7; total value, $420; average value, $60.00. Sheep, 232;
total value, $384; average value, $1.50. Swine, 11; total value,
$11; average value, $1.00.
Morgan. Horses, under three years old, 4 ; total value, $126 ;
average value, $31.50. Three years old and over, 47; total value,
$2,359; average value, $50.19. Cattle, under two years old, 26;
total value, $186; average value, $7.15. Cows, 35; total value,
$420; average value. $12.00. All other cattle two years old and
over, 9 ; total value, $120 ; average value, $13.33. Mules and asses.
2; total value, $100; average value, $50. Sheep, 10; total value,
$15; average value, $1.50. Swine, 18; total value, $19; average
value, $1.06.
Paxton. Horses, under three years old, 10 ; total value, $172 ;
average value, $17.20. Three years old and over, 117; total value,
$5,874; average value, $50.20. Cattle, under two years old, 64;
average value, $7.73; total value, $495. Cows, 105; total value,
$1,265; average value, $12.04. All other cattle, two years old and
over, 29; total value, $436; average value, $15.03. Mules and
asses, 11; total value, $455; average value, $41.36. Sheep, 180;
total value, $275; average value, $1.53. Swine, 52; total value,
$85; average value, $1.63.
Vail. Horses, under three years old, 1 ; total value, $32 ;
average value, $32. Three years old and over, 26; total value,
$1,302; average value, $50.07. Cattle, under two years old, 48;
average value, $6.00; total value, $288. Cows, 63; total value,
$759; average value, $12.04. All other cattle, two years old and
over, 16; total value, $297; average value, $18.56. Sheep, 42;
272 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
total value, $62 ; average value, $1.48. Swine, 18 ; total value, $44 ;
average value, $2.44.
Vesta. Horses, under three years old, 3; total value, $78;
average value, $26. Three years old and over, 24; total value,
$1,202; average value, $50.08. Cattle, under two years old, $2;
average value, $6.00; total volue, $12.00. All other cattle, two
years old and over, 24; total value, $366; average value, $15.25.
Mules and asses, 2 ; total value, $20 ; average value, $10.00. Sheep
202; total value, $304; average value, $1.50. Swine, 12; total
value, $18; average value, $1.50.
Granite Rock. Horses, under three years old, 1 ; total value,
$26 ; average value, $26 ; three years old and over, 20 ; total value,
$1,009; average value, $50.45. Cattle, under two years old, 2;
total value, $12 ; average value, $6.00. Cows, 7 ; total value, $84 ;
average value, $12. All other cattle, three years old and over, 5 ;
total value, $123 ; average value, $24.60. Mules and asses, 2 ; total
value, $100 ; average value, $50. Swine, 2 ; total value, $3 ; average
value, $1.50.
The year 1905 marked the close of the period of rapid growth.
The figures for that year are as follows :
Horses, Mules and Asses. (Note — In 1879 the figures do not
include mules and asses, the total in the county at that time being
but 31, with an average value of $52.45.) Total, 14,177 (as com-
pared with 1,511 in 1878 and 5,979 in 1890). Under three years
1,986 (as compared with 236 in 1878 and 1,279 in 1890). Three
years and over, 10,173 (as compared with 1,275 in 1878 and 4,701
in 1890). (Note— The 32 fine bred horses in the county in 1905
are not included in the age statistics.) One year old, 985 (as
compared with 680 in 1890 and no record in 1878) . Two years old,
1,001 (as compared with 598 in 1890 and no record in 1878).
Stallions, fine bred mares and race horses, 32. (No record of fine
bred horses in 1878 and 1890.)
Cattle. One year old, 6,474 (as compared with 4,736 in 1890
and 1,750, given as under two, in 1878). Two years old, 4,274 (as
compared with 3,552 in 1890 and no record in 1878) . Cows, 13,568
(as compared with 8,383 in 1890, and 2,465 given as cows two
years old and over, 1878). All other cattle three years old and
over, 788 (as compared with 569 in 1890). There is no direct
comparison of "all other cattle three years old and over" for 1878,
as the figure for that year is for "all other cattle two years old
and over." In 1905 there were no oxen in the county (as com-
pared with 222 in 1890, there being no record of oxen in 1878).
The total cattle in the county in 1905 was 25,104 (as compared
with 17,240 in 1890 and 5,998 in 1878).
Sheep, 3,821 (as compared with 8,028 in 1890 and 2,598 in
1878).
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 273
Swine, 11,869 (as compared with 2,729 in 1890 and 714 in
1878).
The total valuation at which agricultural personal property
was assessed in Redwood county in 1905 was as follows : Horses,
$384,526; cattle, $242,521; sheep, $5,711; swine, $35,507.
The average valuation at which agricultural personal property
was assessed in Redwood county in 1905 was as follows : Horses,
$79.07; cattle, $10.07; sheep, $1.47; swine, $2.99.
The year 1906 marked the beginning of the modern period.
In the county at this time there were a total of 12,314 horses,
mules and asses; one year old, 1,007; two years old, 955; three
years old and over, 10,322 ; fine bred horses, 30.
Cattle. One year old, 6,311 ; two years old, 4,270 ; cows, 13,654 ;
all other cattle, 528 ; total, 24,758 ; sheep, 4,372. Swine, 1,158.
In 1916 there are in the county a'total of 18,566 horses, mules
and asses (as compared with 12,314 in 1906). Under one year,
1,086 (rural 1,052, urban 34) ; one year and under two years,
1,576 (rural 1,511, urban 65). Two years and under three years,
1,551 (rural 1,477, urban 74). Three years and over, 14,286 (rural
13,286, urban 1,000). Stallions, fine bred mares and horses, 67
(rural 42, urban 25).
There are 38,736 cattle (as compared with 24,758 in 1906).
Under one year old, 9,647 (rural 9,482, urban 165). One year old
and under two years, 8,313 (rural 8,151, urban 162). Two years
and under three years, 4,804 (rural 4,745, urban 59). Cows,
14,953 (rural 14,419, urban 534). Bulls, 811 (rural 799, urban 12).
All other cattle three years old and over, 208, all rural.
Sheep, 1,917 (as compared with 4,372 in 1906).
Swine, 11,581 (as compared with 19,480 in 1906). Of the 11,581
there are 18,601 in the rural district.
There are 2,339 dogs in the county of which 2,027 are in the
country.
Authority. The assessment rolls of Redwood county in the
custody of Redwood county auditor.
274 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
CHAPTER XXIV.
DITCHING.
Artificial drainage through the medium of ditching is one of
the means by which the presence of mankind in Redwood county
has produced a marked change in the county's physical char-
acteristics.
The surface of the county, for the most part, consists of level
or gently rolling prairie. The depressions are often filled with
water, and in wet seasons these sloughs and swamps increase to
the size and aspect of small lakes. The natural drainage is inade-
quate and will continue so until the progress of the years has
eroded deeper valleys for the streams. Artificial drainage is
therefore the only solution of the problem.
Even in this regard, the solution is often difficult, as the slope
of the land is sometimes insufficient to provide a suitable "drop"
for the water gathered in the outlets.
Until 1906 there were no public ditches in Redwood county.
A few trenches had been built for short distances beside some of
the country roads, and here and there a farmer had dug a small
ditch to drain a pool, or had laid a few tile in an effort to provide
drainage for his barnyard.
In 1904, the county commissioners were asked to provide for
the draining of the vicinity of Willow Lake. The petition was de-
nied, on the ground that the cost would be greater than the
Then came 1905, with its excessive rains which continued for
several years thereafter, during which many hitherto productive
farms were given over to the muskrats and wild ducks. The need
for artificial drainage being thus made imperative, a petition for
a ditch in Sundown and Three Lakes township was granted in
1905, and the work started in 1906.
Since then the ditching has continued on an extensive scale.
Johnsonville, which is drained by the Cottonwood and by Sleepy
Eye creek, has no ditches. A petition for one is pending. Lam-
berton, drained by the Cottonwood, has no ditches. Springdale,
drained by numerous branches of the Cottonwood, has no ditches,
but a petition is pending. Honner, a small township on the Minne-
sota, has no ditches. Charlestown, drained by the Cottonwood,
is touched by the artificial drainage system. Swedes Forest, lying
along the Minnesota, is also touched slightly by the system. The
other townships are well provided with ditches, though in some
of them a still further development of the system is desirable.
Some of the ditches of Redwood county are open dredge
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 275
ditches. Some are entirely of tile. Others are a combination of
tile and open ditches. One ditch, County Ditch No. 5, is a plow
ditch, the only one of the kind in the county. It was made with
a ditch plow to which were attached from eight to twenty horses.
The amount thus far expended in Redwood county for ditch-
ing is $665,089.77. This has been paid out through the years as
follows : 1906, $332.28 ; 1907, $15,649.10 ; 1908, $85,788.71 ; 1909,
$93,585.37; 1910, $80,583.00; 1911, $68,380.93; 1912, $31,555.95;
1913, $51,909.35 ; 1914, $63,692.06 ; 1915, $84,605.32; half year end-
ing July 31, 1916, $89,007.70.
The ditches of the county have been inaugurated by two plans,
the county ditches under the supervision of the county commis-
sioners, and the judicial ditches under the supervision of the
District count. The latter ditches are for the most part those ex-
tending into two or more counties, though some of them are en-
tirely in one county. Owing to the fact that the judicial ditches
are numbered in the counties in which the petition is presented
to the court there is some duplication of numbers in the judicial
ditches of Redwood county, this duplication sometimes resulting
in more or less confusion.
So extensive has the ditching project in Redwood county be-
come that the county commissioners in the summer of 1916
appointed an engineer to take the matter in hand.
County Ditch No. 1 was first projected in a petition drawn up
April 15, 1904, and presented to the board of county commissioners
on July 11, 1904, as the result of which an engineer was appointed
to make an accurate survey of the line of a main ditch, outlet,
and branch lines of a ditch through Willow Lake. June 20, 1905,
the petition was denied.
County Ditch No. 2 is located in Sundown and Three Lakes
townships. The petition, dated June 27, 1905, and filed on July
14, 1905, was presented to the board of county commissioners on
August 21, 1905. It was ordered surveyed and the viewers were
appointed on that day. The petition was granted and the order
establishing the ditch was issued on January 4, 1906. Open.
County Ditch No. 3 is located in Three Lakes and Paxton
townships. The petition, dated June 16, 1906, was presented to
the county board on August 20, 1906. On June 21, 1907, the
report of the engineer and the viewers was accepted, and the
petition was granted. This ditch was completed October 8, 1908,
approved on November 30, 1909. On May 11, 1916, a petition for
repairs was filed. Open and tile.
County Ditch No. 4 is located in the townships of New Avon,
Redwood Falls and Paxton, and the village of Redwood Falls.
The petition was presented to the board on September 26, 1906.
This ditch was completed September 23, 1908. On August 29,
1910, this ditch was inspected and final payments were made, it
276 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
being found that the ditch was entirely satisfactory. Applications
for repairs on this have been twice dismissed. Open and tile.
County Ditch No. 5 is located in North Hero township. The
petition, dated August 31, 1906, was presented to the board on
November 2, 1906. On March 15, 1907, the report of the surveyors
and viewers was declared void. The route of the ditch was
changed a little and then the board proceeded to vote on granting
the petition as corrected. The resolution was adopted by unani-
mous vote. Open. This is the only "plow" ditch in the county.
County Ditch No. 6 is located in the township of Paxton. The
petition dated June 12, 1907, was presented to the board on
July 8, 1907. On October 25, 1907, the report of the survey-
ors and viewers was accepted and the petition was granted.
August 10, 1912, all the open work on County Ditch No. 6 was
accepted after it had been inspected by the county board. The
tile work was accepted on December 7, 1912. Open and tile.
County Ditch No. 7 is located in Willow Lake township. The
petition, dated June 27, 1907, was presented to the county board
on July 27, 1907. Viewers were appointed. The petition was
granted January 18, 1908, after the reports of the surveyor and
viewers had been accepted. On July 20, 1916, a petition for re-
pairs was filed. Open.
County Ditch No. 8 was to be in the townships of Willow
Lake and Charlestown. The petition was presented to the board
on August 9, 1907. A surveyor and viewers were appointed. The
petition was rejected but the proposed line of this ditch was made
a part of Ditch No. 7.
County Ditch No. 9 is .located in Three Lakes, Morgan and
Sherman townships. The petition, dated August 10, 1907, and
filed on August 12, 1907, was presented on September 10, 1907.
Viewers were appointed on September 11, 1907. The reports
were accepted and the petition granted June 26, 1908. The order
establishing the ditch was issued on June 27, 1908. On July 11,
1910 this ditch was completed. On July 14, 1913, it was ap-
proved and accepted. On November 4, 1908, a petition to have
the ditch dug deeper was filed and later, on June 22, 1915, a peti-
tion to have the ditch repaired was filed. Viewers for the latter
were appointed on March 29, 1916. Open and tile.
County Ditch No. 10 is located in New Avon and Three Lakes
townships. A petition, dated August 10, 1907, was presented
September 16, 1907. The engineer's and viewers' reports were
accepted and the petition was granted April 14, 1908. This ditch
was finished Nov. 11, 1908. This ditch was approved with its
branches on November 4, 1910. A petition for repairs was filed
on May 11, 1916. Open and tile.
County Ditch No. 11 is located in Sheridan township. The
petition was dated and filed on June 14, 1909, and was presented
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 277
to the board on July 8, 1909. Viewers and a surveyor were ap-
pointed. The reports were accepted and the petition was granted
and the order establishing the ditch was issued on May 3, 1910.
This ditch was approved on November 25, 1910. Tile.
County Ditch No. 12 is located in the townships of Delhi and
Kintire. The petition, dated and filed June 14, 1909, was presented
to the county board on July 9, 1909, and the viewers were ap-
pointed on that day. The reports were accepted and the petition
was granted on May 3, 1910, the order establishing the ditch being
issued on the same date. This ditch was finished July 10, 1911,
and approved by the board. The final certificate of dredge work
was accepted on August 26, 1915. Open and tile.
County Ditch No. 13 is located in the township of Granite
Rock. The petition, dated and filed June 19, 1909, was presented
to the board July 22, 1909. Viewers were appointed on that day.
On September 16, 1909, the petition was granted and the order
establishing the ditch was issued. This ditch was finished and
approved on September 21, 1911. Open and tile.
County Ditch No. 14 is located in Morgan and Sherman town-
ships. The petition, dated March 31, 1910, and filed on April 5,
1910, was presented to the board on May 3, 1910. The viewers
were appointed on that same day. On July 11, 1910, the reports
were accepted and the petition was granted. The order estab-
lishing the ditch was issued on July 12, 1910. This ditch was com-
pleted and accepted on Sept. 21, 1911. A petition for repairs
was filed on May 11, 1916. Open and tile.
County Ditch No. 15 is located in Vesta township. The peti-
tion, dated May 9, 1910, and filed on May 11, 1910, was presented
to the county board on June 10, 1910. Viewers were appointed
on that day. The petition was granted on August 29, 1910, and
the order establishing the ditch was issued on the same day.
This ditch was accepted on November 27, 1911. Tile.
County Ditch No. 16 is located in Brookville. The petition,
dated June 9, 1910, and filed June 13, 1910, was presented to the
board on July 11, 1910. Viewers were appointed on July 13,
1910. The petition was granted on October 21, 1910, and the order,
establishing the ditch was issued on the same day. Tile.
County Ditch No. 17 is located in the township of Redwood
Falls. The petition, dated Jan. 24, 1911, and filed on May 15, 1911,
was presented to the board on June 12, 1911. Viewers were
appointed on that day. The petition was granted on July 8, 1912,
and the order establishing the ditch was issued on July 17, 1912.
The petition was accepted, after being inspected, on Dec. 6, 1912.
Tile.
County Ditch No. 18 is located in New Avon township. The
petition was dated July 15, 1912, and presented to the board on
Aug. 10, 1912, and viewers were appointed on that same date.
278 HISTOEY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
On Oct. 30, 1912, the reports were accepted and the petition was
granted. This ditch was approved and paid for, on Jan. 9, 1914.
Tile. A petition for repairs was filed on Aug. 27, 1915, and the
viewers were appointed on March 28, 1916. The petition for
repairs was dismissed Aug. 15, 1916.
County Ditch No. 19 is located in the township of Kintire.
The petition, dated March 24, 1914, and filed on April 23, 1914,
was presented to the board on June 3, 1914, and the viewers were
appointed on the same date. The order establishing the ditch
was issued on Aug. 25, 1914, and the ditch was accepted on
December 3, 1914. Tile.
County Ditch No. 20 is located in townships of Delhi, Kintire
and Swedes Forest. The petition was filed on Dee. 2, 1914.
Viewers were appointed on Jan. 8, 1915, and the order establish-
ing the ditch was issued on July 14, 1915. Tile. Under con-
struction.
County Ditch No. 21 is located in Vail and Granite Rock town-
ships. The petition was filed on June 1, 1915, viewers were ap-
pointed on July 13, 1915, and the order establishing the ditch
was issued on March 8, 1916. Tile. Under construction.
County Ditch No. 22 is asked in Paxton, Redwood Falls and
Three Lakes townships. The petition was filed on June 1, 1915.
Viewers were appointed on July 13, 1915. No report has yet been
rendered.
County Ditch No. 23 is located in New Avon, Sundown and
Three Lakes townships. The petition was filed on June 29, 1915.
Viewers were appointed on July 27, 1915, and the order establish-
ing the ditch was issued on Jan. 13, 1916. Tile. Under con-
struction.
County Ditch No. 24 is asked for New Avon, Three Lakes,
Sundown, Morgan and Brookville townships. The petition was
filed on July 6, 1915. Viewers were appointed on August 13, 1915
No report has yet been rendered.
County Ditch No. 25 is asked for Three Lakes and Sundown
townships. The petition was filed on July 12, 1915. Viewers were
appointed on August 13, 1915, and the order, establishing the
"West Main and branches thereto, was issued on June 8, 1916.
The contract has not as yet been let.
County Ditch No. 26 is asked for New Avon, Willow Lake,
Sundown and Three Lakes townships. The petition was filed
on July 12, 1915. Viewers were appointed on Aug. 13, 1915. The
ditch was ordered Aug. 18, 1916.
County Ditch No. 27 is located in Paxton township. The pe-
tition was filed on July 12, 1915. Viewers were appointed on
Aug. 13, 1915, and the order establishing the ditch, was issued
on Nov. 5, 1916. Tile. Under construction.
County Ditch No. 28 is located in North Hero township. The
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 279
petition was filed on July 15, 1915. Viewers were appointed on
Aug. 13, 1915, and the order establishing the ditch was issued
on May 11, 1916. Tile. Under construction.
County Ditch No. 29 is located in Waterbury township. The
petition was filed on July 15, 1915. Viewers were appointed on
Aug. 13, 1915, and the order establishing the ditch was issued
on November 5, 1915. Tile. Under construction.
County Ditch No. 30 is asked for New Avon, Sheridan and
Vail townships. The petition was filed on July 20, 1915. Viewers
were appointed on August 25, 1915, and the order establishing
the ditch was issued on May 9, 1916. The contract is not yet let.
County Ditch No. 31 was asked for Vail and Sheridan town-
ships. The petition was filed on Aug. 21, 1915. Viewers were ap-
pointed on Sept. 24, 1915. June 9, 1916, at the request of the
petitioners the proceedings were dropped.
County Ditch No. 32 is located in Springdale and Gales town-
ships. The petition was filed on Aug. 30, 1915. Viewers were ap-
pointed on September 24, 1915, and the order establishing the
ditch was issued on January 13, 1916. Tile. Under construction.
County Ditch No. 33 is asked for Vesta township. The petition
was filed on Oct. 19, 1915. Viewers were appointed on November
26, 1915. This ditch is ordered but not let.
County Ditch No. 34 is asked for New Avon township. The pe-
tition was filed on Oct. 22, 1915. Viewers were appointed on
Nov. 26, 1915. The matter of this ditch will be considered later,
as there is still considerable doubt over the question of an outlet.
County Ditch No. 35 is asked for Vesta township. The peti-
tion was filed on October 26, 1915. Viewers were appointed on
Dec. 15, 1915, and the order establishing the ditch was issued on
June 9, 1916. The contract is not yet let. This ditch replaces
Judicial Ditches Nos. 10 and 19.
County Ditch No. 36 was asked for Vail township. The peti-
tion was filed on Oct. 26, 1915. Viewers were appointed on
Dec. 15, 1915. Dismissed. This marks the third attempt to estab-
lish this ditch, the dismissed petitions for Judicial Ditches Nos.
11 and 20 covering the same territory.
County Ditch No. 37 is located in Granite Rock township.
The petition was filed on Nov. 3, 1915. Viewers were appointed
on Dec. 15, 1915, and the order establishing the ditch was issued
on May 11, 1916. Tile. Under construction.
County Ditch No. 38 is asked for Sundown and Willow Lake
townships. The petition was filed Dec. 18, 1915. Viewers were
appointed on January 13, 1916. No report has yet been rendered.
County Ditch No. 39 is asked for Kintire township. The peti-
tion was filed on May 8, 1916. Viewers were appointed on June 9,
1916. The viewers have not yet reported.
Tile Ditch No. 40 is asked for Delhi township. The petition
280 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
was filed on May 15, 1916. Viewers were appointed on June 8,
1916. The viewers have not yet reported.
Tile Ditch No. 41 is asked for Springdale township. The peti-
tion was filed on May 22, 1916. Viewers were appointed July 5,
1916. The viewers have not as yet reported.
County Ditch No. 42 is asked for North Hero township. The
petition was filed on June 12, 1916. Viewers were appointed on
July 14, 1916. No report has yet been rendered.
County Ditch No. 43 is asked for Johnsonville, North Hero and
Springdale townships. The petition was filed on July 3, 1916.
Engineers and viewers were appointed Aug. 15, 1916.
Judicial Ditch No. 1 of Brown and Redwood counties is lo-
cated in Three Lakes, Morgan and Brookville townships and in
Brown county. The order establishing the ditch was issued June
25, 1908. The contract for dredge work was let Aug. 19, 1908,
and for the tile work May 17, 1910. Nov. 27, 1911, the ditch was
finished and approved. Tile.
Judicial Ditch No. 1 of Redwood and Brown counties is lo-
cated in Morgan township and in Brown county. It was estab-
lished by an order of Aug. 3, 1908. The contract was let April 19,
1910. Open and tile.
Judicial Ditch No. 2 of Redwood county is located in New
Avon and Willow Lake townships. The order establishing the
ditch was issued Jan. 9, 1909. The contract for dredge work was
let March 5, 1909, and for tile work April 12, 1909. Nov. 30,
1909, the ditch was inspected and approved. The tile work on this
ditch was finished July 12, 1911. Tile and open. This ditch will
be amalgamated in county Ditch No 26, ordered by the county
commissioners Aug. 18, 1916.
Judicial Ditch No. 3 of Lyon, Yellow Medicine and Redwood
counties is located in Underwood township, and Lyon and Yellow
Medicine counties. The order establishing the ditch was issued
March 11, 1908. Open.
Judicial Ditch No. 3 of Redwood county is located in Sundown
township. The order establishing the ditch was issued May 6,
1908. The contract for tile work on this ditch was let May 23,
1908, and for plow work was let June 11, 1908. Open and tile.
The territory embraced in this ditch area will be drained eventu-
ally as a part of County Ditch No. 24.
Judicial Ditch No. 4 of Redwood county is located in Water-
bury township. The order establishing the ditch was issued
Sept. 10, 1908. The contract for construction of ditch was let
March 2, 1909. Tile.
Judicial Ditch No. 5 of Brown and Redwood counties is pro-
jected in Brookville township and Brown county. The petition
was filed Sept. 24, 1915. Open. The engineers have not as yet>
reported on this ditch.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 281
Judicial Ditch No. 5 of Redwood county is located in New
Avon and Redwood Falls townships. The order establishing the
ditch was issued May 1, 1909. The contract for construction of
the ditch was let March 2, 1910. May 14, 1912, the open work on
this ditch was approved and paid for.
Judicial Ditch No. 6 of Redwood county is located in Redwood
Falls townships. The order establishing the ditch was issued
May 3, 1909. The contract for the construction of the ditch was '
let Aug. 5, 1909. Tile.
Judicial Ditch No. 7 of Redwood county is located in the
township of Willow Lake. The order establishing the ditch "was
issued May 4, 1909. The contract was let July 13, 1909. Nov.
30, 1909, this ditch was inspected and approved. Tile.
Judicial Ditch No. 8 of Redwood and Yellow Medicine counties
was to be in Underwood township and Yellow Medicine county.
The petition was filed May 19, 1909. Dismissed.
Judicial Ditch No. 8 of Lyon and Redwood counties was to
be in Gales township and Lyon county. The petition was filed
Jan. 20, 1910. Dismissed.
Judicial Ditch No. 9 of Redwood county is located in Gales
township. The order establishing the ditch was issued Jan. 12,
1911. Tile.
Judicial Ditch No. 10 of Redwood county was asked for Vail
township. The petition was filed Nov. 9, 1911. The action was
dismissed. County Ditch No. 36 was later projected in the same
territory but was dismissed.
Judicial Ditch No. 11 of Redwood county was asked for Vesta
township. The petition was filed Nov. 9, 1911. Dismissed.
County Ditch No. 35 will cover the same territory.
Judicial Ditch No. 11 of Redwood and Lyon counties is located
in townships 111-40 and 110-40 in Lyon, and Gales and Westline
in Redwood. The order establishing the ditch was issued on
Dec. 3, 1915.
Judicial Ditch No. 12 of Redwood and Lyon counties is located
in Gales and Amiret townships. The petition was filed on June 3,
1912. On Oct. 13, 1913, the ditch was approved and ordered paid
for. Tile.
Judicial Ditch No. 13 of Lyon and Redwood counties will enter
Springdale township and Lyon county. The petition was pre-
sented Dec. 27, 1915, and the viewers report rendered July 1, 1916.
Action is still pending.
Judicial Ditch No. 13 of Redwood county is located in Vail
township. The petition was filed on Dec. 22, 1913, and the order
of court establishing the ditch was issued on September 18, 1914.
Tile.
Judicial Ditch No. 14 of Lyon and Redwood counties is in
Lyon county and Gales township. The petition was presented
282 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
March 27, 1916, and the engineers appointed July 29, 1916. Action
is still pending.
Judicial Ditch No. 14 of Redwood and Lyon counties is in
Lyon county and Westline township. The petition was filed on
Dec. 24, 1913. The order of court establishing the ditch was issued
on January 13, 1915. Open and tile. Now under construction.
Judicial Ditch No. 15 of Redwood and Lyon counties is in
Lyon county and Westline township. The petition was filed on
March 23, 1915, and the order establishing the ditch was issued
on March 11, 1916. Open and tile.
Judicial Ditch No. 16 of Redwood county is located in New
Avon and Willow Lake townships. The petition was filed on
March 23, 1915, and the order establishing the ditch was issued
on January 18, 1916. Tile. Now under construction.
Judicial Ditch No. 17 of Redwood and Brown counties will be
in Morgan township and Brown county. The petition was filed
on May 4, 1915, and the order establishing the ditch was issued
on July 15, 1916. Open and tile. Ordered but not let.
Judicial Ditch No. 18 of Redwood and Brown counties will
be in Morgan township and Brown county. The petition was filed
on May 14, 1915. The order establishing the ditch was issued on
July 15, 1916. Open and tile. Ordered but not let.
Judicial Ditches Nos. 19 and 20 of Redwood county. Petition
for Judicial Ditches Nos. 10 and 11 were dismissed on a techni-
cality. Petitions for Judicial Ditches Nos. 19 and 20 were then
filed covering the same territory. The judge refused to grant the
petition, the policy of the court being to leave ditches wholly in
one county in the hands of the commissioners. Petitions were
later presented for County Ditches Nos. 35 and 36, covering the
same territory. Ditch 35 will be built, while the petition for Ditch
36 was dismissed.
Judicial Ditch No. 21 of Redwood and Yellow Medicine coun-
ties. The petition was filed on February 4, 1916. Dismissed.
Judicial Ditch No. 22 of Redwood and Lyon Counties is asked
for sections 19 and 30 of Gales and touching Lyon county. The
petition was filed on June 28, 1916. Action is still pending.
Authority. Records of the county commissioners' proceedings
(manuscript) in the custody of the county auditor of Redwood
county.
Annual financial statements of Redwood county (printed
pamphlets).
Ditching records of Redwood county (manuscript) in the
custody of the county auditor of Redwood county.
Personal testimony of L. P. Larson, county auditor of Redwood
county.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
CHAPTER XXV.
PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS
The physician, especially in a pioneer community, comes more
intimately in contact with the social life of the people than any
other man. He sees household life as it is without the veneer that
is often put on for other visitors. His advice as to sanitation of
the home and surroundings is acted upon. In the early days he,
the preacher, the teacher and the lawyer were the only highly
educated men in the community He was a leader in intellect
and public opinion, as well as the healer of bodies and minds.
A great writer has said: "Men most nearly resemble the
gods when they afford health to their fellow-men." In an age
when, in the combat of man against man, and nation against
nation, destruction is rife through the world, it is insipiration to
pay tribute to those devoted souls who are laboring to preserve
mankind and bring it to the highest degree of physical efficiency.
Jenner, Pasteur and Lister are more to be honored than all
the great warriors.
"The first anaesthetic has done more for the real happiness of
mankind than all the philosophers from Socrates to Mills. Society
laurels the soldier and the philosopher, and practically ignores the
physician except in the hour when it needs him to minister to its
physical ills. Few remember his labors, for what Sir Thomas
Browne said three hundred years ago is surely true: "The
iniquity of oblivion blindly scattereth her poppy and deals with
the memory of men without distinction to merit to perpetuity."
"Medicine is the most cosmopolitan of the three great 'learned'
professions. Medicine never built a prison or lit a fagot, never
incited men to battle or crucified anyone. Saint and sinner,
white, black, rich and poor, are equal and alike when they cross
the sacred portals of the temple of ^sculapius." No other secu-
lar profession has ever reached such a consciousness of duties
which it corporately owes to the rest of the world. What are
the principles which a profession, more profuse in its disinter-
ested charities than any other profession in the world, has estab-
lished for its guidance?
It was about 2,300 years ago that the practitioners of the art
of healing began to take an oath, emphasizing responsibilities
which the nobility and holiness of the art imposed upon them.
Hippocrates, forever to be revered, gave the oath his name. When
a Greek physician took the Hippocratie oath, and a graduate
of the modern medical school takes it, the act is one not only
of obligation for himself, but of recognition of a great benefactor
of mankind. The Hippocratie oath assumes that when a man
284 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
has learned the art of restoring the sick to health he has passed
into a realm in which the rules of personal selfishness are im-
mediately abridged, if not expunged; and he is received in a
system of principles and rules governing all licensed physicians,
and enforced and respected by high-minded and cultured gentle-
men— a standard of professional honor so sacred and inviolate
that no graduate or regular practitioner will ever presume or
dare to violate it.
Robert Louis Stevenson, seeing the life of the medical man
only from without, was not far wrong when he spoke of the
modern scientific medical man as probably the noblest figure of
the age. The noble and exalted character of the ancient profes-
sion of medicine is surpassed by no sister science in the mag-
nificence of its gifts. Reflecting upon its purity, beneficence and
grandeur, it must be accorded to be the noblest of professions.
Though the noblest of professions, it is the meanest of trades.
The true physician will make his profession no trade, but will
be accurate in diagnosis and painstaking in prescribing. He will
allow no prejudice nor theory to interfere with the relief of
human suffering and the saving of human life ; and will lay under
contribution every source of information, be it humble or ex-
alted, that can be made useful in the cure of disease. He will
be kind to the poor, sympathetic with the sick, ethical toward
medical colleagues, and courteous toward all men.
The true physician is he who has a proper conception and
estimation of the real character of his profession; whose intel-
lectual and moral fitness gives weight, standing and character
in the consideration and estimation of society and the public at
large. His privileges and powers for good or for evil are great;
in fact, no other profession, calling or vocation in this life occu-
pies such a delicate relation to the human family.
There is a tremendous developing and educating power in
medical work. The medical man is almost the only member of
the community who does not make money out of his important
discoveries. It is a point of honor with him to allow the whole
world to profit by his researches when he finds a new remedy
for disease. The greatest and best medical and surgical discov-
eries and inventions have been free gifts to suffering humanity
the moment their value was demonstrated. The reward of the
physician is in the benefit which the sick and helpless receive,
and in the gratitude, which should not be stinted, of the com-
munity at large. Medical men are not angels; they are, in fact,
very human creatures with hard work to do, and often many
mouths to feed ; but there is a strain of benevolence in all their
work. From the beginning they are taught a doctrine of help-
fulness to others, and are made to think that their life-work
should not be one in which every service must receive its pecun-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 285
iary reward. The physician is a host in himself, a natural leader
among his fellowmen, a center of influence for the most prac-
tical good, an efficient helper in times of direct need, a trusted
and honest citizen. What more can any prophet ask than honor
in his own country and a daily welcome among his own friends?
It does not take long for the waves of oblivion to close over
those who have taken a most prominent and active part in the
affairs of the day. The life of the pioneer doctor is no exception
to this law, for, as Dr. John Browne tells us, "It is the lot of the
successful medical practitioner to be invaluable when alive, and
to be forgotten soon after he is dead ; and this is not altogether
or chiefly from any special ingratitude or injustice on the part
of mankind, but from the very nature of the case." However,
the pioneer physician still lives in memory of many of us, though
he is now more rare as an individual than in the years gone by,
and is gradually passing out of existence.
The history, written and unwritten, of the pioneer physician
in Redwood county, as elsewhere, presents him to view as working
out the destiny of the wilderness, hand in hand with the other
forces of civilization for the common good. He was an integral
part of the primitive social fabric. As such he shared the man-
ners, the customs, and the ambitions of his companions, and he,
with them, was controlled by the forces which determine the com-
mon destiny. The chief concern of himself and companions was
materially engaged with the serious problem of existence. The
struggle to survive was, at its best, a competition with nature.
Hard winters, poor roads were the chief impediments. Only
rough outlines remain of the heroic and adventurous side of the
pioneer physician's long, active and honored life. The imagina-
tion cannot, unaided by the facts, picture the primitive condi-
tions he had to contend with. Long and dreary rides, by day
and night, in summer's heat and winter's cold, through snow
and mud and rain, was his common lot. He trusted himself to
the mercy of the elements, crossed unbridged streams, made his
way through uncut forests, and traveled the roadless wilderness.
He spent one-fifth of his life in his conveyance, and in some cases
traveled as many as two hundred thousand miles in the same.
Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes has graphically described the old
doctor's daily routine: "Half a dollar a visit — drive, drive,
drive all day ; get up in the night and harness your own horse —
drive again ten miles in a snowstorm; shake powders out of a
vial — drive back again, if you don't happen to be stuck in a
drift; no home, no peace, no continuous meals, no unbroken sleep,
no Sunday, no holiday, no social intercourse, but eternal jog, jog,
jog in a sulky."
He always responded to the call of the poor, and gave freely
his services to those who could not pay without hardships. Who
286 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
can narrate the past events in the life of such a man ? His deeds
were "written upon the tablet of loving and grateful hearts,
and the hearts are now dust. The long and exhausting rides
through storm, or mud, or snow; the exposure to contagions;
the patient vigils by the bedside of pain; the kindly deeds of
charity; the reassuring messages to the despondent; the shield-
ing of the innocent; the guarding of secrets; the numberless
self-abnegations that cannot be tabulated, and are soon for-
gotten, like the roses of yesterday." Wealth did not flow into
the old practitioner's coffers; in fact, he needed no coffers. He
was a poor collector, and with all his efforts he obtained but
little, and never what was his due. As an offset to the generally
acknowledged abilities of the old doctor in every other line of
his work, it must be admitted that he was greatly deficient
in business tact. Often content with the sentiment of apparent
appreciation of services rendered to his patrons, of lives saved,
of sufferings assuaged, and of health restored, he was too easily
satisfied with the reflection that he had a very noble profession,
but a very poor trade.
Though poor in purse, he was rich in heart, in head, and in
public esteem. He made at least a very measurable success of
life, if success consists in being of some small use to the com-
munity or country in which one live ; if it consists in having an
intelligent, sympathetic outlook for human needs ; if it is success
to love one's work; if it is success to have friends and be a
friend, then the old doctor has made a success of life.
He was a lonely worker, and relied largely on his own un-
aided observation for his knowledge. Isolated by conditions of
his life, he did not know the educating influences of society work.
He was a busy man, with little leisure for indulgence of lit-
erary or other tastes. He possessed, however, what no books or
laboratories can furnish, and that is: a capacity for work, will-
ingness to be helpful, broad sympathies, honesty, and a great
deal of common sense. His greatest fame was the fealty of a few
friends; his recompense a final peace at life's twilight hour. He
was a hard-working man, beloved and revered by all. He was
discreet and silent, and held his counsel when he entered the
sick-room. In every family he was indispensable, important, and
oftentimes a dignified personage. He was the adviser of the
family in matters not always purely medical. As time passed,
the circle of his friends enlarged, his brain expanded, and his
heart steadily grew mellower. Could all the pleasant, touching,
heroic incidents be told in connection with the old doctor, it
would be a revelation to the young physician of today; but he
can never know the admiration and love in which the old doctor
was held. "How like an angel light was his coming in the stormy
midnight to the lonely cabin miles away from the nearest neigh-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 287
bor. Earnest, cheery, confident, his presence lightened the bur-
den, took away the responsibility, dispelled the gloom. The old
doctor, with his two-wheeled gig and saddlebags, his setons, crude
herbs, and venesections, resourceful, brave and true; busy, blunt
and honest loyally doing his best — who was physician surgeon,
obstetrician, oculist, aurist, guide, philosopher and friend — is
sleeping under the sod of the pioneer region he loved so well."
' ' We shall ne 'er see his like again ;
Not a better man was found
By the Crier on his round
Through the town."
During the winter of 1864-65 there was no physician in the
Stockade at Redwood Falls. The nearest medico was at Ft.
Ridgely, where an army surgeon was stationed.
Dr. D. L. Hitchcock reached the Stockade with his family
early in the summer of 1865, and became the first physician in
the county. He was joined in 1870 by Dr. W. D. Flinn.
For many years these two physicians ministered to the needs
of the pioneers. The story of their experiences, riding over the
trackless prairies to isolated cabins far beyond the limits of the
county, braving the heat and mosquitoes of summer, and the
bitter storms of winter, sometimes forced to spend the night in
some abandoned shanty, bringing healing in their little black
bags, their clever hands, and their skilled brains, would make a
volume of pioneer life well worth the writing.
These two pioneers were friends and often in severe cases they
traveled together, sharing sympathy, companionship and advice.
Contemporaries of Drs. Hitchcock and Flinn were Dr. J. B.
Wellcome, of Sleepy Eye; Dr. T. H. Sherwin, of Beaver Falls;
Dr. Henry Schoregge, of Henryville (Renville county), and Dr.
C. S. Knapp, of Cairo (Renville county). Each of these men had
some small practice in the edges of Redwood county.
The pioneer doctors of Redwood county had many interesting
experiences. Dr. Hitchcock and Dr. Flynn endured hardships
trying both to mind and body. One of their thrilling adventures
took place during the blizzard of 1873. A man near Wood Lake
had frozen his feet and an amputation was necessary. Accord-
ingly, Dr. Hitchcock and Dr. Flynn started out across the prairie
with the necessary implements. While they were on their trip
the wind suddenly changed, the snow began to fall so thickly
that they could not see their horses' heads in front of them and
they were finally forced to take refuge in a cabin a mile before
reaching the residence of their patient. For three days they were
snowed up in this cabin. On the third day by much effort they
broke the way through to their patient's house, performed the
288 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
necessary operation and returned to their homes in Redwood Falls
where their families had undergone much anxiety as to their fate.
The Redwood Falls directory of 1878 gives three physicians,
W. D. Flinn, W. M. Evans and M. W. Vilos, as practicing in Red-
wood Falls at that time. In 1880 the name of C. S. Stoddard ap-
pears. Drs. Flinn and Stoddard appear in the lists of 1884, and
the name of A. G. Hammer is added. In 1886, the Redwood Falls
physicians were W. D. Flinn and Frederick H. Morton. In 1888
the names of Giles R. Pease and Hazen W. "Wells first appear.
W. D. Flinn and Giles R. Pease were the Redwood Falls physi-
cians in 1892. C. P. Gibson was added to the list in 1894. A. B.
Hawes appears on the list in 1896, the other three physicians being
Drs. Flinn, Pease and Gibson. In 1900 the name of Henry E.
Schlegel first appears, and in 1902 the name of W. A. Palmer is
seen. W. Beet and William Corpron are new names in 1904.
W. A. Brand first appears in the directory in 1906. The Redwood
Falls physicians in 1908 were F. P. Boyd, W. A. Brand, C. P.
Gibson and G. P. Pease. The name of A. G. Chadbourn first ap-
pears in 1912. In the same year appears the firm of Pease & Flinn,
T. E. Flinn having started practice with Giles R. Pease. In 1914
the four physicians were W. A. Brand, C. P. Gibson, Giles R.
Pease and T. E. Flinn. Drs. Brand, Pease and Flinn are the
present practitioners.
A distinct stride in the history of medicine and surgery in
Redwood county was the erection in 1915 at Redwood Falls, of a
splendid hospital, fitted with all the latest appliances and excel-
lently equipped in all the departments usually appertaining to a
modern hospital. The building is pleasantly located and is one of
the city's most sightly structures. It was erected by Drs. Giles
R. Pease and T. E. Flinn, these gentlemen being the present
supervising physicians and surgeons of the institution.
F. V. Crandall was the first physician in Lamberton. Lemont
S. Crandall, a physician there for some twenty years, first ap-
pears in the directory of 1882. Christopher Queolis first appears
in 1888. In 1894 the Lamberton physicians were L. S. Crandall,
J. G. Ellis and A. F. Gooslee. In 1896 the name of J. C. R. Charest
appears in place of A. F. Gosslee. In 1900 the Lamberton physi-
cians were L. S. Crandall and C. P. Nelson. In 1912 the physicians
there were George W. Boot, L. S. Crandall and Charles C. Walker.
For a time, Louis O. Clements was the first physician, his name
first appearing in 1904. The name of Charles C. Walker first ap-
pears in 1908, and the name of Dirk V. Gleysteen in 1914. Drs.
Walber and Gleysteen are the present practitioners.
The first physician in Walnut Grove was R. W. Hoyt. The
name of H. B. Van Buskirk, for several years the only physician
in the village, first appears in the directories of 1884. The name
of Charles I. Remington first appears in 1900, the name of Robert
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 289
H. Ray in 1902, and the name of E. Lawrence Meyer in 1906.
The name of the present practitioner, Earl Jamieson, first appears
in 1908.
A. Bickford was the first physician in Milroy. He was fol-
lowed by Prank J. Bickford. Then for several years there was
no permanent resident physician. The name of Bjarne Rvan, the
present practitioner of Milroy, first appears in the directories of
1914.
The first physician in Morgan was James L. Adams, who is
still practicing there. The name of David R. Butler appears in
the directories of 1900.
O. A. Case was the first physician in Sanborn. The name of
John Hobinecht first appears in the directories of 1896; John
J. Piatt in 1898; George W. Boot in 1900; Oscar E. Bennett in
1902 ; William G. Richards in 1906, and Arthur L. Kusske in 1908.
The name of the present practitioner, Monte C. Piper first appears
in 1916.
The first physician in Revere was Ernest R. Jellison. The
name of Lars P. Solsness appears in 1906. There is now no
physician in Revere.
Mrs. Rebecca Shoemaker appears in the directories of North
Redwood as a practicing physician for the years 1900-1912 in-
clusive.
E. R. Jellison was the first physician in Seaforth, moving
there shortly after the coming of the railroad. He left not long
after, and there has since been no permanent resident physician.
The first physician in Vesta was Frank D. Gray who practiced
there some eight years. The name of Roy A. Peterson, the present
practitioner, first appears in the directories of 1912.
Willis W. Creswell was the first physician in Delhi, his name
first appearing in the directories of 1904. The name of P. A. Car-
rell appears in 1912. There is now no physician in the village.
The first physicians in Wabasso were Alf. G. Chadbourn and
H. E. Lucas. The name of Gilbert L. Goslee first appears in the
directories in 1906. In 1912 the names of Frank W. Brey and
H. G. Bickford appear. Dr. Brey is the present practitioner of
Wabasso.
The physicians of Belview are F. A. Aldrich and Emma S.
Aldrich. The first physician was H. P. Dredge, whose name first
appears in the directories of 1898. The name of Thore N. Thore-
son appears in 1914.
Following are the physicians whose certificates are recorded
with the Redwood county clerk of court :
Wm. D. Flinn, graduated from the Rush Medical College in
Illinois in 1868. He received his certificate from the medical
board of the state Jan. 22, 1884, and filed it for record in this
county May 3, 1884.
290 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Frederick H. Morton, graduated from the Rush Medical Col-
lege in the state of Illinois. He received his certificate from the
medical board of the state on April 28, 1884, and filed it for
record in this county May 3, 1884.
Giles R. Pease graduated from the medical department of the
University of Michigan. He received his certificate from the
state on Sept. 12, 1885, and filed it for record in this county on
March 7, 1888.
C. P. Gibson graduated from the Chicago Medical College in
the state of Illinois. He received his certificate from the state
on April 19, 1884, and filed it for record in this county on April
7, 1888.
Henry E. Schlegel received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on June 10, 1897, and filed it for record in
this county on June 24, 1897.
William Algernon Brand received his certificate from the
medical board of the state on July 1, 1904, and filed it for record
in this county on July 15, 1904.
Walter A. Palmer received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on June 22, 1899, and filed it for record in
this county on Feb. 7, 1900.
Alfred G. Chadbourn received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on June 19, 1900. He filed it for record in this
county on July 26, 1900.
Thomas Edwin Flinn received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on Jan. 25, 1911, and filed it for record in this
county May 5, 1911.
Wallace E. Belt was given his certificate by the medical board
of the state on Jan. 16, 1903, and filed it for record in this county
on Jan. 21, 1903.
Stephen D. Sour received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on June 9, 1896, and filed it for record in this
county June 4, 1904. He graduated from Hamline university in
St. Paul, Minn.
C. P. Nelson received his certificate from the medical board
of the state April 11, 1899. He filed it for record in this county
on July 14, 1900.
Gilbert L. Goslee received his certificate from the medical
board of the state Oct. 3, 1904, and filed it for record in this
eounty Oct. 7, 1904. He graduated from the Keokuk College of
Physicians and Surgeons.
G. W. Boot received his certificate from the medical board
of the state on Oct. 11, 1898, and filed it for record on Dec. 15,
1898.
Lucian Orville Clement, received his certificate from the med-
ical board of the state on June 20, 1902, and filed it for record
in this county on July 18, 1902.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 291
L. S. Crandall received his certificate from the medical board
of the state Nov. 28, 1883, and filed it for record in this county
on Jan. 3, 1884.
Dirk Gleysteen received his certificate from the medical board
of the state on Jan. 17, 1912, and filed it for record in this county
on March 4, 1912.
Charles C. Walker received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on June 9, 1896, and filed it for record in this
county on Feb. 14, 1903.
Frank D. Gray received his certificate from the medical board
of the state on Feb. 28, 1887, and filed it for record in this county
on Feb. 19, 1904.
Earl Jamieson received his certificate from the Minnesota
state board of medical examiners on Oct. 11, 1907, and filed it
for record in this county Jan. 15, 1908.
Robert H. Ray received his certificate from the medical board
of the state on Oct. 11, 1900. He filed it for record in this county
on Oct. 15, 1900.
Chas. L. Remington received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on Jan. 16, 1884, and filed it for record in this
county on Feb. 18, 1899.
Bjarne Rvan received his certificate from the medical board
of the state on April 19, 1911, and filed it for record in this county
on May 6, 1911.
James L. Adams received his certificate from the medical board
of the state on Jan. 6, 1893, and filed it for record in this county
on Feb. 17, 1893.
Ernest R. Jellison received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on June 8, 1901, and filed it for record in this
county on Oct. 7, 1901.
Arthur Louis Kusske received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on June 13, 1907, and filed it for record in
this county on Sept. 26, 1907.
O. E. Bennett received his certificate from the medical board
of the state on April 12, 1901, and filed it for record in this county
on May 4, 1901.
William Geo. Richards received his certificate from the med-
ical board of the state on July 1, 1904. He filed it for record
in this county on May 31, 1905.
Monte Charles Piper received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on June 29, 1910, and filed it for record in this
county on Jan. 16, 1912.
John Habenicht graduated from the medical university at
Prague, Bohemia, in Europe. He received his certificate from the
medical board of the state June 25, 1887, and filed it for record in
this county on March 8, 1895.
292 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Roy Albert Peterson received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on Jan. 25, 1911. He filed it for record in this
county on April 21, 1911.
Herman E. Lucas received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on Oct. 23, 1883, and filed it for record in this
county on June 21, 1900.
Frank W. Brey received his certificate from the medical board
of the state on June 29, 1910, and filed it for record in this county
on May 6, 1911.
H. G. Bickford received his certificate from the medical board
of the state on April 12, 1901, and filed it for record in this county
on Feb. 12, 1910.
Thore Nels Thoreson received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on Oct. 12, 1897, and filed it for record in this
county on July 5, 1913.
H. P. Dredge received his certificate from the medical board
of the state June 9, 1896. It was filed on July 28, 1896, for rec-
ord in this county. It was also filed for record on Oct. 30, 1901.
Frederick Herrick Aldrich was given his certificate by the
medical board of the state on June 20, 1902, and filed it for rec-
ord in this county on August 22, 1902.
Edward W. Gag received his certificate from the medical board
of the state on Jan. 15, 1904, and filed it for record in this county
on Feb. 11, 1904.
George P. Wilkinson received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on April 17, 1903, and filed it for record in
this county on July 30, 1904.
Hazen W. Wells, graduated from the Hahnneman Medical Col-
lege of Chicago in the state of Illinois. He received his certificate
from the medical board of the state on June 29, 1887, and filed
it for record in this county on July 1, 1887.
Henry C. Way graduated from the college of physicians and
surgeons, Keokuk, in the state of Iowa. He received his certifi-
cate from the medical board of Minnesota on April 15, 1887, and
filed it for record in this county on April 30, 1887.
Raymond W. Whittier received his certificate from the med-
ical board of the state on June 26, 1912, and filed it for record
in this county on Aug. 20, 1915.
Emma L. Scholz received her certificate from the Minnesota
state board of medical examiners on June 20, 1902, and filed it
for record in this county April 4, 1907.
John Stevens, Jr., received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on June 10, 1897, and filed it for record in
this county on July 25, 1905.
E. Lawrence Meyer received his certificate from the medical
board of the state on June 17, 1905, and filed it for record in this
county Aug. 21, 1905.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 293
Joseph Clement Micheal received his certificate from the state
medical board on June 20, 1913, and filed it for record in this
county July 26, 1913.
John P. Landry graduated from the medical department of
Laral university in Canada. He received his certificate from the
medical board of the state on April 22, 1884, and filed it for
record in this county Jan. 15, 1889.
John Edward Doran received his certificate from the med-
ical board of the state on June 16, 1898, and filed it for record
in this county on June 5, 1902.
Wilhelm S. Anderson received his certificate from the medical
board of the state June 19, 1903, and filed it for record in this
county on March 16, 1904.
The Brown-Redwood County Medical Society holds its regu-
lar meetings January and June, the annual meeting being in
January. Dr. M. C. Piper, of Sanborn, is president, and Dr.
G. P. Reineke, of New Ulm, secretary. The following are the
members : J. L. Adams, New Ulm ; W. A. Brand, Redwood Palls ;
L. A. Fritsche, New Ulm ; D. Gleysteen, Lamberton ; P. D. Gray,
Marshall ; D. A. Herron, Comfrey ; Earl Jamieson, Walnut Grove ;
M. A. Kiefer, Sleepy Eye; A. L. Kusske, Hutchinson; W. A.
Meierding, Springfield ; R. A. Peterson, Vesta ; Bjarne Ravn, Mil-
roy ; J. C. Rothenburg, Springfield ; J. L. Schoch, New Ulm ; 0. J.
Seifert, New Ulm ; J. S. Shrader, Springfield ; O. C. Strickler, New
Ulm; Mathias Sundt, Hanska; J. H. Vogel, New Ulm; C. C.
Walker, Lamberton ; G. B. Weiser, New Ulm ; J. W. B. Wellcome,
Sleepy Eye.
(Since the above was in type, Dr. Earl Jamieson of Walnut
Grove has succeeded Dr. Piper as president. Dr. Kusske has
removed to Hutchinson. New members are T. F. Hammermeister
of New Ulm and P. A. Striekler of Sleepy Eye.)
Authority. R. L. Polk's Northwestern Gazetteer, 1876-1916.
George C. Wellner in History of Goodhue County, Minnesota,
1910.
Personal testimony of Mrs. D. L. Hitchcock.
F. L. Puffer in History of Renville County, Minnesota, 1916.
Register of Medical Certificates in the custody of the Redwood
county clerk of court.
294 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
CHAPTER XXVI.
NEWSPAPERS OF REDWOOD COUNTY.
The first settlers of Redwood county came from a stock in
which there was a general desire for knowledge, and with the de-
sire for knowledge there was a call for the printing press, and
with the printing press there came the call for a newspaper long
before the county itself, by virtue of a small population, was able
to sustain in proper form the publication of the newspaper.
With the first settlement of Redwood Falls, the first town in
the county, the early settlers had plenty of work to do for the
time being in erecting a stockade, in erecting homes, and in pre-
paring a defense against a possible attack from the not then too
friendly Indians, and in addition to obtaining from the soil, as
well as from the hunt, and from the timber nearby, sufficient to
maintain a livelihood until more prosperous times should arrive.
But with all these manifold duties, the settlers never forgot
that they were a part of the outside world. So the spare hours
of these pioneers were spent on the street corners, or on the
benches in front of one or two of the establishments of that
period, in discussing past events, not only those that had passed
weeks before throughout the United States and the rest of the
world, and which had reached this important frontier post
through belated newspapers, but also in the late happenings that
occurred in the little community. Growing out of these corner
curbstone meetings, there came a desire for something like a
newspaper, and in the restless breast of Col. Sam. McPhail, the
founder of the townsite of Redwood Falls, this desire became
intense, not only by reason of his wish to boom Redwood Falls
and Redwood county, but probably from that other desire to
"play even" (if such a term may be used) with some of the set-
tlers who had "riled" his spirit or had played some inexcusable
joke upon the old Mexican War veteran.
As a result of this feeling there appeared on the streets of
the then sparsely populated village on March 23, 1866, a paper
known as the Redwood Falls Patriot. This was a small folio
newspaper, but very little larger than ordinary legal cap, but it
was brim full of the pointed thrusts characteristic of the old
Colonel. The paper was printed in St. Peter, from the press of
Thomas M. Perry, himself an original character of Nicollet county,
and his name appeared as proprietor of the paper, and Col. Sam
McPhail as editor. This issue of the Patriot contained some busi-
ness advertising, but none of the latter pertained to the business
institutions of Redwood Falls. The news columns contained the
pleasing information that "Redwood Falls was destined to be-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 295
come the half-way house between New York and San Francisco,"
and that its future was destined to be great. Here and there ap-
peared an allusion to some of the settlers having paid nocturnal
visits to the tents of the Indians camped just across the river,
and intimating that unless there was a general let-up on the at-
tacks on the editor, the Patriot would be obliged to continue the
expose. Politically the Patriot was a strenuous Republican sheet,
seeing the county's safety by alone keeping the Republican party
in power. It boosted Redwood county real estate, and that con-
trolled by Col. McPhail, in particular. The editor apparently
came to the conclusion that the few issues could not be improved
upon and that rather than have a failure by many and subsequent
issues, the Patriot should "die aborning," and the few random
issues ceased apparently with the issue of April 27, 1869, which
contained the delinquent tax list.
The Redwood Falls Mail. The first bona fide newspaper was
the Redwood Falls Mail, the first issue of which appeared more
than three years after the Patriot made its appearance, or to be
exact, on Sept. 25, 1869. over 48 years ago. The printing press
and material were brought to Redwood Falls on one of the sev-
eral steamboats that plied between St. Paul and Riverside, lo-
cated two miles from Redwood Falls on the Minnesota river.
During the summer season of this year, and for several years
thereafter, the editor was V. C. Seward, who was full of wit
and originality, and who, from its first appearance, made the
Mail an exceptionally lively paper. It was a seven-column folio
and the first issue proclaimed itself to be the official paper for
Redwood, Renville, Lac qui Parle, Big Stone, Pipestone, Murray
and Cottonwood counties. It was, in fact, the only newspaper
published in all this vast territory. One side of the paper was
printed at Milwaukee and the patents were shipped to Redwood
Falls for final printing. The paper was Republican, and the first
number had the Republican state ticket at the head of its first
column, with the name of Horace Austin hoisted for governor
and proposing the Hon. Schuyler Colfax for president in 1872.
The salutatory said in part: "Scorning all narrow minded local
jealousy we shall aim to promote the material welfare, not of this
place and county solely, but of this entire section of the state,
which we consider, in many respects, the finest portion of the
great West."
The advertisements in the first edition were from St. Peter,
Mankato, New Him and St. Paul business houses, those from
Redwood Falls only being the advertisements of H. Behnke &
Bro., dry goods, groceries, clothing, etc. ; Redwood Mills by
Worden & Ruter; W. H. Sigler, druggist and insurance agent;
W. L. Eaton, hardware and tinware ; and Peter Ortt, livery sta-
ble. Mr. Ortt advertised that he ran two stage lines, one to
296 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Lynd, now in Lyon county, leaving Redwood every Monday and
returning on Wednesday, and the other to Yellow Medicine,
leaving every Friday and returning on Saturday. In this first
issue Mr. Seward stated that the issue of the first newspaper
had been delayed three weeks by reason of the non-arrival of his
material, the steamboat Pioneer, running between Redwood Falls
and St. Paul, having been delayed somewhere along the Minne-
sota river. The Pioneer was engaged in carrying all kinds of
freight, but more especially lumber, the common grade of which
sold in Redwood Falls at that time for $37.00 per M, while
wheat was being marketed at 70c a bushel.
Mr. Seward's restless disposition did not permit him to re-
main long in the community in which he felt his talents and his
ability were more or less circumscribed, and nearly four years
later, or to be more exact, in April of 1873, W. B. Herriott, a
native of Pittsburgh, Pa., a lawyer by profession, but not caring
to practice, came to Redwood Falls from St. Paul and purchased
the Redwood Falls Mail. The announcement was made in the
issue of April 25, and in the issue of the following week Mr.
Herriott announced that the name had been changed to the Red-
wood Gazette. Mr. Seward returned to Stillwater, where he long
after edited the Messenger.
The Redwood Gazette. The Gazette was issued as an eight-
column folio, with a patent inside, by Herriott & Beal, J. S. Beal
having come up from St. Paul with Mr. Herriott and associating,
himself with that gentleman in the publication of the paper. Mr.
Herriott was regarded as the politician and editor of the paper,
while Mr. Beal gave his time to the mechanical end of the pub-
lication. But money was scarce, times were hard, and the two
gentlemen realized that there was not sufficient in the plant to
give both a livelihood and on October 15, 1873, Mr. Beal with-
drew and Mr. Herriott once again became the sole proprietor,
this continuing until April 29, 1880. Mr. Herriott, however, was
appointed receiver of the land office at Redwood Falls in 1876,
and in a measure received his reward for the early newspaper
struggles in that city and county. He was regarded as a person
of more or less nervous temperament, but of a conservative dis-
position in political and business affairs, and it may be stated
that from a newspaper standpoint he made very few enemies
while his passive friends were numerous.
His position as register of the land officer justified his retir-
ing from the newspaper and on April 29, 1880, he closed out his
interests in the Redwood Gazette to James Aiken and W. R.
Rigby under the firm name of Aiken & Rigby, the two gentlemen
having graduated from the printing office of the Topeka Capital,
and coming to Redwood Falls wtih the hopes of securing both
health and wealth. Mr. Herriott continued to reside in Redwood
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 297
Falls until he retired from the receivership of public moneys,
after which he and his wife moved to California and made that
state their permanent home. Messrs. Aiken & Rigby continued
the Gazette as an eight-column, patent inside folio by using both
long primer and brevier in the composition.
The winter of 1881 was one of unusual hardships. With the
blizzard of October 18, 1880, blockading the western railroads
and shutting off practically all avenues of trade, with the single
exception of the local community, the publishers experienced
newspaper hardships which they did not anticipate. No trains
were run between Sleepy Eye and Redwood Falls from October
until the following March or April. The mail and groceries were
brought in by teams. The patent insides of the Gazette failed to
arrive and a number of issues were printed on ordinary wrapping
paper. When spring came Mr. Rigby concluded that he had
sufficient of one Minnesota winter and that Redwood Falls would
not support a paper with two publishers, and consequently on
May 5, 1881, he retired from the firm and James Aiken became
the sole editor and publisher until August 1, 1892, when he was
succeeded by Julius A. Schmahl and Herbert V. Ruter, doing
business as Schmahl & Ruter.
Both of these young men had acquired a knowledge of the
printing business in the Gazette office in previous years and came
up from St. Paul, where Schmahl had been a reporter and Ruter
a job printer, to purchase the plant in which they had received
their earlier instructions. They changed the form of the paper
to an eight-column quarto, made it an all-home print proposition,
and equipped the office with a power printing press and other
up-to-date machinery, as well as materially adding to its equip-
ment. This partnership continued for a year and three months,
when Mr. Ruter retired from the firm. James Aiken repurchased
his interest and the publication of the Gazette was continued
under the firm name of Aiken & Schmahl until December 1, 1906.
In 1905 this firm built the magnificent brick Gazette block and
moved the plant to that building, its present home.
Rigby was of the nervous, restless type of newspaper man,
and wanted things to move rapidly. The sparse population and
the lack of wealth in Redwood county was not sufficient to gratify
his nature and his ambition, and consequently he sought other
fields. James Aiken was of the opposite temperament. Mr. Aiken
enjoyed the work at the art of printing. He loved to work at
new ideals and new schemes in the print shop. He believed in
making friends all of the time, and avoiding the making of ene-
mies, and in his very desire to keep out of entanglements he
brought forth mild criticism. But in all of his newspaper con-
nection he preferred the mechanical to the news or editorial desk,
although he was one of the smoothest writers that wielded the
298 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
pencil in that section of the state. While he did perfect job
printing, and made his advertisements models of the printer's art,
he wrote without sting, and his newspaper brethren have always
wondered how he did it. He avoided show, except as to his news-
paper; he loved even his enemies, and while he never injected
strenuousness into his efforts, he made friends of all who came
into contact with him.
On Dec. 1, 1906, when the writer retired from the Gazette to
move to St. Paul and assume the office of secretary of state, to
which he had been elected the previous month, Mr. Aiken again
went it alone. But he had taken on himself a big job printing
business an increased size newspaper, and a general increase of
all branches of the business, and he soon found that it was a
larger task than his advanced age justified. During 1911 he dis-
posed of the plant to Grove E. Wilson, a St. Paul reporter, who
conducted it until about the close of the 1913 session of the legis-
lature, when it passed into the hands of Mrs. Bess M. Wilson
and Clemens Lauterbach, the latter the present postmaster at Red-
wood Falls, and Mrs. Wilson, one of the best newspaper "men"
in the state, as her writings in The Gazette clearly verify. In
September, 1916, Mr. Lauterbach sold out his interest to Mrs.
Wilson and she is now sole owner of the expensive plant.
Learning of the publication of this history of newspapers in
Redwood county, Mr. Aiken has made the following voluntary
contribution regarding The Gazette, and the young men who
graduated from his printing office :
"The association of Julius A. Schmahl with the Redwood
Gazette dates back to the fall of 1880, when as a boy of 14, he
closed a summer campaign devoted to managing a bunch of cat-
tle for the Barber brothers in Vesta township and began his career
as printer and office assistant in the Gazette office. The boy
Julius was a live wire from the start, not limited to the routine
of sweeping out the office, working at the cases and inking the
forms printed on the Washington hand press and the only job
press which Redwood county afforded at that time. His instinct
for finding out everything that was going on in the community
as well as in the office, was a valuable asset for the Gazette editor,
then almost as new to the work of conducting a newspaper as his
young assistant to the art of printing. This unquenchable de-
sire to know things is the foundation of Mr. Schmahl 's rapid ad-
vancement in education and efficiency in most of the undertak-
ings with which he has since been associated.
"At the end of three years' service in the Gazette office,
young Julius found work in a printing office at Fargo and later
on at St. Paul, where his brother Otto was employed in a drug
store. Here his activities brought him into contact with the late
Harlan P. Hall, among others, and gave him a chance to get busy
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 299
as a reporter on the newspaper which Mr. Hall was then con-
nected with. The progress of the future editor of the Gazette
from local scout to legislative reporter, Chatauqua student till his
diploma was secured, editor of the Gazette, clerk of the Minnesota
house of representatives and secretary of state continuously since
1906 were, of course, not accidental, but the result of natural
ability and aggressiveness. Without even a high school educa-
tion as a boy, as a young man he had followed up his Chatauqua
course with an almost continuous reading in law which has en-
abled him to save for the state more than his salary during his
term in office.
"In August of 1892, Mr. Schmahl entered into partnership with
H. V. Ruter, who also began his career as printer in The Gazette
office, and purchased the entire interest of The Gazette owner,
Mr. Aiken. New machinery and equipment was added, and the
paper enlarged to its present eight-page form. Fifteen months
later Mr. Ruter sold his interest in the firm to the former owner,
and the firm of Aiken & Schmahl continued to guide the destinies
of The Gazette until the latter was elected secretary of state of
Minnesota, in 1906, when the secretary-elect sold the property
to his partner.
"Mr. Schmahl was managing editor of The Redwood Gazette
from August, 1892, to December of 1906 — more than 14 years —
and the files of that paper show that he was an indefatigable
promoter for public and social betterments as well as for political
success for those whom he championed. Naturally aggressive, his
fearlessness brought on three libel suits within a single year, only
one of which resulted in a nominal adverse verdict, and the ulti-
mate effect was a large addition to the Gazette's subscription list
which evened up the cost of the legal defense.
"The writer may be pardoned for calling attention to the
connection of another Redwood county boy, now well known in
Minnesota public life, who was the immediate predecessor of
Julius A. Schmahl as office boy and assistant manager of the
Redwood Gazette. Like Julius, he was of German parentage.
In the summer of 1880 he began his newspaper experience —
willingness to help, good nature and awkwardness being his nat-
ural characteristics. It was the memorable winter of snow block-
ades of the railroads lasting for a month or more at a stretch,
and Anton's jokes and good nature helped to make the desperate
situation, with green wood for fuel and no business or income
to speak of, endurable for the struggling publishers. Anton
shifted to more profitable employment in a store for a time, but
the lure of the printers' ink ultimately claimed him. Anton C.
Weiss was too clever a business man to long remain at the case
and early became subscription solicitor for the Minneapolis
Tribune, later Duluth representative of the Pioneer Press and
300 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
ultimately business manager and principal owner of the Duluth
Herald, since that time continuously under his control and now
one of two or three truly great newspaper influences in this
state. ' '
The Lamberton Commercial. Owing to the fact that the
United States government gave the Indians, by the treaty of 1851,
a ten-mile strip running south of the Minnesota river from a
point in Brown county, west to the state line, the Winona and
St. Peter Railroad Company, when it was incorporated for the
purpose of building a railroad through this section of the state,
and in order to secure the government land grant as a bonus for
the construction, was obliged to keep away from this reservation
line in order to obtain the full grant. The result was that on
reaching Sleepy Eye, the railroad company was obliged to pro-
ceed in a south-westerly direction and consequently passed
through the southern portion of Redwood county. This was the
first line of railroad built in the county, notwithstanding the fact
that agitation had long before been commenced for the construc-
tion of a railroad to Redwood Falls.
Among the first towns to spring into existence as a result of
the construction of the Winona & St. Peter railroad through the
southern portion of Redwood county was Lamberton, the town
being named after Hon. Henry W. Lamberton, of Winona. Here
in this village the second newspaper published in Redwood county
commenced its existence. While the village was established in
1873 and the first building on the site was erected about that
time, or a little bit later, the grasshopper plague gave the village,
as well as the surrounding country, a set-back, and it was not
until 1877 that a new start was taken and a substantial growth
commenced.
The Lamberton Commercial was established in December of
1878, the publisher being W. W. Yarham, a young man who had
some slight knowledge of the printing business, but Mr. Yarham
found the venture a hard one, and in June of 1880, he sold out
his interest in the newspaper to A. M. Goodrich. Mr. Goodrich
was a native of Minnesota, having been born only 20 years before
in Silver Creek, Wright county, and during the years between
1877 and 1880, he taught school in winter and worked at the
printer's trade in summer. He continued the paper until Janu-
ary 19, 1882, when, in a formal announcement of suspension he
stated that he was obliged to discontinue publication for lack
of a decent support.
Some time after the period of this suspension and July, 1889,
there was a publication in the village under the direction of
J. S. Letford, who had moved from Golden Gate, Brown county,
to Lamberton, and had engaged in the general mercantile busi-
ness. Mr. Letford had served as a member of the Minnesota
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 301
legislature from Carver county for three terms, and while he
never had acquired any knowledge of printing, he had some
knowledge of editorial work and continued a paper commensurate
with the size of the town. It is apparent that it, too, was re-
quired to suspend publication for the lack of support.
The Lamberton Leader. About July 1, 1889, the Lamberton
Leader came into existence under the direction of that unusually
energetic and pugnacious young newspaper man, W. D. Smith.
Smith published an eight-column folio Republican newspaper,
having a ready print for the inside. Smith was a genuine village
Beau Brummel, wearing a silk hat on his visit to the county seat
and setting himself up as one of the political leaders of Redwood
county. This latter leadership was never disputed, partly be-
cause Smith played the game of the real leaders. He was par-
ticularly aggressive in his attempt to be the dictator of business
and political policies of Lamberton, with the result that the sup-
port continued to dwindle and on May 19, 1893, that support had
reached the starving point and Mr. Smith, in announcing the dis-
continuance of the Leader, stated that: "Because of trouble
(withdrawal of patronage, etc.) with Lamberton 's Business Men's
Union, this is the last issue of the Leader under its founder. We
feel we have been shamefully treated. We leave with not a single
word of commendation from those for whom we have used column
after column of our paper for their benefit. We thank our hosts
of real friends for kind words and advice, and say Good-Bye,
and God Speed You." It appears that Mr. Smith had accepted
a number of advertisements from business men of Tracy, about
eighteen miles west of Lamberton, for his paper, and the busi-
ness men of Lamberton contended that this was disloyal and un-
patriotic. At any rate, the business men were in the saddle and
Mr. Smith left for other fields.
The Lamberton Star. About two months later W. C. Starr
appeared in Lamberton and commenced the publication of the
Lamberton Star, the first issue making its appearance about the
middle of July. Mr. Starr was a well developed newspaper man,
and in addition had well defined ideas as to the policies he should
pursue in making editorial and local comment upon the acts of
public men and upon things in general occurring in and around
Lamberton. He continued an aggressive paper until some time
in 1910, when circumstances induced Mr. Starr to close out his
interests in the paper to E. M. Wilson, who had previously con-
ducted the Echo at Milroy, Redwood county. Mr. Wilson contin-
ued as publisher of the Star until after he was defeated for
county auditor of Redwood county in 1914, when he disposed of
his interests to Hoagland Bros., the present proprietors, Mr. Wil-
son moving to Marshall county and establishing a new paper in
one of the towns of that county. His predecessor, W. C. Starr,
302 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
moved to Redwood Falls shortly after closing out his interests at
Lamherton and purchased what was then known as the Red-
wood Reveille.
The Redwood Reveille — Now the Redwood Falls Sun. Dur-
ing the autumn of 1885 a second paper was launched in Redwood
Falls, called the Redwood Reveille. The projector and owner
was Charles C. Whitney, of Marshall, the publisher of the News-
Messenger at that place, while the editor and manager was W. M.
Todd, who founded and published the Lyon County News of
Marshall and the Trumpet, of Tracy, Lyon county. Mr. Whitney,
now deceased, began his newspaper career in Lyon county with
the Lyon County News, which he purchased from Mr. Todd,
but later on he purchased the Marshall Messenger from C. F.
Case and adopted the hyphenated name of News-Messenger.
It is doubtful if it was seriously thought by anyone that Red-
wood Falls at that period furnished a field large enough for two
newspapers. There were probably very few, if any, who would
have said the field was not already amply and ably filled. It is
more probable that Mr. Whitney, who still had on hand the type,
presses and equipment which he acquired with the purchase of
the Messenger, simply took his chances on the field with the view
of utilizing this idle equipment until such a time as he could dis-
pose of it.
Of course, there are in every place, a few who have at one
time or another taken umbrage at something printed in the local
paper. A few have resented the opposition of the paper to their
political ambitions or schemes, and others have thought that,
considering their friendship for the paper, its support was dis-
appointing in its lack of warmth. Some have doubtless thought
the accomplishments and loveliness of their sons or daughters
were not sufficiently amplified in the accounts of their weddings,
and others that the virtues of their deceased relatives were obvi-
ously slighted in the published obituaries. There were naturally
a few of these in Redwood and they as naturally welcomed the
advent of the new paper. Still no bonus was offered and no
pledges of support. The glad hand was extended, and that
was all.
The first issue of the Reveille was struck off Nov. 7, 1885.
The paper was an eight-column folio and all printed at home.
Mr. Todd had won some renown as a journalist during the editor-
ship of his former papers, and his salutatory as well as the name
of the new paper was characteristic.
When a newspaper that has long enjoyed a monopoly of its
field suddenly finds that it is to have opposition it generally be-
comes a little uneasy and almost unconsciously goes into train-
ing for a scrap which it instinctively believes to be inevitable.
Its columns begin to give more news and every feature of the
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 303
paper shows increased enterprise. In other words, it tries to show
its coming rival that it must "go some" to beat it. This was true
of the Gazette all the while the Reveille was getting ready for its
first issue. The Gazette man watched the Reveille as a hen
watches a hawk and the Reveille man slept at night with one
eye open and focused on the Gazette building. But the scrap
never occurred. It may be that "one was 'fraid 'n 'tother das-
sent." Neither paper saw a chance for honest criticism of the
other; on the other hand each became convinced that the other
was doing all it could in the interest of the place and its people.
Each paper was better for the existence of the other, just as one
political party is better for the existence of a jealous rival party,
and the two editors became and have since continued fast
friends.
The staff of the Reveille during the period of Mr. Todd's man-
agement included Peter Larson, foreman ; J. A. Schmahl, now
secretary of state; Miss Charlotte Schmahl, now Mrs. John J.
Palmer, of Duluth; Fred Peabody and William Bigham. Mr.
Todd ceased his connection with the Reveille with the issue of
Jan. 1, 1887, and accepted the position of deputy insurance com-
missioner, tendered to him by Gov. A. R. McGill. He was, for
several years, a reporter on the St. Paul daily papers, but for the
last ten years has been chief clerk of the state grain inspection
department at Minneapolis. He has never lost his inclination or
ability to write, and is a frequent contributor to magazines and
periodicals.
With the retirement of Mr. Todd from the editorial position
on the Redwood Reveille, there came into the life of that paper
Stephen Wilson Hays. Mr. Hays had long been a resident of
Redwood Falls. During the eight months prior to April 29, 1880,
he had acted as editor of the Gazette under William B. Herriott.
He came from Pennsylvania. As a result of his earlier newspaper
affiliation and on account of friends in Pennsylvania, he was
appointed postmaster at Redwood Falls, a position which he held
for a number of years. He was not engaged in any special line
of work when Mr. Todd retired, and he became editor of the
Reveille. Mr. Hays was one of the most genial, good natured
men that ever came to Redwood Falls. He continued a pleasing
Republican policy in the editorial columns of the Reveille, and
gathered the local news in a commendable manner. Mr. Whit-
ney continued as publisher until March 16, 1889. During Mr.
Hays' editorial career he got into the good graces of Wm. D.
Washburn, United States senator from Minnesota, and just be-
fore his retirement Mr. Washburn had secured for him a position
in the federal revenue service. This was the cause of his retire-
ment and for some years thereafter Mr. Hays continued to work
for the U. S. government, most of his time being spent in the
304 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
sugar plantations of Louisiana. With the change from a Repub-
lican to a Democratic national administration, Hays was dropped
from the service. He returned to Redwood Falls without any
work or business in sight. One Saturday evening he was with
a crowd of young men of the town — a group that he had known
during his earlier years — and while they noticed certain peculiari-
ties in his actions, they did not dream of what Mr. Hays appar
ently had in his mind at that time. The following morning, and
it was a cold Sunday morning, his lifeless body was found on
the ice of the Redwood river, one-eighth of a mile below the falls
of the Redwood. It appears that he had lived up to his income
and having no available means and no position, he decided to
pass into the next world by the laudanum route.
Some time prior to March 16, 1889, there came to Redwood
Falls a distinguished old veteran of the Civil War, W. L. Ab-
bott, who brought with him his wife, three charming daughters
and a son. Mr. Abbott was a printer without employment, and
when Mr. Hays retired from the Reveille to accept the federal
position, Mr. Whitney, the publisher, made an arrangement with
Mr. Abbott whereby he became the editor and news gatherer of
the Reveille. Mr. Abbott took with him his son, William, into the
plant and there the young man, who afterwards went to Mankato
and then to St. Paul to continue the printing business, received
his first lessons in the art preservative, but the elder Abbott did
not remain long with the Reveille, his name being removed from
the top of the editorial column of the paper on Saturday, Sept.
14, of that year, the last issue under his editorship appearing on
the Saturday previous. Mr. Abbott was a pleasing person to
meet, and gave the Reveille a good standing in Redwood county.
He passed away years afterwards, and his remains now lie in
the Redwood cemetery.
About the time that Mr. Abbott retired from the publication,
Mr. Whitney had as foreman of his excellent printing office at
Marshall, George B. Hughes, a whole souled, clever young man,
who possessed practically everything in his nature but aggressive-
ness. Mr. Hughes was anxious to launch into the printing busi-
ness for himelf, and it is apparent that Mr. Whitney sent him
to Redwood Falls with a view of becoming acquainted with the
plant, and if he deemed it worthy of purchase, and the town suit-
able to the tastes of Mr. Hughes, to permit the latter to purchase
the same. At any rate the Reveille continued without an an-
nounced editor until Saturday, Oct. 11, 1890, when the name of
George B. Hughes appeared at the masthead as editor and pub-
lisher, and on Dec. 26, 1891, the paper was changed from a four-
page folio to an eight-page quarto. Mr. Hughes had in the mean-
time married Miss Mattie Maxson, a charming young lady, em-
ployed in the office of the Marshall Messenger, and when she
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 305
came to Redwood Falls with her husband, she added very mate-
rially to the society news and prestige of the paper. Mr. Hughes
continued as the publisher of the paper until "Wednesday, July 4.
It was several months previous to that time that in a postoffice
contest between James Aiken of the Gazette, and Mr. Hughes ol
the Reveille, the friends of the latter prevailed upon Repre-
sentative McCleary of the Second Congressional district, to
recommend Mr. Hughes for appointment. The appointment was
accordingly made, and shortly after Mr. Hughes took possession,
the editorship and control of the paper was turned over to two
young men under the firm name of Barnes & Kruse, but the pro-
prietorship still vested in Mr. Hughes.
A. M. Welles, for a long time a reporter on the Minneapolis
and St. Paul papers, afterwards superintendent of schools at Red-
wood Falls, and still later holding down a position at one of the
desks of the Omaha Bee, returned to Redwood Falls prior to
July 4, 1900, and once more became so attached to the city as to
cause him to buy the Reveille plant from Mr. Hughes. Welles
ruled the schools over which he was principal with a rod of
iron, and as he carried on his reportorial and editorial career
with bitterness, he allowed a portion at least of that spirit to
enter into the Reveille upon his assuming control. For six years
he struggled to give the Reveille the prestige of being the lead-
ing paper in Redwood county, and was in a continuous newspaper
fight with Schmahl of the Gazette, for that prestige. The writings
of either were bitter at times, and jealousy even entered into the
securing of business for either office. During the rise of Schmahl
to the post of chief clerk of the house and his four successive
elections, Welles became bitter from a political standpoint, and
after Schmahl's nomination for secretary of state on June 13,
1906, Welles directed a continuous weekly fusilade at that can-
didate. As a result of the bitterness growing out of that cam-
paign, Welles became tired of conditions in Redwood Falls and
Redwood county, and on Friday, March 15, 1907, he announced
the sale of the paper to a corporation known as the Gopher State
Realty Company, with S. G. Peterson as editor and publisher.
Welles has always possessed an exceptionally bright mind, has
always shown a real talent for excellent newspaper work. He
afterwards published the Sauk Center Herald and now is pub-
lisher of the Worthington Globe.
S. G. Peterson had just retired from the mercantile business
in Redwood Falls. Prior to engaging in the latter business he
had been engaged with a newspaper in McLeod county, and in
his individuality there lurked the call created by the smell of
printers' ink, but after running the Reveille for about a year and
a half, or until Friday, Sept. 19, 1908, he disposed of the same
to L. L. Thompson, who came to Redwood Falls from Iowa, and
06 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
■who had more or less experience in the newspaper business. Mr.
Peterson has been engaged in various occupations since that time
and is now in business at Hutchinson.
Mr. Thompson continued as editor and publisher of the Re-
veille untill Tuesday, June 28, 1910, when after a varied career as
the guiding hand of that newspaper, he disposed of his interests
to W. C. Starr, who had a short time before disposed of his in-
terests in the Lamberton Star, and was looking for that new
field which he found at Redwood Falls. The name was changed
to the Redwood Falls Sun, and Mr. Starr continued as editor
and publisher up to Friday, Oct. 16, 1914, when the publication
was given to the Starr Publishing Company with W. C. Starr as
editor and H. L. Starr as local editor. Mr. Starr and Mrs. Starr
have a number of bright young Starrs in their family, and all
of them are employed in getting out the weekly edition of the
Sun and also in helping in the job department. The Sun is a
well edited newspaper filled with local news and thoroughly cov-
ering the Redwood county news field.
The Morgan Messenger. The history of The Morgan Messen-
ger is closely associated with the history of the town itself and its
growth has kept apace with the progress of the village. Its first
issue appeared on April 30, 1890, the year after the village was
incorporated. The founder of the paper was Guy Small, who ran
it for a year, and disposed of the paper to W. R. Hodges, editor
of the Sleepy Eye Herald-Dispatch. Its first home was a little
shack, located on Vernon avenue, but which at that time had
not come into its own as the main business street of the town.
With the change in ownership the new publisher placed The
Messenger in charge of Asa P. Brooks, who ran it for Mr. Hodges
for over two years when Dan McRae took over the plant. Some
years later, while publisher of the New Ulm Review, Mr. Brooks
gained considerable notoriety as the eye witness to the murder
of Dr. Gebhart.
There were frequent changes of ownership in the early history
of the paper, which possibly accounts for the fact that many
of the files of The Messenger were not preserved, and in some
cases the dates of change of ownership were calculations made
by the early residents of Morgan. Not only were there several
changes in the location of the plant, but also in the size and form
of the paper. The first few years it was an eight-column folio,
with but two pages printed at home. While Mr. Brooks was at
the helm it was changed to eight pages, six columns, with about
three pages printed in the local plant. Thus it remained during
the editorship of Mr. McRae, who disposed of the paper to I. N.
Tompkins in 1896. The publisher reduced the paper to five col-
umns, eight pages, printing half of the paper at home. In the
fall of 1898 Mr. Tompkins was elected to the position of county
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 307
auditor of Redwood county, and shortly after assuming his offi-
cial duties he sold the plant to W. Roy Whitman, who was con-
nected with The Messenger for three years. Mr. Whitman in-
creased the size of the paper to six columns, the present size.
In January, 1902, F. S. Pollard made his debut as editor and pub-
lisher. Having been appointed postmaster Mr. Pollard sold out
to C. C. Eaton in June, 1905. During Mr. Eaton's ownership the
plant was rebuilt entirely and the equipment much enlarged, mak-
ing The Messenger plant one of the best and most up-to-date of
any to be found in a small town. In February, 1912, H. B. West,
the present publisher, purchased the paper. The paper has re-
ceived liberal support at the hands of the business men and
citizens of Morgan and community.
The Walnut Grove Tribune. The first newspaper printed in
Walnut Grove was run off the press Aug. 13, 1891. The founder
was Joseph N. Byington, an eastern man, who had come to Min-
nesota to farm and had moved to Walnut Grove from Murray
eounty. The paper was named "Rural Center," as it was Mr.
Byington 's ambition to have his town a center in both the spir-
itual and material development of the community. He always
maintained an editorial column of a high order and wrote vigor-
ously in behalf of progressive principles, to some extent as ad-
vocated by the People's party. In form th« paper was a six
column quarto.
On Oct. 25, 1900, he sold the paper to Hulburt & Gleason,
partly because of political opposition, and to save the town from
having to support also another paper which was talked of. He
retired from active business and passed away June 17, 1906.
The new proprietors at once changed the name of the paper
to Walnut Grove Tribune, which is its present name. The edi-
torial end was managed by A. C. Gleason, who was a brilliant
writer, but careless of details. The form was cut down to a
five-column quarto, which was changed to a short six-column
quarto in June the next year, and this again was enlarged in
October, 1901, to a full six-column quarto, which had been its
original size, and which is still being maintained. A. C. Gleason
became sole owner and editor in October, 1901, and ran the paper
until March 20, 1902, when it was sold to Geo. M. Long, an Iowa
newspaper man. He was a good printer and built up the plant
mechanically by the addition of a cylinder press and other im-
provements. In politics he also took an active part on the Re-
publican side and was appointed postmaster in January, 1903, but
died on August 9, the same year, of typhoid fever, at the early
age of 32 years.
R. W. Stewart, foreman at the office, managed the paper for
the estate until in October, 1903, when arrangements were made
whereby he became proprietor, and being a good printer, ran a
30S HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
creditable paper and job plant until April 6, 1905, when he sold
his interest and moved to Ceylon, this state, where he is located
at present.
The new editor was Wm. G. Owens, at that time an attorney
at Walnut Grove, later county attorney, and now located at Wil-
liston, N. D. On March 1, 1906, he sold his interest to Chas. E.
Lantz, the present publisher, who bought the plant from the
Long estate, and has run a politically and otherwise independent
paper. In August, 1915, the Tribune took over the subscription
list of the Revere Record, which having been published at Revere
for 15 years was suspended by its editor, Owen M. Parry.
The Sentinel. The newspaper field of the south side of Red-
wood county was greatly enlivened by the appearance on May
5, 1893, of the first edition of the Sanborn Sentinel, published at
Sanborn. The town itself was one of the live towns of Redwood
county and for a number of years the merchants had been calling
for a newspaper of their own. The editor and publisher of the
paper was C. K. Blandin, and from the outset he injected into
the news and editorial columns a spirit of active publicity and
generous boosting and hard knocking. It was in the early part
of 1894 that Mr. Blandin made himself conspicuous all over Red-
wood county by issuing a political edition that created a genuine
sensation among all of the Republican politicians and followers
of that county. The edition had a remarkable effect upon the
county conventions of that year and Mr. Blandin was convinced
that his purpose had been accomplished. The Sentinel continued
as a prosperous sheet for the first year of its existence. How-
ever, the town was small, the field limited, and in addition, the
publisher was so active in politics and in his local field that he
made the usual number of enemies. Support commenced to
dwindle and the publication was discontinued and the outfit
moved to Olivia, Renville county. Mr. Blandin is now the suc-
cessful business manager of the St. Paul Dispatch and Pioneer
Press.
Sanborn, however, was not long without a newspaper, for
Sept. 7, 1896, the Sentinel again made its appearance with A. D.
McRae as the publisher, and in September of 1898, it was sold
to L. M. Reppey.
Still later, or in 1900, George E. Bartholomew became the
editor and publisher. Mr. Bartholomew was an educator by pro-
fession, but drifted into the newspaper field with the hopes that
it would be beneficial to his health. He was a genial person and
made more friends in the newspaper field than the average pub-
lisher. He became a candidate for county office but was defeated.
He was postmaster at Sanborn during a portion of his residence
there, and in April of 1904, he was obliged to close out his inter-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 309
ests in the Sentinel, and with his wife, moved to Colorado with
the hopes of regaining his health.
His successor was Angus D. McRae, a Redwood county prod-
uct, who revived the Sentinel after its suspension under Mr.
Blandin, and who continued as editor and publisher until Jan-
uary, 1910. Mr. McRae was, like Mr Bartholomew, a publisher
who made friends not only at home, but throughout the county.
He became a candidate for register of deeds of Redwood county
in 1908, and was elected, and he has been holding that position
ever since. He closed out his interests in the paper to Grover
Posz, a son of Geo. Posz of Sanborn, who had acquired some
knowledge of printing in the Sentinel office under Mr. McRae 's
management. Mr. Posz did not continue long at the helm and on
Sept. 11, 1912, he turned the plant back to Mr. McRae, and
on Oct. 23, 1912, the building containing the postoffice and the
printing office burned and the following week the remains of
the plant were sold to H. E. Kent. Mr. Kent received his train-
ing as a printer in a printing office at Sleepy Eye. He came to
Sanborn with youthful newspaper enthusiasm and has made the
Sentinel one of the active newspapers of Redwood county. By
reason of his activity he was appointed postmaster at Sanborn
and now conducts the postoffice as well as the Sentinel.
The destruction of the files of the Sentinel by fire several
years ago has made it impossible to secure the exact date as to
the number of changes of the paper, but the gentleman mentioned
above were all interested in the Sentinel during the periods men-
tioned. It is well to state that A. D. McRae, who has been one of
the political and business successes of Redwood county, and the
present Sentinel publisher, as well as those of the future, will
always point to the present register of deeds of Redwood county
with pardonable pride.
When Mr. McRae re-established the Sentinel in 1896 he pur-
chased the greater part of the outfit from the Morgan Messenger,
the press alone being purchased from another party, Fred A.
Wright, of the Springfield Advance. It was a Mann hand cyl-
inder press, the only one of its kind in the state of Minnesota
at that time, and it was sold to Mr. McRae for $15. Mr. McRae
has often informed the writer that to really appreciate the value
of the press it was necessary for a person to operate it.
The Belview Independent. Running along the north side of
Redwood county from the Minnesota river where it passes through
the village of Morton in Renville county, and following very
nearly the course of the Minnesota until it passes out of the
western boundary line of Redwood county, is the Minneapolis
and St. Louis railroad. This railroad was originally intended to
be constructed through what is now the city of Redwood Palls,
and from thence in a due westerly course to Marshall, and
310 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
further on, to South Dakota. But when the construction crew
reached Morton, there was a financial crash and when the work
of extension was again taken up, for some reason known only
in railroad circles, the company deviated from the original course
and pursued the present route through the remaining portion of
Minnesota and into South Dakota. The construction of this
line was followed by the location of three different townsites —
one at North Redwood, the second at Delhi, and the third at Bel-
view. The village of Belview is apparently now the largest one
of these three villages. It is the only one of the three villages
that is blessed with a newspaper. Prior to 1895, Belview, as well
as the other two villages, were given departments in the two
papers at Redwood Falls, the latter vying with one another as
to which could give the best service and make the best showing.
Belview was given unusual space for the weekly doings and the
businessmen patronized the Redwood Falls papers accordingly.
The Redwood Gazette was long the official paper of the village,
but in about 1895 there appeared Frank E. Harris, an excellent
printer and a good news gatherer, and with him came the Bel-
piew Independent. Mr. Harris was an original character, but
could not refrain from the pleasantries of life, and within a year
or two after he established the paper, he disposed of it to W. T.
"Wasson, son of J. B. Wasson, a blacksmith of Redwood Falls.
Young Wasson had some knowledge of the printing business, but
never as a newspaper man. He was residing on a farm south of
Belview with his mother at the time he made the purchase. The
paper lost some of its former ginger and Mr. Wasson disposed of
the plant about 1900 to H. M. Keene, who was also a printer and
a newsgatherer, and who made little more than a living in con-
ducting the enterprise. Mr. Keene, in about the same length of
time, disposed of the paper to two young men under the firm name
of Ehlers & Halberg, who continued the paper for two more years,
when it was sold to F. G. Tuttle, and the latter continued the
publication until some time about 1912.
Fred G. Tuttle possessed more newspaper experience than
most of the newspaper men in Minnesota. His political experi-
ence was correspondingly great. He had conducted newspapers
in various parts of the state, and was one of the important fac-
tors in the big Kindred-Nelson congressional fight in the Old
Fifth Minnesota district. Quitting the newspaper field in that
section he traveled into southern Minnesota and either owned or
controlled papers at Echo, Vesta and Milroy during or before
the time that he settled in Belview. "Dad" Tuttle, as he was
more familiarly known, was a pleasant writer when telling of
news, but he was bitter, vindicative, and convincing in his polit-
ical writings, and when he finally disposed of his plant to take
up newspaper life in Montana, there were many of the politicians
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 311
of Redwood county ready to express thanks. He sold the paper
to L. F. and C. A. Johnson, and the latter two young men are
still the owners and are keeping the paper in pace with the big
business progress and prosperity of Belview and the rich farm-
ing district surrounding the town. "Dad" Tuttle moved to Pax-
ton, Montana, where he started another paper. His declining
health, however, caused his death, in 1915.
The Revere Record. The eighth newspaper to be established
in Redwood county was the Revere Record. The place of its
publication was Revere, between Lamberton and Walnut Grove.
It is a town that was never able to properly support a paper.
The census of 1910 gave it only a population of 134, while there
were established newspapers in the towns on either side. But
C. W. Folsom, a newspaper man, who never hesitated in estab-
lishing newspapers and who came from northeastern Minnesota,
was convinced that Revere would get back of the Record. He
established the paper in May of 1901, and continued as editor
until Sept. 29, 1904, running a six-column quarto paper with six
pages printed by the patent inside houses.
On Sept. 29, 1904, R. D. Crow became the editor and busi-
ness manager, Folsom remaining as publisher, though the style
of the firm is given in the Record of that date as Revere Publish-
ing Co., with H. H. Dahl, then a well known banker of Revere,
as having some interest in the company. On November 10, 1904,
it was enlarged to a seven-column quarto, with a patent inside;
and the ownership passed to Peer Storoegard on Dec. 14, 1904.
Each edition of the paper showed that while the business houses
of Revere were giving it support, the publisher must be dragging
out a mighty poor existence. Mr. Storoegard continued as the
publisher until the fall of 1912, when the paper passed into the
ownership of Owen Parry, and on August 5, 1915, the paper,
after over fourteen years of struggling for existence, suspended
publication, the editor in his valedictory stating that the re-
ceipts from the advertising had been only $12.00 per month ever
since he had assumed control.
The Wabasso Standard. In 1899 the Chicago & Northwest-
ern Railroad Company, fearing the construction of a line of
railroad through the central portion of Redwood county by the
Chicago Great Western Company, which latter company then had
Mankato for its terminal point, concluded to head off the con-
struction of a new railroad line by an opposing company in what
it termed its territory, by constructing the line from Sanborn
northwest to Vesta, and later by extending the line from Sleepy
Eye to Marshall. This made Redwood county, with the single
exception of the Minneapolis & St. Louis railroad on the extreme
north, distinctly Chicasro & Northwestern territory.
With the construction of the line from Sanborn to Vesta there
312 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
grew up the towns of "Wanda, Wabasso, Seaforth and Vesta. Sea-
forth at the outset being known as Okawa, the Indian name for
pike.
With the establishing of the towns there came that one ad-
vance agent of civilization, the newspaper, and on April 20, 1900,
there appeared the first issue of the Standard, published at Wa-
basso, the latter name being the Indian name for "the land of
the white rabbit." W. F. Mahler was the editor and publisher,
and was a remarkable young printer. He was gifted with more
than ordinary talent for conducting a print shop and doing a
fine line of printing. He was an excellent pressman in addition,
and with his newspaper talent made the Wabasso Standard one
of the neatest appearing papers in Redwood county. The town,
however, was not large enough for him, and after spending a
year or more with the Gazette at Redwood Falls, he purchased
the Advance at Springfield, where he is now located. He sold
the Standard on Nov. 7, 1902, to A. Clark Gleason, who came
from Walnut Grove, and who, like Mahler, was an excellent
printer and a good newspaper man. Mr. Gleason likewise found
Wabasso too small for his talent, and on Oct. 14, 1904, disposed
of the plant to James A. Larson, of Walnut Grove, the present
assistant secretary of state, who bought the paper for the fun
and experience of learning how to run a newspaper. Shortly
afterwards the paper was controlled by Gooler & Larson, L. A.
Gooler of Lamberton, associating himself with Mr. Larson in the
publication, but on Oct. 25, 1907, this firm sold the paper to
Messrs. Wiecks & Truedson, two young men hailing from Walnut
Grove, and who were induced to make the purchase through the
good offices of Mr. Larson. These two gentlemen sold the plant
to Edward G. Weldon on May 7, 1909, and the latter has since
conducted the newspaper with a good degree of success and is
its present owner.
Bright Eyes and Vesta Censor. The tenth newspaper to be
established in Redwood county was the Vesta Bright Eyes, of
which the Vesta Censor is the successor. Vesta is the terminus
of the extension of the railroad from Sanborn northwest to that
village. Long before the railroad was even thought of, there
resided on one of the large agricultural tracts near the townsite,
a well educated gentleman of English descent, by the name of
James Arnold. Mr. Arnold had been county commissioner for
that district for a number of years. He was rich in thought and
was able to commit his thoughts to writing in an excellent man-
ner. Before the first edition of the Bright Eyes was published,
Arnold was a frequent contributor to all of the county papers on
the political issues of the day, and with the coming of the rail-
road he saw a better opportunity to give a more complete pub-
lication to his thoughts. After conducting the paper for two
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 313
years he finally sold the plant to M. E. Lewis, a young Redwood
county man, who had acquired some knowledge of the printing
business in different offices of the county. Mr. Lewis conducted
the plant for a couple of years, when he finally took as a part-
ner Harvey Harris, who had come to Vesta as a townsite boomer
and as an agent for the Western Town Lot Company. At the
time of this partnership, or on July 20, 1904, the name was
changed to the Vesta Censor, and the firm continued the publi-
cation until June 1, 1906, when Mr. Harris purchased the inter-
est of Mr. Lewis and became owner of the plant. He announces
that he is still the owner, publisher, editor and devil, and during
all the time he has been in control there have been only five com-
positors, all ladies, employed in the shop, four of them retiring
from their occupation to become popular wives, and each print-
ing their own wedding stationery before leaving the office.
Mr. Harris was engaged in the mercantile business during
his early years and afterwards engaged in railroading, telegraph
operator and then working on a farm for two years. He came
to Minnesota in 1900 and was cashier in the bank at Sherburn
before moving to Vesta. Harris is a versatile, pugnacious little
fellow and has always been sufficiently independent to denounce
bad politics, bad business methods, and to boost for a good man
for office. He maintains that his paper is Republican, but not-
withstanding his politics, he maintains an independent attitude.
The Censor has kept Vesta well on the map and has been a good
advertising medium for that section of the county. In addition
to running the newspaper Mr. Harris finds time to engage in the
breeding of pure bred poultry and also in the breeding of Cornish
Indian game chickens.
The Milroy Echo. The eleventh paper to be established in
Redwood county was the Milroy Echo, the first edition being
printed on May 5, 1902, at Milroy, on the line of the Chicago &
Northwestern between Wabasso and Marshall. The veteran
newspaper man, F. G. Tuttle, together with his son, Roy Tuttle,
established the paper and continued its publication for a year or
two when it was sold to J. A. Looney, a young Redwood county
citizen, who had no knowledge of the printing business, and who,
prior to 1905, disposed of the plant to E. M. Wilson. In 1910 Mr.
Wilson purchased the Lamberton Star from W. C. Starr, and in
turn sold the Echo to Max W. Johnson, the latter issuing his first
number on May 1 of that year. Mr. Johnson was born and raised
in Redwood county, and has not only given Milroy a good news-
paper, but has made hosts of friends in the county.
The Wanda Pioneer Press. In 1902, at the commencement of
a strenuous political campaign, Paul Dehnel, a native of Renville
county, who had acquired a knowledge of the newspaper and
printing business in that county, established the Wanda Pioneer
314 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Press, the publication being made from the village of Wanda, a
town between Sanborn and Wabasso, with a much smaller popu-
lation than even the village of Revere had at that time. Mr.
Dehnel took an active part in the primary and general election
campaigns, and finding insufficient support for his publication
after the campaign was over, moved the plant to Fairfax, Ren-
ville county, where he established an opposition paper, but con-
tinued it for a short time only. He has since conducted news-
papers at Worthington, Springfield and Bemidji, and is now
engaged in the newspaper business at Sleepy Eye. Mr. Dehnel
was twice the progressive candidate for representative in con-
gress from the Second district, but failed of election both times.
Seaforth Item. Between 1900 and 1903 G. Roy Tuttle, son of
the veteran newspaper man, F. G. Tuttle, established a paper in
Seaforth, known as the Seaforth Item. Young Tuttle was versa-
tile in the extreme and conducted an aggressive paper and even
made way with a large portion of the county printing on one or
two occasions. He conducted the Item until some time in 1908,
when he disposed of the same to A. W. Milbradt, a business man
of Seaforth, who conducted the paper in an excellent manner up
to the time of his death, March 28, 1913, and the Item was con-
ducted by his widow and son up to July 1, 1915. The paper is
now conducted by his son, Ernest Milbradt.
Other Papers. This closes the list of bona fide newspapers in
Redwood county. As far back as 1880, King Bros., engaged in
a dry goods business at Redwood Falls, published the Redwood
Merchant, a monthly folio sheet of five columns to the page, in
the interests of their store. The firm circulated 1,000 of these
papers each month gratis and aside from advertising the different
articles in their institution the Merchant contained some inter-
esting paragraphs. The paper suspended with the retirement of
the firm from business. It was printed in the office of the Red-
wood Gazette and the writer of this article, as well as his old
partner, James Aiken, and his predecessor as devil in the Gazette
printing office, A. C. Weiss, now of the Duluth Herald, will recall
the strenuous days in working at the old Washington hand press
one entire day during each month in getting out the edition.
In the late nineties, a Norwegian magazine called "Norma"
was published at Walnut Grove for two years by Peer Storoe-
gaard, some time afterwards editor of the Revere Record. This
magazine was a monthly and published in the "Landsmaal," as
distinguished from the literary Norwegian, which is a close adap-
tation of the Danish, and it is claimed to have been the first
publication of its kind in the Western hemisphere. It was re-
vived again in 1914 by its founder and editor, Mr. Storoegaard,
who publishes it at 313 Broadway, Fargo, N. Dak.
Authority. Files of the various newspapers in the custody of
the Minnesota Historical Society.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 315
CHAPTER XXVII.
REDWOOD COUNTY TOWNSHIPS.
There are twenty-six townships in Redwood county. Each
of the townships is six miles square, except Swedes Forest, Delhi,
Honner and Sherman, which are cut by the Minnesota river.
Redwood Falls township was in the early days, generally sup-
posed to consist of all unorganized townships in the county,
though it was not created by the county commissioners until
nearly all the other townships had been created. Sherman town-
ship was created Sept. 7, 1869. Sheridan township was created
as Holton Jan. 4, 1870. Five townships were created in 1872;
Brookville on Feb. 29; Charlestown (consisting of Charlestown
and Lamberton), May 3; Blackwood (this town was to include
Paxton and Honner, but the organization was not perfected),
May 3 ; Swedes Forest (consisting of Kintire, Swedes Forest and
a small part of Delhi), Sept. 4; and Avon (now New Avon), Sept.
4. Four townships were created in 1873; Sundown on Jan. 7;
Willow Lake and North Hero on Sept. 2, 1873 ; and Springdale
(then called Summit), on Nov 21. Lamberton was created March
12, 1874. Four townships were created in 1876; Delhi on Feb.
1; Three Lakes on March 16; Underwood on April 13; and Gales
on June 19. Three townships came into being in 1878; Water-
bury on March 20; Johnsonville on July 16; and Westline on
Sept. 25. Vail was created July 30, 1879, as Center. Five town-
ships were created in 1880 ; Redwood Falls on Jan. 7 ; Honner on
Jan. 10, as Baldwin; Vesta, Kintire and Morgan on May 11.
Granite Rock was created several years later, thus completing
the list.
When the census of 1870 was taken, Redwood county extended
to the state line, embracing the present counties of Redwood,
Lyon, Lincoln, Yellow Medicine and La qui Parle. In this vast
region there were then living 1,829 people. Redwood Falls town-
ship had not been created. However it embraced, generally
speaking, all of the present county of Redwood, with the excep-
tion of the towns of Sheridan and Sherman, which had been
organized with their present boundaries. Lac qui Parle em-
braced the settlements in what is now Lac qui Parle county.
Lynd embraced the settlements in what are now Lyon and Lin-
coln counties, and also took in a few scattering settlements in
the extreme western part of what is now Redwood county. Yel-
low Medicine embraced the settlements along the Yellow Medi-
cine river in what is now Yellow Medicine county and also the
scattered settlement in what is now Swedes Forest township in
Redwood county. The population of what is now Redwood Falls
316 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
■was therefore about 900. The census figures are as follows : Red-
wood Falls, 691 ; Sheridan, 111 ; Sherman, 67 ; Lac qui Parle, 307 ;
Yellow Medicine, 385; Lynd, 268.
"When the census of 1875 was taken the population of Red-
wood county was 2,982. Owing to irregularities in the creating
of townships and the error that had been made in taking for
granted the inclusion of all unorganized area in the uncreated
township of Redwood Falls, the detailed figures of that census
are of little definite value for township comparisons.
The census of 1880 was taken according to present day town-
ship divisions. The county population had jumped to 5,375.
Redwood Falls, Lamberton and Walnut Grove had been created
as villages. Three townships had more than 300 people, Brook-
ville with 326, Springdale with 307, and Charlestown with 304.
Four had more than 200 and less than 300, Paxton with 259;
Swedes Forest with 251, Sundown with 231, and Lamberton with
224. Twelve towns had a population of 100 or more, and less
than 200, North Hero with 196, Gales with 195, Westline with
168, Underwood with 157, Delhi with 156, Sheridan with 155, Sher-
man with 142, Johnsonville with 124, New Avon with 140, Wil-
low Lake with 114, Three Lakes with 102, Redwood Falls with
100. Seven had less than 100 ; Honner with 96, Kintire with 71,
Vail with 61, Morgan with 56, Waterbury with 54, Vesta with 53
and Granite Rock with 50.
In 1885 no new villages had been created. The population
of the county had jumped from 5,375 in 1880 to 6,488. All the
towns had increased in population except Granite Rock, Spring-
dale, Waterbury and Westline. The population figures for that
year were : Over 400 — Brookville, 446 ; Charlestown, 421. Over
300 and less than 400— Swedes Forest, 328 ; Paxton, 314. Over 200
and less than 300 — Lamberton, 282; Sundown, 277; Springdale,
266; Delhi, 225; Gales, 222. Over 100 and less than 200— North
Hero, 198 ; Sherman, 196 ; Johnsonville, 174 ; Redwood Falls, 168 ;
Underwood, 166; New Avon, 164; Sheridan, 159; Willow Lake,
151 ; Three Lakes, 150 ; Morgan, 139 ; Honner, 118 ; Kintire, 115 ;
Westline, 114. Under 100— Vail, 96; Vesta, 76; Waterbury, 46;
Granite Rock, 40.
The population in 1890 had increased to 9,386 people. Mor-
gan village had been created from a part of Morgan township.
All the townships had showed a decided increase in population.
No township had less than 140 people. Only seven had less than
200. Over 500— Brookville, 582; Charlestown, 546. Over 400
and less than 500— Sundown, 452; Paxton, 423. Over 300 and
less than 400— Delhi, 391; Swedes Forest, 370; Lamberton, 350;
Sheridan, 317. Over 200 and less than 300— Springdale, 299;
Willow Lake, 293; New Avon, 284; Three Lakes, 274; Gales,
272 ; North Hero, 255 ; Kintire, 253 ; Johnsonville, 249 ; Sherman,
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 317
249 ; Underwood, 238 ; Vail, 213. Under 200 and over 100— Vesta,
199 ; Morgan, 196 ; Redwood Falls, 189 ; Waterbury, 175 ; Honner,
167; "Westline, 141; Granite Rock, 140.
In 1895 the population of the county had increased to 13,533.
Two new villages had been created, Belview from Kintire and
Sanborn from Charlestown. All of the townships had increased
in population. Only one of the townships, Honner, which con-
sists of but few sections, had less than 200 people. Only three
others, Waterbury, Westline and Redwood Palls, had less than
300. The figures were as follows: Over 600 — Brookville, 629.
Between 500 and 600 — Sundown, 597; Delhi, 568; Charlestown,
514. Between 400 and 500— Morgan, 461; Willow Lake, 461;
Sheridan, 459 ; Vesta, 453 ; Lamberton, 445 ; New Avon, 443 ; John-
sonville, 425; Paxton, 425; Three Lakes, 415. Between 300 and
400— Sherman, 392; Springdale, 367; Underwood, 365; Kintire,
364 ; Swedes Forest, 363 ; Granite Rock, 356 ; North Hero, 351 ;
Gales, 350; Vail, 347. Between 200 and 300— Redwood Falls,
285 ; Westline, 282 ; Waterbury, 266. Under 200— Honner, 195.
In 1900, the population of the county had increased to 17,261,
an increase of 7,875 people, and 83.9 per cent since 1890. Vesta
and Wabasso villages had been organized. All the townships
had increased in population except Sherman, Swedes Forest,
Brookville, and Delhi. None of the towns had less than 262 popu-
lation. Honner was the only one with less than 300. Westline,
Swedes Forest, Sherman, and Redwood Palls were the only oth-
ers with a population of less than 400. Over 600 — Sheridan, 699 ;
Sundown, 661; Brookville, 621; Willow Lake, 603; Lamberton,
612. Between 500 and 600— Paxton, 598 ; North Hero, 583 ; New
Avon, 547; Granite Rock, 539; Vesta, 531; Charlestown, 525;
Delhi, 516 ; Waterbury, 514 ; Three Lakes, 512. Between 400 and
500— Johnsonville, 499 ; Vail, 497 ; Morgan, 489 ; Gales, 441 ; Kin-
tire, 437; Springdale, 431; Underwood, 407. Under 400— West-
line, 372 ; Sherman, 358 ; Swedes Forest, 349 ; Redwood Falls, 337 ;
Honner, 262.
The population reached high-water mark in 1905, with a total
of 19,034, an increase of 40.6 per cent in ten years. The villages
of Clements, Delhi, Lucan, Milroy, North Redwood, Revere, Sea-
forth, and Wanda had been organized since the Federal census of
1900. The growth in population was for the most part in the
villages. The townships of Sheridan, Sherman, Swedes Forest,
Vesta, Willow Lake, Charlestown, Delhi, Gales, Honner, John-
sonville, New Avon and North Hero had decreased in popula-
tion. Population of 600 and over — Sundown, 678; Lamberton,
618; Paxton, 610: Granite Rock, 600. Between 500 and 600—
Waterbury, 593 ; Vail, 556 ; North Hero, 553 ; Morgan, 552 ; Sheri-
dan, 538; New Avon, 553; Three Lakes, 520; Charlestown, 519;
Vesta, 511. Between 400 and 500— Johnsonville, 498; Kintire,
318 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
489; Underwood, 487; Willow Lake, 477; Delhi, 454; Gales, 440;
Springdale, 431 ; Westline, 409. Under 400— Sherman, 388 ; Red-
wood Falls, 380; Honner, 233 (including 126 in North Redwood
village, without which the population of the township was 107).
The federal census of 1910 gives the latest authentic returns
of Redwood county population. In that year the population of
the county had decreased to 18,425, the wet years having caused
many of the residents to leave. The townships which showed a
decrease in population were: Sherman, Sundown, Swedes For-
est, Three Lakes, Underwood, Vail, Vesta, Brookville, Gales,
Granite Rock, Honner, Johnsonville, Kintire, Morgan, New Avon,
North Hero and Redwood Falls. Those showing an increase were :
Sheridan, Springdale, Waterbury, Westline, Willow Lake,
Charlestown, Delhi, Lamberton and Paxton. In this connection
it should he stated that the population of Lamberton township
is not entirely rural, as an unincorporated portion of the village
of Lamberton overflows into the township. Over 600 — Water-
bury, 658; Sundown, 648; Lamberton, 634; Paxton, 629; Brook-
ville, 610. Between 500 and 600— Granite Rock, 560; Sheridan,
557; Vail, 553; Willow Lake, 548; Charlestown, 532; Morgan,
525; Three Lakes, 512; Vesta, 505. Between 400 and 500— New
Avon, 494 ; Johnsonville, 488 ; Springdale, 476 ; Delhi, 471 ; North
Hero, 450; Westline, 446; Underwood, 441; Kintire, 429; Gales,
411. Under 400— Sherman, 380; Redwood Falls, 362; Swedes
Forest, 336; Honner, 105.
SWEDES FOREST.
(By A. O. Gimmestad.)
Swedes Forest township is located in the very northern cor-
ner of Redwood county, and embraces Congressional fractional
township 114-37, lying south of the Minnesota river. It is bounded
on the north by the Minnesota river, on the east by Delhi, on
the south by Kintire, and on the west by Yellow Medicine county.
There are two small creeks flowing northward in this township.
The original survey of this township was made during 1866.
The work was started by Richard Jewett and George Howe, U. S.
deputy surveyor, on July 9, 1866. The land was first class. In
the river bottoms in sections 7, 8, 9, 16, 17, 18, 19, and the north
half of 20, in the section 24, northwest quarter of section 25,
northeast quarter of section 26 were large deposits of trap rock.
In sections 21, 22, 27 and 28 and part of 23 and 26 the lands in
the bottoms were rich first class soils. The Minnesota river ran
through sections 7, 8, 9, 16, 21, 22, 23 and 24. A narrow strip of
timber, principally willow and cottonwood, was found along the
banks. The timber was heavy, oak, ash, and elm trees were also
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 319
found in other parts of the townships besides along the river. In
the northeast quarter of section 30 were found the Boiling
Springs. From these flowed the ereek which ran through sec-
tions 20 and 21 to the Minnesota river.
Beginning with March 2, 1868, the west part of Swedes For-
est was a part of Yellow Medicine township and after Yellow
Medicine county was organized March 4, 1871, was considered a
part of Redwood Falls township. In the meantime the east part
had been considered a part of Redwood Falls township. Swedes
Forest was created Sept. 4, 1872. It consisted of township 113-37
and all of township 114, ranges 36 and 37, south of the Minne-
sota. Thus it included the present townships of Kintire and
Swedes Forest, and a part of the present township of Delhi. Kin-
tire was created May 11, 1880. On that date fractional 104-36
was attached to Delhi. In the meantime, on February 10, 1880,
the present boundaries of Swedes Forest had been established,
as an election ordered held at the home of J. J. Hanson, Feb. 23,
1880.
The surface is mostly gently rolling prairie, except the bluffs
along the river bottom, which bottom is from one to two miles
wide. The soil is rich, deep, black loam with clay sub-soil, and
is very productive. The farm buildings and improvements are
better than the average of any settlement in this county. The
population is all Norwegian, with the exception of one Dane,
who is married to a Norwegian, one Scotchman, and one Ger-
man. There is one Norwegian Lutheran church located on the
Minnesota bluff near the center of section 28; a cemetery near
the church, four public schools, one at the southwest corner of
section 17, one at the northeast corner of section 31, one at the
southeast corner of section 28, and one at the southeast corner
of N. y2 of S. E. % of section 26.
The first white settler was Nels Swenson, who was born near
the city of Helsingborg, Sweden, in 1837; came to the United
States in 1863, came from West Troy, New York, together with
another Swede, by the name of Holz, arriving at Swedes Forest
in September, 1865. Nels Swenson settled on the S. y2, S. E. *4,
section 26, and N. i/2 of N. E. %, section 25. 114-37. Mr. Holz
assisted Mr. Swenson in building a log cabin, where the two lived
together nearly a year. Mr. Holz, being an ex-soldier, moved to
near Beaver Falls, Renville county, on a claim awarded him by
the Government.
Early in the spring of 1866 a young American by the name
of Foot, came up, and settled in section 26, on the farm later
occupied by Fred Holt. Mr. Foot, one day at the Minnesota river,
in jumping from one rock to another, injured or strained him-
self internally. He was tpken to Redwood Falls for medical aid,
where he died later from his injuries. There were several friendly
320 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
Sioux Indians that camped near the log cabin, who frequently
came to the cabin and asked for things that they were in need of.
The old Government trail, or road, was near this house and it
became a stopping place for travelers. Although the occupants
were bachelors, the travelers were always welcome, and they re-
ceived the best to be had and most of the time without any com-
pensation, the latch string to the door was always on the outside.
Acting Governor Austin was among the many notables enter-
tained there.
On December 22, 1867, Peter Swenson, a brother of Nels, came
to Swedes Forest. In coming there he was properly initiated to
the weather of the Northwest. Peter Swenson was born in
Sweden at the same place as his brother Nels, in 1841. He came
to the United States in 1864, left Rome, N. Y., for the West Dec.
10, 1867, arriving at Redwood Falls, Minn., Dec. 21. At Redwood
Falls he met a young man by the name of Guleck Olson, from
Renville county ; with him he started out afoot for Nels Swenson 's
house, a distance of fourteen miles out from Redwood Falls.
Three or four miles out from Redwood Falls, they met Knute
Berge, Iver Iverson, Jr., and Tov Rudy, on skiis and Nels Swen-
son, afoot, on the way to Redwood Falls. The three men on skiis
proceeded to Redwood Falls and Nels Swenson returned with
Peter Swenson and Guleck Olson. A very strong cold wind was
blowing from the northwest, which they had to face all the way,
which chilled the travelers and tired them. Nels Swenson got
so cold and exhausted that his companions had a hard time to
get him home. He did not recover entirely from the effects for
more than a year afterward. Knute Berge, Iver Iverson and
Tov Rudy started on skiis for home toward evening. Two or
three miles out of Redwood Falls, Tov Rudy said he was getting
very tired and that he did not think he could make home against
the wind. They consulted together as to what to do. Mr. Rudy
insisted on going back to Redwood Falls. It was finally agreed
that Mr. Rudy return to Redwood Falls, he being favored with
the wind being on his back and it being only a short distance.
Berge and Iverson were to continue homeward, but after pro-
ceeding four or five miles night overtook them. Realizing that
they could not go any farther against the wind on the prairie
they turned their course toward the Minnesota river in quest of
timber. They at last succeeded in reaching the bluff near Rice
creek. There being a little timber, they gathered some dry
branches to build a fire. To their horror they found that they
had only one and a half match between them, but with this they
succeeded in starting a fire which they kept going all night, thus
saving their lives. They arrived at the Swenson cabin the next
morning. That same morning two half-breed Indians started out
hunting, coming out on the prairie west from Redwood Falls.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 321
They noticed some object in the distance moving about and fall-
ing down; upon arrival at this object they found it to be Mr.
Rudy, who had been out on the prairie all night. They brought
him to Redwood Falls where he was treated by Dr. Hitchcock,
but he died from the effects of his sufferings and frost.
In the spring of 1868 Peter Swenson took up S. %, N. E. *4
and N. %, S. E. 14, section 35-114-37, but lived with his brother
Nels until 1871, when he married Christine Torstensen, from
New Ulm. Miss Torstensen was born at Vignes near Lilleham-
mer, Norway. By this time several Norwegians had settled
farther west, along the Yellow Medicine river. Their nearest
trading place being Redwood Falls and Nels Swenson, now having
a housekeeper, the Swenson home became a midway stopping
place for nearly all of the settlers farther west. In 1869 Peter
Swenson applied for a postoffice, he was appointed postmaster
and named it Swedes Forest postoffice. This name was selected
because a Swede was the first settler, and Forest on account of
the timber that was there where Mr. Swenson built his log cabin.
Nels Swenson left Swedes Forest for Bosque county, Texas, in
1876. In 1877 Peter Swenson left for the same place with his
family in a coverel wagon. It took them nine weeks to make the
trip. They lived in Bosque county about two years, when Peter
Swenson started a ranch on Little Cedar creek in Stephens county,
Texas, seven miles southwest from Caddo, where he now resides
with his family. Nels is now 78 years old ; he never married and
resides with his brother Peter. The ranch is called Swensondale
Stock Farm, Peter Swenson and Son, proprietors. Peter Swen-
son has 3,500 acres, his son Selmer has 1,150 acres. They have
400 acres under cultivation, using a 12-25 horsepower tractor for
plowing, threshing, seeding and harvesting the grain. They keep
more than 800 well bred Hereford cattle, besides a large number
of horses and mules. They have the best and most expensive
residence building in Stephens county; all this is clear from debt
or incumbrances, which shows that the hardy Swedes, who
started in at Swedes Forest, without any financial means, have
made good also in other parts of the country.
In the spring of 1867 came Knute Knutson Berge, wife Inge-
borg, two daughters, Christiana and Anna. They were from
Hardanger, Norway, and came to Swedes Forest from Rose
Creek, "Wis. Christiana married Andres Anderson (called Vos-
sen), but died a few years later, leaving one daughter, Gurine,
who married Christian Iverson. Anna married Erick Sander
and they live on the land settled by Mr. Knutson, that part of
section 8, lying south of the Minnesota river. Mrs. Ingeborg
Knutson died in the early seventies. Mr. Knutson then married
Elizabeth Jordanger from Bredheim, Nordfjord, Norway. She
still resides on the farm with her son-in-law, Sander. Knute
322 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Knutson died some fifteen years ago. At the same time and in
the same party came Torkel Olson Lyse, wife Martha, and daugh-
ter Karen, who later married Egnebrigt Lyse. Mrs. Martha Lyse
died and Mr. Lyse later married one Mrs. Nestebo; they are
both now dead. Mr. Lyse settled on lots 3 and 4, section 7, near
the Minnesota river. The Lyses were from Stavangar, Norway,
and came here from Rose Creek, Wis. In the same party also
came Iver Iverson, Jr., then a single man; he also came from
Rose Creek, Wis., and was from Stavangar, Norway. He set-
tled on S. 1/2 of N. W. %, section 19, in the woods on the Minne-
sota bottom bluffs. He returned to Wisconsin the following year
and married Kari Iverson. They had five children, Halvor,
Jorgine, Hans, Iver and Oliver. Halvor married Jode Abraham-
son. They reside on their farm northeast from Echo. Jorgine
married Hans Abrahamson. She died some five years ago. Hans
married Emma Sander, and resides in Belview. Iver and Oliver
are unmarried, and reside on the homestead with their mother.
In 1867 came Tov Rudy, his wife Turi, and son Lars, and daughter
Gunhild. They were from Numedal, Norway, and came here
from Fillmore county, Minn. They settled on S. V2, N. E. i/4,
section 28. Mr. Rudy died from exposure in the frost the fol-
lowing winter. Mrs. Rudy married Jens Hanson. He is dead
and Turi lives with her son, Tom. Lars Rudy married Christiana
Eide from Olden, Nordfjord, Norway. She died about twenty
years ago. Lars lives in northern Minnesota. Gunhild married
Torsten Mostad, now of Miner county, North Dakota. In 1868
Tarald Iverson and wife, Helena, came. They were from Stav-
angar, Norway, and came here from Rose Creek, Wis. They set-
tled on E. y2, N. E. 14, section 18. Helena died in 1915. They
had seven children, Taletta, Julia, Anna, Christian, Ingeborg,
Thomas and Chrestine. Taletta married Talsten Herried and
lives in Renville county. Julia married Andres Anderson (Vos-
sen), who died many years ago. She lives with her father on the
farm. Anna married Ole Sander and lives near the old farm.
Christian married Gurine Anderson and lives on his farm north-
east from Echo. Ingeborg married Wilhelm Hetle and lives on
their farm in section 16, Swedes Forest. Thomas is not married
and lives with his father. Chrestine married Thor Hetle and
lives on their farm in section 19, Swedes Forest. Ole Herried
and wife, Kriste, came in 1869. They were from Hardanger, Nor-
way. They settled on N. y2, S. E. 14, section 17. They had eight
children, Halsten, Ole, Engeborg, Josephine, Andreas, Knute,
Lena and Christiana. Halsten married Taletta Iverson and lives
on their farm in Renville county. Ole is not married, and lives
in Yellow Medicine county. Engeborg married Ole D. Tufto, and
lives on their farm in section 17. Josephine married Elen Lee,
they moved to near Brooten, Minn., where Mr. Lee died some
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 323
years ago. Andreas married Josephine Mogen. They live at
Morgan, Minn. Knute married Gina Haagenson. They live near
Morden, Canada. Lina married Christian Anderson. He died
in 1915. She lives on their farm in Yellow Medicine county.
Christiana married M. 0. Gimmestad. They live on their farm in
section 20. Kristi Herried died long ago. Ole then married
Maria Chilstrop; they are both dead some years ago. Bent H.
Hegdahl and wife, Barbro, from Indviken, Nordfjord, Norway,
came here from Crawford county, Wis., in 1870. They settled on
N. y2, N. E. %, section 29. They had eight children — Annie,
Helga, Wilhelmina, Bertina, Marie, Henry and Josephine. Annie
married A. 0. Gimmestad and lives in Belview. Helga married
Mons. R. Posness. She died in 1913. Wilhelmina married C. M.
Olson. She died in 1915. Bertina married Andrew Peterson and
lives in Belview. Maria married A. W. Lyslo and resides in Bel-
view. Henry bought the home farm. He married Clara Bergon
and resides on the farm. Josephine resides with her mother in
Belview. Bent H. Hegdahl and wife moved into Belview in 1910.
Mr. Hegdahl died in 1915. Mrs. Hegdahl resides in Belview. Ole
K. Rake and wife, Elizabeth, from Olden, Nordfjord, Norway,
came here in 1870 from Crawford county, Wis. They had three
children — Britha, Knute and Helge. Britha married Henrick
Odegaard and lives on their farm near Baker, N. D. Knute died
some 25 years ago. Helge married Maria Odegaard and lives on
their farm in N. E. y±, section 30. Ole Rake died early in the
seventies. Mrs. Rake married Tolef Reierson. They had one
child, Olina, who married Halvor Huseby, and lives on the old
homestead. Elizabeth Rake died about seven years ago. Kol-
bent K. Rake, a brother of Ole K. Rake, came here in 1870. He
married Berta Gimmestad. They have eleven children — Bertina,
Ellen, Knute, Olina, Anna, Marie, Clara, Emma, Oscar, Carl, and
Lenora. Bertina married G. R. Blackseth and resides at Pair-
view, Mont. Mr. Rake settled on S. % S. E. %, section 30, where
he now resides.
Frederick Holt came to Swedes Forest in 1867 and brought
his family in 1869. The story of this settlement is found in this
work under the head of "Pioneer Experiences." At about the
same time David Tibbitts settled in the township.
The first election of township officers was held at the home of
J. J. Hanson on Sept. 21, 1872. Meeting was called to order by
Peter Swenson. Frederick Holt was duly chosen moderator of
the meeting. Knut Knutson, Hans A. Bakke, and David Tibbitts
were duly chosen judges of the election. Torkel Oleson was
elected chairman of the board of supervisors; Iver Iverson and
Hans A. Bakke, supervisors ; Peter Swenson, town clerk ; Torsten
Mostad, town treasurer; David Tibbitts and Frederick Holt, jus-
tices of the peace ; Ole A. Harid and Taral Iverson, constables.
324 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
The annual meeting of the town of Swedes Forest was held
in the home of J. J. Hanson, on the 11th day of March, 1873.
The following officers were elected: Hans A. Bakke, chairman;
Iver Iverson and Torkel Oleson, supervisors; Peter Swenson,
clerk; Torsten Mostad, treasurer; Ole K. Rake, assessor. The
annual meeting of the town of Swedes Forest was held on March
10, 1874. The following officers were elected: Hans A. Bakke,
chairman ; Iver Iverson and Torkel Oleson, supervisors ; Peter
Swenson, clerk; T. Mostad, treasurer; Ole A. Harid, assessor;
Ole K. Rake and Amund A. Harid, constables ; Peter Swenson
and David Tibbitts, justices of the peace. Bent H. Hegdal was
duly chosen overseer of the highways in road district No. 1, and
Hans A. Bakke for road district No. 2. The annual meeting of
the town of Swedes Forest was held at the home of J. J. Hanson,
March 9, 1875, and the following officers were elected : Hans A.
Bakke, chairman; Andrew Cole and Iver Iverson, supervisors;
Peter Swenson, clerk; Torsten Mostad, treasurer; Andrew Cole,
justice; Ole A. Harid, assessor; John Martin, constable. At the
annual election held at the home of Nils Stenson on March 14,
1876, the following officers were elected: Amond Amondson,
chairman; Nils Sandager and Mathias Keller, supervisors; John
Martin, clerk; Ole Cole, treasurer; Ole A. Harid, assessor; Arch
Stewart, justice; Fred Holt and Nels Stenson, constables. At
the annual election held at the house of Nils Stenson on March
13, 1877, the following officers were elected: Fred Holt, chair-
man ; Even Sampson and H. H. Hegdahl, supervisors ; Peter Swen-
son, clerk; Ole Cole, treasurer; Andrew Cole, assessor; Torsten
Mostad, justice of the peace; Nils H. Sandager and Hans A.
Bakke, constables. At the annual election held at the house of
J. J. Hanson on March 12, 1878, the following officers were
elected : Fred Holt, chairman ; Ole Cole and Iver Iverson, super-
visors; Torsten Mostad, clerk; Nils Stenson, treasurer; Andrew
Cole, assessor ; A. Stewart, justice of the peace ; Ole Johnson and
Kolbert Knutson, constables. At the annual election held at the
house of J. J. Hanson on March 11, 1879, the following officers
were elected : Hans A. Bakke, chairman ; John Martin and B. H.
Hegdahl, supervisors ; Toarsten Mostad, clerk ; Nils H. Sandager,
treasurer; Andrew Cole, assessor; J. B. Holms, justice of the
peace; Kolben Knutson and H. M. Sandager, constables.
At the annual election held at the house of J. J. Hanson on
Feb. 23, 1880, the following officers were elected : Hans A. Bakke,
chairman ; John Martin and B. H. Hegdahl, supervisors ; T. Mos-
tad, clerk -. Nils H. Sandager, treasurer ; Nils Stenson and Andrew
Cole, justice of the peace ; Kolben Knutson and Hans Sandager,
constables. At another annual election held at the house of J. J.:
Hanson on March 9, 1880, the following officers were elected:
Hans A. Bakke, chairman; B. H. Hegdahl and Anders Davidson,
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 325
supervisors ; T. Mostad, clerk ; H. H. Hegdahl, treasurer ; Andrew
Cole, assessor; John Martin and Ole A. Harid, justices of the
peace; Kolbent Knutson and Andres Hjeldness, constables. At
the annual election held at the house of J. J. Hanson on March
8, 1881, the following officers were elected : Hans A. Bakke, chair-
man ; H. H. Hegdahl and David Tibbits, supervisors ; Isaac Gran-
um, clerk; Nils H. Sandager, treasurer; Andrew Cole, assessor;
Nils Stenson, justice of the peace; Andrew Cole and H. M. Sand-
ager, constables. At the annual election held at the house of
J. J. Hanson on March 14, 1882, the following officers were
elected: H. A. Bakke, chairman; H. Sandager and H. H. Heg-
dahl, supervisors; C. Stenson, clerk; N. H. Sandager, treasurer;
C. Olson, assessor; T. Mostad and John Martin, justices of the
peace; A. H. Bakke and L. Anderson, constables. At the annual
election held at the house of T. L. Anderson on March 13, 1883,
the following officers were elected: H. M. Sandager, chairman;
C. Olson and Anders Davidson, supervisors; T. Mostad, clerk;
Nils Sandager, treasurer; Andrew Cole, assessor; 0. A. Harid,
justice of the peace. At the annual election held at the house of
T. L. Anderson on March 11, 1884, the following officers were
elected : H. M. Sandager, chairman ; Paul Johnson and M. Mon-
son, supervisors; T. Mostad, clerk; Nils H. Sandager, treasurer;
Andrew Cole, assessor ; John Martin, justice of the peace ; L. An-
derson and Christ Gimmestad, constables. At the annual elec-
tion held at the house of T. L. Anderson on March 10, 1885, the
following officers were elected : H. M. Sandager, chairman ; Paul
Johnson and M. Monson, supervisors; T. Mostad, clerk; N. H.
Sandager, treasurer; C. Olson, assessor; Ole 0. Plom, justice of
the peace. At the annual election held at the house of T. L.
Anderson on March 9, 1886, the following officers were elected:
H. M. Sandager, chairman; Kolben Knutson and Arne Loken,
supervisors ; T. Mostad, clerk ; N. H. Sandager, treasurer ; Andrew
Cole, assessor ; John Martin, justice of the peace ; B. Monson and
C. Gimmestad, constables. At the annual election held at the
house of T. L. Anderson on March 8, 1887, the following officers
were elected : John Martin, chairman ; M. Monson and A. David-
son, supervisors; T. Mostad, clerk; N. H. Sandager, treasurer;
A. Cole, assessor; L. Anderson, justice of the peace. At the an-
nual election held at the house of L. Anderson on March 13,
1888, the following officers were elected : H. M. Sandager, chair-
man ; H. H. Hegdahl and Paul Johnson, supervisors ; G. Knutson,
clerk; N. H. Sandager, treasurer; Andrew Cole, assessor; John
Martin, justice of the peace; Bertel Monson and C. Gimmestad,
constables. At the annual election held at the house of L. Ander-
son on March 12, 1889, the following officers were elected : H. M.
Sandager, chairman: Math Monson and Paul Johnson, super-
visors; C. Knutson, clerk; N. H. Sandager, treasurer; Andrew
326 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Cole, assessor; John Martin and A. 0. Gissestad, justices of the
peace ; Arne Loken and Andrew Cole, constables.
At the annual election held at the house of L. Anderson, on
March 11, 1890, the following officers were elected: H. M. Sand-
ager, chairman; M. Monson and Paul Johnson, supervisors; C.
Knutson, clerk ; N. H. Sandager, treasurer ; A. Cole, assessor. At
the annual election held at the house of L. Anderson on March
10, 1891, the following officers were elected : Mathias Monson,
chairman; M. 0. Gimmestad and B. H. Hegdahl, supervisors; C.
Knutson, clerk; C. Olson, treasurer; A. Cole, assessor; John Mar-
tin and Ole 0. Flora, justices of the peace ; Arne Loken and Anuld
Anderson, constables. At the annual election held at the house
of L. Anderson, on March 8, 1892, the following officers were
elected: M. Monson, chairman; B. H. Hegdahl and M. 0. Gim-
mestad, supervisors ; C. Knutson, clerk ; C. Olson, treasurer ; A.
Cole, assessor. At the annual election held at the house of L. An-
derson, on March 14, 1893, the following officers were elected :
M. Monson, chairman; Paul Johnson and B. H. Hegdahl, super-
visors; C. 0. Gimmestad, clerk; C. Olson, treasurer; Lars Ander-
son, assessor; M. 0. Gimmestad and Ole 0. Flom, justices of the
peace ; Arne Loken and Olaus Nelson, constables. At the annual
election held in the schoolhouse of district No. 10, on March 13,
1894, the following officers were elected: Math Monson, chair-
man; Nils Eide and A. Davidson, supervisors; C. 0. Gimmestad,
clerk; C. Olson, treasurer; Lars Anderson, assessor. At the an-
nual election held in the schoolhouse of district No. 10, on March
12, 1895, the following officers were elected: C. Knutson, chair-
man ; N. W . Eide and Anders Davidson, supervisors ; C. O.
Gimmestad, clerk; C. Olson, treasurer; Lars Anderson, assessor;
M. 0. Gimmestad and Ed Holt, justices of the peace; Arne
Loken and Olaus Nelson, constables. At the annual election
held at the schoolhouse of district No. 10, on March 10, 1896,
the following officers were elected: C. Knutson, chairman;
N. W. Eide and A. Davidson, supervisors; C. 0. Gimmestad,
clerk; Paul Johnson, treasurer; M. 0. Gimmestad, assessor. At
the annual election held in the schoolhouse of district No. 10,
on March 9, 1897, the following officers were elected: N. H.
Sandager, chairman ; Tom Anderson and Ed Holt, supervisors ;
George Olson, clerk; Ole 0. Flom, treasurer; Wm. Rucker,
assessor ; Peter Peterson and H. 0. Hegdahl, justices of the peace ;
C. Iverson and John Hjeldness, constables. At the annual elec-
tion held in the school house of district No. 10, on March 8, 1898,
the following officers were elected: N. H. Sandager, chairman;
Ed Holt and Paul Johnson, supervisors ; C. 0. Gimmestad, clerk ;
Ole 0. Flom, treasurer ; C. Olson, assessor ; M. 0. Gimmestad, jus-
tice of the peace. At the annual election held in the schoolhouse
of district No. 10, on March 14, 1899, the following officers were
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 327
elected: N. H. Sandager, chairman; Iver Iverson and Ed Holt,
supervisors ; C. 0. Gimmestad, clerk ; N. "W. Eide, treasurer ; H. 0.
Hegdahl, assessor; Peter Peterson, justice of the peace; Arne
Loken and Ole Larson, constables.
At the annual election held in the schoolhouse of district No.
10, on March 13, 1900, the following officers were elected : N. H.
Sandager, chairman; Iver Iverson and H. 0. Knutson, supervis-
ors; C. 0. Gimmestad, clerk; N. "W. Eide, treasurer; H. 0. Heg-
dahl, assessor; M. 0. Gimmestad, justice of the peace. At the
annual election held in the schoolhouse of District No. 10, on
March 12, 1901, the following officers were elected: C. Olson,
chairman; Iver Iverson and A. Davidson, supervisors; C. Knut-
son, clerk; N. W. Eide, treasurer; George Olson, assessor; Geo.
Sampson, justice of the peace ; Jens Hjeldness and H. B. Hegdahl,
constables. At the annual election held in the schoolhouse of
district No. 10, on March 10, 1902, the following officers were
elected : C. Olson, chairman ; B. H. Hegdahl and Ole Cole, super-
visors; C. Knutson, clerk; N. W. Eide, treasurer; C. 0. Gim-
mestad, assessor ; M. 0. Gimmestad, justice of the peace. At the
annual election held in the school house of district No. 10, on
March 10, 1903, the following officers were elected: C. Olson,
chairman ; A. Davidson and B. H. Hegdahl, supervisors ; C. Knut-
son, clerk; N. W. Eide, treasurer; C. 0. Gimmestad, assessor;
John Hjeldness, justice of the peace; N. H. Sandager and L. L.
Brevold, constables. At the annual election held at the school-
house of district No. 10, on March 8, 1904, the following officers
were elected : C. Olson, supervisor, three years ; A. Davidson,
supervisor, two years; B. H. Hegdahl, supervisor, one year; C.
Knutson, clerk ; N. W. Eide, treasurer ; C. 0. Gimmestad, assessor ;
M. 0. Gimmestad and Ed Holt, justices of the peace. At the
annual election held in the schoolhouse of district No. 10, on
March 14, 1905, the following officers were elected : Knute Mon-
son, supervisor, three years ; C. Kuntson, clerk ; N. W. Eide, treas-
urer ; C. 0. Gimmestad, assessor ; L. L. Bredvold and N. H. Sand-
ager, constables. At the annual election held in the schoolhouse
of district No. 10, on March 13, 1906, the following officers were
elected : A. Davidson, supervisor ; C. Knutson, clerk ; N. "W. Eide,
treasurer; C. 0. Gimmestad, assessor; M. 0. Gimmestad and Ed
Holt, justices of the peace ; 0. 0. Cole, constable. At the annual
election held in the schoolhouse of district No. 10, on March 12,
1907, the following officers were elected: C. Olson, supervisor;
C. Knutson, clerk; N. W. Eide, treasurer; C. 0. Gimmestad, as-
sessor; L. L. Bredvold, constable. At the annual election held in
the schoolhouse of district No. 10, on March 10, 1908, the fol-
lowing officers were elected: K. Monson, supervisor; C. Knut-
son, clerk; M. "W. Eide, treasurer; C. 0. Gimmestad, assessor;
M. 0. Gimmestad and J. N. Sandager, justices of the peace ; Ole
328 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Rake, constable. At the annual election held in the schoolhouse
of district No. 10, on March 9, 1909, the following officers were
elected : T. A. Rudy, supervisor ; C. Knutson, clerk ; N. W. Eide,
treasurer; C. 0. Gimmestad, assessor; L. L. Bredvold, constable.
At the annual election held in the schoolhouse of district No. 10,
on March 8, 1910, the following officers were elected: John
Hjeldness, supervisor; C. Knutson, clerk; N. "W. Eide, treasurer;
E. A. Holt and J. N. Sandager, justices of the peace; Ole Rake,
constable. At the annual election held in the schoolhouse of
district No. 10, on March 14, 1911, the following officers were
elected: K. Monson, supervisor; C. Knutson, clerk; N. W. Eide,
treasurer; C. 0. Gimmestad, assessor; M. 0. Gimmestad, justice
of the peace; Oscar Gryting, constable. At the annual election
held in the schoolhouse of district No. 10, on March 12, 1912, the
following officers were elected : T. A. Rudy, supervisor ; C. Knut-
son, clerk ; N. "W. Eide, treasurer ; M. N. Sandager, justice of the
peace; Ole Rake and 0. D. Tufto, constables. At the annual
election held in the schoolhouse of district No. 10, on March 11,
1913, the following officers were elected : John Hjeldness, super-
visor; C. Knutson, clerk; N. W. Eide, treasurer; Hans Hegdahl,
assessor; M. 0. Gimmestad, justice of the peace. At the annual
election held in the schoolhouse of district No. 10, on March 10,
1914, the following officers were elected : K. Monson, supervisor ;
C. Knutson, clerk; N. W. Eide, treasurer; M. N. Sandager, jus-
tice of the peace ; 0. L. Rake and 0. D. Tufto, constables. At the
annual election held in the schoolhouse of district No. 10, on
March 9, 1915, the following officers were elected : T. A. Rudy,
supervisor, three years ; C. Knutson, clerk ; N. W. Eide, treasurer ;
C. 0. Gimmestad, assessor ; M. 0. Gimmestad, justice of the peace.
KINTntE TOWNSHIP.
(By A. 0. Gimmestad.)
Kintire township is located in the northern part of Redwood
county, and embraces Congressional township 113-37. It is
bounded on the north by Swedes Forest, on the east by Sheridan,
and half a mile of Vesta due to the irregularity in the survey,
and on the west by Yellow Medicine county. The surface is roll-
ing prairie. The Pacific division of the Minneapolis and St. Louis
runs due east and west through the northern portion. Its only
village is Belview with a population in 1910 of 290 persons. The
trading centers are Belview, Delhi and Redwood Falls. There
are four schoolhouses. The predominating nationality is Ger-
man and Scandinavian.
The original survey of this township was made during 1864.
The work was started on Aug. 22, by Charles Davis and James
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 329
Webb, Jr., U. S. deputy surveyors. The township was rolling
prairie with some meadow and marsh land. The marshes were
rapidly drying up. The soil was first rate. There was no tim-
ber. There were two lakes meandered — one in sections 22 and
27 and the other in sections 8 and 17. The Sioux Indian reserva-
tion line ran through sections 34, 33, 29 and 19.
Beginning with March 2, 1868, the west half of Kintire was
included in Yellow Medicine township and after Yellow Medicine
county was organized March 2, 1871, was considered a part of
Redwood Falls township. In the meantime the eastern part had
been considered a part of Redwood Falls township. When Swedes
Forest was created, Sept. 4, 1872, it included Kintire township.
Kintire was created with its present boundaries May 11, 1880.
Following is a copy of the order inscribed on the minutes :
"Upon receiving a petition of a majority of all the legal
voters of Congressional township one hundred and thirteen (113),
range thirty-eight (38), in said county, asking that the same be
organized as a new town, under township organization law, to
be called Kintire. We, the county commissioners of said county
did, on the 11th day of May, A. D. 1880, proceed to fix the
boundaries of such new town, and name the same Kintire, in ac-
cordance with the said petition, and designated the residence of
Archibald Stewart, section 13, in said town, as the place for hold-
ing the first town meeting in such town of Kintire, to be held on
Tuesday, May 25, 1880, A. D. The boundaries of said town of
Kintire, as fixed and established by us, are as follows; to-wit:
All of congressional township number 113, range 37, according to
the United States Survey thereof. This order will take effect
from and after date, May 11, 1880. By order of the Board of
County Commissioners of Redwood County. Fred V. Hotchkiss,
Chairman. Attest : I. M. Van Schaack, County Auditor. I here-
by certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the
original order now on file in my office. I. M. Van Schaack, County
Auditor. June 1, 1880, A. D."
At the annual meeting held at the home of Archibald Stewart
on May 25, 1880, the following officers were elected : M. Keller,
chairman ; J. B. Holmes and Albert Deveraux, supervisors ; W. C.
Cook, clerk; Archibald Stewart, treasurer; Lucius Thurston and
H. F. Jones, justices of the peace; Ole C. Johnson and Justin F.
Jones, constables. At the annual meeting held at the home of
W. C. Cook on March 8, 1881, the following officers were elected :
M. Keller, chairman; J. B. Holmes and Ole C. Johnson, supervis-
ors; C. L. Holms, assessor; W. C. Cook, clerk; Archie Stewart,
treasurer; Hans Jensen, justice of the peace; Ole Boklep, consta-
ble. At the annual town meeting held at the schoolhouse of
district No. 50, on March 14, 1882, the following officers were
elected; M. Keller, chairman; Ole C. Johnson and J. B. Holms,
330 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
supervisors; W. C. Cook, clerk; Archie Stewart, treasurer; C. L.
Holmes, assessor; C. L. Holmes, justice of the peace; Anton
Weideman, constable. At the annual town meeting held in the
schoolhouse of district No. 50, on March 13, 1883, the following
officers were elected : M. Keller, chairman ; Ole C. Johnson and
William Smith, supervisors; W. C. Cook, clerk; Archie Stewart
treasurer; C. L. Holmes, assessor; Hans Jenson, justice of the
peace ; "Chris Keller, constable. At the annual town meeting held
in the schoolhouse of district No. 50, on March 11, 1884, the follow-
ing officers were elected: M. Keller chairman; William Smith
and Ole C. Johuson supervisors; W. C. Cook, clerk; Archie
Stewart, treasurer; C. L. Holmes, assessor; C. L. Holmes, justice
of the peace. At the annual town meeting held in the school-
house of district No. 50, on March 10, 1885, the following
officers were elected : Ole C. Johnson, chairman ; J. Stadman and
Hans Jensen, supervisors; W. C. Cook, clerk; J. A. Lagerstrom,
treasurer; Anton Weideman and O. A. Hines, justices of the
peace; C. Lagerstrom and J. W. Marceys, constables. At the
annual town meeting held in the schoolhouse of district No. 50,
on March 9, 1886, the following officers were elected: Ole C.
Johnson, chairman ; Anton Weideman and C. Keller, supervisors ;
W. C. Cook, clerk; J. A. Lagerstrom, treasurer; Hans Jensen,
assessor. At the annual town meeting held in the schoolhouse of
district No. 50, on March 8, 1887, the following officers were
elected; William Smith, chairman; John Stewart and Ole C.
Johnson, supervisors; W. C. Cook, clerk; O. A. Hines, treasurer;
M. Keller, assessor; E. A. Pease and L. Thurston, justices of the
peace; Chris Keller and Ole C Johnson, constables. At the
annual town meeting held in the schoolhouse of district No. 28,
on March 13, 1888, the following officers were elected; William
Smith, chairman; H. F Jones and John Stewart, supervisors; W.
C. Cook, clerk; 0. A. Hines, treasurer; Archibald Stewart,
assessor; C. Keller and Edward Deveraux, constables; W.
Howes, justice of the peace.
At the annual town meeting held in the schoolhouse of district
No. 28 on March 12, 1889, the following officers were elected:
William Smith, chairman; John Stewart and Ole C. Johnson,
supervisors; W. C. Cook, clerk; 0. A. Hines, treasurer; E. M.
Holmes, assessor; E. A. Pease and C. H. Jones, justices of the
peace; Ole C. Johnson and Chris Keller, constables. At the an-
nual town meeting held in the schoolhouse of district No. 50 on
March 11, 1890, the following officers were elected: William
Smith, chairman; John Stewart and H. F. Jones, supervisors;
W. C. Cook, clerk ; George Lipman, treasurer ; A. M. Monson,
assessor; C. H. Jones, justice of the peace; W. I. Howes, con-
stable. At the annual town meeting held in the school house of
district No. 50, on March 10, 1891, the following officers were
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 331
elected: "William Smith, chairman; M. Keller and Bert Monson,
supervisors; J. M. Thompson, clerk; George Lipman, treasurer;
Andrew Monson, assessor ; M. Listrud, justice of the peace ; M. C.
Lilleby, constable. At the annual town meeting held in the Simp-
son store in Belview on March 8, 1892, the following officers were
elected : J. L. Dunning, chairman ; Bert Monson and William
Mack, supervisors; J. L. Thompson, clerk; S. 0. Kollin, treas-
urer; Martin Listrud, assessor; A. 0. Gimmestad, justice of the
peace ; F. Koher and W. I. Howes, constables. Favor of license,
57; against license, 32. At the annual town meeting held in the
A. Fromm wagon shop on March 14, 1893, the following officers
were elected: E. A. Pease, chairman; B. Monson and William
Mack, supervisors; J. L. Thompson, clerk; S. 0. Kollin, treas-
urer; A. Monson, assessor; M. Keller, justice of the peace; S. F.
Peterson and W. I. Howes, constables. At the annual town
meeting held at the Simpson store in Belview, on March 13, 1894,
the following officers were elected : E. A. Pease, chairman ; B.
Monson and William Mack, supervisors ; A. 0. Gimmestad, clerk ;
S. 0. Kollin. treasurer; C. H. Jones, assessor ; E.M.Holmes, justice
of the peace ; 0. A. Hines, constable. At the annual town meet-
ing held in Kollins Hall, on March 12, 1895, the following officers
were elected: E. A. Pease, chairman; A. Weideman and S. F.
Peterson, supervisors; A. 0. Gimmestad, clerk; A. F. Potratz,
treasurer; A. M. Monson, assessor; E. A. Pease, justice of the
peace ; Edward Erickson, constable. At the annual town meet-
ing held on March 10, 1896, the following officers were elected :
E. A. Pease, chairman; A. Weideman, supervisors; A. 0. Gim-
mestad, clerk; A. F. Potratz, treasurer; A. M. Monson, assessor;
A. 0. Gimmestad, justice of the peace ; R. Hoppenrath, consta-
ble. At the annual town meeting held in the Belview school-
house, on March 9, 1897, the following officers were elected : Grant
Adsit, chairman ; Wm. Mack and W. I. Howes, supervisors ; A. O.
Gimmestad, clerk ; A. F. Potratz, treasurer j C. H. Jones, assessor ;
0. A. Hines, justice of the peace; Ed Erickson, constable. At
the annual town meeting held in the Belview schoolhouse, on
March 8, 1898, the following officers were elected : Grant Adsit,
chairman ; Wm. Mack and W. I. Howes, supervisors ; A. 0. Gim-
mestad, clerk; A. F. Potratz, treasurer; A. M. Monson, assessor;
A. 0. Gimmestad, justice of the peace; G. Stenson, contable. At
the annual town meeting held in the Belview schoolhouse, on
March 14, 1899, the following officers were elected : G. E. Adsit,
chairman ; Wm. Mack and B. Monson, supervisors ; A. 0. Gim-
mestad, clerk; A. F. Potratz, treasurer; A. M. Monson, assessor;
Thomas McKay, justice of the peace; M. E. Lewis and Oscar
Berger, constables.
At the annual town meeting held in the Belview schoolhouse,
on March 12, 1900, the following officers were elected : G. E.
332 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Adsit, chairman; Wm. Mack and B. Monson, supervisors; A. 0.
Gimmestad, clerk; A. F. Potratz, treasurer; A. M. Monson, as-
sessor; A. 0. Gimmestad, justice of the peace; Ben Simpson and
John McKowen, constables. At the annual town meeting held
in the Belview schoolhouse, on March 12, 1901, the following
officers were elected: G. E. Adsit, chairman; Wm. Mack and
B. Monson, supervisors; A. 0. Gimmestad, clerk; A. F. Potratz,
treasurer; Daniel McKay, assessor; Thomas McKay, justice of
the peace. At the annual town meeting held in the Belview
schoolhouse, on March 11, 1902, the following officers were
elected : Herman Kaiser, chairman ; L. T. Braafladt and Andrew
Anderson, supervisors; A. 0. Gimmestad, clerk; A. F. Potratz,
treasurer; Daniel McKay, assessor; A. 0. Gimmestad and W. D.
Tibbitts, justices of the peace; Helmuth Hagen and John Mc-
Kowen, constables. At the annual town meeting held in the Bel-
view schoolhouse, on March 10, 1903, the following officers were
elected: H. Kaiser, chairman; L. T. Braafladt and Andrew An-
derson, supervisors; A. M. Monson, clerk; S. F. Peterson, treas-
urer; Daniel McKay, assessor; A. M. Stewart, justice of the
peace. At the annual town meeting held in the Belview school-
house, on March 8, 1904. the following officers were elected: H.
Kaiser, chairman; L. T. Braafladt and A. Anderson, supervisors;
A. M. Monson, clerk; S. F. Peterson, treasurer; D. McKay, as-
sessor; Henry Dreyer and G. E. Adsit, justices of the peace;
Peter McKay and Wm. Peterson, constables. At the annual town
meeting held in the Belview fire house on March 14, 1905, the
following officers were elected: A. Anderson, supervisor, three
years; L. T. Braafladt, supervisor, two years; H. Kaiser, super-
visor, one year; A. M. Monson, clerk; S. F. Peterson, treasurer;
Daniel McKay, assessor. At the annual town meeting held in the
Belview fire house on March 13, 1906, the following officers were
elected : L. T. Braafladt, supervisor, three years ; A. M. Monson,
clerk; S. F. Peterson, treasurer; G. E. Adsit, assessor; H. A.
Dreyer and G. E. Adsit, justices of the peace ; Wm. Mack and
John Oslund, constables. At the annual town meeting held in
the Belview Fire Hall, on March 12, 1907, the following officers
were elected : Helmuth Hagen, supervisor ; Daniel McKay, clerk ;
S. F. Peterson, treasurer; Wm. Mack, assessor; Ole 0. Falaas,
justice of the peace. At the annual town meeting held in the
Belview Fire Hall on March 10, 1908. the following officers were
elected : Andrew Anderson, supervisor ; Daniel McKay, clerk ;
S. F. Peterson, treasurer; Wm. Mack, assessor; G. E. Adsit and
H. A. Dreyer, justices of the peace; Wm. Mack, constable. At
the annual town meeting held in the Belview fire house, on March
9, 1909, the following officers were elected : John W. Hines,
supervisor; Daniel McKay, clerk; S. F. Peterson, treasurer; Wm.
Mack, assessor; G. E. Adsit and A. M. Monson, justices of the
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 333
peace ; John Oslund and Wm. Peterson, constables. At the annual
town meeting held in the Belview fire house on March 8, 1910,
the following officers were elected : Helmuth Hagen, supervisor
Daniel McKay, clerk; S. P. Peterson, treasurer; Wm. Mack, as
sessor; G. E. Adsit, justice of the peace; Albert Smith and G. E,
Adsit, constables. At the annual town meeting held in the Bel
view fire house, on March 14, 1911, the following officers were
elected: Andrew Anderson, supervisor; Daniel McKay, clerk
S. P. Peterson, treasurer; Wm. Mack, assessor; A. M. Monson
justice of the peace; Wm. Peterson, constable. At the annual
town meeting held in the Belview fire house, on March 12, 1912
the following officers were elected : Nils J. Haagenson, super
visor ; A. M. Monson, clerk ; S. F. Peterson, treasurer ; Wm. Mack
assessor ; G. E. Adsit, justice of the peace ; J. M. Johnson, consta
ble. At the annual town meeting held in the Belview fire house
on March 11, 1913, the following officers were elected: Alfred
Hultquist, supervisor; John Hines (by lot), clerk; S. P. Peter
son, treasurer; Wm. Mack, assessor; S. W. Nelson, justice of the
peace ; Geo. Kuek and Albert Nelson, constables. At the annual
town meeting held in the Belview fire hall on March 10, 1914, the
following officers were elected: Andrew Anderson, supervisor;
John Hines, clerk; S. F. Peterson, treasurer; Wm. Mack, as-
sessor; H. F. Hagen, justice of the peace. At the annual town
meeting held in the Belview Fire Hall on March 9, 1915, the fol-
lowing officers were elected: Nils J. Haagenson, supervisor;
Daniel McKay, clerk; S. F. Peterson, treasurer; A. M. Monson,
assessor; S. W. Nelson, justice of the peace; Albert Nelson, con-
stable.
The History of Minnesota Valley, published in 1882, says :
"Lyman Walsh, who came in the summer of 1872. and located in
the southwestern part of the town, was the first settler. Soon
after Mr. Walsh, Albert Devreaux came in and settled where he
now lives. Archibald Stewart came the following fall."
DELHI TOWNSHIP.
Delhi township is located on the north-central border of Red-
wood county, and comprises Congressional fractional townships
113-36 and 114-36. It is bounded on the north by the Minnesota
river, on the east by Honner, on the west by Kintire, and on
the south by Redwood Palls, and half a mile of Sheridan, due
to the irregularity of half a mile in the survey. Ramsey creek
crosses it on the southern side, and Rice creek flows northeast
in the northwest part of this township. The surface is rolling
and well-watered. The Pacific division of the Minneapolis and
St. Louis passes through the center from east to west. The only
village is Delhi with a population in 1910 of 174. The trading
334 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
centers are Delhi and Redwood Falls. There are three school-
houses. The predominating nationality is American and Scotch,
the township being the center of the Scotch settlement in Red-
wood comity.
The original survey of 113-36 was begun Jan. 10, 1858, and
finished Oct. 10, 1858, by W. R. McMahan, U. S. deputy sur-
veyor. He described the surface as rolling and well-watered,
and the soil, generally, first rate. He found some fine groves
of timber along the river bluffs and bottom. Among the kinds
of trees were cottonwood, bur oak, willow, timber oak, ash and
elm. The road to Yellow Medicine entered this township near
the southeast corner and passed out at the northwest corner.
An Indian trail passed across the southern part of this township.
A lake was found in the southwest corner in sections 29, 30, 31
and 32.
The original survey of 114-36 this township, was begun Oct.
20, 1858, and finished Oct. 24, 1858, by W. R. McMahan, U. S.
deputy surveyor. He described the surface as high and rolling.
The Minnesota river bottoms and bluffs were covered with small
groves of timber including maple, hackberry, elm, willow, red
cedar, bur oak, cottonwood, and white oak. The soil was first
rate.
Beginning with the organization of the county, Delhi was
considered a part of Redwood Falls. Delhi township was created
February 1, 1878, and consisted of all of township 113-36 in this
county. Fractional township 114-36 (which since September 4,
1872, had been a part of Swedes Forest) was added to Delhi,
May 11, 1880, thus giving it its present boundaries.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1881 says:
"The first town meeting was held at "Word en & Ruter's mill in
section 36, February 19, 1876. Officers elected : Thomas H. King,
chairman, George Stronach and John Anderson, supervisors;
James Anderson, clerk; Daniel McLean, treasurer; Alex Mc-
Corquodale, assessor; Isaac Leslie and Exra Ticknor, justices;
George Gaffney and John Whittet, constables, and David Whittet,
overseer of highways. The first settler was Carl Simondet, who
came in 1865 and settled on section 13, where he lived until 1880,
when he died. His son, who also took a claim in 1865, now lives
on the old homestead. There appeared no settlers until 1868,
when John and James Anderson and Alex. McCorquodale came
in. The first birth was that of Christina, a daughter of Isaac and
Margaret Leslie, January 18, 1873. The first marriage was that
of Andrew Stewart and Miss Kate McLean in December, 1872.
John McLean died June 20, 1877, and was buried in the cemetery
at Redwood Falls; the first death in the town. The first school
was taught by Miss Thora McNiven, with seven pupils, in section
20, during the summer of 1873; there are three organized dis-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 335
triets in the town and but two school houses. In the summer of
1870 religious services were held at the home of John McLean
by Rev. R. G. Wallace, Presbyterian minister. During the winter
of 1870-1871, an organization was effected by the Rev. J. L.
Whitta, with thirteen members. They now have a membership
of twenty-eight."
HONNER TOWNSHIP.
Honner township is located on the north side of Redwood
county and embraces the Congressional fractional township 113-35
and fractional section 31, township 113-34 and east by the Minne-
sota river on the west by Delhi, and on the south by Paxton, also
Redwood Falls there being a variation of half a mile made in
the survey. Little Crow creek crosses it on the eastern side and
empties into the Minnesota river. The Redwood river crosses
the northwest corner of it and also empties into the Minnesota
river. The Pacific division of the Minneapolis and St. Louis
crosses this township passing in a northwesterly direction. The
surface is partly rolling and partly level. The northeast part
of Redwood Falls city is located in this township. The village
of North Redwood is located near the place where the Red-
wood river joins the Minnesota. The trading centers are Red-
wood Falls, in Redwood county, and Morton in Renville county.
There is one school house. The predominating nationality is
German and American.
The original survey of this township was started September
15, 1858, by W. R. McMahan, U. S. deputy sheriff. All of the sur-
vey was done during 1858. The land was rolling and level, about
the same amount of each. The soil was first rate. The Minne-
sota river extending along the north and east boundary of this
township. There was quite a good deal of timber and many
kinds of trees such as burr oak, ash, elm, boxelders, and hack-
berry. Toward the west and south were a few trails and Indian
fields. A stony ridge was found in parts of sections 33 and 28.
Beginning with the organization of the county, Honner was
considered a part of Redwood Falls township. Before Honner
was organized several attempts were made to organize Black-
wood. On petition, May 3, 1872, the commissioners created
Blackwood, consisting of township 112-35 and all of 113-35 in
this county. But the action was reconsidered and laid on the
table until a future meeting. June 4, 1872, Blackwood was
created, consisting of township 112-35 and all of township 113-35
in this county except sections 18, 19, 20, 29, 30, 31 and 32. Pax-
ton was created July 30, 1879. Honner was created by the
county commissioners, Jan. 10, 1880. It then consisted of all of
township 113-35 in this county, and was named Baldwin. Feb.
336 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
10, 1880, the name was changed to Honner. On March 17, 1881,
fractional section 31, township 113-34 was added to Honner
township.
The first settler in Honner township was George Johnson and
his son, Marion, who came to Redwood county in 1864, and settled
on the south shore of Tiger lake. The next year, Hugh Curry
took a claim in the township. J. S. G. Honner, for whom the
township was named, was one of the first settlers of Redwood
Palls, and later took a claim on the Minnesota river in what is
now Honner township.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1882 says:
"A village was laid out partly in each of sections 20 and 29, on
land owned by E. B. Daniels, about 1876, and called Riverside.
A store, an elevator, a hotel, a blacksmith shop and a few other
buildings were put up ; a post-office was also established. The
town was not a success ; the hotel and elevator were moved into
Redwood Falls, and there remain but two small buildings on the
site. In 1869, E. Birum & Brother built a water-power saw-mill
in section 30 on the Redwood river. It continued in operation
as such until 1879, when it was changed to a grist-mill. It now
has two run of stone, and is operated by E. Birum, the present
proprietor. The German Evangelical congregation held services
at the house of Bernhard Kunzli in section 29, in 1867, conducted
by the Rev. Hillscher. An organization was effected by the Rev.
Schmidt in 1880, with seventeen members.
"A school was taught in 1876, in an old building in section
21, by Alice Patton; she had about twelve pupils. This was the
only school taught in town as it was divided into joint districts,
one part going to Redwood Palls, and the other to District 2,
in Paxton township. The first birth was that of Frederick, a son
of J. S. G. Honner and wife. He was born Oct. 24, 1868. The
first death was that of a little daughter of George and Mary E.
Johnson, who died in October, 1868. The first marriage was that
of William Davis and Mahala Johnson in the spring of 1867.
"The first town meeting was held at the house of David Wat-
son, in section 31, Jan. 24, 1881. The officers elected were : Super-
visors, Henry Birum (chairman), Marion Johnson, Stephen Rus-
sell; Clerk, J. K. Deming; assessor, J. S. G. Honner; treasurer,
R. W. Rockwell; justice, David Watson; constable, G. B. Dove."
Honner township now has from 28 to 32 voters. Shoemaker's
hall is the voting place. The supervisors are M. Anderson, A. H.
Seebeck and F. J. Hoepner. H. R. Simondet is the clerk. The
justice of the peace and the constable have not qualified. The
early records of the township have not been preserved, the
present records in the possession of the clerk dating back only
to 1905.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
UNDERWOOD TOWNSHD?.
Underwood township is located in the northwest corner of
Redwood county, and embraces Congressional township 112-39.
It is bounded on the north by Yellow Medicine county, on the
east by Vesta township and on the south by Westline township,
and on the west by Lyon county. The Redwood river flows in
an easterly direction through the central part. The surface is
high rolling prairie. There are no railroads passing through the
township and the township has no villages. The trading centers
are Vesta, Milroy and Redwood Falls in Redwood county and
Marshall and Cottonwood in Lyon county. There are four school
houses. The predominating nationalies are German, Scotch and
American.
The original survey of this township was begun July 20, and
completed August 16, 1867. The work was done by Richard
H. L. Jewett and George C. Home, U. S. deputy surveyors. They
described the land as high, rolling prairie with soil of the first
quality growing lighter and more sandy as approaching the river
while along the line between the prairie and bottom land the soil
became gravelly and second rate. There were two small lakes in
the northwest part. There was but little timber. A road was
found running through the central part of the township in a
westerly direction.
Beginning with September 4, 1876, Underwood township was
a part of Yellow Medicine township, and after Yellow Medicine
county was organized March 6, 1871, was considered a part of
Redwood Falls township. Underwood was created with its present
boundaries April 13, 1876, and an election ordered to be held at
the home of Levi Ten Eyck, May 2, 1876.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1882 says:
"Levi Ten Eyck, who located on section 20, in August, 1869, was
the first actual settler. George and Charles Mead, Archie and
William Stewart, John Noble, Archie McLean and R. H. Mc-
Kittrick came the next year. May 2, 1876, the town was organ-
ized ; the first officers were : William Cahoon, chairman, Malcom
McNiven and A. H. Morgan, supervisors ; Daniel McNiven, clerk ;
R. H. McKittrick, assessor; Levi Ten Eyck, treasurer; Archie
Noble and James McKay, justices; Collin Mattheson and James
Gilkey, constables. There was no school till the winter of 1879,
when Mrs. William Simmons taught at home. Box Elder post-
office was established in 1879, and Eben Martin appointed post-
master. The first marriage was James McKay and Anna Monroe,
by Rev. Mr. Simmons, 1877. The first birth was Van Dyke, son
of Levi Ten Eyck, born March 20, 1870. A son of Henry Johnson
died in 1877, the first death."
338 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
VESTA TOWNSHIP.
Vesta township is located in the northwestern part of Red-
wood county, and embraces Congressional township 112-38. It is
bounded on the north by Yellow Medicine county and half a mile
of Entire, due to the mistake in the survey; on the east by
Sheridan, on the south by Granite Rock, and on the west by
Underwood. The Redwood river flows eastwardly through the
central part of it. The surface is generally rolling. The Sanborn-
Vesta branch of the Chicago and Northwestern enters it on the
east side and passes in a northwesterly direction to the center
of the township, stopping at Vesta. The only village is Vesta.
The trading centers are Vesta, Echo, Seaforth and Redwood Falls.
There are six school houses. The predominating nationality is
Bohemian and German.
The original survey of this township was begun August 15,
1859, and finished August 23, 1859, by Mahlon Black, U. S. deputy
surveyor. He described the surface as generally rolling and
marshy. The soil, where it was not marshy, was of a first rate
quality. The land was all prairie with no timber. A wagon road
passed east and west through the center of this township.
Beginning with September 4, 1866, Vesta was a part of Yellow
Medicine township, and after Yellow Medicine county was or-
ganized March 6, 1871, was considered a part of Redwood Falls
township. Vesta was created with its present boundaries, May
11, 1880.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1882 says :
"The first claim was taken by William Smith in the fall of 1868
on section 14. He was followed by Mathias and Hubbard Burgess,
Hiram Eldredge, George and Albert Dunning, in May 1869. The
town was set apart for organization May 11, 1880, and the first
election was ordered held at the house of Sarah Mcintosh, May 29
following. The name was given by Commissioner Hotchkiss after
the goddess Vesta. The first school was taught by Mrs. Mary
Reed in 1872, at the house of Hubbard Burgess ; schools are still
conducted in private houses. Religious services have been con-
ducted by the Methodist society for several years at private
houses. The first marriage was that of S. Holson and Eliza Bur-
gess in the winter of 1873. The first death was an infant daughter
of William Smith, that died in November, 1870, and was buried
on the farm.
SHERIDAN TOWNSHIP.
Sheridan township is located in the north-central part of
Redwood county and embraces Congressional township 112-37.
It is bounded on the north by Kintire and a half mile of Delhi,
on the east by Redwood Falls, on the south by Vail, and on the
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 339
west by Vesta. Redwood river flows through its central part in
an easterly and north easterly direction. The surface is rolling
prairie. The Vesta-Sanborn branch of the Chicago and North-
western crosses its southwest corner. Its only village is Seaforth
with a population in 1915 of 146 persons. The trading centers
are Seaforth, Redwood Falls, Vesta, and Belview. There are eight
school houses. The predominating nationality is German.
The original survey of this township was made during 1864
by Charles Davis and James Webb, Jr., U. S. Deputy surveyors.
The work was started on August 13, 1864. The township had very
few wet marshes or swamps. The land was rolling prairie and
meadow. The soil was first rate. The Redwood river ran through
the township, but owing to the dry season was very low. The
banks were for the most part from four to six feet high and
therefore were not likely to overflow. There was no timber
excepting small clusters of cottonwood and willow along the Red-
wood river. The Sioux Indian reservation line extended through
sections 12, 11, 2 and 3 of this township. A road ran nearly
straight east and west in the south of the township through sec-
tions 25 and 30 inclusive.
The west part of Sheridan township was included in Yellow
Medicine township by act of the county commissioners March 2,
1868, and the east part was considered a part of Redwood Falls
township beginning with the organization of the county. January
4, 1870, the commissioners created Holton, with the present boun-
daries of Sheridan. A change of name to Sheridan was authorized
by the commissioners September 8, 1870.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1882 says :
"The town was organized January 22, 1870, at the house of George
Reiber. The names of Holton, Bath and Sheridan were voted
upon as the name for the town, and the result proved in favor
of Sheridan. The following officers were elected : George Reiber,
chairman, Chester Fisk and George G. Sandford, supervisors;
D. V. Francis, clerk; Daniel Thompson, assessor; John Holton,
treasurer; Edwin Payne and Thomas Barr, justices; Adolph
Leonard and Robert Thompson, constables. In May, 1868. Charles
Holton came in, bringing his wife, a daughter and four sons.
Mr. Holton selected a claim in section twelve. The two oldest
sons, John and Laurence, took claims in section fourteen. A house
was built on Mr. Holton 's claim, where they all lived during the
first winter. Mr. Holton died in December, 1878. In the fall of
1868, George Reiber located on section 10, followed in 1869 by
Robert Thompson. The first school was taught in the summer
of 1874, in a building on section 6, erected for the purpose; there
are now three school-houses. Weldon post-office was established
in 1873, with Thomas Barr, postmaster; the office was discontinued
after a few years. The first marriage was Adolph Leonard and
34U HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Bertha Holton, in 1872. Albert E. Clark, born September 26, 1872,
was the first birth. The first death was Annie, wife of Laurence
Holton, who died August 29, 1872."
REDWOOD FALLS TOWNSHD?.
Redwood Palls township is located in the northeast central
part of Redwood county, and embraces Congressional township
112-36. It is bounded on the north by Delhi and half a mile of
Honner, caused by the variation in the survey, on the east by
Paxton, on the south by New Avon, and on the west by Sheridan.
The Redwood river crosses its northern part, flowing in a north-
easterly direction and passing out through section 1. The Sleepy
Eye-Redwood Falls branch of the Chicago and Northwestern
enters it in section 1 and stops at the city of Redwood Falls.
The surface is level in the southern part and rolling in the
northern part. The trading center and only city is Redwood
Falls. There are six schoolhouses. The predominating nationality
is American.
The original survey was made by James L. Nowlin, U. S.
deputy surveyor, who started September 3, 1858, and finished
September 8, of the same year. He described the surface as level
or rolling. The soil was generally of the best quality. He found
a little timber in this township, including oak, ash, maple and elm.
A wagon road crossed in the northeast and southwest direction
through the northern part of the township. An Indian trail
was also found in the northern part of the township.
From the organization of the county, the whole county was
considered a part of Redwood Falls township unless definitely
created into another township. The township however had not
been definitely created by the commissioners, and to remedy this
defect, the commissioners created it on Jan. 7, 1880, and ordered
an election held at the Court House, Jan. 22, 1880. Town meet-
ings were regularly held in the township from April 3, 1866, and
an act of the legislature later legalized all acts between that date
and Jan. 22, 1880.
The early history of Redwood Falls township is identical with
that of the village.
PAXTON TOWNSHD?.
Paxton township is located in the northeast central part of
Redwood county, and embraces Congressional township 112-35.
It is bounded on the north by Honner, on the east by Sherman,
on the south by Three Lakes, and on the west by Redwood Falls.
Little Crow creek runs in a north and east direction in the north-
ern part of this township. The surface is level in some places and
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 341
rolling in others. The Sleepy Eye-Redwood Falls branch of the
Chicago and Northwestern crosses it diagonally from the south-
east to the northwest corner. Its only station is Gilfillan, con-
sisting of a few houses. The extreme eastern portion of Redwood
Falls is also in this township. The trading centers are Morgan
and Redwood Falls, in Redwood county, and Morton in Renville
county. There are five schoolhouses. The predominating na-
tionality is American, many being of eastern and Scotch-American
ancestry. The Indian agency with its school, church and colony
is in this township.
The original survey of this township was made during the
year 1858. It was started by James L. Nowlin, U. S. deputy sur-
veyor, on September 9, 1858. The surface was rolling generally
but level in some places. The soil was for the most part first rate.
No large lakes or streams were found. Several Indian fields were
found, especially in the north and east parts. The township was
full of trails crossing and joining one another. Only a little
timber was found, burr oak toward the east, and both red oak
and linden toward the center and west.
Beginning with the organization of the county, Paxton was
considered a part of Redwood Falls township. Paxton was
created by the county commissioners with its present boundaries
July 30, 1879, and the first meeting ordered held Sept. 13, 1879,
at the school house in District 20. Before Paxton was organized,
several attempts were made to organize Blackwood. On petition
on May 3, 1872, the commissioners created Blackwood, consisting
of township 112-35 and all of 113-35 lying in this county. But
the action was reconsidered, and laid on the table until a future
meeting. June 4, 1872, Blackwood was created, consisting of
township 112-35 and all of township 113-35 in this county, except
sections 18, 19, 20, 29, 30, 31 and 32.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1884 says:
"Paxton was named in honor of J. W. Paxton, who once owned
the large tract of land now owned by 0. B. Turrell. The first
town meeting was held September 13, 1879; officers elected:
"William Perry, chairman; Z. Y. Hatch and Benjamin Wolf,
supervisors ; S. F. Cale, clerk ; A. A. Wilson, treasurer ; D. R.
Morrison and W. W. Byington, justices; C. E. Goodwin and
Charles Tyrrell, constables. The first settlers were John McMillan,
Sr., and son James, Paul Brott, Norman Webster, George John-
son and C. D. Chapman. The farm allotted to the Indian Chief,
Little Crow, was in this town ; a number of buildings had been
erected by the government for the Indians, and these the settlers
occupied on their arrival. The first school was taught by Mary
Bailey in the winter of 1866-7, supported by subscription. The
next year a building was erected ; there are now two frame school
houses in the town. The first religious service was held in the
342 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
fall of 1870, by a Presbyterian, Rev. Lyon. The Advent denomi-
nation formed a society in 1876, under the leadership of Elders
Grant and Dimmick ; the present leader is Elder C. D. Chapman.
Paxton village was surveyed in 1878, on section 26 ; a small store
was conducted by the Cale Brothers, a couple of years, the only
improvement made. The postoffice was established in 1878 with
S. F. Cale postmaster; Harvey Moore now has the office at his
house near the station."
SHERMAN TOWNSHIP.
Sherman township is located in the northeast corner of Red-
wood county, and embraces Congressional fractional township
112-34. It is bounded on the north by the Minnesota river, on the
east by Brown county, on the south by Morgan, on the west by
Paxton. Wabasha river flows in a northeasterly direction through
the central part of this township. It has no station nor railroad.
The surface is level or gently rolling and high. The trading
centers are Morton in Renville county and Morgan and Redwood
Falls in Redwood county. There are four school houses. The
predominating nationality is German.
The original survey was begun August 9, 1858, and finished
August 13, 1858, by James A. Nowlin, U. S. deputy surveyor. He
described the land as level or rolling and high. The soil was first
rate in nearly every case. This township had numerous Indian
farms. The timber was scarce except along the Minnesota river,
which entered this township in section 6 and passed in a south-
easterly direction, leaving the township in section 24. The follow-
ing kinds of trees were found : oak, elm, hackberry, ash, willow,
burr oak, aspen, lind, cottonwood, maple, and boxelder. The
Sioux Agency road extended northwest and southeast through
the center of the township.
Beginning with the organization of the county, Sherman was
considered a part of Redwood Falls township. Sherman town-
ship was created by the county commissioners Sept. 7, 1869. The
township was described as follows : ' ' All the territory of township
112, range 34, and all the territory of township 113, range 34,
lying south of the Minnesota river." This was intended to mean
all that part of both townships lying south of the river, but it was
held that the words "lying south of the Minnesota river" applied
only to township 113, range 34, and that as part of this area lay
in Renville county, the creation of the county was illegal. Con-
sequently, on Feb. 10, 1880, the township was recreated, consist-
ing of that part of 112-34 lying south of the Minnesota. The
boundaries have thus remained to the present day. That part
of township 113-34 lying south of the Minnesota (a fractional part
of a section) was included in Honner by legislative enactment.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 343
The story of the Lower Sioux Agency established in this town-
ship in 1853 is told elsewhere in this work, as is the story of the
Massacre. The old stone house erected by the government is still
standing, and various markers and monuments mark historic sites
in the township.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1884 says:
"Of the settlers who came after the Massacre J. J. Light was the
first; he came in the spring of 1866. Claims were taken later by
James and John Arnold, Cassius Frazier and George Cary. The
first death was that of Mrs. John "Wall, in the spring of 1868.
The first marriage was that of M. S. Hamblen and Clara J. Bailey.
The latter taught the first school in the town in the summer of
1870, in an old log building on section 8 ; there were eight scholars.
There are now two frame school houses in the town. Lower Sioux
Agency postoffice was established about 1868 at the house of
James Arnold. The office has had several changes and is now in
charge of R. H. "Warren at his house.
"The first town meeting was ordered by the Commissioners
to be held at the home of Joseph Poppet, but it was actually held
at the house of A. E. Kneipple in section 8, October 4, 1869. The
name was given in honor of Gen. "William T. Sherman, the famous
hero. The officers for that year were : J. J. Light, chairman,
A. E. McCarty and M. C. Tower, supervisors; M. S. Hamblen,
clerk; James Stephens, treasurer; J. M. Little, justice; J. F.
Deitzmann and 0. C. Dwyer, constables. No assessor elected until
the following spring, when 0. W. Newton assumed the office."
WESTLINE TOWNSHIP.
"Westline township is located in the northwest part of Red-
wood county bordering on the west side, and embraces Congres-
sional township 111-39. It is bounded on the north by Underwood,
on the east by Granite Rock, on the south by Gales townships,
and on the west by Lyon county. The surface is generally roll-
ing, but marshy in some places. The Evan-Marshall division of
the Chicago and Northwestern passes through it in a northwest
direction in the central part. Its only village is Milroy. The
trading centers are Milroy, Lucan and Redwood Falls, in Red-
wood county, and Marshall in Lyon county. There are five school
houses. The predominating nationality is German, Scandinavian
and American.
The orginal survey of this township was begun July 15, 1867,
and finished July 30. 1867. The work was done by Richard H. L.
Jewett and George G. Howe, IT. S. deputy surveyors. They
described the soil as of the first quality in two-thirds of the
township ; the remainder being light and sandy. Most of the
marshes were full of water although the surface was generally
344 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
rolling. No streams were found. Three small lakes required
meandering. There was no timber in the township.
Beginning with Sept. 4, 1866, Westline was included in Yellow
Medicine township, and after Yellow Medicine county was or-
ganized, March 6, 1871, was considered a part of Redwood Falls
township. Westline was created by the county commissioners,
Sept. 25, 1878, with its present boundaries.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1882, says :
"Settlement began in 1872. In May, of that year, Michael Mur-
ray and his sons, Thomas and Garrett, with families, came in and
located in section 14, where they still remain excepting Thomas,
who went to Colorado in 1877. John Cole came in 1873. The
town was organized Oct. 14, 1878, at the house of H. N. Eggleston.
The following officers were elected : C. West, chairman ; Garrett
Murray and James Shaw, supervisors ; Benjamin C. Frost, clerk ;
Hugh Curry, treasurer; H. N. Eggleston and N. B. Weymouth,
justices; and William Arnold, constable. There are three frame
school houses in the town. The first school was taught by Ada
Chamberlain during the spring of 1879. West Line postoffice
was established in the fall of 1878, N. B. Weymouth was appointed
postmaster and the office located at his house in section 26. The
office was discontinued in the summer of 1880. A Mr. Webster
and Jane Shaw were married at the house of G. M. Shaw in the
spring of 1879. This was the first marriage in the town. The first
birth was that of Patrick Murray, in February, 1875. He was
a son of Thomas and Honora Murray. The first death was that
of Oscar Eggleston, a son of H. N. Eggleston. He died December
13, 1881, and was buried at Marshall, in Lyon county."
GRANITE ROCK TOWNSHIP.
Granite Rock township is located in the west central part of
Redwood county, and embraces Congressional township 111-38.
It is bounded on the north by Vesta, on the east by Vail, on the
south by Johnsonville, and on the west by Westline. A branch
of the Redwood river crosses it on the northern side, flowing in
a northeasterly direction. The Evan-Marshall branch of the
Chicago and Northwestern passes due east and west through its,
center. The surface is generally rolling. Its only village is
Lucan. The trading centers are Lucan, Vesta, Wabasso, and
Redwood Falls. There are five school houses. The predominating
nationality is German.
The original survey of this township was done by Mahlon
Black, U. S. deputy surveyor, being begun January 4, 1859, and
finished July 12, 1859. He described the land as generally rolling
and the soil as first class, although some of the western portion
of this township was of an inferior quality. There were no roads
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 345
and no timber. He found a small lake in sections 17 and 20;
also one in sections 13 and 18.
Beginning with Sept. 4, 1866, Granite Rock was a part of
Yellow Medicine township, and after Yellow Medicine county was
organized March 6, 1871, was considered a part of Redwood Palls
township. Granite Rock township was created by the commis-
sioners between July, 1889, and July, 1900.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1884 says:
"Although settlement began in 1872, this township remains un-
organized, being the only one in the county in that condition.
The first settler was J. C. Vining, who came in the spring of 1871,
and located in section 2, where he lived until 1876 ; W. W. Howe
came the following fall, and took a claim also in section 2; his
family came out in the spring of 1872, and is still living on his
original claim. No other settlers came until 1874, when a few
came in and took claims, but moved away after a short stay, on
account of the grasshoppers. Settlers began to move in again in
1877. The first marriage in the town occurred in December, 1881.
The contracting parties were Charles Noah and Sarah Comstock.
The first birth was that of Abbie P. Howe, a daughter of W. W.
and Sarah Howe, born July 2, 1872."
Even as late as June 2, 1885, there were only seven families
in Granite Rock township. The families were those of Henry
Gohrman, Angus Currie, Joseph McGeough, Alexander McLeod,
W. W. Howe, Nelson Comstock, and William Comstock. The
Gohrmans were from Germany, the Curries from Canada, the
McGeoughs from Ireland, the McLeods from Scotland, the Howes
from Michigan and the Comstocks from Iowa and New York.
VAIL TOWNSHIP.
Vail township is located in the central part of Redwood county,
and embraces Congressional township 111-37. It is bounded on
the north by Sheridan, on the east by New Avon, on the south
by Waterbury and on the west by Granite Rock. A small branch
of the Redwood river passes across the northwest corner of it.
The Vesta-Sanborn branch of the Chicago and Northwestern
crosses it from north to south and the Evan-Marshall branch of
the same road passes across it from east to west. The surface is
rolling, but marshy in the central part. The only village is
Wabasso. The trading centers are Wabasso and Redwood Falls.
There are four school houses. The predominating nationality is
German.
The original survey of this township was made during 1859,
work having been begun by M. Black, U. S. deputy surveyor, on
June 23, 1859. The soil was generally first class and rolling,
except in the marshy places toward the center. There were no
346 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
trees worth mentioning. A small stream ran through the north-
west corner of section 6.
Beginning with March 2, 1868, the western part of the town-
ship was included in Yellow Medicine township, and after Yel-
low Medicine county was organized March 6, 1871, was considered
a part of Redwood Falls township, together with the eastern part
which had been considered a part of Redwood Falls township
since the organization of Redwood county. Vail was created by
the commissioners July 30, 1879, and given the name of Center.
It was found, however, that another township in the county bore
that name, and on August 29, 1879, the name was changed to
Vail in honor of Fred Vail Hotchkiss, a member of the county
board.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1882 says:
"John Tabor was the first settler; he came in the spring of 1869
and located in section 4. James Longbottom came in October
and settled in section 8. The next settlers were A. Milloy, M.
McMillan and Henry Meyer. The first town meeting was held
at James Longbottom 's house, Sept. 16, 1879, and the following
officers were elected : James Longbottom, chairman, David
Weaver and Archibald Milloy, supervisors; John Longbottom,
clerk ; Chauncey Bunday, assessor ; Henry Meyer, treasurer ; Theo-
dore Daub and John Tabor, justices; Henry Meyer and James
Longbottom, constables. The first marriage was that of John
A. Peterson and Elizabeth Longbotton. They were married in
January, 1875, at the residence of James Longbottom in section
8, by the Rev. Chamberlain."
NEW AVON TOWNSHIP.
New Avon township is located in the central part of Red-
wood county, and embraces Congressional township 111-36. It is
bounded on the north by Redwood Palls, on the east by Three
Lakes, on the south by Willow Lake, and on the west by Vail.
The surface is level or gently rolling. The Evan-Marshall branch
of the Chicago and Northwestern crosses it from east to west
in the southern part. Its only station is Rowena, consisting of an
elevator, a store, a school house, and several homes. The trading
centers are Morgan and Redwood Falls. There are four school
houses. The predominating nationality is German.
The original survey was begun July 7, 1858, by James L. Now-
lin, U. S. deputy surveyor. It was finished Sept. 2, 1858. This
township had some marshes and ponds and one small lake in sec-
tion 6. The surface was found to be quite level but rolling in
some places, and the soil was first rate, generally speaking. There
were no roads and no timber.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 347
Beginning with the organization of the county, this township
was considered a part of Redwood Falls township. Avon town-
ship was created with the present boundaries of New Avon, Sept.
4, 1872. There being another township of this name in the state,
the name was changed to New Avon on Jan. 7, 1873.
A number of claims were filed in 1868-69, but the first actual
settlements were made in 1870. George I. Davis, at present a
resident of the township, passed through this region in 1870,
but did not remain. Later John Turnbull, Henry Blanchard,
James Johnson, and Ira Holliday settled in the township. These
people were all there when J. S. Towle arrived with his wife
and three children, May 15, 1871. He had spent the previous
winter in Redwood Falls. April 20, 1871, George I. Davis arrived.
Other settlers this year were D. L. Scriven, Daniel McPhee, John
McPhee, J. L. Duncan, and Thomas Wolverton, all of these people
were of Scotch, English and American ancestry. Jacob Werder,
who arrived in 1872, was the first of the Germans who have since
so thickly settled in the township. Mr. Johnson had a log house,
the others were of board, though the house of Mr. Davis and
several of the others was reinforced with sod. The roof of Mr.
Towle 's house was one which he took with him from Redwood
Falls, where he had roofed over a cabin for winter habitation.
In 1873, on the afternoon of the great blizzard, Mr. Towle and
his young son, William, and Mr. Davis were getting rails on the
Minnesota bottoms some three miles from Redwood Falls. The
day was unusually warm and the men were working without
their coats. Suddenly the snow began to fall so thickly that the
tops of the trees were obscured. The three took refuge in Red-
wood Falls, where the Towles stayed for two days. Mr. Davis,
after spending the night in the village became so worried about
his family and his stock that he set our during the terrible storm
and reached his home in safety.
The first town meeting in New Avon was held Sept. 5, 1872,
at the home of J. S. Towle with some ten or twelve voters in
attendance. The following officers were elected : Supervisors,
J. S. Towle (chairman), James Johnson and Ira Holliday; clerk,
John Turnbull; treasurer, Henry Blanchard; assessor, David
Worst; justice of the peace, J. P. Towle. Of the men who at-
tended this meeting, only Mr. Davis and Mr. Towle are now living.
The New Avon postoffice with J. S. Towle as postmaster flour-
ished some twelve years. It was not on the regular stage route
and the mail was supposed to be brought in a sack from Redwood
Falls twice a week. There was often, however, considerable ir-
regularity, as whoever was driving to the village usually brought
out the mail.
There is a town cemetery in the southeast quarter of the north-
east quarter of section 8. The first burial was that of Henry
348 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Blanchard, the pioneer. There is a church cemetery in the north-
east quarter of the southeast quarter of section 22.
The first religious services were conducted by Rev. Taylor,
a Presbyterian, in the summer of 1873. In September, 1879, the
Methodist society was organized ; services are conducted by Rev.
Pemberton. The first meetings were held in 1874, under the
leadership of Rev. Smith. The first school was taught by Flora
McNiven, in 1872 ; there are now three frame school houses in the
town. The first marriage was George Davis and Ellen Winslow,
Dec. 24, 1872, by J. S. Towle. The first birth was John, son of
James Johnson, in 1872. The first death was that of Isabella,
daughter of D. M. Scriven, Jan. 21, 1874. For a time a creamery
flourished in the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of
section 28.
THREE LAKES TOWNSHIP.
Three Lakes township is located in the east-central part of
Redwood county, and embraces Congressional township 111-35.
It is bounded on the north by Paxton, on the east by Morgan, on
the south by Sundown and on the west by New Avon. The
Evan-Marshall branch of the Chicago and Northwestern crosses
it in the southern part; and the Sleepy Eye-Redwood Falls
branch of the same road passes through the northeast corner.
The surface is smooth prairie land. There are two lakes of fairly
good size in this township. The only village is Clements. The
trading centers are Morgan and Redwood Falls, in Redwood
county, and Springfield in Brown county. There are four school
houses. The predominating nationality is German, with quite a
few Bohemians.
The original survey of this township was made during 1858,
work being started by James L. Nowlin, U. S. deputy surveyor,
on July 7, 1858. This township was mostly rich, smooth prairie.
The timber was scarce. There was one lake in parts of sections
4 and 9 and another in parts of sections 8 and 9. There were
quite a good many low marshy places all through the township.
Beginning with the organization of the county, this township
was considered a part of Redwood Falls township. Three Lakes
was created by the county commissioners with its present boun-
daries March 16, 1876.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1882 says :
"The first claim was made in the spring of 1868 by David "Wat-
son ; the claim was jumped by two men. Hunt and Walker ; they
put up a shanty and lived there for a time, but in 1869 Watson
regained possession. Settlers of 1869 were David Parker, Henry
Blanchard, Ora A. and Oland Sisson, Mike Mahoney and A. J.
Welch. Mary Tenney taught the first school in 1874; a frame
school house was built in 1876. Three Lakes postoffice was estab-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 349
lished in 1875, and discontinued in two years. The first town
meeting was held at the house of David Watson, April 4, 1876.
Officers elected: James Watson, chairman, Robert Parker and
Abel Leighton, supervisors ; Daniel Watson, clerk ; Robert Parker,
assessor; Robert Montgomery, treasurer; James and David Wat-
son, justices ; David Parker and Albert Dahms, constables ; Robert
Montgomery, poundmaster."
According to the records now in the possession of H. N. Redig,
town clerk, the above information regarding the first meeting
is incorrect. Mr. Redig 's transcript of the minutes of the first
meeting is as follows: "The first town meeting was held at the
home of David Watson, April 4, 1876. Robert Parker was ap-
pointed clerk of the meeting, James Watson, moderator, and
David Watson and Thomas Moore, judges of election. Ballots
were then cast for town officers as follows: Chairman, James
Watson, 8 votes ; supervisors, Robert Parker 7 votes, Louis White
6 votes; Justices, David Watson 7 votes, Thomas Moore 7 votes;
clerk, Louis White 6 votes; treasurer, Robert Montgomery 5
votes; assessor, Robert Parker 5 votes; constable, Albert Dahms
9 votes: overseer of the poor, Albert Leighton 3 votes; overseer
of roads, James Watson 5 votes; poundmaster, Robert Parker."
MORGAN TOWNSHIP.
Morgan township is located in the east central part of Red-
wood county, and embraces Congressional township 111-34. It
is bounded on the north by Sherman, on the east by Brown county,
on the south by Brookville. and on the west by Three Lakes.
The Sleepy Eye -Redwood Falls branch of the Chicago and North-
western crosses it diagonally from the southeast to the northwest
corner. The surface is low and rolling in some places and high
level prairie in others. Its only village is Morgan. There are
five school houses. The predominating nationality is German.
The original survey was made in 1858, work being begun on
July 8. by James L. Nowlin, U. S. deputy surveyor, and finished
July 13. He described the land as low and marshy in some places,
and rolling or high level prairie in others. The soil was first rate
all through with one or two exceptions. There are many marshes.
He found an Indian trail in section 22. There was a small lake in
parts of sections 32 and 33. The U. S. Territorial road extends
northwest and southeast through the center of the township. He
found the agency road between sections 3 and 4 in the northern
part of the township. There was no timber, neither was there any
stones or minerals worthy of note, and there were no springs.
Beginning with the organization of the county this township
was considered a part of Redwood Falls township. Morgan town-
ship was created by the county commissioners May 11, 1880, and
350 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
an election ordered held at the "Railroad Station House" on
May 26, 1880. The History of the Minnesota Valley published in
1882 says: "Owing to insufficiency of notice, this meeting was
not held. The county commissioners being notified of the fact,
appointed the following officers: Thomas Butcher, chairman,
L. C. Ketcham and William McGinnis, supervisors ; James Butcher,
clerk; C. Christianson, treasurer; Peter Madsen and Ehud Peter-
son constables. The first settlement was made by the tenants on
the farms of the large land-owners, who own over two-thirds of
the town. They began to open up these farms about eight years
ago, and built a number of houses for their tenants. Settlement
by men on their own land began a couple of years later. The
village of Morgan was laid out in August, 1878, and contains one
general store, one blacksmith shop, one lumber yard, one elevator
and one hotel. The postoffice was established the same year, and
the present incumbent, George Knudsen, appointed postmaster."
According to the transcript of the minutes made by F. W.
Zaske, the town clerk, the first town meeting was held at Morgan
Station on March 8, 1881. Ten votes were cast, and officers were
elected as follows: Supervisors, C. R. Kundall (chairman), Wil-
liam McGinnis and G. M. Kurd ; clerk, James Butcher ; treasurer,
George Knudsen ; justices, F. S. Hollan and C. Christianson ; con-
stable, W. Behnkie.
GALES TOWNSHIP.
Gales township is located in the southwest part of Redwood
county, bordering the west side, and embraces Congressional
township 110-39. It is bounded on the north by Westline, on the
east by Johnsonville, on the south by Springdale, and on the
west by Lyon county. The Cottonwood river flows in a south-
easterly direction through the central part of it, and two small
creeks flow in a northeasterly direction through the east part.
The surface is a high rolling prairie. There are no railroads nor
villages in Gales township. The trading centers are Tracy in
Lyon county, Walnut Grove, Milroy and Redwood Falls in Red-
wood county. There are four school houses. The predominating
nationality is American.
The original survey of this township was begun July 10, 1867,
and finished July 15, 1867, by Richard H. L. Jewett and George
G. Howe, TJ. S. deputy surveyors. The surface was described as
high, rolling prairie, and the soil was not all first class, but quite
light and sandy in some places. The banks of the Big Cottonwood
had an occasional clump of willow and box elder trees. A small
lake was found in sections 5, 8 and 9.
Beginning with September 4, 1866, Gales was included in Yel-
low Medicine township, and after Yellow Medicine county was
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 351
organized March 6, 1871, was considered a part of Redwood Falls
township. Gales was created by the commissioners June 19, 1876.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1884 says:
"This town was named for the early settlers, A. L. and S. S.
Gale, who came in May, 1872 ; at about the same time C. H. and
C. W. Piper located. A. J. and C. E. Porter came during the same
summer. July 18, 1876, the first town meeting was held at the
house of A. J. Porter; officers elected: A. J. Porter, chairman;
C. J. Nelson and J. J. Kelsey, supervisors; C. E. Porter, clerk;
S. S. Gale, assessor ; C. J. Nelson, treasurer ; A. L. Gale and A. P.
Langnest, justices; Hans Peterson, constable. The first school
was taught by Ada Thrall in the summer of 1879, using 0. "W.
Ellis' granary. There are now three frame school houses in the
town."
A. M. Grunden, the present town clerk, has devoted consider-
able time to research concerning the early days of Gales town-
ship, and has written for this history the following article.
The first settler in township 110, range 39, was a Swedish
family, consisting of A. P. Lanquest, his wife and baby daughter.
They came about 1871 and settled on the northeast quarter of
section 24. Next came S. S. Gale and wife; A. L. Gale, a single
man; A. J. Porter and wife, and Charles F. Porter and wife.
These families arrived in 1872. The Porters settled on the south
half of section 8, and the Gales on the east half of section 10.
The same year (1872) a number of other settlers came, among
whom should be mentioned Jacob Johnson and wife ; Ch. Gulick
Johnson (or Jacobson), a single man ; Lars Peterson and wife and
child ; his father, Peder Pederson, a widower ; and Hans Pederson,
a single man. Jacob Johnson settled on the southwest quarter of
section 32; Christian Gulick Johnson (or Jacobson) on the south-
east quarter of section 30; Hans Pederson on the northwest
quarter of section 32 ; Pars and Peder Pederson on the northeast
quarter of section 32.
In 1874 A. M. Grunden settled on the west half of the south-
west quarter, and the north half of the southwest quarter of
section 14.
Taxes were low. Property was assessed by 0. C' Martin of
Redwood Falls in 1876. But there was not much to assess, Messrs.
Grasshoppers did the harvesting in 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876 and
1877. and Mr. Prairie Fire did the threshing.
The first town meeting in Gales township was held at the
home of A. James Porter, in the soxitheast quarter of section 8,
on July 18, 1876. The meeting was called to order by C. F. Porter,
who was elected clerk. A. L. Gale was made moderator, and
S. S. Gale and C. J. Nelson, judsres. The judges and the clerk
swore each other into service. The next town meeting was or-
dered held at the home of C. J. Nelson, north half of section 28.
352 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The officers elected were: Supervisors, A. James Porter (chair-
man), C. J. Nelson and J. J. Kelsey ; clerk, C. E. Porter; treasurer,
C. J. Nelson; assessor, S. S. Gale; justices, A. L. Gale and A. P.
Languest; constable, Hans Pederson. Nine votes were cast.
A special meeting to consider the issuing of railroad bonds
was called Aug. 8, 1876. The meeting was called to order by
A. L. Gale, acting clerk. S. S. Gale was moderator, and explained
the object of the meeting. The question was then put, "Shall the
County of Redwood issue bonds to the amount of $50,000 to aid
in the construction of a railroad between Sleepy Eye in Brown
county and Redwood Falls in Redwood county." Eleven votes
were cast, every one being against the proposition.
In 1915 the number of voters had increased to a considerable
degree. At a special meeting held June 7, 1915, the question
was put: "Shall the sale of intoxicating liquors be prohibited
in Redwood county?" Of the seventy-nine votes cast, fifty-two
were for prohibiting the sale, and twenty-seven for continuing
the sale. A. M. Grunden and S. E. Weber were clerks of the
election, while S. P. Hicks, A. P. West and J. J. Johnson were the
judges. At the general town meeting held March 14, 1916, there
were sixty-nine votes cast. The list now contains the names of
ninety -six who are qualified to vote at the election in November,
1916.
JOHNSONVILLE TOWNSHIP.
Johnsonville township is located in the west-central part of
Redwood county, and embraces Congressional township 110-38.
It is bounded on the north by Granite Rock, on the east by Water-
bury, on the south by North Hero, and on the west by Gales.
The Cottonwood river passes its southwest corner and Sleepy Eye
creek rises here and flows eastward in the northern section of it.
The surface is rolling, generally, but marshy in some places. The
trading centers are Walnut Grove, Revere and Lamberton, in
Redwood county, and Tracy in Lyon county. There are five
school houses. The predominating nationality is Germen.
The survey of this township was begun July 20, 1859, and fin-
ished July 27, 1859, by Mahlon Black, U. S. deputy surveyor.
He described the land as generally rolling and marshy. The soil
was first class. There was very little timber found.
Beginning Sept. 4, 1866, Johnsonville was included in Yellow
Medicine township and after Yellow Medicine county was or-
ganized March 6, 1871, was considered a part of Redwood Falls
township. Johnsonville was created July 16, 1878, at the home of
Andrew Johnson. No meeting was held on that date.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1882 says:
"January 9, 1879, the county commissioners appointed officers
to hold till the following election : August Larson, chairman, H.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 353
Burmeister and Gust. Johnson, supervisors ; A. P. Johnson, clerk ;
Swan Johnson, assessor; C. Noah, treasurer; C. Herder and C. P.
Johnson, justices; C. Eckland and L. Johnson, constables. The
first settlers were Andrew Larson, Charles Lund, Peter Halt,
Henry Anderson, Gust, and Lewis Johnson, who came in 1872.
The town was named for the Johnsons living in it. "
WATERBURY TOWNSHIP.
Waterbury township is located in the south-central part of
Redwood county and embraces Congressional township 110-37.
It is bounded on the north by Vail, on the east by Willow Lake,
on the south by Lamberton, and on the west by Johnson ville.
Sleepy Eye creek crosses it in the north-central part, flowing in
an easterly and southeasterly direction. The surface is gently
rolling, generally; but marshy along the stream. The Vesta-
Sanborn branch of the Chicago and Northwestern crosses its
northeast corner. The trading centers are Lamberton, Wanda
and Wabasso. There are five school houses. The predominating
nationality is German.
The original survey of this township was made during 1859
by M. Black, U. S. deputy surveyor. The work was started on
July 13, 1859. The land was first class generally. A marshy
stream entered in section 7, running through sections 8, 9, 10,
3, 2, 1 and 12 and thence into Sundown. Along this stream the
land was very low and marshy. In other places the land was
rolling, generally.
Beginning with March 2, 1868, the western half of Waterbury
township was included in Yellow Medicine township, and after
Yellow Medicine county was organized, March 6, 1871, was con-
sidered a part of Redwood Falls township, together with the
eastern part, which in the meantime had been considered a part
of Redwood Falls township since the organization of Redwood
county. Waterbury township was created by the commissioners
March 20, 1878.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1882 says:
"The name was derived from a town of the same name in Ver-
mont. The first settlers were W. J. and Alfred Swoffer, and
M. M. Madigan ; they came in the spring of 1872, and all located
in section 3. James P. and A. Christenson came the same year.
The first town meeting was held April 9, 1878, at Alfred Swoffer 's
house in section 28. Officers elected : R. Clausen, chairman, Hans
Hanson and John Belfany, supervisors ; W. J. Swoffer, clerk ;
J. E. Kenyon, assessor ; Lewis Basel, treasurer ; Benjamin Butler,
justice, and Henry Schmidt, constable. The German Methodist
denomination have an organization and hold services at the
houses of the members, occasionally, having no regular pastor.
354 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The first marriage in the town was that of Alfred Swoffer and
W. M. Knight, December 1, 1879. The first birth was that of
Charles W. Clausen, a son of R. and Mary Clausen, May 1, 1874.
The first death was that of an infant daughter of John Balfany in
September, 1878."
WILLOW LAKE TOWNSHIP.
"Willow Lake township is located in the south central part of
Redwood county, and embraces Congressional township 110-36.
It is bounded on the north by New Avon, on the east by Sundown,
on the south by Charlestown, and on the west by Waterbury.
Sleepy Eye creek crosses it on the north, flowing in an easterly
direction. The surface is smooth prairie land. The Sanborn-Vesta
branch of the Chicago and Northwestern crosses its southwest
corner passing out through section 7. Its only village is Wanda.
The trading centers are Wanda and Redwood Falls. There are
five school houses. The predominating nationality is German.
The original survey was begun August 23, 1858, and finished
August 27, 1858. The work was done by James L. Nowlin, U. S.
deputy surveyor. The land in this township was nearly all smooth
prairie land of a first quality. The surface was slightly rolling.
He found a small lake in a part of sections 33 and 34.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1882 says:
"This town was first settled in 1871, by Christopher Whelan and
his two sons, James McGuire and sons, and Martin Foy, seven
persons; they made claims in the spring of 1872."
Beginning with the organization of the county, this township
was considered a part of Redwood Falls township. Willow Lake
was created with its present boundaries Sept. 2, 1873, and an
election ordered held Sept. 27, 1873.
M. M. Jenniges, the present town clerk, has transcribed for
this work the minutes of the first meeting, and has also furnished
some additional data as follows :
Pursuant to the order of the county board, a caucus was held
at the home of H. B. Goodrich, Sept. 27, 1873. H. B. Goodrich
was named as chairman. W. F. Smith was named as secretary
and was also appointed as a delegate to attend a county conven-
tion at Redwood Falls, Oct. 1, 1873. The following nominations
were then made: Supervisors, H. B. Goodrich (chairman),
H. Evans, J. Dooner ; treasurer, C. Whelan ; justices, M. Foy and
W. F. Smith; constables, James McGuire and William McGrew;
members of the town central committee, W. F. Smith, H. Evans
and B. C. Butler. W. F. Smith and H. B. Goodrich were named
as judges of election. All the officers nominated were elected,
each receiving the total eight votes cast.
The first birth recorded is that of Sumner Edson Butler, a
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 355
son born to Benjamin Edson Butler and Emma Antionett Butler,
Oct. 3, 1873. The first birth of a girl recorded was that of Mary
Altermatt, born April 30, 1874, to Peter Leo Altermatt and Anna
Altermatt. The first death recorded was that of Anna Mary
Gorres, died Jan. 7, 1875, age 58 years, 8 months and 5 days.
The first road was laid out on Dec. 31, 1875, by H. Evans,
Gorres and C. Whelan, supervisors. There is now under construc-
tion in the township a state road from the east end of the town-
ship to the west line. A petition has been presented asking for a
north and south state road also. The town uses nothing but the
best steel culverts and steel bridges. In the spring of 1916, the
town bought an elevator grader, which is propelled by gas power.
The town has every reason to be proud of the wonderful work it
has done in road building in a comparatively few years. All of
the section lines, with the exception of one mile, are public roads.
Nearly all the roads are drained. The good work that has been
done has been accomplished in the face of drawbacks, for gravel
is very difficult to obtain, there being no good gravel pit in the
county.
SUNDOWN TOWNSHIP.
Sundown township is located on the southern border of Red-
wood county just west of Brookville, and embraces Congressional
township 110-35. It is bounded on the north by Three Lakes, on
the east by Brookville, on the south by Brown county, and on the
west by "Willow Lake. Sleepy Eye creek crosses it diagonally,
flowing in a southeasterly direction. There are no stations nor
railroads. The trading centers are Sanborn and Springfield, in
Brown county, and Morgan, in Redwood county. There are four
school houses. The predominating nationality is Danish.
The original survey of this township was made in 1858, work
being commenced by James L. Nowlin, U. S. deputy surveyor, on
July 7, 1858. The land was mostly level prairie. The soil was first
rate. There were no lakes and only a few evidences of white man
to be seen. The Pacific "Wagon Road entered the east of this town-
ship near the section line between sections 24 and 25 and passed
through to the corner of the township.
Beginning with the organization of the county this township
was considered a part of Redwood Falls township. Sundown
township was created by the county commissioners with its pres-
ent boundaries Jan. 7, 1873.
The History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1882 says:
"Settlement began in 1871. That year Lars Thorstenson, C. B.
Guile, M. L. and L. L. Bredvold, brothers; Jacob Lorenz, Ichabod
Murphy, Charles and Andrew Anderson, father and son, and
Calvin Stewart came. The first school was taught in a shanty on
Phillip Matthew's farm in section 27, in 1873. The town now has
356 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
two good frame school houses. The Norwegian and Danish Luth-
erans united and organized about 1873, under the ministry of the
Rev. L. 0. Lund, with about six families. They now have a mem-
bership of about eighteen families but are, at present, without
a pastor. In 1873 the first town meeting was held at the house of
C. B. Guile in section 28. Ten votes were cast with the following
result: Samuel Murphy, chairman; Frank Wolford and C. B.
Guile, supervisors; W. H. Hawk, clerk; C. B. Guile, assessor;
Lewis Sanford, treasurer; B. E. Brothers and Ira Sanford, jus-
tices; Z. Forman and Ed. Welch, constables."
BROOKVILLE TOWNSHIP.
Brookville township is located in the east-south corner of
Redwood county, and embraces Congressional township 110-34.
It is bounded on the north by Morgan, on the east and south by
Brown county, and on the west by Sundown. Sleepy Eye creek
crosses its southwest corner. The Evan-Marshall branch of the
Chicago and Northwestern crosses it in the northeastern part.
The surface is gently rolling. Its station is Wayburne in section
4, consisting of one elevator and several houses. The trading cen-
ters are Evan and Springfield, in Brown county, and Morgan
in Redwood county. There are four school houses. The pre-
dominating nationality is Danish.
The original survey was made in 1858, work being commenced
July 14, 1858, by James L. Nowlin, U. S. deputy surveyor. He
described the land as level, rolling and gently rolling. The soil
was for the most part good, but second rate in some places.
There were many marshes. He found an old Indian trail between
sections 33 and 34 in the southern part of this township. There
was a lake in parts of sections 4 and 9. There were several
ponds besides this in the northern part of the township. The
Pacific wagon road extended east and west through the township
with a branch running north toward the Sioux Agency.
Beginning with the organization of the county, this township
was considered a part of Redwood Falls township. Brookville
was created by the county commissioners Feb. 29, 1872. The
requirements were not complied with, and the township was again
created April 1, 1873.
The History of the Minnesota Valley, published in 1882, says :
"Settlement began in 1869. Among the first to locate were, H. M.
Jensen, Knud Hanson, Peter Jensen, and Ole Petersen, Danes
who came in the spring and located in section 24. Of the Amer-
icans, J. B. Moore was the first to settle ; he came in the summer
of 1869, and located in section 4 on the north side of the lake
that bears his name. His daughter, Melinda F., married G. E.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 357
Conley, at her father's house, Nov. 1, 1873, the first marriage in
the town.
"The first town meeting was held at the house of Peter
Bodiger, in section 30, April 19, 1873. A. L. McDonald called the
meeting to order. On motion of Y. Cornish, B. P. Cady was chosen
moderator. Officers elected: B. F. Cady, chairman; Theodore
Johnson and D. McMullen, supervisors; W. H. Brown, clerk;
Peter Bodiger, assessor; James Sommer and Alonzo Lamphier,
justices ; H. M. Johnson and Ahe Lane, constables. No treasurer
was elected. John McMasters was elected poundmaster. Mr.
Cady failed to qualify as chairman of the town board, and A. L.
McDonald was appointed in his place.
"The Danish Adventists began holding services at the house
of James Sommer in the fall of 1872. The services were con-
ducted by the Rev. J. F. Hansen. The Danish Lutherans began
holding services about ten years ago at private houses and still
continue.
"The first school was taught at the house of D. J. Sheffield
in section 32. There are now three schoolhouses in the town. The
first birth was that of Hans J., a son of J. A. Hansen. He was
born early in 1870. The first death was that of Thorine, a daugh-
ter of Ole Nielson, in the spring of 1874."
SPRINGDALE TOWNSHIP.
Springdale township is located in the southwest corner of
Redwood county, and embraces Congressional township 109-39.
It is bounded on the north by Gales township in Redwood county,
on the east by North Hero township in Redwood county, on the
south by Holly and Shetek in Murray county, and on the west by
Monroe in Lyon county. Plum creek passes in an easterly direc-
tion in the central part, and from the south receives numerous
creeks, thus cutting the southeastern part of the county into
ravines and water courses. The northern part of the township
is quite level. The southern part is more rolling. The Winona-
Tracy division of the Chicago & Northwestern passes through
the township, due east and west, in the south-central part. A
part of the village of Walnut Grove is situated in the extreme
eastern part of the township. The trading centers are Walnut
Grove in Redwood county, and Tracy in Lyon county. The pre-
dominating nationality is Scandinavian and American.
There is a Norwegian Lutheran church in section 4, and a
Swedish Lutheran church in section 1. The schoolhouse of dis-
trict 22 is in section 14 ; of district 42 is in section 8 ; of district
98 is in section 30, and of district 24 is in section 27. The town-
ship hall is situated in section 22.
The original survey of this township was made by Richard
358 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
H. L. Jewett and George G. Howe, U. S. deputy surveyors. It
was begun July 4, 1867', and completed July 9, 1867. They de-
scribed the surface as rolling, well-watered prairie. There were
but few marshes. This township had only a little timber, all of
which was in the eastern part. The kinds of trees included oak,
ash, willow and black walnut. The section of black walnut tim-
ber was occupied as claims by Joseph Steves and his son. The
soil was of the first quality throughout with the exception of a
few sections in the northwestern part which are light and sandy.
A wagon road ran almost due east and west across the northern
part of this township.
Beginning with Sept. 4, 1866, Springdale was included in Yel-
low Medicine township, and after Yellow Medicine county was
created, March 6, 1871, was considered a part of Redwood Falls
township. Springdale was created by the county commissioners
on Nov. 21, 1873, with its present boundaries, a petition having
been presented by Shepard Moses and seventeen others. A meet-
ing was called for Dec. 20, 1873, at the home of Leonard Moses.
October 9, 1874, being notified by the state auditor that another
town in the state had been named ' Summit, the commissioners
changed the name to Springdale. The name, it is said, was given
because of the many springs and beautiful valleys or dales, in
the township.
The first town meeting was held as ordered Dec. 20, 1873, ten
voters being in attendance. It was moved and seconded that
Levi Montgomery act as clerk pro tem. Carried. The meeting
was called to order by the clerk. Moved and seconded that
M. F. Mills act as moderator of the meeting. Carried. The mod-
erator stated that the object of the meeting was to elect officers.
N. Rawlings and G. Murray were chosen to act as judges. The
following officers were elected: Supervisors, J. M. "Wardell
(chairman), Joseph Steves, N. Rawlings; town clerk, Levi Mont-
gomery; treasurer, M. F. Mills; justices, N. M. Crow and G.
Murray; constables, S. T. Crow and N. Christopherson.
The present officers of Springdale township are : Supervisors,
P. H. Johnson (chairman), August Farber and F. R. Blethen;
clerk, E. E. Nichols ; treasurer, S. G. Bergblom ; assessor, F. L.
Hayden. S. J. Bergblom has held the office of town treasurer
continuously for twenty-one years. E. E. Nichols was first elected
town clerk on March 13, 1888, held office for two years, was again
elected March 10, 1896, held the office for six years, and was
again elected March 13, 1906, since which time he has served con-
tinuously.
The History of the Minnesota Valley, published in 1882, says :
"A man named Frink, built a house in 1860, at Walnut Grove,
but left at the time of the Indian outbreak. In June, 1866, Joseph
Steves located on section 36, and built a house over the cellar
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 359
Frink had abandoned. For several years he, with his son, was
the only settler in the town ; in 1871 the land was taken by num-
bers, and the town is now well settled. The first school was
taught by Rhoda Hall, in 1872. A postoffice called Summit was
established on the west line of the town about 1872, and was
discontinued when Tracy was established in 1874."
E. E. Nichols, the present town clerk, says: "The winter of
1872-73 was terribly cold. The blizzard of Jan. 7, 8 and 9, 1873,
was the worst ever known in this region from the days of the
earliest settlers to the present time. The last year that the grass-
hoppers destroyed the crops in Springdale was in 1876. Many
new settlers came to the township in 1878. The winter of 1880-
81 was the most severe winter known to the settlers with the ex-
ception of that of 1872-73.
"When I came to Springdale on April 19, 1878, there was
only one tree on the prairie, with the exception of the growth
along Plum creek, and the natural grove a mile southwest of
the present village of Walnut Grove. Now there are many beau-
tiful groves, the farmers are prosperous, and the farms are
equipped with fine buildings generally.
"The first homesteader in the township was Joseph Steves,
who settled in section 36, in 1866. Quite a few homesteaders came
in 1872 and 1873. Among them may be mentioned : American —
S. T. Crow, A. D. Leonard, William Hodgkinson, Franklin En-
sign, Joseph Wormworth, J. M. Wardell, M. F. Mills, Levi Mont-
gomery, Wells, Way, Shepard, Charles, Leonard H., Hiram and
Webster W. Moses; L. V. Kellogg, Amassa A. Tower, Randall
Whitney, T. A. Fassett, Elias Bedal and Charles L. Webber. Scan-
dinavian— Jan Pederson, Halvor Syverson, Andrew Swenson,
John Norman, Peter Johnson, John Lindgren, Andrew Anderson,
Ole Anderson, Andrew Thompson, Peter Westman and Swan
Peterson. Irish — A. D. Clark."
NORTH HERO TOWNSHIP.
North Hero township is located in the southwest part of Red-
wood county, being on the southern border, and embraces Con-
gressional township 109-38. It is bounded on the north by John-
sonville, on the east by Lamberton, on the south by Cottonwood
county, and on the west by Springdale. The surface is level or
gently rolling. The Winona-Tracy division of the Chicago and
North Western crosses it, passing due east and west in the south-
central part of it. The Cottonwood river passes through the
northwest part, in a northeasterly direction. It receives Plum
creek from the south. Revere and a part of Walnut Grove are
located in it. The trading centers are Walnut Grove, Revere,
and Lamberton in Redwood county, and Tracy in Lyon county.
360 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
There are four schoolhouses. The predominating nationality is
German and Scandinavian.
The original survey of this township was begun Aug. 5, 1859,
and finished Aug. 12, 1859, by Mahlon Black, U. S. deputy sur-
veyor. He described the land as level or gently rolling and
dry, and the soil as first class. Colonel Nobles wagon road to the
south pass of the Rocky mountains, entered this township in
section 12, and passed westward across the northern part.
Beginning with Sept. 4, 1866, North Hero was included in
Yellow Medicine township, and after Yellow Medicine county
was organized, March 6, 1871, was considered a part of Redwood
Falls township. North Hero (Barton) was created with its pres-
ent boundaries Sept. 2, 1873, and an election was ordered for
Sept. 27, 1873.
The History of the Minnesota Valley, published in 1882, says :
"The town was named from a town in Vermont; it was for sev-
eral years called Barton. The first settler was Eleck C. Nelson,
who came in 1870. Other early settlers were, "William Carter,
Lafayette Beedal, Alfred Smith, and Thomas Allen. The first
town meeting was held Sept. 27, 1873, and elected G. G. Thomp-
son, chairman ; Edward Coburn and James Peterson, supervisors ;
Lafayette Beedal, clerk; Gustave Sunwall, treasurer; John Wig-
gins and Edward Ballard, justices; Alfred Smith and William
Carter, constables. The Congregational society began holding
services in 1874 at James Kennedy's, and the following winter
erected a frame church. H. C. Simmons is now pastor, and the
society now numbers fifty members. The Methodists organized
in 1876, and in 1881 built a church at the village ; they organized
with twelve members, and now have forty-two. Rev. J. N. Powell
is pastor. The Swedish Lutherans also have an organization.
The first school was taught in the winter of 1873-4 by Lafayette
Beedal, at his house, with fifteen scholars. There are at present
three frame schoolhouses in the town."
Of the origin of the name of North Hero, D. S. Cantine says :
"The township of North Hero was named by Byron Knight, after
his old home, the island of North Hero, in Lake Champlain, Ver-
mont. This island was named in honor of Ethan Allen, of Revo-
lutionary fame."
LAMBERTON TOWNSHIP.
Lamberton township is located on the south border of Red-
wood county, and embraces Congressional township 109-37. It
is bounded on the north by Waterbury, on the east by Charles-
town, on the south by Cottonwood county, and on the west by
North Hero. The Cottonwood river crosses it near the north-
central part, flowing in a southeasterly direction. Two small
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 361
creeks flow northward into the Cottonwood. The "Winona-Tracy
division of the Chicago and Northwestern passes westward
through the center of this township. The surface is rolling. The
only village is Lamherton. There are three school houses. The
predominating nationality is German and American.
The original survey of this township was made during 1859,
by M. Black, TJ. S. deputy surveyor, work having been begun
on July 28, 1859. The land was generally first class and rolling.
Colonel Noble's wagon road entered this township in section 12.
It ran west, southwest, northwest and then nearly straight west.
There were a few small trees and also some marshes along the
creeks and streams.
Beginning with March 2, 1868, the west part of this township
was included in Yellow Medicine township, and after Yellow
Medicine county was organized March 6, 1871, was considered a
part of Redwood Falls township, together with the eastern part,
which in the meantime has been considered a part of Redwood
Falls township since the organization of Redwood county. When
Charlestown was created May 3, 1872, it included the present
township of Lamberton. Lamberton township was created by the
county commissioners, May 3, 1872.
The History of the Minnesota Valley, published in 1882, says :
"The first settler was J. F. Bean, who came in July, 1864, and
located a claim in section 25. He brought his family out in De-
cember, 1866, and lived in the town but a few years, when he
sold out and went away. The next settler was M. B. Abbett, who
came in the fall of 1869 and located in section 24, where he lived
nntil the past fall, when having been elected sheriff of the county,
he moved into Redwood Falls.
"In October, 1872, Praxel & Schandera erected a small build-
ing in section 20 and on the south side of the railroad and near
what is known as Cottonwood Crossing. They put in a stock of
goods and had quite a trade which they conducted until 1874,
when they moved to the present site of Lamberton. Charles-
town postoffice was established in 1873, and located at their store,
with A. A. Praxel as postmaster. He resigned when they moved
their store, and G. L. Wagner was appointed. He held the office
about two years when it was discontinued."
"The first election was held April 1, 1874, at W. W. Kelly's
warehouse. The judges of election were, J. H. Abbett, H. Small,
George Porter. The clerks were William Johnson and W. W.
Kelly. The following officers were elected : J. H. Abbett, chair-
man ; Hiram Small and John Pierce, supervisors ; W. E. Golding,
clerk; William Johnson, assessor; M. B. Abbett, treasurer; J. E.
Libby and P. L. Pierce, justices, and Albert Small, constable.
"The first school was opened in the summer of 1875 by Miss
Louise Kelly, with about sixteen scholars, at J. H. Abbett 's house,
362 HISTOKY OP KEDWOOD COUNTY
in section 22. The following fall a building was erected and
occupied the next winter. The town now has three school build-
ings, all frame.
"The Congregational society began holding services in 1875,
in Mr. Kelly's warehouse. In 1877 an organization was effected
under the ministry of the Rev. Leonard Moses. The present pas-
tor is Rev. George Holden, and services are conducted weekly.
The Catholics held services as early as 1876, but no organization
has been effected, and services are conducted irregularly. The
Methodists began holding services in the spring of 1879 ; the min-
ister was Rev. John Gimson. An organization was effected the
following summer with about six members. The present pastor
is the Rev. J. H. Harrington, of Sleepy Eye, who conducts serv-
ices once in four weeks. A frame church was partially built dur-
ing the summer of 1880."
CHARLESTOWN TOWNSHIP.
Charlestown township is located in the southeast corner of
Redwood county, and embraces Congressional township 109-36.
It is bounded on the north by Willow Lake, on the east by Brown
county, on the south by Cottonwood county, and on the west by
Lamberton. The Cottonwood river flows eastwardlv through its
southern part. The surface is rolling prairie. The Sanborn-
Vesta branch of the Chicago and North Western crosses it from
north to south in a northwesterly direction and the Winona-Tracy
division of the Chicago and North Western passes from the south-
east corner to the west-central corner. The village of Sanborn
is located near the southeast corner. The trading centers are
Lamberton and Sanborn in Redwood county, and Springfield in
Brown county. There are four schoolhouses. The predominat-
ing nationality is German.
The original survey was begun Aug. 2, 1858, and finished Aug-
5, 1858, by James L. Nowlin, U. S. deputy surveyor. The quality
of this land was very good with the exception of some bluffs along
the creeks, some low bottom lands and a few marshes. It was
all fit for cultivation. The general appearance of the land was
rolling prairie. The Cottonwood and small streams that were
found, skirted by timber, gave the land additional advantage and
a fine appearance. No surface stones, nor springs, nor appear-
ance of minerals of any kind were found. The water in the
creeks was pure and fit for use. Colonel Noble's wagon road
from Fort Ridgley to the South Pass of the Rocky mountains,
passed east and west across the northern part of this township.
There were also two other wagon roads, being in the central
part of this township.
Beginning with the organization of the county, this township
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 363
was considered a part of Redwood Falls township. Charlestown
was created May 3, 1872, and an election ordered to be held at
the home of A. Kenton, May 20, 1872. The township then in-
cluded the present townships of Charlestown and Lamberton.
Lamberton was set off and created March 12, 1874, leaving
Charlestown with its present boundaries. The creation of Charles-
town with its present boundaries was reaffirmed Jan. 7, 1880.
The History of the Minnesota Valley, published in 1884, says :
"It was named for Charles Porter, the first settler; he arrived in
1864 and took a claim on section 31. His daughter, Lillie, born
Nov. 14, 1868, was the first birth. In November, 1868, George
L. and John "Wagner, William Goehring and Gotlieb Jacobs set-
tled in the town.
"Rev. August Kenter, a German Lutheran, held the first re-
ligious services in the spring of 1869. The society was formed
the next summer with eight members, and in 1878 a church was
built on section 26, costing $400, and there are thirty members.
The Allbright Brethren of Evangelical Methodists held services
in 1870, and have a church in connection with members in Cot-
tonwood county.
A schoolhouse was built on section 30 in the fall of 1873, and
school taught by Christina Van Schaack; the town has four
school buildings.
The first marriage was that of John Bauer and Hattie Werner
in 1873. An infant son of George Wagner died in 1869, the first
death.
"The first town meeting was held May 25, 1872. Officers
elected : J. G. Wagner, chairman ; John Mondy and Henry Neeb,
supervisors ; G. L. Wagner, clerk ; George Huhnergarth, assessor ;
John Yaeger, treasurer; William Goehring and Charles Porter,
justices; Melville Abbett and William Heidlauff, constables."
Yellow Medicine township was the first township created in
Redwood county. It was created Sept. 4, 1866, and embraced
everything in the county west of the range line between ranges
37 and 38. It thus included the townships of Underwood, Vesta,
Westline, Granite Rock, Gales, Johnsonville, Springdale and
North Hero in what is now Redwood county, and all the present
counties of Yellow Medicine, Lac qui Parle, Lincoln and Lyon.
The first election was to be held at the home of John Winter,
who lived on the Yellow Medicine river. It was to be in charge
of D. P. Lister, George S. Johnson and J. A. White. All this
vast tract was constituted school district No. 3. March 2, 1868,
all the west half of range 37, lying in this county, was added
to Yellow Medicine township. This took in the west halves of
364 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
the present townships of Swedes Forest, Kintire, Sheridan, Vail,
Waterbury and Lamberton.
From the very beginning it was generally understood that all
area not otherwise organized was included in Redwood Falls
township. Therefore, as soon as Yellow Medicine county was
organized, March 6, 1871, all the area left in Redwood county
that had previously been included in Yellow Medicine township
was generally understood to be in Redwood Falls township until
the various townships were created from its territory. In the
meantime, however, Sheridan had been organized from Yellow
Medicine township before Yellow Medicine county was cut off.
Other Townships.
"When Redwood county extended to the western boundary of
the state, the creation of the townships in the present counties of
Yellow Medicine, Lac qui Parle, Lyon and Lincoln was under
the control of the commissioners of Redwood county. Lac qui
Parle township was refused organization Jan. 5, 1871. Cerro
Gordo (all of township 118, ranges 42 and 43 south of the Min-
nesota) was created March 17, 1871, and an election ordered
held at the home of William M. Mills, April 5, 1871. Camp Re-
lease township (all of township 117-40, 117-41 and 118-41 south
of the Minnesota) was created March 17, 1871, and an election
ordered held at the home of Peter Peterson. Sannes township
(114-40) was created May 18, 1871, and an election ordered held
at the home of Ingebret Johnson, June 6, 1871. Ree township
(114-41) was created May 18, 1871, and the first meeting ordered
held at the home of Ole 0. Lande, June 6, 1871. Stony Run
township (116-40) was created Sept. 6, 1871. Baxter township
(117-42) was created Sept. 12, 1871. Sept. 9, 1869, township 109,
ranges 34 and 35 were notified that they were included in Red-
wood county by the revised statutes of the state.
Authorities. History of the Minnesota Valley, Foote & War-
ner, North Star Publishing Co., Minneapolis. 1882. (Second
edition in 1884).
Notes of the Original Government Survey, in the custody of
the register of deeds of Redwood county.
Records of the County Commissioners in the custody of the
auditor of Redwood county.
Federal and State Census Reports, 1870-1910.
Atlas and Farm Directory of Redwood County, Webb Publish-
ing Co., St. Paul, 1914.
Personal Observations of Mrs. Adella G. Pratt, superintend-
ent of schools of Redwood county.
Other information has been furnished as follows: Honner,
H. R. Simondet; New Avon, George I. Davis and J. S. Towle;
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 365
Three Lakes, H. N. Redig; Morgan, F. W. Zaske; Gales, A. M.
Grunden; Wanda, M. M. Jenniges; Brookville, S. J. Hansen;
Springdale, E. E. Nichols; North Hero, M. J. Wiggins; Swedes
Forest and Kintire, A. 0. Gimmestad.
CHAPTER XXVin.
REDWOOD COUNTY CHURCHES.
The churches of Redwood county have exercised a strong in-
fluence upon the life of Redwood county, even outside of the re-
ligious purpose for which they were primarily organized and
for which they are sustained.
The churches have naturally followed the population, but the
population has also followed the churches, and the churches of
the various nationalities and denominations have been a strong
factor in bringing to the locality of the church, people of like
inclinations, nationality and beliefs.
The earliest settlers of Redwood Falls being Americans, the
first churches were those of the Methodist and Presbyterian
churches. Bishop Henry B. Whipple's interest in the Minnesota
river country caused an Episcopal church to be established in
Redwood Falls not many years after the Methodists and Pres-
byterians had organized. Previous to the massacre there had
been an Episcopal mission at the agency.
As the settlers began to spread out, other Presbyterian and
Methodist churches were organized. Delhi, in particular, became
the center of a sturdy Scotch Presbyterian settlement. Some of
these people had come here from Scotland, and some from Can-
ada, while others, both from Canada and Scotland, had lived in
Wabasha county, this state, before coming here. A few had lived
in other states. All were of staunch Presbyterian faith, and the
upbuilding of the churches among their first thoughts.
Before the massacre, there had been a flourishing settlement
of Germans in Renville county, across the river from Redwood
county, and an Evangelical association church had been organ-
ized. After the massacre, Flora township, in Renville county,
became the center of a German colony, the people of which were
likewise of the Evangelical association faith. Some of these peo-
ple settled on this side of the river in Honner township, and serv-
ices of the Evangelical association were early held in Honner
township for their benefit.
Among the earliest settlers in the county were the Norwegians
in Swedes Forest. As the settlement began to grow there, and
366 HISTOEY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
other Norwegians came in, services were held as a part of the
work which was heing carried on among the solid Scandinavian
settlements of western Renville county, not far away. Religi-
ously and socially the people of Swedes Forest were closely con-
nected with the people of Renville county for many years, an
association which even to the present day is not entirely severed.
As the Scandinavians, mostly Danish, came up the Cotton-
wood, and settled in Sundown and Brookville townships, a Nor-
wegian and Danish Lutheran was organized in Sundown town-
ship, and a Danish Advent and a Danish Lutheran church in
Brookville.
A few Americans settled in the southern part of the county
and in addition to Methodist churches at Walnut Grove and Lam-
berton, Congregational churches were organized in each of these
The Swedish people formed the nucleus of a settlement in the
southwestern part of the county, and a Swedish Lutheran church
was organized in North Hero township.
The majority of the pioneers of Brown county were Germans.
This brought many of their fellow countrymen to this part of
the country, and the settlement which was in time to dominate
the southern, central and western parts of Redwood county, was
started in the townships of Charlestown, Lamberton, Willow
Lake and Waterbury. For these people, German Methodist serv-
ices were held at Waterbury, and German Lutheran and German
Evangelical services in Charlestown.
Among these Germans were also many Catholics. Catholics
had also begun to settle in Redwood Falls. A few Irish also
drifted into New Avon and Three Lakes. These people were
served by the Rev. Alex. Berghold, a devout and scholarly priest
from New Ulm. He held mass at Redwood Falls and Lamber-
ton, in the seventies, and also visited isolated families of his
faith in various parts of the country, administering to them the
consolations of his religion.
When the central part of the county began to be built up,
many years later, the people were for the most part of the Cath-
olic and Lutheran faith, of German and Bohemian nationality.
The present denominations of the county are the Catholic,
Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational, Evangelical
Association, Advent, Episcopal, Christian and Brethren.
In 1914 the Rev. L. F. Badger, then pastor of the Presbyterian
church, at Redwood Falls, took a canvass of religious life and
work in Redwood county. The following statistics are from the
report of that canvass :
"English-speaking (exclusively) churches (7 denominations),
22; German-speaking churches (6 denominations), 21; Scandi-
navian churches (5 denominations), 14; Roman Catholic churches,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 367
12; total number of churches, 69. Communicants in: English-
speaking churches, 1,588; German-speaking churches, 2,384;
Scandinavian-speaking churches, 1,474 ; Roman Catholic churches,
2,299; total, 7,745. Total population of county over 14 years of
age, according to U. S. census, 10,975. Total over 14 years of age,
not in any church, 3,282.
"Children under 16 years of age enrolled in Sunday school
or 'instruction classes:' English-speaking churches, 831; German-
speaking churches, 610; Scandinavian-speaking churches, 524;
Roman Catholic churches, 581; Union Sunday schools, 90; total
under 16, getting religious instruction, 2,636. Total population
6 years to 17 years, according to U. S. census, 5,646. Without
regular religious instruction, 3,010.
"Number of farms in Redwood county worked by renters, ac-
cording to U. S. census, 778; number of renters' families con-
nected with some church by at least one member, 203; renters'
families with no church members, 575; farms operated by the
owners, 1,519; farm owner families represented in the churches
by members, 1,248; farmers owning farm where no member of
the family is member of any church, 273.
"There are twelve English-speaking ministers and one Indian
in Redwood county. There are two vacant churches, the Metho-
dist churches at Milroy and at Nettywynut with a membership
of three and four respectively. There are two churches which do
not have regular pastors, the Advent church near Wayburn and
the Brethren at Vesta. Six churches have each the full time of
a pastor.
"There are 22 English-speaking churches, including one In-
dian, as follows : Presbyterian, 8 ; Methodist, 6 ; Congregational,
3; Episcopal, 2; Brethren, 1; Advent, 1, and Christian 1.
"The Methodist churches have 569 members; outside the city
of Redwood Falls, 192 members. The Presbyterian churches
have 550 members ; outside of the city, 402 members. Other de-
nominations have a membership of 476 ; outside the city of Red-
wood Falls, 216. Total membership of English-speaking churches
in county, 1,590. Net increase in church membership during the
last five years, 99. The largest church in county, Redwood Falls,
Methodist, 427 members. The smallest church in county, Sanborn
Methodist, members 0. Three churches have been organized dur-
ing last five years, all Presbyterian ; five have increased their
membership, six have lost, and seven have neither lost nor gained.
"Five churches have no organization besides the Sunday
school. Seven churches have ladies' aid only; two have brother-
hoods, Redwood Methodist and Paxton (Indian) Episcopal. Four
churches have four other organizations : the Methodist and Pres-
byterian of Redwood Falls, Presbyterian of Delhi, and Methodist
of Lamberton.
368 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
"Three churches have no building, Underwood and Ashford
Presbyterian and Vesta Brethren. $77,000 are invested in build-
ings for English-speaking congregations. Half of this in Redwood
Falls, one-fourth in Redwood Falls Methodist church. The total
seating capacity of all these and two school houses used by church
organizations is 4,460. The average attendance, morning service,
if there are more than one, is 1,440. Only one church, Delhi Pres
byterian, has an average attendance equalling its seating capac
ity. Only two, Redwood Falls Methodist and Paxton Indian
have an average attendance equal to one-half the seating capacity
"Total paid for salaries $12,695, an increase in five years of
$1,675. All Presbyterian churches have increased salaries; one
Methodist, one Episcopal, one Christian. Outside of Redwood
Falls the largest salary paid (Presbyterian) $1,000; smallest $950.
Methodist: high salary $750; lowest $600, outside of Redwood
Falls. Only one minister, English-speaking, outside of Redwood
Falls, besides Methodist and Presbyterian, receives a salary of
$800.
"Statistics of foreign-speaking churches in Redwood county
show the following: Number of churches, 35; German-speaking,
21; Scandinavian, 14.
"Of German-speaking the churches are: 2 German Metho-
dists ; 5 Evangelical Association ; 6 Ohio Synod Lutheran ; 5 Min-
nesota Synod Lutheran; 2 Missouri Synod Lutheran; 1 Evangel-
ical Lutheran.
"Of Scandinavian churches: 7 Norwegian Lutheran Synod;
3 Norwegian Lutheran Free ; 2 Swedish Lutheran ; 2 Danish Luth-
eran United.
"There are twelve of these churches in the open country, six
German-speaking and six Scandinavian-speaking.
"Four German churches have each the full time of a pastor.
No one Scandinavian church has the full time of a pastor. Seven
German pastors supply two churches; five supply three or more.
Two Scandinavian pastors supply two churches ; six supply three
or more. Only one German church has more than one service on
Sunday. No Scandinavian church has more than one service on
Sunday. Eight German churches do not have services every Sun-
day. Only two Scandinavian churches have services every Sun-
day.
"The largest church of any denomination or language in the
county is the German Lutheran church of Sanborn with 485 com-
municants— more communicants than the entire population of the
village in which it is located. The smallest foreign-speaking
church is the Evangelical Lutheran of Sanborn, with a member-
ship of fifteen.
"There are two large Scandinavian churches, the Springdale
Swedish with a membership of 268 communicants, and Swedes
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 369
Forest Norwegian church with a membership of 180 communi-
cants.
"One German church has lost in membership during the past
five years. No Scandinavian church has lost in membership. Fig-
ures as to growth could not be obtained from ten churches. One
new church has recently been organized, the Norwegian of Lucan.
"Seven German churches have no organization within the
church. Only one German church, at Sanborn, has three organ-
izations.
"All but two of the Scandinavian churches have local organ-
izations. Four of them have at least three such organizations.
"Three churches have no buildings: at Walnut Grove, Lucan
and Belview, all Scandinavian. The value of the church buildings
is estimated at $58,000 for the German, and $24,000 for the Scan-
dinavian churches. In only three churches does the average at-
tendance equal the seating capacity of the building: Willow
Lake, Milroy and Vesta, all German. Eight churches have an
average attendance equalling half the seating capacity. In all
the other churches the average attendance falls below half of
the seating capacity of the church.
"The following are some of the facts brought out by the
house-to-house canvass of Redwood county. Much of the can-
vass was very thoroughly and conscientiously done. Some of it
— a very few cases — was evidently done in a very perfunctory
manner. Out of the 113 school districts in the county the canvass
has been completed in eighty-three. One township, Lamberton,
has done nothing in any of its districts, the only whole township
to fail. Of the sixteen villages and the city, eight have failed to
make any returns, viz., Belview, North Redwood, Redwood Falls,
Wabasso, Sanborn, Lamberton, Revere, Walnut Grove. It has
been much easier to get the canvass done in the country than in
the villages. Just half of the town districts having been can-
vassed but 75 out of 97 of the rural districts have made their re-
turns.
"Some of the totals are as follows: Number of families can-
vassed, 1,617; number of these families which report no church
members in the family, 248; number of Lutheran families, 789;
number of Catholic families, 339 ; number of families not Lutheran
or Catholic, 594; number of families where no member of the
family attend church, 301 ; number of persons over fourteen years
in the families canvassed who do not attend church, 633 ; number
of children between five and sixteen years who are not reported
as attending Sunday school, 1,501 ; number of families which are
reported as taking a religious paper, 381.
"In the three of the four districts in Swedes Forest township
which reported, every family is Lutheran ; every family has
church members; there are no adults who do not attend church.
370 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
"There seems to be little or no overchurching in the county,
only three towns having more than one English-speaking church.
There are two abandoned churches in the county. One organ-
ized as a Union affair by some people believing in holiness, the
church going down as this class of people moved away. The
other the result of a Methodist church organizing in a small town
where there was already a Presbyterian church. There is one
unused Catholic church because a town sprang up near by and
in the town the congregation put up a $20,000 new church. There
is no Catholic church in the open country."
Since the above survey was taken, the Catholics have erected
a magnificent church at Redwood Falls, and a splendid struc-
ture has been put up by the Swedish Augustana Synod church at
Belview. The Methodist Episcopal church at Wabasso has been
moved to New Avon township, and a Methodist congregation
organized under the pastorate of the pastor at Redwood Falls.
The Union church in New Avon township has been reopened as
a Christian church under the pastorate of the pastor of the Chris-
tian church at Redwood Falls. Bethany Congregation of the
Missouri Synod, German Lutheran church, has been established
at Wabasso, meetings being held in the village hall.
An effort has been made to secure a history of each individual
congregation in the county. Repeated letters have been ad-
dressed to pastors and others on the subject. In the following
material a complete list of the churches of the county is given.
Where no detailed account of the church appears, the reason is
the failure of the pastors or members to respond to inquiries.
The histories here appended are of value for several reasons.
They are fairly typical of all the churches, and they will be in
this volume preserved long after many of the church records have
been destroyed.
German Lutheran, Ohio Synod.
In Redwood county there are six German Lutheran churches
of the Ohio Synod, located in Waterbury, Johnsonville, Morgan,
Lamberton, Wanda and Milroy.'
Evangelical Lutheran Christus-Gemeinde (Christ's Congrega-
tion) of Wanda, Minn. This church belongs to the denomination
known as ' ' Evangelical Lutheran church of the Evangelical Luth-
eran Joint Synod of Ohio and Other States." The first meetings,
as well as the divine services of this congregation were held in
"Eichten's Hall," Wanda, where at the second meeting, Jan.
13, 1902, it was organized under the presidency of Rev. Geo.
Appel, of Springfield, Minn. In October, the same year, the mem-
bers— only eleven in number — succeded in erecting a church edi-
fice, with a seating capacity of 100, which soon after was dedi-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 371
cated to the service of the Triune God and His Kingdom. Rev.
Geo. Appel preached the sermon on this occasion. In the serv-
ices of the church, including the sermons, the German language
is used exclusively, except on certain special occasions, when
English is made use of. At present the congregation consists of
twenty-two joint members, or "families," and families not be-
longing to the church but attending the services; of the latter
some six or seven from some of which the congregation receives
financial support. In spite of the considerable expenditures for
other purposes, which have been necessary from the beginning,
the congregation in 1910 managed to provide a nice little par-
sonage, located in town, for their minister. The present pastor,
Rev. Th. Tyehsen, who came here three years ago, also has charge
of two other congregations about the same size as this — one at
Comfrey, Minn., and the other in Stately township, ten miles
southeast of Sanborn, Minn.
The "Wanda congregation has no parochial day school, but the
children are expected to attend the Sunday school (where they
have to recite their catechism text or Bible history, and are taught
the reading and spelling of the German language) until they reach
the age of from 13 to 15 years. At that age the congregation
provides that every child, for a period of six months, shall be
given by the pastor an explanation of the catechism, instructed
in the Holy Scriptures, and taught the confession of the Lutheran
church ; in addition to which the catechumens take up a general
course in reading, writing and language. This short term of
"confirmation-teaching" is held every second year, either in the
church, public schoolroom, or in some other suitable building.
It should be of interest to learn that the pioneer members of
the church were Paul Doepke, August Tonack, Herman Bloedow,
"William Bloedow, Mrs. Aug. Bloedow, John Hoffman, Carl
Goedde, Carl Kagel, Emil Tonack, Albert Spalding, Louis Sand-
berg and Henry Schrader. The latter two have moved away
from here; otherwise all of the pioneers are still living, except
William Bloedow, who was called away by death in the spring of
1913. As incidental to the history of the church it may be men-
tioned that in the year 1908 the building was struck by lightning,
and the repairs, together with a lightning-rod system put on,
cost the congregation the sum of $900. Three years ago the
church was renovated inside, and a new organ and carpets bought,
the total cost of which amounted to $350. The present value of
the property in $2,000. Since its organization the following min-
isters have served the congregation: Rev. Carl Ganchow, in-
stalled on a Sunday in July, 1902, accepted a call to Shakopee,
Minn., in October, 1903. Rev. Rud. Kohlrusch, who took charge
of the congregation in January, 1904, stayed until March, 1906.
Rev. H. Bruss served from July, 1906, until November, 1907.
372 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
By his removal the congregation was left without a pastor for
almost two years, when Rev. A. Nischwitz accepted a call to the
pastorate and was installed in July, 1909. After four years he
accepted a call to Nebraska, in June, 1913. Since July 1, 1913,
the present pastor, Rev. Th. Tychsen, has had charge of the con-
gregation. It is worthy of note that whenever the church has
been without a pastor, ministers from neighboring towns have
made the best provision for the people that was possible under
the circumstances.
The church book contains the following record of some "first"
events connected with its history : First baptisms — George Bloe-
dow, Walter Hoffman and Ida Kagel. Confirmations — Bertha
Tonack, Elisa Schmechel and Sahra Hoffman. Marriage — F. C.
Becker and Anna Hesse. The first death, a child of Rev. and
Mrs. A. Nischwitz, in 1911.
Very often in the history of this church its future prospects
looked dark, but its few members kept up their courage and con-
tinued to hope and work, and it can now be said that the congre-
gation really is growing and developing spiritually and materially,
inwardly and outwardly, in a satisfactory way.
Evangelical Zion's Congregation of Lamberton, Minn. This
church, which is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of
Ohio and other states, originated in the latter part of the year
1884, when the first services of the denomination were held in
District Schoolhouse No. 16, Charlestown, about six miles south-
east of Lamberton. The Rev. D. Lang, a Lutheran minister of
Springfield, Minn., presided as pastor. The congregation was
organized in Charlestown, December 16, 1884, the first officers
being August Koenig, August Rogotzke, Franz Wichmann, George
L. Wagner and Wilhelm Schuch. The first and only church edi-
fice was erected in the village of Lamberton in the winter of
1885-6 and has been since renovated. In the summer of 1886
the parsonage was erected near the church. The bellfry and
sanctuary of the church were built in the summer of 1900. In
addition to the officers above mentioned, some of the prominent
members of the congregation were and are the following : Hein-
rich Steffen, Christian Kastner, Johann Kastner, Johann Stech-
mann, Johann Joeckel, August Holznagel, Wilhelm Holznagel,
Johann Wagner, Wilhelm Kasten, August Stern, Edward Arns-
dorf, Daniel Radatz, Ludwig Joeckel, August Groechel, Wilhelm
Vollmer, Carl Spaulding, Guenther Becker, Carl Bauch, August
Kastner, Carl Beyer, Julius Grund, Asmus Bendixen, Franz Kaats,
Otto Herder, Otto Vogler, Julius Pfarr, Wilhelm Degner, Heinrich
Wahl, Johann Buetow and others. Among the first births re-
corded are those of Frederick Wilhelm, Ester Emma and George
Andreas, children of Chr. and Katherine Kastner; Anna Stech-
mann, Karl August Johannes Koenig, Alma Auguste Emilie
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 373
Moede, "Wilhelm Johann Seidler, Ella Berends, Wilhelm Johannes
Schuch, Ida Matzke and Anna Pauline Joeckel. The first mar-
riage recorded was that of Johann G. W. Wagner and Emilie
H. P. Joeckel, who were united in holy wedlock April 29, 1886.
The first death was that of Hermann Johannes, son of Wilhelm
and Anna (Koenig) Schuch, who died June 6, 1889. Others who
died soon after were Heinrich Steffen, Elma K. S. Wagner, Carl
A. H. Schuch, Paul R. Timm, Emma A. Dommer, Bertha M.
Groechel, Anna D. Kastner, Ida Schulz and Joh. Reppel. The
Rev. D. Lang was the first pastor of the church, serving from
1884 to 1885. He was followed by Rev. J. G. Appel, 1885 to 1887 ;
Rev. P. H. G. Voelker, 1887 to 1890 ; Rev. C. Althof, 1890 to 1891 ;
Christian Langholz, 1891 to 1895, Rev. W. L. Keller, 1895 to 1904;
Rev. Paul Cornils, 1904 to 1913; Rev. Ewald Michaelis, who as-
sumed charge in 1914 and who is the present pastor, serving also
two other congregations, both of which are in Cottonwood county.
In the congregation there are today nineteen voting members,
110 communicants and 184 baptized members. The German Ian
guage is nearly always used in sermons. Though there is no
parochial day school in Lamberton, about three months of ca-
techetical instruction previous to confirmation are given in a
small school house near the church. The only society connected
with the church is the "Frauenverein," or Ladies' Aid Society.
The present value of the church building is $2,000.
German Lutheran, Minnesota Synod.
The Lutheran churches of the Minnesota Synod are found in
Vesta, Redwood Falls, Sheridan, Seaforth, Sanborn and Wabasso.
Evangelical Lutheran St. John Church, of Vesta, Minn. The
first meeting of the original members of this congregation took
place June 10, 1900, at the residence of Emil Kratzke, in Vesta,
and in the fall of the same year a church building was erected,
in which the congregation has since worshipped. The pioneer
members of the church were Otto Maasch, Emil Kratzke, Carl
Rehfeld, Rudolph Kletscher, Carl Dietz, G. Steinkraus, Carl Gla-
ditsch, Julius Jordan, August Jordan, Dick Rust and John Gassier.
In 1914 the church building was enlarged and the property is
now valued at $1,600. A school building was erected in the fall
of 1909 and nine months of school are kept each year. The con-
gregation was served by Rev. Ph. Martin from September 29,
1899 to 1906. He was followed by Rev. G. Adascheck, who was
pastor from 1906 to 1907, since which time Rev. P. R. Gedicke has
had charge of the church, being its present pastor. The congre-
gation now numbers 225 members. The first baptism recorded
on the church book was that of Dorothea Rust ; the first marriage
was that of Gustav Dallmann and Anna Jensen, and the first
374 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
death that of Dorothea Hohnstaedt. In 1908 the church joined
the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Minnesota and helped to build
the Dr. Martin Luther College of New Ulm, Minn.
St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, at Redwood Falls,
Minn. Was founded in 1898. On January 2 of that year a small
number of Lutherans living in or near Redwood Falls came to-
gether for divine worship in an old Adventist church, which they
had rented. After the services they held a business meeting, in
which they organized themselves as St. John's Evangelical
Lutheran Church by adopting a constitution and electing a board
of elders consisting of three men, namely: Louis Gaedy, August
Heuer and Ferdinand Keil. Aside from these three the little
congregation consisted of the following members: Friedrich
Sauke, Christian Babzin, Gustav Massow, Anna Theiring and
Robert Gruendemann. Occasionally services had been conducted
here before that time by Rev. William Shekel of Posen township,
Rev. J. Bauer of Town Eden and Rev. William Fettinger of
Morgan. In 1899 the number of members had increased to fifteen,
and these took upon themselves the burden of erecting a church,
which they joyfully dedicated to the service of the Lord on
October 30, 1899. After its organization, the congregation at
Redwood, which had at first been part of a parish Avhich included
St. John's church in Town Sheridan and Zion's church at Morton.
The first minister of this united parish was Rev. H. Koch, who
resided in Redwood Falls. In 1900 St. Paul's church at Seaforth
was organized and this congregation was united with the one at
Sheridan, both calling a new pastor to serve them. Since then,
until 1916, the congregations at Redwood Falls and Morton also
formed an independent parish, of which Rev. Koch remained
pastor until 1901. During the last year of his pastorate he lived
in Morton, where the congregation had built a new parsonage
for him. Rev. P. Hinderer, who was called to the parish in
1901, also lived in Morton, from which place he served both con-
gregations until he accepted a call to South Dakota in 1902.
For a year the parish was without a pastor. During this time
the congregation at Redwood Falls was cared for by Rev. William
Schoknecht of Morgan and Rev. A. Zich of Sleepy Eye. In the
fall of 1903 Rev. H. Paustian was called by the parish and ac-
cepted. According to an agreement between the two congrega-
tions, it was decided that hereafter the pastor should reside in
Redwood Falls. A parsonage was built for him in 1905. After
having served the parish for six years, Rev. Paustian accepted a
call to Wisconsin and in July, 1910, the present pastor, Rev. A.
Schaller, came to take his place. During all these years the
congregation at Redwood Falls had grown continually, and in
the beginning of the year 1916 numbered about fifty-five members.
In the same year the members came to the important agreement
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 375
with the congregation, that the parish should he separated, each
congregation having its own pastor. On the 27th of August,
Rev. H. Parisius, who had been called to Morton, was installed
in that congregation, and since then St. John's church at Redwood
has also been an independent congregation, retaining the services
of its pastor, Rev. A. Schaller. The pastor also serves Zion's
Evangelical Lutheran Church at Morton, Renville county, Minn.
The following items taken from the church records may be of
interest to the reader. The first baptism recorded was that of
Karl Jordan, son of Herman Jordan, born April 20, 1898. The
first burial services in the church were held for P. Stroschein,
December 2, 1899. The first members to be married in church
were Ferdinand Panitzke and Louise Jordan, March 16, 1900.
The first Holy Commmunion recorded was attended by thirty
people. The first class of young people was confirmed in the
church March 31, 1901. They were Alma Huehnerkoch, Alma
Stage, Alwina Keil, Amalia Joern, Emma Hoepner, Maria Mar-
quardt, Herman J. Raddatz, Franz Jordan, Herman Luessen-
hop and Emmanuel Buerger. The church has now fifty-two
voting members, the number of souls being 260. Most of the
sermons are preached in the German language, but once a
month English services are held. The Ladies' Aid Society is
an important factor in the work of the church, while another
is the well selected library of 300 volumes. The parochial
school is taught for six months each year by the minister to pre-
pare the young for confirmation. The value of the church prop-
erty is $2,000 ; the parsonage, $2,000, and the school, $200. The
average Sunday attendance is seventy-five persons.
St. John's Lutheran Church of Sheridan Township. The mem-
bers who later on organized this church held their first meeting
in Redwood Falls in 1870, the presiding pastor being the Rev.
J. J. Hunziker of Lyon county. They were the first people of the
Lutheran denomination who settled in Sheridan township. In
1892 they erected a church, 20 by 40 feet, with a seating capacity
of 150 people, on five acres of ground which were donated by
Friedrich Muetzel, the church costing $1,800. The Rev. J. J.
Hunziker was their minister until 1896 and they were served by
Rev. H. Albrecht of Renville, Minn., for a year and a half. In
1897 Rev. H. Koch was called as their minister, and in the follow-
ing year they joined the Minnesota Synod. The parsonage, which
is located near the church, was built in 1899 at a cost of $1,400.
In the same year Rev. J. Mittelstaedt was called as their minister
and served the congregation until 1904. He was followed by Rev.
H. F. Eggert, who remained until 1910, after which Rev. John
Piper of Echo, Minn., took charge of the congregation and was
the minister until 1911, when the Rev. Julius X. Lenz was called
to the pastorate from Meadow, S. D., and is still serving therein,
376 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
being also pastor of the Seaforth and Bethany congregations.
The year after his arrival a parochial school house was built,
in size 24 by 32 feet. At present the congregation consists of
thirty-four members.
The Seaforth Evangelical Church was organized in the year
1900, among its first members being Theo. Zorn, Dan. Staege, Theo.
Staege, Leopold Staege, Ed. Schulz, William Schroeder, J. Schroe-
der, Carl Lueck, G. Wotschke, Herman Schulz, August Redder-
mann and others. The first minister was the Rev. H. Koch, of
Redwood Falls, who served the congregation until 1901. He then
accepted a call to Wisconsin and was followed by Rev. John
Mittelstoedt, who was pastor until 1904, when the Rev. K. F.
Eggert was called. In 1902 the congregation joined the Minnesota
Synod. When Rev. K. F. Eggert accepted a call to Michigan in
1910, Rev. Paul Gedicke, of Vesta, took charge of the congregation
until 1911, when the Rev. Julius X. Lenz, the present pastor, was
called from South Dakota. The property of the congregation,
which consists of 15 members, is valued at $2,000.
The Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Congregation at Wabasso
is a recent addition to the religious forces of the county, having
been organized in 1915. At present services are held in the city
hall, but a church building, 30 by 32 feet in size, in process of
erection. The pastor is Rev. Julius X. Lenz, who serves also the
church at Seaforth and St. John's Church of Sheridan township.
German Lutheran, Missouri Synod.
The two churches of this denomination are located respectively
in Willow Lake township and at Clements.
Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church, of Willow Lake Town-
ship, is located in the northeast corner of the southeast quarter
of section 10. As far back as 1886 meetings were held at the resi-
dences respectively of John Hoffman, Emil Hoffman and Fred
Fenger, who were among the early members of the church, to-
gether with Fred Raedel, Robert Hinz, Hr. Ristown and A. Beck-
man. The church edifice was not erected until ten years later —
1896 — at which time the congregation numbered only twelve
members. This building cost $1,750 and has since been used for
the services of the church, which are usually conducted in the
German language, though in English when required. In 1913
it was remodeled and enlarged at a cost of $1,600. January 1,
1816, the congregation numbered forty-four members. A parson-
age was built in 1901, across the road from the church, at a cost
of $1,250, thus materially increasing the value of the church
property. A school had been built in the previous year — 1900 —
costing $400, the labor being furnished by the members of the
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 377
congregation. It is taught four days a week from October 1 to
the latter part of May. In the forenoon religion and German are
taught, a public school course being given in the afternoon. Until
the year 1910 the congregation belonged to the Minnesota Synod,
but since that time it has been a member of the Missouri Synod.
The original congregation consisted of only three families, who
were served by the pastor residing at Sanborn, services being
held only every third, sometimes every fourth or fifth Sunday.
The first four pastors, who resided at Sanborn and served this
congregation as a mission, were: Rev. J. Bauer, 1886 to 1890;
Rev. August Graebner, 1890 to 1893; Rev. Chr. Meyer, 1893 to
1899, and Rev. W. Schulze, 1899 to 1901. The first resident pastor
was the Rev. H. Westphal, 1901 to 1902. He was followed by
Rev. W. Schulze, 1902 to 1903 ; Rev. H. C. Kothe, 1903 to 1915, and
since July 4, 1915, Rev. H. L. W. Schuetz, who also serves the
church at Clements. The first births and baptisms, as recorded
on the church book, were: Emma Maria Elizabeth Hoffman,
daughter of John Hoffman; Paul Adolph Raedel, son of Fred
Raedel, and Fred Herbert Fenger, son of Fred Fenger. The
first marriages were: Herman Ristow and Bertha Schlesner;
Edward Nehring and Margaret Reimer, and Cark Zick and Ade-
line Fenger. The first deaths : Hugo Raedel, child of Fred Rae-
del; Henry Hinz, child of Robert Hinz; Augusta Beckman.
Evangelical Lutheran Bethlehem Congregation, of Clements,
Minn. The pioneer members of this church were August Rad-
datz, William Strieker, William Muenchow, J. Schlekau, Carl
Kemfert, Albert Juhnke and Henry Schwantes. The first meet-
ings were held in 1905 in the depot of the Chicago and North-
western Railroad at Clements, and also in the town hall. In the
following year Rev. H. C. Kothe organized the congregation and
the church building was erected which has since been its religious
home, and which is valued at about $3,000. The auditorium has
a seating capacity of 180 persons. There is no parsonage, as the
church is served by the pastor of Willow Lake church, now Rev.
H. L. W. Schuetz, who succeeded Mr. Kothe July 4, 1915. There
being also no school building, religious instruction is given for
several weeks every spring in church and also in the Sunday
school. January 1, 1916, there were thirty-seven members in the
congregation. The services of the church are usually conducted
in the German language, but occasionally in English. The first
record of births and baptisms contained on the church book gives
the names of Sylvester Backer, son of Gustave Backer; Leon
Schlekau, son of J. Schlekau, and Louis Kahle, son of Christ
Kahle. The first marriages were those of Adolph Zuehlke and
Emma Fennern ; Herman Schulz and Augusta Reetz, and Christian
Jensen and Emma Hartwig. The first deaths recorded were those
of Elsie Heidemann, Louis Kahle and Arthur Volk.
378 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
German Evangelical Lutheran.
There is a German Evangelical Lutheran church in Sundown
township.
German Methodist.
There are two German Methodist churches in Redwood county,
located respectively in Johnsonville and Morgan townships.
The German Methodist Church of Johnsonville Township.
When and where the first meetings of this society were held has
not been definitely ascertained, but the church edifice was erected
in 1889 and is still in use. It is a small building, valued at about
$1,000, the seating capacity of the auditorium being seventy-five
persons. The congregation, which numbers thirty-four members,
is composed of people of German birth or origin, and the German
language is used in conducting services, the preaching services
being held four times a month, one sermon being preached each
Sunday. The present pastor is Rev. William Boemmels, who has
served the church for one year, residing at Echo, Minn. Mr.
Boemmels also serves two other congregations, both outside the
county. In connection with this church there is a flourishing Sun-
day school. A cemetery forms part of the church property.
Evangelical Association.
The Evangelical Association has four churches in Redwood
county, which are located respectively in Wabasso, North Red-
wood, Lamberton and New Avon. In addition to these there is
another which is located just across the line separating Charles-
town township and Cottonwood county, but which is regarded
generally as a Redwood county church.
Pilgrim Church of the Evangelical Association at Wabasso.
In the spring of 1900 the first members of this congregation met
for worship at the Northwestern depot, Wabasso, and in the fall
of the same year a church building was erected, which is still the
religious home of the people. The pastors since the founding of
the church have been as follows: C. P. Kachel, 1900 to 1901;
C. G. Roesti, 1901 to 1902; H. Hensel, 1902 to 1906; B. Simon,
1906 to 1908 ; J. D. Moede, 1908 to 1911 ; C. C. Engelbart, 1911 to
1915 ; A. A. Schendel, 1915 to the present time. The members of
the congregation are mostly of German origin and services are
conducted in both the German and English languages. Among
the pioneer members of this church were John Block, Christ
Bagdons, Sr., Joe Neuenberg and Dan Zimmerle. The pastor,
who resides in the parsonage in Wabasso, serves also Salem church
in New Avon township.
Salem Church of the Evangelical Association in New Avon
Township, was erected in 1894, previous to which services were
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 379
held in the nearby schoolhouse. The congregation now numbers
sixty-two members and there is a well attended Sunday school.
Services are conducted in the English language. The societies
which aid in the work of the church are the Evangelical Ladies'
Aid Society of New Avon, and the New Avon Cemetery Asso-
ciation. During the last two years the church has been served by
the Rev. A. A. Schendel, who is also pastor of the church of this
denomination at "Wabasso, where he resides.
Roman Catholic
The Roman Catholic church is represented in Redwood county
by twelve churches, respectively located in Wanda, Walnut Grove,
Clements, Wabasso, Seaforth, Lemberton, Sanborn, Redwood
Falls, Lucan, Milroy, Morgan and Vesta.
The Church of St. Catherine, Redwood Falls, Minn. In the
fall of 1870 the Rev. Alexander Berghold, pastor of the Holy
Trinity Church at New Ulm, Minn., visited Redwood Falls and
said mass in the home of John O'Hara, there being but six Cath-
olic families then in Redwood Falls and vicinity. The number of
Catholics had increased to but thirteen families by the summer
of 1884, when the first church was erected. This was a frame
building, 24 by 40 feet and cost $900. Matthias Offermann and
Frank M. O'Hara donated the two lots for the church. Mass
was said in the church for the first time in the year 1885, by Rev.
Father Ogulin, then pastor of the church of Immaculate Concep-
tion, St. Peter, Minn. The following priests attended to the spiri-
tual wants of the people until the first pastor was appointed:
Rev. Father Schnitzler, Mankato, Minn., 1885 to 1886 ; Rev. Father
Tori, Sleepy Eye, Minn., 1886 to 1887 ; Rev. Father Reichel, Sleepy
Eye, Minn., 1887 to 1888; Rev. Father Shonen, Madison, Minn.,
1888 to 1890; Rev. Father Rosen, Fairfax, Minn., 1890 to 1893;
Rev. Father Vanderlage, Morgan, Minn., 1893 to 1897. In 1897
Rev. James J. Woods was appointed resident pastor and so re-
mained until the fall of 1908, when he was succeeded by Rev.
Valentine Schiffrer, who stayed until August, 1910. The latter 's
successor was Rev. Joseph J. Tomek, who took charge of the
parish on the first Sunday of Aiigust, that year, and who is still
the pastor. Before coming here Father Tomek was stationed^ for
three years as assistant in the Cathedral of St. Paul, at St. Paul,
Minn.
Perhaps the most important event in the history of the parish
was the building of the new church in 1914. This fine structure,
which is the finest church edifice in the county, has the ground
dimensions of 44 by 120 feet, its total cost being $25,000. The
corner stone of the new church was laid at 2:30 o'clock p.m., on
the 8th of July, 1914, Rev. R. Schlinkert, of New Ulm, officiating
380 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
and preaching the sermon. The windows, costing $75.00 each,
were donated by the following members of the parish: The
Lauterbach family, St. Michael; Altar Society, St. Catherine;
Jackson family, The Resurrection ; Oscar Warner, St. Margaret ;
O'Callaghan family; Catholic Order of Foresters; J. R. Keefe
and P. Farrell, The Assumption ; Mrs. C. Cummins, St. Joseph ;
Knights of Columbus, St. Patrick ; J. J. Tomek, the Last Supper.
The following made other donations: The Sewing Circle, pews
costing $750.00; Mrs. John Lauterbach, statue of Sacred Heart;
Mrs. Elizabeth Zima, statue of St. Joseph ; John Wilt, statue of
St. Catherine ; Fred Warner, statue of St. Ann ; Miss C. Carroll,
statue of St. Anthony. Mrs. Edward Cummins, baptismal font.
Mass was said for the first time in the new church March 7, 1915.
The dedication of the church took place November 16, 1915,
Bishop J. J. Lawler officiating and preaching the sermon at the
Solemn High Mass. Rev. Valentine Schiffrer, former pastor,
celebrated Mass. The services of dedication concluded in the
afternoon at 2:30 o'clock with solemn benediction and the Rev.
James Klein, of Sleepy Eye, Minn., preaching the sermon. Many
clergy from the neighboring parishes were present at the dedica-
tion. The English language is used in preaching the sermons.
The parish now contains seventy-five families. The societies con-
nected with the church, or more or less closely affiliated with it,
are the Altar Society, Catholic Order of Foresters, Knights of
Columbus and the Sewing Circle. In the fall of 1897, when Father
Woods was appointed resident pastor, the parsonage was erected.
It is a modern frame building, with hot water heating system,
electric lights, water and other conveniences, and cost $3,000.
In 1905 two lots were purchased across the street from the church
for $450, to serve as the site for a parochial school. The school
has not yet been built but its erection will probably be an event
of the near future. Religious instruction is given to the children
every Saturday afternoon and Sunday after High Mass, forty-
five children attending. The pastor of St. Catherine's also at-
tends the church at Bechyn, Renville county, Minn., every second
and fourth Sunday of the month, that parish consisting of sixty-
five families.
The Church of St. Ann, Wabasso, Minn., was organized by
Father Woods of Redwood Falls, in 1900, the year in which the
village of Wabasso was incorporated. The charter members were
from parishes in the townships of Sheridan, Redwood Falls, Mor-
gan and Willow Lake. The most prominent families were rep-
resented by the following members: George Goblirsch, John
Goblirsch, George Mahal, Joseph Salfer, Theodore Daub, John
Daub, Adolph Etle, Conrad Etle, Mrs. John Johanneck, Robert
Collner, Robert Collner, John Collner, John Huber, George Citz-
man, George Bray, Carl Brau, Bernard Manderscheid, George
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 381
Mandel, Anton Welsch, John Stodick, Joseph Brix, Joseph Gutter,
John Frank, Joseph Hammerschmidt, Frank Hagert, John J.
Hoffman, Mathias Schueller, Adam Cins, John Zeren, George
Baun, Wenzel Frank and John Koller. The last-mentioned was
one of the most active organizers and his funeral was one of the
first held in the church. The church edifice, a frame building
37x80 feet in dimensions, was erected in 1900, the year of or-
ganization, the first services being held September 9th of that
year, with Father Woods as the officiating priest. Father Dues-
check took charge in the winter of 1901 and remained until the
fall of 1902. He was succeeded by Father Stuckelmat, who in
turn was succeeded in 1907 by Father J. H. Leydeckers. The lat-
ter remained in charge of the parish until July, 1910, when the
present Father Francis Roemer became pastor. In 1902 the pres-
ent parsonage was built — a two-story frame structure, 32x36 feet,
with an L, 16x16 feet in dimensions. The parish is in a flourishing
condition. The societies more or less intimately connected with
the church are the Altar Society, the Roman Catholic Benevolence
Society, the Foresters, the Christian Mothers' Society and the
St. Monica's Society.
St. Mary's Church, of Seaforth, Minn., originated in the year
1880, when the first Mass was said in the town of Sheridan. The
church was erected in 1886 and is a building valued at $2,500.
The parishioners being mostly of German nationality, sermons are
preached in both the German and English languages. The pastor
for the last eight years has been Rev. Father Roemer, who also
served the churches at Wabasso and Vesta, his residence being in
Wabasso. The societies affiliated with the church are the Catholic
Order of Foresters, the Christian Mothers' Society and the Bo-
hemian Society.
Our Lady of Victories Church, Lucan, Minn. In 1871 a little
community of settlers in Westline township, Redwood county was
known as the Murray Settlement. A few devoted members of the
Catholic church met at the home of Martin Murray in the south-
east part of section 13, Rev. Father Alexander Berghold coming
from New Ulm by team occasionally to hold divine services. In
1879 Rev. Father Johnson of Ghent, Minn., held regular services
there the first Monday of each month. From 1889 to 1894 monthly
services were held at the home of J. B. Zeng, Sr., by the Rev. Father
Vanderlager from Morgan, Minn., as pastor, J. B. Kollec, secre-
tary, and J. B. Zeng, Sr., treasurer. During the years of 1895
to 1899 monthly services were held in the schoolhouse of district
No. 79, Granite Rock township, then located in the northeast cor-
ner of section 29, Rev. Father Dash of Tracy, Minn., officiating.
The parish was organized in the spring of 1899, Joseph McGough
donating five acres of land in the southeast corner of section 13,
Westline township as site for the church. That summer a frame
382 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
building, 32x56 feet, costing $1,700, was erected on the land, Rev.
Father "Wood of Redwood Falls being in charge. The church thus
organized had forty-eight charter members and officers. In the
fall of 1893 Father Wood was succeeded by Rev. Father Emil
Polasek from Lamberton. September 6, 1903, at a special meet-
ing of the officers of the church held at the home of Thomas
Reed, W. G. Costley, secretary, John Zeng, treasurer, it was voted
that a division of the parish was advisable on account of the
recent organization of the present villages of Lucan and Milroy.
Sixty-five per cent of the members being located nearer Lucan,
they bought the church building and in the fall of 1904 moved it
to its present location in the village of Lucan. The rest of the
members organized the present parish of St. Michael in Milroy,
with John F. Cain, treasurer, and Thomas Reed, secretary. In the
fall of 1903 Rev. Father Valentine Schatz took charge of the
Lucan parish. A year later, in the fall of 1904, the present parish
house of Lucan, a fine two and a half story square frame house,
32x36 feet, was built at a cost of $3,500. Father Valentine was
succeeded by Rev. Father F. Schafar, the present pastor. The
present membership of the parish is about eighty. The following
is a list of the charter members and officers: Joseph McGough,*
John Casserly, Sr., Peter Casserly, J. B. Zend, John Zeng,* Mrs.
John Cull, John Dobias, Sr., James Dobias, John Dobias, Jr.,
Patrick Curtin, Sr.,* Patrick J. Dollan,* John F. Cain, Martin
Murray, John Ourado, Sr.,* George Brey, Brey, W. G.
Castley,* Michael Kollar,* John Koytine, S. Kartak,* J. S. Moli-
tor,* Frank Ouskey,* Jacob Marshack,* Charles Kollar, Andrew
Petrack, Thomas Murphy, John Casserly, Jr., John Kollar,* Hugh
Reed, Joseph Casserly, Thomas Reed, James Casserly, Mike Ma-
honey,* William Shanley, Sr., Daniel Redding, Charles Brau, Mike
Skoblik,* Pat Bulger,* Thomas Walsh, Charles Gahagan, Andrew
Grundler, Andrew Kollar, J. B. Wagner,* Joseph Wagner,* James
Cain, Sr., George Bauer,* and Nels Larson.* Those whose names
are marked with an asterisk (*) went to Lucan. Those who went
to Milroy were Mrs. John Cull, John Dobias, Jr., John F. Cain,
Martin Murray, Hugh Reed, Joseph Casserly, Thomas Reed,
Daniel Redding and Charles Gahagan. The others had died or
moved away. In connection with the church there are several
societies — a Young Girls' Sodility, a Men's Fraternal Society
and an Altar Society. The church building is valued at $4,000
or more.
St. Joseph's Church, of Clements, Minn., was built in 1902,
the first Mass being said January 4, 1903. The parishioners, num-
bering forty-five families, are mostly of German nationality, and
both the English and German languages are used in preaching
the sermons. The present pastor, Rev. John Schulte, O. M. T.,
who resides at Wanda, Minn., has served this parish since Novem-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 383
ber, 1915. The church building is valued at about $5,000. The
affiliated societies are: St. Thomas (Ben's) Society, St. Aloysius
(Young Men's) Society, St. Elizabeth's (Women's) Society, and
St. Cecelia's (Young Ladies') Society.
Church of St. Michael, Milroy, Minn. The history of this
church up to 1904 is identical with that of Our Lady of Victories,
at Lucan, Minn. In September, 1903, at a special meeting of the
officers of the church, it was voted to effect a division of the
parish, which took place accordingly in the following year, the
parish of St. Michael being organized with John F. Cain, treas-
urer and Thomas Reed, secretary. Among the first members of
the parish were Mrs. John Cull, John Dobias, Jr., Martin Murray,
Hugh Reed, Joseph Casserly, Daniel Redding and Charles Ga-
hagan.
Norwegian Lutheran Synod.
This denomination is represented in Redwood county by six
churches, located respectively in Belview, Rock Dell, Delhi,
Springdale, Walnut Grove and Revere.
Rock Dell Lutheran Congregation was organized November
28, 1872. Its first pastor was Rev. J. E. Berg, who resided at
Sacred Heart, Minn. Its first board of trustees consisted of
T. Mostod, T. Iverson and H. A. Bakke, T. Mostod serving also
as secretary. Religious services were first conducted in a log
house rented from T. A. Rudy, which at present is used as a horse
barn. Rev. J. E. Berg served as pastor of the congregation for
thirty years. In 1902 it severed connection with the Sacred Heart
congregation, and together with Belview congregation, called
Rev. A. O. Aasen, who served as pastor for twelve years. The
present pastor is Rev. M. F. Mommsen. In 1890 the congre-
gation built a church at a cost of $4,000, which was at that time
one of the finest country churches in this section. At the or-
ganization about fifty souls joined the church, while at present
sixty-five families, or 350 souls are members. A parochial school
has been maintained from the beginning and about 400 persons
have been confirmed and admitted into the church. In 1913 a
fine parsonage with modern improvements, was built in Belview
at a cost of $6,000. Besides meeting the current expenses, the
congregation has given large sums to missions and charitable in-
stitutions—last year (1915) to the extent of $2,500. Of those
who joined the church at the beginning, ten are still living
Norwegian Lutheran United.
The only church of this denomination in Redwood county is
that located in Sundown township.
Sundown Scandinavian Lutheran Church, in Sundown town-
ship, is one of the older churches of the county, the congregation
384 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
having been organized May 22, 1874. Some of the pioneer mem-
bers were R. Jensen, L. Hajem, M. Bredvold, C. Peterson, 0. Olson,
J. S. Johnsen, L. Bredvold, J. Bredvold, J. M. Christensen, and
J. Lawrence, with families. The congregation was organized with
a membership of eighteen, meetings being held in residences and
schoolhouses and presided over by itinerent clergymen and evan-
gelists. The first three pastors lived at Westbrook, coming to
Sundown once a month. The settlers were poor and the pastors
shared the hardships of their flocks. In 1886, when more pros-
perous times had arrived, a church building was erected in which
the congregation has since worshipped, the Norwegian language
being used, except a few sermons each year preached in English.
The congregation at present numbers 294 members. In connec-
tion with the church there are two Ladies' Aid Societies and a
Luther League. Since its organization the congregation has had
but five pastors. The Rev. Lars Lund served from 1874 to 1876 ;
L. 0. Pederson, 1878 to 1881 ; C. J. Jacobsen, 1882 to 1901 ; R. K.
Pjeldstad, 1901 to 1912 ; L. R. Floren, November 9, 1913, who is
still pastor, being also the pastor of St. John's Lutheran church
of Springfield, Minn., where he resides. Among the earliest
records of the church there appears the following : Births — Anne
Sophie Lorents, Niles Oustav Waag, Laura Pedersen. Deaths —
Christian Josias Meyer, Ludwig Alfred Bredvold. Marriages —
J. W. Johnson to Annie Molberg, R. Jorgensen to Maren Johnson.
The church has meant much for the moral, intellectual and social
life of the community, elevating and ennobling the people.
Norwegian Lutheran Free.
Three churches of this denomination help to sustain the re-
ligious life of Redwood county, one being located in Lamberton,
one in Milroy and another in Lucan.
Swedish Lutheran.
Redwood county has two Swedish Lutheran churches — one in
Springdale township and the other at Belview.
Immanuel Lutheran Church, of Belview is one of the com-
paratively recent acquisitions to the religious life of the county,
the first meeting having been held in the Norwegian church in
Belview, at 2:30 p.m., January 7, 1911. The pioneer members
of the church were as follows: Axel Frederick Hultquist, his
wife, Josephina Maria, and their six children; Adolph Gunnard
Mattson ; Carl Anders Tillman, his wife, Hulda Gustava Tillman ;
Carl Oscar Tillman ; Leander Johnson, his wife, Matilda Chris-
tina Johnson, and their three children; Clara Sophia Johnson,
Emma Maria Johnson; Axle Engberg, his wife, Alma Caroline
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 385
Engberg, and their two children ; Johan Edward Engberg ; Axle
Wilhelm Mattson, his wife, Hilina Christina Mattson, and their
three children. David Joseph Carlson, his wife, Elsa Maria Carl-
son, and their one child; Charly Bergquist, his wife, Josephina,
and their one child ; Swan P. Peterson, his wife, Sadey Peterson,
and their five children ; Ludwig Roseburg, his wife, Hilma Sophia
Roseburg; Niles Johan E. Nelson, his wife, Matilda Elizabeth
Nelson, and their one child ; Ralph Verner Nelson ; John Larson,
his wife, Hildur Larson, and their nine children; Carl G. Telle-
son, his wife, Emmeli Telleson, and their three children; Otto
Edwin Carlson ; Anders Johan Sundine, his wife, Hilma Sundine ;
Elin Maria Carlson and Alber L. Nelson. Rev. S. A. Lindholm
was elected vice pastor January 6, 1911, until a regular pastor
could be procured, but resigned January 9, 1912. The congrega-
tion elected Rev. A. P. Lundquist the same day (this being their
yearly meeting) to fill Rev. Lindholm 's place, so that Rev. Lind-
quist served as vice pastor from January 9, 1912, until the regular
pastor came. The latter was Rev. L. A. Lindahl, who took charge
of the congregation August 17, 1912, and was installed August
23d of the same year. From October 31, 1915, to April 23, 1916,
there was a vacancy, which was filled when the present pastor,
Rev. Emil E. T. Anderson, took up the work of the church. The
church edifice was built in 1914. The congregation now numbers
154 members. Both the Swedish and English languages are
used, the former for the morning and the latter for the evening
service. The church has no parsonage, the pastor residing at
Gibbon, Minn., where he serves another congregation. A confir-
mation school is held two hours a week on Saturdays, eight months
in the year. The church, however, is in intimate harmony with
the public school. It is a religious and social center for the
Swedish people and, by intermarriage, for those of other nation-
alities. The first birth and baptism was that of Kenneth Adolph
Peterson, son of R. A. Peterson, M. D. and his wife, Evelyn. The
first funeral was that of John Peter Friberg, who died August
20, 1911.
Danish Lutheran.
There are two Danish Lutheran Churches in Redwood county
— one at Brookville and the other in Three Lakes township.
Fredsminde Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church, Brookville.
The pioneer members of this church are Lars Walter, of Sleepy
Eye, Minn., Hens Jensen, H. M. Jensen, M. Jensen, Theodiore Jen-
sen and Rasmus Hansen, all of Evan, Minn. The first meetings
of the congregation were held, about 1877, in what is known as
Soren Hansen's schoolhouse. In 1891 a church edifice was erected,
which is still in use, and which is valued at $1,500. Its auditorium
has a seating capacity of 125 persons. The preaching services,
386 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
which are held twice a month, are conducted in the Danish lan-
guage. The first birth and baptism recorded are those of Alice
Matilde Jepsen; the first marriage, that of Lars Mogensen to
Caroline Larsen ; the first death, that of Peter Andersen. Rev. L.
Hansen was the first pastor of the church, serving as such from
1877 to 1882. He was followed by Rev. S. C. Madsen, 1883 to
1893 ; Rev. H. L. Dahlstrom, 1893 to 1895 ; Rev. J. C. Borgaard,
1896 to 1899 ; Rev. J. K. Jensen, 1900 to 1902 ; Rev. N. P. Lang,
1903 to 1907 ; Rev. H. W. Bonde, 1908 to 1912, and Rev. H. M.
Hansen from 1912 up to the present time In addition Mr. Hansen
serves three other congregations. The church services are con-
ducted in the Danish language. A Ladies' Aid and a Young
Peoples' society are affiliated with the church and take an active
and helpful part in its good work. Since 1909 a parochial school
has been held in a public school building for one month each year,
taught by a theological student from the seminary of the denomi-
nation. The studies include the Danish language, Bible history
and the catechism. In connection with the church there is a li-
brary of 300 volumes.
Bethany Danish Lutheran Church, located near Gilfillan,
Minn., had its origin in 1902, when the first meetings were held
in Gilfillan public schoolhouse. Its pioneer members are J. B.
Hansen, John Nielsen, Hans Christensen, J. Christensen, J. C.
Hansen, Carl Christensen, and Hans Knudsen, all of Gilfillan,
Minn. The present church building, erected in 1904, is valued at
$2,000. Its auditorium has a seating capacity of 200. The congre-
gation now numbers eighty members. There is a Young People's
Society connected with the church, the members of which are
active and useful in religious work. The Rev. J. C. S. Borgaard
was the pastor in charge from 1898 to 1899, the subsequent pas-
tors being Rev. J. K. Jensen, 1900 to 1902; Rev. N. P. Land,
1903 to 1907 ; Rev. H. W. Bonde, 1908 to 1912 ; Rev. H. M. Jan-
sen, from 1912 to the present time (1916). The services are con-
ducted in the Danish language. The first birth and baptism
recorded on the books of the church were those of Ethel Sylvine
Kjargaard ; the first marriage, that of Hans Peter Christensen to
Lena Nielsen, and the first death that of Niels M. Nielsen.
Methodist Episcopal.
Of this denomination there are seven churches in Redwood
county, located respectively in Redwood Falls, Lamberton, Wal-
nut Grove, Sanborn, Nettynyynnt, Milroy and New Avon.
First Methodist Episcopal Church, Redwood Falls, Minn.
This church is an institution of many years' growth, dating back
to October 27, 1867, when Rev. Nathaniel Swift, who had charge
of the Redwood Falls circuit belonging to the Mankato district,
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 387
started a class of eight members in an old building belonging to
A. Northrop, which had been previously used as a saloon. Prom
that time on the church has had a steady and healthy growth un-
til it now has a membership of over 500 persons. The first church
services were held in a hall on Second street. Later they were
transferred to a schoolhouse on Jefferson street. A parsonage
was built as early as 1870, but it was not until 1876 that the first
church edifice was erected, at a cost of $3,000, the material for
it being hauled by team from New Ulm, which was at that time
the nearest shipping point. A new parsonage was built in 1888.
Within a few years after the old church was found too small to
accommodate the growing membership, and, accordingly in 1894-5
the present edifice was erected. This is a splendid structure,
valued at $20,000, and among the equipment is a good pipe organ.
The body of the old church was utilized in the new building and
practically comprises the class-room wing of the present structure.
The foundation and basement, now used as the dining parlors,
was completed when the great financial panic of 1893 swept over
the land. Business was at a standstill and so, for a time, was the
Methodist church. Services were held in the basement for several
years until brighter financial skies gave courage and means to
finish the belated work. The church is now numerically and
financially strong, and is fully organized. It has a flourishing
Sunday school with an enrollment of about 400, which, with an
Epworth League of sixty members provides for the training in
Christian activities of young people. There are two Ladies' Aid
Societies, a Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, two Young
People's Missionary organizations, namely: the Standard Bearers
and the King's Heralds, and a Methodist Men's club for regular
meetings during the winter months, which gives occasional sup-
pers and invites noted speakers from abroad to address it. The
predominating nationality of the congregation is American and
the services are conducted in the English language. Among the
pioneer members were Edward and Catherine March, Charles
Polsom, E. Folsom, D. L. Hitchcock, P. D. Hitchcock and wife;
Catherine McMillen and William Z. Ruter. The following is a
list of the pastors : N. Swift, October, 1867 to 1868 ; C. F. Wright,
1868, who died October 5, 1869 ; D. W. Hammond, 1869 to 1871 ;
A. McWright, 1871 to August, 1872; L. P. Smith, 1872 to 1875;
E. Goodman, 1875 to 1876 ; George Galpin, 1876 to 1877 ; E. H.
Bronson, 1877 to 1878 ; S. M. Davis, 1878 to 1879 ; C. H. S. Dunn,
1879 to 1881; John Pemberton, 1881 to 1883; W. L. Demorest,
1883 to 1884 ; C. Bristol, 1885 ; F. A. Cone, July, 1885 to October,
1885 ; George Geer, 1885 to 1887 ; F. A. Cone, 1887 to 1891 ; A. J.
Williams, 1891 to 1892 j L. L. Hanscom, 1892 to 1895 ; R. C. Gross,
1895 to 1896; J. F. Porter, August, 1896 to October, 1896; T. A.
Jones, 1896 to 1897 ; Geo. H. Way, 1897 to 1899 ; C. H. Stevenson,
388 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
1899 to 1900; G. W. Lutz, 1900 to 1904; F. B. Cowgill, 1904 to
1905; H. V. Givler, 1905 to 1907; E. V. DuBois, 1907 to 1910;
M. G. Shuman, 1910 to 1911 ; N. deM. Darrell, the present pastor,
since 1911.
The New Avon Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in
1915 by the Rev. N. deM. Darrell. The old Methodist church
building at Wabasso, vacant for some ten years, was moved to
the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of section 12, New
Avon township and thoroughly renovated. The church is in a
flourishing condition, maintains a splendid Ladies' Aid Society
and Sunday school, with sixty-five members. The Rev. Darrell
is still in charge and during the coming winter, services will be
held every Sunday.
Milroy Methodist Church, Milroy, Minn. This church was
erected in 1904 and was formerly located on the opposite corner,
on the present site of the B. Schmid residence, being afterwards
moved to where it now stands. Among the pioneer members of
the church was J. B. Christiansen and family. The members of
the congregation are mostly of American birth and the English
language is used in conducting services. The present pastor is
Rev. William A. Mulder, who serves also the churches of this
denomination at Amiret and Porter, Minn., his residence being
in the former place. A Ladies' Aid Society is connected with the
church and takes an active part in its works of benevolence.
Presbyterian.
There are eight Presbyterian churches in Redwood county,
located at Redwood Falls, Delhi, Morgan, Wabasso, Seaforth,
Vesta, Underwood (school district 66) and Underwood (school
district 36).
The First Presbyterian Church at Redwood Falls was organ-
ized March 9, 1867, by Rev. A. G. Rulifson, district secretary
of the committee on Missions. James Harkness, Mrs. Maria
Harkness, Birney Flynn, Mrs. Josephine H. C. Flynn, Mrs. Mary
A. Davidson, Mrs. Lucinda W. Teppera, Lawrence O. Root, Mrs.
Eliza C. Root, on profession, and Mrs. Matilda Hall, by letter,
were received as members and pronounced duly organized as the
First Presbyterian Church of Redwood Falls to be connected with
the Presbytery of Dakota. The services were held in Behnke's
hall on Second street until 1870, after which time the schoolhouse
was used until the new church was ready for occupancy in 1871.
The membership did not increase for some time, as there were
only five members when Rev. S. D. Westfall became pastor in
1869. The first year of his pastorate, however, twenty-one mem-
bers were added to the church roll. During Mr. Westfall's pastor-
ate a church building was erected on Bridge street. The building
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 389
of a new church seventy miles from a railroad was an event of
importance at that early day. It was not only that the people
were a long way from any means of transportation, except by
team, but that they seemed still farther from the four or five
thousand dollars necessary to erect a church building that would
be a credit to the community. The Redwood Falls people gave
as generously as their means would permit, Mr. J. W. Paxton
raised a considerable sum through eastern friends, and generous
help was also received through the board of church erection. The
ladies gave of their funds for the plastering. The lumber was
hauled by ox teams from Mankato. The first service was held in
the new church in September, 1871, but the building was not
finished until the following year. The total cost was about five
thousand dollars. Mr. Westfall preached in the afternoon at
Beaver Falls and had some support from that charge. Following
the resignation of Mr. Westfall late in 1871, Rev. W. B. Cham-
berlain was secured as stated supply in 1872 and preached for
two years. Rev. H. A. Dodge became pastor in 1875 and remained
five years. For two or three summers during the time, Mr. Dodge
preached in the schoolhouse at Paxton in the afternoon. Rev.
William Marsh of Illinois followed Mr. Dodge in charge of the
church, but, owing to poor health, was obliged to leave within a
few months and for a time the church was supplied by Rev. M.
Loba. Rev. R. E. Anderson accepted a call to the church at the
beginning of the new year. January 28, 1S82, the church building
burned, entailing a severe loss on the church and community.
Nothing was saved except a few seats and a basket of books. The
Gazette of the time said: "It was the most complete and attrac-
tive public building in the village." Fortunately, it had been
insured by the ladies for $3,000 and this proved a great help
toward the building of a new church. Services were held in the
courthouse until the fall of 1883, when the present church was
ready for occupancy. It cost about $7,000. Rev. J. O. Rhieldaffer,
D.D., accepted a call in 1886. At this time the church became self-
supporting. During this pastorate the lecture room was finished,
the church was seated, a furnace put in, and other necessary im-
provements were made. The largest accession of members up to
this date at any one time was twenty-two, added during this
period. Rev. John Sinclair, having supplied the pulpit for six
months, received a unanimous call in the spring of 1892. There
was a marked improvement in many lines of church work during
Mr. Sinclair's pastorate, especially worthy of note, being the
increased interest of the young people in the work of the church
and the advancement made by them in those things which are es-
sential to its progress. A salient feature of the church work dur-
ing Mr. Sinclair's pastorate was the purchase of a bell, which had
been wanted by the congregation for a long time, but how to get
390 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
it was the question. Finally the ladies, the most persistent work-
ing force in all churches, lit on the expedient of arranging with
the publishers to become sponsors for the thanksgiving number
of the Gazette, which was only issued November 28, 1895, and
called the "Ladies' Edition." Mr. Sinclair resigned in January,
1898, and was followed by Rev. P. G. Barackman, who took up
the work May 1st and remained until the spring of 1902. A strong
feature of Mr. Barackman 's pastorate was his work among the
young people. The Christian Endeavor Society was already well
organized, but being a young man with a thorough training in the
work among the young. Mr. Barackman was successful in in-
teresting and holding the young people of the church. Rev. L. P.
Badger came to the church as stated supply June 1, 1902, and at
the expiration of a year was elected pastor. During his time as
pastor a dining room and kitchen were put in the basement of
the church and a manse was built. The largest accession of mem-
bers to the church in its history was during Mr. Badger's pastor-
ate. The increase mainly was the result of the meetings conducted
in a tabernacle by Evangelist Sunday. Mr. Badger resigned in
the spring of 1906 and in November was followed by Rev. R. P.
Chambers. The present pastor, Rev. B. P. Holt, B. D., was in-
stalled June 13, 1916. In connection with the church there is
a flourishing Sunday school, Missionary Society, Mite Society,
Ladies' Aid Society and Christian Endeavor Society. There is
also a good library. The church property has been well managed
and the present value of the building is about ten thousand
dollars.
Seaforth Presbyterian Church dates back to 1901, in which
year a few people began to meet for services in the depot. The
society grew slowly and it was not until 1912 that the church
building was erected in which the congregation has since wor-
shipped. This building, the auditorium of which has a seating
capacity of 150, is valued at $2,500. The services are conducted
in the English language. The Rev. George Bollinger, the present
pastor, assumed charge three years ago, and also ministers to the
church at Wabasso. The congregation now numbers forty mem-
bers, most of whom are American born. The average attendance
in the Sunday school is twenty-eight.
Episcopal.
There are two Episcopal churches located within the limits of
Redwood county — one at Redwood Falls and the other in Paxton
township.
The Church of the Holy Communion, Redwood Falls. The
first service of the church was held by Bishop Whipple, July 16,
1869, while en route to the Sisseton and Wahpeton and Sioux
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 391
Indians. On his return trip he preached Sunday, July 25th. At
this time there were no communicants of the church in Redwood
Falls. No attempt was made for the planting of the church until
1876. In 1871 Judge H. D. Baldwin and family moved from
Waseca county, Mrs. Baldwin being a communicant of the church.
In 1876 a meeting was held at their residence for the purpose of
organizing a Sunday school. Among those present were Mrs.
H. D. Baldwin, Mrs. William Flinn, Mrs. Powell and Miss Anna
E. Baldwin. From that time the Sunday school was kept up
and Rev. E. Livermore of St. Peter's was asked to come and
hold service. His first service was held March 12, 1876. About
this time a church society was organized with Mrs. A. M. North-
rop, president ; Mrs. Willia Flinn, vice president ; Mrs. N. Bixby,
secretary, and Miss Anna E. Baldwin, treasurer. June 1, 1876, a
class of six was confirmed by Bishop Whipple, one more being con-
firmed the next morning.
August 6, 1876, Rev. E. J. Hunter entered upon charge of the
work, Dean Livermore continuing as priest in charge. Here Mr.
Hunter completed the enclosing of the church. His last service
was held June 9, 1878. Services were frequently held by the
Dean. The Rev. Henry I. Gurr, a deacon, was appointed mission-
ary at this place and Marshall and entered upon his work August
24, 1879. He remained but a short time, leaving about October
12, 1879. The services were again conducted by the Dean as
opportunity offered. February 14, 1881, Rev. William Rich-
mond was appointed to hold regular services the second Sunday
of each month. His last service was held August 7, 1881. Dean
Livermore once more took charge of the mission, giving a monthly
service. From this time the mission was in charge of the clergy of
St. Peter, the Dean until he resigned, April 22, 1883. Rev. Caleb
Benham from July 22, 1883, to July 22, 1886. Rev. D. F. Thomp-
son from November 1, 1886, to May 12, 1889. On this last named
date the church was consecrated by Rev. M. N. Gilbert, assistant
Bishop of the diocese, by the name of the Church of the Holy
Communion. The Bishop's committee at the time of the conse-
cration, May 12, 1889, were H. D. Baldwin, H A. Baldwin, James
McMillan, W. P. Dunnington, and S. S. Goodrich. The Rev. Stuart
B. Purves was placed in charge of the work and held his first
service July 7, 1889. Services were held every Sunday except
the last Sunday of the month. On August 4, 1889, the mission
was organized as the Parish of the Church of the Holy Commun-
ion, with Judge H. D. Baldwin as senior warden and Calvin W.
French as Junior warden, and HA. Baldwin, S. S. Goodrich, C. F.
Thompson, C. V. Everett, James McMillan and Henry C. Ackman
as vestrymen. At the following Easter parish meeting, the mis-
sionary having been previously advanced to the priesthood, was
elected rector of the parish. The Rev. S. V. Purves held his last
392 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
service on February 28, 1892. Rev. Ed H. Clark took charge and
held his first service the following Sunday. Mr. Clark remained
only a couple of months or so and then the parish had no rector
until Rev. Henry Beer took charge January 15, 1893. During the
first year of Mr. Beer's incumbency the church building was
moved to the east side of the church property and the building
put in a good state of repair. Mr. Beer resigned his charge
January, 1896, to accept missionary work in the newly created
district of Alaska. On March 10, 1896, the Rev. W. H. Knowlton
took charge and on Easter Day there were fifty-four communi-
cants. On December 2, 1896, a chapter of the Brotherhood of
St. Andrew, with eleven charter members, was organized by Mr.
Hector Baxter, council member for Minnesota. The new rectory
was completed early in November, 1896. In 1899 this parish, in
comparison to its members and resources, led the Diocese in its
contribution to missions and outside objects, giving $108.20.
Mr. Knowlton resigned February 13, 1900. The Rev. William
Mitchell, rector of St. Luke's Church, Terre Haute, Ind., accepted
the call of the vestry and entered upon his duties September 23,
1900. Several memorials were placed in the chancel during his
rectorate. He resigned September 14, 1902, to become chaplain
of Breck school at Wilder and rector of the Church of the Good
Shepherd at Windom. On January 23, 1903, Rev. A. Coffin took
charge of the parish, continuing as its rector until April 16, 1906,
when he resigned and went to Pine Island, Minn. For the next
seven months the parish was vacant. On November 4, 1906, Rev.
Charles Stanley Mook, of the district of North Dakota, held his
first service as rector. During 1909 the parish lost a great many
of its members by death or removals, which seriously handicapped
its work, but new members came in and the work was continued
with enthusiasm in spite of difficulties. The present rector is
Rev. A. A. Joss, D.D. In connection with the church there is a
Ladies' Guild, the work of which is for the home church and
for diocesan and foreign missions.
Paxton. The story of the Indian church in Paxton township
is told elsewhere in this volume.
Christian.
There are two churches of this denomination in Redwood
county — in Redwood Falls and New Avon.
The Christian Church in Redwood Falls was organized Decem-
ber 20. 1888, by the Rev. Harrison, with thirty-four members. The
pastors from that date to the present time have been as follows:
Rev. J. G. Harrison, from December 20, 1888, to September, 1891 ;
Rev. M. H. Tipton, January 30, 1892, to September 4, 1892 ; Rev.
W. L. Stine, January 22, 1893, to 1895 ; Rev. Ernest Thornquest,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 393
July 1, 1895, to May 3, 1896; Rev. S. P. Fullen, from May 17,
1896 ; Rev. K. W. White, from July 11, 1897 ; Rev. Henry Good-
acre, from August 28, 1898; Rev. H. T. Sutton, from August 19,
1900; Rev. E. A. Orr, from May 1, 1901; Rev. F. L. Davis from
November 29, 1902; Rev. B. C. Nicholson, from November 15,
1903 ; Rev. S. M. Smith, from October 1, 1908. Since the ministry
of Mr. Smith the church has been served by : Rev. C. F. Martin,
Rev. J. F. Ainsworth and the present pastor, Rev. Grover C.
Schurman. The real activity of this church and its place among
the other congregations begins with the ministry of Mr. Nichol-
son. The congregation having lost its church building by fire, he,
with untiring zeal and energy started plans and inaugurated the
work of erecting a new edifice, which resulted in the present
beautiful and commodious building, one of the finest in southwest
Minnesota. Work on the new building was commenced in the
early part of 1906 and it was completed for dedication on January
27, 1907. Oliver W. Stewart of Chicago preached the dedication
sermon. The total cost of the building was $25,000. It is located
diagonally northwest of the county courthouse, and across the
street from the Methodist Episcopal church. It is built of gray
cement blocks, with oak finished pews and white enamel walls.
The auditorium proper will seat eight hundred people ; and there
is a modern Sunday-school plant in the basement that is not sur-
passed by anything in the state outside of the twin-cities and
Duluth. Grover C. Schurman, the present pastor, with his wife,
was educated at Drake University of Des Moines, Iowa, he in the
theological course and she in music. They have been here since
June 1, 1914, coming from the University Place church of Minne-
apolis, Minn.
The Christian Church of New Avon Township was recently
organized. It is under the charge of, and was organized by Rev.
Grover C. Schurman, pastor of the Christian church at Redwood
Falls. The congregation occupies the building erected as a Union
church many years ago, and for some time abandoned.
Congregational.
Redwood county contains three Congregational churches —
one at Walnut Grove, another at Belview and the third at Lam-
berton.
Seventh Day Adventist.
The only Adventist church in Redwood county is located in
Brookville.
Brookville Church of the Seventh Day Adventist denomina-
tion, is located in the town site of Wayburne, two and a half miles
south of Morgan. The founders of this church were originally
394 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
members of the Golden Gate church, but about 35 years ago it was
thought best to divide and the people living in Broukville town-
ship formed what was, and is known as the Brookville church.
Between 35 and 40 years ago the Golden Gate church joined with
the Baptists and Lutherans and erected a church in Brown county,
where they met. Later, in 1888, the Brookville church joined the
Baptists and Lutherans and built a union church in Brookville
township. The first services of this church, however, were held
in the homes of the members, in schoolhouses and in other
churches, and were presided over by an elder, or leader, as is
largely the case at present, with occasional visits from a regular
pastor. In those early days the services were conducted in Dan-
ish, but now the English language is used almost exclusively. In
1902 the present church edifice was erected in Wayburne. After
its erection, however, the water became so high that it could not
be used, and it is now the intention to move it to a dryer and
more convenient location. The congregation numbers 22 per-
sons, most of all of whom are of Danish descent. In connection
with the church there is a Sabbath school, Tract and Mission soci-
ety and Missionary Volunteer society. Pending the removal of
the church, services are held in the residences of some of the mem-
bers. Among the pioneer members of this church were Jens Mor-
tenson, Soren Peterson, Christopher Johnson, H. E. Hanson, Louis
Johnson, J. H. Johnson, H. P. Nelson, Jens Johnson, Peter Chris-
tensen, H. N. Hanson, Hans Danielson and J. C. Larson. Most
of the old members are dead or moved away, only a few being left.
Nearly all were poor in this world's goods but rich in grace. With
their oxen and lumber wagon, or sleigh, they would drive many
miles to meeting, which began at eleven o'clock, after which there
was Sabbath school, then five minutes recess, then Bible reading
for two hours, and afterwards lunch and the drive home. Among
those who served as elders were Jens Mortenson, Christopher
Johnson, J. H. Gardner and Peter H. Christensen, Mr. Gardner
serving many years as elder, treasurer and clerk. After the
Brookfield church was organized it grew until it had reached a
strength of thirty-six members, there being often fifty or more
present in the Sabbath school. Later the membership dimin-
ished owing to removals, those who went away, however, helping
to spread the faith in other localities. One from Golden Gate
church has been a missionary in southeastern Africa for over
twenty years. A member of the Brookville church is president
of the Wisconsin conference and his son is also studying for the
ministry, and so the influence of these pioneers widens, the final
results being in the hands of God.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 395
Brethren.
This denomination has one church in the county, which is lo-
cated in Vesta.
References. "A Canvass of Religious Life and Work in Red-
wood County," 1914, made by L. F. Badger, on behalf of the Man-
kato Presbytery and Redwood County Sunday Schools' Associa-
tion, with the co-operation of the Presbyterian Department of
Church and Country Life, Board of Home Missions of the Presby-
terian Church in the U. S. A., 156 Fifth avenue, New York.
Record books in the custody of the pastors of the various
churches.
Authorities. Church of the Holy Communion (Episcopal),
Redwood Falls ; The Scenic City Souvenir, March, 1910 ; Souvenir
Issue, Redwood Falls Sun, Oct. 22, 1915. Christian church, Red-
wood Falls; The Scenic City Souvenir, March, 1910; Souvenir
Issue of Redwood Falls Sun, Oct. 22, 1915. First Presbyterian
church, Redwood Falls; Souvenir of Redwood Falls, November,
1900; History of the Minnesota Valley, 1882; Rev. B. P. Holt,
B. D., Redwood Falls. Presbyterian church, Seaforth; Rev. Geo.
Bollinger, Seaforth. St. Johns Evangelical Lutheran church, Red-
wood Falls; Rev. A. Schaller. Milroy Methodist church; Rev.
W. A. Mulder. First M. E. church, Redwood Falls ; Rev. N. deM.
Darrell; Souvenir History of the Minnesota Valley; Souvenir Is-
sue Redwood Falls Sun, Oct. 22, 1915. Seventh Day Adventist
church, Brookville ; Mrs. H. P. Mortenson. Evangelical Lutheran
Trinity church, Willow Lake ; Rev. H. L. W. Schuetz. Evangelical
Lutheran St. John, Vesta ; Rev. P. R. Gedicke. Evangelical Luth-
eran church, Wanda; Ohio Synod; Rev. Th. Tychsen. St. John's
Evangelical Lutheran church, Redwood Falls; Rev. A. Schaller.
German Methodist church, Johnsonville ; Rev. William B. Oem-
mils. Danish Evangelical Lutheran church, Brookville ; Rev. H.
M. Hansen. Bethany Danish Lutheran church, Gilfillan ; Rev. H.
M. Hansen. St. John's Lutheran church, Sheridan township;
Rev. J. X. Lenz. Lutheran church of Seaforth ; Rev. J. X. Lenz.
Bethany Lutheran church, Wabassa ; Rev. J. X. Lenz. Immanuel
Lutheran church, Belview ; Rev. Emil E. T. Anderson. Sundown
Scandinavian Lutheran church ; Rev. L. J. Floren. Rock Dell
Lutheran church ; C. Knutson. Christian church, Redwood Falls ;
Scenic City Souvenir, March, 1910 ; Souvenir Issue, Redwood Falls
Sun, Oct. 22, 1915. Pilgrim church, Evangelical Association, Wa-
basso; Rev. A. A. Sehendel. Salem church, Evangelical Associa-
tion, New Avon; Rev. A. A. Sehendel. Church of St. Catherine
(Roman Catholic), Redwood Falls; Rev. J. J. .Tomek. St. Mary's
Roman Catholic church, Seaforth ; Rev. Fr. Roemer. St.
Roman Catholic church, Clements; Rev. John Schulte.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
CHAPTER XXIX.
BUTTER AND CHEESE MAKING.
Being strictly an agricultural region, it is natural that Red-
wood county should number dairying among its most important
industries. The pioneers kept a cow or two to supply the family
table with milk and butter. The milk not used for drinking and
cooking was placed in an earthenware crock or wooden bucket,
until the cream rose, after which the cream was skimmed, and
when a sufficient quantity, more or less soured was secured, was
placed in an earthernware crock or wooden bucket, and stirred
with a wooden paddle until the butter was formed. The butter
was then salted, and sometimes colored, after which it was ready
for household use, or to be traded at the stores for groceries and
drygoods.
The estimates of the state statistician are available from 1869
to 1898. The statistics of 1869 and 1870 are of but little value
for Redwood county comparisons, as the county then stretched
far to the westward. In 1869 there were 4,925 pounds of butter
made in Redwood county homes, and in 1870, the number of
pounds made was 18,352.
In 1871, with 76 cows, the people of the county produced
9,678 pounds of butter and 765 pounds of cheese.
The number of cows increased rapidly until 1878, when 2,104
were reported. In 1879 this dropped to 2,061, and then increased
to 8,918 in 1898.
The production of butter in homes increased rapidly until
1877, when the pounds of butter produced was 159,505, while the
cheese production was 1,719, and the number of cows was 1,787.
In 1878 the production of butter dropped to 127,124 pounds,
with a cheese production of 5,050, and cows numbered at 2,104.
There was then an increase to 1885, when some 324,958 pounds of
butter were made in Redwood county homes, there being that
year 3,866 cows in the county, and the cheese production being
11,005.
In 1890, the butter production was 287,640, creameries having
by that time been established. That year there were 5,228 cows
and the cheese production was 6,298. The statistics of 1898 show
an increase in butter production to 860,077 pounds, while the
cows numbered 8,918, and the cheese production was but 625
pounds.
The year 1878 was a big year for the production of cheese, the
production that year being 5,050 pounds. The cows that year
numbered 2,104, and the butter production was 127,124. There
was then a decline in cheese making until the early eighties. The
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 397
high tide of cheese making was reached in the middle eighties.
In 1885, no less than 11,005 pounds of cheese were made in Red-
wood county. That year 324,958 pounds of butter were made.
The cows numbered 3,866. There was a gradual decline in the
industry in the late eighties and early nineties, and though about
that time a cheese factory was established, it was not long main-
tained and cheese making in the homes declined until in 1898 only
625 pounds were made
Government reports on the dairy industry of Redwood county
are available for the census years of 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900 and
1910. As already stated, in 1870, the county extended far be-
yond its present boundaries, and the figures for that year are
of but little value for comparisons. It will be noted, too, that
there is a decided difference between the figures of the census
returns and the figures of the state statistician.
In 1870, there were 90 cows reported. The amount of butter
manufactured was 5,275 pounds, and the amount of cheese, 2,900
pounds.
In 1880, there were 2,575 cows reported. About 405 pounds of
milk was sold or sent to factories. The butter made on home
farms amounted to 191,498 pounds, and the cheese made on home
farms amounted to 3,820 pounds.
The census of 1890 showed 8,314 cows. The milk produced
amounted to 2,535,603 pounds. The butter made amounted to
480,410 pounds, and the cheese made to 13,225 pounds.
In 1900 there were 2,054 farms reporting dairy products. The
value of dairy products in the county was $217,618. The value
of dairy products consumed on farms was $71,299. There were
4,417,896 gallons of milk produced and 1,526,687 gallons sold.
The gallons of cream sold amounted to 1,830. There were
638,477 pounds of butter made, and 380,960 pounds sold. There
were 2,392 pounds of cheese made and 2,091 pounds sold.
The latest census figures available are those of 1910. There
were 15,141 cows on farms reporting dairy products in Redwood
county. There were 9,433 cows on farms reporting on milk
produced. The milk produced on farms reporting was 3,062,169
gallons, of which 215,264 gallons were sold. The cream sold
amounted to 54,562 pounds, and the butterfat sold amounted to
705,822. There were 415,143 pounds of butter produced, and
169,876 pounds sold. The value of dairy products excluding the
home use of milk and cream was 343,067 and the receipts from
dairy products sold was $282,798.
It will be seen that the early butter making in the county was
confined to the home. In 1882, there was still much wild land,
the county was just recovering from the ravages of the grasshop-
pers, the tide of immigration was toward the Dakotas where land
could be homesteaded. The central part of Redwood county was
398 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
still but thinly settled, and as land had to be purchased there,
few settlers were coming in. There was still considerable specu-
lation as to the future of the county. In that year, Col. McGlincy,
of Elgin, 111., after speaking at the Redwood County Pair, said
to a reporter of the St. Paul Pioneer Press:
"Prom my observation I find the county to be admirably
adapted to dairy and stock purposes, possessing soil, water and
grasses equal to any in the state. The record obtained at the
State fair by this county for its display of grains and vegetables,
for which it received the second premium, is an evidence of the
productiveness of the soil and the enterprise of its farmer citi-
zens. The county possesses natural drainage, surpassed by none
and equalled by few, and being abundantly supplied with run-
ning water, it is pre-eminently adapted to this branch of hus-
bandry. Its railroad facilities will enable the creamery man to
get his products into market in excellent condition. With these
and many other advantages which might be enumerated, it is
surprising that some energetic creamery man has not located at
Redwood Palls, where this business can be successfully prose-
cuted, and where it will be stimulated by the enterprising citizens
of the town and vicinity. All that is necessary to make this busi-
ness boom in Redwood county is immigration which will not be
long wanting when the natural advantages of the county are
made known abroad."
In 1887, two creameries were located in Redwood county, one
at Lamberton, called the Hackley and Immil creamery, and the
other at Redwood Palls, owned by A. P. McKinstry. At this time
the crops in Redwood county were good; the creamery industry
was new and the production was not large, yet, that which was
produced was very good.
In 1889, there were three good sized creameries in Redwood
county, one at Redwood Falls, under the name of the Redwood
Creamery Co. ; the second at Lamberton, called the Lamberton
Creamery Co. ; the third at Walnut Grove, called the Walnut
Grove Creamery Co. As yet, there were no cheese factories
reported in operation in Redwood county, although the cream-
eries were showing good reports. Finally in 1891, a cheese fac-
tory was established at Redwood Falls by Charles Fleisher.
In 1898 there were fifteen creameries in Redwood county, all
of the organizations were co-operative, and the creamery at Red-
wood Palls had 114 patrons ; at Revere, 76 patrons ; at Lamberton,
50 patrons ; at Morgan, 70 patrons ; at Sanborn, 60 patrons ; at
Sundown, 173 patrons; at Westline, 33 patrons; at Logan, 41
patrons; at Bellview, 50 patrons; at Springfield, 82 patrons; at
New Avon, 63 patrons; at Bellview 52 patrons; at Johnsonville
(postoffice Logan), 29 patrons; at Granite Rock (postoffice Rock),
30 patrons ; at Walnut Grove, 40 patrons.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 399
In 1901, there were twenty creameries in Redwood county,
which placed Redwood among the seven counties having the larg-
est number of creameries. Seventeen of the twenty creameries
were co-operative and three were independent. There were 1,123
patrons which was equal comparatively to the best creamery
counties. Over one million one hundred thousand pounds of but-
ter were produced at a running expense of $4,862.27. The names
and postoffices of the creameries were as follows: Delhi, Delhi;
S. & W. Creamery Company, Sundown ; Logan, Logan ; Lamber-
ton, Lamberton ; New Avon, New Avon ; Redwood Palls, Redwood
Falls ; Rock Rock ; Sanborn, Sanborn ; Belleview, Belleview ; Sheri-
dan, Seaf orth ; Revere, Revere ; Walnut Grove, Walnut Grove ;
Waterbury, Lamberton ; Underwood, Ashf ord ; Morgan, Morgan ;
Vesta, Vesta ; Wanda, Wanda ; Brookville, Evan ; Three Lakes,
Morgan ; North Redwood, North Redwood.
For several years after this, the reports showed only sixteen
or eighteen creameries in Redwood county, but the quality of the
butter was very good. In 1908 it was a fact that Minnesota but-
ter ranked the highest in quality in the markets of America. In
national contests the buttermakers of the state had invariably
won more prizes than the buttermakers of any other state in the
Union. Minnesota creameries and cheese factories were famous
for their excellence from a sanitary standpoint.
In Redwood county, in 1910, there were thirteen creameries,
nine co-operative and four independent. There were 1411 patrons,
8,268 cows, and 1,109,663 pounds of butter made at a running
expense of $26,596. In 1911, there were eight co-operative and
five independent creameries, 1,669 patrons, 12,010 cows, and 1,151,-
863 pounds of butter produced at a running expense of $28,677.
In 1912 there were seven co-operative and seven independent
creameries, 1,834 patrons, 12,990 cows and 1,493,981 pounds of
butter, made at a running expense of $35,394. In 1913 there
were fourteen creameries, seven co-operative and seven independ-
ent. There were 1,815 patrons, 11,358 cows, 1,493,745 pounds of
butter made at a runing expense of $35,781. This shows that
for the same number of creameries, there were not as many
patrons nor as many cows; that the production of butter was
less and the expense greater than in 1912. Therefore in 1914
there were only twelve creameries, five co-operative and seven
independent, 1,346 patrons and 9,913 cows The production of
butter, 1,115,748 pounds was larger in proportion to the number
of creameries ; the running expense of $25,459 was comparatively
smaller. The butter produced is of a very good quality.
Minnesota has won ten of the twelve silk banners offered
by the National Creamery Buttermakers' Association, at each
of their conventions to the state whose average of the ten high-
est entries is the greatest.
400 HISTORY GP REDWOOD COUNTY
This fact speaks for itself and shows that the state has a
great future in the creamery industry. These banners have been
won by the combined efforts of the dairymen and buttermakers
in the state of Minnesota, in each county, and in each creamery.
In 1914 Redwood county ranked high in the creamery indus-
try with a dozen fine creameries located there in the following
places: Belview Creamery, Belview, ind. ; Brookville Dairy As-
sociation, Morgan, co-op. ; Clements Creamery Co., Clements, ind. ;
Lamberton Creamery Co., Lamberton, stock ; Morgan Co-operative
Creamery Association, Morgan, co-op.; North Redwood Co-opera-
tive Creamery, North Redwood, co-op. ; Revere Creamery, Revere,
ind. ; Scenic City Creamery, Redwood Falls, ind. ; Vesta Cream-
ery, Vesta, ind.; Wabasso Creamery Co., Wabasso, co-op.; Wal-
nut Grove Creamery Co., Walnut Grove, ind. ; Consolidated Farm-
ers' Co-operative Creamery, Wanda, co-op.
The report of the Minnesota State Dairy and Food Commis-
sioner of 1914 for 1913 gives the following statistics : Creameries,
14 ; co-operative, 7 ; independent, 7 ; patrons, 1,815 ; cows, 11,358 ;
milk received, 635,664 pounds ; cream received, 4,587,100 pounds ;
butterfat, 1,238,744 pounds ; butter made, 1,493,745 ; average price
paid per pound for butterfat, 30.59 cents ; average overrun, 20.58 ;
paid patrons for fat, $379,041.45; running expenses, $35,781.10.
The report of the commissioner issued in 1915 for 1914 is as
follows : Creameries, 12 ; co-operative, 5 ; independent, 7 ; patrons,
1,346 ; cows, 9,913 ; milk received, 147,212 pounds ; cream re-
ceived, 3,350,988 pounds ; butterfat, 912,052 ; butter made, 1,115,-
748 ; average price paid for butter fat, 28.64 cents ; average over-
run, 21.34; paid patrons for fat, $261,221.71; running expenses,
$26,459.55.
The decrease is due to the fact that much more milk and
cream is being shipped outside the county than formerly.
Authority. Statistics of Minnesota, 1869-1898.
Federal Census, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900 and 1910.
Reports of the State Dairy and Food Commissioner.
"The Development of the Dairy Products Industry of Min-
nesota," by Martin J. Anderson, Dairy and Food Department
Bulletin, No. 52.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 401
CHAPTER XXX.
AGRICULTURE OF TODAY.
(By J. E. Neil.)
Redwood county is situated on the southern bank of the Min-
nesota river, in the southwestern part of the state. It is about
100 miles from St. Paul and Minneapolis, with which it is con-
nected with the M. & St. L. and the Northwestern railroads.
The area of the county is 893.83 square miles or 572,052.87
acres, of which 557,122.74 acres are land, and 14,930.13 acres are
water. The land surface is divided into about 2,311 farms.
The population of the county in 1910 was 18,425, of which
14,968 were native born, the foreign population being as follows:
Germany, 1,527; Sweden, 268; Norway, 499; Great Britain and
Ireland, 147; Austria, 247; Denmark, 458; other countries, 361.
Their occupations are the ones incident to farm life. Two mar-
ble dressing establishments and a few cement plants constitute the
manufacturing industry. Everything else in the county, the
professions, merchandising and the like, are all dependent upon
the farmers for their support.
The agriculture of any section is controlled to a great extent
by its climate. The main factors which limit the growth of crops
are temperature, rainfall and the amount of sunshine. In Ren-
ville county these elements are so favorable that a majority of
the crops common to the temperate zone may be successfully
grown and a failure in the important crops is unknown.
Rainfall is an important factor for most crops, because the
amount of water in the soil at the critical period of development
of the plant is necessary to produce a large crop. The length of
the growing season is also very important and probably no other
factor from the standpoint of the farmer should be given more
consideration.
Redwood county is favored with these factors which help to
make successful production of crops. The following statistics
on the climatic conditions of the county are from the reports of
the United States Department of Agriculture Weather Bureau
from observations taken at Bird Island only a few miles from
this county, over a period of twenty-two years.
Average precipitation (rainfall), 24.57 inches; average precipi-
tation (snowfall), 25.8 inches; highest temperature recorded, 105
degrees; lowest temperature recorded, — 38 degrees; prevailing
wind direction, northwest; average date of first killing frost in
autumn, September 25 ; average date of last killing frost in spring,
May 9; earliest date of killing frost in autumn, September 9;
402 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
latest date of killing frost in spring, June 7 ; elevation of county
above sea level, 1,000 feet.
The distribution of the rainfall is particularly favorable to
agriculture, being in favorable years heaviest during the crop
season and ample for the full development of crops. The most
rainfall from the reports is shown to be in the months of April,
May, June, July and August. The average date of the last kill-
ing frost in the spring and the first in autumn are May 9 and
September 25, respectively. This gives an average length of
growing season of 139 days which is ample for the growing of
corn.
The soil of Redwood county is a black loam surface on all
the prairie portion of the county, which runs into a brown sand
surface along the streams, all being underlain with clay. In
some portions of the county, such as the soil that is found along
the bluffs of the Minnesota river, a very fine sand crops out in
places, which is also true of portions of the Redwood river.
There soils carry a very high percentage of mineral matter and
while they are not regarded as a heavy soil they are very fertile
and are much easier to handle than the extremely heavy soils.
The soil is quite uniform in type and the shallow depressions
which are seen over most of the county only need drainage to
make them as valuable as the rest of the county.
The following outline of a survey of the soils of the county
was taken in the fall of 1915 and shows the various types of
soil found in the county, also the condition of the soil with
reference to acidity.
Redwood County Soil Samples. Field 1— Sec. 3—112—36.
N. "W. Cobleigh, P. 0. Redwood Falls. Soil is a black loam sur-
face, with a clay subsoil — neutral soil. Alfalfa sown alone 6/15,
12 pounds of Grim seed per acre. Stand 100 per cent. Inocula-
tion 25.
Field 2— Sec. 8—112—36. McRae & Clague, P. O. Redwood
Falls. Soil is a black loam surface with a clay subsoil — intense
acid.
Field 3— Sec. 18—112—36. W. D. Lines, P. O. Redwood Falls.
Soil is a brown sand surface, limestone pebbles, with a loam sub-
surface with clay subsoil — neutral soil.
Field 4— Sec. 26—112—37. W. H. Gold, P. 0. Redwood Falls.
Soil is a dark fine sand surface with a heavy loam subsoil (allu-
vial)— neutral soil.
Field 5— Sec. 20—112—37. E. Mosek, P. 0. Seaforth. Soil
is a brown sand surface, with fine sand subsoil — intense acid.
Field 6— Sec. 19—112—37. Michael Kramer Estate, P. 0.
Seaforth. Soil is a black fine sand surface, with a clay sub-
soil— very slight acid.
Field 7— Sec. 13—112—38. Chas. R. Furhell, P. 0. Vesta.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 403
Soil is a brown fine sand surface, with a coarse yellow sand sub-
soil— intense acid.
Field 8— Sec. 19—112—38. S. F. Scott, P. 0. Vesta. Soil is
a black sandy loam, with a clay subsoil — neutral. Sown 5-15-14
with one bushel barley, S. D. seed used. Inoculation with Com-
mercial culture, stand 80 per cent. Inoculation 100 per cent.
Seed was covered too deep.
Field 9— Sec. 19—112—38. D. J. McConnel, P. 0. Vesta. Soil
is a black fine sand surface with a coarse yellow sand subsoil —
neutral.
Field 10— Sec. 16—112—39. Christ Rust, P. 0. Vesta. Soil
is a black fine sand surface, with a clay subsoil. Alluvial surface
— intense acid.
Field 11— Sec. 33—112—39. James Scott, P. 0. Milroy. Soil
is a black clay loam, with a clay subsoil — neutral.
Field 12— Sec. 9—111—39. T. P. Pederson, P. 0. Milroy.
Soil is a black clay loam surface, with a clay subsoil— neutral.
Field 13— Sec. 6—110—39. M. Grotta, P. 0. Milroy. Soil is
a black sandy loam surface with a clay subsoil — alkaline.
Field 14— Sec. 8—112—39. P. H. Kelley, P. 0. Tracy. Soil
is a black sandy loam surface, with a heavy mixed subsoil — allu-
vial— neutral.
Field 15— Sec. 10—110—39. John Christianson, P. 0. Walnut
Grove. Soil is a black fine sand surface, with a sand subsoil —
alluvial — strong acid.
Field 16— Sec. 13—110—39. Carl Soch, P. 0. Walnut Grove.
Soil is a brown fine sand surface with a heavy sandy subsoil —
distinct acid.
Field 17— See. 32—110—38. Albert Carlson, P. 0. Walnut
Grove. Soil is a brown fine sand surface with a clay subsoil —
alkaline.
Field 18— See. 16—110—38. B. A. Fellefson, P. 0. Walnut
Grove. Soil is a black fine sand surface, with a clay subsoil —
neutral.
Field 19— Sec. 4—110—38. Geo. Schmiessing, P. 0. Lucan.
Soil is a brown fine sand surface, with a clay subsoil — distinct
acid.
Field 20— See. 27—111—38. Marty Lange, P. 0. Lucan. Soil
is a black loam surface, with a clay subsoil — neutral.
Field 21— Sec. 19—111—37. Albertina Kiecher, P. 0. Wa-
basso. Soil is a dark loam surface, with a clay subsoil — slight
acid.
Field 22— Sec. 22—111—37. Dan Zimmerle, P. 0. Wabasso.
Soil is a brown fine sand surface, with a clay subsoil — intense
acid.
Field 23— Sec. 11—110—37. Otto Newman, P. 0. Lamberton.
Soil is a black loam surface, with a clay subsoil — neutral.
404 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Field 24— Sec. 27—110—37. Stewart Rogers, P. 0. Lamber-
ton. Soil is a black clay loam surface, with a clay subsoil. Sown
alone in 1915, S. D. seed. Stand 100 per cent. Inoculation 25
per cent. Neutral.
Field 25— Sec. 3—103—37. John Black, P. 0. Lamberton.
Soil is a brown sandy loain surface, with a clay subsoil — distinct
acid.
Field 26— Sec. 19—109—36. G. W. Roger, P. 0. Lamberton.
Soil is a brown sandy loam surface, with a clay subsoil — slight
acid. Sown in 1914, after wheat, with S. D. seed. Stand 85 per
cent. Died out in spots, winter killed. Inoculation 50 per cent.
Field 27— Sec. 22—109—36. John Voss, P. 0. Sanborn. Soil
is a dark fine sand surface, with a sand subsurface and clay
subsoil — ( alluvial ) — neutral.
Field 28— Sec. 1—109—36. Richard Flaig, P. 0. Sanborn.
Soil is a black sandy loam, with a clay subsoil — neutral.
Field 29— Sec. 20—110—35. C. G. Lawrence, P. 0. Spring-
field. Soil is a black loam, with an old alfalfa field. Clay sub-
soil. Stand 100 per cent. No inoculation found. Neutral soil.
Field 30— Sec. 5—110—35. M. Neudecker, P. 0. Clements.
Soil is a black loam surface, with a clay subsoil. Old alfalfa
field. Stand 100 per cent. Plant crowns small 5-10 stalks. No
inoculation found. Grass is crowding in. Slight acid.
Field 31— Sec. 33—111—35. August Schenk, P. 0. Clements.
Soil is a black clay loam, with a clay subsoil — neutral.
Field 32— Sec. 34—111—35. J. Wolter, P. 0. Clements. Soil
is a black sand loam surface, with a clay subsoil — distinct acid.
Field 33— Sec. 31—111—34. Albert Kiesow, P. 0. Morgan.
Soil is a black loam surface, with a clay subsoil— intense acid.
Field 34— Sec. 16—111—34. A. B. Diffbenner, P. 0. Morgan.
Soil is a black loam surface with a clay subsoil — distinct acid.
Field 35— Sec. 28—112—34. Fred Ulrich, P. 0. Morgan. Soil
is a black loam surface, with a clay subsoil — intense acid.
Field 36— Sec. 16—112—34. E. H. Bluhm, P. 0. Morton.
Soil is a black sandy loam, with a clay subsoil — intense acid.
Field 37— Sec. 8—112—34. W. T. Tussenhay, P. 0. Morton.
Soil is a black sand surface, with a sand subsoil — neutral.
Field 38— Sec. 12—112—35. Frank Clague, P. 0. Redwood
Falls. Soil is a light sand surface, with a gravel subsoil — strong
acid.
Field 39— Sec. 3—112—35. A. C. March, P. O. Redwood
Falls. Soil is a black fine sandy surface, with a clay subsoil —
strong acid.
Field 40— Sec. 6—112—35. I. P. Schmidt, P. 0. Redwood
Falls. Soil is a black fine sand surface with a clay subsoil —
neutral.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 405
Field 41— Sec. 31—113—35. D. F. Crimmins, P. 0. Redwood
Falls. Soil is a deep fine sandy loam surface, with a gravel sub-
soil (alluvial) — neutral. Is on top of bank between Minnesota
and Redwood rivers. Sweet clover growing along the road.
Field 42— Sec. 19—113—35. George Hepner, P. 0. North Red-
wood. Soil is a brown sand surface with a sand subsoil (allu-
vial)— strong acid.
Field 43— Sec. 14—113 and 114—36. H. Mority, P. 0. Delhi.
Soil is a brown sandy loam surface, with a clay subsoil — neutral.
Field 44— Sec. 35—113 and 114—36. D. W. Whittet, P. 0.
Redwood Falls. Soil is a black loam surface, with a clay sub-
soil— neutral.
Field 45— Sec. 14—112—36. J. F. Connor, P. 0. Redwood
Falls. Soil is a black loam surface, with a clay subsoil — intense
acid. Old alfalfa field. Stand 100 per cent. Inoculation 100
per cent.
Field 46— Sec. 28—112—36. Wm. Johnson, P. 0. Redwood
Falls. Soil is a black loam surface, with a clay subsoil — neutral.
Field 47— Sec. 8—111—36. G. I. Davis, P. O. Redwood Falls.
Soil is a black loam surface with a clay subsoil — distinct acid.
Field 48— Sec. 21—111—36. S. A. Witwer, P. O. Redwood
Falls. Soil is a black loam surface with a clay subsoil — distinct
acid. Old field, common seed used. Stand 85 per cent. Inocu-
lation 50 per cent.
Field 49— Sec. 30—111—36. Martha Smith, P. 0. Wabasso.
Soil is a black loam surface, with a clay subsoil — strong acid.
Field 50— Sec. 25—111—37. Henry Meyer, P. 0. Wabasso.
Soil is a black loam surface with a clay subsoil — strong acid.
The first settlers located at Redwood Falls attracted by the
water power. From Redwood Falls they spread up and down
the Minnesota, and up the Redwood river. A few settlements
were also made along the Cottonwood. The early railroads came
to Redwood Falls and across the southern part of the county,
and the development of the central part of the county did not
come until many years later.
The parts of Minnesota over which the last continental ice
sheet passed, is characterized by many lake-like depressions
which hold water until late in the season, which not only makes
considerable wet area, but prevents the early seeding of crops
in the spring. Redwood county lies within this portion of the
Btate and the farmers and officials of the county realize the neces-
sity of drainage to this section and also the value of the land
when it is drained. Up to the present time many thousands
of dollars have been spent on drainage projects within the county
and there is still under construction an extensive system of
county and judicial ditches. These systems of drainage provide
an outlet for the farms within their territory. Complete drain-
406 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
age can then be taken up by the individual farmers and the
entire area can be thoroughly drained. As the drainage of the
county has become more important it has become necessary to
change the system that was started a few years ago. This is
partly due to a better understanding of the work and partly
due to an increase in the value of the land which has made it
possible to bond the county heavier and thus put in more thor-
ough systems of drainage. At the present time the old plow
ditch, as it was called, is not in use at all. It, however, served
its purpose and at one time was the only kind of drainage used
in the county. The new system in use at the present time, and
which was started a few years ago, provides for both open and
tile ditches for main outlets. In many cases it being necessary
to use an open ditch where it would not be practical to use tile
on account of the excessive cost. The benefits of drainage are
readily recognized by everyone and it is only necessary to travel
a short distance in Redwood county until a good demonstration
can be found as to the practicability of draining land. There is
no one thing which will add more to the returns of a farm than
a good thorough system of tile drainage. There is no upkeep
to the system when properly laid; there is no waste land where
the tile are placed and the productive capacity of the land is
doubled by the constant water level. It goes hand in hand with
road building which requires the removal of the surplus water
before permanent roads can be built. These facts are all being
made use of in the plans for drainage systems in the county and
many sections of the county are in first class shape at the pres-
ent time.
The natural outlet for all drainage in Redwood county is the
Minnesota river. The Redwood river and the Cottonwood river,
each supplemented by their tributaries carrying the water to the
Minnesota. The Redwood river supplemented by Ramsey creek
and Clear creek, takes care of the northwestern portion of the
county, and the Cottonwood river, supplemented by Sleepy Eye
creek on the north, which is the largest factor in direct drain-
age in Redwood county, and the several smaller creeks to the
south, takes care of the southern, central and eastern portion
of the county. The divide which separates the water going to
the Minnesota river and the water going to the Des Moines river
being located south of Tracy.
The farmers of Redwood county are taking up the idea of
diversified farming very fast and the single crop system is being
discarded almost entirely by the more stable system of growing
corn, clover and livestock. Redwood county has proven its place
as a great corn growing county, not only in the quantity pro-
duced, but also in the quality of the product, and the corn that
is shown at any of the corn shows in this vicinity, or the larger
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 407
shows, amply proves this fact. At the present time several men
in the county have taken up the breeding and improvement of
corn for this locality ; among these are, Thomas Hoskins, of North
Redwood, who has done exceptionally well with Minn., No. 13;
S. 0. Mason & Sons, of Redwood Falls, with Minn., No. 13 and
Silver King, and H. C. Lau, of Tracy, with Silver King. These
men have established their corn and the varieties grown by
them are the most prominent. There are many others in the
county who have taken up the improvement of corn in a less
degree and all are working toward the type of corn that is safe
and matures well.
The climatic conditions of Redwood county are such that
practically all of the crops common to the corn belt area can
be grown successfully, the predominating ones being corn, oats,
wheat, barley and rye with flax grown to some extent and buck-
wheat to a less degree. Among the tame grasses, timothy and
red top are the most common, and these along with red clover,
alsyke clover and alfalfa, which produce wonderful yields in
all parts of the county, constitute a great combination for hay
and pasture, as well as the important part which the clovers
and alfalfa play in a crop rotation.
The growing of fruit in the county has become an important
factor and at the present most of the common varieties of apples
and plums are grown besides the bush fruits, such as raspber-
ries, gooseberries and currants. The fruit grown in the county
is all used locally, and on most of the farms all of the fruit
needed for home use is produced. There is but one nursery in
the county, belonging to J. M. Kenyon, of Lamberton, which
does considerable business in that locality. The majority of the
nursery stock used in the county comes from outside sources.
There are no commercial orchards in the county and outside
of a small amount of local trade no fruit is shipped out.
The beginning of alfalfa growing in Redwood county, just
as iu many other sections of the country, cannot be said to have
started at any particular, definite time. The early fields that
were sown were certainly not started with the common opinion
back of them, that the crop could be grown in this county with
any degree of certainty. Much credit is, therefore, due to the first
men who conceived the idea that this wonderful crop was worth
a trial in this section of the country; and in this particular
county. The way some of these older fields have developed and
produced year after year is one of the biggest arguments in
favor of encouraging the crop at the present time. It is true
that there were many failures among these early fields, just as
there are some failures today, and as there will, no doubt, con-
tinue to be for some little time yet. but these early pioneers who
held their faith in the crop are today enthusiastic believers in
408 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
alfalfa. It has proved itself worthy of consideration and more
and more people are beginning to see the value of it, so much
so that it can now be classed as one of the substantial crops of
the county.
Previous to the year of 1914 there were a great many different
varieties of alfalfa tried out by different people in this county;
the seed was also varied, coming from many different sections,
south as well as west and north. The Grimm alfalfa was among
these and was tried by several different men, who were wont
to risk a little more money than the average, and the results from
this seed have been uniformly good. It has withstood the win-
ters, yielded good crops of hay and in a few instances some seed
has been produced. The scarcity of the seed, which in turn
brought up the price, has kept it from general use among the
majority of the people. Several different strains of South Da-
kota and Montana seed were also tried with varying success.
In the spring of 1914 a campaign was started to encourage
more farmers in the county to try some alfalfa in a small way,
it being proven by the foregoing statements that alfalfa could be
grown profitably, if care and judgment were exercised in the
seeding of the crop. At this time thirty bushels of South Da-
kota dry land alfalfa seed was shipped into the county. This
seed was distributed on between forty-five and fifty different
farms. This does not include a number of other men, who
started a field, but who did not procure seed through this ship-
ment. The germination and the purity of this seed was very
high and as a result good stands were secured on all of the
fields, with the exception of two or three. This seed was sown
under almost all possible conditions ; some of it was seeded in the
early spring with a nurse crop and some was seeded alone ; other
fields were sown at various other times through the year from
May until August. In the majority of the cases, however, the
seeding was done without a nurse crop. During the forepart
of June and under these conditions the success was exception-
ally good. This was especially true, where the ground was
plowed during the forepart of May and harrowed and disced
continuously until the time of seeding. All of these fields showed
a good green color in September and went into the winter in
good condition. Out of this lot only two or three fields were in-
oculated, either with soil or Commercial inoculation, the great
trouble being the high price of Commercial inoculation and the
failure to get soil from old established fields. The effects of
the inoculation, however, can be seen much better in the future
and it is probable that as the acreage is increased more inocula-
tion will be practiced. Each one of these fields has served to act
as a demonstration, as the majority of the seed was sown on
farms where alfalfa had never been grown before, and it has
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 409
interested many who have thought little of it previous to this.
This amount of seed covered about one hundred and thirty-
acres and this, together with what was sown otherwise, would
bring the alfalfa acreage up to about one hundred and eighty
acres for 1914.
This acreage was more than doubled in 1915 and in 1916 there
were 204 fields of alfalfa with an average of about five acres
to the field.
The livestock industry has grown with wonderful rapidity
within the past few years and the number of cattle and hogs
kept on each farm is increasing each year. The one serious
drawback to the raising of hogs has been the scourge of cholera
which has, at intervals, taken its toll of hogs in the county. In
the year 1913 Redwood county passed through one of the worst
scourges of hog cholera that it has ever experienced and nearly
all parts of the county suffered heavy losses. At the beginning
of November, 1913, when the county agent work was started
in the country, a movement was started at once to hold the chol-
era in check for the coming year, if such a thing were possible.
At the various meetings held in the county during the winter
the cholera situation was taken up and the uses of serum, sani-
tation, etc., was discussed and by this means a clearer under-
standing of the disease was made to the people of the county.
Early in the spring of 1914 when a few of the first cases of
cholera were reported the matter was taken up in detail with
the state livestock sanitary board and with a representative of
the board most of the township boards in the county were vis-
ited, and the matter of reporting outbreaks in their localities
was taken up. At the same time the educational work was kept
up at all meetings held in the county and a supply of serum was
kept on hand for emergency use. Under this plan all outbreaks
in the county were located and the disease did not assume the
ravages that were apparent in 1913. This was, of course, due
in part to a shortage of hogs in the county. In 1914 about 2,500
hogs were treated with serum with a saving of 90 per cent of
the number treated, which shows very good results for the serum
treatment, as in many of the herds the hogs were well advanced
in the disease before the case was brought to the attention of the
bureau. As a result of this careful watching there were but
two cases of cholera in 1915 and these were of a very mild order.
The direct organization of the work, handling of the serum, etc.,
was in charge of the county agent, J. E. Neil, and the results
of this plan of work have been entirely satisfactory.
In the matter of the cattle industry, very rapid strides have
been made. This industry shows up very prominently in the
number of silos that have been built in the county during the
past few years. In the year 1915 there were fifty-nine silos in
410 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
the county on June 1st; in 1916 there were one hundred silos in
the county on June 1st and this will have increased considerable
by the time this goes to press. This method of handling the
roughage is recognized by everyone who handles livestock, and
the only reason that there are not more silos at present is a lack
of capital on the part of some and the high cost of filling machin-
ery. This, however, is rapidly being overcome by a number of
farmers joining together and working co-operatively.
Nearly all types of silos are found in Redwood county, from
the wood stave, which was one of the earliest types, to the cement
stave silo, which is the latest. Within the past year a number of
cement silos of the Keystone type, a cement stave silo, have been
erected in the vicinity of Redwood Falls, where the blocks for
this type of silo are made. This has also been true in the part
of Redwood county adjacent to Springfield, where a number of
the clay block silos have been built. Both of these types of
silos are of the permanent variety and this is an important factor
to consider in the erection of a silo. The silo is a wonderful
monument to the development of present day agriculture and its
appearance on the many farms throughout the county spells
definite progress in the livestock industry in Redwood county.
The dairy industry, while it is not one of the largest indus-
tries in the county, it has held steady within the past few years.
There are at present five co-operative creameries in Redwood
county located at North Redwood, Morgan, Brookville township,
Wabasso and Wanda, which handle the major portion of the
cream in their territory. These creameries have all been in
operation for some time with the exception of the Wanda cream-
ery, which was built in 1914 as a result of the consolidation of
three old creameries located in Sundown, New Avon and Water-
bury townships. Private creameries are in operation in several
villages. Cream shipping stations are maintained in all of the
towns of the county where there are no creameries and several
of the towns have cream shipping stations in addition to the
creameries.
The breeders of pure-bred livestock are increasing in num-
bers each year and at this time nearly all breeds of cattle are
represented, likewise hogs and horses. Among the herds of
cattle that have gained considerable prominence outside the
eounty is the herd of Holstein cattle owned by Gold, Wise, and
Gold of Redwood Falls and the Hereford herd of R. W. Christy
of Underwood township. Besides these are the Shorthorn herds
of Peter McKay of Delhi and Malcolm Dennistoun of Redwood
Falls, who have figured very prominently in the county.
The following list includes the various other breeders of pure-
bred livestock in the county who have gained considerable promi-
nence. Short Horn Cattle : Peter McKay, Delhi ; Thomas McKay,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 411
Delhi; Banker & Dennistoun, Redwood Falls; Henry Petri, Red-
wood Falls; C. T. March, Redwood Falls; M. "W. Dennistoun,
Redwood Falls; Douglas Allen, Redwood Falls; Charles Garn-
hart, Redwood Falls; D. M. Tiffany, Redwood Falls; John Roh-
lik, Vesta ; Frank Petri, Lucan ; Nash Bros., Tracy ; D. F. Riordan,
Lamberton ; Wasson Quinn, Lamberton. Hereford Cattle : R. W.
Christy, Vesta ; Frank Sheffield, Springfield ; C. H. Fredriksen,
Clements, Nash Bros., Tracy; W. H. Cook & Son, Sanborn.
Polled Durham Cattle : Archie McDougal, Wabasso ; J. M. Little,
Seaforth. Aberdeen Angus Cattle: William Peterson, Belview;
D. R. McCorquodale, Delhi; John Stevenson, Delhi. Holstein
Cattle: Fred Hoepner, North Redwood; Gold, Wise & Gold,
Redwood Falls ; H. S. Kleckner, Redwood Falls ; Byron Sweeley,
Tracy ; Charles Hensch, Sanborn. Jersey Cattle : William Bonde-
son, Walnut Grove ; Axle Bondeson, Walnut Grove. Duroc Jer-
sey Hogs: J. M. Little, Seaforth; Peter McKay, Delhi; Thomas
McKay, Delhi; R, E. Fuller, Redwood Falls; J. F. Connor, Red-
wood Falls ; Michael Skow, Springfield ; H. C. Lau, Tracy ; Wasson
Quinn, Lamberton. Poland China Hogs: Thomas McKay, Delhi;
Douglas Allen, Redwood Falls:; C. T. March, Redwood Falls;
Ernest Beerman, Wanda; T. A. Allen, Walnut Grove; D. F.
Riordan, Lamberton. Chester White Hogs: John Ruder, Delhi;
J. A. Metcalf, Redwood Falls; H. S. Kleckner, Redwood Falls.
Percheron Horses: R. E. Fuller, Redwood Falls; C. C. King,
Redwood Falls ; Banker & Dennistoun, Redwood Falls, Jens Scott,
Vesta. Clydesdale Horses : D. A. Dennistoun, Redwood Falls.
The poultry industry of Redwood county is one of its steady
assets. Large numbers of poultry are kept on every farm and
the production of eggs from Redwood county ranks among the
best in the state ; likewise the shipments of live poultry from the
country surrounding the towns. The reliability of the farm flock
is well recognized in the county and on many farms the poultry
take charge of a good share of the grocery bills. A poultry show
is held each year at Walnut Grove and there are several fanciers
around this town who have taken a keen interest in the poultry
business. A poultry exhibit is also held in connection with the
county fair each year at Redwood Falls which has shown an
increasing number of entries each year.
The farm improvements in Redwood county are among the
best. Large commodious houses occupy the place of the older
ones which housed the early settlers and the large barn and house
with its spacious surroundings is one of the common sights on
Redwood county farms. On many farms in the county the houses
are entirely modern, being equipped with electric light, furnace
or hot water heat, running water throughout the house, with
laundry room and labor-saving washing machinery on the in-
terior. Large groves which form a protection from the severe
412 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
winds in winter are seen on every farm and their value is
counted among the valuable farm improvements.
A friendly community spirit is maintained between the busi-
ness men and farmers, which is one of the most lasting and bene-
ficial steps to be found in any community. The banking institu-
tions of the county offer encouragement to agricultural enter-
prises such as loaning money to build silos and offering premium
money for exhibits of the various agricultural products in the
county, all of which tend to cement friendship and help towards
that ideal relationship between town and country that goes along
with the well-balanced community.
The county has within its borders three high schools which
maintain agricultural departments, located at Redwood Falls,
Morgan and Lamberton. At each one of these schools a compe-
tent agricultural man is employed whose duties are to teach agri-
culture in the schools and to carry on extension work among the
farmers of the district. These men have taken up various phases
of agricultural development in their districts, among which
might be mentioned the boys' and girls' club work, which con-
sists of corn and pig contests for the boys and bread baking and
gardening for the girls. Many other lines of work are also un-
dertaken by these men, such as testing seed corn, pruning fruit
trees, etc.
The county agent work was started in Redwood county on
November 1, 1913, which made Redwood county one of the first
counties of the state to take up this line of extension work.
Under this new form of agricultural development a part of the
expense is born by the state, a part by the United States Govern-
ment, and the remainder is raised in the county. In Redwood
county the work was started in 1913 with J. E. Neil as county
agent. One of the first steps that was necessary was to get in
touch with the people of the county and perfect some means of
keeping in touch with all parts of the county at all times. The
purpose of the work being to bring together the farmers of the
county for mutual co-operation and to get in touch with some of
the problems that were confronting them. Among the things
which were taken up at the beginning of the work was the con-
trol of hog cholera and the introduction of alfalfa. These two
projects occupied a good share of the time of the first years work
during which time there was no direct organization in the county
to plan out and direct the work. It being necessary for the agent
to take up such work as he deemed advisable to be done or which
was necessary at the time.
During the first year many miscellaneous problems came up
besides the major ones, such as the selection of seed corn, en-
couragement of boys' and girls' club work, pruning fruit trees,
the selection of desirable sires among cattle and hogs, etc. This
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 413
continued until February, 1915, at which time the Farm Bureau
was organized with representative men in nearly all of the town-
ships of the county. By this plan a close contact was kept with
all of the outlying parts of the county and more thorough and
effective work was secured. Another phase of the work which
occupied considerable time was the organization of farmers' clubs.
This is one of the most effective means of developing community
spirit and the result among the farmers' clubs of the county have
shown this to be true. While most of the clubs were organized
on the social basis many of them have taken up the commercial
and educational side as well. Many other lines of work have
been taken up, among these are the selection of breeding stock,
farm management, drainage, silo construction, etc. This work
was developing in standing and benefit to the people at a very
rapid rate, but owing to a lack of funds the work was discon-
tinued on August 1, 1916. This is a much regretted step by those
in the county who were closely associated with the work and who
were aware of what such an organization could do for the farmers
of the county. The marks of the work of the organization and
the county agent have been made and a great deal of credit is
due to the loyal people who stood back of the plan in spite of
an opposing board of county commissioners and the continuous
deriding of those people who are found in every community and
who oppose all progressive movements. During the brief period
which this plan was in operation a big step in advance was made
and the sudden lack of funds which caused the discontinuance
of the work can only be marked with regret.
There are three farmers' co-operative shipping associations in
this county, with headquarters at North Redwood, Morgan and
Belview.
The railroads maintain stockyards at Belview, Delhi, North
Redwood, Redwood Falls, Gilfillan, Morgan, Clements, Rowena,
Wabasso, Lucan, Milroy, Wanda, Sanborn, Lamberton, Revere
and Walnut Grove, this list embracing all the railroad stations
in Redwood county except Wayburne.
Redwood county is acknowledged as being among the best
and most prosperous stock-raising and agricultural counties in
Minnesota. Its people are wideawake and keep step with the
progressive march of the times in all that pertains to a civiliza-
tion of happiness, industry and culture. The first permanent
settlers of the county were farmers, and their object in coming
was to till the soil.
All had many lessons to learn. Many of the pioneers were
from foreign countries, and all the conditions were new. Some
were farmers from the eastern states, and they, too, found cir-
cumstances absolutely changed. Some were men who had pre-
viously been engaged in other occupations, but who saw in the
414 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
opening of Minnesota an opportunity to secure a farm, together
with the health and longevity that come from outdoor life. All
of them, regardless of their previous circumstances, were ahle
and willing to work; they had industry and courage and they
were determined to win.
In the face of obstacles of which they had previously no knowl-
edge they started to carve their fortunes in the wilderness. The
country was new, there was no alternative hut that success must
he won from the soil, which was their only wealth and their only
help. And in spite of all the obstacles and inconveniences, and
notwithstanding the fact that in the face of many disasters hun-
dreds of the pioneers left the county, those who stayed, and those
who have come in since, have met with unbounded success. Nor
is the end yet reached, for the county has in its agricultural and
dairying resources a mine of wealth yet undeveloped, which, when
the years roll on, will grow more and more valuable as the people
become, through scientific methods, more and more able to
utilize it.
The farms of Redwood county are similar to the farms of any
other county having a rich soil. It has its good farms and its
poor farms. Or, better stated, it has its good farmers and its
poor farmers. Agriculture, like every other trade or profession,
has its successes and its failures, but perhaps not as many com-
plete failures.
The high altitude gives to Redwood county an ideal climate.
Its mean temperature for summer is 70 degrees, the same as
middle Illinois, Ohio, and southern Pennsylvania. The extreme
heat that is felt in these states is here tempered by the breezes of
the elevated plateau. Its higher latitude gives two hours more
of sunshine than at Cincinnati. This, with an abundance of rain-
fall, 26.36 inches annually, on a rich soil, accounts for the rapid
and vigorous growth of crops and their early maturity. There is
a uniformity of temperature during the winter season in southern
Minnesota, with bright sunshine, dry atmosphere, good sleighing
and infrequent thaws that make life a pleasure in this bracing,
healthy climate.
There was a time in Redwood county when, like all new lands,
the first consideration was to build good barns for the housing of
the flocks and herds, and the home was the most inconspicuous
object in the landscape. As the farmers prospered, the log house
disappeared, and now there are few log houses in the entire
county. Now the farmer's house vies with the city residence, and
has many of the modern conveniences. Where electric light and
power cannot be secured, gasoline engines furnish power, and a
number of farm houses are lighted by their own gas plants. By
the use of elevated tanks in the house or barn, or pneumatic tanks
in cellars, farm houses often have all the sanitary conveniences
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 415
of a house in town. Farmers realize the value of keeping their
property in the best of shape. Houses and barns are well painted,
lawns are carefully kept and flower gardens show that the people
recognize that the things which beautify add a value to life as
well as to property.
The rural telephone reaches practically every farm house,
which, with rural mail delivery and the newspapers, places the
farmer in close touch with the great markets and with the cur-
rent of affairs of the outside world. There is no longer any iso-
lation such as existed in the early days when pioneering meant
privation: no longer any need for the denial of many of the
luxuries as well as the comforts of life. The farmer can have his
daily newspaper and his daily market reports; he can have the
advantage of the circulating library, and his table can be sup-
plied with whatever the village or city market may have to offer.
The changes of the half-century have been more marked in
scarcely any direction than in the condtions which surround
lif 3 on the farm. The plodding ox which did the field and farm
work has disappeared; the gang plow, the mower, the seeder,
the harvester and the steam thresher are doing the work so
laboriously and imperfectly done by the scythe, the cradle, the
hand-sower, the flail and the horse-power thresher. The buggy,
the carriage and now the automobile are almost universal among
the conveniences of the farm, while the sewing machine, the
organ and the piano are familiar objects in the inner life of the
farm home. The future doubtless holds still more in the way of
conveniences and comforts, but it can give nothing beyond what
the great service the farmer has rendered and is rendering the
country in the way of its development merits. There cannot but
be deep regret, however much it is in the nature of things, that
so few of those who bore the heat and burden of the day in the
years of beginnings, have survived to enjoy the fruits which
their labors produced.
' ' Their epitaphs are writ in furrows
Deep and wide,
The wheels of progress have passed on :
The silent pioneer is gone.
His ghost is moving down the trees,
And now we push the memories
Of bluff, bold men who dared and died
In foremost battle, quite aside."
The threshing activities in Redwood county mark the birth
of a new industry. The threshing of the grain each fall seems to
be a sort of a natural part of the year's work and little is thought
about it and the many changes that it has gone through in the
past generation. In looking back over the development of the
416 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
county it is easily seen, however, that the threshing of the grain
is one of the most important parts of the scheme that goes to
make up the agriculture of the county and a little mention of its
place is perhaps well founded.
This region was primarily a grain country and for many years
was used for that almost entirely, and from the time the first
crop was grown the threshing of that crop was of direct impor-
tance. When the earliest settlers came to this county and began
growing wheat there were few markets; the roads were mostly
trails which followed the higher lands and threshing at that time
was much more difficult than at present.
The first machines were small, were run by horsepower and
had to be moved from place to place by means of horses. The
machines were fed by hand and the straw had to be taken away
from the rear end of the machine with horses. This was usually
done by means of a "bucker," the straw being pulled off to one
side and burned to get it out of the way. The horsepower was
soon supplanted however, by the steam engine, a small twelve to
fourteen horsepower engine that also had to be pulled about with
horses. These engines were a great revelation and soon crowded
out the old horsepower. They were small and light and burned
straw. This did away with a lot of the horses that were required
to run the old horsepowers. Soon after the steam engines came
into use and began to be moved with their own power the trials
of the thresher began to grow less. The self-feeder and the
blower came into use nearly the same time and this made a
decided difference in the size of the crew about the machine.
The first feeder came into the county about the year 1894. The
self-feeder is still in use but has been modified into what is known
as the wing-feeder. This is especially true of the larger machines.
The blower has come to stay with very few changes, bringing a
great deal of satisfaction to farmer and thresher as well. The
first gasoline engine was used in the county about the year 1907,
and at the present this type of engine is growing rapidly and
taking the place of the old steam engine. There are still a few
straw burning engines in the county, but these are gradually de-
clining in favor. This type of engine was a great boon in the
early days when coal was scarce and straw was worthless to
most people.
Right along with the changes that have taken place in the ma-
chines, many other factors have entered in. The first threshing
rigs complete cost in the neighborhood of two thousand dollars,
while at the present time one of the larger rigs will cost in the
neighborhood of four thousand dollars and many of them more,
depending on the engine used. The price of threshing, however,
has varied little during this time. During the early days oats
were threshed for three cents per bushel and wheat for five to
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 417
seven cents per bushel, and these prices are about the average
today. The crew at the present being about half as large as
formerly. At the present time there are many private rigs, or
rigs owned by three or four parties, in different parts of the
county, and their use appears to be coming more general. In
favorable years the threshing season usually lasts about two
months, much of the grain being threshed from the stack. Some
shock threshing is being done in all parts of the county, but in
general the people do not wait for the machine but prefer to
stack their grain instead.
Wild and Tame Grasses of Redwood County, by S. F. Scott,
cashier of State Bank of Vesta. The wild grasses of Redwood
county are numerous and different varieties thrive in the various
kinds of soil and conditions. The upland grows the bluejoint
grass which makes good pasture and hay. The lower lands grow
the blue top grass which makes a fine grade of hay. The sloughs
grow the ordinary slough grass and also the winter grass, which
has a triangular stem and is of a rank dark green color and is
not eaten by stock except in the winter time. It grows in water
mostly and the cattle will walk on the ice in winter and eat it
greedily.
The tame grasses most grown are timothy, red clover or the
different varieties, alsike clover and white clover. There is a
new clover appearing with a yellow bloom and it resembles al-
falfa in some ways more than it does clover. The name of it is
not known locally.
Alfalfa is being grown quite successfully of late years and
there seems to be no difficulty in securing a good stand if the
seed bed is firm enough and the seed is not covered too deeply.
Inoculation is not found to be necessary but an application of
lime would be quite beneficial. It is also good policy to apply
a good coat of manure on the ground before seeding alfalfa. The
greatest drawback to a good stand of alfalfa is to have the ground
too loose when the alfalfa is seeded. On that account, the best
results have been from sowing the seed on corn ground and
making a fine seed bed by disking and dragging the corn stubble
without plowing it. The disking and dragging is done several
times between spring and the time of seeding and when the weeds
have been eradicated the alfalfa is sown at the rate of eighteen
pounds per acre, sometimes along with a nurse crop of barley
sown at the rate of one bushel per acre and sometimes the alfalfa
is sown alone. Broadcasting is considered the best way to sow, as
a drill is apt to plant the seed too deeply in some places, and by
broadcasting the seed is not buried so deeply. The roots rapidly
grow in length and thickness and keep increasing with age.
Kentucky blue grass is getting well established and is the
mainstay of the stockman, as it is relished at any time in the
418 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
year by stock, and they make their own living on it at all times
except when it is covered with snow. S. P. Hicks of Tracy has
five sections of land and keeps a part of it in blue grass pasture
and always has on hand from 500 to 700 head of high grade
Polled Angus cattle. C. Frederickson of Redwood Falls also
has most of his land in blue grass pasture and keeps a large num-
ber of cattle. He gets good interest on land worth $100 per
acre in that way.
The grass crop is becoming more important each year and
farmers are beginning to realize that nothing will restore the
fertility of the soil so quickly and at the same time give a good
profit as the grass crop.
FARM NAMES.
Many of the farm owners in Redwood county have shown
their progressive spirit by giving names to their farms. Twenty-
one such names have been legally registered in the county, seven
in 1910, two in 1911, none in 1912, four in 1913, two in 1914, four
in 1915, and two in 1916.
1910. "Fairview" farm is located in section 16, town 111,
range 35 (Three Lakes), and is owned by Holmer Johnson.
"Pine Grove Stock Farm" is located in sections 11 and 14,
town 112, range 35, and is owned by Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Lus-
senhop.
"Riverside Nursery and Fruit Farm" is located in section
15, town 109, range 37, and is owned by J. M. Kenyon.
"Golden Flat Farm" is located in sections 33 and 34, town
110, range 39, and is owned by W. H. Knott.
"Pleasant Grove Farm" is located in section 10, town 113,
range 37, and is owned by John E. Nelson.
"Winn Brothers Pleasant Grove Farm" is located in section
34, town 112, range 36, and is owned by Winn Brothers.
"Sunnyside Farm" is located in section 33, town 112, range
36, and is owned by W. E. Winn.
1911. "Four Hill Farm" is located in sections 14 and 15,
town 111, range 38, and is owned by N. H. Haag.
"Banner Farm" is located in sections 11 and 12, town 109,
range 36, and is owned by George A. Flaig and Helena Flaig.
1913. "North Star Farm" is located in section 11, town 112,
range 35, and is owned by J. C. Bruer.
"Sun Prairie Farm" is located in section 1, town 109, range
36, and is owned by John Timlin.
"Lorndale Farm" is located in section 25, town 113, range
37, and is owned by Thomas McKay.
"Maple Grove Farm" is located in sections 26, 35 and 36,
town 110, range 36, and is owned by H. F. Meyer.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 419
1914. "Pleasant Orchard Riverside Farm" is located in sec-
tion 32, town 113, range 35, and is owned by A. H. Seebeck.
"Ashland Farm" is located in section 28, town 112, range 35,
and is owned by M. W. Dennistoun.
1915. "Pleasant Hill Stock Farm" is located in sections 27
and 28, town 110, range 34, and is owned by S. J. Hansen.
"Rock Dell Farm" is located in section 25, town 114, range
37, and is owned by D. R. McCorquodale.
"Pleasant View Farm" is located in section 14, town 112,
range 36, and is owned by J. F. Conner.
"Four Oaks Farm" is located in section 28, town 112, range
36, and is owned by "William Jamison.
1916. "Sunny Hill Farm" is located in section 11, town 113,
range 37, and is owned by John Hines.
"Long Lane Stock Farm" is located in section 29, town 113,
range 37, and is owned by William Peterson.
COUNTY FAIRS.
The county fair, maintained for over forty years, has been a
vital factor in the social and agricultural life of Redwood county.
It has not only reflected the agricultural life of the people, but
in many cases had led it. It has been a great "get-together"
movement of all the residents in the county. Its prizes have
encouraged development along all lines of farm and domestic
endeavor. The fair, under capable management, and in the hands
of enthusiastic supporters, is now in a flourishing condition, and
is annually growing in importance, value and influence.
The original Redwood County Agricultural Society was or-
ganized in 1873 and held its first fair that fall on a tract of land
on the west side of the Redwood river, not far from where the
old road crossed that river at Redwood Falls. The first officers
were: President, J. S. G. Honner; vice president, H. D. Bald-
win; treasurer, E. A. Chandler; recording secretary, G. W. Bra-
ley; corresponding secretary, William B. Herriott.
In 1882 the society was reorganized and incorporated, and
a tract of forty acres was purchased, this being the present site
of the fair grounds. The incorporators were : T. H. King,
Delhi; 0. A. Mason, Paxton; 0. L. Dornberg, Redwood Falls;
A. D. McLean, Delhi; J. W. March, Paxton; G. E. McKay, Red-
wood Falls; A. E. King, Redwood Falls; George Holden, Delhi;
Thomas March, Paxton; H. D. Everett, Redwood Falls; Archi-
bald Stewart, Kintire ; A. T. Stevenson, Delhi ; Robert Parker,
Three Lakes ; Andrew Stewart Delhi ; Henry F. Clippell, Honner ;
I. M. Van Scaach, Redwood Falls and Franklin Ensign, Redwood
Falls.
This association held a fair every year. The discouragements
were many, but the promoters persevered, contributions from the
420 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
officers and the business men often being necessary to pay the
current expenses, especially on those years when wet weather
prevented a large attendance. The association, as incorporated
in 1882 was to run twenty years. At the close of this period, the
officers for many years having been Joseph Tyson, president;
0. L. Dornberg, secretary, and G. E. McKay, treasurer, the busi-
ness of the association was closed. For several years thereafter
street fairs were held at Redwood Falls, with agricultural ex-
hibits in the court house. This was done under a new Redwood
County Agricultural Society incorporated Aug. 21, 1905, by
H. A. Baldwin, H. M. Aune, C. Fred Thompson, A. M. Welles,
Frank G. Hubbard, A. M. Dennistoun, H. G. Schmahl, Julius A.
Schmahl, 0. L. Dornberg, S. G. Peterson, W. H. Gold, J. P.
Cooper, E. A. Pease, Fred L. Warner, George L. Evans, S. J.
Race, J. A. Johnson, I. M. Tompkins, C. V. Everett, W. J.
Smithers, C. W. Mead, William S. Brammer, H. M. Hitchcock
and C. T. Howard. Of these, the first directors were : F. W.
Philbrick, W. H. Gold, J. A. Schmahl, 0. L. Dornberg, H. M.
Aune, H. A. Baldwin, F. G. Hubbard, C. H. Mead and C. F.
Howard. The capital was placed at $10,000 and divided into
shares of $5 each. On Dec. 26, 1912, the articles were amended
so as to place the value of the shares at $10 each.
This association continued to hold street fairs until 1911, when
the old grounds were purchased, and a splendid county fair in-
augurated. The half mile track, which is considered the best in
the state, was improved at a cost of $2,000, and an old building
erected in the eighties, 24 by 24 frame, and still standing, was
converted into a poultry exhibition house. The erection of new
buildings was started at once. In 1911 there were constructed
a frame barn, 32 by 100, and a frame trotting horse barn, 120 by 8
feet, since lengthened to 160 by 8 feet. In 1912 many more im-
provements were made. "Floral Hall," a splendid exhibition
building, was erected of cement blocks with a substantial cement
floor. The building is in the form of a cross, the arms of the cross
being 100 feet long and 30 feet wide. A horse barn of cement
blocks was also put up, its size Being 32 by 100 feet. Stables
were erected the same year. In 1913 the cattle barn, 32 by 100
feet, of cement blocks, was erected, while the grandstand, 160 by
34 feet was put up in 1912 and 1914. All the cement buildings
have metal roofs and are fire proof and sanitary.
In 1915, the school districts of the county erected a sightly
cement building for the purpose of exhibiting the work done in
the schools. This splendid project, costing $1,600, is a decidedly
progressive move, speaking highly of the character of the educa-
tional work done in the county.
The fair property, as it stands, is valued at about $15,000.
The total indebtedness is about $7,000. Something like $6,500 is
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 421
spent annually in purses, premiums and attractions, in addition
to what is put into the buildings and grounds. Prizes are awarded
for every branch of farm, home, and school endeavor, the annual
prizes for exhibitions amounting to some $1,500.
The present officers of the association are: President, Rud.
Stensvad; vice president, George Phillips; secretary, C. V.
Everett, C. A. Luscher, Frank G. Hubbard, A. C. Dolliff, George
Phillips, M. W. Dennistoun, John Colville and A. D. Stewart.
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE BISHOP WHIPPLE MISSION.
The Right Rev. Henry B. "Whipple, first Episcopal Bishop of
Minnesota, visited the Lower Agency on Friday, June 22, 1860,
met the Sioux chiefs in council, visited the farmer Indians, held
services at the home of Dr. Daniels, and confirmed Captain
DeRossey, of the United States army. Sunday, June 24, he
preached to the Indians at Dr. Daniel's house, and received from
White Dog the pledge that his people would receive a Christian
teacher with warm hearts.
In his "Lights and Shadows of a Long Episcopate," the
Bishop gives an interesting account of this work. It was the
time of the annual payment. There were 2,500 wild Indians as-
sembled from the prairies. Thirty miles up the river, at Red-
wood, the Presbyterians had a mission. There was not a single
Christian teacher at the Lower Agency. The Lower Indians
by the treaty were entitled to $6,000 a year for schools, and this
was expended for eight years, but not a single child had learned
to read. After they were removed to the upper Minnesota river
they sold the government 800,000 acres more. Three years had
now passed, and they had never received anything except a few
thousand dollars of worthless goods. The slumbering fires of
hatred and revenge were ready to break out. This was their first
payment. The lower Sioux were entitled to $20 each, $100 for
a family of five. It was at this time that the bishop and the
Rev. Mr. Breck visited the Lower Sioux Agency to confer with
the Indians in regard to planting a mission in this unoccupied
field. One afternoon Wabasha, Taopi and Wah-keen-washta came
and asked a council with the bishop. They said : "We are look-
ing into a grave. We hear you come from the Great Spirit to
help His poor children." They told the story of their removal,
the second sale of land. They asked us for schools and teachers.
"I promised them," said the bishop, "I would ask God for help,
and if He gave me the man and means the mission should be
422 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
planted." On my return to Faribault, one day Samuel D. Hin-
man, then a candidate for Holy Orders, came to me and said :
"Bishop, I have been learning the Sioux language and would
like to become a missionary to them." The result was that Mr.
Hinman decided to consecrate himself to that work, and was
ordained deacon September 20, and on the eve of October 5 he
and Mrs. Hinman, then a bride, arrived at his field of labor
among the Lower Sioux. Emily "West, who had been with Mr.
Breck among the Chippeways, and had had the care of the In-
dian children in the Mission House in Faribault, accompanied
Mr. Hinman as teacher.
The work was begun in a rude one-story building which served
for parsonage, school and church. The congregations were small,
but the children were gathered in. Among the little ones who
were made members of Christ's fold was a daughter of Good
Thunder, twelve years of age, who the bishop received into the
Indian school at Faribault. This beautiful child of the plains
grew into the rare gentleness of Christian childhood. She had
been baptized Lydia, from Mrs. Sigourney, who was a devoted
friend of our early work. After a time Lydia was taken ill.
The wild Sioux laughed at Good Thunder and said : ' ' What could
you expect? Your child lives with our enemies; they have poi-
soned her and she will die." When told what these Indians had
said, Lydia replied: "These Chippeway children are my broth-
ers and sisters; we pray to the same Saviour and we are going
to His home. Every day they bring me flowers and pick me the
first ripe strawberries. We are Christ's children and are no
longer enemies."
When it became certain that little Lydia was to be early
called the father started with her for their home a hundred
miles away. "I gave him a letter," writes the bishop, "in which
I asked all white people to be kind to the father for the sake
of his Christian child. When we met in the Sioux country, he
told me, with deep emotion, of the kindness he had received, how
some motherly woman had prepared dainty food for the dying
child and given her the best room, adding, 'I shall never forget
the white man's kindness.' "
He did not forget. "I had the privilege of meeting my child
again. It was on a beautiful summer afternoon — cloudless sky —
the air soft as if wafted from the shores of Paradise. Mrs. Whip-
ple was with me and as she stooped in the Indian tepee to kiss
the child, Lydia said, 'I am glad to see you once more before I
go to Jesus' home.' As she saw her father weeping she said,
'Don't cry, father, I am going where no one is sick, and some
day Jesus will lead you there.' So she beguiled the hours till
she fell asleep. The burial service was in her own musical tongue,
and there was a short address. We sang in Dacotah, 'Jesus, Lover
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 423
of My Soul,' and as we committed her dust to dust, simultane-
ously every Indian came forward and dropped a handful of wild
flowers in the grave. Elizabeth and Katie Biddle, Caroline Harris
and Sarah Farnum were present, and we all felt that God had
overpaid all our work in this blessed death of one of Christ's
little ones.
"There was at this time a noted orator of the Sioux, Red
Owl. When he spoke, his words seemed to sway his hearers as
leaves are moved by the wind. He never came to church, and
once laughed in derision at hearing an Indian child read. There
hung in the school roof a picture of the 'Ecce Homo,' that sweet
sad face of our dear Lord crowned with thorns. Red Owl stopped
before it and said, 'Who is that? Why are His hands bound?
Why has he those thorns on His head?' Again and again he
came to look on that picture, and each time asked some question
about the Son of the Great Spirit, His mission to earth, His
death, and His resurrection.
"Not long after Red Owl fell dangerously ill. Shortly before
his death he sent for his friends and said, 'I know that story of
the missionary is true, I have it in my heart. When I am dead I
want you to put a cross over my grave, so that, as the Indians
go by, they may see what was in Red Owl's heart.' "
Our story would be lacking in graphic picturesquesness with-
out the following incident. "At my visit I was pained to witness
a scalp dance near our mission house. A party of Sioux had
visited the Chippeway country and killed a worthy Indian who
left a widow and four fatherless children. I went with Mr.
Hinman and the interpreter to Wabasha's village, and calling on
the old chief I said, 'Wabasha, you asked me for a missionary.
I pitied your people. I have sent you a teacher to show you
the good way. I have given you a school. I came to see my
mission, and the sight which meets me is a bloody scalp dance.
I knew that murdered Chippeway. His wife is asking for her
husband. His children are crying for their father. The Great
Spirit looks down from heaven and sees His red child laughing
over his bloody hands. Wabasha, the Great Spirit is angry.
Some day He will look Wabasha in the face and ask him, "Where
is your Ojibway brother?" ' When I had finished my speech,
Wabasha blew a cloud of smoke out of his mouth and, smiling,
said, 'White man goes to war with his own brother who lives in
same country, and kills more than Wabasha can count as long
as he lives. Great Spirit looks down from heaven and says,
"Good white man. Has My book. Me love him very much.
I have good place for him when he dies." Red man has no Great
Spirit book. Poor man. He goes, kills one Indian, only ONE
man,' holding up his little finger. 'Great Spirit very mad — put
Red man in bad place. Wabasha don't believe it.' "
424 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Years afterwards Old Wabasha, one of nature 's noblemen, be-
came a humble follower of Him who prayed from the cross,
"Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."
The first visit of the bishop to the mission was made December
12 and 13, that year. At this visit he confirmed two white per-
sons, and administered the Holy Communion. The school num-
bered fifty pupils, and many of the Indians were regular attend-
ants on public worship. There was much to cheer and encourage.
It was a Christian household among a heathen people.
The next visit of the bishop was in June, 1861. On the twenty-
seventh he confirmed seven persons in the Mission House of St.
John. The bishop says: "The merciful goodness of God has
overpaid all my efforts in the first fruits of these Dacotahs to the
Church. The mission has had an average of fifty scholars, who
have shown very marked improvement."
About this time the mission met with a severe loss in the re-
moval of the Messrs. Drs. Daniels, government physicians to the
Dacotahs, who had co-operated with Mr. Hinman, and had been
faithful friends of the Indians. Of these, Dr. Jared W. Daniels,
from his knowledge of Indian character, was of great assistance
to the bishop. It was a singular instance of a good man raised
up and prepared for the work God had called the bishop to do.
And the doctor retained to the end the warm love and confidence
of the bishop.
Later in the summer the writer visited the mission and was
eyewitness to the successful work. The spirit of God was evi-
dently moving the hearts of these poor people.
A third visit was made by the bishop, Sunday, December 1,
1861. "Preached to a large congregation of Indians — the serv-
ice was in Dacotah. Thomas Robertson was the interpreter, to
whom we owe much for his interest in this mission, and assistance
as interpreter — celebrated the Holy Communion — baptized three
Indian children. Also preached at a second service to the white
population. Six persons were confirmed, to whom I delivered
an address. Monday was spent in examining the children in the
schools, all of whom showed a good degree of improvement. The
government is bound to expend six thousand dollars a year for
schools among the Lower Sioux ; and after eight years, I doubt if
there is a single child at the Lower Agency who can read, who
has not been taught by our missionary. The cost of this mission
is less than seven hundred dollars a year.
"There was one marked feature of these services, that in a
crowded congregation every man, woman and child was upon his
knees in prayer. It is the only place where I have witnessed this
in my diocese. This mission which was planted in faith almost
two years ago, has overpaid me an hundred fold for all my
work. The Gospel is very evidently working its way in these
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 425
hearts, and it will be to them the power of God unto salvation. In
some of our converts I have witnessed a child-like faith in Christ,
and a readiness to bear opposition for His sake, worthy of the
early ages of the Church. We need a church for these poor
people. The government has offered us the land; the gifts of
friends have quarried the stone, and we hope this year will see
the cross-capped turret of the first church in the Dacotah nation."
(Written in June 1862, just before the outbreak.)
Under date of December 3, the bishop says: "Celebrated
the Holy Communion — eight present. Oh, how blessed, a first
communion with these poor heathen! I wish no greater joy to
any bishop than to meet the newly converted Indian by his Lord's
table."
At the Easter offering, Faribault, seventy dollars were given
for a church to the Dacotahs. In his second report of his work,
Mr. Hinman says: "We hope to complete our church during this
summer, but we are still much straitened in our work for want
of proper mission buildings." It is a modest statement of the
results thus far achieved. He also speaks of the many kindnesses
received from the agent and government employees during his
residence on the reservation.
The last visit of Bishop Whipple before the outbreak was
made early in July, 1862. July 1, 2, 3 were spent in visiting the
Indians connected with the mission. On the Fourth the bishop
laid the cornerstone of the church in the presence of a large con-
gregation of Indians and persons of mixed blood, to whom he
delivered an address. On the fifth he preached, and baptized
three Indian women and six children. Sunday, the sixth,
preached twice, confirmed six members of the mission, and cele-
brated the Holy Communion."
The following is a description of the laying of the cornerstone
of the church. "The spot chosen is one of surpassing beauty, on
a part of the eighty acres presented by the government to the
mission — on either side a wild ravine made by the windings of
the Minnesota; in front, a beautiful rolling prairie stretching
towards the setting sun. It was a picturesque scene, as the bishop
and Mr. Hinman in their vestments, with the school children,
Christian Indians, and friends, walked in procession from the
mission house to the spot. They were joined by twenty or thirty
of the wild Indians, decked with feathers and war paint, wrapped
in blankets and protecting themselves from the sun with huge
fans and green boughs cut from the trees. These clustered around
the bishop and Mr. Hinman as they took their stand upon the
foundation of the church, and no Christian congregation could
have been more attentive than were these savages during the
services and the admirable address of the bishop, in which he told
them how the Son of the Great Spirit came down from heaven
426 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
to die for the sins of men, of death and of the life beyond the
grave. "
In his convention address, 1863, the bishop says: "I had
never had the opportunity to examine so thoroughly this mission
as during this visit.
"There was a dark cloud lowering on the border, which, even
then, filled us with fear. The medicine men, feeling their craft
was in danger, excited their heathen followers to oppose the mis-
sion. Each day had its heathen dances; and, even on the Lord's
Day, our services were disturbed by the discordant sounds of
heathen worship. The Indians had causes of complaint against
the government for violated faith. The traders had informed
them that the money due to them for the sale of their lands had
been taken for claims, and that one-half of their annuities had
also been taken for claims. There followed on this a withdrawal
of credits, and a delay of two months in the annual payment.
I noticed during this visit that the wild Indians were bold and
turbulent, and the fears expressed to me by the agent and others,
gave me great anxiety for the fate of the mission; but no man
could have foreseen so terrible a massacre. You will bear me wit-
ness, brethren, that for three years I have tried to awaken the
people and their rulers to the enormities of an Indian system,
which, I believed, if there was truth in history, would desolate
our land with blood. I never left the Indian country with a
heavier heart.
"Each day brought its new excitement. One day old 'Pap-
pay' came to me and asked me how much money they would re-
ceive at the payment? I said $40 each. In an hour he brought
me some chiefs and said, 'Tell them how much money we shall
receive at the payment. They will not believe me.'
"It was evident that some one had told the Indians that they
would not receive the annual payment. Stories of robbing were
rife among the Indians. They had received only worthless goods
for the 800,000 acres of land sold the government in 1858. All
the chiefs asked, 'Where is the money we were to receive? Per-
haps the Great Father sent it, and the cars went so fast it was
shaken off. We ask you to look it up.' The payment had al-
ways taken place June 20. It was now July 1. Not less than
2,000 wild Indians had come together. There had already been
much turbulence at the Upper Agency, and troops had been
called out to preserve the peace. In visiting the Indian camps I
was startled that Indians refused to shake hands. At the Lower
Agency a trader's clerk said to me, 'The payment will not take
place, more than half their annuities has been taken for claims.
I know the money is gone. I have told the Indians this; we
refuse to trust them. They came here and threatened, but I
am not afraid.' Poor fellow. Like men who live under the
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 427
shadow of a volcano, he had been lulled into security and saw no
signs of the storm which would make him one of the first victims
of savage fury.
"I shall never forget these days of anxiety and sorrow, when
it seemed as if the very air was charged with materials for the
cyclone of death, which in six weeks desolated one of the fairest
countries on the face of the earth."
At length, on Monday morning, August 18, the threatened
blow fell. The little church was now ready for the roofing, and
the carpenters were to begin their work. Mr. Hinman was to
start presently for Faribault, where Mrs. Hinman and child were
on a visit, providentially, so were safe. Sounds of firing were
heard; and, looking out, Mr. Hinman saw that hostilities had be
gun in wanton acts of violence. He exclaimed at once to Miss
West to run; and immediately both started by different ways.
By a long circuitous route Miss West reached the fort, twelve
miles distant by the traveled road. On her way she met a party
of Indians, who, from regard to her, kindly directed her where
to go. While she escaped, others were cruelly murdered. Arriv-
ing at the fort, she found that Mr. Hinman, to her great joy, had
preceded her.
The bishop was away on a visitation work, and first learned in
St. Paul of the outbreak. Many of its victims were his personal
friends.
"The only gleam of light on the darkness of this unparalleled
outbreak," he says, "is, that not one of the Indians connected
with our mission was concerned in it. It is due to their fidelity
that the captives were saved.
"While suffering deeply, and feeling the most lively sympathy
for the sufferers, I felt that it was my duty to lay the blame of
this massacre at the door of the government, which had left
savages without the control of law, innocent border settlers
without protection, and permitted robbery and every evil influ-
ence to excite savage natures to deeds of violence and blood.
There would have been a like tale of sorrow on the Chippeway
border, if the plans of the guilty leaders had not been exposed
by our Indian clergymen (Enmegahbowh) and Chippeway
friends. ' '
All the members of the mission escaped in safety from the
Lower Sioux Agency, and at length reached Faribault.
Unfortunately, some of the Dakota pupils at Andrews' Hall,
Fairibault, were at their homes, it being vacation time. A pious
mother of mixed blood, with her two sons, all of them communi-
cants, and three grown up Indian boys, with an Indian girl, had
gone home to visit their friends. These were all taken prisoner,
or were victims of the outbreak. There were likewise seventeen
428 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
communicants of the Dakotah Mission of St. John, who, it was
thought, were massacred, or taken prisoner.
The Rev, Mr. Hinman and his associates left everything behind
of their personal effects, barely escaping with their lives.
In 1885 the Rev. S. D. Hinman again visited Birch Coulee, and
the following spring took up his residence there. About 1882
Good Thunder had bought eighty acres of land there, of which
he gave twenty for the mission, on which, with the assistance of
Bishop Whipple, Mr. Hinman built the mission house and school
house in 1887. At this time there were eight houses, the Fari-
bault Indians forming the nucleus of the settlement. August 27,
1889, Bishop Whipple laid the cornerstone of the church, which
was completed the following year, being built, in part, of the
stone of the church begun in 1862, which was removed by the
Indians with their own hands. The new church was consecrated
by Bishop Whipple July 16, 1891, and at the special request of
the Indians was named "St. Cornelia," in grateful memory of
their "white mother," as they said. March 24, 1890, the Rev.
Mr. Hinman entered into rest after a short illness, and he sleeps
beside the church to which so many cares and toils had been
given.
For some time the mission was under the general care of the
rector of Redwood Falls. During this interval Napoleon Wabasha
was lay reader, also Henry W. St. Clair; and Miss Barney, and
afterwards Miss Whipple, superintendents of the Sunday
School.
June 25, 1899, Henry Whipple St. Clair was ordered deacon
by Bishop Whipple in the church at Birch Coulee, and, after com-
pleting his studies at the Seabury Divinity School, was advanced
to the priesthood by Bishop Edsall in the Church of St. Cornelia
June 12, 1904. The occasion was a notable one. The Indians now
were to have one of their own people to minister to them. Mrs.
Bishop Whipple, the patroness of the mission, who had cared for
the work since the passing of the bishop, was the guest of honor ;
and of the clergy there were present the Rev. E. Steele Peake,
who had visited the Lower Agency in 1856, and Messrs. Tanner,
Purves, Rollit, Camp, Shutt, Hills, Doffin, and the Indian clergy,
Walker and Holmes of Bishop Hare's jurisdiction; members of
the mission and hostesses were Susan E. Salisbury and Mary W.
Whipple, Robert Heber Clarkson Hinman, teacher in the govern-
ment school, and John Wakeman, or Wakinya, tanka, half brother
of Little Crow, and John Crooks, the Indian scout.
The Rev. Henry W. St. Clair, priest in charge, is the son of
the Rev. George St. Clair, and grandson of Job. St. Clair of Men-
dota, who died at Birch Coulee. The Rev. George St. Clair was
admitted as a candidate for Holy Orders by Bishop Whipple
December 26, 1874, ordained deacon by him June 15, 1879, entered
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 429
into rest June 10, 1881, "Indian Missionary to the Sioux Indians
of Minnesota."
Bishop Whipple says in his Council Address 1882: "At my
first visit to Faribault, a bright-eyed Indian boy sat on the chancel
steps of the Chapel. I little thought that it would be my privilege
to ordain him a minister of Christ. You who knew him will bear
witness to this guileless simplicity of character, his singleness of
purpose, his purity of life and earnest faith in Christ. He made
full proof of his ministry, and has gone before us to the rest of
the people of God."
Some of the Indians at Birch Coulee are living on the same
land they occupied before the "Outbreak" in 1862. The govern-
ment gave them thirty acres, more or less. The mission property
consists of church, rectory, mission house and school house. Hard
by the church, in the burial ground used by the Indians before
the "Outbreak" of 1862, is the monument erected by Mrs. Whip-
ple to the memory of Good Thunder, the first Sioux brave baptized
by Bishop Whipple, "a loyal Indian, who saved nearly two hun-
dred white women and children in 1862. ' '
While on a visit to Japan Sybil Carter conceived the idea of
lace-making as a branch of industry for the Indian women.
After hearing what lace-making had done for the poor women of
Japan, Bishop Whipple said : " It is just the thing for our Indian
women. Go with me to White Earth, and, if you will teach my
women there to make this lace, you shall have the hospital for
headquarters for your work. ' ' Miss Carter went to White Earth
with the bishop and taught the women. This was in 1886. In
1890 she went east and raised the money for a teacher, and, on her
return in October, took Miss Wiswell with her for a teacher.
In August, 1891, Pauline Colby was added as a teacher in the
school, and in 1892 Miss Carter herself went up and remained for
over a year. In August, the same year, Susan E. Salisbury, the
bishop's niece, went to White Earth to assist Miss Carter. Sub-
sequently a school was started at Red Lake, a hundred and twenty
miles north of White Earth, and one at Leach Lake, ninety miles
east of White Earth. There are now (1906) nine lace schools.
To bring the work more prominently before the public, Miss
Carter, with Miss Salisbury, removed to St. Paul as headquarters
in September, 1893. In the spring of 1894, Miss Carter closed the
house in St. Paul for the summer and went to Birch Coulee, tak-
ing Miss Salisbury and Miss Barney with her. In 1897 the house
in St. Paul was closed permanently, and Miss Carter removed
her headquarters to New York, where she holds lace sales every
year. The first bedspread made by the Indian women was for
Mrs. Pierpont Morgan of New York City. Since then eight have
been made. It may be mentioned as of interest that the lace made
by the Indian women took the gold medal at the Paris exhibition.
430 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
It has proven, as Miss Carter said when the thought came to her,
this industry has "solved the question of work for her Indian
sisters. ' '
In June, 1895, Mary Whipple went to Birch Coulee to take
charge of the school ; and after the house in St, Paul was closed
in March, 1897, she was joined by Susan E. Salisbury. In the
autumn of 1905 Miss Whipple resigned and Mrs. St. Clair, wife
of the Rev. Henry St. Clair, was appointed assistant to Miss
Salisbury, who has charge of the mission.
Since the passing of Bishop Whipple his plans and wishes in
regard to the mission at Birch Coulee have been faithfully carried
out by Mrs. H. B. Whipple, who, with other substantial improve-
ments, has built and furnished a commodious rectory, and erected
a beautiful monument of Minnesota granite hard by the church in
pious memory of Good Thunder, the first Sioux baptized by
Bishop Whipple. In all this loving work she has had the sym-
pathy and support of Bishop Edsall, whose election was the
choice of the first bishop, as well as of the diocese, because he
believed he could entrust to the loving heart of his son in the
faith the care of these wards whose cause he had espoused when
he came to the diocese. It would seem invidious to single out
any one name from the many who have aided Bishop Whipple in
this mission, to the exclusion of others who have given valuable
assistance in its maintenance. For further information we refer
the reader to Bishop Whipple's "Lights and Shadows of a Long
Episcopate" ; to "Taopi and His Friends" ; to the Rev. Mr. Cook's
"History of the Niobrara Mission," and to the many letters of
Bishop Whipple in "The Minnesota Missionary."
Susan Elizabeth Salisbury, the devoted missionary at the
Bishop Whipple Mission, Redwood county, was born at Adams,
Jefferson county, New York, daughter of Hiram and Sarah B.
Whipple Salisbury, natives of that county, and niece of the Right
Rev. Henry B. Whipple, first Bishop of Minnesota. She was
reared as an only child, her only sister, Prances Whipple Salis-
bury, having died in infancy. Early determining to devote her
life to the cause of the church, Miss Salisbury finished her educa-
tion at St. Mary's Hall, the school that Bishop Whipple had
established at Faribault, Minnesota. In August, 1892, she went
to the Chippewa Reservation at White Earth, Minnesota, to labor
among the Indians there, under the auspices of the Domestic and
Foreign Mission Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church. At
White Earth, she became the assistant in the lace-making
school, which Sybil Carter, under the direction of Bishop Whip-
ple, acting upon the inspiration received from watching Japanese
women at work, had there established as the first of the nine
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 431
lace-making schools, which are now working such a revolution in
the life of the Indian women, on the various reservations. In
September, 1893, Miss Carter and Miss Salisbury removed to
St. Paul and there established headquarters for the purpose of
bringing the project of Indian lace-making prominently before
the public. In the spring of 1896, the headquarters at St. Paul
were permanently closed, and Miss Salisbury joined Miss Carter
in New York, where Miss Carter had established headquarters.
In March, 1897, Miss Salisbury came to the Bishop Whipple
Mission as missionary and to assist Miss Mary W. Whipple, the
Bishop's cousin, who later resigned, in the autumn of 1905,
when Miss Salisbury assumed full charge of the work with Mrs.
St. Clair, the wife of the Indian priest, as her assistant. This
school was established January 10, 1894, and meets on Mondays,
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The product of this and the
other eight schools consists of lace bed spreads, lace sofa pillow
covers, insertions, etc. The lace bed spreads are particularly the
product of the Bishop Whipple Mission, nine having been com-
pleted. Among the purchasers of these articles are such peo-
ple as Mrs. Helen Gould Sheperd, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt,
Mrs. J. P. Morgan, Mrs. Robert Winthrop and others. One of
the workers made a sofa pillow cover for Queen Alexandria of
England, who wrote a letter in commendation of the work. A
gold medal was awarded the lace of the Indian women at the
Paris Exposition.
Miss Salisbury resides at the mission and devotes all of her
time to the work.
The Rev. Henry Whipple St. Clair, who has charge of St. Cor-
nelia's Church, and the Bishop Henry B. Whipple Mission, is
a Sioux Indian. His father, George Whipple St. Clair, was also
a clergyman, ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Henry B.
Whipple. He was much loved by all the Sioux, who came for
miles to attend his ordination. His ministerial life was largely
devoted to preaching at Faribault and in the surrounding towns,
where in the early days many Indians were located. Esther
Walker, wife of Rev. George Whipple St. Clair, and mother of
Rev. Henry Whipple St. Clair, spent her latter years at the
mission in Redwood county. She was an example for good to all
the Indians at the mission, and a devoted church woman.
Rev. Henry Whipple St. Clair was educated for the ministry
at the Seabury Divinity school at Faribault, Minn., having been
sent there by Bishop Whipple, whose great desire was that he
could give to the Indian people at Birch Coulie, a clergyman
who could speak to them in their own language. He was or-
dained by Bishop Whipple to the deaconate June 25, 1899, and
later to the priesthood by Bishop Edcall June 11, 1904. Quoting
from the "Lights and Shadows of a Long Episcopate" Bishop
432 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
Whipple's book, he says, "The strongest opponent to missions
would have bowed head and heart could he have looked upon the
dignified thoughtful faces of that Indian congregation as they
hung upon the words of the holy office, which gave them a shep-
herd from their own flock and their own people. For seventeen
years this priest has gone in and out among these people trying
to minister to them as his Bishop would have him. It has not
been easy work, but daily God has given him the needed strength.
Henry Whipple St. Clair was married to Amelia Jones in
Gethsemane church, Minneapolis, Minn., Nov. 2, 1889, by Bishop
Anson Graves. They have had thirteen children: George, Cora,
Ruth, Cornelia, Gertrude, Henry, Evangeline (first), Evangeline,
Reuben, Viola, Toby, Eleanor and Samuel. Evangeline (first),
Gertrude and Toby are dead. Mrs. St. Clair has been a great
help to Mr. St. Clair in his work and is an experienced lace-
maker, having been Miss Salisbury's assistant and interpreter
for many years.
Authority. Condensed from the article by the Rev. George
C. Tanner, D. D., in the "History of the Diocese of Minnesota,
1857-1907." To this, the biographies have been added.
CHAPTER XXXII.
MATERIAL RESOURCES.
The excellence of this county for agriculture, and the areas
of prairie and valleys of the watercourses, have been adequately
treated in this work. Besides the fertility of the land, this
region possesses an invigorating, healthful climate, and almost
invariably good water in its wells and springs. The material
resources which remain to be mentioned are water-powers, build-
ing stone, lime, clay products, gravel and mineral paint. Ex-
plorations made for coal, its mode of occurrence, and the im-
probability that it exists here in any valuable amount, have
been spoken of in the chapter on physical features. No ores of
any practical importance have been found. The principal re-
sources of this part of the state are the products of its rich soil,
and as yet, little developed water power. At one time a gold
mine of considerable proportions was developed.
Springs. Springs of water, often impregnated with iron, oc-
cur along the ravines and valleys of many of the creeks and
rivers in this region. At the southwest side of the Minnesota
valley in the north part of section 30, Swedes Forest, near the
west line of Redwood county, is a "boiling spring," also irony;
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 433
from which a stream three or four feet wide, and six to twelve
inches deep, flows away. This is at the northwest side of a
rivulet, in a ravine some fifty feet below the general level. These
springs issue from the drift, and show that large water-courses
exist in sand and gravel feins or strata, enclosed in the till.
Such subterranean streams are often struck in wells, with the
water sometimes flowing constantly through them at the bot-
tom; but more frequently, when the outlet of the spring is dis-
tant, the water soon rises to fill the well permanently, 10, 20 or
30 feet in depth.
Mineral Paint. A good and durable paint was manufactured
in 1868 or 1869 from ferruginous portions of the kaolinized
gneiss and granite mentioned in the vicinity of Redwood Palls.
The material thus used was obtained from the northwest or left
bank of the Redwood river in its gorge, about a mile north of
Redwood Falls, in the N. y2 of the N. E. % of section 36, Delhi.
Of this business Prof. N. H. Winchell wrote in his second annual
report of the Geological and Natural History Survey of Minne-
sota, 1872-1882: "At Redwood Falls the kaolin which has re-
sulted from the decomposition of the granitic rock, has become
stained with iron, and has a brownish or greenish-brown color.
It contains, generally, some silica. From this stained kaolin a
good mineral paint has been manufactured. Messrs. Grant and
Brusseau commenced the enterprise, and carried it far enough
to demonstrate the quality of the product. The manufactured
article is said to have been equal to that of Brandon, Vt., but
the cost was so great that, after transportation to St. Paul, it
could not be offered in the market so cheaply as the Brandon
paint. Their process was very simple. The raw material was
obtained from the banks of the Redwood river, and was of a
rusty-brown color, having also a greenish tinge. It was broken
or crushed to the fineness of corn or wheat. It was then dried
in a large pan placed over a fire, and ground by water-power,
between two burr-stones. In that condition it was ready for use
by simply mixing with boiled or raw linseed oil . . . The color
produced was reddish umber. By making some selections vari-
ous lighter shades, of the same general character, were pro-
duced. It had a heavy sediment, consisting probably of iron and
silica. The quality of the paint is said to have been superior to
that from Ohio, and fully equal to that from Brandon, Vt. The
surface of the wood painted becomes hardened and glazed, but
remains smooth." A number of buildings in Redwood county
were painted with this mineral paint. The paint material out-
crops in various places in the valley of the Redwood and even
near the mouth of that stream in the cliffs of the Minnesota river.
Water Power. Although the water power in this county is
an important economic feature in the story of its settlement, in
434 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
that the water-power at Redwood Falls was the magnet that
brought Col. Sam. McPhail to this spot in 1864, nevertheless the
water power of the county has been but little developed. A. C.
Burmeister built the present dam at Redwood Falls in 1902, and
power secured from this dam operates his extensive electric and
heating plant, as well as his mill. The power obtained by dam-
ming the Redwood river at North Redwood, is used to operate a
grist mill. This is the total extent to which the water power
in Redwood county is now utilized.
The tremendous fall of water on the Redwood river at Red-
wood Falls has been used more or less in times past. In 1855
the government established a saw mill in what is now the Red-
wood Falls city park. The mill was located on the southeast
bank of the river, just below where the falls are now spanned
by the cement bridge. Power was obtained by carrying the
natural fall of the water onto an overshot waterwheel from a
flume for which a space was made by blasting in the granite.
This mill, though abandoned during the massacre and for a few
years thereafter, was reopened in 1865 by the early settlers, and
used for many years. The first log sawed after the massacre,
was furnished by Birney Flynn, and was used by him for tables
for a grand Fourth of July picnic, held in a grove nearby.
From the late sixties and early seventies, through the grass-
hopper period and well into the railroad period, waterpower
sites were being utilized for four mills, three being flour mills at
Redwood Falls, and one being a sawmill (later converted into a
flour mill and finally into a grist mill), at North Redwood.
The Redwood Mill, operated by Worden & Ruter, is now re-
built and remodelled as the Burmeister mill. It stands on the
southeast bank of the river, a short distance northeast of the
bridge. Its original dam, with a head of eighteen feet, now
washed out, was built a short distance above the mill, a part
of the sluice through the mill being cut from the solid rock.
This mill, the first flour mill in Redwood Falls, and the county,
was erected about 1868. It was in this mill that A. C. Bur-
meister established the dynamo which furnished Redwood Falls
with its first electric current, first using the dam (now washed
out) above the mill, and later the present dam above the bridge.
Still later the flume was extended to the present power plant
which is located on the river bank, nearly opposite the foot of
"Washington street.
The Delhi Mill, operated by A. A. Cook & Co., later by Baker
& McMillan, and later by 0. W. McMillan, was situated on the
west bank of the Redwood river, just across from the foot of
Third street, in Redwood Falls. The dam, which had a head of
some twenty feet, and was located a few rods above the mill, op-
posite the foot of Fifth street, is now submerged by the back-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 435
-water of the Burmeister dam. This mill was destroyed by fire
and never rebuilt. It was established about 1869.
E. Cuff, about 1870, erected a flour mill some forty rods north
of the present Burmeister mill, on the high south bank of the
Redwood river, a few hundred feet southeast from the present
residence of Orlando B. Turrell. Below the Little Falls, he built
a small dam, sufficient to divert water into his flume. This flume
followed the natural descent of the rapids, and the water therein
thus gained in force until reaching the waterwheel, situated in
the bend just before the river takes its sudden course to the
north through the Ramsey state park. Prom this waterwheel, a
pulley conveyed the power to the mill, situated high above on
the south bank of the river. After being operated for a num-
ber of years as a flour and grist mill, this mill was dismantled.
In 1868-69 the Birum Brothers erected a saw mill on the
present site of the Birum mills, at North Redwood, a few rods
above where the river is crossed by the railroad. This was re-
placed by a flour mill in 1879. Of late years it has been used
as a grist mill. The dam was washed away several times. The
last time in the spring of 1916.
The foot of Birum 's dam is thirty or forty feet above the
Minnesota river, being some seventy-five feet below the general
level of the prairie and town. The beauty of this deep, rock-
walled gorge, about one and a half miles long, with its cascades
and rapids and meandering river, can scarcely be over-stated.
Its geological formations are equally interesting, by reason of
their variety and uncommon character.
Clay Products. In 1871 an attempt was made to manufacture
bricks in the town of Sherman, on the bottoms not far from the
old agency. It was operated for only a few months. In the late
seventies brick was made on the west bank of the Redwood river
at Redwood Falls, not far above the present dam. In the early
nineties, brick was made quite extensively on the bank of the
Redwood river, nearly opposite the present Redwood Falls cem-
etery.
Quarrying. The gneiss and granite of the Minnesota valley
at the north side of Redwood county, and of the Redwood river
gorge have been but little used for quarrying purposes. In the
early days stones for foundations were quarried in the gorge
of the Redwood river, just below the Redwood falls. Building
and foundation stones have been quarried on the Charles Fleischer
farm, a half mile east of the railroad station at North Redwood.
This stone, being softer than some of the other deposits in the
neighborhood, is somewhat more easily worked. A harder stone
has been quarried on the farm of Thomas Hoskins, at North
Redwood, the quarry lying half way between the Camp Pope
marker and the bridge across the Minnesota river. Quite a
436 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
large quantity of this stone has been used for paving in Minne-
apolis. Some is used for paving at Redwood Falls. Stone from
this quarry is now polished and sold extensively for monumental
and ornamental purposes. The Hoskin farm was formerly the
farm of J. S. G. Honner, and his magnificent monument in the
Redwood Falls cemetery is from this quarry. The boulders scat-
tered throughout the county have been used for foundations and
fence walls to some extent. Some "soap stone" has been secured
near Redwood Falls.
Gold Mine. In the early nineties a gold mining proposition
of considerable proportions was inaugurated in Swedes Forest,
a mile or so northwest of the Vicksburg bridge. Options were
secured on thousands of acres of land, stock was sold to the
neighboring farmers, as well as in the cities, an extensive plant
was erected, and considerable quartz milled and crushed. Gold
was found, but not in paying quantities. For many years after
the venture was abandoned, the machinery stood neglected on
the spot, being partially dismantled from time to time whenever
anyone who chanced to be in the vicinity needed any pieces of
machinery. Finally the machinery that remained was taken
down and removed, and only the remains of the plant, the crushed
quartz and the hole in the rock now exist to mark the spot of
this venture, which once inspired such high hopes.
Gravel. There are pockets of gravel in various parts of the
county. One of the largest gravel pits is situated half way be-
tween Redwood Falls and North Redwood on the west side of
the road. The gravel of the county is used in making roads, and
has also been used in various places in the county for making
cement tile and cement blocks.
Wells. The wells of Redwood county are of three varieties:
(1) The so-called surface-wells, which extend only into the drift;
(2) the wells which extend into the Cretaceous strata underly-
ing the drift; (3) the wells which extend into the archean rocks,
that is into the basal rocks of gneiss and granite.
Surface Wells. The surface deposits of Redwood county con-
sist of glacial drift and revent alluvium. The drift occurs every-
where except in small areas in the Minnesota valley, in the val-
ley of the Redwood river below the falls, and in Granite Rock
township, where older rock formations are exposed. Over most
of the eastern, central and southwestern parts of the county, it
is between 100 and 200 feet thick, and in places it reaches a still
greater thickness. In the northwestern part it is generally thin-
ner, being less than fifty feet thick throughout a large portion
of the following townships: Vail (township 111, range 37),
Granite Rock (111-38), Westline (111-39), Sheridan (112-37),
Vesta (112-38), and Underwood (112-39). Where the drift has
considerable thickness it generally includes deposits of sand and
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 437
gravel that will produce water supplies adequate for all ordinary
purposes, but where it is less than 100 feet it may not contain
a reliable water-bearing bed. In the northwestern part of the
county, especially in the townships just mentioned, the drift is
not an entirely satisfactory source of supply, although on a large
portion of these townships it is the only available source. The
water from the glacial drift is generally under considerable pres-
sure, but it is not known to rise above the surface. The flowing
wells in the southwest are supposed to be supplied from the Cre-
taceous rocks, but no record could be obtained of most of them,
and it is possible that some end in the drift. Many springs issue
from the sides of the Minnesota valley, and these have lowered
the head of the water beneath the adjacent uplands. The anal-
yses of the water from the surface wells reveal a wide range
in the mineral composition of the water.
Cretaceous Wells. Throughout most of this county, Cretace-
ous strata lie beneath the drift. In the southwest they have a
thickness of several hundred feet, but they thin out toward the
east and north. They occur everywhere in the southern tier of
townships and almost everywhere in the tier next north. They
are also found adjacent to Lyon county nearly or quite to the
north boundary but are absent in the vicinity of Vesta and Sea-
forth and in much of the northwestern part of the county. Small
and irregularly distributed areas containing thin deposits of this
age are concealed below the drift in the northeastern part, but
the accurate mapping of these patches can not be accomplished
until many more well sections are available than at present.
The following specific data bear on the occurrence of the
Cretaceous in this county: (1) At Tracy, one mile west of the
county line, a series of Cretaceous shales and sandstones about
450 feet thick, has been penetrated. (2) At Walnut Grove there
is a considerable thickness of the same series, but no definite
section is available. (3) Near Pell Creek, along the road from
Revere to Lamberton, Cretaceous clay and sandstone come to
the surface, and in the S. E. *4, sec. 11, T. 109 N., R. 38 W., shale
was struck at a depth of 110 feet. (4) At Lamberton an 80-
foot stratum of shale was reached at a little more than 200 feet
below the surface. (5) In Sanborn a sandstone and shale series
was entered at a depth of 217 feet and was penetrated for fifty-
three feet. (6) A few miles east of Sanborn, along Cottonwood
river, Cretaceous outcrops are found. (It seems probable that
the deposits of Cretaceous clay, sandstone, etc., exposed in the
outcrops lie above the thicker shale beds encountered in drill-
ing and are not generally differentiated from the drift in well
sections.) (7) Near Cottonwood river, south of Milroy, a num-
ber of deep wells have been sunk and shale and sandstone about
400 feet in thickness have been penetrated by the drill. (8) In
438 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
the village of Milroy shale is encountered at a depth of only
thirty-five feet, and it seems to have been penetrated for about
230 feet. (9) In the southwestern corner of Underwood town-
ship (T. 112 N., R. 39 W.), a 75-foot stratum of blue shale, under-
lain by white sand, was reached forty-five feet below the surface.
(10) One mile west of Lucan, on the farm; of Patrick Curtin, N. E.
%, sec. 20, T. Ill N., R. 38 W., shale was found at a depth of
seventy feet. (11) At Clements the same material was struck
at 115 feet, and was penetrated only a short distance. (12) In
the valley of Redwood river below the falls and in the Minnesota
valley between Redwood Falls and Morton, outcrops of thin Cre-
taceous strata are found. (13) In the northern part of the county
shale has been encountered in drilling. There are two phases of
the Cretaceous in this region. One phase, which consists of rap-
idly alternating and imperfectly assorted strata of clay, sand,
sandstone, etc. indicates by the rude stratification the cross-bed-
ding of the sandstone, the red oxidized character of much of the
clay, the lignite beds, the fossil leaves, and other features that
the conditions of deposition were nonmarine or littoral. The
other phase consists for the most part of a thoroughly assorted
series of soft shale and sandstone, the shale greatly predominating
and having a characteristic gray-blue color. It attains a maxi-
mum thickness in this state of at least 500 feet, and was evidently
laid down in a large and quiet body of water, where thorough
assortment and stratification were possible. It is to be correlated
with the Cretaceous in South Dakota and other western states.
These two phases are described in the reports on Brown and
Lyon counties where they are respectively best developed. Their
exact relation to each other has not been determined. The series
in the western and southern parts of Redwood county belongs
to the Lyon county phase, and the rocks in the northeastern part
belong with those in Brown county. Where the Cretaceous is
several hundred feet thick it will yield moderately large quan-
tities of water, as is illustrated by the 6-inch city well at Tracy,
which is pumped at the rate of fifty gallons a minute, and by
the 6-inch village well at Walnut Grove, which is pumped at the
rate of thirty-five gallons a minute. In general it may be said
that in the vicinity of Milroy and thence southward and south-
eastward to Walnut Grove and Revere the Cretaceous can be
depended on for adequate supplies, but that northeast of Lamber-
ton and Lucan it is generally absent or devoid of any good water-
bearing stratum, though in a few localities it will furnish some
water. The Cretaceous area of flowing wells projects from
Lyon county into the southwestern part of this county. The
southwestern margin of the area enters the county about four
miles north of the southern boundary and thence passes to Wal-
nut Grove and approximately to the Cottonwood county line. It
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 439
enters the county between the 1,200-foot and 1,300-foot contours
and gradually descends until it nearly coincides with the latter.
The northeastern margin enters the county about three miles
north of Cottonwood river and for some distance runs roughly
parallel to that stream, but eventually crosses it and passes south-
ward to Revere, where there are several flowing wells. The north-
eastern margin is determined to a great degree by the thinning
out of the Cretaceous and the consequent failure of the deep ar-
tesian beds. However, throughout the flowing area the head is
not great and the natural flow never exceeds a few gallons a
minute. Moreover, immediately outside of this area there are
wells in which the water rises nearly to the surface. Thus in
the Cretaceous wells at Walnut Grove it fails only by a few feet
to reach the top, and in the similar wells at Milroy it comes with-
in fifteen to twenty feet of the top.
The Sioux quartzite, which attains a relatively great thick-
ness farther south, projects into the southern part of Redwood
county, in the form of a wedge between the Cretaceous and the
granite. At Lamberton it is reported to have a thickness of sev-
eral hundred feet. It is probably of no economic value in this
county as a source of water.
Archean Wells. The Archean consists of granite and gneiss,
which constitute the basal rocks. Throughout the northern and
eastern parts of the county it is everywhere relatively near the
surface. In the vicinity of Seaforth three outcrops are known,
and there are several others in Yellow Medicine county, within
a mile or two of the boundary line; it is frequently encountered
in drilling in this region. Moreover, in the Minnesota valley,
and in the Redwood valley, both above and below the falls it is
exposed. In the southern part of the county, however, the gran-
itic surface descends and within a short distance is many hun-
dreds of feet below the surface. Thus at Tracy, Lyon county, it
occurs at a depth of a little more than 600 feet, or not quite 800
feet above sea level, and at Lamberton it was reported about 600
feet below the surface, or only 550 feet above the sea.
Farther south it lies at so great a depth that it is very seldom
reached by the drill. At Blue Earth, Faribault county, and at
Sioux City, Iowa, it was struck at a level of 135 feet below the
sea, and at Lemars, Iowa, at 215 feet above the sea.
The upper part is generally much altered and passes grad-
ually into the unchanged granite. This decomposed mantle is
best exposed in the gorge of Redwood river below the falls,
where it has been described by Prof. N. H. Winchell, but the
same kind of material is encountered in many of the wells of the
region. Drillers do not always differentiate clearly between the
Cretaceous beds and the rotted granite, though it is of great prac-
tical importance that the distinction be made. Brilliant colors
440 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
(red, yellow, green, white, etc.), flakes of mica or steatite which
give the drillings a silvery appearance not possessed hy the Cre-
taceous shale ("soapstone"), transparent and angular grains of
quartz, which give a gritty character never found in the shale,
and hard quartzose ("glassy") layers alternating with soft ma-
terial, all indicate that the granite residuum has heen reached.
Material from an outcrop near Morton, in Renville county, is
described as follows by N. H. Winchell: "A substance was met
here for the first time which was afterward seen at a number
of places. Its origin seems to be dependent upon the granite.
Its association is so close that it seems to be the result of a
change in the granite itself. It lies first under the drift, or
under the Cretaceous rocks, where they overlie the granite, and
passes by slow changes into the granite. It has some of the
characters of steatite and some of those of kaolin. In some places
it seems to be a true kaolin. It is known by the people as "Cas-
tile soap." It cuts like soap, has a blue color when fresh or
kept wet, but a faded and yellowish ash color when weathered,
and when long and perfectly weathered is white and glistening.
The boys cut it into the shapes of pipes and various toys. It ap-
pears like the pipestone, though less heavy and less hard, and has
a very different color. It is said to harden by heating. This
substance, which may, at least provisionally, be denominated a
kaolin, seems to be the result of the action of water on the under-
lying granite. Since it prevails in the Cretaceous areas, and is
always present, so far as known, whenever the Cretaceous de-
posits have preserved it from disruption by the glacier period, it
may be attributed to the action of the Cretaceous ocean. In
some places it is gritty, and in others it may be completely pul-
verized in the fingers. A great abundance of this material ex-
ists in the banks of the Birch Coolie, within a short distance of
its mouth."
Since the above statements were made, this clay, which is
commonly whiter and less ferruginous than the sample de-
scribed, has been found in scores of deep wells, and thus much
additional evidence has been obtained as to its distribution and
character. All this new evidence, however, corroborates
WincheH's statements that it overlies the granite, into which it
passes by slow changes, and that it prevails in the Cretaceous
areas and is generally present wherever the Cretaceous deposits
have preserved it. A conception of its wide distribution can be
gained by referring to the reports of the counties in which the
Archean lies beneath the Cretaceous. In this county it is ex-
posed in the valleys of Minnesota and Redwood rivers and has
frequently been reached in drilling, especially in the vicinity of
Vesta and Seaforth, where it is near the surface.
In the gorge of Redwood river decomposed granite occurs
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 441
which has a matrix of white clay very similar to the white clay
under discussion, except that it is less compact. In this matrix
are imbedded the angular, transparent grains of quartz which
existed in the mother rock. It is the thoroughly weathered and
leached granitic residuum left in its original position. On the
south side of the wagon road from Redwood Falls to Morton,
where the descent is made from the upland into the valley, there
is a typical exposure of the white clay. It is here evidently of
sedimentary origin, as it is free from quartz grains and lies above
a stratified layer of grit. The outcrop appears nearly white.
Two samples, one from each of the above described exposures,
were analyzed for the United States Geological Survey, by Prof.
F. F. Grout, of the University of Minnesota.
The analyses show that the composition of the white clay is
similar to that of the granitic residuum, and that both are similar
to kaolin. It will be seen, however, that the white clay and, to
a less extent, the residuum are a little higher in alumina and a
little lower in silica than kaolin, as a result, according to Pro-
fessor Grout, of the presence of small amounts of beauxite. The
white color is due to the fact that the iron has nearly all been
leached out.
Well sections and outcrops show that in some places the white
clay contains imbedded grains of quartz and is clearly residual,
as in the exposure in the Redwood gorge ; that in others it is en-
tirely free from grit but includes interbedded strata of sand, as
in the Tracy well, the exposure near Morton, etc., and that in
still others quartz grains are present in the lower part and absent
in the upper, as in many wells in Renville county. In brief, the
white clay consists in part of granitic residuum, and in part of
sedimentary deposits derived therefrom. Essentially this con-
clusion has been reached by Warren Upham and others.
It is important that drillers should distinguish this clay both
from the ordinary Cretaceous shale and from the ordinary de-
composed granite, because its significance as to water supplies
is somewhat different from that of either. It does not usually
yield water, but the interbedded layers of grit, where they occur,
may furnish adequate supplies. A number of good wells draw
from this source, but there are also many instances on record
where drilling into the clay has resulted in failure. The white
clay is always a warning that the drill is approaching granite.
Public Water Supplies. There are public water supplies in
Redwood Falls, Vesta, Morgan, Wabasso, Wanda, Lamberton,
Walnut Grove, Sanborn, Luean and Milroy. There are none in
Belview, Delhi, Revere, Clements, Seaforth Rowena and North
Redwood.
Farm Water Supplies. Drilled wells are most numerous in
the flowing area and adjacent parts, that is, in the southwestern
442 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
portion of the county, where the Cretaceous is a sure source of
supply. They have an advantage over the shallower-bored
wells in that they can be sunk to beds which in most of this area
will yield flows of soft water. Flowing wells, those that end in
sandstone and those that are four inches or more in diameter,
are generally finished with open ends, but others must be pro-
vided with screens to keep out the sand. Where the water is
truly soft the screens will give no trouble, but where it is hard
they become incrusted in a few years by the precipitation of
calcium carbonate and other mineral matter.
In the area northeast of a line drawn through Lamberton and
Lucan (including by far the greater part of Redwood county)
bored and dug wells greatly predominate. As the depth to the
impervious formations in this area averages probably not more
than 200 feet and is locally much less, it is necessary to procure
water relatively near the surface; and as larger supplies can
be developed from weak zones by means of bored or dug wells
than by means of the ordinary drilled wells there is reason for
preferring the former type.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
PIONEER EXPERIENCES.
McPhail — His Life, Times and Cabin. The starting of a town
usually differs but slightly one from; another in the details of
its procedure, but the beginning of Redwood Falls was suffi-
ciently unique, so unlike in circumstances to other ventures of
its kind and so closely associated with adventurous and dramatic
occurrences and with the history and development of the upper
Minnesota valley, that any record or relic of the story of its
earliest days cannot fail to be of unusual interest.
At this time when so many modern residences have been com-
pleted, with conveniences and materials from many factories and
other sources widely distributed, a very marked contrast is pre-
sented by the removal to Ramsey park of the first log house built
in Redwood Falls, fifty-two years ago, constructed by crude
means, of cruder materials, this being the first procedure in
establishing the first settlement above New Ulm in the region
devastated by the greatest slaughter of civilians ever perpetrated
on the North American continent, the Indian massacre of 1862.
This building was constructed by Col. Sam McPhail, in the
summer of 1864, at the time when he secured the site on which
he platted the new town of Redwood Falls. This, with others of
a small group of buildings, was protected from attacks from
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 443
Indians by a substantially built stockade of prairie sod, while a
series of military camps provided a daily patrol of mounted sol-
diers along the frontier and a night watch sentinel was main-
tained as further precaution against surprise attacks.
The McPhail cabin was built of logs taken from an abandoned
Indian house situated near the Sioux Agency headquarters, and
there is some probability that this was the earliest boyhood home
of Dr. Chas. A. Eastman, the Indian author and lecturer, which
was located at about the same place. It was erected at the cen-
ter of what was afterwards, and is now, the original plat of
Redwood Falls, on a rise of ground gently sloping in all direc-
tions from the site of the cabin, which stood next to the alley,
facing south, immediately in the rear of the present Palace Dry
Goods store and this cabin served the purpose of securing a squat-
ter's right to the future townsite tract. One feature of its con-
struction, which probably was the only instance of its kind, was
an inside wall of brick, which made it a safer protection from
hostilities. The supply of brick was from a government brick-
yard in operation before the outbreak.
Col. McPhail began locating claims for landseekers in 1863,
but the first group of families arrived in 1864, when other houses
and the stockade was built and rooms were added to three sides
of the cabin. The only person now living who assisted McPhail
with his cabin and in the building of the stockade, is Win. Post,
who occasionally still comes to Redwood Falls. Marion John-
son is the only resident who came to Redwood Falls during the
first year of 1864 and he and his brother were the first to risk
living outside the protection of the stockade.
In the spring of 1865 this building had been enlarged to a
six-room house, occupied by three families, one of them being
that of Dr. D. L. Hitchcock.
During the previous winter a teacher was employed by Col.
McPhail, who also supplied the schoolroom for the few chil-
dren of the stockade, including his own. Grant Martin and
Elizabeth Hitchcock, still residents of the town, were born in
the stockade.
McPhail also built the first frame residence of the town, out-
side the stockade, near the falls, which location still remains the
most picturesque residence property of the town, owned now by
Julius Melges. This building was removed in later years and is
now a part of the Glasco cottage on the west side of the entrance
to Redwood Falls park.
The stockade building was next occupied by the family of
Wm. Mills, who supplied lodging accommodations to transient
travelers. Mills had been mail carrier and tavern keeper at Fort
Ridgely before the outbreak and according to a story of incidents
previous to the siege of Fort Ridgely, he was the means of sav-
444 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
ing the garrison at that place from complete annihilation by a
timely warning of plans by the Indians which could have been
easily executed had no warning been given.
The ownership of the lot on which this building stood passed
later to Mr. Traugott Henze, and his family occupied it until
Mr. Henze moved the original cabin part to his farm by the
Minnesota river in Honnor township. Here it was occupied first
by his son Richard, then continuously used as a farm building
until Richard Henze presented it to Joe Tyson to be removed
to the Ramsey state park.
The story of this primitive structure would be incomplete
without more extended reference to the picturesque personality
of its first owner, the proprietor of the original townsite and
general manager of Redwood Falls, whose varied and aggressive
part in its early affairs were indelibly fixed in the memory
of every resident of that period. McPhail was a real Kentucky
colonel, or rather a real colonel from Kentucky, where he was
born. He received training in a southern military school and
served as a soldier in the Mexican War. Following this, as a
surveyor, he assisted in establishing the boundary line between
Iowa and Minnesota which brought him into this state. He had
already started two Minnesota towns, Caledonia and Browns-
ville, previous to his enlistment in a regiment across the border
in Wisconsin, under Major Powell. McPhail was also one of the
first townsite owners of Beaver Falls.
He was an army officer in the Indian campaign of 1862 which
brought him to Redwood, and as he stood on the banks of the
river, overlooking the falls and the government sawmill, he told
a comrade that at the first opportunity he would establish a town
at this point.
As a literary and advertising man he was the first editor
of the first newspaper, the Redwood Falls Patriot; as a
good roads man he was appointed by the first board of county
commissioners as the first road overseer of the county ; as a finan-
cier he was authorized by this same board to supply funds for
maintaining the first county government before it had income
from first taxes and when its only financial resources were prom-
ises to pay ; as a humorist he was a continuous entertainer to his
acquaintances ; as a Fourth of July orator he was always a main
feature of this annual festival ; as a military man he attained the
position and salary of a commissioned officer for two years after
every other officer and private of his regiment had been mus-
tered out of service ; as one of the widely known Minnesota men
he was appointed by Governor Marshall to distribute govern-
ment rations to needy frontier settlers and Redwood Falls re-
ceived its allotment of beans and hard tack during a serious scarc-
ity of food; as a surveyor and frontiersman he heeded the call
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 445
to a farther frontier and removed to the prairies nearer the Da-
kota line and located many of the earliest settlers in Lyon and
Lincoln counties, and as a lawyer and politician he was the first
county attorney of Redwood and later was chosen by the voters
to the same position in Lyon county.
The first building of the McPhail cabin, re-erected where the
two park streams meet, marked the time when the whites first
took possession of these reservation lands which up to that date
had been in undisputed ownership and occupancy of the aborig-
inal Americans.
Here, it may be predicted, this relic and reminder of the
early days, which has in turn served the purposes of an Indian
house, a pioneer's cabin, military headquarters, the first school-
house and hotel, the first doctor's office and medicine supply
house, town residence and farm building, will now stand for
many years with its latch string out in welcome to any sojourner
in these parts, as typical of the hospitality of log cabin days
and with the genial Joe, representing the state of Minnesota, as
chief host.— (By H. M. Hitchcock.)
The Frederick Holt Family. After serving through the Civil
"War in Co. E, 22nd Ind. Vol. Inf., Frederick Holt came to North-
field, Minn., with Fred Steincamp, Herman Hackmann and Hein-
rich Schafer, young men he had known in Indiana before the war.
From Northfield they camie to Redwood Falls in 1867, and here
Mr. Holt bought 160 acres of reservation land on section 26, in
what is now Swedes Forest township. This tract had meadow
land, timber and running water, advantages which caused him
to locate in Redwood county rather than on the open prairie
of Renville county, where his friends took up homesteads. That
year he returned to Northfield, and remained there until the
spring of 1869, when he married Henrietta Moeller, a widow
with three small children, the oldest not yet seven years of age.
Mrs. Holt is still living in the county and is one of its most
honored and respected pioneers. After recounting the facts given
above, Mrs. Holt, in speaking of pioneer times says:
"After our marriage we at once made preparations to move
to Redwood county. We were soon ready, and left Northfield
the last week in May, all our possesions in a prairie schooner,
drawn by a yoke of oxen. We came through Dundas, St. Peter,
New Ulm and Sleepy Eye and made the trip in a week. We car-
ried a stove with us and at meal time would set it up to bake
biscuits and cook coffee. One day on the journey I baked bread.
At night we slept in the schooner except once when we were
near St. Peter, a farmer's wife took us in. It was raining and
she gave us supper and had us sleep in the house. It rained so
much and the roads were so bad that we often got stuck and then
we would have to unload our things and get out of the mudhole
446 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
as best we could. The latter part of the journey we came along
the old government stage road and arrived on our land on the
second of June, 1869. Redwood was a beautiful country then,
with its miles upon miles of untouched prairie lands and the
grass taller than the backs of our oxen on every side of us.
Mr. Holt's friends came over from Renville county and helped
him cut down trees and build our log cabin. They put it up in a
week.
"That first summer we raised potatoes, pumpkins and ruta-
bagas on breaking, but no grain, so Mr. Holt drove back to North-
field to work in the harvest fields, leaving me and the children
to look after our place. He brought back a milch cow he earned
while there, and at St. Peter he bought enough rough unplaned
six-inch boards to put floors upstairs and down in our little cabin.
In the fall of that same year he made a trip to New Ulm for a
load of wheat, which he had ground into flour at the old Rieke
mill down near Franklin. During the first years we lived here
our wheat had to be hauled to Sleepy Eye or to the equally dis-
tant Wilmar. From the latter town we hauled lumber to put up
a frame house. A few tinges we took our grain to North Redwood
and loaded it on a steamboat which came up from St. Peter,
when the river was high enough.
"When we came here we had as neighbors, two Swede broth-
ers, bachelors, Peter and Nels Swenson. Their land joined ours
and from its heavily wooded timber the township was later
named. There were also Indians encamped in these woods, eight
or ten tepees of them. We had raised so bountiful a crop of
pumpkins and rutabagas that we told the Indians to help them-
selves. They put pieces of pumpkin on sharp sticks, roasted them
over the fire and ate them with mtuch relish. They asked for
potatoes and an Indian brought me several rabbits and prairie
chickens in return. Once when I was sick, two Indian women
came to see me; they shook hands with me and said, 'Squaw
sick, squaw sick ! ' Often I would see an Indian dragging a deer
over the snow to the camp. It was not uncommon in those early
years to see herds of eight or ten wild deer roaming about. These
Indians remained in our woods for two years, then they moved
to lower Rice creek, and later to the Agency. We never had
any trouble with them whatever. My children visited their en-
campment. They often asked for things, especially if they were
hungry, but I do not recall that they ever stole anything.
"When Swedes Forest township was organized, it included
Kintire and part of Delhi. Mr. Holt was chairman of the board
of supervisors for several years. He also helped organize school
districts No. 10 and 55, and served a good many years on the
schoolboard. He was a charter member of the German Metho-
dist Episcopal church in Flora, Renville county, and a trustee
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 447
of that church from the time it was established until his death.
Together we fought fires in those dry early seventies and grass-
hoppers afterward. Over and above it all we saw a wilderness
peopled, a fair country grow more fair.
"To furnish the cabin, besides the stove already mentioned,
we bought in Northfield, a table, a bedstead and two or three
chairs; and we made some benches and a bed for the children
and put up a row of shelves in one corner of the cabin, which
covered by a calico curtain, served as a general cupboard.
"As for clothing, I had some good worsted dresses, brought
over from Germany, both for myself and the children. At North-
field I bought some calico for myself and German print for the
little ones. I spun the wool and knitted the stockings and mittens
we needed, and made the underwear from flannel or muslin, as the
season required. The children went barefoot in summer.
"We brought with us some tea, coffee, flour, a ham and some
live chickens. In the fall we got a milch cow. Soon we bought
a few pigs and later two sheep. There was an abundance of
wild fruit and hazlenuts in the woods, and plenty of game. The
river was near for fishing. Old settlers had told us about using
prairie tea, and finding it grew here we picked and dried the
leaves and made the tea by pouring boiling water on them. I
rather liked the taste of it. For coffee we roasted wheat or
barley. The price of tea and coffee was almost prohibitive, but
butter and eggs were very cheap, at least in summer. In the
fall we would make pumpkin butter, without sugar. Mr. Holt
had seen the Indiana settlers make it that way. In the late fall
when we took a load of wheat to the mill for our winter's sup-
ply of flour, there was always a sack of well-dried shelled corn
along so that we had corn bread and mush and milk to vary
our fare. Then, too, we always had a good garden. I do not
recall that we ever went hungry.
"Our cabin was right in the woods and so protected that we
had less to endure either from the severe stormp or the pro-
longed cold than the prairie settlers. I do not remember that the
blackbirds did us any especial damage. The mosquitoes were
so thick at times, especially in the tall grass, you had to keep
your mouth shut. We covered the windows with netting and
built a smudge at dusk right near the door to keep them away."
Marion Johnson's Experiences. George Johnson and his
son Marion, then a youth of fifteen years, arrived at the stock-
ade in October, 1864, spent the first night in the stockade and
then moved into an Indian hewed-log house, on the south shore
of Tiger lake. This lake was so named from the fact that before
the massacre the steamboat "Tiger," during the high water,
had gotten out of the channel of the Minnesota river into this
lake, and being unable to again reach the Minnesota, was beached
448 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
on the shore. The Johnsons came from LeSeuer county, they
brought a pair of horses, a wagon, some household furniture and
some provisions.
While the winter was hard, the man and boy were quite
comfortable. The Indian cabin was snug and warm, having been
well built by the government, with a good door and window.
Their provisions consisted of flour, pork and tea, though the
tea was used exclusively by the man. In the fall prairie chicken
were plentiful. In the winter, deer and coon provided plenty of
fresh meat. A deer was killed about once in two weeks and
hung up in a tree, where it froze solid, and was thus preserved
in the best condition for use. A maple tree felled in the yard
provided more than four cords of wood, a great convenience
during those weeks where the thermometer reached forty de-
grees below zero, and the snow lay four feet deep on the surface.
Sometimes the winter was warm enough so that the man and boy
could get out a few logs on the river bottoms. The horses were
well cared for in a snug shed.
A dog furnished companionship and was also of much assist-
ance. Marion Johnson tells, with great glee, of the day when the
dog assisted in a fish hunt. The lake at that time was filled
with pickerel and pike. So thickly was the ice frozen that the
fish were in danger of extermination by suffocation. A bubbling
spring beneath the water, however, kept the ice open at one
point of the lake near a steep bank.
One morning the attention of Marion Johnson was attracted
by the barking of the dog, greatly excited over the masses of
fish in this open hole, where they had swarmed to get air. Cold
as it was, the boy, after calling to his father, jumped into the
water and began throwing the fish on to the bank, where his
father quickly dispatched them. In this jpay several bushels
of good food were secured and the open water at that spot be-
came a source of constant fish supply throughout the winter.
Thus, with many hardships, but with many interesting adven-
tures as well, the winter was spent. In the spring the family
arrived, consisted of two sons, Harris and James, Mahala, Eva
and Delma. The male members of the family at once proceeded
with farming operations and that year got in five acres of oats,
five acres of corn, fifteen or sixteen acres of wheat, quite a few
potatoes and a good garden. Somewhat more fortunate than
many of the other pioneers, Mr. Johnson had some forty head
of stock, including six yoke of oxen. His farming equipment
consisted of a breaking plow, a stubble plow, a home-made "V"
harrow, and the necessary hoes, shovels, and axes. He was
fortunate in having had some of his land broken by the Indians.
It was impossible to raise wheat the first year after breaking,
the usual procedure being to break the land and then to raise
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 449
potatos, rutabagas, or sod corn the first year. The procedure
of planting potatoes and rutabagas was to place them in the
furrow and to turn the sod of the next furrow over on them,
which made digging them in the fall a long and laborious prog-
ress, but which affectively prepared the land for a wheat crop
the next year.
In the early days the principal drawback were the cranes
and blackbirds. Even as early as the late sixties the grasshop-
pers began to put in their appearance but not in such numbers
as in 1873, when they almost entirely destroyed the crops.
During his boyhood days Mr. Johnson at one time entered
the employ of Maj. Joseph R. Brown, who had a government
contract to deliver provisions to Fort Wadsworth, which has since
become Sisseton. A large number of soldiers were then located
at the fort and camp provisions were brought to Redwood by
boat and taken across the rest of the distance by ox trains, about
two hundred teams usually being used in a train. The entire
company was subject to military organization and supplied with
scouts by the government. After the Dakota line was crossed
and the region of the Kota hills entered this escort of the soldiers
was very necessary, as there were still many hostile Indians in
that section.
The trip was a tremendous undertaking considering there
were no "good roads" and no bridges, every stream having to
be forded, and sometimes wagons, teams and men swam the
streams. Major Brown, who held the contract for the delivery
of the goods, was the founder and sponsor of the present city
of Brown's Valley.
Another vivid recollection of Mr. Johnson's is the grasshop-
per plague, which struck the country in 1865, and didn't entirely
disappear until 1877, twelve long years when it took superhuman
pluck to hang on, and the settlers would have starved utterly had
it not been for the abundance of game. As it was, many of them
moved away, and it took those who remained years to recover
from the onslaught of the pests.
During this period, when starvation stared the pioneers
straight between the eyes, Marion Johnson and his brother, two
years younger, were sent by their father to Olmstead county,
where crops were good, there were no grasshoppers and plenty
of work. Upon their departure, the father gave each boy fifty
cents, telling them to seek food and shelter from the farmers
along the route. It speaks well for the humanity of these same
farmers that the boys, when they reached Rochester each had
a dollar and a half. Every one had helped, giving them lodg-
ing and food and occasionally small pieces of money.
The entire trip, one hundred and fifty miles, was made by the
boys afoot; and barefoot at that. Mr. Johnson still speaks of
450 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
the stone bruise he acquired while en route, and the peculiar
gait he acquired because of it.
At Rochester they attended P. T. Barnum's circus, which
was exhibiting there that day, which only goes to prove that
boy-nature is boy -nature, fifty years ago, today and forever!
This was the first circus they had ever seen and the best they
have ever seen.
After the season's work the boys stayed with the same
farmer until frost made further work impracticable, when they
returned home each the possessor of five dollars given him by
their employer in addition to the summer's wages, which must
necessarily be given to the support of the family. "I shall never
forget those people and how kind they were to us," said Mr.
Johnson, looking backward down the avenue of years, with a
look that proved that no time can deaden the memory of a
friend.
The game fifty years ago was a source of income as well as
the basis of the food supply. Some buffalo were still to be found
and there was an abundance of the small fur-bearing animals.
Mr. Johnson has upon several occasions earned an income of
eighty dollars per month from his traps. The occupation had one
serious drawback : it necessitated early rising to get to the traps
before the silent Redskin made them an early morning visit.
Mr. and Mrs. Ferris, who have been residents of Redwood
Falls since 1876, have a store of delightful tales of the early
days of Redwood Falls and vicinity.
In the year mentioned, Mr. and Mrs. Ferris made the trip
from a Wisconsin town, ten miles southwest of Madison, to Red-
wood Falls, in a covered wagon, bringing with them their son,
of three years, and their daughter of two months. The trip
took three weeks, and during that time the family slept in the
wagon every night except the last, when they stopped at the
home of a farmer. However, the wagon was a large roomy one
of the platform type and more comfortable than many used.
Just how valuable such a wagon and horses were in those
days is shown by the fact that Mr. Ferris later traded the outfit
for a hundred and twenty acres of land, which now lies in
about the center of the Gilfillan farm. This land Mr. Ferris after-
wards traded for land nearer Redwood Falls.
Two years after the arrival of the Ferris family the North
Western railway was built to Redwood Falls. That spring look-
ing from the windows of her home, Mrs. Ferris could see thirty-
six new houses in process of building and scarcely a tree in sight ;
nothing but flat rolling prairies everywhere.
In the winter of 1880, the family moved to the W. Baker farm,
south of what is now the Winn farm. During this winter Mrs.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 451
Ferris saw no other woman from December until March, when
Mr. and Mrs. Jones, then living on the Winn farm, drove across
the fields for a visit. This was an exceedingly cold winter with
an abundance of snow and traffic was almost impossible. About
once in two weeks Mr. Baker sent a man to the farm with mail
and provisions, and this was practically the only means of com-
munication with the outside world. The rural telephone service
was even less efficient in those days than it is today.
The good roads of Redwood county may be directly traced
to the activities of Mr. Ferris, who was the first street commis-
sioner, and is directly responsible for the graveling of Bridge,
Mill and Main streets, doing most of the actual work himself.
Mr. Ferris has always been connected with the best interests of
the city and is at present one of the strong members of a strong
council. With Mrs. Ferris he has always been identified with
all movements that tended toward the uplift of the city and its
people.
James Aiken's Reminiscences. "My first acquaintance with
Redwood Falls was formed about the first of May, 1880, two
years after the North Western railroad was built into that town.
My mother and myself put up at the Commercial hotel, occupy-
ing the same location as the McAllister, the old hotel having
gone up in smoke many years ago. Mr. Bunce, father of George
and Ed. Bunce, was the landlord, but was succeeded not long
afterward by the late H. D. Everett, father of our present county
treasurer. There were no business houses fronting on Washing-
ton street at that time, to the best of my recollections, except
the blacksmith shop of Fred Hotchkiss, a livery barn south of
the hotel, and Capt. Dunington's United States land office, a
one-story frame shack, near the site of the present Asleson store.
The Gazette building of that period was on the present Fred
Thompson block corner, and was so open to winter's blasts that
the office was removed that fall to the second floor of a frame
block of two stores on Mill street (opposite the present Japs
garage), which also went up in smoke many years ago, but long
after the first-mentioned Gazette building had been removed to
Third street, opposite the present Eumm block, had been con-
verted first into a photo studio for N. B. Anderson, and later into
ashes. I think at the time of the Commercial hotel fire.
"The winter of 1880-1881 was of a character so unique that
I assume that it will be adequately described by some of your
local pioneers, in detail. To have mails as well as all freight
and express matter come at intervals of six weeks or so, was
only one of the many extraordinary phenomena of that wonder-
ful winter of snow blockades. I would rather take up the rest
of my allotted space with more or less at random notes about
the men and women, who, in Redwood Falls, dominated the busi-
452 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
ness and social life of the period between the years 1880 and
1890.
"A group of the personalities that most strongly impressed
me at that time, would include H. D. Chollar, a man of energy
and ability, whose tragic death by a fall from) the eastern ap-
proach of the Redwood bridge to the rocks below, while leaning
over the cliff to inspect the effect of a threshing separator pass-
ing over the bridge, was a decided loss to the progressive ele-
ment of Redwood Falls. Mr. Chollar was mayor of our little
city at the time of his death in 1888, or 1889 I think, and his
widow, the late Mrs. Ella Chollar, was one of the lovely women
of the Redwood Falls of that period.
"Mr. and Mrs. James McMillan constituted another couple
who ranked as business and social favorites in the period I am
trying to recall. 'Jim' McMillan was the owner of the pioneer
Redwood Falls store, a genial and popular man. Mr. McMillan
died prior to 1890, I think, but Mrs. McMillan disseminated sun-
shine and good deeds for quite a number of years later.
"W. P. and James Dunnington were prominent to some ex-
tent, during this decade, the former first as register of the United
States land office for a time, and a local political leader, while
J. M. continued in the grocery business from 1880 until compara-
tively recent years. The brothers were quite different in their
outward characteristics, but alike in kindly traits as well as in
certain combative tendencies. J. M. was best known to me, and
I shall always cherish his memory as a loyal, kind-hearted friend
and neighbor.
"Other business men of that period were: Philbrick, Fran-
cois, King Bros, and Robt. Wilson, in the dry goods line ; McKay
and Race Lechner, and Ackmann, grocers; Dr. Hitchcock and
Son, and C. C. Peck, druggists; Laird and Dornberg and E. A.
Chandler, hardware dealers ; H. N. Bell, furniture ; Geo. Drake,
and Leo Truesdell, harness makers. In the banking line W. F.
Dickinson and G. W. Braley divided the business up to the time
of the death of the latter, after which Clarence Ward and H. D.
Baldwin organized the Redwood County Bank, and later 0. B.
Turrell and associates organized the Citizens Bank. Aune and
Ringdahl also opened their clothing store during this period,
Mr. Thune succeeding Ringdahl a year or two later. Early in
the eighties, C. W. George succeeded G. Bohn in the lumber and
grain business, as a competitor to the Laird-Norton yards, man-
aged by Mr. Chollar up to the time of his demise. Other old-
timers like the Tenney Bros., Geo. Crooks and Bishop Gordon,
belong to the period antedating the eighties, rather than to the
time I am trying to recall.
"The legal profession in 1880 included H. D. Baldwin, Alfred
Wallin, Frank L. Morrill and J. H. Bowers. Judge Baldwin be-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 453
came district judge by appointment of the governor in 1880 or
1881, and Mr. Wallin, after an ineffectual canvass for the same
position at the subsequent election, when Judge Webber of New
Ulm begun his long judicial career in that district, moved to
North Dakota and eventually became a supreme court justice
of that state for a series of years. Morrill early removed to
Minneapolis, later to California, where he led a checkered career.
Mr. Bowers was a progressive and conscientious citizen, for
some years associated with the late J. B. Robinson, his brother-
in-law, in the real estate business. The writer remembers both
of these men as loyal and helpful for many years.
"Perhaps the best-loved citizen of that decade was that good
physician, W. D. Plinn. I doubt whether any other pioneer
resident of Redwood Falls was ever able to serve so many peo-
ple in so many beneficial ways as Dr. Flinn.
"In church organization work, Rev. R. E. Anderson was pas-
tor at the time of the destruction by fire of the first church
building of the Presbyterian denomination, the winter of 1882-
1883, remaining until after the erection of the new church on
the present site, of which he was the first pastor. After him
came that fine old soldier of the cross, Dr. J. G. Riheldaffer, and
later Dr. John Sinclair early in the nineties. Dr. Riheldaffer
and family were strong factors in the social and religious life of
Redwood Falls in the eighties. In the M. E. church, I recall
the ministry of Rev. C. S. Dunn, Rev. John Pemberton and Rev.
Hanscomb, the latter being associated in my memory with the
erection of the present M. E. church in the nineties.
"Notable events during the eighties were the big fire in the
fall of 1884, which cleaned out the buildings on Second street,
opposite the Gazette office of today, and was followed the next
year by the erectioji of mtost of the brick buildings on Wash-
ington street, as well as those west of the Aune & Thune block
on Second street; the entrance of the M. & St. L. Railway into
Redwood county in 1884; the series of murder trials, beginning
with the Alexander homicide on the streets of Redwood Falls
and followed by the dramatic Rose trials — three of them — the
last ending with the only hanging in Redwood county during my
thirty-one years of residence ; the Holden murder trials, wherein
Judge Baldwin did effective work for the defense, was the last
of the series, both the accused and his victim being Morton resi-
dents.
"I am not at all satisfied with the crude outline of memories
of thirty years ago, but realize that it is too long for a newspaper
sketch. The development of the school system of Redwood
county, to which S. J. Race as county superintendent, aided by
his faithful helpmate, devoted twenty busy and fruitful years,
deserves more than passing mention, and this is only one of many
454 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
progressive movements, which I hope will be brought out in your
Old-Home week celebration and anniversary issues.
"Memory at this time recalls many kind people I first knew
in those ten years, which those of us who lived in Redwood Falls
then 'have loved long since, and lost awhile.' Dear old Father
Swift, Donald and big Archie Stewart, Dr. Riheldaffer, Aunt
Ella McMillan, Father and Mother McKay, Jim Robinson, Nick
Hunter, Mrs. Chollar, Squire Chapman, Robert Parker, Mr. and
Mrs. Pond, Mr. and Mrs. Van Schaak, and others, but I must
bring this to a close or be too late for next week's Gazette. — Jas.
Aiken, Whittier, Cal., May 17, 1914." (In the Redwood Falls
"Gazette."
John Mooer Killed. In May, 1865, a son of John Mooer was
shot accidentally; this was the second death. The circumstances
of his unfortunate death were nearly as follows: A number of
government scouts were encamped, with their families, near
Rice creek, at a point about seven miles northwest of the stock-
ade, at Redwood Falls. John Mooer, Alexis La Frambois, Joe
La Frambois, and Tom Robinson were the leaders and prominent
men of the party. Though it is probable that they never had an
encounter with the Indians, encamped as they were in a hostile
attitude, it is not strange that they were on the alert and some-
times received a scare. One night John Mooer 's son was on
guard, serving his turn, as a guard was constantly kept. Find-
ing it cold he wrapped himself in a blanket and wore it on his
beat. Coming into the tents at the end of his patrol, a squaw
waking suddenly, screamed when she saw him dressed so much
like the hostile Sioux, and Alexis La Frambois, who was lying
on his gun, raised it, and, taking him for an Indian, shot and
killed him, the charge passing through him from side to side.
He was brought to the stockade and buried just outside. — (His-
tory of the Minnesota Valley.)
E. G. Pomroy, now living in Delhi, assisted in erecting some
of the first buildings at Ft. Ridgely in 1853, was here during the
building of the Lower Sioux Agency in 1854, and assisted in
building the government saw mill at Redwood Falls in 1855.
Mr. Pomroy was born in Hopkinton, St. Lawrence county, New
York, and in August, 1852, arrived at St. Paul to join his brother,
Jesse H., who had come to Stillwater in 1845, and had assisted
in building Ft. Ripley and other pioneer landmarks. April 29,
1853, he hired out to the government at Fort Snelling as a car-
penter.
In the meantime by the treaty of 1851, ratified in 1853, the
Sioux Indians were being removed to their reservation on the
upper Minnesota river. The concentration of so many Indians
upon an area small in comparison to the vast sweeps over which
they had ranged, and a radical change in the conditions under
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 455
which they had lived for countless generations, were circum-
stances which the officials realized might result in situations
which would require the firm hand of strongly entrenched au-
thority.
For several reasons it was necessary that a military post be
maintained in the vicinity of the new reservation. Whether the
Indians would be reconciled to their new home was still a ques-
tion, and it was realized that settlers, whose presence was needed
to develop the country which the treaty opened, would not lo-
cate in any considerable numbers in the lower Minnesota valley,
unless they were assured of some sort of protection from the
Indians in the upper valley. It was also advisable that there
should be constantly before the Indians a reminder of the strength
and organization of the government.
It had already been decided that there were to be two Indian
agencies for the Indians on the reservation. The Upper agency
for the Sissetons and Wahpatons was established at the mouth
of the Yellow Medicine, and the Lower for the Medawakanton
and Wahpakoota bands was placed about six miles east of the
mouth of the Redwood. Both agencies were on the south bank
of the Minnesota river.
The matter of a new military post was called to the attention
of C. M. Conrad, then secretary of war, and General Winfield
Scott, then commanding the regular army, by Delegate Henry
H. Sibley.
General Scott concurred in Sibley's recommendation and the
secretary of war approved it and issued necessary orders. In
the fall of 1852, Captain Napoleon Jackson Tecumseh Dana,
then of the quartermaster's department (later colonel of the
First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and major general of vol-
unteers), and Colonel Francis Lee of the Sixth United States
Infantry, then in command at Fort Snelling, were ordered to
select a suitable site for the new fort, "on the St. Peter's river,
above the mouth of the Blue Earth."
In the latter part of November, with an escort of dragoons
from Fort Snelling, and after a three-days' march in the snow,
the officers reached Laframboise 's trading post, established about
1834, by Hazen Mooers, and placed in charge of Joseph Lafram-
boise in 1837, and located at the mouth of the Little Rock creek.
Five miles above the rock, just back of the crest of a high bluff
on the north side of the Minnesota, the site was fixed, immedi-
ately west of the ravine of what is now called Fort Ridgely
creek, and overlooking the beautiful Minnesota valley for many
miles in each direction.
The Fort Ridgely reservation extended three miles on each
side of the Minnesota river, being six miles each way, the boun-
dary line jogging a mile north to every mile west.
456 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
Sometime during the winter Captain Dana with non-com-
missioned officers and men, erected a cabin on the banks of the
river and the men started cutting timber.
The new post for a time was called simply ' ' The New Fort, ' '
or "The New Post," but shortly afterward was named Port
Ridgely in honor of Major Randolph Ridgely, a gallant officer
of the regular army from Maryland, who died of injuries received
at the battle of Monterey. When Fort Ridgely was established.
Port Riley, Kansas, was ordered built. At the time Fort Dodge,
Iowa, and Fort Scott, Kansas, were ordered discontinued and
broken up. Fort Ridgely took the place of Fort Dodge and Fort
Riley was substituted for Fort Scott.
The first garrison at Fort Ridgely was composed of Com-
panies C and K, of the Sixth Infantry. The first commander was
Captain James Monroe, then of Company K, who died in the
Civil War, as colonel of the Twenty-seventh New York Volunteer
Infantry. The sutler was Major B. H. Randall, for many years
prominent in Minnesota history. The adjutant was T. C. Kelton,
afterward adjutant general of the United States army.
Companies C and K went up on the steamboat West Newton
from Fort Snelling. The troops arrived at the landing on the
evening of April 30, 1853. On Sunday, the first day of May,
they disembarged and pitched their tents for a summer camp.
Aside from the settlement of Joseph Laframboise, there were no
white people within fifty miles.
To the people of the present generation it is puzzling that
the officers should have selected the location they did west of
the ravine, when east of the ravine there is a piece of high land
overlooking all the surrounding country, so situated as to be
almost impregnable, whereas the site selected was far from be-
ing an ideal spot for a fortification. Officers later explained
this by stating that the fort was never intended for defense.
At the present time, however, it is difficult to understand how
a fort established for the purpose of exercising militai-y super-
vision over the Indians could have been built without some
thought being taken of the possibility of defending it. The In-
dians had, as the officers said, promised perpetual peace, but
the government had also made promises which it had broken.
Whatever the thought of the military authorities may have been
it is certain that the pioneers in settling in Renville county looked
upon Fort Ridgely as a possible refuge and defense in case of
emergency.
Company E marched across the country from Fort Dodge and
arrived in June, 1853, when work on the buildings was begun.
When Company E arrived, its captain, Brevet Major Samuel
Woods, previously well identified with Minnesota history, took
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 457
command by virtue of his rank. The work of constructing the
fort was in charge of Captain Dana.
With the party which arrived on the West Newton came the
carpenters; also E. G. Pomroy, Jessie H. Pomroy, Oliver P.
Wetmore of Plattville, Wisconsin, Cornelius C. Vandenburk of
Hillsdale, Michigan, and Robert R. Craig, of Port Wayne, Indi-
ana. The masons were Thomas Brannon and John Plynn. The
brick maker was John Brinkman. Mr. and Mrs. Anton Bramyea
boarded the boat near Bell Plain and became the cook and the
Civilian workman.
Many interesting events happened along the way. When they
reached the site of Fort Ridgely, they found the log cabin on
the river bank of Sergeant Cressey and wife and about twelve
soldiers. Two blanketed Indians watched the landing and then
disappeared. The soldiers started to unload, and for a time lived
in tents while the carpenters and masons made ready the various
buildings.
That year the workmen completed three hewed log buildings
for the officers, a cook house, a carpenter shop and a blacksmith
shop, all of logs. They erected one framp building, completed the
stone commissary and started the famous stone barracks.
November, 1853, officers gathered all the Indians scattered
from Kaposia (South St. Paul) to Shakopee for the purpose
of transporting them to the reservation. When the Indians
reached the timber near Bell Plain they gradually returned to
their former homes. It was not until June, 1854, that the
officials succeeded in moving them to the agency.
Mr. Pomroy tells with relish of a trip which he and the Ft.
Ridgely mail carrier took through Bell Plain while the Indians
were still camped there and when, for lack of accommodation, the
two white men were compelled to spend the night with the
Indians.
During the year 1854 the various buildings of the Lower
Agency were erected. Mr. Pomroy assisted in getting out the sash
and doors for the agency in the carpenter shop in Ft. Ridgely,
but did not work at the agency. In the spring of 1855 Alexander
Hunter, John Nairn and E. G. Pomroy built the government saw
mill at the Falls of the Redwood. They blasted out the granite
on the east bank of the falls, put in a flume and an overshot water
wheel and erected the frame work of a mill. Their contract with
the government was then completed.
In 1858 Mr. Pomroy again visited this region. He with his
friend, Sheldon Henderson, were to mieet an acquaintance at New
Ulm and go on to Sioux Falls. Mr. Pomroy and Mr. Henderson
came as far as the Carver Rapids in a steamboat. The steamer,
unable to pass the rapids, went back to Shakopee, where Mr.
Henderson and Mr. Pomroy disembarked. They crossed the
458 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
river at Henderson and continued across Nicollet county and came
to Redwood Falls. Their Iowa friend had become frightened by
the Inkpaduta Massacre and failed to meet them. Mr. Pomroy
and Mr. Henderson accordingly came to the Falls of the Red-
wood, carted boards to the Minnesota river, built a boat and thus
reached Mankato, where they boarded a steamer.
Mr. Pomroy again visited Redwood county just before the
massacre. He was then carpenter aboard the steamer "Frank
Steele," which brought a pleasure excursion to the Lower Agency.
Mr. Pomroy and others walked up the bank from the river and
witnessed a savage Indian pow-wow.
J. S. Johnson's Experiences. In the fall of 1870 we were living
at Mankato, having followed railroading mostly since we arrived
from Denmark in 1867. There were at that time many that emi-
grated to Chippeway county, and also to Ottertail, where they
found some timber, but when we found there was plenty of good
prairie land in Redwood county we decided to make our claim
here. I have since that time seen all the land in this region and
never felt sorry that we settled in Sundown. We had some hard
times — grasshoppers, and also blight, destroyed our crops, and
parties that had been used to better times were compelled to
"skip the country." We got a little assistance from the govern-
ment, and the third year the state furnished each farmer with
twenty-two bushels of seed wheat from which we harvested a
big yield. Nobody knows what became of the grasshoppers. Our
winters were most severe, and at least one man who lost the road
froze to death. Four of my neighbors were completely lost until
one of the oxen fell into a straw stable. They were then com-
pelled to stay in a dugout, 12 by 12 until the third day. Another
great trouble was the prairie fires. I myself once lost all my
stables and hay for eighteen head of stock, but neighbors helped
me with hay free of charge. I have also known of people being
lost in the big grass in the summer. Very few know how we came
to call our town Sundown. At the first organization several
names were proposed. A man named Gasel claiming to be first
settler, another said he was not. J. Lorens, getting tired of the
discussion, said it was near sundown. Some one immediately
said, "Let it be Sundown." So much about old times. The
difference between now and then never was expected. I plowed
corn with a two-year old steer, my son riding — now my son and
sons-in-law come to town with autos and take father out for a
pleasure trip. I served Redwood county as commissioner seven
years. When I first drove over, my buggy was an old trap partly
self-made and the compensation I received was one-twentieth of
what commissioners receive nowadays. When I got $100 to build
a bridge across the North Branch the neighbors would flock
around offering to work for nothing. The old settlers are thinning
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 459
out fast. Our oldest man, J. M. Christensen, is past 80. I myself,
71, live in Springfield, but my interest is mostly in Redwood
county and especially in Sundown.
Early Days Near Walnut Grove. (By Charles W. Howe.) Too
much credit cannot be given to the pioneers, who, with little else
than a stout heart and good health, fought their way to a com-
petence, through all kinds of troubles and trials, some of them
strong enough to appall the stoutest hearts.
Among the honor names will be found Eleck C. Nelson, Thos.
Allen, Chas. Lund, Lars Truedson, the Moses family, Andrew
Thompson, Eric Wilson, Nathan Rawlings, Swan Peterson, Peter
Westman, Andrew and Swan Swanson, James and N. M. Crow,
W. J. Masters, Byron Knight, Martin Jacobs and a host of others
who, coming here when the country was new, took up or bought
land and struggled forward to make the wilderness "blossom
like the rose."
Some of these pioneers are alive today, are with us, and the
writer has had the pleasure of listening to the stories of life as
they found it while making a home for their loved ones.
Some have passed away, but will always be remembered by
those who knew them. How the great silent wastes make one feel
of the friendships of the day and knit them together ! Such was
the friendships of those great days when each man was a close
neighbor even when they lived miles apart, one from the other.
Those were the days when each man knew his neighbor by the
name of Thomas, Andrew, Lars, Eleck or Peter, as the case might
be ; when friendships were so closely knit together that every man
and his family was ready to assist the other in his struggle.
How many of us can still remember when sheep dotted the
prairies; when each farmer had his little flock; when wool went
down to almost nothing, because there was no market ; when large
lamb carcasses were a drug on the market at 50 cents apiece ;
when we ate lamb chops and mutton chops because we could not
sell them. Those were days to try men's souls, but onward, ever
onward the sturdy pioneer kept moving, holding to his property,
only in a few instances giving up. Those were the days that
showed how much of manhood there was in them.
Then again remember the time when you (I'm talking to the
old settler, now) had put in that big field of oats, when you had
harvested that bumper crop; some of which had measured out
fifty bushels to the acre, had almost mortgaged your life to pay
the threshing bill and haul it to the market, only to find that the
price was seven or eight cents a bushel.
Then again, the spring wheat crop ; in those years always
"No. 1, hard" that gave an average of twenty bushels, which
you had such a time to get rid of at thirty-eight cents. No one
who lived in those times can forget it.
460 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
But in all those days the indomitable will of the settler held
him to the place, many of those farms are still in the name of the
original filer. The owner is enjoying a much needed rest in a nice
house in town, while his son or a tenant is working the old home-
stead.
Too much honor cannot be given to the old pioneer who
through trials and privations made it possible for those who came
later to enjoy the modern style, the modern life; without them
here to carve the way none of us could enjoy the wonderful pros-
perity of the present.
Take off your hats to Mr. and Mrs. Pioneer, who had the nerve
and dare that enabled them to subdue the vast prairies of the
vicinity and make it habitable for man.
How vividly those days come back to us when we went through
the grasshopper plague ; how we stood helpless at the side and saw
the field change from green to black in so short a time. It really
did seem that while we were looking on, the edge of the green
field moved slowly along not only destroying the crops, but de-
stroying our peace of mind, almost.
Then those days, when after feeding cattle on good pasture
and corn, to find that from 1 to 3 cents a pound was fair price.
Do you remember (of course you do) those four lean years when
crops of all kinds were nearly a complete failure f As one of the
old settlers expressed it to the writer. "There was nothing left
but to put an extra shirt and pair of pants in a sack, put it on
your shoulder and hike down east 65 or 70 miles and work in the
harvest to earn enough to keep the family through the winter."
Then after the winter was over once again to take up the work
on your own place and go through another summer, possibly fin-
ishing with another long hike in harvest time.
Well, those days are over, and, thanks to the old settler who
had the nerve to stick, this particular end of the most fertile spot
in Minnesota has been put in shape to attract people from all
parts of the country. Rich land, good homes, successful farmers,
made so in many instances by the discovery of that modern idea,
rotation in crops, greet you on every hand. Through the furnace
of affliction, trials, some of them so great that the stoutest heart
would sometimes quail, has emerged the modern farmer, the dross
of old ideas burned away, showing the pure gold of up-to-date
styles of farming.
But those early days had their times of pleasure. The times
when the neighbors drove for miles to picnics and house parties.
Those were the days when, in lieu of the high powered automo-
biles, the farmer hitched up his ox team and drove miles to attend
a church meeting, a picnic or toAvn meeting, when the day was
spent in pleasant intercourse one with the other.
These were the oases in the desert ; the days which gave them
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 461
the strength to push forward towards the goal that each one was
striving for, a home on the rolling prairies of southwestern Red-
wood county.
The soil in and around Walnut Grove is a dark rich loam from
two to three feet deep resting on a clay subsoil. On account of
the numerous creeks that traverse both townships the land is well
drained, and excepting in some localities ditching was not needed.
The land in this locality is particularly adapted to the raising
of corn and most cereals, and is especially good for stock. On
nearly every farm in the locality the visitor will find good herds
of cattle and hogs, and in many cases the cattle are grades of high
order, Holsteins, Shorthorns and Red Durham are the prevailing
breeds, while among the specimens of the hogs we find Duroc
Jersey, Poland China and Chester Whites have the lead.
Walnut Grove takes the lead as a market for live stock, the
local buyer and shipper handling hundreds of carloads each year.
Fifty years ago this part of the domain of Uncle Sam was un-
known to man, but today hundreds of farms with up-to-date
modern homes cover the country.
In no other place can one find finer barns or finer stock build-
ings of any kind. The engravings we show in this little history
prove this statement beyond a doubt.
This is essentially the home of corn, and southern Minnesota
has proven time after time that her fields of corn are second to
none in Iowa and Illinois. Thousands of bushels of the best ma-
tured corn ever grown are shipped every year from the stations
along the Chicago & Northwestern, and Walnut Grove, with its
four elevators, stands away in front with its share of shipments.
Mrs. Roset A. SchmaM. The career of a remarkable woman
came to an end in the demise of Mrs. Roset Apfel Schmahl, for
many years, and earlier years, so closely identified with the his-
tory of Redwood county and of the entire Minnesota Valley.
She first saw the light of day on February 29, 1828, at Mainz,
Germany. She was a leap-year child, and enjoyed but twenty-one
birthday anniversaries, the calendar makers have skipped one
four year period during her lifetime in order to catch up with the
time revolutions of the earth around the sun.
Mrs. Schmahl was one of a large family, she being the youngest
child. Her father was a stonemason of Mainz, and struggled hard
in the support of the family. Most of the elder children came to
America as soon as they could secure funds for transportation,
and when Mrs. Schmahl was but eleven years old, she and her
father left for Havre France, from which city they sailed for
London and Liverpool. At the latter city they secured passage
on a sailboat clearing for New York.
In those days the ocean steamers were unknown, and sail
transportation was uncertain. The boat on which the couple had
462 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
secured passage was a small one, and with stormy weather and
unfavorable winds, sixty days were required to make the journey
from Liverpool to New York. Prom the latter city the two went
to Galena, 111., where relatives from the fatherland had already
found homes, but the father and daughter remained there only
a short time, conning to Caledonia, Houston county, Minn., on
a Mississippi river steamboat. At Caledonia they remained for
several years, several of Mr. Apfel's family having previously
located at' that place.
When St. Paul was still a village Mrs. Schmahl found employ-
ment in the home of Col. Robertson, then editor of the St. Paul
Pioneer, and it was while thus employed that young Jacob
Schmahl, who had met her in Mainz, and who had followed her
to America, asked for and was given her hand. Jacob Schmahl
became well acquainted with Gen. George Becker, Henry M. Rice,
and other well-known men of that period, at a time when the
proposition to remove the capitol of the state from St. Paul to St.
Peter was receiving serious consideration, and he was advised to
go to Traverse des Sioux, a mile out from the latter point, and
establish a hotel. This was done, and during those early days
when the annuities were being paid to the Indians the hotel at
Araverse entertained many of the notables of that period. The
house stood but a few rods from the spot where the celebrated
Indian treaty of 1862 was consummated, the then living members
of the Schmahl family all being present on that momentous
occasion.
When the attempt to change the location of the capitol was
abandoned, Traverse des Sioux declined and its little commerce
was nothing. The Schmahl family moved on to a farm three miles
east of Ft. Ridgely, and when the Indian outbreak of 1862 oc-
curred Colonel Sheehan, at the head of the troops recalled from
their march to Ft. Ripley, insisted that the family must take
refuge in the fort. Mrs. Schmahl protested, but was finally per-
suaded to go with her husband and the children, and the troops
and family had hardly entered the territory of the fort before it
was surrounded by Indians, and that memorable ten days siege
commenced.
It was during the crucial period that Mrs. Schmahl gave birth
to a son — the late Emil Schmahl of Redwood Falls, and the day
following his birth she left her bed and engaged in the work of
caring for her brood, comforting other women and the injured,
and above all, in moulding bullets for the troops. The soldiers
were running short of ammunition, and it became necessary to cut
nails, etc., and to mould this material into rough bullets. This
was part of the work of Mrs. Schmahl, and for her heroic conduct
during those days her name was given a place on the monument
erected to the memory of soldiers and citizens who engaged in
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 463
the memorable defease of this outpost, then regarded as the key
to the entire Minnesota valley.
Following the outbreak the Schmahl family returned to the
old stone farm house east of the fort, only to find it entirely de-
stroyed, the personal property stolen or destroyed, and an at-
tempt was made to establish a new home at St. Peter. Hard
struggling, without much personal gain, Jacob Schmahl came to
Redwood Falls in 1869, where he determined to locate and estab-
lish a brewery, and in 1870, the family moved here. The head of
the family was unsuccessful in his venture and Mrs. Schmahl de-
voted her time to the support of the children and in getting them
established in various occupations in which she proved remark-
able. Prior to 1876 the dancing parties of the town, with their
bountiful suppers, were held in what was known as Schmahl's
hall, and it was Mrs. Schmahl and her daughters that always su-
perintended the cuisine. With the destruction of the old home in
1876, and the building of the new home, now on the corner of
Second and Bridge streets, these parties were abandoned, and
Mrs. Schmahl struggled in other lines until her children were able
to assist her to make the latter years full of comfort. Several
years ago she took up her residence with her youngest daughter,
Mrs. John J. Palmer, at Duluth, and it was at this home that she
For a month prior to November 5, she and her daughter,
Mrs. M. Liebenguth, visited with her son, Julius A. Schmahl, at
St. Paul, and it was during this period that her decline in physical
strength, although she was still strong mentally, became
noticeable.
Mrs. Schmahl was rich in reminiscences of the fatherland,
and of the city where she was born, although but eleven years old
when she left that country, and frequently, to her family she
would recall her early experiences in Germany, France, England,
and on the high seas in her trip to America. She passed through
the eastern states when they were young, and came into the
wilderness of Minnesota and gave her mite towards building up
a great commonwealth. A German minister but recently re-
marked of her, while he was engaged in laying the corner stone
of a new hospital in St. Paul, that she had accomplished a greater
work than that about to commence at that moment — the bringing
of ten children into the world, and the bringing up of most of
them into manhood and womanhood. Of the ten children four pre-
ceded her to the grave — Mrs. Julia Jaehning, Otto, Emil and an
infant son. The six children surviving her are : Mrs. Geo. Win-
gett, Mrs. Matilda Liebenguth, Mrs. J. J. Palmer, Alex C, Herman
G., and Julius A. Schmahl.
The Days that Tried Men's Souls. (By Charles W. Howe.)
During the grasshopper years and afterwards for some time,
464 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
the settlers who came to stay and did stay, were nearly at their
wits end many times to know how to pull through.
Some years with no crops and other with bumper ones but
prices so low that it would not pay to haul the grain to market.
Many a pioneer has staked his all on a crop of oats, has seen
them growing from day to day, has changed work with his neigh-
bor to get his harvesting done, and again the threshing, to find
the price about seven cents per bushel on track.
Wheat was a good crop in those days, but there was nothing to
keep the price up. The farmer would sow his seed, pray for rain,
almost mortgage his life to get the crop harvested and threshed,
to find that thirty-eight cents was a good price for No. 1 hard.
Those were the days that tried men's souls. Some farmers
tried sheep but in the season for selling they could get nothing
for their wool and possibly fifty cents a carcass for their dressed
sheep. Those surely were dark days.
Then the year of the deep snows, when no trains passed ; when
no engine smoke was seen or familiar whistle was heard from fall
until spring. No mail except someone went to New Ulm. Think
of ourselves, sitting here in the lap of luxury, in the very center
of civilization; enjoying our daily papers, with mail and express
from four to six times a day, and then hark back in your mind to
the days when the horse or ox team could not or dare not
venture out.
Frank Schandera came to the present site of Lamberton in
the early seventies and started a general store. He was the only
one of the business men who settled here that stuck through the
terrible days of grasshoppers and poor prices for crops ; he alone
braved the storms, making himself useful to his fellow man
wherever he could. He broke roads through so that he could
drive to New Ulm, for stock for his store. Frank stood by the
settler, keeping his family in something to eat and wear when the
crops were failures from one source or another for a number of
Some of the old settlers, now living, tell the writer that Schan-
dera would go down east for a hundred miles or so where the crops
were safe and procure work for the settlers of this community
during the harvesting and threshing, thereby enabling them to
pay up their arrearages, or nearly so, and then he would carry
them another year, only to go through it again when the
season came.
He drove to New Ulm through the inclement weather, some-
times as often as once a week to bring back the mail for the sur-
rounding country, because Uncle Sam could only bring it so far on
its way. Think of that, reader, you who can go to the postoffice
two or three times a day, or can see the postman, rural delivery,
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 465
drive by in all kinds of weather, depositing the daily paper, pub-
lished in the city the night before.
We surely have reason to be thankful that such men lived;
that the old pioneers braved the storms, the trials and privations
of the past that we may now enjoy the privileges of the present.
In a brief fifty years Lamberton has grown to its present
proportions, and instead of the times when people lived on the
bare necessities of life we are living where the luxuries have
become the necessities.
We are living now in the days of $1.50 wheat ; of 80 cent corn ;
of $10.00 hay ; of $10.00 hogs ; in fact, in the day when the farmer
gets more for his product than ever before. We talk of the high
cost of living, but that high cost comes from the advanced price
of the farmer's crops and stock, and the farmer is the backbone
of this great free country.
The writer can only touch on the old dark days ; only show you
of this day some of the trials that were undergone by the old set-
tlers, but some of them are with us yet and can tell you more and
more of those days that served to burn away the dross in the fires
of trouble and bring out the man.
But those days were days that cemented friendships. Those
were the days when every man was his neighbor's friend; when
each one looked to the other's interests; when there was more
of truth and less of sham; more of forgiveness and less of pride.
Those were the days of true community interests when the
interests of one were the interests of all. Those were the days
when we were nearer old Mother Earth ; when we could reach
out a greeting hand to all who came.
CHAPTER XXXP7.
COURTS, CASES AND ATTORNEYS.
On June 11, 1849, Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial gov-
ernor of Minnesota, issued a proclamation dividing the territory
into judicial districts. The Third District consisted of all of the
territory south of the Minnesota and west of the Mississippi, and
westward to the territorial line. The present Redwood county
was included in the Third District with Judge David Cooper on
the bench. The first term of court for the district was to be held
at Mendota, on the fourth Monday in August.
Redwood county was at that time entirely without settlers.
By act of the legislature, October 27, 1849, the entire territory
was divided into counties. Wabashaw county, as designated
under the act, was comprised of practically the entire southern
466 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
third of the present state of Minnesota, and the southwestern
portion of South Dakota, and thus included the present Redwood
county.
Itasca and Wabashaw (as it was then spelled) counties were,
for judicial purposes, attached to "Washington county, with Judge
David Cooper on the bench.
The legislature of 1851, by Chapter 1 of the Revised Statutes,
passed January 1, reapportioned the territory into new counties.
The present county of Redwood, under the new distribution, was
entirely embraced in Dakota county, which county was attached
to Ramsey county for judicial purposes.
March 5, 1853, the present Redwood county was included in
the county of Blue Earth, which county, by legislative act of that
date, was endowed with all the rights of a fully organized county.
February 20, 1855, Brown county was constituted a fully
organized county, and included within the boundaries the present
Redwood county.
At that time the Indian reservation had been established, but
Redwood county had no settlers outside of the government em-
ployees, the Indians, and the traders at the Lower Sioux Agency.
Redwood county was created February 6, 1862, and its organi-
zation affirmed February 23, 1865, the eastern boundary on the
latter date being the same as at present, the western boundary
being the state line.
The county then became a part of the Sixth Judicial District,
and so remained until March 11, 1870, on which date it became a
part of the Ninth Judicial District, the district in which it still
remains.
Judge Horace Austin, of St. Peter, went on the bench of the
Sixth Judicial district, January 1, 1865. He had jursdiction over
Redwood county, but heard no Redwood county cases. He did,
however, hold court in Redwood county to hear the so-called
New Ulm cases.
Judge M. G. Hanscom, of St. Peter, who had been on the bench
of the Sixth district since October 1, 1869, went on the bench of
the Ninth district as its first judge, March 11, 1870. He presided
over the annual September terms of 1871, 1872, 1873, 1874 and
1875, and the annual June term of 1876 and 1877.
Judge E. St. Julien Cox of St. Peter went on the bench of
the Ninth district in 1877. His first official act for Redwood
county was an order in chambers at St. Peter, May 23, 1878, dis-
pensing with the services of the grand jury for the forthcoming
June term. One of the early acts of Judge Cox was his appoint-
ment, April 25, 1878, of a commission consisting of Bishop Gordon,
Till Tibbetts and M. K. Butterfield, to determine the value of
lands and damages incident to the building of the railroad from
Sleepy Eye to Redwood Falls. During Judge Cox's term the legal
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 467
business of the county was greatly increased. Two reeular annual
terms were inaugurated and several special terms were held.
Judge Cox's last service in Redwood county was in presiding
over the special terms at Redwood Falls, October 21, 1881, and
at about this time charges were filed against him askiug for his
impeachment as judge, and the legislature next convening in
January, 1882, heard the charges and he was impeached by it, the
principal charge being that of alleged misconduct while sitting
on the bench and hearing cases. After his impeachment he again
took up the private practice of law at St. Peter, where he lived
for about fifteen years thereafter, and subsequently moved to
California where he since died.
Judge William Lochren of the Fourth Judicial district, and
afterwards United States district judge for the District of Minne-
sota, having been appointed such by Grover Cleveland, then
president, presided over the term of December, 1881.
Judge Hial D. Baldwin, of Redwood Falls, was appointed to
the bench of the Ninth district by Governor Lucius F. Hubbard,
April 4, 1882. He held two general terms of court, those of June
6, 1882, and December 5, 1882.
Judge Benjamin F. Webber, of New Ulm, was elected judge of
the Ninth Judicial district at the fall election of 1882, and as-
sumed the office January 3, 1883, and first presided over a Red-
wood county term of court at Redwood Falls, convening June 5,
1883. He continued as judge until October, 1906, when he re-
signed, though this term would have expired December 31st fol-
lowing. The events following his resignation were quite tragic;
having served nearly twenty-four years on the bench of this dis-
trict and practically without opposition, at the election in the fall
of 1906 he again filed as a candidate. The opposition to his elec-
tion was quite strong and he thereupon withdrew as a candidate
and resigned his office ; and, after his successor had been appointed
and immediately preceding the convening of the fall term of court
at New Ulm, his home town, he took his own life, and thus
passed one of the oldest judges, both in point of age and service,
then upon the bench in the state.
Judge Oscar Hallam of St. Paul, one of the judges of the
Second Judicial district, presided over the November, 1906, term,
he having been appointed for that purpose by Governor John A.
Johnson, pending the election of a successor to Judge Webber.
Judge I. M. Olsen of Sleepy Eye, the present judge, went on
the bench of the Ninth Judicial district, by appointment of
Governor John A. Johnson, November 15, 1906, he having just
been elected judge of the district at the November election to
succeed Judge Webber, then resigned. Judge Olson's first term
in Redwood county was that of April, 1907.
The present officers of the court are W. G. Weldon, clerk;
4G8 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Albert H. Enersen, county attorney ; Frank J. Hassenstab, sheriff ;
and W. T. Eckstein, official reporter.
The first term of the District Court held in Redwood county
was for the purpose of a grand jury inquiry into the New Ulrn
murder cases. The hearing was held above the store of Louis
Robert, beginning June 18, 1867. Two soldiers, returning from
a trapping expedition, had entered a saloon at New Ulm, an alter-
cation ensued in which one of the merry-makers at the saloon was
killed, the two soldiers had been taken to a hall, a mob verdict
passed against them, and after being killed by stabbing had been
thrust through the ice of the Minnesota river, their bodies being
mutilated in the process. There being no opportunity for a fair
trial at New Ulm, Judge Austin ordered the hearings heard at
Redwood Falls, which was likewise in his jurisdiction. Later a
trial in the same cases was held at St. Peter.
The attorneys employed in the case at Redwood Falls were:
William Colville, attorney general; Sam McPhail, county at-
torney, and S. A. Buel, for the prosecution ; Judge C. E. Flandrau
of St. Paul, C. T. Clothier, Francis Baasen and John M. Dorman,
all of New Ulm, for the defense. At the first hearing at Redwood
Falls the citizens of New Ulm rallied in such numbers to the
support of the prisoners that courthouse square was covered with
their tents as they encamped during the hearing. They were
present again at the adjourned hearing at Redwood Falls in
September, but in small numbers.
The first regular term of the District Court of Redwood county
opened in Redwood Falls, September 13, 1870, in a small building
on Second street, between Washington and Mill streets, with
Judge Horace Austin on the bench. The grand jury found no
indictments. The case of William Beard v. J. Wilson Paxton, ap-
pealed from the justice court, came for consideration and the
judgment of the lower court was affirmed. A divorce case was
also on the calendar.
A demurrer was filed in the case of Birney Flynn vs. the
Board of County Commissioners. This case, which was afterward
dismissed, was an interesting one. Mr. Flynn was clerk of court
from January 1, 1866, to January 1, 1870. At that time no court
was being held for Redwood county. Mr. Flynn, however, acted
as clerk of the sessions held in Redwood Falls in June and Sep-
tember, 1867, at which the New Ulm cases were tried. For serv-
ices at these two sessions, and for the alleged use of his home as
his office, he sued the county commissioners, and the case hung
fire for some time before it was finally dropped.
The first jury trial before the district court in Redwood county
was held in September, 1871. The case is interesting as a picture
of pioneer life and law. Browning Nichols, of Rochester, on his
way to a townsite in which he was interested in Lac qui Parle
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 469
county, stopped over night at Redwood Falls, and fell in with
D. L. Bigham. With Mr. Bigham, he traded his pair of horses and
a harness for land in the village of Redwood Falls, on which many
important business establishments are now located. Mr. Nichols
secured the deed to the lots and continued on his way with his
horses. One of the animals died on the trip. On his return, Mr.
Nichols placed the remaining horse, the tail of the dead horse,
and the harness, in Mr. Bigham 's stable. On the advice of an
attorney, Mr. Bigham turned the horse loose, and threw out the
harness and tail. He then brought suit against Mr. Nichols.
In the District court trial, Mr. Bigham was represented by M. E.
Powell and Hial D. Baldwin, while Sam MePhail and E. St.
Julien Cox appeared for Mr. Nichols. The jurors in the case
were W. W. Byington (foreman), S. J. F. Ruter, Ezra Post, George
Pryor, Sr., L. J. Russell, L. B. Newton, James Longbottom, Bishop
Gordon, S. M. Stowell, J. P. O'Hara, Casper Stowell and J. M.
Little. The whole case hinged on whether the horse had passed
into Mr. Bigham 's possession at the time of the transfer of the
lots and before Mr. Nichols had taken the trip. The evidence
tended to show that the delivery of the horses was not to take
place until they were actually turned over to Mr. Bigham. After
the trial the jury retired for deliberation to a small building near
the room in which the court had met. Through the door and
window their deliberations could plainly be seen by the specta-
tors. While the deliberations were proceeding, the parties con-
cerned reached an agreement by which Mr. Bigham was to be
restored all his land except one lot, and he was to assist Mr.
Nichols in locating the horse, which in the meantime had wan-
dered away. The court records show a sealed verdict in favor
of the plaintiff and a notice of an appeal, but this is often called
the case with no verdict, owing to the fact that a compromise
had been reached when the sealed verdict was opened.
THE BAR.
M. E. Powell, the Nestor of the bar in Redwood county, is
not now in active practice, but is still a member of the bar. The
next oldest in point of service is former Senator Frank Clague,
of Redwood Falls. The other Redwood Falls lawyers are A. R. A.
Laudon, the present judge of probate ; and A. C. Dolliff . Albert
H. Enersen, the county attorney practices at Lamberton as does
Anthony J. Praxel. W. R. Werring practices at Morgan. A. F.
Goblirsch has been until recently located at Wabasso. There
are, therefore, but six active members of the bar in this county,
and two of those are occupying county offices.
Sampson R. B. MePhail, usually called Sam MePhail, and some-
times erroneously called Samuel MePhail, was the first lawyer in
470 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
Redwood county. He founded Redwood Falls in 1864. He was
the first judge of probate and first county attorney, and continued
in active practice as long as he remained here.
The second attorney in Redwood county was Major M. E.
Powell, who arrived in April, 1867, and is still the Nestor of the
Redwood county bar. He was one of the early county attorneys.
Coulter Wiggins started the practice of law in Redwood Falls
in 1868. He succeeded Col. McPhail, both as judge of probate and
as county attorney.
W. H. Cook arrived in Redwood Falls in 1869, George H. Meg-
quire in 1870, and Hial D. Baldwin in 1870. Mr. Megquire be-
came a leading figure in Renville county affairs, while Mr. Bald-
win served Redwood county as district judge, judge of probate,
and clerk of court.
J. Wilson Paxton, who arrived in the early days, was a lawyer
as well as clergyman, but his name appears in the district court
records as a case attorney but once.
In 1878, the attorneys of Redwood Falls were Hial D. Bald-
win, John H. Bowers, M. E. Powell and Alfred Wallin. In 1880,
Frank L. Morrell had joined H. D. Baldwin of Redwood Falls
and Samuel R. Miller of Beaver Falls, in the Redwood Falls con-
cern of Baldwin, Miller & Morrell. In 1884 Clarence T. Ward
had been added to the bar as a partner of H. D. Baldwin. In
1888 M. M. Madigan had become a member of the Redwood Falls
bar. M. C. Roberts practiced a few months in the eighties. In
1894 the firm of (H. D.) Baldwin, (W. J.) McLeod & (B. F.)
Fowler, appeared. In 1894 W. L. Pierce had been added to the
bar. Two new firms, Baldwin (H.D.) & Patterson (E. C.) and
Chadderdon (Joseph) & Stuart (David), appeared. E. E. Har-
riott became a member of the bar in 1900. In 1902 the firm of
Pferce (S. L.) & Harriott (E. E.) appeared, as did the firm of
Bowers (J. H.) & Howard (C. T.), while Frank Clague (county
attorney, Lamberton), A. C. Dolliff and A. R. A. Laudon had been
added to the Redwood Falls bar. The name of S. L. Pierce was
added to the bar in 1904. In 1906 C. T. Howard started in prac-
tice alone. Wm. O. Owens appeared in 1910.
The first lawyer in Lamberton was Michael M. Madigan. In
1882 George Libby and the firm of Thorp (D. M.) & Whitney
(B. H.) were added to the practitioners there. After Madigan
moved to Redwood Falls in the late eighties, several years passed
in which there were no attorneys in Lamberton. In 1894 the firm
of Anderson (Christopher H.) & Clague (Frank) appeared. A. E.
Edwards had joined the bar of the village in 1896 and in 1897
moved to Morgan. In 1898 Frank Clague was still in practice
there, and Warren Miller and A. H. Mohler had been added to
the list. In 1902 Albert H. Enersen had joined the bar of the
county and he and Frank Clague constituted the only law firm
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 471
in Lamberton, the firm name being Clague & Enersen. In 1910,
Anthony J. Praxel had been added to the list. Senator Clague
soon afterwards moved to Redwood Falls, leaving the Messrs.
Enersen and Praxel as the only attorneys in that village.
D. M. Thorp was the first lawyer in "Walnut Grove. In 1882
he had been succeeded by the firm of Thorp (D. M.), Quarton
(J. M.) & Whitney (B. H.), which firm in 1884 had been succeeded
by Thorp & Quarton. After that the village was without lawyers
for several years. William H. Gooler was located there in 1900.
He remained for several years. In 1904 William G. Owens and
J. Ed. Rostad were the practicing attorneys there. In 1908
William G. Owens and Arthur M. Murfin were the lawyers there.
Since that time Walnut Grove has had no attorneys.
The first lawyer in Morgan was Albert E. Edwards, in 1896-97,
and was followed by Albert Hauser, who appeared in the directory
of 1900. He was followed by the present Morgan attorney, Wayne
R. Werring, whose name first appears in the directory of 1908.
Pierce (Squire L.) & Harriott (Edw. E.) first appear in the
Wabasso directory of 1902. The name of Albert W. Mueller ap-
peared in 1904. The name of Albert F. Goblersch appeared in
1914. Mr. Goblersch recently left the county, leaving Wabasso
without an attorney.
F. E. Sylvester, a banker, is an attorney, and until his recent
removal to Morton, in this state, where he is now engaged in
banking, was a member of the Redwood county bar at Seaforth,
his name first appearing in the directory in 1908.
Thomas R. Brownlee practiced in Sanborn a short time, his
name first appearing in the directory of 1898.
MURDERS.
Edward McCormick, in the early seventies, was found dead
at his home, where he lived alone, and an autopsy revealed that
he had died from strychnine poisoning. His brother, Patrick,
was held for several months, but was discharged for lack of
evidence.
Samuel T. Alexander shot and killed Charles Mower on the
streets of Redwood Falls July 21, 1885. He was subsequently
tried by the district court and acquitted. Mower lived in Mis-
souri. His daughter was the wife of Alexander. Leaving Alexan-
der in Missouri, Mower and his family started for Minnesota and
had passed through Redwood Falls on their way toward points
further northwest. On their return they located temporarily in
Redwood Falls. With them was a man named Petit. To Redwood
Falls Alexander followed the family and on a July Sunday morn-
ing, when the streets were filled with people accosted Petit and a
Mower boy on the street and began shooting at them. Later
encountering Mower at the corner of Mill and Chestnut streets
472 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
in front of the old Canada house, he emptied his revolver at him.
Several shots taking effect and the last shot, one through the
head, proving fatal. The shooting was witnessed by dozens of
the county's leading citizens who testified to the cold blooded
facts, but for some reason the jury brought in a verdict of not
guilty. Alexander himself acknowledged that he had no griev-
ance against Mower and that his only anger was against Petit,
of whom he was jealous and whom he alleged was planning to
marry his wife.
John Gorres, a prominent farmer living in Willow Lake town-
ship, killed a hired man, John Rosenkranz, with a pitchfork, in the
spring of 1888. The story was that he went home much the worse
for liquor, encountered Rosenkranz in the barn and there mur-
dered him. He was tried before the district court, was sentenced
to six and a half years at Stillwater, and after serving for a while
he was parolled and eventually pardoned. He died in Willow
Lake not long ago. His life, after his release, was an exemplary
one and he became a respected member of the community as, in
fact, he had always been before the crime.
Clifton Holden was indicted for murder November 28, 1888,
was sentenced to death by hanging, had this commuted to life
imprisonment by the government, went insane at state's prison
at Stillwater and was taken to the insane asylum at Rochester and
there died. Before the governor granted his reprieve, the
Supreme Court had reviewed the case January 14, 1890, and had
affirmed the sentence of the lower court.
The story of the crime is quickly told. At about 7 o'clock in
the evening of Friday, November 23, 1888, the defendant and the
deceased, Frank Dodge, left the village of Morton, to drive in a
buggy to the village of Redwood Falls, a distance of seven miles.
At a later hour of the same evening the defendant came, with the
team, to a hotel in Redwood Falls, where he remained that night.
At an early hour the following morning the dead body of Dodge
was found lying at the side of a street in Redwood Falls. He had
been shot, the ball having entered the head on the back side, and
passed through the brain. Saturday evening, the 24th of Novem-
ber, the defendant was arrested for the homicide, and imprisoned
in a room used for the purposes of a jail. Subsequently, Holden
told two different stories: One was that he had left Dodge
in Redwood Falls and had never again seen him alive. The other
was that Dodge killed himself while riding in a team with him
and that he subsequently left his body by the side of the road.
The testimony was voluminous but in substance showed as fol-
lows: That the weapon was discharged very close to the head
of the deceased, the hair being burned about the wound ; the dis-
covery of appearances of blood upon the defendant's overcoat,
which the defendant said must have got on the coat when he was
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 473
getting the body of the deceased out of the buggy; the appear-
ance of blood, also, in the buggy, and on the robe used in the
buggy ; the fact that the deceased probably had a roll of money in
bills, to the amount of about $100 including a new $20 bill, and
that, while immediately after the homicide the defendant pro-
fessed to have no more than about four or five dollars in money,
he had in his possession some $80 in bills, including a $20 bill;
that after his arrest he attempted to conceal this money, so that
the sheriff should not find it; that appearances of blood were
found on the money; that the defendant, according to his own
statement, threw away the pistol which he had before the homi-
cide, and it was not afterwards found ; that the bullet was of the
proper size to fit the defendant's pistol. The overcoat and robe
and money were exhibited to the jury as evidence, and attention
was called to the marks claimed to have been blood-stains.
The only hanging in Redwood county was that of William
Rose, convicted in the district court for the murder of Moses
Lufkin. The hanging took place on the scaffold erected for that
purpose in what is now the alley back of the Christian Church
in the city of Redwood Falls. The victim, an elderly man, was
assassinated in the town of Gales, in the county of Redwood,
at the house of his relative, the witness, Slover, who was well
acquainted with defendant, at about 8 o'clock in the evening of
August 22, 1888. He was at the time seated on a lounge against
the north window of the room, conversing with Slover. The
window was uncovered, except with mosquito netting over the
lower half, and the lower sash was raised. His left shoulder rested
against the window casing, leaving a portion of his back exposed
to view from the outside. While so engaged, he was suddenly
shot, and immediately expired. The shot must have been fired
from the outside, and the direction of the weapon adjusted by the
assassin with reference to the height of the window above the
ground, and within a few feet of it. The ball passed through the
body of the deceased, and pieces of it were picked up afterwards
in the room. Slover, who sat nine feet away, immediately
"jumped" to the window, looked out, and testified that he saw
a person fleeing in an opposite direction, about thirty feet away,
whom he recognized to be the defendant, William Rose, who was
well known to him, though he did not have a view of his face.
Rose was duly indicted by the grand jury, was tried three times
before the district court, the jury in each of the first two trials
disagreeing, and on the third trial he was found guilty, was sen-
tenced to be hanged, and the sentence affirmed by the supreme
court, July 28, 1891.
John O'Connell was murdered at his home in Westline August
2, 1897. While suspicion was strongly directed, there was no
evidence upon which an indictment could be secured.
474 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
Gustav Metag killed Frederick Kuehn in Sherman township
in the fall of 1897. He was convicted and sent to Stillwater for
life. A number of influential citizens interested themselves in his
behalf and he has recently been released. Kuehn had disposed of
his farm to a man who leased it to Metag, but was still living in a
shack on the place. Kuehn interf erred with Metag 's farming in
various ways. At last, after a vigorous dispute over a question of
grain threshing, Metag, in a heat of passion, ended Kuehn 's life
by shooting. Metag 's sentence was subsequently commuted by
the board of pardons, and he was thereafter released from the
prison on parole by the board of paroles.
October 25, 1899, Frank E. Babcock, a well-to-do farmer living
a mile and a half west of Redwood Falls, killed his wife and three
boys, aged five, eight and fourteen years. He first shot his wife in
the barn, then wrote a note saying that he had intended to shoot
a rooster and killed her by mistake. Then he went out and shot
the two younger boys where they were playing in the yard. The
older boy was at work in a field about a half mile distant, and
he next went out to him, bade him unhitch the horses from the
plow, stepped back some distance and shot him, and then imjne-
diately ended his own life.
Willis Tibbetts, on September 2, 1909, killed his daughter,
Dorothy, and a young lady, Cecil Morton, in Delhi township and
then ended his own life.
Ira B. Pratt died November 16, 1910. It was alleged that his
death was hastened by blows received at North Redwood. Virgil
L. Mallett was arrested in connection with the death, charged
with murder in the first degree and with manslaughter. He was
tried in the district court, was convicted of assault and sentenced
to six months in jail.
The Seaforth arson cases are still occupying wide attention
in Redwood county. Thomas H. Jordan and M. E. Garvey, two
energetic young land men from Iowa, acquired the hotel at Sea-
forth and hired J. W. Keyes to operate it. This hotel, which was
the finest in the county, was burned to the ground on Easter
morning, 1915. A number of the occupants narrowly escaped
with their lives. Previous to the fire, the owners had increased
the insurance and made what was afterwards proved to be a
bogus sale of the property to Keyes. The insurance companies
and the state fire marshal at once began to investigate. Keyes,
who was found by the fire marshal in Iowa, confessed that he
set the fire at the instigation of Jordan and Garvey. He was
taken to Minneapolis, where, with the fire marshal, stenographers
listening on the wire, he called up Jordan and demanded money.
Jordan, making some damaging admissions, sent him a check for
$100 by his brother. A photograph of this check was afterwards
introduced as evidence. Keyes was tried in the fall of 1915,
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 475
pleaded guilty, and was sent to Stillwater. Jordan was tried in
the fall of 1915 and the jury disagreed. He was again tried in the
spring of 1916 and convicted. The trial of Garvey is yet to be had.
CIVIL CASES.
An attempt to tax railroad property in Redwood county re-
sulted in a decision of the supreme court January 11, 1875, and
that court affirmed the decision of Judge Cox that the lands had
been illegally assessed and discharging them from the taxes, costs,
penalties and the like incident thereto.
The case came before the court under the provisions of Sec-
tion 120, Chapter 1, laws of 1874, the contention being over the
question of whether the immunity from taxation enjoyed by the
Transit Company lands had descended to the Winona & St. Peter
Railroad Company.
It appeared that the lands sought to be subjected to taxation
"were granted and conveyed by the government of the United
States to the Territory of Minnesota, to aid in the building of said
line of railroad, under and in pursuance of an act of Congress, ap-
proved March 3, 1857, entitled 'An act making a grant of lands to
the Territory of Minnesota, in alternate sections, to aid in the
construction of certain railroads in said state'; and under an
act of Congress, approved March 3, 1865, entitled 'An act extend-
ing the time for the completion of certain land-grant railroads in
the states of Minnesota and Iowa, and for other purposes'; and
under and in pursuance of an act of Congress, approved July 3,
1866, entitled 'An act relating to lands granted to the State of
Minnesota to aid in constructing rairoads ' ; and under and in pur-
suance of certain acts of Congress amendatory of said acts.
"That said lands were, prior to the first day of January, 1874.
conveyed by the governor of the State of Minnesota, and deeded
to the said Winona & St. Peter Railroad Company, under and in
pursuance of an act of the legislature of the Territory of Minne-
sota, approved March 3, 1855, entitled 'A bill to incorporate the
Transit Railroad Company' ; and under and in pursuance of an act
of the legislature of said Territory of Minnesota, approved May
22, 1857, entitled 'An act to execute the trust created by an act
of Congress, and granting lands to the Transit Railroad Com-
pany'; and under and in pursuance of an act of said legislature of
the State of Minnesota, approved March 10, 1862, entitled 'An
act to facilitate the construction of a railroad from Winona
westerly by way of St. Peter' ; and under and in pursuance of an
act of the legislature of said State of Minnesota, approved March
4, 1865, entitled 'An act to authorize the Winona & St. Peter
Railroad Company to consolidate with the Minnesota Central
Railroad Company, and to bridge the Mississippi River.'
"That said lands were, at the date of the assessment therof
476 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
for taxes of 1873, owned by the said Winona & St. Peter Railroad
Company, and are still owned by the said company ; and were, by
the assessors, placed on the lists for taxation for the said year
1873.
"By Section 4, Sub-chapter 2, of the act of May 22, 1857, it
is enacted that the lands granted by said act to the Transit Rail-
road Company, 'Shall be and are exempted from all taxtion,
until the same shall have been sold and conveyed by said com-
pany.' " The decision was therefore rendered accordingly. (21
Minn., 315.)
The effort on the part of the county to collect taxes on land
of the Winona & St. Peter Land Company occupied the attention
of the courts for several years. Two important decisions were
rendered in Brown county and two in Redwood county. The two
Brown county decisions (38 Minn., 397) and (39 Minn., 380) were
subsequently modified to accord with the Redwood county
decision.
In the year 1886 certain lands in Redwood county then owned
by the Winona & St. Peter Railroad Company and which had not
hitherto been assessed for taxes were assessed by the county and
for taxes for previous years, some for each year following 1869,
others for each year following 1870 and others for each year fol-
lowing 1871. Each parcel of land being assessed for each year
subsequent to its conveyance by the state to the Winona & St.
Peter Railroad Company and subsequent to the execution on
October 31, 1867, of the contract between that company and D. N.
Barney, Barney being succeeded by the Winona & St. Peter Land
Company. None of the lands were assessed or any steps taken
to enforce any taxes against them until 1866, when in pursuance
with the provisions of General Statutes 1878, Chapter 11, Section
113, as amended by Laws of 1881, Chapter 5, and Laws of 1885,
Chapter 2, Section 23. The county auditor entered them upon the
assessment and tax books, assessed them, and extended taxes
against them, on the tax list for the current year, for each year
subsequent to the dates when the lands were conveyed by the
state to the railway company, and included in the amount of such
taxes interest thereon from the time they would have become
delinquent had they been assessed in the proper years. The taxes
so assessed remaining unpaid on the first Monday of January,
1888, were included in the delinquent list filed in the district
court, and the Winona & St. Peter Land Co. answered, alleging
its objections, which were overruled by Judge Webber, and judg-
ment was ordered and entered for the amount of such taxes and
interest, and also for a penalty of 10 per cent on such amount, as
accruing June 1, 1887, and a further penalty of 5 per cent as
accruing in January, 1888, because of non-payment. (General
Statutes 1878, Chapter 11, Section 69, as amended by Laws 1885,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 477
Chapter 2, Section 15.) At the defendant's request, the case was
certified to the Supreme court. The reason the lands were not
assessed before 1886 was found by the court to be "That neither
the township assessors nor the county officers in said Redwood
county had any knowledge of the existence of the contract or
agreement between the Winona & St. Peter Railroad Company
and Barney (Exhibit W) until about the first day of September,
1886, and they presumed said lands were exempt from taxation."
All of the lands formed part of the land grant of the Winona
& St. Peter Railroad Company, and were all included in the con-
tract with Barney and others, the effect of which contract was
(as held in the cases referred to in the opinion) to render them
taxable immediately upon their conveyance by the state to the
railroad company, although, by the terms of the grant, the lands
granted were "exempted from all taxation until the same shall
have been sold and conveyed by said company"; the court having
held that the Barney contract was in effect a conveyance.
The case was appealed to the supreme court, was submitted
at the October term of 1888 without argument and re-argued
May 24, 1889. A motion by the plaintiff for another re-argument
was denied June 3, 1889.
The lengthy opinion was to the effect that no penalties, inter-
est, etc., could be assessed in this case against the land company,
the company having had previously no opportunity to pay the
original assessment. It was also held that the six-year statutes of
limitation run against this land and therefore taxes could be col-
lected for only six years. The matter was therefore remanded to
the district court, to amend or modify its judgment so as to ex-
clude or deduct therefrom all interest which was included in the
amount of taxes as assessed and extended against these lands in
1886, also all penalties, and also all taxes barred by the statute of
limitations. Accordingly the case went back to Judge Webber,
who ordered that his judgment heretofore entered be vacated and
"Ordered further that for the amount of taxes heretofore assessed
and levied against said several pieces or parcels of land by the
auditor of said county in the year 1886, for the year 1880, and all
subsequent years, and now appearing on said delinquent lists,
the said lands are liable, but not for any interest or penalties
appearing thereon; and that the same is a lien," etc., and that,
unless paid, the lands be sold, etc. On application of defendant
the entry of judgment was stayed and the case again certified to
the supreme court to determine whether taxes for the year 1880
not assessed until 1886 were barred by the statute of limitations
previous to the filing of the delinquent list in January 1888 with
the clerk of district court. The supreme court adhered to its
previous decision in the Brown county cases that the taxes for
1880 were not barred.
478 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The county therefore received taxes on the land in question,
beginning with the year 1880, but no liabilities for penalties for
non-payment were incurred before the assessment of 1886. (40
Minn., 512) (42 Minn., 181).
The case of the State of Minnesota ex rel. George Holden vs.
Village of Lamberton created much interest in the wet and dry
circles of the county in the day when that question did not occupy
the commanding position in the thoughts of the people that it does
today. It appeared that an election was held at Lamberton in
March, 1887, and that the "No license" ballots exceeded the
license ballots by one. In June following the city council recan-
vassed the vote, declared that one ' ' No license ' ' ballot was illegal,
that the vote was therefore a tie, and consequently not against
license. Licenses were accordingly granted. The case was
brought before the supreme court on a writ of certiorari.
The court decided that: "The action of a village council in
recanvassing the votes cast three months before, at an election
under the local option law (such recanvassing not being a part
of the election proceedings), is wholly unauthorized and with-
out effect, and the writ of certiorari will not be allowed for the
purpose of bringing it up for review.
"The granting of a license by the village council to sell intoxi-
cating liquor is not an act of a judicial character for which such
a writ will be granted.
"Courts will not review the action of public officials at the
suit of an individual who has no peculiar interest therein.
"Therefore, the respondents' (the village officials) motion to
quash the writ is granted." (37 Minn. 362.)
The misfortune of Amasa Tower in connection with his ad-
ministration of the office of county treasurer came before the
Supreme court, May 20, 1881, in an appeal from Judge Cox in the
case of the board of county commisioners of Redwood county vs.
Amasa Tower and his bondsmen. On the night of May 27, 1879,
burglars broke into the court house and stole $1,099.66, consisting
of county funds in Tower's custody, plus $50 which was a part
of the state land fund. The county sued Tower and his bonds-
men for the amount, and Tower secured a verdict from a jury.
Tower and his bondsmen then filed an appeal against an order
granting a new trial. The higher court held that Tower and his
bondsmen were liable to the county for the full amount minus the
$50, which was a part of the state land fund and for which he
was responsible to the state. The order granting a new trial was
therefore affirmed. Tower gave up his farm and all his property
and went to the Dakotas where he homesteaded a piece of land
in an effort to start life anew. He was there struck by lightning
and instantly killed. (28 Minn. 45.)
Michael M. Madigan, for many years a member of the Red-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 479
■wood county bar, former county attorney and former county
superintendent of schools, served a term in the state penitentiary
charged with perjury. His trial, his conviction, and his subse-
quent efforts to have the records of his conviction set aside at-
tracted state wide attention and was twice considered by the
Supreme Court of the state.
Madigan was indicted by the grand jury on November 18, 1893,
for the crime of perjury in swearing before a notary public on
April 5, 1893, to an affidavit stating that he was attorney for
Peter N. Romnes and that Halver T. Helgeson and Ole H. Mogan
were indebted to Romnes in the sum of $500. Helgeson and
Mogan were partners, dealing in merchandise at Belview, and
were insolvent and applied for advice to Madigan who was an
attorney practicing at Redwood Falls. He recommended them
to make an assignment under Laws 1881, chapter 148, and over-
looking laws 1889, chapter 30, amending that statute, had them
make a note to Romnes for $500 antedated April 27, 1892, due
November 1, 1892, on which he brought suit in Romnes' name
April 5, 1893, and made this affidavit for and obtained a writ of
attachment. They then assigned. They owed Romnes nothing
and he never employed Madigan. The place of trial upon the in-
dictment was on Madigan 's motion changed to Brown county and
he was on January 27, 1894, found guilty and sentenced to con-
finement at hard labor in the state prison at Stillwater for a term
of three years and three months. (57 Minn. 425.)
He petitioned for a new trial and the Supreme Court denied
the appeal and affirmed his sentence. Upon his release from prison
at the expiration of his sentence, Madigan returned to Redwood
Falls and resumed the practice of law, and shortly thereafter,
still feeling that his conviction was unjust, brought a proceeding
to have the judgment of his conviction reviewed and set aside.
The matter was heard before Judge Webber, then judge of the
district court, and by him denied. Madigan then appealed to the
Supreme Court where the ruling of the lower court was affirmed.
(State vs. Madigan, 66 Minn. 10.) Thereafter and upon such
affirmation the state bar association filed charges against Madi-
gan asking for his disbarment, and he was thereupon disbarred
from the practice of law in this state. He then moved to Seattle,
Washington, applied for admission to the bar of that state, which
application was granted, and he there resumed the practice of
law, remaining there for some five years and until his death about
1905.
William H. Hawk, clerk of court, was indicted by the grand
jury June 16, 1880, charged with embezzlement. The action was
dismissed December 11, 1882. Hawk was charged with misappro-
priating some funds deposited with him by a private citizen.
It was proven that as an official of the county, he was not the
480 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
proper depository for the money and therefore on this technicality
he escaped responsibility for his use of the funds. He escaped
criminal responsibility for converting money to his own use.
The failure of the Citizens State Bank of Redwood Falls was
the cause of several law suits, among which was that of the board
of county commissioners against the Citizens State Bank of Red-
wood Falls and others. This action was brought on a bond given
May 2 1894, by the defendant bank as a depositary of county
funds, pursuant to the provisions of G. S. 1894, sections 730, 731.
The bond, after reciting that the bank had been duly designated
as a depositary of the funds of the county for the term of two
years from the date thereof, and had agreed to pay interest there-
on at 2 per cent, per annum, on monthly balances, was condi-
tioned that it — "Shall well and truly credit such interest on
such monthly balances to said county, and shall well and truly
hold such funds, with accrued interest, subject to draft and pay-
ment at all times on demand, and shall well and truly pay over
on demand, according to law, all of said funds which shall be
deposited in said bank pursuant to said designation and said
statutes aforesaid, and all of the interest so to be credited."
During the life of the bond the bank became insolvent, and
made an assignment for the benefit of its creditors. At this time
it was indebted to the county for county funds deposited with it
in the sum of $3,642.74 which not having been paid on demand, is
sought to be recovered from the sureties on the bond. The court
directed a verdict in favor of the sureties upon the evidence,
which disclosed the following state of facts : The bank had been
designated depositary of county funds for the two years imme-
diately preceding, and as such was indebted to the county in
the sum of $5,341.79 for moneys deposited with it during that
term. This first term being about to expire, and a second term,
under a new designation, about to begin, for which a new bond
was to be executed, the county treasurer and the officers of the
bank made an arrangement by which the former drew his check
on the bank for the amount of the balance, and received in ex-
change therefor a draft on New York for an equal amount, with
the understanding that he should never present or forward it for
payment, but should hold it until after the new bond was deliv-
ered and approved, and then redeposit it to the credit of the
county. Defendant bank had no funds in the hands of the drawee
with which to meet this draft, and as a matter of fact, if it had
been presented for payment, it would have been dishonored.
This arrangement was carried out, and on May 9 the county treas-
urer returned the draft to the bank, which credited the county
with the amount as a deposit of that date of so much money.
The account of the county was kept in the form of an open
account, the same as that of any depositor, except, of course,
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 481
that monthly balances were struck for the purpose of computing
the interest to be credited to the county. Subsequently, from
time to time, the county made deposits aggregating $14,618.16, and
during the same time drew out various sums aggregating $16,-
317.21, leaving the balance due the county (including the
$5,341.79) at the time the bank failed, $3,642.74.
In the suit before the district court a verdict was rendered
in favor of the defendants on various technical grounds and a
new trial denied. The Supreme Court found that the $5,341.79
due on the account at the end of the first term had been fully
discharged by the subsequent payments, and the balance of
$3,642.74, due when the bank failed, was properly referable and
chargeable to moneys deposited during the second term, for which
the defendants were liable on their bond. Hence the court erred
in directing a verdict in their favor. The order was reversed, and
a new trial ordered. (67 Minn. 236.)
JUSTICE COURTS.
A study of the justice courts is a most interesting subject,
especially regarding their proceedings in the early days. Such
a study, however, is beyond the scope of this work. In the days
of the earliest settlers, the justice courts were flooded with many
suits brought by irresponsible persons for spite purposes. To
correct this evil, county commissioners on March 2, 1868, ordered
that any persons bringing suit before any justice in the county
should first give security for the cost. This resulted in a decided
decrease in the number of justice cases heard in the county in
the next few years.
MUNICIPAL COURT.
The city charter of Redwood Falls, approved by the legisla-
ture, April 1, 1891, provided for a municipal court. H. D. Bald-
win was appointed judge of this court and held his first session
in June, 1891. He held his last session early in 1895. In a case
early in that year, I. M. Olsen, now judge of this district, then a
practicing attorney of Redwood Falls, raised the question of
the legality of the court. The charter had passed the legislature
by the necessary majority, but the vote lacked being two-thirds
of the members of the legislature. By constitutional provision,
a court can not be established in this state by less than two-thirds
vote of the legislature, consequently, though the charter was per-
fectly binding and legal, the establishment of the municipal court
was not. The legislature being in session when Judge Olsen dis-
covered this defect, chapter 229 of the General Laws of 1895, was
accordingly passed. This act which, with the exception of the
482 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
matter of appeal, was almost an exact duplicate of the municipal
court enactment in the Redwood Falls charter was at once passed.
D. A. Stuart, appointed municipal judge by the governor, held
his first session in April, 1895. He held until the next election
when H. D. Baldwin again became the judge, taking office in
January, 1896. He was succeeded in January, 1899, by Joseph
Chadderdon who served until the summer of 1902, when he died.
He was succeeded in turn by A. R. A. Laudon, who was appointed
by the governor and served until January, 1911, when he was suc-
ceeded by the present judge, Finley A. Gray. The municipal
court has the same criminal jurisdiction as a justice court and
civil jurisdiction up to $500. Alfred C. Dolliff is the special
municipal judge.
PROBATE COURTS.
The list of the probate judges will be found in this work in
the chapter entitled "County Officers and Buildings." The pro-
bate affairs of this county have been administered with prudence,
and while a vast amount of cases have been handled, compara-
tively few have been appealed to the higher courts.
APPEALED CASES.
The following cases from Redwood county have been passed
upon by the Supreme Court.
State vs. Winona & St. Peter Land Co., 21 Minn. 315. George
P. Wilson for the state, Wilson and Taylor for the defendant.
Appeal from Hanscombe. Order affirmed.
John A. Willard vs. Board of County Commissioners of Red-
wood County, 22 Minn. 61. M. G. Willard for appellant, M. E.
Powell and Erwin & Pierce for respondent. Appealed from Hans-
come. Reversed.
Ada M. Pickett vs. Rufus S. Pickett, 27 Minn. 299. Frank L.
Morrill for appellant. Appealed from Cox. Jupdgment reversed.
Sherman P. Terryll vs. Samuel E. Bailey, 27 Minn. 304. Bald-
win, Miller & Morrill for appellant, Alfred Wallin for respondent.
Appealed from Cox. Order reversed.
James M. Hillebert vs. Alva J. Porter, 28 Minn. 496. Lewis &
Lislie for appellant, Chas. R. Davis & Sumner Ladd for respond-
ent. Appealed from Cox. Judgment affirmed.
Board of County Commissioners of Redwood County vs. Amasa
Tower and others, 28 Minn. 45. Baldwin, Miller & Morrill for
appellants, Alfred Wallin for respondent. Appealed from Cox.
Order affirmed.
State ex. rel. Emma Lee vs. I. M. Schaaek, 28 Minn. 358. Al-
fred Wallin for appellant, Frank L. Morrill for respondent. Ap-
pealed from Cox. Judgment reversed.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 483
Samuel D. Coykendall vs. Asa May and others, 29 Minn. 162.
A. B. Jackson for appellants, D. M. Thorp & B. F. Webber for
respondent. Appealed from Cox. Remanded. Plaintiffs appeal
from order of Oct. 21, 1881, affirmed at same time.
John J. Schoregge and another vs. Bishop Gordon and others,
29 Minn. 367. Seagrave & Smith for defendants, Brown & Wis-
well & Wm. Schoregge for plaintiffs. Appealed from Cox. Af-
firmed.
Geo. Ross and another vs. Henry Evans, 30 Minn. 206. D. M.
Thorp for appellants, M. M. Madigan for respondent. Appealed
from Baldwin. Order affirmed.
N. A. Carlson vs. Hiram Small, 32 Minn. 439. M. M. Madigan
for defendant, Redding & Laing for plaintiff. Appealed from
Webber. Order affirmed.
C. P. Carlson vs. Hiram Small, 32 Minn. 492. M. M. Madigan
for defendant, Redding & Laing for plaintiff. Appealed from
Vanderburgh. Order affirmed.
Elias Bedal vs. Cyrus B. Spurr, 33 Minn. 207. D. M. Thorp
and J. M. Thompson for appellant, John Lind for respondent.
Appealed from Webber. Order affirmed.
Chas. Chester and another vs. P. L. Pierce and wife, 33 Minn.
370. M. M. Madigan for appellants, D. M. Thorp for respondent.
Appealed from Webber. Order affirmed.
D. M. Thorp vs. Joseph Lorenz, 34 Minn. 350. D. M. Thorp
and T. M. Quarton for appellant, M. Madigan for respondent.
Judge not given. Appeal dismissed.
C. Aultman & Co. vs. Knud Olson, 34 Minn. 450. P. A. Foster
and M. M. Madigan for appellant, Baldwin & Ward & J. M.
Thompson for respondent. Appealed from Webber. Order af-
firmed.
Elias Dillon and others vs. Chas. Porter and others, 36 Minn.
341. Chas. C. Wilson and Geo. W. Somerville for appellants, M.
M. Madigan and J. M. Thompson for respondents. Appealed from
Berry. Order reversed.
Peter Ortt vs. M. & St. L. Ry. Co., 36 Minn. 396. J. D. Springer
for appellant, E. St. Julien Cox for respondent. Appealed from
Webber. Order reversed and a new trial awarded.
State ex. rel. Geo. Holden vs. Village of Lamberton, 37 Minn.
362. Geo. W. Sommerville for relator, J. M. Thompson for re-
spondent. Dickinson, judge. The respondent's motion to quash
the writ is granted.
County of Redwood vs. Winona & St. Peter Land Co., 40 Minn.
512. Moses E. Clapp, attorney general, and M. M. Madigan for
plaintiff, John M. Gillman and Towney & Randall and John H.
Dillon for defendant. Appealed from Webber. Remanded.
J. R. Thompson vs. H. T. Winter, 7042 Minn. 121. John H.
484 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Bowers for appellant, J. M. Thompson for respondent. Appealed
from Webber. Order reversed.
County of Redwood vs. Winona & St. Peter Land Co., 42 Minn.
181. Mose E. Clapp, attorney general, for plaintiff, J. M. Gilman
and Tawney & Randall for defendant. Appealed from Webber.
Judgment affirmed.
State of Minnesota vs. Clifton Holden, 42 Minn. 350. Chas. C.
Wilson for appellant, Moses E. Clapp, attorney general, and H. N.
Childs and M. M. Madigan for State. Appealed from Webber.
Order affirmed.
State vs. Redwood Palls Building & Loan Association, 45
Minn. 154. M. M. Madigan for State, John H. Bowers for de-
fendant. Appealed from Webber. The determination of district
court is affirmed.
State of Minnesota vs. William Rose, 47 Minn. 47. Erwin &
Wellington & F. S. Brown for appellant, Moses E. Clapp at-
torney general, H. W. Childs and M. M. Madigan for State. Ap-
pealed from Webber. Order and judgment affirmed and case re-
manded for further proceedings.
E. G. Comstock vs. Niels C. Prederiekson, 51 Minn. 350.
Munn, Boyesen & Thygeson and John Gillman for appellant, H.
D. Baldwin and M. M. Madigan for respondent. Appealed from
Webber. Order reversed.
Alfred Shrimpton & Son vs. F. W. Philbrick, 53 Minn. 366.
L. G. Davis and J. A. Eckstein for appellant, M. M. Madigan for
respondent. Appealed from Webber. Order affirmed.
State of Minnesota vs. Michael M. Madigan, 57 Minn. 425.
H. J. Peck and Joseph A. Eckstein for appellant, H. W. Childs,
attorney general, Geo. B. Edgerton, his assistant, and S. L. Pierce
for State. Appealed from Webber. The order appealed from
should be affirmed. So ordered.
John Webber vs. Winona & St. Peter Ry. Co., 63 Minn. 66.
Brown & Abbott for appellant, Frank Clague for respondent. Ap-
pealed from Webber. Order affirmed.
James L. Byram vs. James Aiken, 65 Minn. 87. S. L. Pierce
and John Lind, for appellant, John H. Bowers and Sommerville &
Olson for respondent. Appealed from Webber. Order reversed.
Jenny Cain vs. E. N. Mead, 66 Minn. 195. John H. Bowers
and Young & Mercer for appellant, Somerville & Olson for re-
spondent. Appealed from Webber. Order affirmed.
Joseph Schweinfurter vs. Herman G. Schmahl, 69 Minn. 418.
W. J. McLeod for appellant, Baldwin & Patterson for respondent.
Appealed from Webber. Judgment affirmed.
Board of County Commissioners of Redwood County vs. Citi-
zens Bank of Redwood Falls and others, 67 Minn. 236. H. W.
Childs, attorney general, George B. Edgerton, assistant attorney
general, Arthur M. Wickwill and Frank Clague for appellant, B.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 485
H. Schriber and Somerville & Olson for respondents. Order re-
versed and new trial ordered. Appealed from Webber.
Justin F. Jones vs. Northern Trust Co., 67 Minn. 410. John
M. Rees for appellant, Carman N. Smith for respondent. Ap-
pealed from Webber. Order reversed.
Lizzie H. Francois vs. Robert P. Lewis, 68 Minn. 408. Bishop
H. Schriber for appellant, Somerville & Olson for respondent.
Appealed from Webber. Order affirmed.
Mary Scanlon vs. John Grimmer and others, 71 Minn. 351.
S. L. Pierce for appellant, J. A. Sawyer for respondents. Ap-
pealed from Webber. Judgment reversed and new trial ordered.
William P. Abbott vs. Ole 0. Moltested and another, 74 Minn.
293. Baldwin & Patterson and Palmer & Beek for appellant, A.
C. Dolliff for respondents. Appealed from Webber. The judg-
ment of the trial court is reversed, and it is directed to enter
judgment on the findings of fact in favor of plaintiffs for the re-
lief demanded in complaint.
E. E. Harriott vs. C. L. Holmes, 77 Minn. 245. D. A. Stuart
for appellant, E. E. Harriott, pro se. Appealed from Webber.
Order reversed and new trial granted.
McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. vs. John H. Belfany, 78
Minn. 370. Frank Clague and Somerville & Olson for appellant,
Seward & Burchard for respondent. Appealed from Webber.
Order affirmed.
State vs. Lester Rollins, 80 Minn. 216. D. A. Stuart for appel-
lant, W. B. Douglas, attorney general, C. W. Somerby, assistant
attorney general, Frank Clague, county attorney, for respondent.
Appealed from Webber. Order affirmed.
F. W. Orth vs. C. A. Pease, 81 Minn. 374. John H. Bowers
and W. A. McDowell for appellant, Baldwin & Howard and Al-
bert Hauser for respondent. Appealed from Webber. Order
affirmed.
A. J. Finnegan vs. Camile A. Brown and others, 81 Minn. 508.
S. & O. Kipp for appellant, Somerville & Olson for respondents.
Appealed from Webber. Order affirmed.
Herman G. Schmahl and another vs. Walter A. Thompson and
another, 82 Minn. 78. Stuart & Glover and Joseph Chadderdon
for appellants, John H. Bowers, Baldwin & Howard and W. M.
Milc-hrist for respondents. Appealed from Webber. Order re-
versed.
T. C. Shove vs. E. J. Martine, 85 Minn. 29. Pierce & Harriott
for appellant, Bowers & Howard and Somerville & Olsen for re-
spondent. Appealed from Webber. Order affirmed.
Jane Parsons vs. Hannah C. Vining, 85 Minn. 37. A. C. Dol-
liff for appellant, Bowers and Howard for respondent. Appealed
from Webber. Judgment affirmed.
Fred Watschke vs. Joel P. Thompson and others, 85 Minn. 105.
486 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
W. A. McDowell for appellant, Albert Hauser and Somerville &
Olsen for respondent. Appealed from Webber. Order affirmed.
G. E. Holden vs. Orlando B. Turrell and others, 86 Minn. 214.
Bowers & Howard and H. D. Baldwin for appellant, J. A. Sawyer
for respondent. Appealed from Webber. Order affirmed.
Henrietta A. Clark vs. Albert E. Clark, 86 Minn. 249. Bower
& Howard for appellant, A. C. Dolliff for respondent. Appealed
from Webber. Judgment reversed, new trial granted.
Mary M. Birum vs. Isaac Johnson, 87 Minn. 362. A. E. Clark
for appellant, Bowers & Howard for respondent. Appealed from
Webber. Order affirmed.
Richard Peach vs. Ed. Reed, 87 Minn. 375. Elinor Hoidale and
Pierce & Harriott for appellant, George T. Olsen and Somerville
& Olsen for respondent. Appealed from Webber. Judgment af-
firmed.
Nessie Margaret McKittrick vs. William F. Cahoon, 89 Minn.
383. Bowers & Howard for appellant, M. E. Mathews for respond-
ent. Appealed from Webber. Order reversed and case remanded.
J. H. Queal & Co. vs. B. F. Bulen and another, 89 Minn. 477.
Wilson Borst for appellant, Somerville & Olsen for respondent.
Appealed from Webber. Order appealed from affirmed.
C. Fred Thompson vs. C. 0. Borg, 90 Minn. 209. Pierce &
Harriott for appellant, Bowers & Howard for respondent. Ap-
pealed from Webber. Judgment reversed and new trial granted.
A. E. Finnegan vs. Camile A. Brown and others, 90 Minn. 397.
S. & 0. Kipp for appellant, Somerville & Olsen for respondent.
Appealed from Webber. Judgment reversed.
Jane A. Phillipps and another vs. Knud E. Mo and others, 91
Minn. 311. Thomas Hessian, C. R. Davis and P. J. McLaughlin
for appellants, Somerville & Olsen for respondents. Appealed
from Webber. Affirmed without prejudice to plaintiff's right
to apply for a modification of the findings.
State vs. E. Boehm, 92 Minn. 374. W. J. Donahower, attor-
ney general, and C. T. Howard, county attorney, for plaintiff.
A. C. Dolliff for defendant. Appealed from Webber. Case re-
manded for further proceedings in the court below.
Lawrence King vs. Coe Commission Company, 92 Minn. 52.
Bowers & Howard and Wilson & Mercer for appellant. George
D. Emery for respondent. Appealed from Webber. Order af-
firmed.
John A. Lucy vs. R. R. Freeman, 93 Minn. 274. Charles R.
Fowler, Fred B. Dodge and Korns & Johnson for appellant, Som-
erville & Olsen, Clague & Emerson, and Wm. G. Owens for re-
spondent. Appealed from Webber. Order reversed, new trial
granted.
George A. DuToit vs. Village of Belview, 94 Minn. 128. A. C.
Dolliff for appellant, W. C. Odell for respondent. Appealed from
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 487
Webber. We discover no reason for disagreeing with the trial
court, and the judgment appealed from is affirmed.
Jane A. Phillipps and another vs. Knud E. Mo and others,
96 Minn. 42. Fred B. Phillips and Ernest S. Cary for appellants,
Somerville & Olsen for respondents. Appealed from Webber.
Order affirmed.
State ex rel. Jane A. Phillips and others vs. B. F. Webber, 96
Minn. 348. Writ of mandamus directed to the judge of the dis-
trict court for the county of Redwood. Fred B. Phillips and
Ernest C. Cary for relators, Somerville & Olsen for respondent.
Ruling of learned trial judge was correct and that the order to
show cause must be discharged. So ordered.
State ex rel. Fred B. Phillips vs. District Court of Redwood
County, 98 Minn. 136. Fred B. Phillips, pro se., Somerville &
Olsen for respondent. Appealed from Webber. Writ discharged.
Henry Jenning vs. August Rohde and another, 99 Minn. 335.
Albert Hauser and Somerville & Olsen for appellant, Thomas E.
Davis and A. C. Dolliff for respondents. Appealed from Webber.
Order affirmed.
A. W. Edwards vs. Michael Morley, 100 Minn. 542. A. C.
Dolliff for appellant, Frank Clague for respondent. Appealed
from Webber. Order affirmed.
John Casserly vs. James J. Morrow and others, 101 Minn. 16.
James A. Kellogg for appellants, C. W. Gilmore and Joe Kirby for
respondent. Appealed from Webber. Order affirmed.
George L. Evans vs. City of Redwood Falls and others, 103
Minn. 314. A. C. Dolliff for appellants, A. R. A. Laudon and
C. T. Howard for respondent. Appealed from Olsen. Order of
the trial affirmed.
State ex rel. John H. Ross vs. George Posz and others, 106
Minn. 197. Somerville & Hauser for appellants, Wm. G. Owens,
Albert H. Enerson and Frank Clague for respondents. Appealed
from Olsen. Order reversed.
Horace L. Harmon vs. Chicago & North Western Railway Com-
pany, 107 Minn. 479 ; Josephine Harmon vs. Chicago & North West-
ern Railway Company, 107 Minn. 479. Brown, Abbott & Som-
sen for appellant, C. T. Howard and T. M. Quarton for respond-
ent. Appealed from Olsen. Reversed and new trial granted.
Nicholas Munsch vs. Julius Stelter and another, 109 Minn.
403. William G. Owens and Somerville & Hauser for appellant,
C. T. Howard for respondents. Appealed from Olson. Affirmed.
Halguin Erickson vs. Revere Elevator Company, 110 Minn.
443. A. Frederickson and Frank Clague for appellant, D. A.
Stuart for respondent. Appealed from Olsen. Order affirmed.
Kate Clark vs. Albert E. Clark, 114 Minn. 22. Somerville &
Hauser and John A. Dalzell for appellant, C. T. Howard for re-
spondent. Appealed from Olsen. Reversed and new trial granted.
488 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Wherland Electric Company vs. A. C. Burmeister, 122 Minn.
110. A. R. A. Laudon and Frank Clague for appellant, W. R.
Werring, Henry Deutsch and Walter S. Whiton for respondents.
Appealed from Olsen. Order affirmed.
County of Redwood vs. City of Minneapolis, 126 Minn. 512.
Daniel Fish, city attorney, and W. G. Compton, assistant city at-
torney, for appellant, Albert H. Enersen, county attorney, and
John F. Bernhagen for respondent. Appealed from Waite. Or-
der affirmed.
Frank Schulz vs. Lewis Duel, 128 Minn. 213. Frank Clague
and T. Otto Streissguth for appellant, Albert H. Enersen for re-
spondent. Appealed from Olsen. Order reversed.
Herman Trebesch vs. Christian Trebesch and another, 130
Minn. 368. Somsen, Dempsey & Mueller for appellant, Moonan
& Moonan and Albert H. Enersen for respondent. Appealed from
Olsen. Judgment affirmed.
Authorship. This chapter has been compiled from various
sources with the assistance of Alfred C. Dolliff, and by him
the final draft has been revised, amplified and edited, and numer-
ous additions made. M. E. Powell and Frank Clague, the oldest
members of the Redwood county bar, have been consulted, as
have been W. G. Weldon, clerk of court; C. V. Everett, county
treasurer ; and A. R. A. Laudon, judge of probate. The list of ap-
pealed cases has been prepared by Fred E. Person.
Authority. General and Special Laws of the Territory and
State of Minnesota.
Reports of the Supreme Court of the State of Minnesota.
Court Records of Redwood County in the custody of the clerk
of court of Redwood county.
Records of the Municipal Court of Redwood Falls, in the
custody of the judge and clerk of the Municipal Court of Red-
wood Falls.
The Northwestern Gazetteer, 1876-1916, published by R. L.
Polk & Co.
Personal testimony of attorneys and old settlers.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 489
CHAPTER XXXV.
REDWOOD COUNTY VILLAGES.
(By A. J. White)
Redwood county has fifteen incorporated villages, and one
city. Redwood Falls was incorporated by act of the legislature,
approved Feb. 18, 1876, and reincorporated as a city by act of
the legislature approved April 1, 1891. Lamberton was incor-
porated by act of the legislature approved March 1, 1879; and
Walnut Grove by act of the legislature approved March 3, 1879.
Petitions for the incorporation of the other thirteen villages were
presented to the county board on the dates given below, all being
granted, and subsequently being favorably voted upon by the
citizens of the respective villages: Morgan, Jan. 7, 1889; San-
born, Oct. 6, 1891; Belview, Nov. 29, 1892; Vesta, Jan. 2, 1900;
Revere, Jan. 2, 1900; Wabasso, April 23, 1900; Wanda, Dee. 18,
1900 ; Seaforth, Dec. 18, 1900 ; Delhi, Oct. 6, 1902 ; Lucan, Oct. 6,
1902 ; Milroy, Oct. 11, 1902 ; Clements, May 23, 1903 ; North Red-
wood, July 13, 1903.
There are eighteen platted townsites in Redwood county, filed
with the register of deeds as follows: Redwood Falls, April 9,
1866; Walnut Grove, Sept. 10, 1874; Lamberton, Aug. 19, 1878;
Morgan, Oct. 18, 1878; Sanborn, Oct. 10, 1881; Delhi, Sept. 1,
1884 ; North Redwood, Aug. 22, 1885 ; Revere, May 26, 1886 ; Bel-
view May 21, 1889; Okawa (Seaforth), Oct. 20, 1899; Vesta, Oct.
20, 1899 ; Wabasso, Oct. 20, 1899 ; Wanda, Oct. 20, 1899 ; Clements,
March 24, 1902 ; Milroy, March 27, 1902; Rowena, March 24, 1902;
Wayburne, March 24, 1902 ; Lucan, March 27, 1902. In some in-
stances the survey had been made fully a year before the filing.
The dates are given in the histories of the separate villages. Sea-
forth, Vesta, Wabasso, Wanda, Clements, Milroy, Rowena, Way-
burne and Lucan were platted by the Western Town Lot Co.
Revere was platted by the Winona & St. Peter Railroad Co.
H. W. Lamberton, who platted Lamberton, was the land commis-
sioner of that company. The other villages were platted for pri-
vate owners. The plats of Paxton and Riverside, laid out in the
early days, have been abandoned.
The Western Town Lot Co. was incorporated in the interest
of the Chicago & North Western Railway Co. for the purpose of
securing the land needed for town sites, by subdividing and plat-
ting it, and placing the town lots on the market at reasonable
rates, so that the settlers would not be at the mercy of the town
lot speculators, and be obliged to pay inflated prices as is some-
490 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
times the case under private owners. All the proceeds secured
from the sale of the lots reached the treasury of the railroad
company.
When the census of 1880 was taken there were three incor-
porated villages in Redwood county : Redwood Falls, with a pop-
ulation of 981 ; Walnut Grove with a population of 153 ; and Lam-
berton, with a population of 149. In 1885, Redwood Falls had in-
creased to 1,123; Lamberton had increased to 165; and Walnut
Grove had decreased to 149. In 1890, the population of Redwood
Falls was 1,238. Morgan had been incorporated and had become
the second village in the county, with a population of 301. Lam-
berton had increased to 202 ; Walnut Grove had further decreased
to 127. In 1895 Redwood Falls had increased to 1,589, of which
the first ward had 784 and the second ward 805. Lamberton had
more than doubled its population, had passed Morgan, and with
a population of 459 had become the second place in size in the
county, a position it has since maintained. Morgan had increased
to 358. Sanborn had been incorporated, and had a population
of 247. Bellview had been incorporated and had a population of
185. Walnut Grove had decreased to 117, and from its position
as the second village in the county in 1880, was now the smallest.
In 1900 Redwood Falls had a population of 1,661, of whom
877 were in the first ward and 748 in the second ward. Lamberton
had increased to 624. Morgan had made a big stride and had
increased to 592. Walnut Grove had increased its population
nearly four times, and was the fourth place in size in the county,
with 447 people. Sanborn had increased to 351, and Belview to
254. Wabasso had been incorporated and had 178 people, and
Vesta had been incorporated and had 214 people. In 1905, eight
new villages had been created. The places previously created had
all shown an increase except Walnut Grove, which had again fallen
back. The figures for that year are : Redwood Falls, 1,806 (first
ward, 871; second ward, 935); Lamberton, 657; Morgan, 608;
Sanborn, 549; Walnut Grove, 392; Wabasso, 388; Belview, 318;
Vesta, 286; Seaforth, 195; Wanda, 179; Delhi, 174; Milroy, 173;
Revere, 171 ; North Redwood, 126 ; Clements, 107 ; Lucan, 89.
North Redwood, Clements and Lucan had increased in 1910,
all the rest of the urban places had decreased. The population
for that year was as follows: Redwood Falls, 1,666 (first ward,
834; second ward, 832) ; Lamberton, 652; Morgan, 553; Sanborn,
462; Walnut Grove, 366; Wabasso, 343; Belview, 290; Sanborn,
243; Delhi, 159; Seaforth, 158; North Redwood, 143; Milroy, 137;
Revere, 134 ; Clements, 132 ; Wanda, 129 ; Lucan 98.
There are no official census figures for 1915, no state census
being taken that year. It is believed, however, that all the vil-
lages have increased in population to some extent since 1910.
Redwood Falls has probably increased about 600, Lamberton
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 491
about 400, Walnut Grove 250, Morgan 200, and the others some-
what.
Charles W. Howe's "Directory of Redwood County" contains
the result of careful investigation, made by Mr. Howe in person,
or through representatives living in the various localities. He
gives the present population of the villages as follows : Redwood
Falls, 2,144; Lamberton, 1,064; Morgan, 735; Walnut Grove, 622;
North Redwood, 174 ; Clements, 146 ; Sanborn 544 ; Wabasso, 467 ;
Belview, 364 ; Vesta, 309 ; Wanda, 209 ; Delhi, 196 ; Revere, 182 ;
Milroy, 177 ; Seaforth, 146 ; Lucan, 143.
Redwood Falls was chosen as the site of a village by reason
of its excellent location and its waterpower. The other villages
have all grown up around the locations designated by the rail-
roads as suitable station points. The sites are therefore ones situ-
ated conveniently for rural shipping places, and were selected
arbitrarily by the railroad officials with such a purpose in view.
All the urban settlements depend entirely on the rural districts
for their support and maintenance, as there is practically no
manufacturing, except of dairy products, in the entire county.
REDWOOD FALLS.
Redwood Falls is picturesquely located on the high banks of
the Redwood river, about one mile south of the Minnesota river.
It is the terminus of what is now known as the Sleepy Eye-Redwood
Falls branch of the Chicago & North Western, but which when
built in 1878 was called the Minnesota Valley division of the
Winona & St. Peter.
The rivers, gorges and bluffs here present some of the most
beautiful scenery in the Northwest, while north, east, south and
west stretches some of the finest agricultural land in Minnesota.
The trees set out in the early days give the city the appearance
of a settlement set in a beautiful grove, while the nearby parks
have given to Redwood Falls the justly deserved title of "The
Scenic City." The streets are well kept, the public buildings are
unusually sightly, the churches are noted for their splendid archi-
tecture, the business houses are modern and progressive, the homes
are attractively built and surrounded with lawns and shrubbery.
From the earliest days, the city had been noted for its religious
and educational activities, and the clean moral atmosphere of its
social life.
Among the public buildings are the courthouse, the city hall,
the Carnegie library, the jail and the armory. The municipal
improvements include, aside from the parks, an extensive water-
works and sewer system, a splendid electric light system, a well-
kept bathhouse, and extensive paving, while a public heating plant
is now being installed.
492 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
There is a good band here, organized in 1900 under the name of
the Scenic City Band, and also a good orchestra. The military
company, Co. L, Second Regiment, M. N. G., is now on the Texas
border.
The Mgh school, recently remodelled, is as good as any of its
size in the state. The graded school building is substantial, well
equipped for its purpose, and surrounded with a public play-
ground. Along the shores of Lake Redwood many private parks
are maintained in the rear of some magnificent private residences.
There are three banks, two newspapers, two moving picture
theatres, and many garages. A Commercial club maintains quar-
ters in the armory, and the Automobile club has done much to
add to the reputation of the city.
The parks consist of Lake Redwood park and Redwood Falls
park, both owned by the city, and the extensive Ramsey State park,
owned by the commonwealth.
The present sightly city hall of brick was constructed at a cost
of some $7,000 in the summer of 1915, replacing a small fire house
which previously stood on the site. It is equipped with a bell and
a siren fire alarm. Aside from housing the excellent fire equip-
ment, it provides a meeting hall and offices for various county
officers.
A history of Redwood Falls would be incomplete without men-
tioning its incomparable system of waterworks and sewers. The
water plant was installed in 1892, and consisted of four miles of
4, 6, 8 and 10-inch mains, a water tower with a capacity of 92,000
gallons, giving a gravity pressure of 47 pounds ; a power building,
40x80. in which are installed one Duplex non-condensing Gordon
pump, 2,000,000 gallons capacity, one 80-horsepower Springfield
boiler, with foundation and piped for a duplicate set of boiler
and pumps, should necessity arise for more power. The station is
175 feet lower and one-half mile west of the tower, on one of the
most beautiful reaches of the Redwood river. The source of supply
is a number of springs that are collected in a gallery and are con-
ducted to a receiving reesrvoir, from whence it is pumped to the
tower as needed for fire purposes. Water is taken from the river
and forced direct into mains, the tower being shut off by a combi-
nation electric and air valve. The spring water is strongly impreg-
nated with magnesia with a trace of iron ; it is certainly the most
wholesome water to be found anywhere in this part of the state,
as no case of contagious disease has ever occurred where the people
have used city water exclusively. It is absolutely free from all
animal life. Since its installation the system has been gradually
extended, and the extension is still going on. The principal parts
of the city are covered, and as the city grows, the system is most
admirably adapted to expansion.
The sewer svstem was started in 1894, and covered the retail
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 493
district; in 1897, under the direction of Superintendent G. L.
Parkhill, the system was extended into the residence district, and
tapped the jail, courthouse and public schools. Like the waterworks
system, the sewer system is being gradually extended and
expanded.
The fire protection of Redwood Falls is of the best. An excel-
lent waterworks system, a good fire company, first-class equipment,
and a large bell and siren whistle, all combine to give a feeling
of security to the property owner. The city has been quite free
from large fires, the two fires which destroyed the Francois build-
ing, and the fire which swept out the buildings west of the Francois
block, being the largest.
In the earliest days, a bucket brigade was organized. For a
time this brigade wore no distinctive uniforms, but later firemen's
shirts, caps and belts, worn with dark trousers and shoes, gave
them a natty and conspicuous appearance. With the growth of
the village, new equipment was gradually acquired. A hook and
ladder truck and a chemical engine were purchased, and a fire
house erected on the site of the city hall.
July 26, 1895, the city having been incorporated, the fire depart-
ment was reorganized with F. W. Philbriek as chief. After him
came A. W. Badger, then Henry Beuchner and then C. W. Mead.
The next chief was C. V. Everett, who is still a member of the
department, and has been connected with it since 1881. After Chief
Everett came M. 0. Biram, followed by Joe Corbett, the present
chief. G. A. Schildknecht is secretary, and Emil Kuenzli is
treasurer.
The department is entirely voluntary, and consists of a hook
and ladder company and two hose companies. Each hose truck
has some 800 feet of hose and ten chemical fire extinguishers. The
city is now considering purchasing a motor fire truck. The fire
apparatus is boused in the beautiful new city hall erected ia
1915.
Electricity is furnished the city from the power plant owned
by A. C. Burmeister, erected in 1909. From this plant will also
be furnished the heat for the public heating system recently in-
stalled. Mr. Burmeister came to Redwood Falls in 1899, purchased
the old mill, and a few years later installed a dynamo and began
furnishing the city with electricity. The present dam was com-
pleted in 1902. A twenty-four-hour service is furnished the patrons,
and the streets, business houses and private residences are well
lighted.
Redwood Falls people are justly proud of their schools, which
easily are superior to any in this section of the state. The two
buildings, with their splendid systems of forced ventilation and
automatic temperature regulation, furnish ideal conditions for
school work.
494 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
The first school in the stockade was taught by Julia A. Williams
of LeSeuer in the fall and winter of 1864. Her pupils were the
Honner, Thompson, Fosgate and McPhail children. Martha Wat-
son, later Mrs. Martha Webster, was the next teacher, and a small
school house was erected in 1866 just west of the site of the garage
on Second street. Miss Etta Tippery followed, while Edward
March and Colonel Chandler each taught about this time.
In 1869 a school house was erected at the corner of Chestnut
and Jefferson streets. Mr. Kaufman and his sister, Miss Kaufman,
were in charge of the school until 1873. Miss Moyer (later Mrs.
Fowler of Spokane) followed, and the district was organized as an
independent district in 1873. The next year three principals suc-
ceeded one another — Mr. Grannis, Mr. Trinnan and E. J. Lewis —
with Adelle Chapman (Mrs. J. B. Robinson )in charge of the lower
department. Mrs. Lewis taught with Mr. Lewis the following
year. J. B. Gaston came in 1877, and Mrs. Gaston taught at the
same time. Mr. Gaston is a physiican in Colorado Springs at pres-
ent. The old warehouse belonging to Mr. Crump was secured for
an additional room in 1877. The Redwood Dream theater is now
located on about the same spot.
On May 11, 1878, $1,000 was voted for a new school site, but
nearly five years elapsed before bonds were voted for a new school
building. Several very exciting meetings were held to vote bonds
previous to Jan. 25, 1883, but on this date $10,000 in bonds were
voted. However, the board was forced to call special meetings
to vote additional money to complete the building, making $16,500
in bonds issued. This formed what is now the west portion of the
grade building. R. L. Marshman was elected the first principal.
The Redwood Falls high school began holding commencement
exercises in 1886, since which time a class has been graduated
every year with the exception of 1881 and 1898, at which times
another year's work was added to the course. The smallest classes
were those of 1892 and 1901, consisting of two each.
In the spring and summer of 1905 a site was purchased and
$21,000 in bonds used for the erection of the present high school
building. At various times during these years the crowding of
the school necessitated the use of other outside rooms than have
been indicated. In the summer of 1916 extensive alterations and
improvements were made, and the capacity greatly enlarged, mak-
ing it the best high school building in any place of this size in
the state.
Antiquity lodge, No. 91, A. F. & A. M., was organized March 29,
1871, with eight charter members : F. V. Hotchkiss, W. M. ; Will-
iam D. Flinn, S. W. ; James McMillan, J. W. ; Lafayette F. Robinson,
treasurer; William C. March, secretary; Robert Watson, S. D. ;
Edward A. Chandler, J. D. The charter was received in January,
1872. The lodge has been a prosperous one throughout its entire
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 495
history, and owns a finely equipped hall in the brick block on
Mill street. This city is the home of an unusual number of thirty-
second degree Masons. The Eastern Star is also in a thriving con-
dition.
Redwood chapter, No. 34, R. A. M., was organized March 22,
1879, with nine charter members : W. F. Dickinson, H. P. ; "W. P.
Dunnington, K.; S. S. Martin, S.; F. J. Peabody, C. H.; James
McMillan, P. S.; M. E. Powell, R. A. C. ; J. J. Coyle, G. M., 3d V.;
Robert Watson, G. M., 2d V. ; E. A. Chandler, G. M., 1st V. The
commandery was organized in 1892.
Redwood lodge, No. 68, I. 0. 0. F., was organized February 18,
1879, with five charter members: C. W. Tousley, N. G. ; W. M.
Knapp, secretary and treasurer; A. D. Holliday, V. G. G. W.
Whittet and William Knapp of this city are the surviving charter
members. The records show that ex-Gov. John Lind was present
and officiated as secretary at the first meeting. The early growth
of the lodge was slow, the membership being less than a dozen
for several years. Oct. 10, 1888, an encampment was instituted,
which has grown until it has become the fifth largest in the state.
The Rebecca Ladies' Auxiliary was established Feb. 12, 1887, and
the canton on Nov. 26, 1903. The Odd Fellows own a splendid hall
comprising the second floor of a brick block on Mill street.
Redwood Falls lodge, No. 42, K. of P., was organized July 12,
1887, with C. T. Ward as chancellor commander and Geo. L. Evans
as keeper of the seals. The charter was granted Sept. 11, 1888,
G. R. Pease, C. Fred Thompson, H. A. Baldwin and J. P. Cooper
being among the charter members. The Pythian Sisters share with
their brother Knights the use of their hall. This lodge was organ-
ized Sept. 29, 1897, Mesdames Aune, Hughes, Baldwin, Philbrick,
Pease, Thompson, Ward, Lamberton and Ferris comprising the
charter members. It is named Carine Temple in honor of Mrs.
H. M. Aune.
Besides the lodges may be mentioned four very strong bene-
ficiary orders: The M. W. A., established May 22, 1893; the M. B.
A., organized Nov. 6, 1898 ; the A. 0. U. W., which has one of the
largest memberships in the city, and the Equitable Fraternal Union,
which is also well established. Several other lodges also flourish
here.
John S. Marsh post, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized
on April 3, 1884, with thirty charter members. Charles George
was the first commander. For a time recruiting was quite rapid,
and the membership grew to considerable proportions, but of
late years death has made heavy inroads into the ranks, and few
can be found with the necessary qualifications for enlistment. The
present membership is thirty-five. Memorial day is always one
of the big days in Redwood Falls. Usually a speaker of national
repute is secured to deliver the principal address, and then the
496 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
largest auditorium in the city is insufficient to accommodate the
throngs. With the passing of the years the soldier boys have
many of them grown too feeble to endure the strenuous march.
In 1909 the custom was adopted of leaving to Co. L, M. N. G.,
the more active duties of the day, and the program was rendered
in a very pleasing way.
Among the beautiful and useful public buildings to which the
citizens of Redwood Falls point with pride is the Carnegie library,
erected in 1904 at an approximate cost of $10,000. The base of
the structure is North Redwood granite, the superstructure being
pressed brick. The building is open to the reading public seven
days and five evenings each week. It is supported by taxation
under the management of nine trustees chosen by the mayor.
Elizabeth Connor ably officiates as librarian.
Redwood Falls is the center of an extensive telephone system.
For some years the Bell company conducted a local telephone
exchange in Redwood Falls. The business men, however, were
somewhat dissatisfied with several phases of the service, and on
January 14, 1909, incorporated the Redwood Falls Electric Tele-
phone Co. The system was- ready for service in September of
that year, and the older system was soon eliminated. The incor-
porators of the company were : Chairman, F. W. Philbrick ; vice
chairman, A. C. Burmeister ; secretary and treasurer, H. M. Aune ;
H. A. Baldwin, John P. Cooper, William H. Gold, William D. Lyons,
A. D. Stewart and August Carrity. The present officers are:
President, W. D. Lyons; vice president, A. C. Burmeister; secre-
tary and treasurer, H. M. Aune. The directors are W. D. Lyons,
F. W. Philbrick, A. C. Burmeister, August Carrity, John P. Cooper,
A. D. Stewart and H. M. Aune.
The Redwood County Rural Telephone Company conducts a
general local and long distance telephone business. It was incor-
porated April 20, 1902, and has its headquarters at Redwood Falls,
with exchanges at Belview, Echo, Morgan, Vesta, Wabasso and
Walnut Grove, and stations at Delhi and Clements. Connections
are made with the Redwood Falls Electric Telephone Co., and with
the Tri-State Telephone Co. and the Northwestern Telephone Ex-
change Co. The company has a capital of $33,000. The first officers
were: President, A. C. Miller; vice president, C. H. Winn; secre-
tary and treasurer, A. D. Stewart. The first board of directors
consisted of A. D. Stewart, A. C. Miller, W. H. Gold, Charles H.
Winn, William Lindeman, H. G. Werder, George L. Evans, S. O.
Mason and Robert Stewart. The present officers are : President,
A. D. Stewart; vice president, H. A. Dreyer; secretary, J. M,
Little.
Redwood Falls was first settled in 1864, when Col. Sampson R.
B. McPhail, with the assistance of the soldiers patrolling the
border, and possibly others, erected the old stockade. During
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 497
that summer, fall and winter six houses were erected inside the
stockade, five of logs and one frame structure.
Previous to the building of the stockade, a government sawmill
had been constructed at the falls of the Redwood, in 1855. A
number of Indian cabins had also been erected in the vicinity by
the government.
In the spring of 1865 the settlers began to locate on the village
site outside of the stockade. The village gradually grew, but
received a severe set-back during the grasshopper years, from
which it did not recover until the railroad came through in 1878.
In 1878 when the Northwestern Gazetteer was issued, it de-
scribed Redwood Falls as follows : "An incorporated village of
700 inhabitants, on the Redwood river, from which power is ob-
tained to operate two flouring mills and a sawmill. The Presby-
terians, Methodists, Christian, Episcopal and Catholic denomina-
tions all have churches here. There is an independent graded
school. The Gazette, a weekly newspaper is published. Stages
are operated daily to New Ulm, and to Yellow Medicine and
Minnesota Falls, semi-weekly."
Although Redwood Falls is mentioned as the terminal branch
station of the Chicago & North Western, it is probable that the
description for the Gazetteer for that year was written before
the railroad was actually completed. The business and profes-
sional activities shown that year are:
Bailey, S. E., Redwood Hotel; Baker & Byington, livery and
sale stable; Baldwin, H. D., lawyer; Baldwin, H. D., & Co., gro-
cers; Bank of Redwood Falls; Birum, Ener, lumber mill (North
Redwood) ; Bowers, J. H., lawyer; Bronson, Rev. E. H. (Metho-
dist) ; Bunch, S. T., furniture ; Chapman, E. 0., wagon-piaker ;
Cook, A. M., & Sons, flour mill; Crouley Bros., grocers; Dobner
& O'Hara, druggists; Dodge, Rev. H. A. (Presbyterian) ; Evans,
W. M., physician; Flinn, W. D., physician; Flynn, Birney, land
agent; Frost, Rev. A. P. (Christian) ; Gordon, Bishop, agricultural
implements ; Herriott, Wm. B., editor Gazette ; Hitchcock, D. L.,
druggist ; Hotchkiss, F. V., blacksmith ; Hunter, Rev. E. G. (Epis-
copal) ; Jessup, John, grocer; Johnson, Benjamin, baker and gro-
cer ; Koch & Nevitt, butchers ; Laird & Domberg, hardware ; Licht-
wark, Joseph, butcher ; Lys, Henry, blacksmith ; McCarthy, E. A.,
livery and sale stable ; McMillan, James, general store ; Offerman,
Matt, saloon; O'Hara, F. M., saloon; Ojia, Mrs. S. H., milliner;
Ortt & Northrup, Exchange Hotel; Peterson, A. J., blacksmith;
Post, W. H., & Co., drugs and groceries; Powell, M. E., lawyer;
Rockwell, R. W., hardware ; Ruter & Cuff, flour mill ; Sears, Moses,
boot and shoemaker ; Stickle & Wiltshire, general store ; Swisher,
W. A., hardware and tinshop-. Tibbitts, Till, land agent; Tiffany,
J. E., flour and feed; Truesdell, Levi, harnessmaker ; Vilos, M.,
physician; Wallin, Alfred, lawyer; Wasson & Crooks, black-
498 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
smiths ; "Watson, Robert, express agent ; Watton, David, surveyor
and civil engineer; Watson, R. W., books, stationery and music.
In 1880 the business directory was as follows : American Ex-
press Co., W. C. Tyler, agent ; Bailey House ; Baker, Sanford C,
livery stable ; Baker, Wm. E., lumber, etc. ; Baldwin, H. D., & Son,
flower and feed; Baldwin, Miller & Morrill, lawyers and insur-
ance agents; Bank of Redwood Falls, Wm. F. Dickinson, prop.;
Bell, H. N., & Co., furniture and undertaker; Bigham, Darwin L.,
county superintendent of schools; Birum, Ener, flour mill, one
mile north ; Bissel, E. H, jeweler ; Boutell, Frederick M., house
and sign painter ; Bowen & Lamberton, lumber ; Bowers, John H.
probate judge and lawyer; Brainard, W. P., grain and elevator;
Braley, George W., prop., Redwood County Bank ; Britton, John,
cabinet maker; Bunce, George W., prop., Commercial House;
Bunce, Jacob D., grocer ; Bunch, S. T., furniture and undertaker ;
Chandler & Rockwell, hardware and stoves ; Chapman, Edwin 0.,
wagon-maker; Christie, John, dentist; Clayson, Walter S., dry
goods, etc. ; Commercial House, Geo. W. Bounce, prop. ; Cook, A.
A., & Co., props., Delhi flouring mills ; Crocker, Charles, groceries
and provisions; Crouley, Wm., groceries and provisions; Cuff &
Co., flour mill ; Delhi Flour Mills, A. A. Cook & Co., props. ; Dick-
inson, Wm. F., prop., Bank of Redwood Falls ; Drake, George, sad-
dle and harness-maker; Dunn, Rev. Charles S. H. (Methodist);
Dunnington, Wm. P., register U. S. Land office ; Exchange Hotel,
0. D. Sickler, prop. ; Fargo, H. B., farm implements ; Flynn, Bar-
ney, land agent ; Gale, A. L., county sheriff ; Gordon, Bishop, farm
implements; Hawk, Wm. H., clerk of district court; Herriott,
Wm. B., editor and prop, the Redwood Gazette ; Herriott, Wm.
B., receiver U. S. Land Office ; Hitchcock, D. L., & Son, druggists ;
Hoppenrath, R. K., boot and shoemaker; Hotchkiss, F. V., black-
smith ; Jaeger, Frank, saddle and harness-maker ; Johnson, Ben-
jamin, baker and grocer ; King Brothers, dry goods and clothing ;
Laird, Morton & Chollar, lumber; Laird & Dornberg, hardware,
farm implements ; Lechner & Ackmann, groceries, crockery, etc. ;
Leibenguth George, meat market ; Lichtwarck, Joseph, wines and
liquors; Long, Miss L. W., milliner and fancy goods; McCartey,
August E., livery stable; McKay & Race, grocers; McMillan,
James, general store; Malmberg & Ingalls, insurance agents;
March, Thomas A., boots and shoes; Marsh, Rev. G. D. (Presbyte^
rian) ; Masters, S. 0., county surveyor; Matter, Mrs. E., dress-
maker; Matter, Wm., photographer; Nelson, George, meat mar-
ket; Offerman, Matt, saloon and billiards; O'Hara, Francis M.,
wines and liquors ; 0 'Hara, Oscar E., druggist ; Paxton, J. Wilson,
loans and real estate; Pearson, A. L., mason; Peterson, John A.,
blacksmith ; Philbrick & Francois, general store ; Powell, M. E.,
lawyer ; Redwood County Bank, Geo. W. Braley, prop. ; Redwood
Gazette (weekly), W. B. Harriott, prop.; Redwood House, John
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 499
Strawsell, prop.; Robinson, James B., register of deeds; Sears,
Moses, boot and shoemaker; Sewell, Joseph, grocer, boots and
shoes, etc.; Sickler, 0. D., prop., Exchange Hotel; Simmons &
Ortt, farm implements; Smith, Peter, saloon and billiards; Spaf-
ford, George H., watches and jewelry; Stickle, Samuel S., court
commissioner ; Stickle & Wiltshire, general store ; Stoddard, C. S.,
physician ; Strawsell, John, prop., Redwood House ; Tenny, Wm.
P., barber; Thomas, John H., blacksmith; Tibbetts, Till, land
agent; Truesdell, Levi, saddle and harnessmaker ; Tyler, W. C,
express and railroad agent ; Van Schaack, Isaac M., county audi-
tor ; Wallin, Alfred, county attorney ; Walton, Mrs. T. E., milliner
and fancy goods ; Wasson & Crooks, blacksmiths ; Watton, Davis,
civil engineer ; Werton & Ruter, flour mills ; Whitcomb, Oliver P.,
grain and elevator ; Wilson, Robert A., dry goods ; Zwick & Rigby,
farm implements.
The Gazetteer gives this description of Redwood Falls in its
issue of 1882: "The terminus of the Minnesota Valley branch
of the Winona & St. Peter division of the Chicago & North West-
ern railway, and the county seat of Redwood county, in the north-
ern-central part of which it is situated, on the Redwood river, at
its confluence with the Minnesota, from which power is derived
and utilized by four flouring mills and a saw mill, besides which
the place contains 1,000 inhabitants, two banks, five hotels, the
most popular of churches, good schools and the usual number of
stores, shops and residences, and has stage communications with
New Ulm and Beaver Falls daily. St. Paul is 110 miles distant.
Express : American. Telegraph : Western Union. Mail, daily.
Robert Watson, postmaster." The business and professional di-
rectory follows: Aekmann, Wm., grocer; Aiken, James, book
and job printer, and publisher of Redwood Gazette; Anderson,
Rev. Robt. E. (Presbyterian) ; Bailey House, Bailey, prop. ; Baker,
Sanford C, livery; Baker, Wm. E., farm implements and flour
mill; Baldwin, Hial D., attorney at law, loans and real estate;
Baldwin, H. D., & Son, flour and feed ; Bell, N. H., & Co., furniture
and undertaking; Birum, Ener, flour mill, one mile north; Bou-
telle, Frederick M., painter; Bowers, John H., probate judge;
Brainard, W. P., grain dealer ; Browne, Samuel F., merchant tail-
or; Bunce, Jacob D., restaurant; Bunch, Salathier T., furniture
and undertaker; Butterfield, Marshal K., groceries and notions;
Buxton, Broughton & Tyson, meat market ; Chandler, Edward A.,
hardware and stoves; Chapman, Edwin O., wagonmaker; Clayson,
Walter S., general store ; Cronk, Miss Belle, milliner ; Crouley, W.,
& Co. (Wm. Crouley, S. J. F. Ruter), general store; Cuff, E., &
Co., flouring mill ; Dickinson, Wm. F., prop., Bank of Redwood
Falls; Drake, George, harnessmaker; Dunnington, James M.,
grocer; Dunnington, Wm. P., register U. S. land office; Ensign,
Franklin, clerk of district court; Everett, H. D., hotel prop.;
500 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Exchange Hotel, E. S. Hammond, prop.; Flynn, Barney, land
agent; Gale, A. L., sheriff; George, C. W., & Co., lumber; Good-
rich, Simeon S., flour and feed ; Gordon, Bishop, farm implements ;
Hammond, E. S., prop., Exchange Hotel; Herriott, Wm. B., re-
ceiver U. S. land office; Hitchcock, D. L., & Son (Dennis, L., &
Hiram M.), druggists; Hoppenrath, Robert K., shoemaker; Hotch-
kiss, F. V., blacksmith; Jaeger, Frank, harnessmaker ; Johnson,
Benjamin, baker; King Bros. (Walter B. and Almon E.), dry-
goods; Laird & Dornberg (Dallas J. Laird, Otto L. Dornberg),
hardware and farm implements; Laird, Norton & Chollar (Wm.
H. Laird, Matthew G. and James L. Norton, Henry D. Chollar),
lumber; Leibinguth, George, meat market; Lichtwark, Joseph,
saloon; Loud, Herbert J., druggist; McCartey, August E., livery;
McConnell, John A., meat market ; McDonnell, Michael J., board-
ing house; McKay & Race (Gilbert E. McKay, Samuel J. Race),
grocers; McMillan, James, general store; Malmberg, E., insur-
ance; March, Thomas A., boots and shoes; Marshman, R. L.,
county superintendent of schools ; Matter, Wm., photographer and
grocer; Merritt & Lys, foundry; Mueller, Peter, saloon; Offer-
mann, Mart, saloon and billiards ; Pearson, A. L., mason ; Pem-
berton, Rev. (Methodist) ; Peterson, John A., blacksmith ; Phil-
brick & Francois (Fremont W. Philbrick, Alexander Francois),
general store; Pond & Co., books and stationery; Powell, Milton
E., county attorney; Redwood County Bank, Geo. W. Braley,
president, Augustus A. Cook, cashier; Redwood Gazette (weekly),
James Aiken, publisher and proprietor; Robinson, James B.,
register of deeds; Sears, Moses, shoemaker; Spofford Bros.
(George H. and John W.), watches and jewelry; Stickel, Samuel
S., court commissioner ; Stoddard, C. S., physician ; Strawsell,
John, hotel proprietor; Tenney, Wm. P., barber; Thomas, John
H., blacksmith; Thompson, James L., farm implements; Tibbetts,
Till, land agent and county surveyor; Truesdell, Levi, harness-
maker; Tyler, W. G, railroad and express agent; Van Schaack,
Isaac M., county auditor; Wallin, Alfred, lawyer; Walton, Mrs.
T. E., millinery and fancy goods; Warner, Fred L., clerk U. S.
land office ; Wasson & Bager, blacksmiths ; Walton, David, civil
engineer; Werton & Ruter, flour mills; Whitcomb, 0. P., grain
dealer and elevator ; Wilson, Robert A., dry goods.
Redwood Falls was surveyed for Sam. McPhail by David
Watson in October, 1865. The plat was filed for record April 9,
1866. The village was located in section 1, township 112, range
36. All streets were 60 feet wide, and all alleys 20 feet wide.
All street lines were due east and west and north and south.
The plat consisted of twenty blocks. Each block contained twelve
lots, except blocks 6, 7, 10 and 11, each of which had two lots
cut out by Court House square. The boundaries were Bridge and
Fifth streets on the north and south and Minnesota and East
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 501
streets on the west and east. The north and south streets begin-
ning at the west were Minnesota, Mull, Washington, Jefferson,
Lincoln and East streets. The east and west streets, beginning
at the north, were Bridge, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth.
Third and Jefferson streets were intercepted by Court House
square.
The plat of the Western Addition to Redwood Falls was filed
Dec. 29, 1866. The owner was Sam. McPhail.
The plat of Watson Addition to Redwood Falls was filed April
30, 1866. David Watson was the proprietor.
The plat of Watson's Second Addition to Redwood Falls was
filed Aug. 16, 1869. Norman and Martha E. Webster were the
proprietors.
The plat of Watson's Third Addition to Redwood Falls was
filed Aug. 6, 1878. The proprietors were Norman and Mrs. David
Watson.
The plat of Watson's Fourth Addition to Redwood Falls was
filed Aug. 6, 1884. The proprietors were Norman and Martha
E. Webster.
The plat of Hitchcock's Addition to Redwood Falls was filed
December 17, 1868. The proprietors were D. L. and Pamela D.
Hitchcock.
The plat of Hitchcock's Second Addition to Redwood Falls
was filed Dec. 12, 1870. The proprietors were D. L. and Pamela
D. Hitchcock.
The plat of Hitchcock's Third Addition to Redwood Falls
was filed Sept. 19, 1878. The proprietors were D. L. and Pamela
D. Hitchcock.
The plat of the Eastern Addition to Redwood Falls was filed
Aug. 13, 1914. The owners were Hans and Marie E. Jensen, and
Martin and Franziska Lohrenz.
The plat of Lamberton's Addition to Redwood Falls was filed
July 27, 1878. The owner was Henry W. Lamberton.
The plat of Crouley's Addition to Redwood Falls was filed
Oct. 4, 1879. The owner was William Crouley.
A plat showing the subdivisions of the southeast quarter of
the southeast quarter of section 36, town 113, range 36 was filed
Feb. 18, 1879.
The plat of the Peavey Lakeside Addition to Redwood Falls
was filed July 14, 1909. This land belonged to H. H. Peavey and
Ella S. Peavey, his wife.
Redwood Falls was incorporated by a legislative act approved
Feb. 18, 1876 (Chapter XV Special Laws of 1876), under the pro-
visions of Chapter 139, General Laws of 1875. Birney Flynn,
C. C. Stickle and S. J. F. Ruter were named as commissioners to
carry the incorporation into effect. The area of the new village
included the west half of section 6, township 112, range 35; all
502 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
of section 1, and the east half of section 2, township 112, range
36; all of section 31, township 113, range 35; and all of section
36, township 113, range 36.
The first election was held in the office of Birney Flynn, March
9, 1876, in charge of George A. Buxton and H. A. Luck, judges
of election. Nearly one hundred votes were cast. The following
officers were elected: President, M. E. Powell; trustees, James
McMillan, S. F. Robinson and A. M. Cook; recorder, W. A.
Sursher; treasurer, W. D. Flinn; justice of the peace, E. 0.
Chapman ; constable, Thomas McMillan. The first meeting of the
council was held at the law office of M. E. Powell, March 11, 1876.
The village organization continued until April 1, 1891, when
a special city charter passed by the legislature was approved by
the government. The first meeting of the new council was held
April 2, 1891, the officers present being Mayor W. F. Dickinson;
Aldermen A. W. Badger, A. C. Schmahl, C. C. Peck and G. R.
Rose ; Recorder 0. W. McMillan. H. Winter was appointed chief
of police and William Crooks, policeman. John P. O'Hare was
appointed street commissioner. H. A. Baldwin has been the city's
only treasurer. The present officers are: Mayor, C. A. Luscher;
aldermen, John Whittet, J. F. Knudson, J. K. Drury, Fred M.
Banker (appointed in place of Oliver S. Dunham, recently de-
ceased) ; recorder, H. W. Ward; treasurer, H. A. Baldwin;
municipal judge, Finley Gray ; assessor, H. N. Bell ; chief of police,
L. H. Kuck ; clerk of municipal court, H. W. Ward ; park board,
H. M. Hitchcock, David McNaughton, H. A. Baldwin ; board of
health, Dr. S. L. Leonard, Otto Melges and H. M. Hitchcock.
BELVIEW.
(By A. 0. Gimmestad.)
The village of Belview is one of the neatest and most active
in the county, and the spirit of its citizens has done much for
the progress and advancement of the whole community. It is
located in section 8, Kintire township, on the Minneapolis & St.
Louis Railroad, 119 miles from Minneapolis, and five miles from
Echo, in Yellow Medicine county. Redwood Falls, with which
it is connected with a splendid gravel state road, is fifteen miles
away. Education, religious, public and commercial affairs, are
given deep attention, and there are found here: Norwegian
Lutheran Synod, Swedish Augustana Lutheran, and English Con-
gregational churches; a school house costing $20,000 and cover-
ing eight grades and a four years' high school course; a circular
park ; a village hall costing $4,000 ; a fire house and fire company
with gasoline engine, hose truck, and chemical extinguishers; a
modern creamery and Farmers' Elevator Co.; with other ele-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 503
vators, stores, and business enterprises necessary to an up-to-date
and thrifty country village. The Commercial club, the Automo-
bile club and the band all tend to make the place widely known.
The Belview park is a circular park of about three acres,
platted and donated to the village in 1899 by A. D. Southworth,
in Southworth 's Second Addition. It was graded and planted to
trees and shrubs in 1900.
The village cemetery consists of three acres, is located about
fifty rods south from the village limits and was purchased from
A. D. Southworth in 1896.
The fire protection consists of four 700-barrel cisterns located
in different parts of the village ; a well, 6x6, 168 feet deep, fur-
nishes water for the cisterns; one Waterous 12-horsepower gaso-
line engine, 1,000 feet of hose, hook and ladder truck, and one
80-gallon chemical extinguisher.
Belview is widely known for its splendid band. The first band
was started in about 1892. A. F. Pottratz was its first leader.
The only one of its charter members now residing here is A. O.
Gimmestad. The present band consists of twenty pieces. It
has, for the last six years, had the able and professional musician,
Noble Coucheron, of Olivia, Minn., as its leader. The members
are : A. "W. Lyslo, Waldemar Lyslo, Bernard Gimmestad, Carlyle
Rahn, Edwin Olson, C. Norman Enestvedt, Alfred Enestvedt,
Knute Hegdal, Casper Olson, Lars B. Seljevold, Knute C. Knut-
son, Oscar Gimmestad, Edwin Monson, Albert A. Monson,
Edward Sampson, John H. Johnson, Forest Dryer, Jesse Olson,
Lewis Hoppenrath, Albert Hoppenrath : Officers : A. "W. Lyslo,
president ; Knute Knutson, vice-president ; Oscar Gimmestad, sec-
retary; Knute Hegdal, treasurer.
The Belview Automobile club was organized in the spring of
1913. Its first and present officers are : A. O. Gimmestad, presi-
dent; Wm. Mack, vice-president, H. O. Hegdal, secretary, N. W.
Eide, treasurer. It has taken active interest in better roads, has
bought five road drags, seeded road sides to tame grass, etc., and
has had annual tours in different directions each year, annual
banquets, and is a very active and lively club, consisting of about
sixty members. A. O. Gimmestad is now, and has been the last
three years, its member on the board of directors of the Minne-
sota State Automobile Association.
The first Belview Commercial Club was organized about 1892.
In 1893 it secured a flour mill for Belview, gathered about $1,500
bonus and furnished the site and rock for foundation for the mill
building. It has at various times been instrumental in locating
enterprises and promoting the social as well as the material con-
dition in and about Belview; has, the last five years furnished a
lecture course of six to nine lectures and entertainments each
year. It has the following active committees : Membership and
504 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
entertainment, legislative and advertising, city development,
manufacture and mercantile, park and band stand, good roads,
lecture course and community calendar. Its present officers re:
A. 0. Gimmestad, president; Nels Monson, vice-president; J. S.
Gunelson, secretary, and H. A. Dreyer, treasurer.
The railroad was constructed through the present site of Bel-
view in 1884, but the village was not started until 1887, when
Charles H. Jones and Justin F. Jones, brothers, erected a general
store and grain warehouse, and F. L. Simpson erected a grain
elevator.
The little hamlet gradually grew, and in 1890, the North-
western Gazetter records the settlement as a flourishing village
with a population of 35, and the following business activities:
Jones Brothers, general store; Jones, C. M., railroad agent and
postmaster ; Jones, J. F., coal and grain ; Kolean, S. 0., hardware ;
Leppman, George, grain and lumber ; Martin, John, wood and live
stock ; Simpson, F. L., lumber and grain ; Sueter, Pauline, music
teacher; Sueter, R. L., blacksmith.
The village was platted in 1889, and was incorporated in
1892-93. A census of Nov. 26, 1892, having shown a population of
177, a petition asking for incorporation was drawn up Nov. 29,
1892, and presented to the county commissioners. The petitioners
were : J. M. Thompson, A. F. Potratz, Sten 0. Kolin, B. Simpson,
Martin Listrud, T. Thompson, Peter Eischen, Frank Jaeger, Ole
Hanson, J. 0. Moline, A. 0. Gimmestad, Tom Anderson, Halvor
Helgeson, Theo. Ochs, Olie Johnson, H. T. Helgeson, A. H. Bakke,
T. W. Gaffney, Clif Reynolds, Ole. H. Mogen, John 0. Gordon,
Ambrose Fromm, Orin Gibbs, G. H. Kravik, C. C. Enestvedt, John
Evans, A. F. Ellies, H. Haagenson, George Kroy, H. F. Jones,
F. L. Simpson, W. J. Howes. Of these there are now living in
the village: A. 0. Gimmestad, C. C. Enestvedt, 0. H. Mogen,
B. Simpson and F. L. Simpson. An election on the matter of
incorporating was held at the store of 0. T. Ramsland & Co., Dec.
31, 1892, in charge of H. F. Jones, Martin Listrud and Sten O.
Kolin, and of the forty votes cast, every one was in favor of the
proposition. This action was approved by the county board on
Jan. 3, 1893. At the regular village election which followed,
these officers were elected : President, J. M. Thompson ; trustees,
S. O. Kolin, Olie Johnson and 0. H. Mogen; treasurer, Martin
Listrud; recorder, John Evans; justices, A. 0. Gimmestad and
H. T. Helgeson ; constables, Haagen Haagenson and Alfred Kling.
At the annual election held in Frommes wagon shop on March
13, 1894, the following officers were elected: C. H. Jones, presi-
dent of council ; G. F. Rahn, John Evans, A. 0. Gimmestad, trus-
tees; G. H. Kravik, treasurer; A. J. Simpson, Recorder; A. 0.
Gimmestad, justice of the peace ; John Moline, constable. At the
annual election held in A. 0. Gimmestad 's office on March 1, 1895,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 505
the following officers were elected : John Evans, president of
council ; G. F. Rahn, 0. H. Mogen, A. 0. Gimmestad, trustees ;
G. H. Kravik, treasurer; A. J. Simpson, recorder; A. 0. Gim-
mestad, Olie Hanson, justices of the peace, B. Simpson, A. Kling,
constables. At the annual election held in A. 0. Gimmestad 's
office on February 29, 1896, the following officers were elected:
A. 0. Gimmestad, president of council ; John Evans, Ole Cole, Tom
Thompson, trustees; G. H. Kravik, treasurer; B. F. Hetcher,
recorder; W. J. Howes, justice of the peace; Alfred Kling,
constable. At the annual election held in the office of A. O. Gim-
mestad on February 27, 1897, the following officers were elected :
A. 0. Gimmestad, president of council; John Evans, G. F. Rahn,
A. Leonard, trustees; J. M. Thompson, treasurer; Fred Potratz,
recorder; A. 0. Gimmestad, M. E. Lewis, justices of the peace;
J. M. Katzenberger, S. 0. Kolin, constables. At the annual elec-
tion held in the office of A. 0. Gimmestad on February 26, 1898,
the following officers were elected: F. Potratz, president of
council; John Evans, Fred Koher, B. Garries, trustees; J. M.
Thompson, treasurer; Wm. H. "Wallace, recorder; C. H. Jones,
M. E. Lewis, justices of the peace ; Chas. Katzenberger, constable.
At the annual election held in the fire hall on March 14, 1899,
the following officers were elected: John Martin, president of
council ; W. H. Pease, W. I. Howes, T. W. Wallace, trustees ; J. M.
Thompson, treasurer; F. Potratz, recorder; C. L. Newhouse,
justice of the peace; John McKowen, constable. At the annual
election held in the village fire hall on March 13, 1900, the follow-
ing officers were elected : A. 0. Gimmestad, president of council ;
G. A. Lehmann, John Evans, Ole Darud, councilmen ; J. M. Thomp-
son, treasurer; Otto Goetze, recorder; Wm. H. Wallace, Jens
Gunelson, justices of the peace; W. H. Peace, constable. At the
annual election held in the village fire hall on March 12, 1901,
the following officers were elected: A. 0. Gimmestad, president
of council; A. Leonard, Ole Darud, H. P. Dredge, councilmen;
J. M. Thompson, treasurer ; Otto Goetze, recorder ; Jno. McKowen,
B. Simpson, constables. At the annual election held in the village
fire hall on March 11, 1902, the following officers were elected :
G. F. Rahn, president of council ; H. P. Dredge, A. Leonard, G. A.
Lehmann, councilmen; J. M. Thompson, treasurer; Otto Goetze,
recorder ; J. S. Gunelson, H. M. Keene, justices of the peace ; C. C.
Enestvedt, contable. At the annual election held in the village
fire hall on March 10, 1903, the following officers were elected:
A. Leonard, president of council ; Ole H. Darud, Andrew Peterson,
G. A. Lehmann, councilmen ; J. M. Thompson, treasurer ; F. Hall-
berg, recorder; A. F. Potratz, Fred Hallberg, justices of the
peace ; Henry Fish, B. Maus, constables. At the annual election
held in fire hall on March 14, 1904, the following officers were
elected : A. Leonard, president of council ; O. H. Darud, H. M.
506 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Strandjord, B. Holvik, councilmen; J. M. Thompson, treasurer;
F. Hallberg, recorder; C. C. Enestvedt, assessor; J. S. Gunelson,
justice of the peace ; Henry Fish constable. At the annual elec-
tion held in the village hall on March 14, 1905, the following offi-
cers were elected: A. Leonard, president of council; B. Garries,
I. Holvik, Andrew Peterson, councilmen ; J. M. Thompson, treas-
urer ; J. S. Gunelson, recorder ; C. C. Enestvedt, assessor ; F. Hall-
berg, justice of the peace ; John Adsit, constable. At the annual
election held in the council room on March 13, 1905, the follow-
ing officers were elected: A. Leonard, president of council; I.
Holvik, Andrew Peterson, O. 0. Tinnesand, councilmen; J. M.
Thompson, treasurer; J. S. Gunelson, recorder; Knute Hegdal,
assessor, J. S. Gunelson, justice of the peace. At the annual elec-
tion held in the council room on March 12, 1907, the following
officers were elected : F. G. Tuttle, president of council ; Andrew
Peterson, E. D. Collins, I. Holvik, councilmen; A. 0. Gimmestad,
treasurer; J. S. Gunelson, recorder; Knute Hegdal, assessor;
M. H. Sandager, justice of the peace ; Louis Leonard, Henry Fish,
constables. At the annual election held in the councilroom on
March 10, 1908, the following officers were elected : F. G. Tuttle,
president of council ; E. D. Collins, I. Holvik, Andrew Peterson,
councilmen ; A. 0. Gimmestad, treasurer ; J. S. Gunelson, recorder ;
Knute Hegdal, assessor ; F. H. Aldrich, A. 0. Gimmestad, justices
of the peace. At the annual election held in council room in
village hall on March 9, 1909, the following officers were elected :
F. A. Aldrich president of council; J. J. Holvik, E. D. Collins,
Andrew Peterson, councilmen; A. 0. Gimmetsad, treasurer; J. S.
Gunelson, recorder; Knute Hegdal, assessor; Henry Fish, Louis
Leonard, constables. At the annual election held in the council
room in village hall on March 8, 1910, the following officers were
elected : F. H. Aldrich, president of council ; I. I. Holvik, Sam
Sampson, Henry Fish, councilmen; G. F. Rahn, treasurer; E. D.
Collins, recorder; J. S. Gunelson, C. C. Enestvedt justices of
the peace. At the annual election held in the village hall on
March 14, 1911, the following officers were elected: G. A.
Southworth, president of council; S. E. Kohls, August F.
Abraham, F. Bloedow, councilmen; Sam Sampson, treasurer;
James Hjeldness, recorder; Knute Hedgal, assessor; F. G. Tut-
tle, A. 0. Gimmestad, constables. At the annual election held
in village hall on March 12, 1912, the following officers
were elected: F. G. Tuttle, president of council; Rier Gryting,
F. Bloedow, E. E. Kohls, councilmen; Otto Flom, treasurer;
James Hjeldness, recorder; M. H. Sandager, H. A. Dreyer,
justices of the peace. At the annual election held in council room
of village hall on March 11, 1913", the following officers were
elected: E. E. Kohls, president of council; Wm. Monson, F.
Bloedow, R. E. Gryting, councilmen; Sam Sampson, treasurer;
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 507
James Hjeldness, recorder ; Knute Hegdal, assessor ; B. A. Eaton,
justice of the peace ; Thomas Hagen, M. H. Sandager, constables.
At the annual election held in council room of village hall on
March 10, 1914, the following officers were elected: E. E. Kohls,
president of council; R. E. Gryting, Wm. Monson, P. Bloedow,
councilmen ; Sam Sampson, treasurer ; James Hjeldness, recorder ;
J. S. Gunelson, W. 0. Russell, justices of the peace ; B. Simpson,
constable. At the annual election held in the village hall on
March 9, 1915, the following officers were elected: J. S. Gunel-
son, president of council ; Wm. Monson, Gust Sampson, Ben Simp-
son, councilmen; Sam Sampson, treasurer; James Hjeldness,
recorder; Knute Hedgal, assessor; Tom Hagen, constable.
The original plat of Belview was filed on May 21, 1889. The
land in a part of the south half of section 8, town 113, range 37,
was surveyed by Charles V. Everett for H. P. and Mary E.
Jones on May 13, 1889. There were two whole and two unequal
blocks. The streets were eighty feet wide and there were no
alleys. The north and south streets, starting at the west, are,
Lake, Main and Randolph. The east and west streets, starting at
the north, are, Hibbard and Second avenues.
Jones' First Addition to Belview was filed Sept. 1, 1892. The
land was owned by H. F. and Mary E. Jones. Southworth's Addi-
tion to Belview was filed on Feb. 23, 1897. The land was owned
by A. D. Southworth. Southworth's Re-arrangement of Blocks
4, 5, 6, and 8, in his Addition to Belview, and also Southworth's
Second Addition to Belview, are superseded by other plats.
Jones' Second Addition to Belview was filed Nov. 27, 1899. This
land was owned by H. F. and Mary E. Jones.
CLEMENTS.
The railroad was built through the present site of Clements
in 1902. A little trading center had been located one mile north
of the what is now the village. At that point was the Three Lakes
Farmers' Co-operative Creamery, with J. J. Lorentzon as butter
maker. There also was the general store of Rongstad & Thorston,
in which was kept the Clements postoffice with L. J. Rongstad as
postmaster. A tri-weekly stage to Morgan carried the mail.
At this time Henry Petrie owned the land which embraces the
present village. His farmhouse was near where the schoolhouse
is now located. His land was sold to the Town Lot Co. for $50
an acre. The first town lot sale was held in May, 1902, and busi-
ness activities at once commenced.
H. C. Warnke opened a saloon in a barn, he and Berg Brothers
later erecting a brick building, and continuing the saloon. In the
same brick building they also had a harness shop.
Rongstad & Thorston moved their store from the Three Lakes
508 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Creamery, and with it the postoffice, L. J. Rongstad still continu-
ing as postmaster. Gerstmann & Hoffenspirger opened a hard-
ware and implement store in a barn, and later erected a suitable
store building. The State Bank of Clements erected a sightly
brick building which has since housed that institution. The depot
was put up, the Laird-Norton Yards opened a lumber yard in
charge of Louis G. Lowie, and the Western Elevator Co., Schmidt
& Anderson and the Sleepy Eye Milling Co. all erected elevators.
S. G. Peterson opened a store in Warnke's brick building,
followed shortly afterwards by Peter C. Nisson & Co., who suc-
ceeded him. A livery barn was opened by W. P. Schmidt, and a
blacksmith shop by the Wichmann Brothers. Mr. Schmidt also
put up a saloon building and opened a saloon. George B. Gag
opened a hotel.
Residences were erected by Otto Gerstmann, F. H. Bauer-
meister, Albert P. Fenecke, F. X. Schlumperger, Joseph Eppel
and Walter Thompson. The St. Joseph Catholic church was
started that fall and completed the following spring. The Ger-
man Lutheran church was not erected until some time later.
The village continued to grow, and the Northwestern Gazetteer
of 1904 showed the following business activities: Bacher, John
and Gustaf, saloon; Berg Bros., saloon; Egenberger, Mathias,
justice; Farmers' Co-operative Creamery, S. C. Wohlford, man-
ager; Gerstmann & Hopfenspriger, hardware; Gag, George B.,
hotel; Laird-Norton Yards, lumber; Nissen, Peter C, & Co., gen-
eral store; Prokosch & Clements, livery; Queal, J. H., & Co.,
lumber; Rohner, Jacob, mason; Rongstad & Thorston, general
store; Schlekan, J. J., railroad, express and telegraph agent
Sleepy Eye Milling Co., B. A. Eaton, agent, grain elevator
Schmidt & Anderson Co., Joseph Peakert, agent, grain elevator
State Bank of Clements, Joseph Epple, cashier ; Western Elevator
Co., F. H. Bauermeister, agent; Wichmann, Emil E., blacksmith.
The Gazetter of 1906 describes the village as containing a
bank, a hotel, a creamery, three elevators, a Catholic church, a
school house, and many important business houses and business
interests, as follows : Bacher, John and Gustaf, saloon ; Christen-
sen & Viegel, saloon; Eisenberger, Mathias, justice; Farmers' Co-
operative Creamery, S. C. Wohlford, manager; Gerstmann &
Hopfenspriger, hardware; Healey, Howard, barber; Jensen,
Miller, meats ; Laird-Norton Yards, lumber ; Nissen, P. C, & Co.,
general store; Olson & Christensen live stock; Prokasch & Cle-
ments, livery ; Queal, J. H, & Co., lumber ; Restou, Herman, hotel ;
Rohner, Jacob, mason; Rongstad & Thorson, general store;
Sehlekau, J. J., railroad, express and telegraph agent ; Sleepy Eye
Milling Co., B. A. Eaton, agent, grain elevator; Smith & Ander-
son Co., Jos. Penkert, agent, grain elevator; State Bank of Cle-
ments (capital, $15,000; H. C. Warnke, president; Joseph Epps,
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 509
cashier); Steinhaus, Charles, thresher; Western Elevator Co.,
F. H. Bauermeister, agent ; Wichman, Emil E., blacksmith ; Wich-
man, Edward, thresher; Wolford Bros., threshers.
The village has been furnished with street lights from the
private plant of A. E. Clements. The village hall is a sightly
structure erected in 1907, a large frame building, ornamented
with towering pillars in front. It is used as an opera house and
for general meeting purposes.
The original plat of Clements was filed March 24, 1902. It
was surveyed for the Western Town Lot Co. by P. R. Kline on
Feb. 12, 1902. This land was a part of the northeast quarter of
section 33, town 111, range 35. There were four whole blocks
and five unequal ones. All the streets were 70 feet wide except
Pine and Firsts, which were 80 feet, and Front, which was 66
feet. The alleys were each 20 feet wide. The north and south
streets starting on the west were Oak, Pine and Elm. The east
and west streets, beginning at the south were Front, parallel to
the railroad tracks, First, Second and Third.
The Town Lot Co. has platted two additions. The plat of
Blocks 10, 11, 12 and 13 was filed Dec. 3, 1902, and of Blocks 14,
15 and 16, on Sept. 9, 1915.
A petition asking for the incorporation of a part of section
33, township 111, range 35, as the village of Clements, was pre-
sented to the county commissioners, dated May 14, 1903, the
census of that date having shown the hamlet to have a population
of 143 persons. The signers of the petition were : F. H. Bauer-
meister, Otto Oerstmann, H. C. Warnke, Ernest Juhnke, Albert
Juhnke, Jos. Epple, Lewie J. Rongstad, B. A. Eaton, W. F. Schle-
kan, F. H. Schlumpberger, Alfred A. Schlumpberger, J. J. Schle-
kan ; J. J. Schmitt, P. C. Nissen, L. G. Cowie, A. P. Fenscke, A. H.
Hoffmann, Matt Eigenberger, Michael Blake, J. Jakof Rosmer,
E. C. Wichmann, G. J. Gag, P. O. Wielandt, August Tremel,
Henry Bernard, Anton H. Berg and E. R. Wichmann.
The petition was granted and an election ordered held in
Warnke 's Hall, on June 27, 1903, in charge of F. H. Bauermeister,
Otto Gerstmann and L. J. Rongstad Of the thirty-one votes cast
on the question at the election, all were in favor of the incorpora-
tion. The first officers of the village were : President, Otto
Gerstmann, trustees, Emil Wichmann, F. X. Slumperger, L. G.
Rongstad ; recorded, F. H. Bauermeister ; treasurer, Joseph Epple.
The first constable was Walter Thompson.
DELHI.
Delhi is one of the older villages of Redwood county, having
been started in 1884, soon after the railroad came through. The
land was principally owned by A. Y. Felton of Plainview, who
510 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
gave every other lot in the village to the railroad, as well as an
extensive right-of-way. At that time the Felton farmhouse,
located on about lot 4, block 1, was occupied by John McKellhier.
In the summer of 1884, A. H. Anderson, afterwards county
auditor, and J. L. Borg, now a prominent resident of Delhi,
reached the site of the future village. These young men had
previously been farming in Carver county, and had fixed upon
Delhi as the scene of their future operations.
No survey had then been made, but the two partners purchased
a granary standing south of the Felton farmhouse, and, after haul-
ing goods from Redwood Falls, opened a small store. This gran-
ary, rebuilt and remodelled, is still standing north of Mr. Borg's
present residence, and east of its original location.
J. L. Borg returned to his home in Carver county, while his
brother, C. 0. Borg, now of Redwood Falls, and A. H. Anderson,
conducted the store. The elevator and the depot were built
that fall.
The residents of Delhi during the winter of 1884-85 were C. 0.
Borg and A. H. Anderson, living over their store; H. J. Heath,
the grain buyer, living in the Felton farm house ; R. R. Hurlbut,
the station agent, living over the railroad station ; and John Mc-
Guire, the section boss, living in the section house. Some of these
gentlemen had their families with them.
J. L. Borg brought his family here Sept. 4, 1885, moved the
granary to its present location north of his residence and moved
into it.
The town grew slowly. The Northwestern Gazetteer gives
the following business activities for Delhi in 1886: Atkinson &
Hurlbut, general store and drugs; Borg & Anderson, general
store ; Boehm, Edward, hotel ; Heath, H. J., agent for the Pacific
Elevator Co.; Hurlbut, R. R., express, telegraph and railroad
agent, dealer in lumber and builders' materials. The village then
had a population of thirty people. It is now noted as a grain
center and is widely known for its beautiful residence section.
The business directory for 1888 is as follows: Atkinson &
Hurlbut, general store ; Boehm, Edward, hotel ; Borg & Anderson,
general store; Borg, C. 0., hardware; Chollar, H. D., lumber;
Heath, H. J., agent Pacific Elevator Co.; Hurlbut, R. R., post-
master, lumber, general store and express, telegraph and railroad
agent ; Knutson, Ole, blacksmith ; M. & St. L. Elevator Co., grain ;
Mulford, A. D., & Co., grain; Pacific Elevator Co., H. J. Heath,
agent.
In 1890 the business had increased to considerable proportions :
Anderson, A. H., justice ; Atkinson, E., general store ; Balis, Rev.
W. E. (Presbyterian) ; Boehen, Edward, hotel and feed mill
(steam power) ; Borg, C. 0., hardware ; Borg & Anderson, general
store ; Cumming, J. 0., coal and wood ; Cumming & Co., farm im-
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 511
plements; Goody, P., carpenter; Interstate Grain Co., C. Alex-
ander agent; Knutson, Ole, blacksmith; Lagerstrom, C, carpen-
ter; Lagerstorm, J. A., hotel; McCorquodale, D., postmaster;
McLean Bros., lumber ; M. & St. L. Elevator Co., A. H. Anderson,
agent, grain; Mulford, A. D. & Co., grain; Pacific Elevator Co.,
H. J. Heath, agent ; Pierson, C. A., railroad, express and telegraph
agent ; Sherwin, E. W., principal public school.
The original plat of Delhi was surveyed for Charles F. Hatch,
Asa Y. Felton and Lizzie L. Felton, on Sept. 1, 1884, by W. S.
Dawley, in the northwest quarter of section 17, town 113, range 36.
All the streets are 66 feet wide, except Railroad avenue, running
parallel with the track, which is 40 feet wide. The north and
south streets, beginning at the east are : East, First, Second,
Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and "West. The east and west streets,
beginning at the north are : North avenue, Vanderburg avenue,
Franklin avenue and Cass avenue. Railroad avenue, bounding
the village on the south, runs northwest and southeast. All the
alleys are 20 feet wide.
A petition for the incorporation of Delhi village was drawn up
on Oct. 6, 1902, and was signed by the following leading citizens :
E. L. Chubb, H. N. Rivers, E. D. House, T. W. McKeen,- George
Sehumm, H. Floyd, D. 0. Schooley, Ed. Boehm, Thos. Steele,
M. Christenson, Ole Gustafson, Ole L. Flore, A. D. McLean, H. C.
Engeman, Alden J. Laidlaw, F. J. Tibbetts, J. L. Borg, Emil Borg,
E. Atkinson, Henry T. Helgeson, Ole Knudson, Henry Anderson,
Willis W. Creswell, Isaac Leslie, Geo. Leslie, P. H. Olson, W. H.
Daylor, Knut Knutson, Charles S. Kramm and Daniel McLean.
The census taken on Oct. 4, 1902, showed a population of 176.
The petition was duly granted, and election on the proposition
ordered held at the hall of the Delhi Cornet Band, in charge of
Daniel McLean, E. D. House and Edwin Atkinson. Of the twenty-
eight votes cast every one was favorable to the incorporation.
The first election was held in the band hall, Nov. 25, 1902,
with Isaac Leslie and P. H. Olson as judges and H. T. Helgeson
as clerk. Twenty-three votes were cast, the officers elected being :
President, Edwin Atkinson; trustees, E. L. Chubb, A. D. McLean
and Ole L. Flore; recorder, Daniel McLean; treasurer, John L.
Borg; justice, D. O. Schooley; constable, E. D. House and H. C.
Engeman. The first meeting of the new council was held Dec. 2,
1902.
The present officers are: President, D. R. McCorquodale;
trustees, Mad Christiansen, John L. Borg and A. L. Leonard;
recorder, M. D. Woolstencroft ; treasurer, H. C. Engeman ;
justice, H. T. Helgeson ; constable, M. C. de Graff. The village
has an excellent public hall, which was purchased and remodelled
for its present purpose. It furnishes an ideal meeting place and
is also used as an opera house.
512 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
GILFILLAN.
Gilfillan is a neat station in section 36, Paxton township, es-
tablished to provide shipping facilities for the extensive Gilfillan
estate. The station and its surroundings are neatly kept, and
everything in the vicinity reflects the spirit of the splendid estate
from whose founder it takes its name.
Gilfillan Station consists of depot, elevator, and the home of
Chas. 0. Gilfillan and his manager, Casper B. Buschke. Gilfillan
is the result of the labors of C. D. Gilfillan, the well-known and
energetic citizen of St. Paul, Minn., who upon deciding to leave
the city and establish a farm, where he could carry on farming
after his advanced ideas, purchased 8,200 acres of land lying in
Morgan, Sherman, Paxton and Three Lakes townships, Redwood
county. It has been reduced since his death to about 7,000 acres.
He enclosed the place with miles of barbed wire fence, and on this
land Gilfillan annually fatted six to eight hundred head of cattle.
He gradually made the improvements contemplated in his plan
until today there are thirty-five rented farms where a few years
ago there was but a feeding station. When C. D. Gilfillan passed
away his property was taken over by his heirs, and eventually the
remainder of the tract of 7,000 acres came under the control of
his son, Chas. O. Gilfillan who resides on the place. Gilfillan sta-
tion is beautifully situated in an artificial grove of trees four and
one-half miles northwest of Morgan. The land, like all the rest
around the village, is a black loam from three to six feet deep,
resting on a clay subsoil, which holds the moisture. The Gilfillan
ideas of farming are being introduced on the thirty -five farms of
the district as fast as it can be done. Cattle, hogs, corn, clover
and alfalfa are the five keys that unlock the combination. The
farmers of Morgan and other townships are catching the idea and
stock raising with this combination is coming in fast.
Thousands of bushels of grain, and a number of carloads of
stock are annually shipped from Gilfillan station, adding materi-
ally to the output of the county.
LAMBERTON.
Lamberton, the metropolis of southern Redwood county, is
pleasantly located on the banks of the Big Cottonwood river,
in the midst of one of the richest farming regions in southwestern
Minnesota. Provided with excellent shipping facilities by the
Chicago & Northwestern, it draws its trade from two counties,
and is constantly increasing in size and importance. It has ex-
cellent electric light service, an extensive waterworks and sewer
system, a beautiful park, adequate fire protection, and a suitable
city hall. The streets are broad and well-cared for, the business
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 513
houses are substantial in structure and well stocked with modern
goods, while the residences are sightly, and for the most part sur-
rounded with well-kept lawns and shrubbery. The schools are
of the best, being well housed and equipped, and offering ample
facilities for the securing of a liberal education in many different
lines. The churches are flourishing and well-supported, stately
in architecture, and commodious in size. The fraternities keep
alive the fraternal spirit, and contribute much to the social life
of the village. The white way gives a truly metropolitan appear-
ance to the business section, and adds to the pleasant impression
that the stranger receives of the whole place.
The park which was donated by W. C. Brown, for many
years secretary to H. W. Lamberton, land commissioner of the
"Winona & St. Peter Land Co., and afterward land commissioner
himself, has been beautified by the village authorities, until now
it is as beautiful a one-block park as is to be found anywhere. It
is well laid out with attractive lawns, walks, and flower beds,
ornamental shrubbery, and shaded with a wide variety of trees.
The cannon, which adds a most artistic touch to the park, was
presented to the old soldiers of the vicinity by the United States
government.
The waterworks and sewerage system has reflected the growth
of the village. Originally private wells were the only supply of
water, and there was no fire protection. Later a cistern for fire
protection was installed and a city well constructed. In time the
present adequate system was adopted. The old windmill which
once pumped the city water, and which was long a feature of the
village landscape, is now gone, and in its place a modern pump-
ing station, operated by electricity, has been installed. The water
supply is derived from an eight-inch well, which draws its water
through an open end from a gravel bed nineteen inches thick,
sixty-four feet below the surface. The water rises to a level,
thirty feet below the surface. When the well was completed in
1901 it was tested for thirty-six hours continuously at a rate of
sixty gallons a minute, and at present it is pumped at about
thirty-five gallons a minute. The water is hard. Some 10,000
gallons is consumed daily. Private wells, which furnish the sup-
ply for many of the families, have an average depth of about forty
feet and their yield is somewhat dependent upon the amount of
rainfall. The sewer system extends through the business streets
and also through some of the residence districts.
The Peoples Light & Power Co. not only supplies the current
for illuminating the streets, business houses and residences, but
also furnishes power for the pumping station, and provides illumi-
nation and power for many of the surrounding villages.
The village hall, which is the old schoolhouse moved and re-
modelled, provides a meeting place for all village purposes, and
514 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
also houses the fire apparatus. The fire company is in charge of
George Nigg.
The churches are of the English Methodist Episcopal, German
Methodist Episcopal, English Lutheran, German Lutheran, Cath-
olic and Congregational denominations.
The leading fraternities here are the A. F. & A. M., the K. of
P., the I. 0. 0. F., the M. B. A., the W. 0. W., the C. 0 F, the Re-
bekahs, the Eastern Star and the Royal Neighbors.
The rails for the Winona & St. Peter, now the Chicago &
Northwestern, were laid through the southern part of Redwood
county in 1872, the first construction train reaching Marshall on
Oct. 12, 1872. The winter was long and hard, and railroad work
was entirely suspended during the winter months, and it was not
until April 14, 1873, that a train passed through Redwood county
in the spring.
When the railroad reached section 20, Lamberton township,
in the fall of 1872, A. A. Praxel, from near New Ulm, and Frank
Schandera, from St. Clair, formed a partnership and opened a
general store just south of the railroad track. Charles Bennett,
who had a farm nearby, opened a boarding house. A postoffice,
called Charlestown, was established there, with A. A. Praxel as
postmaster, and hopes were entertained that the embryo village
would become the biggest town on the line west of New Ulm.
But the railroad authorities decided upon section 23, as the site
of the future village. There C. R. Kneeland erected a building
in 1873, opened a boarding house and hotel, and was appointed
postmaster, the name of Lamberton, which had already been given
to the railroad stopping place, being likewise given to the post-
office. In 1874 Praxel & Shandera moved their store from Cotton-
wood Crossing and established themselves at Lamberton.
Mr. Kneeland opened his store in the first house in town, which
was used as a boarding house and hotel. It stood where the flour
house of the Farmers' elevator now stands. In addition to his
other business, he added that of lumber and building supplies. He
sold out and went to Wisconsin, where he lived for a few years.
He came back again and went into the lumber business. He lived
here from that time until he died. Mrs. Kneeland, the widow, now
lives at Marshall, Minnesota.
Hopes of a speedy success were blasted by the grasshoppers,
and the business did not grow to any important extent. In 1877,
the last year of the grasshopper ravages, the business interests of
Lamberton were represented by Praxel & Schandera, general
merchants ; W. E. Golding, blacksmith and wagonmaker ; Adolph
Graumann, harnessmaker and saloonkeeper, and N. P. Nelson,
dealer in lumber, grain and agricultural implements.
The departure of the grasshoppers and the return of pros-
perity to the agricultural regions brought a great boom to Lam-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 515
berton. The village was platted in 1878 and incorporated in
1879, and when the Northwestern Gazetteer was issued early in
1880 it showed Lamberton as a busy place, with heavy exports of
grain, butter, eggs, hides and wool, with Methodist and Congrega-
tional churches, a good school, a newspaper, and many business
houses. The possibilities of the undeveloped waterpower are
mentioned, and the opportunity for a grist or woolen mill is
stated. A semi-'weekly stage was then running to Windom. The
directory of business activities showed the following names:
Anderson, Hogan, wagonmaker; Berry, C. W., railroad agent;
Broer, Henry, wagonmaker; Clausen, R., hotel proprietor; Cran-
dall, F. U., physician and druggist ; Fuller L., general store ; Gun-
san, Rev. John (Methodist) ; Grobuer, J., boots and shoes; Hackey,
W. A., justice of the peace and flour and feed ; Holder, Rev. George
(Congregational) ; Horton & Co., lumber yard ; Junnel, F., hotel
and saloon; Larson, John, hardware; Letford, E. J. furniture;
Letford John S., express agent and general store ; Madigan, M. M.,
lawyer; Nelson, N. P., live stock dealer; Nelson, N. P., lumber,
grain and farm implements ; Praxel & Shandera, general store ;
Reed, Wm., grain dealer; Roth, John, blacksmith; Shandera, F.,
live stock dealer; Terry, George, hotel proprietor; "Whitten &
Judd, grain elevator ; Yarham W. W., editor and proprietor Lam-
berton Commercial
The Gazetteer for 1882 shows the following activities : Ander-
son, Hogan, wagonmaker ; Anderson, 0. A., blacksmith ; Chester
Bros., general store ; Clauson, R., saloon ; Crandall, L. S., physician
and druggist; Devine, H, barber; Fuller, L., general store;
Hackey, W. A. justice and flour and feed dealer ; Herrington, Rev.
J. H. (Methodist) ; Holder, Rev. George (Congregational) ; Hor-
ton & Co., lumber dealers ; Jurmel, F., hotel and saloon ; Larson,
John, hardware ; Lawer, John, meat market ; Letford, George, ex-
press agent; Letford, J. S., furniture and general store; Libby,
George, lawyer; Madigan M. M., lawyer; Morton, Richard, hard
ware ; Nelson, N. P., farm implements ; Oleson, R., meat market
Orker A. W., general store; Peterson, S. D., farm implements
Pierce, John, hotel proprietor; Pievee, P. L., hotel proprietor
Praxel & Shandera, general store and grain dealers; Roth, John,
blacksmith; Shandera, F., live stock dealer; Smith, A. J., railroad
agent ; Thorp & Whitney, lawyers ; Whitten & Judd, grain eleva-
tor ; Yarham, W. W. editor and proprietor Lamberton Commercial.
The original plat of Lamberton was filed August 19, 1878. The
land was surveyed for Henry W. Lamberton on July 1, 1878, by
T. G. Carter, surveyor, in the west half of section 23, town 109.
range 37. There were ten blocks, all full blocks, each containing
12 lots. All the streets were 70 feet wide, except " D " street, which
was 80 feet wide, and First street, which was also 80 feet wide.
The alleys were 20 feet wide. The streets running north and south,
516 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
starting at the west, were A, B, C, D, E and F. The streets run-
ning east and west, starting at the north, were First, Second and
Third.
The plat of Grimm & England addition to Lamberton was filed
March 6, 1915. The owners were Mr. and Mrs. George J. Grimm,
Mr. and Mrs. H. M. England, Ed. Arnsdorf and Mr. and Mrs.
Henry G. Asmus. The plat of M. L. McGee 's addition to Lamber-
ton was filed June 24, 1892. The land was owned by M. L. and
Irene McGee. The plat of Lamberton & Sykes' first addition to
Lamberton was filed June 7, 1893. This land belonged to Henry
W. Lamberton and M. L. Sykes.
The plat of H. W. Lamberton 's second addition to Lamberton
was filed on August 26, 1903. The plat of H. W. Lamberton 's
addition to Lamberton was filed December 22, 1900. The plat of
Lamberton & Sykes' second addition to Lamberton was filed July
12, 1897.
Lamberton was incorporated by act of the Legislature, ap-
proved March 1, 1879 (Chapter 8, Special Laws of 1879), under the
provisions of Chapter 139, of the General Laws of 1875. J. S.
Letford, Frank Schandera and N. P. Nelson were named as com-
missioners to perfect the organization.
According to the History of the Minnesota Valley, published in
1884, an election was held at the schoolhouse March 17, 1879, thirty
votes being cast and officers elected as follows: President, J. S.
Letford ; trustees, N. P. Nelson, William M. Reed and L. S. Cran-
dall; recorder, Frank Schandera; treasurer, W. E. Golding; jus-
tice, M. M. Madigan ; constable, J. A. Letford.
According to the village records, a meeting of the electors was
held March 31, 1879. Dr. L. S. Crandall was appointed temporary
chairman. The meeting then organized with M. M. Madigan as
president, W. E. Golding as recorder, and J. Maybury as treasurer.
The minutes of April 14, 1879, wmld indicate that N. P. Nelson
and William M. Reed were then the trustees. L. S. Crandall was
also a trustee. J. S. Letford was constable. There appears to have
been a constant change in the recorder's office, William E. Reed,
N. C. Nelson, Fred C. Gley, L. S. Crandall, C. A. Lambert and
Marion Crandall all signing the minutes at one time or another
during the first eighteen months of the village's existence.
After the village of Lamberton was incorporated only routine
work was done. The council met from time to time, transacted
business and adjourned. After one or two small fires occurred in
the village, on January 2, 1889, the council bought the first fire
engine. It was a hand-power affair and cost, complete, $575.
When the engine arrived the town called a mass meeting, which
took measures to organize a fire company. On February 11, 1889,
this company was organized with twenty-five members. In looking
over the list of members in the old records, will be found nearly
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 517
all the names of the prominent first settlers. Joseph Libby was
elected foreman and Frank Schandera assistant foreman.
Things moved along slowly but surely after that, the village
growing more and more, until five years later the village of Lam-
berton began to take on metropolitan ideas, and the agitation for
waterworks and sewer commenced. After much talk, pro and con,
the council authorized the building of a waterworks plant, adver-
tised lor bids on August 27, 1894, let the contract for a waterworks
system that cost $5,043.
After this work was started the need of a main sewer developed
and after advertising for bids, the council let the contract for a
main sewer to cost $1,850. This contract was let on September 10,
1894.
The present officers are: President, G. A. Keonig; recorder,
A. J. Praxel; trustees, Thomas Masterson, Charles A. Lauer and
Emil Gerth; treasurer, George R. Kluegel; justices, L. A. Gooter,
C. M. Herrman; constables, Michael Moore and Harry Beaty;
assessor, William Miller.
The first schools in Lamberton were opened in the summer of
1875 by Louise Kelley, teacher, with 16 pupils. The school was con-
ducted at the residence of J. H. Abbott. The first school house
was built that fall. It was a small affair and is now used by Mr.
McGee as a granary. The first school board was composed as fol-
lows : Director, W. W. Kelly ; treasurer, J. S. Letf ord ; clerk, W. E.
Golding.
The next school house was the two-story building erected on
lots 4, 5 and 6, block 6, in the village of Lamberton, in the year
1891. This building was purchased by the village of Lamberton
from the shool district on March 27, 1907, and is now being used for
a village hall and for housing the village fire company apparatus.
The next school building was built in 1892 and was used for a
third school room in addition to the two in the last named school
bouse. This little building is now a part of the Methodist Epis-
copal church in Lamberton.
Independent School District No. 31 was organized July 28,
1894, and the following year the first directors were : R. Clauson,
H. H. Dahl, Fred Koenig, P. Hayes, C. F. Waterman and Frank
Clague. The school site where the brick grade building is situated
was erected November 13, 1894. Contract for building this brick
school building was let July 8, 1896, for $12,800, for which the
school district issued bonds for $15,000 and the first tax levy was
$3,100.
The dedication of the building was held January 6, 1897, the
principal speaker being S. R. Van Sant. The first superintendent
in the new school building was E. K. Greene, and his assistants
were Miss Addie Hugenin, Miss Grace Jewison and Miss Tena Nel-
son. The heating plant in this building was originally a hot air
518 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
affair, but in 1909 a complete steam heating plant was added to the
building.
The present Consolidated School District No. 31 was organized
November 28, 1914, on which date the voters from school districts
Nos. 41 and 91 voted on the matter at the school house in Lamber-
ton. Forty-two votes were east, of which twenty-nine were in
favor of consolidation and thirteen against. The school board of
Independent School District No. 31 the same evening passed a reso-
lution consenting to the consolidation and the county superinten-
dent made the formal order on December 1, 1914.
On February 3 the voters of the Consolidated School District
voted on the issuance of bonds in the sum of $45,000 and the same
was carried by 105 in favor to 11 against. The school board let
the contract for the new school building on April 5, 1915, for
$46,963. This new building was occupied November 15, 1915.
The present number of teachers employed is seventeen, as fol-
lows : Superintendent, Herman N. Bergh ; principal, N. N. Steven-
son; assistant principal, Alice E. Wilkinson; high school and
librarian, Eda Zwinggi; normal training department, Eulalia F.
Weisend; agricultural department, Adolph H. Reuhl; domestic
science department, Mary Sweeney; manual training department,
L. B. Graves; eighth grade, Pearl E. Poorker; seventh grade,
Valeria Bellig; sixth grade, Zelphia Bellig; fifth grade, Anna M.
Ekholm ; fourth grade, Evelyn Daly ; third grade, Lena Enns ; third
grade, Katherine Haas; second grade and music, Zelma C. Linde-
man ; primary, Mae Erickson.
The present school board is composed of the following : A. H.
Enersen, L. Redding, George J. Grimm, G. A. Koenig, Edwin An-
derson and D. V. Gleysteen.
The vicinity of Lamberton has been known since the earliest
days. Before the massacre, Charles Zierke, known as Dutch
Charlie, settled a few miles to the eastward, near the creek that
now bears his name.
In 1862 J. F. Bean came as a soldier during the Indian war, and
looking over the country, decided to come back, which he did in
1866, bringing with him Hogan Anderson, father of the brothers,
Edwin and A. C. Anderson. Returning, he brought his family
here in 1867, and with him came Guli Peterson and wife, Ole Peter-
son and wife, Carolius Peterson and family, Joseph Christenson and
family and Charles Porter with his family. Together they built a
house on the highest point of land in section 25, of what is now
known as township of Lamberton. This building was placed on
the high land for fear of the Indians. The six families moved into
this house and lived there for one year, or until each one had built
their own home. About 1870 Mr. Bean moved to his other holdings,
several miles southwest of Lamberton.
Charles Porter, who came with Bean, filed on 520 acres of land
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 519
two and one-half miles east of Lamberton, in Charlestown town-
ship, living on it until 1866. He took an active interest in all the
work of organization, moving into Lamberton village in 1886. He
shortly afterwards moved to California.
W. W. Kelly, one of the earliest settlers, came in 1873. He took
a homestead three miles north of town, built a fine home and
worked the farm for a number of years. Later he moved into town
and went into the lumber business. In addition he built a ware-
house for grain, store for hardware and combined it all with the
real estate business. Mr. Kelly's warehouse was a favorite place
for holding meetings — church services, etc., while the town was
young. Declining health in later years sent him to Northfield to
live with his daughter, where he died.
M. B. Obbett came here in 1869 and located on section 24. He
was made of stern, sticking material and survived the grasshopper
years. He took an active part in all of the forward movements of
Lamberton and was popular enough to be elected sheriff of Red-
wood county. He moved from here to Redwood Falls while sheriff,
but at the end of his term came back. He lived here for nineteen
or twenty years after that until he died in June, 1914. M. B.
Abbett was the first treasurer of the town of Lamberton.
Hiram Small was another one of the old settlers. He came here
in 1871 and located in section 22 just west of town. He lived as a
successful farmer on this place until he died in 1910. The place is
now owned by his son-in-law, Pliny Terry.
W. E. Golding, another one of the old-timers, settled on a farm
just north of the town. Living there for a number of years, he
afterwards moved into town and opened a blacksmith shop. He
was elected the first town clerk of the town of Lamberton, and also
an early village recorder of the village of Lamberton.
LUCAN.
Lucan is a thriving little village in the center of Granite Rock
township, on the line of the Evan-Marshall branch of the Chicago
& North Western. The place is unusually neat with its cement
block, corrugated iron and substantial frame buildings. There is
an unusually progressive and friendly spirit among the people
and the village is widely known.
Before the railroad came through, Rupert Schanberger had a
store and in section 14, a mile and a quarter east of the present
village of Lucan. He was appointed postmaster and the office
named Rock. E. J. Norcutt moved the store to the Jefferson farm
in section 20. Two surveys had been made for the railroad, and
Mr. Norcutt believed that he had located on the future site of the
village.
But when the railroad was built, in 1902, the Western Town
520 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Lot Company purchased land from George W. Norcutt and Christ
Hansen and platted the present town. The first lots were sold
April 10> 1902.
In the fall, a huilding was moved to the townsite from the Jef-
ferson farm in section 20, and opened as a store by Lawrence Jor-
gensen, who was likewise the postmaster. The building still stands
and is occupied by the general store of John Zeng. Several build-
ings went up that fall and winter. The first store building erected
was a two-story frame structure, 20 by 50 feet, on the east side of
the street. It was built by Jens Larson and opened as a restau-
rant. Later it was changed to a general store. Into it the post-
office was moved, and here it has since remained. On the west side
of the street a saloon was opened, one by Andrew Koller in a one-
story frame building, 20 by 50 ; and on the east side one by Frank
Jung, in a two-story frame building, 24 by 70 feet. Bmil Black
erected a two-story frame building, 24 by 50 feet, and opened a
general store. The Sleepy Eye Milling Company, with Nels P.
Larson as manager, and the Springfield Milling Company, with
Henry C. Dittbenner as manager, each erected elevators.
The sightly bank building, a two-story brick building, was
erected in 1905. For some years the Catholic church was the only
church in town, but in 1915 the Lutherans erected a neat edifice.
The school is located in a substantial frame building.
The village has a hall, owned two-thirds by the township, which
provides an excellent meeting place, and is equipped with a stage
and scenery for the presentation of theatrical attractions. There
is a jail of cement blocks, and a pumping station of brick. At the
pumping station is a bell alarm, and the fire company consists of
some twenty members. The public water supply comes from a well,
with a reserve cistern of 1,500 barrels' capacity. The White com-
pressed air system is used, the tank has a 500-barrel capacity, and
there is a maximum pressure of 65 pounds. The system consists
of a Fairbanks-Morse pump, 6 by 6, capacity 175 gallons per
minute ; power gasoline engine ; 1,300 feet of 4-inch water mains,
five double hydrants; three dead ends. The fire equipment con-
sists of a hose cart with some 500 feet of jacket lined rubber hose.
The electric lights, in streets, houses and business places, were
inaugurated in 1915, the power being supplied by the Grain and
Fuel Company. There is a splendid grove near the village, which
the village authorities have attempted to buy from the Town Lot
Company, but have thus far been unsuccessful.
The original plat of Lucan was filed on March 27, 1902. The
land was surveyed by F. R. Kline for the Western Town Lot Com-
pany on January 20, 1902. The land was a part of the east half
of the northeast quarter of section 21 and the west half of the
northwest quarter of section 22, town 111, range 28. There were
6 blocks, each containing 12 lots. The streets were 70 feet wide,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 521
except First, which was 66 feet wide, and Main and Second, which
were 80 feet wide. The alleys were 20 feet wide. The east and
west streets, starting at the north, were First, Second and Third.
The north and south streets, starting at the west, were Oak, Pine,
Main and Elm.
The plat of block 8, addition to Lucan, was filed December 6,
1911. The land was owned by the Western Town Lot Company.
The plat of block 7, addition to Lucan, was filed on December
24, 1909. The land was owned by the Western Town Lot Com-
pany.
The plat of blocks 9 and 10 and outlot A, addition to Lucan, was
filed January 27, 1916. The land was owned by the Western Town
Lot Company.
One of the greatest prides of the village is the Lucan baseball
club. This team, strictly amateur, and made up of the young men
of the village and surrounding country, is noted far and wide, and
contains a number of players, who, if they so desired, could secure
marked professional honors. Loyalty to this team has been one of
the important factors in the get-together spirit which animates
the citizens.
Lucan was incorporated in 1902. A special census taken Octo-
ber 6, 1902, having shown a population of 182, a petition was drawn
up the next day and presented to the county commissioners, asking
that the village be incorporated. The signers of the petition were
Andrew Koller, John Flessner, Henry Dittbenner, O. R. Holloway,
Jens Larson, Lawrence Jorgensen, H. S. Miller, Herman Wenzell,
George W. Norcutt, Joseph Holm, Charles O. Weilandt, W. C. Nor-
cutt, George C. Johnson, C. A. Nelson, P. C. Curtin, R. A. Norcutt,
Siver Benson, Peter Benson, Dick Balk, Julius Hallberg, Thomas
Mulvany, James Joseph Mullin, Frank Murray, Arnold Rollen,
Frank Scharf e, Christian Hanson, Theo. Milkle, N. H. Haage, K. F.
A. Piett, Peter Jacobson, Ole Ugland, Will L. Conrad and Jacob
Vezal.
An election was duly held on November 17, 1902, at the waiting
room of the Chicago & North Western Railroad, and of the thirty-
two votes cast, eighteen were in favor of incorporating the village
and fourteen against it. The judges of election were Joseph Holm,
C. A. Nelson and John Flessner. The first election of officers was
held at Young's Opera House, March 29, 1904, in charge of J. M.
Stephenson, H. C. Dittbenner and Nels Larson. The first council
met April 11, 1904, those present being: Nels P. Larson, president;
Oscar R. Holloway, recorder ; John Flessner, Nels Haagenson and
Anton Kramer, trustees. The present officers are: President,
Anton Kramer; recorder, Guy S. Dickerson, trustees, Charles
Welter, Joseph Wurscher and William Hanson ; justice, Nels Haag ;
treasurer, O. H. Gehrke ; assessor, F. C. Wegner.
522 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
MILROY.
Milroy, the most western of Redwood county towns, is located
in sections 16 and 17, Westline township, on the Evan-Marshall
branch of the Chicago & Northwestern. It is thirteen miles from
Marshall and thirty miles from Redwood Falls. Situated in the
midst of a splendid farming country, its three large elevators give
it good facilities for a large grain market, over half a million
bushels of grain being shipped in the season of 1914-15.
The village, with its brick buildings, as seen from a distance,
presents a metropolitan appearance, and a nearer approach con-
firms the original impression. The municipal improvements are
of the best, waterworks and electric light service having recently
been installed. For the purpose of generating power for the elec-
tric lights and water works, the village has erected a substantial
building of cement blocks. Earl Christopherson will operate the
electric light plant. The waterworks system consists of a deep
well, tank, and pumping station, with mains covering the principal
streets, and an adequate number of hydrants. The electric lights
will be used for street lighting, and also in the business houses
and residences.
Milroy has four churches, Methodist, Catholic, German and
Norwegian Lutheran. There is a good semi-graded school, em-
ploying three first grade teachers. The M. W. A. and the
A. 0. U. W. have flourishing lodges. At one time there was an
excellent commercial club. The Milroy Telephone Co. conducts
a local exchange and connects with the rural line. There is a good
hall for public purposes, privately owned. The village building
contains the jail and the fire apparatus. The volunteer fire com-
pany has an engine and hose cart, and will soon have a hook and
ladder truck.
The land upon which Milroy was platted was originally owned
by C. E. Levig and Thomas Murphy. The lots were sold April 9,
1902, and building operations were commenced at once, lumber
being brought from neighboring towns for the first structures.
The first year saw several substantial buildings erected that would
do credit to any villages, and Milroy has since enjoyed a steady
growth. The first general stores were opened by Zeingham &
Woodruff, George Brundage, Altermatt & Schwandt Brothers, and
Olson & Olson. J. A. Looney conducted the first hardware store,
John Drees the first saloon, Robert Reichel the first hotel, Ed-
wards & Hickey the first harness shop, F. M. Rolfe the first barber
shop. Fredrickson & Olson were the implement dealers, and
Curtis & Propp operated the livery and dray line. Hayes, Lucas
Lumber Co. and J. H. Queal & Co. put in lumber yards, and the
Nelson Brothers, the Sleepy Eye Milling Co. and the Springfield
Milling Co. opened elevators.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 523
Milroy has been somewhat unfortunate as to fires. Two ele-
vators, a schoolhouse, a saloon, a livery barn, and a store and
vacant building have been burned. Dec. 28, 1915, the hardware
and implement stores and the electric light plant owned by J. W.
Dysart were burned. This plant had been furnishing the village
with current since August, 1914. The village records were de-
stroyed when the Nelson Brothers elevator burned in 1904.
One of the pleasant features of Milroy is the large number of
trees to be seen about the streets in the residential districts. These
trees were set out by the city fathers in the early days of the
village, and are now proving a monument to their foresight and
artistic appreciation.
In recent years a number of modern buildings have been
erected. Serr Brothers completed a garage in the summer of
1915. Dorum Brothers opened a cement block plant in 1916. In.
the fall of 1916 C. G. Seeman erected a hardware store of cement
blocks. It was in the late summer and early fall of 1916 that the
village put up the cement building, already mentioned, occupied
by Earl Christopherson for the electrical plant.
The village, as stated, was started in 1902. When the North-
western Gazetteer was issued in 1904 Milroy was already a thriv-
ing settlement. It has a good bank, a newspaper, Methodist
and Norwegian Lutheran churches, a hotel, telephone, telegraph
and express service, and many other features necessary to a thriv-
ing urban community. The business activities of that year were :
Aldermatt & Schwandt Bros., general store; Bickford, A., phy-
sician ; Clair, E. A., meats ; Druss, J., saloon ; Edwards & Hickey,
harnessmaker ; Prederickson & Olstead, farm implements; Gul-
den, R., saloon ; Johnson & Peterson, livery ; Klein, J. J., railroad,
express and telegraph agent ; Larson, Theo., grocer ; Looney, J. A.,
publisher Milroy Echo; Milroy Echo, J. A. Looney, publisher;
Oveilie, A., saloon; Queal, J. H. & Co., lumber; Rawlings F. H.,
hardware and furniture ; Reichel, R., hotel ; Sawyer, Charles, hard-
ware; State Bank of Milroy (capital $15,000; Wm. Beirman,
president; Wm. Duncan, Jr., cashier); Taplin, Prank, barber;
Taplin, Prank, Drug Co.; Winstad, G. T., blacksmith; Zingheim
& Woodruff, groceries and drugs. In 1906 the Gazetteer shows
these names : Altermatt & Schwandt (Adolph Altermatt, Henry
Schwandt), general store; Bickford, Frank J., physician; Fred-
rickson & Olstead (Fred A. Fredriekson, John Olstead), farm im-
plements; Goins, Roscoe C, restaurant; Gueden. Rhinold, saloon;
Haycock, Wm. D., flour mill; Hayes-Lucas Lumber Co., C. C.
Dripps, agent ; Hotel Milroy, Robert Reichel, proprietor ; Johnson,
Eli, saloon; Klein, James J., railroad, express and telegraph
agent ; Larson, Theodore, general store ; Milroy Echo, E. M. Wil-
son, publisher; Milroy Farmers' Elevator Co. (J. W. Dysart,
president; S. E. Weber, secretary), grain elevator and fuel ; Nelson
524 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
Bros. (Philip & Leonard), grain elevator, fuel and live stock;
Potter & Halsten (S. T. B. Potter, Chas. A. Halsten) ; Peterson,
Ole, livery; Queal, J. H. & Co. (Chas. Semans, agent), lumber and
fuel; Rawlings, Frank H., hardware; Rutz & Son (Chas. G. T.
and Herbert C), general store; Reich el, Robert, proprietor Hotel
Milroy; Sleepy Eye Milling Co. (Theo. Fuglede, agent), grain
elevator and fuel; Springfield Milling Co. (P. Bloedow, agent),
grain elevator; State Bank of Milroy (capital $15,000; A. Alter-
matt, president ; Wm. Duncan, Jr., cashier) ; Taplin, Prank, drugs
and barber ; "Wilson, Edward M., publisher Milroy Echo ; Wistad,
G. T., blacksmith.
In 1908, the Gazetteer contains these names: Altermatt &
Schwandt (Adolph Altermatt, Henry Schwandt), general store;
Frederickson & Olstead (Fred A. Fredrickson, John Olstead),
farm implements; Gakoske Frederick, railroad, express and tele-
graph agent; Gulden, Reinhold, saloon; Haycock, "Wm. D., flour
mill ; HayesJjucas Lumber Co. (C. C. Dripps, agent) ; Hotel Mil-
roy, Robert Reichel, proprietor; Johnson, Eli, saloon; Krmela,
Rudolph, shoemaker; Myers, "Wm. G. (Fred De Bour, manager)
hardware; Milroy Echo, Edward M. Wilson, publisher; Milroy
Farmers' Elevator Co. (J. "W. Dysart, president; S. E. Webber,
secretary) ; Nelson, Turpe, grain elevator ; Peterson, Ole, proprie-
tor Milroy Livery; Rawlings, Frank H., hardware; Reichel,
Robert, proprietor Hotel Milroy; Sleepy Eye Milling Co. (Theo.
Fuglede, agent), grain elevator; Springfield Milling Co. (Theo.
Larson agent), grain elevator; State Bank of Milroy (capital
$15,000; Adolph Altermatt, president; "Wm. Duncan, Jr., cashier) ;
Taplin, Frank, drugs; "Wilson, Edward M., postmaster, publisher
Milroy Echo and dealer in groceries ; Distad, Geo. T., blacksmith.
The original plat of Milroy was filed March 27, 1902. The
land in a part of southeast quarter of section 17 and south-
west quarter of section 16, town 111, range 39, was surveyed
for the "Western Town Lot Company by F. R. Klime on
February 24, 1902. There were eight whole blocks and four un-
equal blocks. The streets were 70 feet wide, except Superior,
which was 80 feet wide ; Railroad, 66 feet wide, and Euclid avenue,
100 feet wide. Each alley was 20 feet wide. The streets running
north and south starting on the west are Lorain, Prospect, Euclid
avenue, Lexington and Marion. The streets running east and
west, starting at the south, are Cedar, Cherry, Superior and
Railroad, the last named being parallel to the railroad tracks.
Milroy was incorporated in 1902. The census of October 6,
1902, showed a population of 177 and on that date a petition was
drawn up, asking for the incorporation of a vast tract in sections
16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21, township 111, range 39. The signers
of the petition were : Otto S. Schwandt, J. A. Looney, Thomas F.
Kinman, Charles Sahagan, J. O. Horde, H. Rowe, Wm. S. Easton,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 525
C. G. Leeman, 0. P. Horde, Robert Richel, Wm. Murphy, Jens
Pederson, Lewis P. Pederson, C. W. Christenson, I. J. Cross,
Richard Edwards, F. J. Rolfe, Henry Sehwandt, Edw. Ellifsen,
Anton A. Andersen, John K. Hanson, P. A. Nelson, Ole Solseth,
Ole Emmeson, L. F. Nelson, "Wm. B. Cannon, C. I. Olson, H. W.
Fredrickson, J. G. Falkingham, H. Boxiderson, Clement Simmons,
Geo. Olson, Hugh Reed, Christ Pederson, James J. Kleins, Frank
A. Wyrembek, James Wreight, Louis Thaemert, M. J. Broderiek,
Everett A. Clair, N. C. Gingras, G. M. Brown, Anton Lobech.
The petition was granted and an election ordered held at the
barber shop of F. M. Rolfe, Nov. 15, 1902, in charge of F. M.
Rolfe, Otto G. Sehwandt and J. A. Looney. The election was duly
held, and of the fifty-four votes case only two were against the
proposition. The first officers elected were: President, Otto
Sehwandt; councilmen, R. F. Edwards, J. J. Klein and J. A.
Looney; recorder, F. M. Rolfe; treasurer, F. J. Bickford. Otto
Sehwandt did not serve out his full term, but was succeeded a
few months later by "William Duncan, Jr. January 3, 1905, a peti-
tion was presented to the commissioners asking that the incor-
porate limits be reduced. The reduction went into effect Feb-
ruary 7, 1905.
MORGAN.
The Minnesota Valley Division of the "Winona & St. Peter,
now the Sleepy Eye-Redwood Falls branch of the Chicago &
Northwestern, was built through Morgan township in 1878. At
that time the trade of Redwood county centered at Redwood Falls
or went south to Sleepy Eye and Springfield, thriving young
towns on the main line of the Chicago & Northwestern. Midway
between Sleepy Eye and Redwood Falls and in the center of the
richest soil region of this part of the state the railroad established
a siding, made arrangements for the shipping of farm products,
etc., and called the station Morgan, after the township. The
first employee of the company and the first man to settle in this
new place was T. G. Holland, section boss. The first house built
in Morgan was the house of "Tom" Holland, built near where the
depot now stands and occupied by him as a home, a store, the
postoffiee, and a boarding house. Mr. Holland soon was appointed
postmaster, but his position did not carry with it many arduous
duties, as the neighbors in the territory at that time were few and
far between. He had no boxes to rent, and no well-to-do people
to use a lock box or drawer. In the spring of 1878, Mel Tolman
came to Morgan and commenced work for Holland as an assistant
on the section. Then was when the Holland home became a
boarding house. As the farmers began to occupy the territory
around about this little village of one house and a box car Holland
526 HISTOBY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
saw his opportunity and carried a small line of groceries, tobaccos,
etc., for the occasional customer that ' ' came to town. ' ' The Hol-
land home, repaired and enlarged, still stands near where it did,
and is now occupied by Mrs. John Schwetzler. Tom Holland is
dead, but his assistant, Mel Tolman, is still living, is hale and
hearty at fifty-eight years of age, and ready to talk about the
early days of this thriving village.
In 1881 George Knudson, of Sleepy Eye, built the first store
in Morgan, and was appointed postmaster. The store occupied
the present site of the new creamery. He stocked it with a general
line of merchandise. In September, 1883, he sold out to Louis
Gerstman, who continued the store until his death. His son, Otto,
continued the business for a while as administrator. Some years
later, the son, Frank, after graduating in pharmacy, put in a
stock of drugs and moved the store to Vernon avenue. He is now
occupying the new Arcade. The store thus has a continuous his-
tory back to 1881.
Another early store was that of a man named Rinke, who
erected a building and put in a small stock of goods on the present
site of the Schieffert building, opposite the State Bank of Morgan.
It was not until 1888, that the village began to show promise
of being the prosperous and important point that it is today.
The Northwestern Gazetteer issued early in 1888, shows the
following business activities: Dingier, Anna, dressmaker; Eis-
chen, N. & Co., general store and postofSce ; Gerstman, L., gen-
eral store; Kives, Michael, saloon; Marti, John, lumber; Miller,
"Wm., blacksmith; Mire, Karle, blacksmith; Robinson & Teas,
hardware ; Ryden T. F., lumber ; Van Dusen, G. W. & Co., grain ;
Wegner, "Wm., saloon; Wegner & Weller, farm implements.
When the Gazetteer was issued in 1890, the village had grown
considerably, and Catholic, Presbyterian and German Lutheran
churches had been erected. The business activities shown in the
Gazetteer of that year were : Breman, John, dressmaker ; Eischen,
N. & Co., general store; Faeber, Joseph, butcher; Gerdes, Richard,
postmaster, general store and notary public ; Gerstman, L., general
store; Hellig, John, hotel; Hitz, Hil, saloon; Kives, Michael,
saloon; Marti, John, lumber; Miller, William, blacksmith; Mire,
Karle, blacksmith ; Moore, Harvey, blacksmith ; Newman, Henry,
hardware ; Newman, McRea & Junger, lumber ; Robinson & Teas,
hardware ; Ryden, T. F., lumber ; Tisser Bros., saloon ; Van Dusen,
G. W. & Co., grain; Wegner, Wm., saloon; Wegner & Wilder,
farm implements.
The Gazetteer for 1892 shows these activities: Albrecht &
Grabow, general store; Benham & Austin, hardware; Dahmes,
J. & Co., boots and shoes ; Eagle Mill Co., grain ; Eischen, N. & Co.,
general store; Faeber, Joseph, butcher; Fixsen Bros., saloon;
Frank, John, saloon; Gerdes Richard, general store and notary;
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 527
Gerstman, L., general store; Goblisch & Gobliseh, blacksmiths;
Heinke, R. F., farm implements; Hodges, Wm. R., proprietor Mor-
gan Messenger; Jungers, John, hotel; Jungers & Hopp, farm im-
plements; Lorge, Kate, dressmaker; Lorge, N. D., grocer; Marti,
John lumber ; Miller, Wm., blacksmith ; Morgan Messenger, W. R.
Hodges, proprietor ; Omehl, A., grocer ; Rider, Wm., railroad, tele-
graph and express agent; Ryden, T. F., lumber; Seifert, M.,
saloon ; Sleepy Eye Roller Mills Co., grain ; Van Dusen, G. W. &
Co., grain ; Wilter Nic, furniture.
At first the street parallel with the railroad was used for busi-
ness; but the use of this street for mercantile purposes was re-
stricted by the fact that the south side was used by lumber yards,
shipping and oil stations, elevators and the like. So, gradually,
Vernon avenue, the street running north from the station, became
the real business street. Extending from the corner of Front
and Vernon, there is a solid line of business houses on both sides
of the street, giving to the village a neat and busy appearance.
At the east end of the business district of Morgan is Vernon
Park, a beautiful little breathing place for the residents of the
village. Covered with trees in symmetrical formation, dotted
here and there with flower beds, pleasant to look at, surrounded
by cement sidewalks, walks laid out through the grounds, the
whole plat covered with grass and well kept with no "Keep off
the Grass" signs in sight, make Vernon Park a veritable oasis
for the tired traveler.
The original plat of the town of Morgan was filed October 18,
1878. It was surveyed by Arthur Jacobi on August 14, 1878, for
George B. Wright and Gustavus A. Austin. This land was in
the west half of southwest quarter of section 115 and the east
half of southeast quarter of section 16, town 111, range 34. It
contained seven whole blocks, and Vernon Square. Blocks 1, 2, 3,
4 and 5 extended to Front street, making them half a block longer
than the ordinary size. Blocks 1 and 9 were only half a block
wide. The streets ran in a northwest and southeast direction, and
in a northeast and southwest direction. The northwest and south-
east streets beginning at the south were : Front, Second and
Third. The northeast and southwest streets, beginning at the east,
are: Somerville, Bloomington, Vernon, Cleveland and Carlton.
All the streets are 75 feet wide, except Vernon, which is 100 feet
wide. The alleys are all 20 feet wide.
The plat of Schoffmann's Second Addition to Morgan was
filed June 20, 1901 by Joseph and Catherine Schoffmann. The
plat of H. M. Ball's rearrangement of lots 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19
of block 3, Morgan, Minnesota, was filed May 10, 1902. The own-
ers were H. M. Ball and Augusta Ball. The plat of Schoffmann's
subdivision of lot 6, Auditor's subdivision No. 1 of the southwest
quarter of southwest quarter of section 15, town 111, range 34 of
528 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Morgan. This land was owned by Joseph Schoffmann. The plat
of Hanson's second addition to Morgan was filed October 17, 1899.
It belonged to Peter C. and Mary K. Hanson. The plat of Han-
son's third addition to Morgan was filed June 22, 1900. This
land belonged to Peter C. and Mary K. Hanson. The plat of
Schoffmann 's addition to Morgan was filed October 4, 1900. This
land belonged to Joseph and Catherine Schoffmann. The plat of
the first addition to Morgan was filed November 27, 1888. The
land belonged to Sarah E., Julia A., Kate M., Charles A. and
Sarah M. Austin, and Carrie A. and Vernon A. Wright. The plat
of the second addition to Morgan was filed on October 10, 1890.
The land was owned by Julia A., Kate M., Charles A., and Sarah
M. Austin, and Carrie A. and Vernon A. Wright. The plat of
Gerstmann's rearrangement of block 10 of the first addition to
Morgan was filed April 20, 1892. The land was owned by Louis
and Anna Gerstmann. The plat of George W. Porter's addition
to Morgan was filed April 21, 1893. This land belonged to George
W. and Luella E. Porter. The plat of an addition to Morgan
lying east of the original plat was filed July 29, 1893. This land
was owned by Peter C. and Mary K. Hanson. The plat of David-
son's first addition to Morgan was filed January 25, 1909. The
land was owned by F. E. Davidson.
Morgan was the first village in Redwood county to be incor-
porated by petition to the county commissioners. The three older
villages, Redwood Falls, Lamberton and Walnut Grove were in-
corporated by the legislature. A petition was presented to the
commissioners on January 2, 1889, setting forth that on January 1
the village had a population of 230, and asking that parts of sec-
tions 15, 21 and 22, township 111, range 34, be incorporated as
the village of Morgan. Those signing the petition were: S. A.
Longnecker, Morris Christensen Henry Neumann, Nicholas Eis-
chen, Chas. Wegner, E. A. Blanchard, S. F. Porter, Geo. E. Conley,
H. Porter, Micke Kives, G. B. Tretbar, A. L. Robinson, Louis
Gerstmann, Nick Welter, William Hopkins, Henry Holkal, F.
Wegner, H. Stitz, Frank A. Jacoby, Anson Arcker, P. F. Ryder,
Jr., Peter Radidow, Wm. Kinman, Th. Bethke, Henry Welder,
F. A. Wegner, Wm. Mueller, Jerry Reardon, Dennis Reardon,
Thorn. Thompson, H. Moore, Jos. Heiling, Dan. McGregor, John
Marti, P. F. Ryder, Sr., Geo. Leatherman, E. Leatherman, R. Ger-
der, Frank Billington, Ben Rodidow, Joe Fries and Geo. W.
Robinson.
The petition was granted, and an election ordered held on the
question, February 9, 1889, at the hotel office of Mike Kives, at
"Morgan Station," in charge of S. A. Longnecker, Henry Neu-
mann and Nick Welter. Of the fifty votes cast, only two were
opposed to the incorporation.
The first officers were: President, John Marti; councilmen,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 529
William Mueller, Frank Billington, P. F. Ryder, Sr.; recorder,
George E. Conley; treasurer, Richard Gerdes; constables, Ben
Robidou, Henry Hoehne.
The first meeting of this council was held on February 23, 1889,
at which all members of the council were present. At this meeting
the ordinances that completed the organization were drafted and
enrolled in the ordinance book of the new village of Morgan. From
this date on until 1902 no items of great importance came up ; just
the routine business of a small village. In 1902 the voters of Mor-
gan elected a new council, consisting of young men, some of whom
had just attained to manhood legally.
The members of the council were : President, A. P. Metag ; coun-
cilmen, John Marti, J. C. Albrecht, Charles Porter; recorder, Otto
Gerstman. This council started in to do things; first making
arrangements with the Chicago & North Western railway for two
train loads of sand and gravel. It was donated by the railway.
With this they built the sidewalks on Vernon avenue of cement and
of good width. Then turning their attention to other improve-
ments they let contracts for a $6,000 sewer on Vernon avenue and
a town hall to cost $3,000. The spirit and enterprise of this council
will never be forgotten in Morgan. The next great improvement
was in 1913, when, during the time J. C. Jackson served as presi-
dent of the council, the waterworks was put in and the town
electric lighted. While C. B. Root was president of the council,
the "White Way" was put in place on Vernon avenue, making
that street as light as other towns and cities throughout the country.
In 1893, under the direction of H. M. Ball, then chairman of the
school board, the first half of the present school building was
built, being sufficient at that time for the children of school age.
The building was outgrown within five years and in 1899 the other
half was added, making it large enough to accommodate the high
school as well.
Again, in 1915, the town has been obliged to remodel, and
another story was added, the basement made to accommodate the
manual training and domestic science classes. The building is
thoroughly modern, and its grade of work is high. The high
school has been under the charge of Prof. O. A. Brandt, for a few
years, and has been brought to a high state of efficiency under his
care. Prof. Brandt resigned his position this year to take a pen-
sion and a much needed rest.
Morgan at the present time has three elevators, two lumber
companies, two live stock companies with ample yards, one cream-
ery, four general stores, one modern drug store, one exclusive
clothing store, two banks with deposits of over $600,000 between
them, two up-to-date garages with modern equipment, two agri-
cultural implement dealers, three restaurants, one ice cream parlor,
one exclusive shoe dealer, one harness store, one furniture store.
530 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
a hotel, a barber shop, photo studio, two pool halls, one flour mill,
one cash produce company and one livery.
It also has five churches, first class public school, a parochial
school and a number of the so-called secret societies. Each one of
the churches is looking out for the social life of the church and
the ladies of Morgan are not behind any of their sisters in the
neighboring towns in social life.
Churches and school houses dot the landscape in every direction
from Morgan village, giving the dwellers in the farming districts
every opportunity to enjoy the three great things in America,
"education, patriotism and religion."
The Presbyterian Church was organized in 1888. The first
board of trustees were : R. C. Robinson, P. C. Hansen, D. S. Mc-
Gregory, J. "W. Carlile, William Leas, F. E. Davidson and S. A.
Longnecker. The society owns a neat building for worship and a
"manse," where pastors can enjoy life while officiating in their
clerical capacity. The church has sat under the teaching of nine
pastors before the present one, William Stewart Sheilds. Harry B.
West is the Sunday school superintendent. There are nearly 100
members and the church has a Ladies' Aid Society and a Y. P.
S. C. E.
Zion Lutheran Church was organized December 26, 1888. It is
having a vigorous growth in the last few years and the building
soon will be outgrown. Professor E. R. Bliefernicht comes from
New Ulm every other Sunday to officiate as pastor.
The German Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1893
with about ten members, but the members succeeded in buying a
school house and remodeling it into a church in 1897. The cost was
nearly $2,000. This building was destroyed by fire soon afterwards
with only $1,700 insurance on the property. By the untiring efforts
of the pastor, Henry Pottleoff , and the congregation another church
and parsonage was erected to cost over $6,000. This building was
dedicated on Sunday, December 15, 1907, and it was a proud and
happy congregation that gathered to hear the dedicatory sermon.
The church has an enrollment of over 150 members with G. A.
Rabe as pastor and E. H. Albrecht as Sunday school superinten-
dent. The church has a flourishing woman's missionary society and
Epworth leagues.
St. Michael's Catholic Church — This parish was formed about
1890 as a mission from the Sleepy Eye Church. This old first mis-
sion was struck by lightning in 1901 and burned to the ground.
Shortly afterward the parish built the present brick building,
which cost $15,000. The church, since its first establishment as a
mission, has enjoyed a growing membership; ninety to one hun-
dred families now partake of its communion. The church has con-
ducted a parish school since 1904 for nine months in each year.
Rev. V. Bozja is the present pastor.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 531
St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized in 1888.
It then numbered seven souls. In 1889 the society erected the pres-
ent church with living rooms for the pastor in the rear. Three
years later a parsonage was built and occupied by Rev. W. Lang-
holz, who still retains the pastorage. The church cost over $4,500
and the parsonage $2,000. The membership numbers nearly 100
and there is a Sunday school of over 100 members.
The Morgan Live Stock Shipping Association is a new organi-
zation of farmers in the vicinity of Morgan who have joined to-
gether to ship their own stock direct. While organized for some
time, the association has never done much until its reorganization
in January, 1916. The company is shipping all kinds of live stock,
cattle, hogs, sheep, calves, etc., and the association now numbers
148 members. The manager, R. H. Kempton, is kept very busy
during the shipping season. The first carload was shipped on Janu-
ary 25, 1916, and 42 cars of all kinds of live stock have since been
shipped. The officials are: President, Lars Benson; vice-presi-
dent, N. P. Nelson; secretary and treasurer, John Welter; and
these three, with Nick Heiderscheir and Matt Seifert, constitute the
present board of directors.
The Farmers' Elevator Company, recently organized, is one
of Morgan's live institutions. The company has shipped some
162,000 bushels of grain and corn in the last two years, and bids
fair to equal, if not exceed, that figure in the next two. Hon. C. M.
Bendixen is president of the association, John Welter secretary,
with T. Stevens, buyer and manager.
The Morgan Co-operative Creamery Co. On January 28, 1916,
sixty farmers met at the city hall in Morgan and organized the
above institution, taking over the old creamery then in operation.
By February 3, 111 farmers had signed for stock and at this writ-
ing some 200 farmers are holding stock in this new enterprise.
The first board of directors was Lars Benson, John Welter, C. M.
Bendixen, F. W. Zaske, C. G. Sasse, Wm. Hilger and E. A. Zim-
merman. From this board of directors were chosen the following
officers: President, Lars Benson; vice president, F. W. Zaske;
treasurer, C. M. Bendixen; secretary and manager, John Welter.
The company is building a new creamery on Front street opposite
the depot to cost with its sanitary, modern equipment nearly
$20,000. It will have all the latest style of machinery, a cooling
machine with which can be made artificial ice if needed, storing
rooms and covered driveway for taking in cream at specially
prepared intake rooms. The creamery now employs two men to
gather cream who bring in about one-third of the cream supply,
the rest being delivered by the patrons themselves.
The Morgan Milling Co. has been in existence for a number
of years as a co-partnership, the mill having been built by Casper
Green, a heavy land owner and farmer. Soon after the mill was
532 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
started Green & Son realized that to be successful they should
have an elevator to buy grain, so bought on the railroad right-
of-way. They continued until January 1, 1916, when Casper
Green, wishing to retire from active life in town, was instrumental
in incorporating the milling business and elevator into the Morgan
Milling Co., Inc. During the last two years the mill has shipped
about eighty carloads of flour and feed for eastern trade, while
their local trade in Morgan and state trade has been as much
more. The elevator shipped during the last two years 360,000
bushels of all kinds of grain, corn, etc.
The mill makes a brand of flour, which is enjoying a good repu-
tation and sale. It is called "Monarch." The officers of the
Morgan Milling Co., are: President, Casper Green; vice presi-
dent, W. J. Mattke ; secretary and treasurer, Alfred Green. The
Morgan Milling Co. is but one of the many outlets for the dispos-
ing of the farm crops in Morgan township and vicinity.
The Wherland Electric Co., while organized to use the surplus
electrical energy in the power at Redwood Falls, has its main
office at Morgan. It is now supplying light and power at North
Redwood, Morton, Franklin and Morgan. The president and gen-
eral manager is Alfred Green, secretary and treasurer at the Mor-
gan Milling Co. They have in contemplation the supplying of
several more towns adjacent to Redwood Falls as soon as extra
power is secured.
The vicinity of Morgan was settled in the middle seventies.
In 1876 two brothers, Thomas and James Butcher in looking for
a location found their way into the Indian reservation and settled
upon a piece of land in the northeastern part of what is now
known as Morgan township, Redwood county. Just over the line
of the township in what is now known as Sherman, about the same
time came the Root family and the family of John "W. Carlile.
A little later Russell Robinson bought land south of the Butchers
and Lars George with his family settled in the southeastern part
of the township on the land now occupied by his heirs. To the
northwest of these sturdy settlers was the little city of Redwood
Falls, beautifully situated at the junction of the Redwood river
and Ramsey creek, and just before its confluence with the Minne-
sota river. Southeast of this home of fertility was the quaint
town of Sleepy Eye, the site of many Indian stories and traditions.
Not far away were the ruins of the old Sioux Agency.
On May 11, 1880, the county commissioners granted a petition
organizing the town, and called an election to be held May 26,
1880. On that date the first town meeting was held with the fol-
lowing result : Whole number of votes cast, fifteen ; of which the
following officers each received fourteen and were declared
elected: Chairman, C. R. Kimball; supervisors, W. McGinnis,
G. W. Hurd ; clerk, James Butcher ; treasurer, Geo. Knudson ; as-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 533
sessor, Thos. Butcher; justices, T. G. Holland, C. Christianson ;
constables, N. Behnke, J. Connell. On April 4, 1881, Geo. W.
Hurd, was appointed the first road overseer, and C. R. Kimball
was appointed clerk to fill vacancy.
Thirty-six years ago, four years after the first inhabitant had
commenced to till the soil in this fertile spot, but fifteen voters
could be found to elect the first town officers. Out of the fifteen
voters, ten were elected to office. This was certainly an army
of officers, not privates.
NORTH REDWOOD.
The vicinity of North Redwood became the homestead of
J. S. G. Honner, in the sixties. In 1876 an attempt was made to
start a village called Riverside, in the same vicinity. Streets were
laid out in sections 20 and 29, a warehouse erected, a store, hotel,
blacksmith shop and other buildings put up, and a postoffice es-
tablished. But diminishing waters of the Minnesota caused a
cessation of river traffic, and the village was abandoned. Some of
the buildings were moved to Redwood Falls.
The Minneapolis & St. Louis reached Morton in 1882, but was
not pushed on through Redwood county until 1884. In the fall
of 1884, Thomas Tradewell erected a dwelling, and E. N. Swan
& Co. opened a general store. A railroad station was established,
and Richard W. Sears, became station agent. It was here that
Mr. Sears started the mail order business that has become
famous as the Sears, Roebuck & Co.
"When the Northwestern Gazetteer was issued in 1886, Mr.
Sears was still the postmaster, express agent and station agent.
E. N. Swan & Co. still had their general store. George Gigerich
had a saloon. C. D. Haven & Co. had a lumber yard. J. S. G.
Honner was keeping a boarding house. John Weiss was also
keeping a boarding house.
In 1888, the Northwestern Gazetteer showed the following
business activities in North Redwood: Birum & Anderson (Eric
Birum, Albert J. Anderson, proprietors North Redwood Roller
Mill) ; Carleton, Guy H, railroad, express and telegraph agent
Chollar, H. D., lumber; Dworshak, Frederick, hay presser
Fleischer, Charles, stone quarry; Hammer, Frank F., hardware
Honner, John S. G., hotel ; Johnson, W. J., lumber agent ; McGuire
& Kuenzli (John M. McGuire, Emil Kuenzle), general store; Mul-
ford, A. D. & Co., grain; North Redwood Roller Mill, Birum &
Anderson, proprietors ; Pacific Elevator Co., grain ; Swan, Edward
N., general store and postmaster; Tradewell, Thompson J., agent
Pacific Elevator Co. ; Weiss, John, hotel.
In 1890 the business life of the village was represented as
follows: Birum & Anderson (Ener Birum, Albert Anderson),
534 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
flour mill ; Carlton, Guy H., railroad, express and telegraph agent ;
Fleischer, Charles, stone quarry ; Honner, Annette, hotel ; Kuenzli
& Dreyer (Emil Kuenzli, Rufus Dreyer), general store; Laird-
Norton Co. (W. J. Johnson, agent), lumber; Lindeman, August
A., hardware; Mulford, A. D. & Co. (T. J. Treadwell, agent),
grain; Pacific Elevator Co. (A. G. Treadwell, agent), grain; Schu-
macher, Peter, furniture and wagonmaker ; Swan, Edward N., gen-
eral store; Tradewell, Thompson J. (agent A. D. Mulford & Co.),
coal and grain ; "Weiss, John, hotel.
North Redwood was surveyed by Tillson Tibbetts November
1, 1884, for John S. G. Honner and Antoinette Honner, his wife.
The plat was filed August 22, 1885. This land was in the west
half of northwest quarter of section 29, town 113, range 35. It
contained one whole block and five fractional blocks. All the
streets were 60 feet wide, except East street, which is 50 feet;
Front street, which is 34 feet; and River street, parallel to the
track, which is 66 feet. All the alleys were 23 feet wide. The
north and south streets beginning on the west, are : Main, Center
and East. The east and west streets, beginning on the north, are :
Coon, Front and River, which last named is a continuation of
Front street.
The plat of Fleischer's addition to North Redwood was filed
July 30, 1892. The land belonged to Charles and Delia Fleischer.
On June 6, 1903, a petition was presented the county board
asking for the incorporation of parts of sections 29 and 30, town-
ship 113, range 35, there being at that time 143 persons in the
hamlet. Those signing the petition were : Charles Fleischer,
Thomas Hoskins, Allen Whitaker, E. H. Davis, J. R. Keefe, J. R.
Farrell, S. J. Sampson, A. G. Tradewell, Harvey Duncan, George
Starken, Philip Starken, Henry Dreyer, G. W. Yontz, B. Kuenzli,
H. W. Shoemaker, A. H. Meyer, "W. B. Herman, Jno. H. Fish,
Fred Swempke, Henry Timm, Lewis Peterson, James Stephens,
L. C. Fleischer, A. H. Page, E. A. Stoddard, A. M. Larson, Ben H.
Kuenzli, Charles Kuenzli, F. W. Hoepner, John Wueiss and P. E.
Van Dusen.
The petition was granted and an election ordered held at
Shoemaker's Hall, August 14, 1903, in charge of Charles Fleischer,
J. R. Keefe and Thomas Hoskins. Of the twenty-three votes cast,
only two were against the proposition.
REVERE.
Revere was platted in 1886 and incorporated in 1899-1900.
The village had its start when the railroad put into use two box
cars, one as a station and the other as a freight house. About
1899 Bingham Brothers built a flat house for the storing of grain.
Norman T. Nelson started buying grain. Later Hans Nelson was
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 535
the buyer. D. S. Cantine started dealing in live stock. The first
store was that of Louis J. Rongstad & Co. In this store was the
postoffice, with Mr. Rongstad as postmaster. Mr. Rongstad 's part-
ner was A. 0. Anderson, who seems to have been the financial
backer.
When the Northwestern Gazetteer was issued in 1896, Revere
was a thriving point, and these business activities for that year
are given: Anderson, Ambrose, shoemaker; Bingham Bros. (H.
Nelson, agent), elevator; Cantine, D. S., live stock; Dahl Bros.,
general store, grain and live stock ; Dahl, 0. H., hotel ; Dahl, H. H.,
postmaster; Nelson, Hans, grain; Nicholaison, Jens, carpenter;
Parsons, W. B. (0. H. Dahl, agt.), elevator; Rasmusson Bros.,
blacksmiths; Revere Co-operative Creamery Co. (James J. Law-
rentzen, manager) ; Young, George H., tanner and glovemaker.
In 1898 these business activities are shown in the Gazetteer:
Anderson, Ambrose, shoemaker; Bingham Bros. (H. Nelson,
agent), elevator; Bridley, A. H., general store; Dahl Bros., gen-
eral store, grain and live stock ; Engen, J. J., fuel ; Lohre & Mun-
sen, hardware ; McDougal, W. D., railroad, express and telegraph
agent; Munsen, Albert, hotel; Nicholaison, Jens, carpenter; Ras-
muson Bros. (Emil C. and Louis P.), blacksmiths; Revere Cream-
ery Assn. (H. H. Dahl, manager) ; Parsons Grain Co. (0. H. Dahl,
agent), elevator; Schultz, John, hotel and dray line; Standard
Lumber Co. (0. H. Dahl, agent), elevator; Turner, F. E., general
store ; Weldon, Arthur, confectionery.
The original plat of Revere was filed on May 26, 1886. The
land a part of the northwest quarter of section 25, town 109, range
38, was surveyed by John E. Blunt for the Winona and St. Peter
Railroad Company on April 30, 1886. There were two unequal
blocks. The east and west streets starting at the north were
First and Second, each being 80 feet wide. The north and south
streets, starting on the west, were Cottonwood, 80 feet wide;
Main, 100 feet, and Oak, 80 feet wide.
The plat of blocks 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 13 addition to Revere was
filed Nov. 19, 1901. The owners were the Winona and St. Peter
Railroad Company. The plat of the first railroad addition to
Revere was filed Aug. 30, 1898. It belonged to the Winona and
St. Peter Railroad Company. The plat of the Hirschfeld Park
addition of Revere was filed Dec. 20, 1901. The land belonged to
Eugene and Hannah Hirschfeld.
The census of Dec. 21, 1899, having shown a population of
177, the citizens on Dec. 22, 1899, presented a petition to the
county commissioners asking that the village be incorporated,
including land in sections 23, 24, 25 and 26, township 109, range
38. The signers of the petition were : Martin C. Jensen, A. H.
Bridley, H. H. Dahl, C. L. Newhouse, J. J. Dittbenner, W. H.
Hawkins, P. A. Pederson, Emil Rasmussen, J. E. Christensen,
536 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Oscar Kempe, L. N. Larson, L. P. Rasmussen, Jos. Marihart,
C. Neal, John Schultz, F. 0. Bleness, Hans Nelson, W. B. Leo,
Paul Jones, F. E. Keith, Jay Roof, Otto Schulze, Louis Fick, H. C.
Fiek, M. H. Dahl, J. 0. Peterson, L. P. Pederson, A. J. Monson,
Martin Wentz, Peter Wentz and C. L. Andrews.
The election on the question of incorporating was held at the
schoolhouse, Feb. 17, 1900, in charge of Oscar Kempe, C. L. New-
house and Hans Nelson. All the thirty votes cast were in favor
of the proposition. A short time later the first election of officers
was held, resulting as follows: President, Emil C. Rasmussen;
trustees, Martin Wentz, W. B. Leo and Anton Schiller ; recorder,
Oscar Kempe; treasurer, A. H. Bridley. The first constable was
John Schultz. The first meeting of the new council was held
March 15, 1900. The present officers are : President, C. C. Engen;
trustees, A. V. Pearson, Charles Wilbur and Fred Sixbury; re-
corder, F. B. Grinde ; treasurer, Chris Nielsen ; justice, H. R. Pan-
tier; assessor, E. M. Walker; marshal and street commissioner,
Ed A. Nelson.
A short sewer system was installed in 1914. The volunteer
fire department has ample equipment, including a Waterous gaso-
line engine, and is in charge of E. A. Nelson. There is a splendid
wild park of eleven acres on Pelt creek, which is a favorite resort
of outing parties. The Norwegian Lutheran congregation has am
excellent church here. Electric power from Lamberton was in-
stalled in the fall of 1916, furnishing light for the streets as well
as for the business houses and residences.
ROWENA
Rowena is a small hamlet in section 27, New Avon, on the
Evan-Marshall branch of the Chicago & North Western.
The original plat of Rowena was filed March 24, 1902. It was
surveyed by F. R. Kline for the Western Town Lot Company on
Jan. 28, 1902, in the north one-half of the southeast one-quarter of
section 27, town 111, range 36. It contained two full blocks, and
also two unequal blocks. The streets were 70 feet wide, except
Main street, which was 80 feet wide, and Front street, which was
66 feet wide. All the alleys were 20 feet wide. All the streets
are parallel with the town line except Front street, which runs
parallel with the railroad track. The north and south streets
beginning at the west are Oak, Main and Pine. The east and
west streets running due east and west, beginning on the south
are First and Second.
SANBORN
Sanborn had its beginning in 1880. At that time John T.
Yager had a farm here, and his farmhouse stood on what is now
West street, just west of the west end of River street.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 537
J. W. Dotson came here that year, and built a combination
store and dwelling house, about 200 feet south of the present
Atlas elevator. E. P. Dotson, son of J. W. Dotson, came in 1881,
built a warehouse about where the stockyards now are, and dealt
in grain and fuel. He also erected a residence. Thomas Poole,
the father of Mrs. J. W. Dotson, lived with the J. W. Dotson
family, and was appointed the first postmaster, keeping the office
in the home of J. W. Dotson. Soon after, he resigned in favor or
his son-in-law. In 1882, John Letford erected a general store.
About the same time A. Schellenberger opened a blacksmith
shop.
Business continued to gather at this point, and the North-
western Gazetteer of 1884 shows these business activities : Arm-
strong, C, general store; Bingley, B. L., boarding; Dotson, Enos
P., boarding; Dotson, John W., grain; Letford, John A., general
store, postmaster and express agent; Merriam, L., wood; Shellen-
berger, A., blacksmith; Shuck, L., shoemaker; Waterman, C. P.,
lumber.
In 1886 the following names appear in the Gazetteer: Arm-
strong, C, general store ; Bingley, B. L., boarding ; Case, Dr. 0. A.,
druggist; Dotson, John W., grain; Letford, John A., hardware and
furniture; Merriman, L., wood; Murray, T. A., harness and shoe-
maker; Posz, George, wagonmaker; Shellenberger, A., blacksmith;
Wagner, Daniel, saloon; Waterman, C. F., lumber; Wells &
Schraeder, general store and lumber.
Sanborn is now a flourishing village of many advantages.
Particularly attractive is the public triangle, with its brick pump-
ing station and village jail, its band stand and its stately bell
tower. The pumping station is likewise used as a council cham-
ber. In the early days fire protection was furnished by a cistern.
In 1914 the present waterworks system was established. In the
fall of 1915, electric light service was installed, the power being
secured from Lamberton. A strong volunteer fire department,
organized many years ago, is in the efficient charge of Dr. M. C.
Piper.
An interesting feature of the village life is the magnificent
building of the Sanborn Improvement Co., a stock organization,
which is now on a profitable basis. The lower floor of the build-
ing is used as a theater and general meeting place, while the
upper floor is fitted up as a lodge hall.
The lodges that flourish here are the Masonic and Eastern
Star, the I. 0. 0. F. and the Modern Brotherhood of America.
There are four churches, the German Lutheran, with a resident
pastor; and St. Thomas Catholic, Methodist Episcopal and Ger-
man Evangelical, served by pastors who reside elsewhere.
The original plat of Sanborn was surveyed for John Yaeger
by T. G. Carter, and filed on Oct. 10, 1881, in the east half of
538 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
southeast quarter of section 26, town 109, range 36. It contained
five blocks, three south of the railroad track, and two north.
Three of these were whole blocks and the other two were frac-
tional blocks. All the streets were 80 feet wide, except Main
street, and a part of River street, which were 66 feet wide. All
the alleys were 20 feet wide. Main street extending directly
north and south. The northeast and southwest streets, beginning
on the west, were: West, North (north of the tract), South
(south of the tract) and Dotson. The northwest and southeast
streets, beginning at the north, were : John, Yaeger, Leetford
and River. The plat of the Winona and St. Peter Land Com-
pany's first addition to Sanborn was filed Dec. 26, 1900. The
plat of the Winona and St. Peter Land Company, second addition
to Sanborn, was filed May 26, 1899. The plat of Yaeger 's first
addition to Sanborn was filed May 9, 1900, by John and Mar-
garetha E. Yaeger. The plat of the Winona and St. Peter Land
Company's third addition to Sanborn was filed Aug. 11, 1900.
The plat of Lehne's addition to Sanborn was filed May 9, 1901.
The land was owned by Julius and Mary Lehne. The plat of
Wells and Schoeder's first addition to Sanborn was filed Nov. 9,
1888. The land belonged to O. D. and Tena Wells and William
Auguste Schoeder. The plat of the Winona and St. Peter Land
Company's fifth addition to Sanborn was filed Jan. 4, 1904. Thb
plat of Yaeger 's second addition to Sanborn was filed Sept. 5, 1907.
The land was owned by John and Margaretha E. Yaeger. The
plat of the Winona and St. Peter Land Company's first addition
to Sanborn was filed June 20, 1892. The plat of Dammonn's sec-
ond addition to Sanborn was filed Jan. 16, 1903. The land be-
longed to John and Marie Dammonn. The plat of Dammonn's
addition to Sanborn was filed on May 16, 1894. This land be-
longed to John and Mary Dammonn.
A petition was presented to the county board Aug. 24, 1891,
showing that the population of the hamlet was 177 persons, and
asking that parts of sections 25, 26, 35 and 36, township 109,
range 36, be incorporated as the village of Sanborn. The signers
of the petition were : Patrick Dinneen, J. W. Dotson, C. E. Arm-
strong, John Karlson, Chas. Yagle, John H. Posz, John Widnnan,
O. D. Wells, George Posz, B. L. Ringle, W. A. Hackley, T. A.
Muvooy, E. P. Dotson, S. L. Dotson, A. Gorwin, A. Shellenberger,
John Yaeger, E. Crane, L. P. Madison, Geo. A. Drablon, David
Gorvin, John A. Yaeger, C. F. Watherman, Henry Dietz, Chris
Dingle, John Dammann, John Dotson, Herman Holtznagel, George
Huhnergarth, M. Duly, H. Feverstein, F. C. Posz and A. Schmidt.
The commissioners granted the petition. A vote on the ques-
tion was taken at the postoffice, Nov. 17, 1891, in charge of W. A.
Hackley, E. P. Dotson and O. D. Wells, and of the 41 ballots cast,
every one was in favor of the incorporation.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 539
SEAFORTH.
When the railroad reached the present site of Seaforth, in
1899, it was already a trading center of some importance. North
of the present track, near the site of the present Presbyterian
church, was located the Farmers Co-operative creamery Co., con-
ducting a creamery and feed mill. Near the creamery was the
store of J. C. Pratt. After the railroad came through, John Long-
bottom opened a hardware store in the fall of 1899, and at about
the same time Kramer (Michael) & Borte (Paul J.) opened a gen-
eral store. J. H. Queal & Co. (J. C. Barton, manager) and the
C. M. Youmans Lumber Co. (J. H. Hayden, manager) opened their
yards that same fall. Frank V. Stanek built his hardware store
late that fall, but did not open the store until early spring.
The place was known for a while as Okawa Station. Early
in 1900, when the canvass was made for the Northwestern Gazet-
teer, Okawa Station had a population of but twenty-five. Trains
were running regularly, and telegraph and express service had
been established. J. C. Pratt was the postmaster, and J. Raymond
the railroad, express and telegraph agent.
The village grew rapidly and when the Gazetteer was issued
in 1902, Seaforth had Catholic, German Lutheran and Congrega-
tional churches, a bank, a hotel, a creamery, a newspaper, and
telephone service. The business directory for that year is as fol-
fows:
Baldwin, Ward & Co., bankers; Boltz, Herman, grain; Borte,
Paul J., general store; Bulen, B. F., & Son, hardware; Bulen
Pearl, music teacher ; Byram, S. S., restaurant and notions ; Cerny,
Anton, jeweler ; Choudek, John, furniture ; Drews, Gustave, hotel
and saloon; Farmers' Co-operative Creamery; Goudy, W. R.,
grain ; Grams, A. C, meats ; Jellison, E. R., physician ; Johnson,
George H, live stock; Kohl, W. J., saloon; Kramer, M., & Co.,
general store; Longbottom, John, & Son, farm implements; Maxa,
Mrs. Mary, general store ; Milbradt, A. W., general store ; Mil-
bradt, C. W., harnessmaker ; Moulster, Fred S., general store;
Moulster, George, grain; Mushek, F., fuel; Nestaval, Joseph,
saloon ; Palmer, J. J., drugs ; Pavek & Ousky, wagonmaker ; Pear-
son & Schmitz, livery; Queal, J. H, & Co., lumber and coal; Sea-
forth Concordia Band, Anton Cerny, leader; Seaforth Item, Roy
Tuttle, publisher; Seaforth Orchestra, Anton Cerny, leader;
Schmidt & Anderson, grain elevator; Schulz, John, blacksmith;
Southwiek, W. S., railroad, express and telegraph agent ; Stanek,
F. V., hardware; Svea, John, shoes, Tuttle, Roy, publisher Sea-
forth Item ; Van Selus, A. J., blacksmith ; Youmans, C. M., Lum-
ber Co.
In 1904 the business directory showed these names: Ayers,
Wm, feed mill ; Baldwin, H. A., Land & Loan Co., C. B. Allen,
540 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
agent; Bank of Seaforth (capital $6,000), H. A. Baldwin (presi-
dent), Charles M. Allen (cashier) ; Borte, Paul J., general store;
Bulen, Benj. F., & Son (Benj. F. & Chauncey), hardware; Chou-
dek, John, furniture; Cleveland, W. E., creamery; Donnelly,
Michael, saloon; Drews, Gustave, proprietor Hotel Drews; Fran-
cois & Schmahl, Wm. Houck, manager, general store ; Goudy, Wm.
R., grain; Hotel Drews, Gustave Drews, proprietor; Johnson,
George H, live stock; Johnson, Wilbur R., jewelry and drugs;
Longbottom, Edward, meats; Masek, Frank, fuel; Maxa, Mrs.
Mary, general store; Mielke, Chas., saloon; Milbradt, August W.,
general store; Nestaval, Joseph, saloon; Ousky, Frank, wagon-
maker ; Pearson & Schmitz, livery ; Queal, J. H., & Co., C. V.
Palmer, agent, lumber and coal; Schmidt & Anderson, Frank
Hassenstab, agent, grain elevator; Seaforth Item, Glen R. Tuttle,
publisher ; Stanek, Frank V., hardware ; Tuttle, Glen R., publisher,
Seaforth Item; Van Selus, Andrew J., blacksmith; Wagner,
Michael, harnessmaker ; Youmans, C. M., Lumber Co., Paul Jaehm,
agent.
Okawa (Seaforth) was surveyed on Oct. 8, 1899, for the West-
ern Town Lot Company, by J. C. W. Kline. The plat was filed
Oct. 20, 1899. The village was located in a part of S. W. V4 of
section 29, town 112, range 37. All streets were 70 feet wide,
except Main and Oak streets, which were each 80 feet wide, and
Front street which was 60 feet wide. There were six blocks, each
having ten lots, except blocks 1 and 2, which run as far north
as Front street, parallel to the railroad track. The streets run-
ning north and south beginning at the west are Dewey, Main
and Schley; the streets running east and west beginning at the
north are Front, parallel to the railway track, Oak, Elm and
Pine.
Blocks 7, 8 and 9, addition of Okawa, was filed on Nov. 17,
1900. The land was owned by the Western Town Lot Company.
The petition for the incorporation of Okawa (Seaforth) was
filed with the county commissioners Dec. 7, 1900, the proposed
limits of the new village being in sections 29, 30, 31 and 36, town-
ship 112, range 37 (Sheridan township). The petition was granted
and election ordered. The election was duly held in the A. O.
U. W. hall, over the Sheridan Creamery building, in charge of
B. F. Bulen, George B. Moulster and F. V. Stanek, and of the
thirty-eight voting, every one voted in favor of the incorporation.
The population of the village on Dec. 6, 1900, according to the
petition for incorporation was 185. The leading voters of the vil-
lage, as they appear on the petition, were : B. F. Bulen, W. R.
Goudy, C. E. Duncan, E. Longbottom, C. W. Bulen, W. C. Tabor,
J. H. Hayden, Wm. Pratt, F. B. Hamilton, W. A. Longbottom,
M. Kramer, A. Kramer, T. V. Kovanda, C. W. Milbradt, John
Svea, J. C. Pratt, O. T. Drews, K. Daugherty, James O'Meary,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 541
E. C. Barton, E. J. Smith, A. J. Van Selus, Albert Grams, Alvin
Longbottom, John Choudek, John Maxa, F. V. Stanek, T. J.
Boete, W. J. Kohl, Gust Drews, S. A. Durgin and E. R. Bollou.
The first officers of the village were : President, Geo. S. Moul-
ster; trustees, W. J. Kohl, F. V. Stanek and Albert Grams;
recorder, J. H. Hayden. The first council meeting was held
March 12, 1901.
The fire protection of Seaforth is excellent : Volunteer fire
department of ten men ; one hose reel with 1,500 feet of 2y2-inch
hose, ladders (no truck) ; bell alarm; one Waterous gasoline fire
engine, water supply from 30,000-gallon cistern under engine
house and well at southeast corner lot 10, block 3; streets are
slightly rolling.
There are three churches, Presbyterian, German Lutheran and
Catholic. The Workmen, the Odd Fellows and the Catholic Order
of Foresters maintain lodges here.
VESTA.
Vesta, one of the most flourishing villages of Redwood county,
is located just northwest of the central part of Vesta township,
at the terminal of the Sanborn-Vesta branch of the Chicago &
North Western Railroad, twenty-six miles northwest of Sanborn,
eighteen miles west of Redwood Falls, and 166 miles southwest
of St. Paul.
The generous width of its principal business street, the beauty
of its residence section, its pleasant homes, and the spirit of the
people, all tend to make Vesta a model rural village, and there
are to be found here in abundant measure, the things which go to
make village life attractive.
Having its beginning in the arrival of the Chicago & North
Western railroad, the village grew rapidly in the winter of 1899-
1900 and has since enjoyed a gradual period of increase and
prosperity.
Not more than a decade before the village was started, much
of the land in the vicinity was still unbroken, and the last great
herds of cattle to be found in the county found good range here.
With the establishment of Vesta as a trading point, farm lands
became more desirable, and farm conditions improved, while the
prosperity of the rural regions also re-acted upon the village,
causing it to grow in size and importance. Owing somewhat, pos-
sibly, to the market facilities of Vesta, and owing likewise to gen-
eral conditions throughout the county, the year of 1916 saw a
rapid rise in land values, many farms which had previously been
valued at $35 an acre, without improvements, jumping to $85 and
$100 in value, and even higher.
To this desirable achievement, the bank, the elevators, th«
542 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
newspaper, the schools, the railroad, and the churches have all
contributed.
There are three sightly church buildings, the First Presbyte-
rian, the German Lutheran and the Catholic. The Brethren hold
meetings at private houses. The I. 0. 0. F. maintains a lodge
here, and the M. W. A. holds regular meetings.
Excellent electric light service is furnished from a plant oper-
ated in the village building by H. M. Reichert and John Lempke.
The plant also furnishes power for the waterworks system, the
mains covering the principal streets, with sufficient hydrants and
dead-ends for adequate fire protection. There is also a volunteer
fire company, with adequate equipment, in charge of Fred Gert-
jejanssen. A nearby ditch will soon provide for drainage sewage,
and later provisions will be made for a sanitary sewer.
Long before the village was started, a postoffice was opened
in the township, under the name of Vesta. T. L. Cronley was the
first postmaster. He kept the office in his home on section 22.
Semi-weekly mail service was provided by stage to Tracy and
Redwood Falls. The next postmaster was James Arnold, who
kept the office at his home in section 22.
When the railroad was projected the original site considered
was on the farm of Joseph McGlough, a quarter of a mile east of
the present village. But the owner priced his land at a higher
figure than the Town Lot Co. was willing to pay, and the present
site was purchased from Ludwig Rosberg, at $32 an acre. At that
time the farm house of Mr. Rosberg stood north of the proposed
site.
The site was at once surveyed by E. E. Gray for the Western
Town Lot Co., on the north half of the southeast quarter, and
the south half of the northeast quarter of section 16, township
112, range 38. There were eight blocks, four of which contained
twelve lots each, and the others a lesser number. Broadway
was laid out 100 feet wide, and all the other streets 66 feet wide,
with twenty^foot alleys. The north and south streets, beginning
at the west, were Pine, Elm, Broadway, Oak and East streets.
The east and west streets beginning at the north were North,
Center and Front streets.
Four additions have since been made, one by Ludwig and
Sophia Rosberg, and three by the Town Lot Co. The plat of
Rosberg 's addition was filed May 17, 1900. The plats of blocks
9 and 10 were filed Jan. 23, 1900 ; of blocks 11, 12, 13 and 14, on
the same date; of blocks 15 and 16, and outlot A on March 25,
1910.
Dry, healthful, and desirable as Vesta now is, it was originally
platted in a slough. The first land sale was held on Nov. 3, 1898,
by S. A. Hoyt and Harvey Harris, both from Sherburn, Minn.,
and representing the Town Lot Co. The sale was held from the
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 543
rear end of a farm wagon, standing in the midst of a slough,
the high weeds and wet high grass being trampled into the mud
by the eager buyers. The first sale was made to Mrs. J. S. Bying-
ton, who purchased lot 12, block 3, for $200. Shortly afterward,
Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Byington moved a cook shanty which had
been used for harvest hands, onto lot 12, block 3, and started
taking boarders, the establishment being called humorously "The
Grand Central." The shack was later moved back and a build-
ing erected.
The railroad station, round house, water tank and the three
elevators, Bingham Brothers, the Great Western Elevator Co., and
A. L. Foster, were completed in December, business was started,
and from then until the following spring many business houses
were erected and opened, up and down Broadway, along Front
street, and gradually spreading to other streets.
The first store was opened by Matz (August) & Schroeder
(Herman), in a shack, 12 by 18 feet, in the rear of lot 6, block 7.
Soon they erected a substantial building on that lot, a party wall
separating the store from the hardware store of Macklenberg
(R. L.) & Athey (A. E.) on lot 7, block 7. James Arnold moved
the postoffice from his farm to the village, and F. H. Bendix, as
his deputy, was placed in charge, the office being kept in the
store of Matz & Schroeder. Some months later, H. R. Draper was
appointed first postmaster for the village, and moved the office
to a small building on lot 4, block 7, which is now occupied by the
Vesta Hardware Co.
The first residence, aside from the farm house, was erected
in December, 1899, by Joseph J. Schulte, on lot 9, block 10, the
house now being owned by C. H. Whiting. The Foster elevator
was moved east, off from the right of way. E. L. Cross erected a
building on lot 4, block 6, and in this, Joseph J. Schulte opened a
drug store. A livery barn was erected by Henry Keller, on lot
13, block 7. John M. Katzenberg opened a cobbling establish-
ment on lots 11 and 12, block 7. The Bank of Vesta, with which
was connected the office of the Redwood Land Co., incorporated,
and a flourishing insurance business was erected on lot 10, block
7, and was opened in charge of S. A. Hoyt and Harvey Harris.
Anton J. Serbus erected a building on lot 9, block 3, and
opened a barber shop and saloon. In the hall overhead school
was later held.
H. R. Draper opened a general store on lot 4, block 7. Daniel
Blanchard opened a meat market on lot 9, block 7. Nelson (Leon-
ard F.) & Rawlings (Frank H.) opened a general store on lot 2,
block 6. Gimmestad (A. 0.) & Lewis (M. Eugene) opened a land
office on lot 3, block 6, with Mr. Lewis in charge. Paul B. Gut-
knecht opened a meat market on lot 5, block 6.
Brophy (Thomas) & Radford (James H.) opened a machine
544 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
establishment on lot 21, block 6. Jacob J. Stepka opened a har-
ness shop on lot 20, block 6. Joseph Dobias opened a saloon on
lot 19, block 6. The Dobias Brothers opened the Northwestern
Hotel on lot 18, block 6. Fred A. Urbach opened an undertaking
and furniture establishment on lot 17, block 6. Gottfried Stein-
kraus established a shoe store on lot 15, block 2. Emil Kretzke
opened a harness shop on lot 14, block 2.
John Kaufenberg moved a barn from his farm to lot 3, block
5, and opened a hotel. He and his family lived on the lower
floor, and served meals there, while the beds for the boarders were
located in what had been the hay loft. The experiences of the
early pioneers of the village in this boarding house would make
an interesting article. Conditions were crude, but a spirit of
good feeling and friendliness prevailed, and even sleeping in a
bed in a hayloft, with snoring companions in a dozen or so beds
in the same loft, was better than sleeping on bank and store
counters, as many of the men had previously been doing.
The village platted, and the business activities well started, a
petition was drawn up on Dec. 21, 1899, asking for the incorpora-
tion of the village. The census of Dec. 18, 1899, showed a popu-
lation of 200. The signers of the petition were : John Dolliver,
0. E. Reynolds, Frank Kaufenberg, Thomas A. Miller, I. J. Cross,
Ben. Migrand, Dell MeChesney, August Segnes, W. R. Depew,
W. E. Eischner, F. H. Bendix, J. L. Lee, H. R. Draper, Orville
L. Draper, D. F. Sayles, A. J. Serbus, Mat. Pesch, J. S. Byington,
E. L. Cross, J M. Katzenberger, Stephen Klappenrich, Frank
Dobesch, E. Shipka, C. Shipka, G. H. Rodes, Frank Ringenbauch,
Henry Keller, William Blackmore, R. C. Cross, M. C. Cross, M. E.
Lewis, John Kaufenberg, John S. Westphal and William Busach.
The petition was granted on Jan. 2, 1900, and an election ordered
held in Brundage Hall, Feb. 6, 1900, in charge of O. E. Reynolds,
Frank Ringenbach and Frank H. Bendix. Of the sixty votes
cast on the proposition on Feb. 6, 1900, every one was in favor
of the incorporation. The first village election was held Feb. 20,
1900, and resulted as follows : President, H. R. Draper ; trustees,
Frank Jaros, Frank H. Bendix, E. Crane ; recorder, A. E. Hutch-
inson; treasurer, Jacob J. Stepka. John Dobias was the first
marshal. The present officers are: President, Charles R. Ter-
hell ; trustees, Fred Gertjejanssen, J. J. Smith and C. H. Whiting ;
recorder, W. J. Barber; treasurer, Frank Bendix.
The village continued its growth in 1900 and 1901, and when
the Northwestern Gazetteer was issued in 1902, Vesta is described
as an important and flourishing center, with Lutheran and Pres-
byterian churches, a graded school, a fire department, a bank,
two hotels and several boarding houses, three grain elevators, a
creamery, an opera house, a brick yard and several large stores,
as well as a weekly newspaper, and excellent long distance tele-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 545
phone, express, telegraph, railroad and mail service. The busi-
ness directory in that issue shows these activities: Bennett,
Adrian A., notary public; Aarseth, Knute M., photographer; Bank
of Vesta (private — Gold, Stabeck & Co., proprietors) ; Bingham
Brothers, Louis R. Dudrey, grain elevator; Blackmore, William
H., saloon; Blanchard, Daniel, live stock; Brophy & Radford
(Thomas Brophy and James H. Radford), farm implements;
Brundage, George H., general store; Cross, George H., general
store; Dahlgren, John, painter; Draper, Henry R., general
store; Foster, Abraham L., justice of the peace, grain elevator
and fuel ; Gallagher, Charles A., brick manufacturing ; Gimmestad
& Lewis (A. 0. Gimmestad and M. Eugene Lewis), real estate;
Grand Central Hotel, Herbert W. Towne, manager; Gray, Frank
D., physician; Gutknecht, Paul B., meats; Haley, Michael, well
borer; Heger, Nicholas J. B., blacksmith; Hotel Vesta, John
Kaufenberg, proprietor ; Katzenberger, John M., shoemaker ; Katz-
enberger, Charles, barber; Kojetin, Frank; Kratzke, Emil, harness-
maker; Lee, Richard W., dray; Loersch, Mrs. Ulrica A., general
store ; Lyford, B. Frank, restaurant ; Macklanburg & Athey (Ru-
dolph L. Macklanburg and Arthur E. Athey), furniture, hardware
and farm implements ; Mather, Henry, saloon ; Matz & Schroeder
(August Matz and Herman Schroeder), general store; Minnesota
Elevator Co., Henry J. Arnold, agent ; Nelson & Rawlings (Leonard
F. Nelson and Frank H. Rawlings), general store; Queal, J. H., &
Co., Orrin E. Reynolds, agent, lumber ; Redwood County Land Co.,
Harvey Harris, secretary; Reichart, Haskill, blacksmith and ma-
chinery ; Reynolds, Orrin E., general store ; Rickell, James, livery ;
Sayles, David F., drayman; Schulte, Joseph J., druggist; Scott,
James, general store ; Serbus & Marquardt (Anton J. Serbus and
Herman Marquardt), saloon; Smith, Julius J., mason, Steinkraus,
Gottfried, shoes; Stepka, Jacob J., harnessmaker ; Stewart, John
A., railroad express and telegraph agent; Suda, August, shoe-
maker; Swenson, Magnus, wagonmaker; Teorey, Samuel, pho-
tographer; Tout, Frederick, painter; Tuttle, Fred G., editor,
Vesta Bright Eyes; Urbach, Fred A., furniture; Vesta Bright
Eyes, Morgan E. Lewis, proprietor, Fred G. Tuttle, editor ; Vesta
Creamery Co., 0. T. Sunde, manager; Vesta Opera House, George
H. Brundage, manager ; Wistad, Gunder T., blacksmith ; Youmans,
C. M. Lumber Co., William R. Baade, agent ; Zehetner, Frederick,
blacksmith.
WABASSO
Wabasso is a thriving village of some 500 people, located in
Vail township, on the Sanborn-Vesta and Evan-Marshall branches
of the Chicago & North Western. It is in the geographical center
of the county, surrounded by some of the best farming country
546 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
in southern Minnesota. An abundance of water is found some
fifty feet below the surface, and artificial drainage has added
greatly to the value of the land.
Fire protection is of the best. The volunteer fire department
consists of some twenty members, and the bell on the water tower
can be heard all over the village. The fire department has two
hose carts, 1,200 feet of 2V2-inch hose, and one hook and ladder
truck.
The waterworks system consists of a 2,000-barrel tank on a
100-foot tower, supplied from a well by one Fairbanks-Morse single
plunger pump, with a 35-gallon capacity a minute, and operated
by a gasoline engine. There is also a Waterous gasoline engine
pumping from three cisterms around town. The street water sys-
tem consists of 500 feet of 8-inch, 2,000 feet of 6-inch, and 400
feet of 4-inch mains, with ten double hydrants and three dead ends.
There is no sanitary sewer, but private septic tanks supply
this need, and a nearby county ditch provides an outlet for the
drainage from the creamery and from the cellars.
The schools are of the best, and in 1916 rooms have been
rented so that the course will be extended to include three years
of high school work. The school grounds are excellently kept, and
provided with a full athletic equipment.
Electric lights for streets, business houses and homes will be
provided in October, 1916, by the Peoples Light & Power Company
of Lamberton.
The city hall is a pretty structure erected in 1902. It houses
the fire department and the village offices, and is well equipped
with scenery and the like for the best of theatrical attractions.
It also provides a good meeting place for all public purposes.
A Commercial Club has been of importance in fostering a ' ' get-
together" spirit among the merchants.
There are three churches — Catholic, Presbyterian and Evan-
gelical.
Henry Meyer, a farmer, who settled here in the early days,
was the first settler near the present village. The Sanborn-Vesta
branch of the Chicago & North Western came through in 1899,
and building operations were commenced in December, 1899.
Among the early business interests were: Francois & Schmahl,
general store ; Koenig & Schmid, hardware ; Schmidt & Anderson
and Bingham Brothers, elevators ; Gold-Stabeck State Bank ; C. M.
Youmans & Co., and J. H. Queal & Co., lumber yards; A. F.
Fischer, hotel and grocery; R. A. Leistikow, general store; Geb-
hardt & Roth, farm machinery; Brandt & Zeren, harness shop.
In the spring of 1900 Math. Schueller, William Stacken and
Adam Zins each erected blacksmith shops.
When the Northwestern Gazetteer was isued in 1902, Wabasso
was already a flourishing village. It then had Catholic, Presby-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 547
terian, German Evangelical and Methodist congregations, a school,
fire department, a bank, a hotel, four grain elevators, a flour mill
md a weekly newspaper. A daily stage was operated to New
Avon. Among the business activities were: Altermatt, Ernest,
photographer; Barkuloo, Charles L., restaurant; Billington, Day
ton E., drugs; Bingham Bros. (A. E. Wirtzler, agt.), grain ele
vator; Black Bros. (Frederick W. and Emil), general store
Braun, George, saloon; Callery, Kate, dressmaker; Chadbourn
Alfred G., physician ; Chadbourn, Rufus G., justice ; Ecke, Otto C.
meats; Ells Bros (John and Martin), livery, Fischer, Emil
grocer; Francois & Schmahl (Wm. A. Hauck, manager), general
store; Franta & Lock way (Nicholas J. Franta and John C. Lock-
way), flour mill; Gebhard & Roth (Joseph Gebhard, John Roth)
farm implements ; Graham, Frank K., livery, feed and sales stable ;
Groebner, Joseph, farm implements; Hassenstab, Albert L., furni-
ture ; Hassenstab, Mollie, milliner ; Hoefer, Charles, saloon ; Koenig
& Schmid (John Koenig and Wolfgang Schmid) hardware; Lang,
Thomas J., justice; Leistikow & Durbahn (Rudolph A. Leistikow
and Jacob Durbahn), general store; London, Robt. D., railway,
express and telegraph agent; Lucas, Herman E., physician;
McKee, Robert E., barber; McNeill & Sons (Daniel G., Daniel G.,
Jr. and Benjamin) carpenters ; Mahler, Wm. F., publisher Wabasso
Standard; Mantel, George, auctioneer; Meyer, Christian, mason;
Minnesota Elevator Co. (Wm. A. Anderson, agent) ; Pierce &
Harriott (Squire L. Pierce and Edw. E. Harriott) lawyers; Queal,
J. H. & Co. (E. C. Barton, agent), lumber and coal; Rahskopf,
John H., hardware and furniture; Roberts, James A., painter;
Sacke, Joseph T., saloon ; Schaefer, Charles F., real estate ; Schmid
& Anderson Grain Co. (Emil Howe, agent), grain elevator;
Schmitz, Bernard J., saloon; Schoenecker, Henry C, harness-
maker; Schueller, Mathias, blacksmith; Stacken, Wm., blacksmith;
Starken, Cornelius, saloon; State Bank of Wabasso (capital $10,-
000), Wm. H. Gold, president; Oliver T. Newhouse, cashier;
Towne, Grant C, proprietor Wabasso Hotel; Wabasso Farmers'
Grain & Fuel Co., Leo Altermatt, president; John McPhee, secre-
tary; Adam A. Washburn, treasurer; E. S. Beynon, agent;
Wabasso Hardware Co. (Edward H. Heins, James T. Horr, Thomas
B. Mcllrath) ; Wabasso Hotel, Grant C. Towne, proprietor ; Wa-
basso Livery Barn, F. K. Graham, proprietor; Wabasso Standard,
Wm. F. Mahler, publisher; Waldow, Ernst, farm implements;
Waldron, Sylvester N., jeweler; Youmans, C. M., Lumber Co.
(Chas E. Bush, agent) ; Zins, Adam W., blacksmith.
In 1904 the village had still further grown, and the Gazetteer
shows these activities: Alex, Conrad M., saloon; Altermabt, Lee,
meats; Bebermeyer, Henry J., furniture and undertaking; Benz,
Delia, grocer; Billington, Dayton E., drugs; Bingham Bros., Scott
Peck, agent, grain elevator; Black Bros. (Frederick W. and Emil),
54S HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
general store; Boltz Bros. (Herman and Charles), livery; Braun,
George, saloon; Chadbourn, Alfred G., physician; Citizens State
bank (capital $15,000), Abraham J. Welden, president; Albert W.
Mueller, cashier) ; Franta & Lockway (Nicholas J. Franta and
John C. Lockway) flour mill; Gebhard & Roth (Joseph H. Geb-
hard and Johu H. Roth), farm implements; Gleason, Clark A., pub-
lisher Wabasso Standard; Goblirsch Bros. (Geo. and Andrew),
general store; Groebner, Joseph, farm implements; Harriott,
Edward E., lawyer; Hewitt, J., Sons (Jerome, Ernest and Pearl),
draymen; Hoffman, John J., jewelry, music and photographer;
Hotel Wabasso. Peter Welter, proprietor; Johanneck, Mrs. John,
milliner and dressmaker; Lang, Thomas J., justice; Leistikow &
Durbahn (Rudolph A. Leistikow and Jacob Durbahn), general
store; Lockway, Andrew, painter; McKee, Robert E., barber;
McNeill, Daniel G., carpenter; Mantel, George, auctioneer; Meyer,
Christian, mason; Mueller, Albert W., lawyer; Queal, J. H. & Co.
(Louis Wertzler. agent), lumber and coal; Rahskopf, John H.,
hardware and furniture ; Redwood County Rural Telephone Co.,
Nora Tradewell, operator; Richardson, Geo., restaurant; Sacke,
Joseph T., saloon; Schmid & Anderson Grain Co. (Emil Howe,
agent), grain elevator; Schmitz, Bernard J., saloon; Schneider,
Anton A., grocer; Schoenecker, Henry C, harnessmaker ; Schuel-
ler, Mathias, blacksmith ; Sparling, Henry L., railway, express and
telegraph agent ; Stacken, Wm., blacksmith ; Starken, Cornelius,
saloon; State Bank of Wabasso (capital $25,000; Wm. H. Gold,
president; Oliver T. Newhouse, cashier) ; Wabasso Farmers' Grain
& Fuel Co. (John Price, president: John Arends, secretary; Wm.
Kurtz, treasurer; T. J. Tradewell. agent) ; Wabasso Hardware Co.
(Edward H. Heins, James T. Horr and Thomas B. Mcllrath) ;
Wabasso Standard, Clark A. Gleason, publisher; Welter, Peter,
proprietor Hotel Wabasso ; Western Elevator Co. (Wm. J. Black-
man, agent) ; Westinghouse, B. J. & Co. (Bert J. Westinghouse
and Geo. Bockman), jewelers; Westinghouse & Stacken (Mabel
Westinghouse and Mrs. Wm. Stacken) milliners; Youmans, C. M.,
Lumber Co. (Wm. R. Baade. agent) ; Zins, Adam M., blacksmith.
The postoffice, the lumber yards, the mill, the newspaper and
the bank have been important factors in the economic growth of
Wabasso. J. H. Rashkopf became the first postmaster in 1900.
He was followed in 1904 by D. E. Billington, and in 1915 by
Jos. Groebner. A flour mill was built in the early days, and was
destroyed by fire of unknown origin in 1913. The State Bank
was the first bank here. It was consolidated with the Citizens
State Bank, built here in 1903. Another bank is now being organ-
ized. The Wabasso Standard, a weekly newspaper, was first pub-
lished by W. F. Mahler, in April, 1900. and passed through several
hands before the present owner. Edward G. Weldon purchased
it from Weicks & Truedson in 1909. C. M. Youmans Lumber Co.,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 549
now the only lumber yard here, absorbed the J. H. Queal & Co.
yard some years ago. Geo. Snyder is the manager.
Wabasso is 158 miles from St. Paul, eighteen miles northwest
from Sanborn, and about the same distance southwest from Red-
wood Falls. Owing to its central location, the village has become
a candidate for county seat honors, and it is believed that a well-
organized attempt to move the county seat here is about to be
made.
Wabasso was surveyed Sept. 30, 1899, for the Western Town
Lot Company by J. C. W. Kline. The plat was filed for record
Oct. 20, 1899. The village was located in the southeast quarter
and the east one-half of southwest quarter of section 23, town
111, range 37. The plat consisted of four whole blocks and two
fractional blocks, each containing ten lots, except lots 4 and 7,
which run to Front street, which is parallel to the track. All
the streets are 70 feet wide, except Main and Oak, which are 80
feet, and Elm and Front, which are 60 feet wide. The north
and south streets beginning from the west, are: Front, Elm,
Oak, Cedar and Pine. The east and west streets beginning at
the north are : North, Main and South.
The plat of blocks 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16, addition of Wabasso
was filed Sept. 7, 1900. The land was owned by the Western
Town Lot Company. The plat of blocks 22 to 28, inclusive, and
outlots A to R inclusive, addition to Wabasso. was filed April 2,
1912. This land belonged to the Western Town Lot Company.
The plat of outlots S. T and U, addition to Wabasso, was filed
Dec. 15, 1913. The land was owned by the Western Town Lot
Company. The plat of Braun's block addition to Wabasso was
filed on Dec. 31, 1902. This land was owned by George and
Bertha Braun. The plat of blocks 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and the south
one-half of blocks 13 and 14, and the subdivision of lot 6, in
block 15, addition to Wabasso, was filed June 20, 1901. It was
owned by the Western Town Lot Company. The plat of blocks
8, 9, 10 and 11, addition to Wabasso, was filed Jan. 23, 1900. It
was owned by the Western Town Lot Company.
Wabasso was incorporated in 1900. On March 17, 1900, the
census of that date having shown a population of 184, a petition
was drawn up, asking the commissioners to incorporate parts of
sections 23 and 26, township 112, range 37. The petition was
granted April 23, and an election called for April 28, 1900. The
election was duly held in charge of G. H. Probett, A. E. Wertzler
and Otto Schmidt, and of the forty-eight votes cast, all were in
favor of the incorporation.
The signers of the petition asking for the incorporation were :
Fritz Fischer, F. S. Begnon, R. A. Leistikow, J. P. Mondloh, Dr.
H. E. Lucas, A. W. Bius, J. H. Rahskopf, P. H. Probett, A. E.
Wertzler, P. J. Soukup, Mathias Schueller, J. A. Johnson, Dan
550 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
C. McNeill, J. C. Sturtz, J. P. Horn, Thomas J. Lang, Raymond
Brophy, Wallace Cady, John W. Fiebiger, M. W. Welter, J. R.
Hocking, Ben. T. McNeill, F. W. Black, Chas. Hoefer, R. S. Daw-
ley, R. D. Laudon, D. R. McNeill, J. I. Smith, R. E. McKer, George
Ells,. Ernst Waldow, Joseph P. Sackl, Jr., Willie Stacker, Nels
Zeren, Herman Schwartz, H. E. Hocking, G. S. Wertzler, Fred
A. Zedler, William Werner, Amil Wolf and 0. T. Newhouse.
The first council consisted of: President, Frank Black;
trustees, Frank Hassenstab, Frank Weber and V. Brant ; recorder,
H. Probit.
WAYBURNE.
Wayburne is a small hamlet on the town line between section
33, Morgan, and section 4, Brookville. It is located on the Evan-
Marshall branch of the Chicago & North Western.
The original plat of Wayburne was filed March 24, 1902. The
land was surveyed by F. R. Kline for the Western Town Lot Com-
pany in Feb. 22, 1902. This land was in the north one-half of
northwest one-quarter of section 4, town 110, range 34. It con-
tained one whole block and three fractional or unequal blocks.
One of the streets was 80 feet and the other two were 70 feet wide.
Each of the two alleys was 20 feet wide. The north and south
streets. beginning on the west are Walnut and Main. First street
runs east and west.
WALNUT GROVE.
The vicinity of Walnut Grove has attracted attention since
the earliest days by reason of its seventy acres of heavy black
walnut. No explanation has ever been made of the presence of
these great trees in a region where other trees grew but sparsely,
and in a spot far removed from any other groves of the same
Trappers and traders are believed to have been familiar with
this grove in the early days of the nineteenth century, and possi-
bly earlier. Tradition tells of a cabin built by a lonely pioneer
within the confines of the grove.
At the time of the massacre, John F. and Daniel Burns, mem-
bers of the Lake Shetek settlement were living in the grove,
trapping and raising hogs. They made their escape on the open-
ing day of the Shetek massacre. The soldiers doing patrol duty,
often camped in the grove, and killed off the Burns' hogs one
by one.
About 1866, Joseph Steves came to the grove and erected a
cabin over a partially dug cellar, on which site a shack had evi-
dently been erected some years previous. At the time he came,
and for some years thereafter, the lookout pole used by the sol-
diers was still standing, as was also the rude stables used by their
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 551
horses. About 1867 the Steves family was awakened by noises
in the grove, and prepared themselves to meet a large body of
Indians. Instead of Indians, the visitors proved to be the United
States surveyors, who came to survey Springdale, the township
of North Hero having been surveyed before the massacre.
The first settler in North Hero township was Eleck C. Nelson,
who came in 1871. He is still living in Walnut Grove, engaged in
business as a stock buyer.
An early settler in North Hero was Thomas Allen. Allen then
a young man of twenty -five years, came to this locality, and after
looking about, filed on the southwest quarter of section 20. He
then returned to his home and spent the winter. In the spring of
1872 he came back, driving an ox team, and reaching here ahead
of the railroad which was put through that year. Mr. Allen
still lives in Walnut Grove.
About the time that Allen came, Charles Lund drove in. He
passed on and took a claim north of the grove, in section 34,
Johnsonville township. He now lives in the village of Walnut
Grove.
In 1873 there came quite an influx of settlers. The railroad,
built in 1872, had suspended operations through the hard winter,
but in the spring of 1873 regular service was established.
Among the earliest settlers were Elias and Lafayette Bedal.
The first building on the site of the present village of Walnut
Grove was the claim shanty of Elias Bedal. It was in 1873 that
Lafayette Bedal was appointed the first postmaster, a position
he held until 1879, when J. H. Anderson received the appointment.
Early in 1873 Gustave Sunwall and J. H. Anderson came to
Walnut Grove or North Hero township and built a store building,
stocking it with a general line of goods.
Progress was slow during the grasshopper years, but in the
late seventies things took on a new aspect, and the village grew
rapidly. The Gazetteer of 1880 describes Walnut Grove as a
flourishing place, with a Congregational Union church, a steam
flour mill, a good school, and several business enterprises. Wheat,
barley and oats were then the principal shipments. The direc-
tory for that year shows the following business activities : Barnes,
E. B., lumber dealer; Bedal, E., grain and lumber dealer; Burns,
D. W., groceries and provisions; Byram, J. L., justice of the
peace ; Clementson C, hotel ; Comstock, John S., express and rail-
road agent ; Pitch, John R., general store and farm implements ;
Hills, F. H., hardware; Hoyt, R. W., physician; Hoyt & Ander-
son, druggists ; Longnecker, S. A., furniture ; Masters, S. 0., jus-
tice of the peace ; Masters, W. J., hotel ; Nelson, E. C, meat mar-
ket; Owens, W. H, general store; Quarton, T. M., blacksmith;
Sandquist, Paul, & Co., saloon; Simmons, Rev. H. C. (Congrega-
tional) ; Sinkler, A. F., blacksmith; Thompson, Daniel, constable;
552 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
Thorp D. M., lawyer; Tunis, Rev. G. S. (Methodist Episcopal);
Webber, C. L., farm implements ; Webber, N. W., groceries and
provisions; Young, C. E., restaurant.
In 1882, these business houses are shown: Anderson, J. H.,
druggist ; Burns, D. W., & Son, grocers ; Comstock, J. S., railroad
and express agent ; Every, H., hotel proprietor ; Hills, F. H., hard-
ware; Holt, Robert, meat market; Hoyt, R. W., physician; Laird,
Norton & Co., lumber ; Longnecker, S. A., furniture ; Maloy, James,
saloon ; Owens, W. H., general store ; Page, Moses, shoemaker ;
Powell, Rev. (Methodist); Richards, W. J., justice of peace;
Scharff, H., confectioner; Simmons, Rev. H. C. (Congregational);
Spurr, C. B., blacksmith; Swaffer Bros., general store; Thorp,
Quarton & Whitney, lawyers; Webber, C. L., general store.
The business houses for 1884 were as follows : Burns, D. W.,
grocer; Byram, James L., justice of the peace; Carlson, Andrew
S., druggist; Chadbourne, R. G. grocer; Davlin, E. L., railroad
and express agent ; Erickson, E. S., blacksmith ; Geese and Olson,
hotel proprietors; Hills, F. H., hardware; Kidder, Rev. J. (Con-
gregational) ; Laird, Norton & Co., lumber; Maloy, James, saloon;
Masters, W. A., hotel proprietor; Owens, W. H., general store;
Page, Moses, shoemaker; Powell, Rev. (Methodist); Scharff, H.,
confectioner ; Swaffer Bros., general store ; Thorp & Quarton, law-
yers; Van Buskirk, H. B., physician; Way, Asa, meats; Webber,
C. L., general store.
The original plat of Walnut Grove was filed on Sept. 10, 1874.
The land was surveyed for Elias and Lafayette Bedal by E. G.
Pahl. Each street was 80 feet wide, except Sixth and Main
streets, which were each 100 feet wide. The plat consisted of
twenty-four blocks, all full blocks except 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 16 and
17. The full blocks contained twelve lots each. The streets run-
ning north and south beginning at the east are First, Second,
Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth. The streets run-
ning east and west beginning at the north are : Main, Bedal and
Washington. The alleys are twenty feet wide, those on either
side of Main and Sixth being thirty-five feet wide.
The plat of Masters' addition to Walnut Grove was filed Nov.
7, 1878. William J. Masters was the owner of the land. The
plat of Wiggins' addition to Walnut Grove was filed Sept. 11,
1915. This land belonged to Jesse P. and Inga Wiggins. The
plat of Remington Park addition to Walnut Grove was filed June
13, 1898. The land was owned by C. W. and M. J. Remington,
his wife.
Walnut Grove was incorporated by act of the Legislature, ap-
proved March 3, 1879 (Chapter V, Special Laws of 1879). The
territory incorporated was described as : "The southwest quarter
of section 19, township 109, range 38; the southeast quarter of
section 24, township 109, range 39; the northwest quarter of sec-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 553
tion 30, township 109, range 38 ; and the northeast quarter of the
northeast quarter of section 25, township 109, range 39. The in-
corporation was under Chapter 139, of the General Laws of 1875,
certain additional powers, however, being given to the council,
and provision made that for certain purposes the parts of the
new village lying in North Hero and Springdale should still be
considered a part of those towns.
John H. Anderson, William H. Owens and A. F. Sinkler, were
appointed commissioners to see that the provisions of the act
were carried into effect. The first election was held March 10,
1879, and officers elected as follows: President, Elias Bedal;
trustees, T. Quartan, J. Leo and C. Clementson; recorder, F. H.
Hill, treasurer, W. H. Owens; justice, Charles Ingalls-, constable,
J. Russell.
Walnut Grove today is an enterprising village with many
attractive features. It has four grain elevators, one stockyard for
shipping purposes, one creamery manufacturing butter and ice
cream, two banks, two dry goods stores, three general stores, two
hardware stores, two exclusive groceries in addition to the grocery
departments of the general stores, one clothing and men's fur-
nishing store, one agricultural implement agency, two garages,
one lumber yard, one harness store, two restaurants, one hotel,
two barber shops, a splendid electric light plant, an extensive
waterworks system, a newspaper, a cream and egg shipping depot,
a pool hall, four churches, two blacksmith shops, one millinery
store and one livery barn. The village is putting in cement curbing
on its main street, to be followed with paving.
The Methodist Episcopal church was organized in 1873 by
the presiding elder of the district, the Rev. Henning, a circuit
rider, being placed in charge of this and other churches. Early
meetings were held at the homes of the members, and later in
Masters' hall. In 1883 the present church was erected and John
W. Powell installed as pastor. It was occupied for three years
without plastering. Under the pastorate of Rev. Harrington, in
1885, the church was plastered. It was dedicated in 1903, while
Rev. J. Franklin was pastor. The present pastor, W. M. Gillis,
has been in charge since 1908.
The Congregational church was organized in 1874 as the Union
Congregation society. The first service was held at the home of
James Kennedy until the church was finished. This society built
the first church in Walnut Grove, although not the first church
organized. The building erected in 1874 is the same one used at
the present time. In 1903 the society raised money and built a
neat parsonage adjoining the church, making a very good addition
to the buildings being erected in the village. There are now 76
members of the church, and the Sunday school which is in healthy
operation, has a membership of 68 to 70. The present pastor,
554 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
H. N. Hansen, has resigned to take active field work in the state
for the Anti-Saloon league.
The Swedish Lutheran society is building a fine church, never
having been represented in the village before. The new building
will have assembly room on ground floor and basement with Sun-
day school room and fully equipped modern kitchen. The pastor
is L. E. Sjolinder, who resides at Tracy. This society has owned
and occupied a large church in Gales township for over thirty
years, but the society has grown so fast of late that the district
will be divided, Rev. Sjolinder supplying both places.
The Norwegian Lutheran church has been organized since 1883,
when a few families of the faith decided to get together. The
first pastor was Rev. Bernt Askevold, and it was through his
personal activities that the congregation was assembled for organi-
zation on Dec. 10, 1883. After ten years of struggles the society
called Rev. Hans Magelssen, who for nineteen years served them
as pastor. Mr. Magelssen gave himself up entirely to the work
here, but never succeeded in building a church. At the present
time the outlook is for a new church in the near future. The
present pastor, J. B. Rognlien, is optimistic and believes the society
will occupy its own church soon. At present they hold their
services in the Congregational church. They have a membership
of fifty-nine.
The Roman Catholic parish has a building of its own, but
the services are conducted twice a month by Father H. Cahill of
Tracy. The present church was built in 1905 and the first pastor
was Rev. Byrne. The church is growing rapidly and they hope to
have weekly services in the near future. The society consists at
the present time of 29 families, meaning about 200 members.
The schools of "Walnut Grove are excellent. In the fall and
winter of 1873 and 1874 Lafayette Bedal opened and taught the
first school in North Hero township. It was held in his own house
and had an attendance of fifteen scholars. The first school build-
ing was erected in 1875, a small wooden building standing where
James A. Larson's residence now stands. This building sufficed
until about 1883, when school district No. 23 was organized. About
this time a movement was started to procure a better building,
and bids were called for to put up a building on block 9, the
present site of the village park. The old building was moved to
the present site of the First State Bank, and used as a store
building.
The new building was erected in 1884 and cost $2,000. An
addition to the house was built in 1889, making it large enough
to house all grades from one to eight. In 1905 the building was
damaged by fire and the agitation for a new building commenced
immediately. During the year of 1906 the new building was
erected on a five-acre tract at the south end of Sixth street, the
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 555
cornerstone laying taking place on May 23, 1906. The building
was ready for occupancy at the beginning of the school year in
September of the same year. The cost was $17,750 and contained
rooms for grades, high school and large auditorium. High school
work commenced in 1906, but the full, complete high school course
was not taken up until 1912. Domestic science and manual train-
ing were added and space provided for them in 1915. The inde-
pendent school district of Walnut Grove now employs a principal,
two high school teachers and four grade teachers.
Occupying one block square in the heart of the town, the vil-
lage park is surrounded by tall, stately trees. Arrangements are
being made to lay out walks, with flower beds, and to otherwise
beautify this already attractive spot.
WANDA
The railroad came through Willow Lake township in 1899,
and the present site of Wanda was selected as the location of a
future village. Mathias Eichten then owned the land, but was
not living here, his residence in Section 28, Willow Lake, the pres-
ent site of the Catholic church, being then occupied by a renter.
In the fall the elevators, the depot and the lumber yards were
opened. The elevators were owned by the Western Elevator Co.
(now owned by Albert Spaulding) and by Bingham Brothers (now
owned by the Wanda Elevator Co.). The lumber yards were
owned by C. M. Youmans & Co. (now owned by J. H. Queal &
Co), J. H. Queal & Co., and Eichten Brothers.
The winter presented a scene of busy activity in the village.
Mat. Jennings erected a general store on lot 16, block 3. Eichten
Bros, erected a hardware store on lot 18, block 2. Paul Doepke
opened a hotel and saloon on lot 15, block 3. In a barn in the
rear of the store lived a carpenter who was helping to erect the
different buildings. John Drees erected a saloon on lot 13, block 3.
Herman Wenzel opened a blacksmith shop.
The spring of 1900 opened most auspiciously for the new vil-
lage. Many dwellings were erected, and the business of the hamlet
increased. In 1901 Spaulding Brothers built an elevator.
In 1902 the business activities of the village as given in the
Northwestern Gazetteer were as follows: Bauermeister, P. H.,
furniture; Becker, F. C, harnessmaker; Beack, John, meats;
Dederichs, Mathew, livery; Doepke, Paul, hotel and saloon;
Dooner, Edward J., farm implements ; Dreis, John, saloon ; Eichten
Bros., hardware and lumber; Fitch, A., barber; Gebhard & Roth,
farm implements; Jenniges, M., & Son, general store; Pfiffer, V.
F., railway, express and telegraph agent; Queal, J. H. & Co.,
lumber; Schneider, A. S., general store; Wanda Creamery Co.;
Wenzel, Herman, blacksmith.
556 HISTOKY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The growth of the village was rapid, and when the Gazetteer
of 1904 was issued Wanda was a flourishing settlement, with
Lutheran and Catholic congregations, three elevators, a hotel, a
creamery, and with excellent railroad, express, telephone, tele-
graph and mail service.
The following business activities are shown in the business
directory of that year: Alt & Altermatt (Edw. Alt and Geo.
Altermatt), general store; Becker, Frederick C, harnessmaker ;
Bingham & Sons (H. C. Olson, agent), grain elevator; Black, John,
meats; Callahan, Paul A., cashier State Bank of Wanda, real estate
and loans; Commercial Hotel, Christ Leuther, proprietor; Dede-
richs, Mathew, livery ; Doepke, Paul, saloon ; Dooner, Edward J.,
farm implements; Eichten Bros. (Valentine P. and Mathias) hard-
ware and lumber ; Fitch, Amsden, barber ; Gebhard & Roth, farm
implements; Holznagel, Louis, blacksmith; Larson, Andrew, gen-
eral store; Laux, Nicholas, saloon; Leuther, Christ, proprietor
Commercial Hotel; Marwick & Sonysen (James Marwick and
Christ N. Sonysen), general store, furniture and undertaking;
Ohlson, Henry C, general store and hardware ; Pfiffer, Victor F.,
railway, express and telegraph agent; Queal, J. H. & Co. (Geo.
W. Dubois, agent), lumber; Schmechel, John, saloon; Schmechel,
John & Son, agricultural implements; Spalding Bros. (Albert
Spalding, agent), grain elevator; State Bank of Wanda (capital
$10,000; M. Jennings, president; Paul A. Callaghan, cashier), col-
lections a specialty ; Wanda Creamery Co., Mathias Jenniges, sec-
retary (three miles west) ; Western Elevator Co. (F. Blowdow,
agent.
Wanda was surveyed for the Western Town Lot Company on
Sept. 26, 1899, by J. C. W. Kline. The plat was filed for record
on Oct. 20, 1899. The village was located in the southeast frac-
tional one-quarter of section 19, in town 110, range 36. The plat
consisted of six blocks, each containing ten lots, except blocks
three and four, which extended as far east as the railroad track.
All the streets are seventy feet wide, except Main and Oak streets,
which are eighty feet wide, and all the alleys are twenty feet
wide. The north and south streets beginning at the west are:
Pine, Elm, Oak and Railroad, which last named runs in a north-
west and southeasterly direction. The east and west streets be-
ginning at the north are : North, Main and South streets.
The plat of blocks 8 and 9, addition to Wanda, was filed Nov.
22, 1901. The land was owned by the Western Town Lot Co. The
plat of block 7, addition to Wanda, was filed June 29, 1901, by
the Western Town Lot Co. The plat of block 10, and outlots A,
B, C and D, addition to Wanda, was filed Nov. 29, 1912, by the
Western Town Lot Co.
On Feb. 16, 1901, the citizens of the hamlet desiring to incor-
porate, a census was taken, and after ascertaining that the village
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 557
contained 178 people, the petition was duly drawn up and pre-
sented to the county board.
The signers were Paul Doepke, Mathias Eichten, Louis Sand-
berg, V. P. Pfeiffer, A. Spalding, 0. C. Mueller, E. J. Duron, Peter
Drees, Val. P. Eichten, M. Dooner, C. C. Bigelow, Alfred Balk,
P. E. Wright, Henry Schrander, M. Jenninges, A. Schmechel, H.
Kuent, M. J. Eichten, A. A. Schneider, H. C. Ohlsen, F. H. Bauer-
meister, F. Bloedow, Dick Balk, Herman Wenzel, Fred C. Becker,
A. L. Bigelow, Math. Drees, John Drees, Lee Mohler, Edward
Dooner, E. J. Dooner and Ed. Toban.
The petition was granted, and an election ordered held in
Eichten 's Hall, April 10, 1901, in charge of Math. Jenniges, Math.
Eichten and Paul Doepke. Of the thirty-four votes cast, every
one was in favor of the incorporation. The village as incor-
porated included parts of sections 19, 20, 28, 29 and 30.
An election of officers was duly held, resulting as follows:
President, Mathias Eichten; council, Math. Jenniges; H. C. Ohl-
sen and M. Dooner; recorder, F. Bauermeister.
At the election held March 11, 1902, M. J. Eichten, O. C.
Mueller and Nick. Jenniges presided as judges. The officers
elected were : President, J. A. Johnson ; trustees, Math. Jenniges,
M. Dooner and Albert Spaulding; treasurer, Paul Doepke; re-
corder, F. H. Bauermeister; justices, Math. Jenniges and P. H.
Bauermeister; constable, Math. Dederichs and Nick. Jenniges.
The present officers are : President, Christ Leuther ; trustees,
Albert Spaulding, F. X. Schlumperger and Math. Dedrichs; re-
corder, Paul Doepke ; treasurer, P. J. Borte ; justice of the peace,
Math. Gorres ; constable, Nick. Jenniges.
The village of Wanda, with its brick school, its brick Catholic
church and parsonage, its sightly German Evangelical Lutheran
church, its towering water-tank, its pretty grove, its neat busi-
ness streets, its bank, and other thriving commercial buildings,
presents a striking appearance.
The children of Wanda village originally went to school in
a one-room schoolhouse in section 20, Willow Lake township. In
1900 a two-room schoolhouse was built in the village at a cost of
$2,400. The building is now remodelled into a sixten-room resi-
dence. In 1912 the present large brick schoolhouse was erected.
St. Mathias Roman Catholic church, originally a frame struc-
ture, was erected in 1905, and was burned the same year. In
1906 it was replaced with the present imposing brick building.
The priest's home, also a brick, was built in 1912.
The German Lutheran Evangelical church, a frame structure,
was erected in 1902, and the minister's residence in 1911.
The burning of the Catholic church in 1905, and of Spauld-
ing's elevator in 1908,. are the only important fires that the village
558 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
has suffered. The fire department, with a fire house, and excel-
lent apparatus, is a volunteer one, the chief being Paul Doepke.
The waterworks, with the pumping station and tower, were
installed in the fall of 1913. Electric lights will be installed on
the streets, and in the stores and residences, in the fall of 1916,
the power being secured from Lamberton. The village has no
park, but Spaulding's beautiful grove adds to the appearance of
the city, and furnishes an ideal place for outings and picnics.
There are two fraternities, the Catholic Order of Foresters
and the St. Peter Society, both connected with St. Mathias church.
ABANDONED VDLLAGES.
Cottonwood Crossing, an abandoned hamlet in Lamberton
township, and Riverside, an abandoned river village in Honner
township, are mentioned elsewhere, in connection with the his-
tories of Lamberton and North Redwood.
Paxton was projected when the Sleepy Eye-Redwood branch
of the Chicago & North Western was constructed in 1878. A vil-
lage was laid out, the Cale brothers opened a small store, and
S. F. Cale was appointed postmaster. After the store was dis-
continued Harvey Moore kept the postoffice at his house not far
away.
The original plat of Paxton was filed April 18, 1879. This
land was owned by Albert Keep, and surveyed by Arthur Jacobi
on July 28, 1878. It was located in the west half of section 26,
town 112, range 35. It contained four whole blocks and three
fractional ones. The streets ran northwest and southeast, and
northeast and southwest. The northwest and southeast streets
were: Turrell, 100 feet wide, and Harriet, 80 feet wide. The
northeast and southwest streets were : First, Second, Third and
Fourth, all 80 feet wide.
Authorship and Authority. The material for this chapter has
been prepared under the supervision of A. J. White, who, with
the editor, made a personal tour of the county, studying local
conditions in the villages, and interviewing leading citizens, as
well as searching local records. The records of the plats were
transcribed from the county records by Miss Lillian Jensen and
others. The business directories from the Northwestern Gazet-
teers were transcribed by Miss Evelyn Bolin. The records of
the incorporations were transcribed by Miss Lillian Jensen, from
the county records, with the exception of the incorporations of
Redwood Falls, Walnut Grove and Lamberton which are taken
from the general laws of the state. Information regarding the
early days of Lamberton, Walnut Grove and Redwood Falls, as
well as of Riverside and Cottonwood Crossing, has been gleaned
from the History of the Minnesota Valley published in 1882. The
population figures are from State and Federal census returns.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 559
Information regarding Seaforth has been furnished by John
Longbottom and W. A. Hauck. Information concerning San-
born has been furnished by Mrs. A. D. McRae, H. E. Kent and
John T. Yaeger. Information concerning the early days of Delhi
has been furnished by J. L. Borg. The article concerning Belview
is by A. 0. Gimmestad. The other articles have been edited as
follows: Lamberton, A. J. Praxel; Lucan, Anton Kramer; Mil-
roy, "William Duncan, Jr., Frank Taplin and M. W. Johnson;
"Wabasso, E. G. Weldon; Vesta, Harvey Harris; Clements, Otto
Gerstmann ; "Wanda, Paul Doepke. Much of the information con-
cerning these places was also furnished by the gentlemen who
edited the articles. Chris Nielsen has furnished information con-
cerning the early days of Revere. S. F. Scott, as well as Mr.
Harris, was consulted in the preparation of the Vesta article.
Village clerks in the various villages have placed their records
at the disposal of the editor.
Acknowledgment. Charles "W. Howe, now of Redwood Falls,
has been engaged for some time in preparing historical and
"boosting" booklets, in connection with the Commercial clubs
of various villages. To his "Redwood County Directory," his
"Forty Wonderful Years" (Morgan) and "A Half Century of
Progress" (Walnut Grove), all published in 1916, the editors owe
considerable of the information contained in this chapter. The
manuscript of Mr. Howe's forthcoming work on Lamberton has
also been consulted. Mr. Howe's booklets are carefully and
thoroughly prepared, and well printed, and are a decided credit
to the villages, the story of whose history and progress he thus
preserves.
References. Plats of Redwood county townsites, in the cus-
tody of the register of deeds of Redwood county.
Records of the incorporations of Redwood county villages,
found in the miscellaneous records in the custody of the register
of deeds of Redwood county.
Records of the county commissioners of Redwood county, in
the custody of the auditor of Redwood county.
"The Northwestern Gazetteer," published bi-annually by R. L.
Polk & Co., 1876-1916.
"History of the Minnesota Valley," published in 1882.
Records of the individual villages in the custody of the village
clerks.
General laws of the State of Minnesota, 1875 ; special laws of
the State of Minnesota, 1876 and 1879.
Census reports of the State of Minnesota, for 1885, 1895 and
1905.
Census reports of the United States, for 1880, 1890, 1900 and
1910.
560 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
CHAPTER XXXVI.
OLD SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION.
(By N. W. Cobleigh.)
There has never been an Old Settlers' Association in Red-
wood county embracing the whole county. The meetings of the
Renville County Association have, however, been well attended
by the Redwood county pioneers who settled along the Minnesota
river. In the southeastern part of Redwood county there has
been a nourishing Old Settlers ' Association.
This association was organized at the home of Christopher
Whelan, in Sundown township, November 26, 1886. It came
into being with twenty-six charter members, the number of mem-
bers being later increased to seventy-six. The constitution and
by-laws adopted contained the following: Preamble — A record
of the early settlement of a community being a convenient ref-
erence, it becomes necessary in order to obtain the same and to
further the interests of the community for the people to take
united action in accomplishing their object. Therefore, the un-
dersigned agree to form an association and be governed in their
fundamental action by the following constitution : Article I. The
title and name of this society shall be The Old Settlers' Associa-
tion of Willow Lake, Sundown and Adjoining Towns. Article
II. Any person, male or female, may become a member of this
society (if the date of their settlement in the community be previ-
ous to the year 1880) by subscribing their names to the constitu-
tion and the payment of the sum of ten cents. Article III. The
officers of this society shall be a president, two vice presidents,
a secretary and treasurer, said officers to constitute an executive
committee. The officers shall be elected annually by ballot and
shall hold their respective offices until others are elected and
consent to act. Article D7 provided that the annual meeting of
the society should be held on the last Thursday in November
of each year, when the annual election of officers should take
place; also that every member of the society should be entitled
to vote at said election; that the secretary and treasurer should
present their annual reports at the same; that special meetings
of the society might be called by the president, or in case of his
absence or inability, by one of the vice presidents; and that
notice of the annual meeting should be inserted in at least one
of the weekly papers of Redwood county. Articles V and VI
denned the duties of the secretary and treasurer. Article VII
provided for the appointment from time to time of such sub-
committees as might be deemed necessary. Article VIII denned
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 561
the powers and duties of the executive committee ; and a proviso
for the amendment of the constitution by a two-thirds vote was
contained in Article IX. It was also provided that no person
serving as a member of either the executive or any sub-committee
should receive any salary or pay for his services. The constitu-
tion was prepared by a committee of three, consisting of Dr.
Hitchcock, Ira Sanford and W. F. Swetlan, acting with the
secretary, N. W. Cobleigh. It was moved and carried that the
picnic for the year 1886 be held at Ira Sanford 's, the 19th of
June, and the annual meeting be held at Ernest Wandrey's the
following Thanksgiving. A committee of five was elected as a
committee of arrangements to provide the necessary material for
entertainment, the members composing it being Paul Wandrey
(chairman), C. Whelan, Louis Whelan, W. Sanford and E. Thorn-
ton. A picnic was held in June of each year henceforth, these
picnics being largely attended from all parts of the county, the
attendance sometimes reaching 1,000 persons. Prior to 1890 no
vehicles except lumber wagons were seen at these picnics, and
some ox teams appeared. The county was sparsely settled and
these occasions affording an opportunity for the settlers to get
acquainted with their distant neighbors, were looked forward to
with a great deal of interest.
The following is a list of officers from the dates of organiza-
tion to the present time. Officers at date of organization, 1886
President, Christopher Whelan ; vice presidents, Ernest Wandrey
and Phillip Matter; secretary, N. W. Cobleigh; treasurer, P. 0
Callaghan. 1887 — President, E. Wandrey; vice presidents, Cris
Whelan, Sr., and F. Swetlan; secretary, N. W. Cobleigh; treas
urer, P. 0. Callaghan. 1888 — President, Chris. Whelan; vice
presidents, W. F. Swetlan and A. Tonak; secretary, N. W. Cob
leigh; treasurer, P. O. Callaghan. 1889— President, C. Whelan
vice presidents, Jacob Lawrence and P. Deneen ; secretary, N. W
Cobleigh ; treasurer, P. 0. Callaghan. The same officers were re-
elected until 1896. 1896 — President, Chris. Whelan; vice presi
dent, J. Lawrence ; secretary, P. 0. Callaghan ; treasurer, M
Whelan ; librarian, Josie Callaghan. 1897 — The same officers were
elected. 1898 — President, Jacob Lawrence ; vice president, C. W
Whelan; secretary, P. 0. Callaghan; treasurer, M. H. Whelan
In the years 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904 and 1905 the same as
above officers were elected. 1906 — President, John T. Hajem
vice president, Martin Bredvole ; secretary, J. J. Ryan ; treasurer,
Paul A. Callaghan. Since the above date the same officers have
served.
The following list gives the names of those who have signed
the membership roll, with date and place of nativity and date
of settlement, in consecutive order: C. W. Whelan, 1820, Can-
ada; 1873 (died June 13, 1898). Philip Matter, 1838, France;
562
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
1871. Ernest Wandrey, 1819, Germany; 1872. P. 0. Callaghan,
1847, Ireland; 1872. J. J. Winegarden, 1836, ; 1872. Prank
Swetlan, 1848, New York ; J. B. Moore, 1850, Ohio ; 1867. George
Potter, 1865, Wisconsin; 1869. J. M. Baker, 1837, Ohio; 1878.
Chris. Whelan, Jr., 1860, Canada ; 1873. Paul S. Wandrey, 1861
Minnesota; 1877 (died November 4, 1897). Thos. McGuire, 1854
Canada; 1872 (died November 11, 1913). Charles A. Scott, 1822.
Vermont; 1867. S. J. Bentley, 1827, New York; 1875. L. P,
Whelan, 1862, Canada ; 1873. A. B. Hubbard, 1834, New York
1872. Prank Wohlfard, 1846, Illinois; 1872. E. J. Winright
1850, Missouri; 1880. Thomas Moore, 1849, Indiana (died 1907)
1871. J. P. Weed, 1823, New York; 1872. D. J. Sheffield, 1833,
New York; 1871 (died 1916). P. A. Kinman, 1854, Illinois; 1871
John Dooner, 1859, Canada ; 1873. F. Murry, 1846, Ireland ; 1874
(died August, 1902). Ira Sanford, 1830, New York ; 1871. H. H.
Tompkins, 1823, Wisconsin; 1872. M. H. Gamble, 1844, Wiscon
sin; 1872. N. Johnson, 1844, New York; 1874. Louis Matter
1855, Minnesota; 1875 (died July 11, 1891). Henry Evans, 1831
England ; 1872. George Evans, 1858, Indiana ; 1872. N. W. Cob
leigh, 1850, Mississippi; 1879. Patrick Deneen, 1835, Ireland
1872. Jacob Wegal, 1856, New York ; 1872. Jas. Dickson, 1845;
Scotland (died December, 1914) ; 1872. M. Bredvold, 1849, Nor-
way; 1871. H. C. Warnke, 1857, Germany; 1879. J. J. Ray.
1844, Canada; 1878. J. Lawrence, 1845, Norway; 1871. Peter
Gorres, 1835, Germany ; 1878. Thomas McCormick, , Ireland
1862 (died December 12, 1907). M. J. McCormick, 1860, Iowa
1862. W. P. Cutting, 1823, England; . C. Peterson, 1848.
Denmark ; 1872. J. S. Johnson, 1845, Denmark ; 1872. Lars Tor
ston, 1819, Norway ; 1871. Ole C. Oleson, 1849, Denmark ; 1872
John T. Hojem, 1858, Norway ; 1871. R. Jensen, 1842, Denmark
1874. Peter Jorgenson, 1854, Denmark; 1875. Jacob Bredvold
1841, Norway ; 1875. Lars Bredvold, 1809, Norway ; 1872. J. P,
Meyer, 1830, Denmark ; 1874. W. C. Meyer, 1864, Denmark ; 1874
Henry Kagel, 1847, Germany ; 1872. L. L. Bredvold, 1854, Nor-
way; 1871. William Schultz, 1854, Germany; 1882. O. A. Fox,
1862, Canada ; 1873. Theo. Jensen, 1843, Denmark ; 1872. H. G
Nelson, 1845, Denmark; 1875. Nels Madason, 1843, Denmark
1880. Peter Larson, 1847, Denmark; 1877. Jos. Seifert, 1858;
Germany; 1882. W. H. Fox, 1815, New Brunswick; 1862. Au
gust Tonak, 1844, Germany ; 1872. James John, 1840, Germany
1885. Daniel Burns, 1836, New Hampshire; 1859. J. H. Gard
ner, 1838, Denmark ; 1871. P. O. Clements, 1847, Sweden ; 1871
Holmer Johnson, 1849, Sweden; 1884. J. O. Rude, 1860, Iowa
1870. M. Duley, 1853, India; 1876. Leo Altermatt, 1850, Wis
consin ; 1873. G. E. Bentley, 1862, Michigan ; 1871. M. H. Whe
Ian, 1866, Canada ; 1873. W. Sanford, 1859, Minnesota ; 1871.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 563
CHAPTER XXXVII.
THE REDWOOD HOLSTEIN FARM.
One of the important features in the development of Redwood
county agriculture has been the Redwood Holstein Farm. It was
the activities of Richard W. Sears and William H. Gold, the own-
ers of this project, that first turned in this direction the atten-
tion of the Iowa and Illinois farmers, and started the influx of
these desirable citizens to Redwood county. The coming of the
experienced farmers from older parts of the country has brought
about a rapid rise in land values in the past few years, and has
also brought to the county a distinct advance in educational,
agricultural and social life.
In speaking of the genesis of this movement, Mr. Sears him-
self has said: "Being a native of Minnesota, and having in my
younger days resided in Redwood county, I gradually began,
later in life, to invest in Redwood county lands.
"These purchases began on a basis of about $10.00 an acre and
gradually from year to year I made purchases at advancing prices,
and at the present time (1914) these Redwood county land hold-
ings would be valued conservatively at from $65.00 to $100.00
an aere.
"For years Redwood county was one of the great wheat-pro-
ducing counties of the northwest and these lands were largely
given over to the raising of wheat. The method of handling
was such that I, as owner, would share in the crop with the renter,
commonly on the basis that I, as owner, would furnish the seed
and receive one-half of the gross proceeds of the wheat and other
grains, the renter receiving the other one-half.
"For years the land in the county was turned over to the
raising of grain, principally wheat, later gradually the more pro-
gressive farmers began to turn their attention to diversified
farming and the number of cows in the county rapidly increased.
Creameries sprang up here and there, part of the acreage for-
merly devoted to wheat was put in corn, hay and grains for feed,
and as this evolution from the wheat-growing to the rather diver-
sified farming developed, the lands rapidly increased in value,
the county increased in wealth, bank balances in the different
banks began to swell in volume, existing mortgages were paid
off or renewed at much more favorable rates. The old straw
sheds for cattle and horses gave way to large modern barns,
good houses, outbuildings, wire fencing, a higher and higher state
of cultivation and this work of a higher development is still ag-
gressively going on.
564 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
"It was about this time that William H. Gold of Redwood
Palls, of Minnesota, approached me concerning the purchase of
a mortgage on a certain farm near one of mine, when I volun-
teered the remark that in my judgment it was too big a loan,
and that he (Mr. Gold) was placing too high a per acre value on
the property. I stated to Mr. Gold that I would be very glad
to sell my land at a slightly lower price per acre than the land
in question had by Mr. Gold been valued, whereupon Mr. Gold
stated, 'If you will allow me to direct the management of these
farms of yours and will subscribe to my method of transforming
them into diversified farming, and will co-operate with me in
developing a breeding farm for dairy purposes that will make
money for us, it will not only develop but will further enhance
every acre of your land and will stimulate the value of every-
body's land in this territory. Do this, and while I won't agree
to buy every acre of your land outright at the price you name,
but I will be glad to buy one-half interest at your own price,
as you have suggested.' The deal was closed immediately and
Mr. Gold became a one-half owner in all my Redwood county
lands and immediately he began the work of converting the vari-
ous farms into a diversified class of farming, especially encour-
aging the dairy end. Mr. Gold contended that in dairying, as
then conducted in Redwod county, there were a large percentage
of cows that did not yield returns sufficient to pay their board ;
that a poor cow consumed as much food as a good one, and re-
quired as much labor and care as the good cow and the annual
yield of the one might be but a fraction of that of the other. This
condition in Redwod county, he contended, as in all other coun-
ties, would have to be corrected before any great measure of profit
could come out of farming these lands, before we would have a
right to claim from $100.00 to $150.00 values for our lands, be-
fore we could show a profit of 4 per cent to 6 per cent per annum
on a $200.00 per acre value.
"Mr. Gold contended we must first select better grades of
cattle, we must cull out the poor cow, sell it, kill it, or in any
way eliminate it from our herd, providing the cow was not pro-
ducing a minimum of 350 pounds of butter-fat per year and would
not bear a calf that would be worthy of its raising.
Mr. Gold's contention, immediately on becoming a half-owner
in the Redwood county lands, was that on these farms we should
work strongly into the dairy side, improve the grade of our cows
by careful selection and elimination, and we must look for further
improvement by introducing strong blood lines of the best milk
and butter strains to be had. Mr. Gold insisted that in striving
for the upbuilding of our dairy interests and the increase of
earning power of our lands, we should take a very active part
in bringing into Redwood county, and here developing one of
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 565
the best thoroughbred butter herds in the country. We agreed
on this policy.
"On Mr. Gold's recommendation, we selected one of our chois-
est farms of about 600 acres, located in the central part of the
county, about fifteen miles south of Redwood Falls, and about
two miles from Wabasso. The farm was first put in good condi-
tion by a complete system of tiling, wire fencing, and cross fenc-
ing, proper stables, water system, needed buildings and equip-
ment.
"Mr. Gold made his first selection of Holsteins, choosing from
the very best families, the greater part of the herd being found
in the different parts of New York state. With this foundation,
by culling, eliminating, adding, strengthening, etc., one of the
best herds in the country has been built up.
"We have received a large measure of encouragement in
our efforts to upbuild our land values, thus working toward the
bringing our land values up to an equal to the land values of
$100 and $200 an acre in our nearby states."
The establishment of this herd, and the educational work
conducted thereto, not only advertised Redwood county through-
out the country, but brought an immediate improvement to Red-
wood county agriculture. The farmers found that the cost of
keeping a poor animal as great as that of keeping a good animal,
and the Holstein herd of Messrs. Gold and Sears made it possible
for the farmers to obtain the best of blooded stock, at a reason-
able price, and on favorable terms.
Mr. Sears and Mr. Gold disposed of a part of their lands from
time to time, to renters, largely from Illinois, taking a small pay-
ment down, and the balance on easy terms, thus securing to Red-
wood county some very desirable farmers. This policy was fol-
lowed up to the time of the death of Mr. Sears, in September,
1914, at which time the company still had about 3,000 acres of
land which is still owned by the Sears heirs and William H. Gold.
The Holstein cattle business was also continued to the time of
Mr. Sears' death and then taken over by Gold, Wise and Gold,
who developed 400 acres of land for the purpose of handling their
herd three miles south of Redwood Falls, during the year of 1915.
About $20,000 was spent in barns, silos, tiling, fencing, etc. The
herd now consists of 100 head, of the very choicest Holstein
families in charge of Fred A. Wise and Glenn W. Gold, son of
William H. The aim of the owners is to furnish foundation ani-
mals so as to increase the dairying business in Redwood county
with the hopes of making a Holstein center such as exists in
southeastern Minnesota, namely, at Northfield, Minn. It is ap-
parent that a good animal means better buildings, better care
and an increased interest and a help in keeping the boys on the
farm and there is no part of farming so conducive to increased
income as dairying.
566 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
DIFFICULTIES OVERCOME.
The story of Redwood county is one of difficulties overcome.
The setting aside of its most accessible land as an Indian reserva-
tion kept away the sturdy settlers who swarmed up the Minne-
sota in the fifties. The massacre of 1862 kept the settlers away
for several years thereafter. The fact that the reservation land
after the massacre was not open to homestead or preemption
entry but was sold for a flat sum, and sometimes in large tracts,
kept away those who were without ready funds. Prairie fires
were also a discouraging feature. The grasshoppers of 1873-77
retarded the settlement during those years, and a blight followed
the next year. The blizzards of 1873 and 1880 also gave the
region a bad name among prospective settlers. The central part
of the county was Internal Improvement land, and much of the
southern part of the county was railroad land. When it appeared
that there was to be a great influx of settlers after the grass-
hopper years, the rush came, but passed by on the way to Dakota,
where land could be obtained free. In the early nineties came
some big wheat years, and for several years thereafter the crops
were of the best. In 1905 came the wet years. In 1913 and 1914
came the big corn years, but this was followed by the scourge
of hog cholera. In various years, drought and hail, and blight
have done much damage. Potato bugs, the cut worm, the cinch
bug, and other insects have also been features with which the
citizens have had to contend.
Even a superficial examination of the topography of the county
reveals the geographical reason why the early settlements were
along the Minnesota river, the Redwood river and the Cotton-
wood river. However, there is a much deeper reason than this
why the population of the county for so many years resembled
a hollow shell with so few people in the center. In the first place
the railroad had vast holdings of alternate sections which, under
the land grant, they took in this county in lieu of lands all ready
settled, further to the eastward. In the next place there were
no less than 90,000 acres of state internal improvement land
located on the even numbered sections in the central part of the
county. This internal improvement land was appraised at from
$5 to $7 in the spring of 1878, and placed on sale in the fall of
that year. However, soon after this land was put in the market,
came the Dakota boom, and thousands of people made their way
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 567
to that territory, where they could obtain homesteads for nothing
in preference to settling in this county, where they had to pay
for their lands. In 1882 there was a constant succession of emi-
grant trains through this county, sometimes miles long. Another
thing which retarded the settlement of the county by prospective
land owners, were the vast tracts owned by speculators. Willard
& Whitcomb, Willard & Barney, and Willard & Willard, owned
some 30,000 acres in Yellow Medicine and Redwood county. The
Commodore Davidson tract, purchased in 1868, consisted of 16,000
acres. Another tract of 16,000 acres was acquired at the same
time, became the J. W. Paxton tract, later the O. B. Turrell tract
and finally the Sanders & Gilfillan tract.
The spring of 1867 was cold and wet, and many of the pioneers
endured intense suffering, so much so that the state came to the
aid of the county and furnished seed and provisions. There was
but little to eat during that spring except cornmeal, rutabagoes,
bacon and fish. M. E. Powell tells of living at the Mills boarding
house in Redwood Falls that spring, and going down to the river
to catch the fish, which, with bacon and rutabagoes, furnished
the only dishes on the menu.
In spite of the fact that so large a part of Redwood county
was not open to entry under the homestead and preemption acts,
the spring of 1872 opened most favorably. In the summer, how-
ever, came a series of hail storms, which wrought havoc to the
crops, and on top of that came some of the most disastrous
prairie fires known to the history of the county. Then came the
terrible winter of 1872-73.
Winter began November 12. The day had been pleasant,
but toward nightfall, those who were acquainted with the cli-
mate of the Minnesota valley, saw indications of a blizzard. At
dark, a gale from the northwest struck the cabins, and the long,
cold season had started. Snow fell to a depth of two feet, but
was blown about and drifted until it was over twenty feet in
some places.
From that date, there was little let-up in the severity of the
weather. One storm followed another. Even when the storms
were not raging the weather was cold and bleak. Travel was
almost suspended. The new railroad through the southern part
of the county had to cease operating entirely. Stages managed
to reach the Redwood Falls once in a while, but sometimes there
were many days when the people were absolutely without com-
munication with the outside world. Many people suffered for
want of food, fuel and clothing, and many severe cases of frost-
bite were reported.
The year of 1873 started with a violent storm, and for the
three days beginning January 7, there raged over this region
the worst blizzard of its history. The temperature was from 18
568 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
to 40 degrees below zero, during the whole period of the storm.
The air was filled with snow as fine as flour. Through every
crevice, keyhole, and nailhole, the fine snow penetrated, puffing
into houses like steam. Seventy human lives were lost in the
storm in Minnesota.
The storm was ushered in by the pleasantest weather of the
season. The forenoon of Tuesday, January 7, was mild and pleas-
ant; the sky was clear and there was no wind. It seemed as
though a "January thaw" was imminent. The pleasant weather
had induced many farmers to go to the woods for a supply of fuel
or with their families to the neighbors to visit.
In Redwood county many of the settlers started into the bot-
toms and the river valleys to get poles. In those days, timber
on school land, on speculators' land, or on any other unoccupied
tract, was considered legitimate booty. Many a settler, when
asked where he had secured his wood, would reply, "On section
37," and the interrogator would at once understand that the
settler had helped himself to wood to which he had no legal right.
The majority of the Redwood settlers were thus busily in cut-
ting trees on the day of the Tuesday in question, when a sudden
change in the weather was apparent. The sky lost its clearness
and became hazy. About noon, a white wall could be seen bear-
ing down from the northwest. The front of the storm was as
distinct and almost as clearly defined as a great sheet. In a few
minutes, a gale, moving at the rate of thirty or forty miles an
hour, was sweeping the country. The air was so completely filled
with flying snow and it was almost impossible to see objects even
a short distance away.
The settlers had, in the meantime, started for home. Some
reached their own cabins, some succeeded in getting to Redwood
Falls, others sought refuge in deserted cabins, or in the cabins
of friends.
All Tuesday night, Wednesday, and Wednesday night, the
storm raged with unabated fury. Not until Thursday did the
storm let up, and not until Friday was it entirely over.
Various experiences of Redwood county pioneers in this bliz-
zard are related in various places in this history.
County Treasurer Robinson was among those who nearly
perished. Being caught in the storm he burrowed a hole in the
snow and there remained for three days, his only nourishment
being secured by gnawing at his boot tops. It was several years
before he recovered from the effects of this experience.
The deepest cause of discouragement and delay in the settle-
ment of the county was the visit of the Rocky mountain locusts,
lasting from 1873 to 1877, during which time very little was
harvested. The eggs were laid in the prairie each year, and they
hatched out just in time for the young hoppers to move into
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 569
the wheat fields, when the tender blades were two or three inches
high, and to eat them off so close to the ground that it gave the
appearance of a fire having passed over the fields. If anything
had escaped their ravages, later in the season, on some fair day,
a fleecy cloud might be seen between the observer and the sun,
which would prove to be an invading host of these marauders,
seeking something to devour. The farmers lost courage and in
many cases were driven away altogether from the places where
they had hoped to make their homes. Many others were com-
pelled to leave their claims temporarily to procure means of sub-
sistence for themselves and their families. The state did what
it could to furnish seed grain on two or three occasions, and
donations from the older counties relieved the situation in a
slight degree ; but, in any view, it was a most trying experience
to the hardy and industrious pioneer families, who, at the best,
could only maintain the position they had taken on the frontier
by hard work and self-denial.
The spring of 1873 had opened favorably, a number of new
settlers had come in, considerable land had been broken, and a
good acreage planted and sowed. The grasshoppers first made
their appearance in this county about the middle of June, 1873,
and began their work. Not only did they destroy the crops that
year, but they laid their eggs to be hatched out the next year.
All efforts to get rid of the hoppers were in vain. Ditches
were dug, straw was burned, drags of sheet iron covered with
coal tar, were tried, but while millions of the insects were killed
their numbers did not seem to be diminished. Year after year
they continued their work. A volume might be written of the
ruin they wrought. They devoured everything green that could
be found. They even ate the edges off from the boards on the
houses and from the rails of the fences. Nothing that their sharp
mouths could nip escaped their destruction. In Redwood Falls
they cleared the lots and streets of every particle of grass.
Year after year the settlers planted crops only to see them
destroyed in the summer. The settlers who put in their crops in
1877 were rewarded. The hoppers hatched out in May, but
about the middle of July took flight. That year a banner crop
was raised.
This caused much enthusiasm, high hopes were entertained for
the future, and an increased acreage was broken and put in crops
in 1878. But again the people faced disaster. Two weeks of ex-
cessive heat in the first half of July, followed by a week of ex-
cessive rains brought a crop failure. "Wheat was so damaged and
so poor in quality that it brought only a low price, and corn,
oats and vegetables were not much more profitable.
The crops of 1879 and 1880 were good. Then came the terri-
ble winter of 1880-81, a winter almost as severe as the winter of
570 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
1872-73. Blizzard followed blizzard. "Winter set in with a bliz-
zard on October 15, 1881, covering the county with a deep blanket
of snow. After that came a little mild weather, but about the
middle of November the elements began to rage again. Railroad
operations ceased. Traffic was blocked on all the highways. As
in 1873, communication with the outside world ceased.
The thaw started April 20, 1881, and the streams were soon
raging torrents. Flood tide was reached April 24, and then the
waters began to recede. Much damage had been done by the
floods, dams were washed out, fences, outbuildings, and hay
stacks carried away, and live stock drowned. The railroads were
washed out in many places. The total loss was considerable.
In 1888 came another blizzard, possibly even more severe than
any during the winter of 1880-81. On January 4, 1888, there
came a thaw. This was followed by the severe cold of January
5, which covered the surface of the snow with an icy coating of
considerable thickness. On the morning of Thursday, January
12, came another thaw. Then a few minutes after four in the
afternoon, absolutely without warning, the blizzard broke. The
storm increased in violence through the night, and though it
abated somewhat at 8 o'clock Friday morning, it continued until
Saturday night. Not until the next Tuesday was the weather and
the roads such as to permit the snow-bound people to get news
from the rural districts. The loss from frozen stock in Redwood
county was especially large.
Authority. "Early Days in Redwood County," by 0. B. Tur-
rell, in the "Collections" of the Minnesota Historical Society.
History of Lyon County, Minn., by Arthur P. Rose, 1912.
Newspaper files and personal testimony of the old settlers.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
BANKS AND BANKING.
The banking industry in Redwood county dates from 1871,
when W. F. Dickenson and George W. Braley reached Redwood
Falls. George W. Braley established the Redwood County Bank,
which, after successive changes, is now the First National Bank
of Redwood Falls. W. F. Dickenson, with Major M. E. Powell,
established the Bank of Redwood Falls, which, after successive
changes, is now amalgamated in the State Bank of Redwood
Falls.
The county now has twenty-one State banks and two National
banks. The State banks are : The State Bank of Redwood
Falls, the Redwood County State Bank, the Farmers' State Bank
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 571
of Belview, the State Bank of Belview, the State Bank of Clem-
ents, the Delhi State Bank, the State Bank of Lamberton, the
Lucan State Bank, the State Bank of Milroy, the Farmers and
Merchants State Bank of Morgan, the State Bank of Morgan,
the Security State Bank of North Redwood, the State Bank of
Revere, the Farmers' State Bank of Sanborn, the Sanborn State
Bank, the Security State Bank of Seaforth, the State Bank of
Vesta, the Citizens State Bank of "Wabasso, the First State Bank
of Walnut Grove, the Walnut Grove State Bank and the State
Bank of Wanda. The National banks are the First National Bank
of Redwood Falls and the First National Bank of Lamberton.
The First National Bank of Redwood Falls had its beginning
in 1871, when George W. Braley came to Redwood Falls and
started the Redwood County Bank. In 1880 it was bought by Hial
D. Baldwin and C. T. Ward. In 1891 the institution became a
state bank, but retained the same name. May 28, 1901, it became
a national bank, with A. C. Burmeister as president, Hial D. Bald-
win as vice president, and Herbert A. Baldwin as cashier. The
present officers are: President, H. A. Baldwin; vice president,
A. C. Burmeister; vice president, Emil Kuenzil; cashier, F. W.
Zander; assistant cashier, C. H. Baldwin; assistant cashier,
Robert V. Ochs. The bank has a paid up capital of $35,000 ; sur-
plus and profits, $13,500 ; deposits, $480,000 ; loans and discounts,
bonds and securities, $440,000 ; cash and exchange and due from
banks, $95,000.
The Bank of Redwood Falls. William F. Dickinson came to
Redwood Falls in 1871, and with Attorney M. E. Powell estab-
lished the Bank of Redwood Falls. Later, a stock company was
organized with a capital of $10,000. In time, however, Mr.
Dickinson acquired all the stock of this company. In 1891 it was
made a state bank, still retaining the same name, with William
F. Dickinson as president and George W. Dickinson, his son, as
cashier. Mr. Dickinson died about 1900. In 1903 the bank was
absorbed by the State Bank of Redwood Falls.
The State Bank of Redwood Falls. The Gold-Stabeck State
Bank was organized at Redwood Falls in 1901. In 1903 the name
was changed to the State Bank of Redwood Falls, and the old
Dickinson bank absorbed. The capital of the Gold-Stabeck State
Bank was $25,000. This was increased to $35,000 when the State
Bank of Redwood Falls was organized. In 1912 it was increased
to $50,000. W. H. Gold has always been president, and John P.
Cooper has always been vice president. The first cashier was
William H. Wallace, later succeeded by R. A. Cooper. The as-
sistant cashier is J. D. McLean. The bank has a paid up capital
of $50,000 ; surplus and profits, $20,000 ; deposits, $510,320 ; loans
and discounts, bonds and securities, $484,020; cash and exchange
and due from banks, $84,350.
572 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The Gold-Stabeck Land & Credit Co., then located at Ren-
ville, in this state, became interested in Redwood county about
1897, and opened a bank at Belview. In 1897 a bank was estab-
lished by this company at Revere, and in 1898 banks were estab-
lished at Wabasso and at Vesta. An office was opened in Red-
wood Falls in 1900, the Gold-Stabeck State Bank established
the following year; and the State Bank of Redwood Falls in
1903.
The Gold-Cooper Securities Co. was organized in 1903 with a
capital of $25,000, for the purpose of handling first mortgage
farm loans. J. P. Cooper has always been president, and W. H.
Gold, secretary. Glenn W. Gold is the vice president.
The Redwood County State Bank was opened for business in
1916, with the following officers and stockholders: F. W. Phil-
brick, A. O. Gimmestad, Fred M. Banker, Charles H. Winn, J. H.
Melges, George A. Paton, Knute Hustad, J. F. Skinner, F. W.
Orth, A. C. Dolliff, D. W. Banker, D. L. Bigham, A. M. Dennis-
toun and J. B. Philbrick. The officers are: President, F. W.
Philbrick ; vice presidents, George A. Paton and F. W. Orth ;
cashier, Knute Hustad; assistant cashier, J. B. Philbrick; direc-
tors, the officers together with A. C. Dolliff, A. O. Gimmestad
and F. M. Banker. The bank has a paid up capital of $25,000;
surplus and profits, $5,000 ; deposits, $14,000 ; loans and discounts,
bonds and securities, $28,720; cash and exchange and due from
banks, $14,850.
First National Bank of Lamberton was first organized as the
Citizens State Bank of Lamberton, June 1, 1892, by L. M. Street,
John Street, Frank Schandera, Charles Chester, Kedie Kneeland,
Louis Chester, J. H. Roth, R. Morton, Henry Bendixen, Peter
Reunitz, Peter Bendixen and W. C. Brown. The first officers
were : Henry Bendixen, president ; Charles Chester, vice presi-
dent; John Street, cashier. In July, 1902, Henry Bendixen re-
signed as president and shortly after Wilson C. Brown was elected
to fill that position. The capital stock and surplus was $25,000.00.
In August, 1901, John Street resigned as cashier and George J.
Grimm became his successor. The first building occupied by the
bank was a one -story frame, which stood on the site of the pres-
ent two-story brick building, which was erected in 1893. On
April 2, 1904, this bank was converted into the First National
Bank, there being no change in the capital stock. The surplus,
however, had increased to $7,500.00. There was no change made
in the official staff, except that H. M. England was elected assist-
ant cashier. In May, 1915, Wilson C. Brown died, Frank Clague
was subsequently appointed president. The bank has always
done a strictly commercial banking business, has been careful
and conservative, and is one of the few banks that has never
yet issued a statement on which it was necessary to show any
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 573
"Bills payable" account. In the panic of 1907 it never refused
cash in payment of a depositor's check. The following items
are copied from its statement at the close of business Sep-
tember 12, 1916: Resources — loans and discounts, $287,504.35;
overdrafts, $154.69; U. S. bonds and premium, $28,500.00; bank-
ing house, furniture and fixtures, $10,736.90; cash and due from
banks, $40,704.12; total, $367,600.06. Liabilities— capital, $25,-
000.00 ; surplus, $25,000.00 ; circulation, $25,000.00 ; deposits, $292,-
600.06; total, $367,600.06.
The State Bank of Belview was established August 1, 1897,
as a private bank, by W. H. Gold, F. O. Gold, Torsten Stabeck,
H. N. Stabeck and William H. Wallace. Its capital was $6,000.00.
It was then called Bank of Belview. It was incorporated as a
state bank February 1, 1902, with $10,000.00 capital. January
10, 1911, the capital stock was increased to $15,000.00. Surplus
has been added annually and now amounts to $10,000.00. The
report to superintendent of banks, June 23, 1915, shows the de-
posits were $182,820.25, loans and discounts $182,104.02, and
total footings $207,860.25. The organizers of state bank in 1902
were: W. H. Gold, Deborah Adsit, E. Leatherman, Otto Goetze,
H. D. Adsit, S. F. Peterson, H. P. Dredge, J. T. McKowen, A. J.
Froelich, Ben Maus, G. F. Rahn, L. T. Braafladt, R. Hoppenrath,
C. Knutson, Anton Weideman, C. Olson, Adolph Leonard, Daniel
McKay and G. E. Adsit. The first officers were: W. H. Gold,
president ; C. Olson, vice president ; J. M. Thompson, cashier, and
Otto Goetze, assistant cashier. The officers have been as follows:
1903 — J. M. Thompson, president; A. Leonard, vice president;
A. F. Pottratz, cashier. 1904— J. M. Thompson, president; C. Ol-
son, vice president ; A. F. Pottratz, cashier. 1905 — J. M. Thomp-
son, president; E. Leatherman, vice president; A. F. Pottratz,
cashier. 1906 — January to May — J. M. Thompson, president and
cashier ; C. Knutson, vice president ; Ernest W. Thorson, assistant
cashier. 1906 — From May 26— A. O. Gimmestad, president and
cashier; C. Knutson, vice president; E. W. Thorson, assistant
cashier. 1907 — A. O. Gimmestad, president; C. Knutson, vice
president; C. C. Enestwedt, cashier; E. W. Thorson, assistant
cashier. 1908 — A. O. Gimmestad, president; C. Knutson, vice
president; C. C. Ernestvedt, cashier; E. W. Thorson, assistant
cashier. 1909 — A. O. Gimmestad, president; C. Knutson, vice
president; C. C. Enestvedt, cashier. 1910 — A. O. Gimmestad,
president; C. Knutson, vice president; C. C. Enestvedt, cashier.
1911 — A. O. Gimmestad, president; C. Knutson, vice president;
C. C. Enestvedt, cashier. 1912 — A. O. Gimmestad, president;
C. Knutson, vice president; Otto Flom, cashier. 1913 — A. O.
Gimmestad, president; C. Knutson, vice president; C. C. Enest-
vedt, cashier. 1914 — A. O. Gimmestad, president; C. Knutson,
vice president; C. C. Enestvedt, cashier; Oscar Gimmestad, as-
574 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
sistant cashier. 1915 — A. 0. Gimmestad, president; C. Knutson,
vice president; C. C. Enestvedt, cashier; Oscar Gimmestad, as-
sistant cashier. The policy of the hank is progressive-conserva-
tive. The present hoard of directors is composed of A. 0. Gim-
mestad, C. Knutson, Daniel McKay, C. Olson, Anton Weidemann,
P. A. Hanson and H. F. Hagen. The financial statement for June
30, 1916, was as follows: Resources — loans and discounts, $200,-
217.18 ; overdrafts, $367.41 ; banking house and fixtures, $3,350.00 ;
cash and due from hanks, $18,061.02 ; other real estate, $6,800.00 ;
checks and cash items, $173.79; paid out for expenses in excess
of earnings, $467.95 ; total, $229,437.35. Liabilities — capital stock,
$15,000.00; surplus, $11,000.00; total deposits, $203,437.35; total,
$229,437.35.
The Farmers' State Bank of Belview came into existence Sep-
tember 27, 1910. Banking conditions, at that time, were such
that a few enterprising citizens thought the time ripe for a sec-
ond bank in Belview and accordingly G. F. Rahn, Dr. P. H.
Aldrich, R. E. Gryting, Frank Martin, S. F. Peterson, L. T. Braa-
fladt and E. D. Collins set out to organize a new bank. Money
was so plentiful and faith in the new enterprise so sure that in
two days the shares were all sold and on the date above men-
tioned the bank opened for business in the building now occu-
pied by H. O. Hegdal's salesroom. The first set of officers was as
follows: L. T. Braafladt, president; Dr. F. H. Aldrich, vice-
president; G. F. Rahn, cashier. The new institution was pros-
perous from the opening day. In fact, it rapidly outgrew the
building in which it was started, and a new concrete fire-proof
and a strictly burglar-proof safe for its vaults was decided upon
and carried to a successful culmination when on March 21, 1911,
the new building was occupied. Steady and healthy growth has
marked the progress of the institution ever since.
The second change in officers was made in 1911, when L. T.
Braafladt resigned. Dr. F. H. Aldrich was then elected to the
presidency, and he served in that capacity until March, 1914,
when he was succeeded by S. F. Peterson, with R. E. Gryting,
vice president; G. F. Rahn, cashier, and C. R. Rahn, assistant
cashier. These officers are now serving. The capital stock at
organization was $10,000, with no surplus. No changes have
been made in the capital stock, but a surplus of $1,500 has been
created. During the past year the building has been remodeled
and the old front taken out and replaced with a white enameled
brick front, at a cost of $2,000.00; also a panel ceiling placed in
the interior. The bank now has deposits of $66,000, and has
declared ten per cent dividends to its stockholders annually,
with excellent prospects of larger returns in the future, not-
withstanding that money can now be had on bankable notes, at
eight per cent, a condition which did not obtain when the bank
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 575
was started, ten per cent being the rate then asked and received.
Conservation is the watch word of the bank and this policy is
more than carried out by its board of directors, seven in number,
each of whom is as reliable as the Rock of Gibraltar. The bank's
statement September 12, 1916, was as follows : Resources — loans
and discounts, $75,490.71 ; overdrafts, $49.00 ; banking house, fur-
niture and fixtures, $5,623.10; due from banks, $5,969.57; cash
on hand, $2,810.04; checks and cash items, $36.48; total, $89,-
978.90. Liabilities— capital stock, $15,000.00; surplus, $3,000.00;
undivided profits, net, $60.70; deposits, $71,918.20; total, $89,-
978.90.
The State Bank of Clements was incorporated August 28, 1902,
by M. Lehrer, A. C. Ochs, John B. Schmid, Wm, G. Frank, Jno.
R Schmid, H. C. Warnke, Jos. Epple, and Julius A. Schmahl. The
bank opened for business September 1, 1902. The first officers
and directors were: President, H. C. Warnke; vice president,
A. C. Ochs; cashier, Jos. Epple; board of directors, Jos. Epple,
H. C. Warnke, M. Lehrer, William G. Prank, and A. C. Ochs.
The institution owns its building, which was erected during the
summer of 1902. H. C. Warnke and A. C. Ochs have served as
president and vice president ever since the organization; Jos.
Epple acted as cashier from time of organization to July 1, 1908,
at which time he was succeeded by Gust. Backer, who served in
the same capacity until March 1, 1914, being succeeded by S. R.
Kramer. The bank 's policy being to render every accommodation
possible consistent with good banking. Its latest financial state-
ment, September 12, 1916, reads as follows: Resources — loans
and discounts, $92,875.73; overdrafts, $682.19; banking house,
furniture and fixtures, $4,500.00 ; due from banks, $7,430.24 ; cash
on hand, $2,471.33; checks and cash items, $1,691.38; paid out
for expenses, etc., in excess of earnings, $79.86; revenue stamps,
$30.00 ; total, $109,760.73. Liabilities— capital stock and surplus,
$18,000.00 ; deposits, $91,760.73 ; total, $109,760.73.
The Delhi State Bank was established and opened for busi-
ness as a private institution, October 1, 1902, under the name of
Delhi Bank. It was incorporated as Delhi State Bank in 1911,
the incorporators being: J. A. Piersol, A. R. Piersol and A. O.
Gimmestad. The officers were: J. A. Piersol, president; Peter
McKay, vice president; A. R. Piersol, cashier; Mary L. Piersol,
assistant cashier. J. A. Piersol, Peter McKay and A. R. Piersol
were directors. The present officers are the same, except that
there are now two assistant cashiers, Grace Piersol and O. A.
Bramsche having succeeded to that office in place of Mary L.
Piersol. The bank owns its own building, which was erected
in 1910. "Honesty is the best policy," is the motto of this insti-
tution. Although too close to the county seat to have a large
and rapid growth, it has progressed steadily and intrenched itself
576 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
in the confidence of the citizens of Delhi and the vicinity. Its
statement at the close of business June 30, 1916, was as follows:
Resources — loans and discounts, $64,943.11; overdrafts, $40.66;
banking house furniture and fixtures, $4,807.11; cash and due
from banks, $6,966.46 ; total, $76,757.34. Liabilities— capital stock
and surplus and undivided profits, $11,761.92;' deposits, $64,-
995.42; total, $76,757.34.
Lucan State Bank. This bank was organized as the Redwood
County Bank, July 1, 1905, with F. W. Stevens, president; A.
Schmidt, vice president, and P. M. Dickerson, cashier. It was
conducted as a private bank until January 14, 1908, at which time
it was reorganized as the Lucan State Bank. F. W. Stevens has
always been president. P. M. Dickerson was cashier until Jan-
uary 1, 1909, when Nels Larsen succeeded him and held the posi-
tion until the latter part of the year, when he was succeeded by
Anton Kramer. The assistant cashier is Jos. J. Zeug. Nels
Larson was elected vice president in 1910 and has held this posi-
tion ever since. The bank's last statement (September 12, 1916)
shows the following items: Resources — loans, $110,249.01; over-
drafts, $313.48 ; banking house and furniture, $4,500.00 ; cash and
due from banks, $28,503.08 ; total, $143,565.57. Liabilities— capi-
tal stock, $15,000.00 ; surplus and profits, $7,067.27 ; deposits, $121,-
498.30 ; total, $143,565.57.
State Bank of Lamberton was incorporated September 6, 1898,
with a capital of $25,000.00, and immediately began business. The
incorporators were : F. Schandera, L. Redding, R. Morton, A. C.
Ochs, Peter Manderfeld, John Koenig, John Haas, John H. Roth,
M. Lehrer, Emil Swanbeck, J. L. Soch and Ferd Crone. In
October, 1899, the bank moved into its newly completed building,
constructed by A. C. Ochs. The first officers of the institution
were: F. Schandera, president; A. C. Ochs, vice president; L.
Redding, cashier; directors, F. Schandera, R. Morton, John
Koenig, Peter Manderfeld and A. C. Ochs. The bank has pros-
pered and has taken for its trade motto, "Security and Service,"
looking after the needs of the local community first and conduct-
ing a conservative business at all times. In October, 1913, the
capital stock was increased to $30,000.00. In the bank's state-
ment for September 12, 1916, the following resources and lia-
bilities are shown: Resources — loans, $504,173.48; overdrafts,
$1,163.32; furniture and fixtures, $4,144.66; banking house,
$5,852.50; insurance account, $869.73; cash and due from banks,
$34,966.56; total, $551,170.25. Liabilities— capital stock, $30,-
000.00; surplus, $30,000.00; deposits, $472,794.01; bills payable,
$14,300.00; undivided profits, $4,076.24; total, $551,170.25. The
present officers of the bank are : F. Schandera, president ; John
Haas, vice president ; L. Redding, cashier ; Otto J. Schmid, assist-
ant cashier; L. J. Wilt, second assistant cashier.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 577
The Farmers and Merchants State Bank of Morgan. This
bank occupies a fine ornamental building on the west side of
Vernon avenue, and equipped with all modern equipment. Pos-
sessing a Twin city brick front with large, airy windows, the bank
building makes a very fine appearance. It is finished on the inte-
rior with golden oak trimmings, and has customers' lobby, presi-
dent's room, working room, big steel vault and directors' room.
The vault is made of steel and is protected by a complete burglar
alarm gong system, fully protecting the contents of the bank
until time to open again. While not the oldest bank its deposits
aggregated in July, 1916, $275,000 in round figures. The officers
are : J. C. Jackson, president ; Emil P. Grabow, cashier ; C. B.
Root, vice president ; Anna Jenson, assistant cashier.
The State Bank of Morgan was incorporated with a capital
stock of $10,000.00, June 10, 1893, the incorporators being : H. M.
Ball, F. W. Fixsen, Frank Billington, Horace G. Eaton, Hans
Mo, Otto W. Hagen and George W. Somerville. The first officers
were: Hans Mo, president; George W. Somerville, vice presi-
dent ; H. M. Ball, cashier. The bank opened for business Novem-
ber 8, 1893. In 1904 the capital stock was increased to $25,000.00.
After owning its own building for twenty-two years, from the
beginning, the bank organized a building association in 1915
and erected a new building for its own occupancy. There has
been but little change in officers during the life of the business.
H. M. Ball is now president; F. W. Fixsen, vice president; Wil-
liam H. Ball, cashier, and L. M. Gerstmann, assistant cashier.
"Honesty, stability and service is the aim of this bank and its
officers." The report of condition at the close of business, Sep-
tember 12, 1916, shows the following resources and liabilities:
Resources— loans and discounts, $330,928.31 ; overdrafts, $1,260.05 ;
furniture and fixtures, $5,879.56; cash on hand and in banks,
$29,931.47; other real estate, $3,600.00; total, $371,599.39. Lia-
bilities—capital stock, $25,000.00; surplus, $12,000.00; undivided
profits, net, $1,063.91; deposits, $333,535.48; total, $371,599.39.
One of the first improvements to be spoken of in connection with
the advancement of the village of Morgan is the three fine build-
ings built jointly by the State Bank of Morgan, Nels Jenson and
Frank Gerstmann. Occupying a corner, 75 by 100 feet, at the in-
tersection of Vernon avenue and Front street, the buildings are
the first to greet the eye of the traveler as the train arrives from
north or south. The first section, covering 25 by 75 feet, is the
new building of the State Bank of Morgan. Two stories high of
twin city brown brick, trimmed with Kasota cut stone, it makes
a very commanding appearance, as one looks at it from any point
of view. The interior is finished in English vein, Italian marble,
trimmed with green and black Belgian marble. The bank proper
has president's room, cashier's room, working department and
578 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
directors ' room, with bubbling fountains within the building. On
second floor the building is divided into seven commodious rooms
occupied by Dr. Adams, M. D. ; Dr. W. "W. Carlile, dentist ; W. R.
Werring, attorney, and the central telephone headquarters, run-
ning water in all rooms and connected with up-to-date toilet
rooms.
The State Bank of Milroy was incorporated in 1902, by "Wil-
liam Bierman, William G. Frank, Thomas F. Kinman, John R.
Schmid, Adolph Altermatt, Henry C. Warnke, A. C. Ochs and
Julius A. Sehmahl, and opened for business June 17, 1902, with
William Bierman, president ; Adolph Altermatt, vice president, and
Thos. F. Kinman, cashier. The first board of directors consisted
of William Bierman, Adolph Altermatt, William G. Frank, John
R. Schmid and Thomas F. Kinman. The bank owns its own build-
ing which it has occupied since the fall of 1902. William Dun-
can, Jr., succeeded Thos. F. Kinman as cashier in February, 1902,
and has acted as managing officer since that date. In January,
1909, the board of directors was reduced from five to three mem-
bers, and at present consists of Adolph Altermatt, William Bier-
man and William G. Frank. In January, 1905, Adolph Altermatt
was elected president and William G. Frank, vice president, and
they have continued to act as such to this date. Otto J. Schmid
was elected assistant cashier in January, 1904, and acted until
March 1, 1910. He was succeeded by Benjamin R. Schmid, who
still holds that position. The present official staff is as follows:
Adolph Altermatt, president; William G. Frank, vice president;
William Duncan, Jr., cashier; Benjamin R. Schmid, assistant
cashier, and Hazell Streeter, stenographer. The bank has been
conducted along conservative lines and confines its business to
its Own locality. It has been instrumental in the agricultural
development of the vicinity of Milroy, with its unlimited outlet
for farm mortgage loans. The following is the banks' statement
for June 30, 1916 : Resources — loans and discounts, $153,968.92 ;
overdrafts, $928.99; banking house, furniture and fixtures,
$7,664.81 ; cash and due from banks, $46,828.29 ; revenue account,
$160.21; total, $209,551.22. Liabilities— capital, $18,000.00; sur-
plus, $10,000.00; undivided profits, $2,556.80; deposits, $178,-
994.42; total, $209,551.22.
The Security State Bank of North Redwood was organized
April 21, 1908, by F. A. Swoboda, M. C. Taubert, Charles Kuenzli,
F. M. Shoemaker, Henry Timms, Louisa Weiss, Bernhard Kuenzli,
H. W. Shoemaker, Frank Horejsi and George Evert. The insti-
tution started with a capital stock of $10,000.00, but no surplus.
The first officers were : H A. Baldwin, president ; Joseph Fischer,
vice president ; Frank Horejsi, cashier ; W. B. Clement, assistant
cashier. Directors : H. A. Baldwin, Charles Kuenzli, Joseph
Fischer, Henry Timms, F. A. Swoboda, F. A. Shoemaker and
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 579
Prank Horejsi. January 1, 1910, J. M. Hardy became cashier
and served until January 1, 1913. The present officers and direc-
tors are : H. A. Baldwin, president ; H. W. Shoemaker, vice presi-
dent; E. W. Currier, cashier; C. H. Baldwin, assistant cashier.
Directors : H. A. Baldwin, H. W. Shoemaker, F. M. Shoemaker,
Charles Kuenzli, G. Kuenzli and E. W. Currier. The bank now
has an earned surplus of $3,000.00, and occupies a well-appointed
and thoroughly up-to-date building. Its first consideration has
always been the protection of its customers, for which reason it
carries considerably more of a reserve than is required by law.
It is a home institution for the benefit of the local public and
does not make loans of a questionable nature in order to obtain
a higher rate of interest. Its report of condition, September 12,
1916, contained the following items: Resources — loans and dis-
counts, $107,110.88; banking house, furniture and fixtures,
$1,500.00; other real estate, $1,575.00; total cash assets, $13,-
994.99; checks and cash items, $323.33; total, $124,504.20. Lia-
bilities— capital stock and surplus, $13,000.00; undivided profits,
net, $1,091.70; deposits, $110,412.50; total, $124,504.20.
The State Bank of Revere. This bank was established in
1902. The officers are: President, L. Redding; vice president,
Charles Chester; cashier, J. E. Sawyer; assistant cashiers, C. E.
Sawyer and N. R. Sawyer. The capital is $10,000; the surplus
and profits, $6,000 ; the deposits, $73,000.
The Farmers State Bank of Sanborn was incorporated in 1911,
by A. H. Dorn, "W. A. Gleason and P. E. Gleason and was opened
for business August 21 the same year. The first officers were:
F. E. Gleason, P. M. Dickerson and A. H. Dorn, while the direc-
tors were : P. E. Gleason, P. M. Dickerson, A. H. Dorn, C. Ripley,
Fred Radtke, A. W. Nickel, Henry Essig, Herman Voge and
J. R. Whelan. There has since been no change in officers. The
staff consists of F. E. Gleason and A. H. Dorn, Mr. Dickerson
not being active in the concern. The policy of the bank is to pro-
mote the business welfare of the community it serves and it
stands, first of all for security and, next in importance, service.
The following was the bank's statement of condition, September
12, 1916: Resources— loans, $153,675.09; overdrafts, $263.33;
banking house, furniture and fixtures, $5,250.00; cash and due
from banks, $17,419.24; total, $176,580.66. Liabilities— capital,
$20,000.00; surplus, $3,000.00; undivided profits, $2,640.49; de-
posits, $150,940.17; total, $176,580.66.
The Sanborn State Bank was established in 1901. The officers
are : President, F. W. Stevens ; vice president, E. J. Strom ; vice
president, John Hagemann ; cashier, C. E. Melbye ; assistant cash-
ier, D. G. Klein. The capital is $25,000 ; the surplus and profits,
$10,000 ; and the deposits, $150,000.
580 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The Security State Bank of Seaforth was incorporated Sep-
tember 8, 1904, by Alfred Soderlind and W. F. Mann, of Lake
Benton, Minn. W. J. Soderlind was made cashier. In 1908 F. W.
Stevens bought out Alfred Soderlind and others and has since
been president of the institution. The same year F. E. Sylvester
(now cashier of the new State Bank of Morton, Minn.) was
cashier, and so continued until June 1, 1914, at which time the
present cashier, Jos. Pistulka, was elected. The present officers
are : F. W. Stevens, president ; Geo. H. Johnson, vice-president ;
Jos. Pistulka, cashier; R. A. Johnson, assistant cashier. The
directors include the above mentioned officers, together with
H. J. Fink and J. C. Johnson. The bank 's statement, September
12, 1916, was as follows : Resources — loans and discounts, $69,-
300.10; overdrafts, $28.10; banking house, furniture and fixtures,
$3,500.00; due from banks, $17,905.57; cash on hand, $2,168.14;
checks and cash items, $303.85; total, $93,205.76. Liabilities —
capital stock, $10,000.00; surplus, $3,000.00; undivided profits,
net, $694.71; total deposits, $79,511.05; total, $95,205.76.
The State Bank of Vesta was organized February 1, 1900, by
S. A. Hoyt and Harvey Harris. S. A. Hoyt was elected president
and Harvey Harris, cashier. The bank was operated as a private
bank and the management sold their interests in it September 1,
1900, to Gold-Stabeck & Co. W. H. Gold was elected president
and A. A. Bennett, cashier. In 1902, A. A. Bennett was succeeded
by L. H. Wallace as cashier. On January 1, 1904, S. F. Scott,
formerly a law student of the University of Minnesota, at Minne-
apolis, but who had worked in the bank for four months previ-
ously, was elected cashier, and he bought the interests of L. H.
Wallace in the bank and has been cashier since that date. Sep-
tember 1, 1904, the bank was incorporated under the laws of the
State of Minnesota as State Bank of Vesta, with a capital stock
of $10,000.00. In 1906 the bank increased its capital stock to
$15,000.00 with a surplus of $3,000.00, and as it had outgrown
its quarters a commodious building was erected on the corner,
of Broadway and Front streets. The dimensions were 22x42 feet.
It is built of pressed brick and Kasota stone with three large
pillars of polished St. Cloud granite, supporting the corner over
the entrance. The building is equipped with a fire and burglar-
proof vault and a burglar-proof safe, and also has an electric
burglar alarm system of the most improved type. The present
officers are : W. H. Gold, president ; J. P. Cooper, vice president ;
S. F. Scott, cashier, and Henry G. Kramer, assistant cashier. The
directors are : W. H. Gold, J. P. Cooper, both of Redwood Falls,
and R. A. Peterson, F. H. Bendix and S. F. Scott, all of Vesta.
November 1, 1914, the capital stock was raised to $20,000.00, and
the surplus to $5,000.00. At this time a number of the prominent
business men and farmers were given an opportunity to buy stock
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 581
in the bank and they took almost the whole of the new stock
issued at that time. The bank has always taken a hearty interest
in the welfare of the town and adjacent country and has always
been quick to help in any work to develop the business inter-
ests of the business men and farmers. The bank's statement for
September 12, 1916, was as follows: Resources — loans and dis-
counts, $156,400.98; overdrafts, $316.97; banking house and fix-
tures, $6,500.00; cash and due from banks, $28,948.28; total,
$192,166.23. Liabilities— capital stock and surplus, $25,000.00;
net profits, $1,321.81 ; deposits, $165,844.42 ; total, $192,166.23.
The First State Bank of Walnut Grove was organized as a
private institution by L. Garlock, and by him operated until
1901, when he reorganized it as a state institution under its pres-
ent title. After the fire, in the early spring of 1903, Mr. Gar-
lock, holding the controlling interest in the bank, superintended
the erection of the present two -story building on the corner of
Main and Sixth streets. The bank is in a prosperous condition,
and has some $165,000 in deposits. The capital, surplus and un-
divided profits amount to some $30,000. The officials of the bank
are: President, W. E. Elliott; vice president, Charles Herder;
cashier, A. H. Kemper ; assistant cashier, William Greenholz.
The Walnut Grove State Bank. In 1898 R. R. Freeman opened
up a private bank under the name of Farmers and Merchants
Bank, Walnut Grove, which he continued to operate until Sep-
tember 30, 1901, when it was merged into the Walnut Grove
State Bank, which was organized and incorporated with a paid-
up capital of $15,000.00. The first board of directors consisted
of R. R. Freeman, W. J. Swoffer, A. Swoffer, F. F. Goff, W. J.
McDonald, D. O. Bulen and R. H. Thompson. A. Swoffer was
chosen as president and has continued to hold that office up to
the present time. F. F. Goff, as vice president, served until Oc-
tober, 1911, when he resigned to move to California and was suc-
ceeded by W. B. Harwood, who is first vice president at the pres-
ent time. R. R. Freeman was appointed cashier and continued
to serve until April, 1906, when he sold out his interests and was
succeeded by William B. Harwood, who resigned in January, 1910.
W. J. McDonald was then appointed cashier, and is still serving.
F. J. Clark was assistant cashier from September, 1901, until
January, 1906 ; E. W. Swoffer, January, 1906, to February, 1907 ;
O. B. Dahlgren, March 1, 1907, to February, 1912; J. E. L. Lund,
March 1, 1912, to March 1, 1914; J. S. Pederson, March 1, 1914,
to November, 1914, and R. W. Blake from November 1, 1914, to
the present time. The present board of directors consists of
A. Swoffer, W. B. Harwood, J. F. Hesnault, Chas. Luard, E. W.
Swoffer, Helge Johnson and W. J. McDonald. In January, 1914,
the capital stock was increased from $15,000.00 to $25,000.00.
January 15, 1914, the bank moved into the beautiful new building
582 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
which they had erected on the south side of Main street and are
now enjoying one of the most commodious banking rooms in the
southwestern part of the state. The officers are: A. Swoffer,
president; W. B. Harwood, first vice president; J. F. Hesnault,
second vice president; W. J. McDonald, cashier; R. W. Blake,
assistant cashier. The bank's statement of condition, June 23,
1915, was as follows: Resources — loans and discounts, $236,-
264.30; overdrafts, $426.65; banking house, furniture and fix-
tures, $8,986.00; cash and due from banks, $28,030.42; total,
$273,707.37. Liabilities — capital stock and surplus, $28,000.00;
undivided profits, $1,908.65; deposits, $243,798.72; total, $273,-
707.37.
The State Bank of Wanda was incorporated July 7, 1902, with
a capital of $10,000.00 and began business the same day, the
building having been erected in the spring of that year. Paul
Doepke was the first depositor. The first board of directors
consisted of M. Jenniges, John Gorres, Eugene Fernholz, P. O.
Callaghan, Albert Spaulding, Mathias Eichten and S. A. Bellig,
who held office until the first annual meeting. On January 13,
1913, M. Jenniges, Paul Doekpe, Mathias Eichten, John Gorres,
Albert Spaulding, S. A. Bellig and P. O. Callaghan were elected
directors; M. Jenniges was chosen president, Paul Doepke vice-
president and Paul A. Callaghan hired as cashier. Paul A.
Callaghan left the employment of the bank in 1905, when Paul
Doepke was chosen as cashier, which position he holds at the
present time. The present directors are: C. Turbes, Mathias
Eichten, Paul Doepke, S. A. Bellig, P. O. Callaghan, S. A. Bellig,
Christ Luther and Nick Jenniges. The bank protects its share-
holders and depositors by sound banking business and gives the
community all of the accommodation needed in the development
of the village and country, with a reputation second to none.
The bank has added $1,000 each year to the surplus fund ever
since Paul Doepke became cashier, which is a sure guarantee to
the patrons of the bank of the honesty of its directors. In addi-
tion it paid a dividend of 10 to 13 per cent every year, and more
recently has paid 18 per cent to its shareholders. The bank's
first statement showed the following items : Loans and discounts,
$1,964.48; banking house, $1,500.00; undivided profits, $28.46;
due from banks, $10,445.40; capital stock, $10,000.00; deposits,
$3,863.34 ; time certificates, $75.00. The f ollowing was the state-
ment at the close of business December 31, 1915. Resources —
loans and discounts, $122,453.98; overdrafts, $865.27; banking
house, furniture and fixtures, $2,700.00; due from banks, $5,-
230.14; cash on hand, $3,713.00; total, $136,402.43. Liabilities-
capital stock, $10,000.00; surplus, $8,000.00; undivided profits,
net, $3,844.94; notes rediscounted and bills payable, $9,610.00;
deposits subject to cheek, $23,379.73 ; certified checks, $1,300.00 ;
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 583
cashier's checks, $2,072.90; time certificates, $78,194.86; total,
$136,402.43. Amount of reserve on hand, $10,383.18; amount of
reserve required by law, $9,260.14.
Citizens State Bank of Wabasso was organized March 19,
1903, and opened for business July 7 of the same year. Its
building, which it owns, was erected during that summer. The
first board of directors was composed of N. J. Franta, A. J.
Weldon, A. W. Mueller, Leo Altermatt, George Braun, George
Goblirsch and A. C. Oehs. A. J. Weldon was elected president
and F. W. Hauerstein, cashier. The latter remained cashier of
the bank until November 16, 1903, when A. W. Mueller was
elected to that office and held it until November 15, 1905. At
that time the bank was consolidated with the State Bank of
Wabasso and the officers of the latter became the officers of the
Citizens State Bank of Wabasso, namely : W. H. Gold, president
and Paul A. Callaghan, cashier. N. J. Franta was made vice-
president. The older bank, or State Bank of Wabasso, was
organized as a state bank June 10, 1901, the officers at that time
being: W. H. Gold, president; T. Stabeck, vice-president; O. T.
Newhouse, cashier, and F. O. Orth, assistant cashier. The State
Bank was an outgrowth of the Bank of Wabasso, which was a
private institution. After the consolidation above referred to,
W. H. Gold remained president of the Citizens State Bank of
Wabasso until May 26, 1906, at which time his stock and that
of his associates was purchased by William G. Frank, of Spring-
field, Minn., who became president of the institution on that
date and has held the office up to the present date, September
19, 1916. Paul A. Callaghan is still cashier. In addition to the
above-mentioned officers, N. J. Franta is vice-president, Emil
Howe, assistant cashier, Elsie Howe, stenographer, and Henry
Kramer, bookkeeper. The bank has always taken a stand for
good service to its customers who in turn are loyal to it and
believe in its policy. The bank was incorporated July 7, 1913.
It has grown rapidly in deposits and volume of business. Its
capital was increased from $15,000.00 to $25,000.00 at the time of
its consolidation with the State Bank. The following items are
copied from its statement issued at the close of business Septem-
ber 12, 1916 : Resources — loans and discounts, $265,571.93 ; over-
drafts, $878.35; banking house, furniture and fixtures, $7,468.00;
other real estate, $1,174.20 ; cash and due from banks, $32,799.85 ;
total, $307,892.33. Liabilities— capital stock, $25,000.00; surplus,
$5,000.00; undivided profits, net, $563.49; bills payable, $15,-
000.00 ; deposits, $262,328.85 ; total, $307,892.33.
584 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
CHAPTER XL.
POSTAL SERVICE.
Postal service in Redwood county, aside from that inaug-
urated to the Lower Agency before the Massacre, dates from
July 12, 1864, when Saml. R. Thompson was appointed postmaster
at Redwood Falls. Mail was brought from Ft. Ridgely by the
soldiers on horseback. Later a stage service was established
to New Ulm.
In the early days, postoffices sprang up along the lines of
the principal highways. In 1868 a postoffice was established at
the Lower Agency, in Sherman township, on the Redwood Falls-
New Ulm stage line. In 1869 a postoffice was established in
section 26, Swedes Forest township, on the line of the Redwood
Falls-Yellow Medicine stage line. About this time another office,
Ceresco, was established in section 20, Underwood township, on
the line of the road which extended along the southern bank of
the Redwood river from Redwood Falls into Lyon county.
Redwood Falls, Lower Agency, Swedes Forest and Ceresco
were thus the four stage-route postoffices of the county in the
pioneer period. Three were along the line of the old Minnesota
river (Ft. Rigely, Lower Agency, Upper Agency route) Military
trail, and one was on the line of the Redwood river road which
the government surveyed and the county later established.
In 1872 the Winona & St. Peter railroad was built through
the southern part of the county. Charlestown and Summit post-
office were established, Charlestown in section 20, Charlestown;
and Summit in section 30, Springdale. They were discontinued
soon after the establishment of Lamberton and Tracy. Lam-
berton and Walnut Station (Walnut Grove) postoffice were estab-
lished in 1873.
In the meantime, the northern part of the county was still
without railroads. Settlers began to spread southward from Red-
wood Falls, and in 1875 a postoffice was established in Three
Lakes township. A farmer living nearby was sworn into serv-
ice, and was supposed to make weekly trips between the post-
office in Three Lakes township, and the postoffice at Redwood
Falls. The service was irregular, and the office consisted of a
box on a kitchen table, in the cabin of a pioneer. At Riverside,
on the banks of the Minnesota, not far from what is now North
Redwood, was established in 1876 the Riverside postoffice, later
called Honner. It was on the stage route between Redwood Falls
and Beaver Falls.
The Minnesota Valley branch of the Winona & St. Peter rail-
road was built from New Ulm to Redwood Falls in 1878, and
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 585
railroad mail service was thus established at Redwood Falls,
though the stages continued to operate for many years there-
after. When the railroad was built, a postoffice was established
at Morgan, at the present site of Morgan village, and at Paxton,
in Paxton township, not far from the present station of Gilfillan.
In the next few years, several offices were established, away
from the lines of the two railroads. In the extreme western part
of the county, in 1878, West Line postoffice was established in
section 26, West Line township. It was a few miles south of the
old pioneer postoffice of Ceresco. Box Elder postoffice was estab-
lished in 1879. New Avon postoffice was established about the
same time at the home of J. S. Towle, in New Avon township.
Sanborn postoffice was established on the railroad in the
southern part of the state in 1880, the village of that name being
started at about the same time.
In 1880, Vesta postoffice was established at the home of James
Arnold, in section 22, Vesta township, not far from the present
village of Vesta.
The Minneapolis & St. Louis railroad was built through the
northern part of the county in 1884. A postoffice was established
at North Redwood, and at Delhi. On the same line of railroad the
postoffice of Belview was opened in 1888.
About this time, or possibly a year earlier, in 1887, a post-
office called Rock was established in Granite Rock township, not
far from the present village of Lucan.
In 1893, the postoffice of Revere was established on the line of
the old Winona & St. Peter, now the Chicago & Northwestern.
About 1900, the Three Lakes postoffice, long before discon-
tinued, were reestablished about a mile from the present village
of Clements.
In 1899 the railroad had been built from Sanborn to Vesta,
and in that winter or the next spring, the postoffices of Wabasso,
Seaforth and Wanda were established, while the Vesta postoffice
was moved from section 22, Vesta township, to the new village
of that name.
In 1902 the railroad was built east and west through the
central part of the county, and the offices of Milroy, Lucan and
Clements established, the office of Three Lakes being moved to
Clements and the office of Rock to Lucan.
Provided with five railroad lines, as the county now is, the
present postal service is excellent. Thirty rural routes originate
in offices of this county, and some of the people of the county are
served by routes from Springfield in Brown county, and Morton
in Renville county. With a few exceptions every farm house in
the county is within a mile of a rural route, so that every inhab-
itant of the county is within easy daily mail connection with the
outside world. Redwood Falls is a second class office and has
586 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
four rural routes. Lamberton, with four rural routes, Morgan
with three rural routes, Sanborn with three rural routes, and
Walnut Grove with four rural routes, are third class offices.
Belview and Wabasso, with two routes each, are fourth class.
Clements, Delhi, Lucan, Milroy, North Redwood, Revere, Sea-
forth and Vesta are fourth class offices with one route each.
Wanda is a fourth class office and is the only office in the county
without a rural route.
Redwood Falls. A movement for postal service in Redwood
Falls was inaugurated July 12, 1864, when a petition was pre-
sented to the Postmaster General asking for the establishment of
a postoffice. The petition was granted and in the fall of that
year Saml. R. Thompson was appointed postmaster. Previous
to this the soldiers had brought mail to the settlers from Fort
Ridgely, and after the establishment of the office, the soldiers for
some time continued to be the mail carriers. Mr. Thompson kept
the office at his home in the west end of the McPhail cabin,
which was within the stockade. The next postmaster was L. M.
Baker. He kept the office at his home on lot 11, block 8, which
is nearly opposite the present jail location. He had no postoffice
fixtures but distributed the mail in his front room, making
delivery through the window when weather permitted.
About this time William Mills was appointed mail carrier.
He brought the mail from New Ulm with a pair of Indian ponies,
supposedly once a week, although there were many irregular-
ities. Later, the Minnesota Stage Company established a tri-
weekly service to New Ulm, with postoffices at Lone Tree Lake
and Golden Gate. Still later, Thomas McMillan established an-
other route to New Ulm, by way of Beaver Falls and Fort
Ridgely, also giving a tri-weekly service. The railroad was
built from Sleepy Eye to Redwood Falls in 1878, thus giving the
village daily mail service. However, after that date, the mail
stages continued to run to New Ulm and Sleepy Eye for several
months and mail and stage routes were also operated to Beaver
Falls, Yellow Medicine and Minnesota Falls for a number of
years.
Mr. Baker was followed by L. 0. Root. Mr. Root was suc-
ceeded by W. C. March. Robert Watson was appointed in 1872
and served ten years. In 1882 Stephen W. Hayes was appointed
and served four years until 1886 when James L. Thompson
received the appointment under the first Cleveland administra-
tion. In 1890 the Republicans, having returned to power, Will-
iam S. McKay was appointed postmaster. He served four years,
or until 1894, when Dallas E. Laird received the appointment
from the second Cleveland administration. He held the office
until 1898 when George B. Hughes was appointed. In 1902 he
was succeeded by A. E. King who served twelve years. In 1914
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 587
C. A. Lauterbach received the appointment from Woodrow
Wilson.
As already stated, Saml. R. Thompson kept the postoffice at
his home in the stockade and Mr. Baker kept the office at his
residence on lot 11, block 8. L. 0. Root, the next postmaster, kept
the office in a small building on the south side of Second street
about lots 2 and 3, block 15. W. C. March kept the office in con-
nection with his wife's millinery store in a building on the south-
west corner of Washington and Second streets, being the north
east corner of block 15. Later he put up a building on the west
side of Mill street, between Second and Third, the lower floor
being used for the postoffice and the upper floor for the Masonic
hall. During the Watson administration the office was in his
book and notion store on the north side of Second street, near
the site later occupied by the Dickenson Bank building. About
this time the office was made third class and from the beginning
of Mr. Hayes administration was maintained independent of any
private business. During Mr. Hayes' term the office was at the
northwest corner of block 15 in the same building occupied by
Mr. March when the office was in his wife's millinery store. J. L.
Thompson moved the office to a building on the south side of
Second street, a few doors east of Washington street. Mr.
McKay removed the office to an entirely new location in a small
building on the west side of Washington street, formerly occupied
by the United States land office. Upon the advent of Mr. Laird
the office was again moved to the north side of Second street to
a building near the place where it had formerly been for a long
term in the store of Mr. Watson. In 1899 the fine brick building
at the northeast corner of Washington and Third streets was
erected by a syndicate of citizens for the express purpose of
securing for that locality the location of the postoffice. In the
fall of 1899, by direction of the Postal Department at Washing-
ton, the office was removed to the corner room of this building,
where it has remained until the present time and now occupies
the entire first floor of the building and a store room in the base-
ment. To show the extension of the work and the growth of the
business it may be mentioned that when, in 1902, A. E. King
became postmaster, he, with one clerk and the occasional employ-
ment of temporary help, attended to the entire business of the
office, including janitor work. There are now employed in the
office, including the rural carriers, ten people, and several more
will be added soon by the introduction of city delivery. Much
of the increased work is owing to the introduction of rural free
delivery, together with parcel post and the large increase in
money order business.
Rural delivery was first inaugurated in February, 1903, with
two routes. In 1904 two more were added. E. R. Hills, who was
588 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
the first carrier on Route No. 1, is still serving that route, having
now nearly completed his fourteenth year of service on the same
route. William Fish has a record for long carrier service, having
served Route No. 2 from 1904 to July, 1916.
Parcel post was introduced January 1, 1911, and has rapidly
increased until at the present time it is one of the most exten-
sive and a very important branch of the service.
The postal savings system was added in October, 1911. In
common with other western rural offices, this branch did not
prove popular and the business which was extremely small at
first has not increased.
In 1912 the office fixtures, which up to this time were owned
by the postmaster, were discarded and new fixtures, furnished
under government specification, were installed by the owners
of the building and rented by the government.
July 1, 1913, the office was advanced from third to second
class, this placing all the force except the postmaster under civil
service rules. The volume of business now done entitles the
office to city delivery and that will be inaugurated within the
next few months, or as soon as the city government complies with
the requirements as to marking the streets and numbering the
buildings.
The present roster of the office is as follows: C. A. Lauter-
bach, postmaster, was appointed by President Wilson in June,
1914; W. C. Hyde, assistant postmaster, was transferred from the
Carrier's Division of the Chicago office, July, 1913; Mrs. Frances
Davis, head clerk, has been in the service since 1910; A. B.
Winters, routing clerk, entered the service March, 1914; A. F.
Carr, auxiliary clerk, has filled that position for two years.
Belview. The Belview postoffice was established in the north
room of the store now occupied by 0. H. Mogen, the date of estab-
lishment being February 6, 1888. Charles H. Jones, the oldest
resident citizen of Belview, was the lucky man to receive the
appointment as first postmaster of the thriving little village. Mr.
Jones held the important position until February, 1891, when
Ole Hanson succeeded him, removing the office to the present
Louis Leonard hardware building, where it remained until 1896.
During this time G. F. Rahn was appointed to conduct Uncle
Sam's affairs in the postoffice. In 1896 the office was removed to
the site now occupied by A. T. Abraham's drug store and barber
shop. Mr. Rahn served from July 2, 1893, to September 30,
1897. During the Ole Hanson incumbency the office was made
a money order office. The first money order was written on
November 7, 1892. Mr. Rahn proved himself a loyal Democrat
and basked in the sunshine of the administration's good graces
for over four years, being succeeded by August F. Pottratz on
September 30, 1897. Mr. Pottratz served the people well until
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 589
October, 1905, when the veteran newspaper man, F. G. Tuttle,
editor at that time of the Belview "Independent," was given
the office, which was removed to the building last occupied by
the Hubbard Davis Clothing Company. After a year or so a
removal was again effected, the new site being the present "Inde-
pendent" office. Mr. Tuttle resigned and was succeeded by his
wife, Dora Tuttle, on April 1, 1911. The office was conducted
by Mrs. Tuttle until July 1, 1913, when she was succeeded by
Otto Flom, who tired of newspaper and postoffice life in a few
months, resigning the office and being succeeded by the present
postmaster, Dr. Frederick H. Aldrich, on March 8, 1914. Dr.
Aldrich selected a new site and for the first time in the history
of the Belview office it was housed in a building by itself, no other
business being run in connection. The site chosen was in the
Louis Leonard building, the most centrally located building in
the village. The office has been a registered letter office from the
start. It is not a postal savings depository, but under new
instructions from the department, all fourth-class offices may
receive deposits to be forwarded to postal savings stations
selected by the depositors. The first rural route was established
in 1903, Hendrick Odegaard being the first carrier to test the
muddy roads of twelve years ago. There are now two rural
routes, serving over 150 boxes. The carriers at present are
Rudolph Hoppenrath and Glenroy E. Mareyes. Each receives a
salary of $1,200 a year. They serve their routes a majority of
the number of days of the year with automobiles. G. F. Rahn is
assistant postmaster. The Misses Ada Scholz and Mina Hjeld-
ness are the efficient clerks. It is not saying too much in claim-
ing that at present the patrons of the Belview post office receive
the best service ever given them in the history of the local office.
Sanborn postoffice was established in May, 1880, with Thomas
Poole as postmaster. The office was kept at the house of J. W.
Doston, who was appointed postmaster in the fall of 1880. Fol-
lowing him the postmasters have been : J. A. Letford, John H.
Posz, W. A. Hackley, Ernest Rebstock, G. E. Bartholomew, Enos
P. Dotson, Angus D. McRae, Enos P. Dotson, Adolph Schellen-
berg and H. E. Kent. All the records of the office were destroyed
by fire in 1912. There are three rural routes, extending into
Charlestown, "Willow Lake, Germantown and Stately townships.
Revere postoffice, an office of the fourth class, was established
and started service March 1, 1893, with Lewis J. Rongstad as
postmaster. The changes of postmasters have been as follows:
Lewis J. Rongstad, from March 1, 1893, to March 30, 1894;
Andrew K. Moen, March 30, 1894, to January 15, 1895 ; Herman
Dahl, January 15, 1895, to September 30, 1906; Florence J. Nel-
son, September 30, 1906, to December 22, 1908 ; Jans K. Nicolay-
son, December 22, 1908, to the present date. The last mentioned
590 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
was reappointed by passing the civil service examination, October
22, 1914, and is now under the classified service. Revere became
a money order office April 15, 1899, and there have to this date
been issued 13,489 orders. The steady increase in this division
can best be seen in the figures for the past eight years, as by
June 24, 1908, 6,044 orders had been issued, and since that date
7,445 more. Rural free delivery was started July 1, 1906. Route
No. 1 has a length of twenty-six miles, serving patrons in North
Hero township, Redwood county, and Ann township, Cottonwood
county. This route gives service at this time to sixty-eight
families. Nearly all of these families take a daily newspaper,
as well as a number of farm papers, of which "The Farmer"
has the largest circulation. Next to this comes the "Farm
Journal." The "Breeder's Gazette" has only three subscribers.
Otherwise there is a large circulation of weekly journals, while
a few are taking "The Ladies' Home Journal," "The Youth's
Companion," "The American," etc. A number of foreign news-
papers are also taken and papers of a religious character.
Seaforth postoffice was established in 1900 with J. L. Pratt
as postmaster. Since him the postmasters have been, Fred S.
Moulster, Glen R. Tuttle, A. W. Milbrandt, Mrs. Minnie Mil-
brandt, Ernie Milbradt and Mrs. Minnie Sharratt The rural
route was established in 1904 and extends into Sheridan, Vail,
Vesta and Granite Rock townships.
Clements postoffice was established as Three Lakes postoffice
about a mile from the present village. L. J. Rongstad, the post-
master, moved the postoffice to the new village of Clements, in
June, 1900. He was followed by William Kuehn, who served
from April 1, 1912, to Jannuary 1, 1915. Then came the present
postmaster, Gustave Backer.
Delhi. There was a postoffice in Delhi as early as 1884, it
being located in the Atkinson & Herbert general store, with
R. R. Herbert as postmaster. Mr. Herbert held office one year
and then resigned in favor of Ed. Atkinson, who held the office
until 1888. D. R. McCorquodale, appointed May 18, 1888,
changed the location to the Borg building in the extreme north
end of town, and held the office two years, resigning in favor of
Ed. Atkinson, who was subsequently the postmaster until 1903,
when he resigned. His successor was J. A. Lagerstrom, who held
office until his resignation, which was offered in October, 1913,
and accepted in the following February, when, through the civil
service commission, Mrs. Ethlyn D. Leonard, the present post-
mistress, was appointed. Then again the location was changed
to the north end of town. The office was made a registration
office in 1886. The date when money orders were first issued is
uncertain. The first one now on file in the office is dated June,
1904, but it is thought that an older record may have existed,
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 591
Which was lost or destroyed when the office was last moved, as
there is a record of money orders paid, dated October, 1892, and
it is probable that they were issued as early as they were paid.
The Delhi office is not a postal savings station. The rural route
was established Friday, July 15, 1904, with Robert W. Stevenson,
carrier, at a salary of $750 per annum, including horse hire.
The route served fifty-four families from forty-two boxes. In
1906 Maggie A. Parker took the examination and was appointed
carrier, following the resignation of Stevenson. Mrs. Parker still
serves the route, which has twice been amended and now covers
twenty-nine miles and serves sixty-nine families. Before this
office was established the majority of settlers got their mail
from Redwood Falls, but a few, mostly the Scandinavian settlers,
received their mail from a small offices in Swedes Forest town-
ship, located on the farm now tenanted by Nels Jacobson. The
mail was brought to this office by stage from Redwood Falls.
The office was discontinued after the Delhi office was estab-
lished.
Lamberton postoffice was established in the fall of 1873 and
was located in C. R. Kneeland's store. John S. Letford was
followed as postmaster by L. S. Crandall. Following him came
C. Querle, Richard Morton, John Larsen, Hogen E. Anderson,
George B. Tretbar, Alfred J. Gebhard and John Haas.
WaJnut Grove postoffice was established as Walnut Station
postoffice in 1873 with Lafayette Bedal as postmaster. In 1879
J. H. Anderson was appointed. Following him have been Andrew
S. Carlson, Asa Way, Robert Hall, A. J. Swaffer, John G.
Cheshire, Fred F. Goff, John A. Larson, Daniel A. Malloy, and
Chauncey W. Bulen. Mr. Larson was postmaster from 1904 to
1907; Mr. Malloy from 1907 to 1915; Mr. Bulen appointed Jan-
nary 8, 1915, having since held the office. The assistant post-
master is Jessie Bulen, with Minnie H. Nelson as clerk. Walnut
Grove was made a third-class postoffice October 1, 1910. The
first route was established in 1901 ; at present there are four
routes. The present carriers are Ulric Dilger, Route 1 ; Gust H.
Ochultz, Route 2 ; J. M. Corcoran, Route 3 ; and O. V. Anderson,
Route 4.
Lucan postoffice was established as Rock postoffice some dis-
tance from the present village of Lucan. The records have been
lost, but it is believed that Rupert Schamberger, the first post-
master, opened the office about 1887 in his store on the south-
west quarter of section 14, a mile and three quarters east of the
village. He was followed by C. A. Taft. In 1899 A. D. Norcutt,
the next postmaster, moved the store and office to the old Jeffer-
son farm, on the southeast corner of section 20, with the expec-
tation that the future village would be located on that spot. The
next postmaster was C. A. Nelson, who bought the store, and
592 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
served as postmaster from November 23, 1901, to February 3,
1903. While he was postmaster, the office was moved to the new
village of Lucan, and located in the store on Main street, now
occupied by John Zeng's general store. The postoffice was
opened there November 1, 1902, and remained till February 13,
1903, when it was moved to its present location. Jens Larson,
having been appointed postmaster, erected the first building in
the new town, a two-story frame, 20 by 50 feet. Mr. Larson still
presides, ably assisted by his wife. They also have a small stock
of general merchandise. The office has always been a registered
letter office and was made a money order office April 1, 1904.
In 1909 it was made a postal savings station, but this branch
was discontinued in the following year. There is one rural route,
established in 1907, which has been served from the beginning by
Henry C. Dittbenner. The West Line postoffice was discontinued
in 1902, the mail formerly distributed from that point having
been since distributed from Lucan. The Lucan office was con-
tinued under the name of "Rock" postoffice until April 1, 1908,
as there was another office in the state of similar name to Lucan,
but that office being discontinued, the name of Rock postoffice
was changed to Lucan on the above-mentioned date.
Milroy postoffice was established June 26, 1902 and located in
the store of the Milroy Hardware Company, Looney and Rash-
kopf, proprietors, which building is now being used by Joseph
W. Dysart, implement dealer. Jerry A. Looney was the first
postmaster. Previous to the date above mentioned the mail
for this section had been delivered by rural free delivery from
Marshall. E. M. Wilson succeeded Mr. Looney as postmaster in
1905 and held the office until 1910, when he was succeeded by
Maxwell W. Johnson, who still conducts the office ably assisted
by Miss Lucile Leach. After several removals, the office was
established in its present location during Mr. Wilson's incum-
bency. It has been a registered letter and money order office
since it was established. July 1, 1913, it was made a postal
savings station, but the savings department was discontinued,
owing to lack of business, July 1, 1914. Rural free delivery was
established May 15, 1906, with Thomas O. Loovald as carrier. He
was succeeded September 1, 1914, by Alfred F. Brakke, who still
continues in the service. From Westline township the route
extends into Clinton in Lyon county.
Morgan. When the railroad was being constructed, Tom
Holland, being section boss, acted as temporary postmaster at
Morgan and continued to do so for several years. The first post-
office was established on First street, George Knudson, the first
regular postmaster, serving until 1882, the office being made a
registered letter and money order office in 1878. Lewis Gerst-
man, proprietor of a hardware and general merchandise store
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 593
located on First street, followed Mr. Knudson as postmaster,
serving from 1882 to 1886, and having the office located in his
store. Nick Eischen was appointed postmaster from 1886 to
1890, the office then being located on Front street, in connection
with a general mercantile store. Mr. Eischen 's successor was
Richard Gertes, who served from 1890 to 1894, when the office
was moved from Front street up on Main street. The next post-
master following Mr. Gertes was Joe Hartwick, 1894 to 1898, the
office being moved from Main street down on First street, in the
building know as the old Fred Fixsen building. William Kin-
man, the next postmaster, served from 1898 to 1904, and moved
the office from First street up on Main street. F. S. Pollard suc-
ceeded Mr. Kinman and served until 1915, the office being located
on Main street. In 1915 H. F. Hopfenspirger was appointed post-
master and is still serving. The postoffice, located on Main
street, is now equipped with all the latest fixtures. Miss Rose
A. Fixsen, assistant postmaster, has served from 1906 up to the
present time. The first rural route was established in 1902 with
George Goodell as carrier and he is still carrier on Route No. 1,
Route No. 2 was established one year later, in 1903, with Andrew
Thompson as carrier for one year. Then Fred Cass was appointed
in 1905 and served till 1906, when H. F. Hopfenspirger was
appointed carrier, serving till 1911, and being succeeded by Will-
iam Koehue, who has served as carrier up to the present time.
Route No. 3 was established in 1904, with Julius Conrad as car-
rier, he serving till 1906. His successors have been A. A. Carlile,
1906-1912 ; Rub Gluth, 1912-1913 ; Paul Zeug, 1913-1914, and Wal-
ter Beltz, 1914 to present year (1916). Morgan postoffice became
a postal savings depository November 10, 1911, and is one of the
largest in the county. The Lone Tree postoffice was discontinued
into this office in 1906, John Gluth being postmaster at that time.
Previously, the above mentioned office had been served from
Morgan postoffice, on Route No. 2. In 1911 this office went into
the third class. It is now serving about 1,600 patrons, with
receipts increasing each year. When the rural routes were
started each carrier handled about 3,000 pieces and served forty
boxes. Now they handle 6,000 pieces, each route being twenty-
eight miles and serve eighty-five boxes.
North Redwood postoffice was established August 1, 1886, in
the railroad depot, J. S. G. Honner, the first postmaster, serv-
ing until January 1, 1887, since which time the postmasters have
been as follows : E. N. Swan, to June, 1891 ; H. W. Shoemaker,
to May 1, 1894; E. H. Gasper, to April 1, 1896; M. W. Knox to
April 1, 1898; A. A. Lindeman, to December 31, 1899; F. F. Ham-
mer, to November 8, 1902; H. W. Shoemaker, since 1902. The
office has been located in stores since Mr. Hanner's time and is
now in Mr. Shoemaker's store on Front street. It was made a
594 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
registered letter office August 1, 1886 and a money order office in
October, 1898. Mrs. H. W. Shoemaker is assistant postmaster
and Dewey Lindeman, clerk. There is one free rural delivery
route, which was established May 1, 1904, and which has been
served by the following carriers : John F. Swoboda, to January,
1905; George F. Dittbenner, to July 1, 1906; Robert T. Benson,
to November, 1910; August E. Lindeman, to September 1, 1915;
Frank H. Schumacher, to May 1, 1916, when he was succeeded by
Ralph E. Hutchinson, the present carrier. The offices of Bechyn
and Florita, Renville county, Minnesota, have been discontinued
into that of North Redwood.
Vesta postoffice was established long before the village was
projected. The old office was located in section 22, Vesta town-
ship. T. L. Cronley was the first postmaster and James Arnold
the second. When the village was established, Mr. Arnold moved
the office to the village, and appointed F. H. Bendix as his deputy,
the office being kept in the store of Matz & Schroeder. Some
months later, H. R. Draper was appointed first postmaster of the
village, and moved the office to a small building on lot 4, block
7. In 1904, Morgan E. Lewis became the postmaster. Harvey
Harris, the present postmaster, was appointed March 14, 1906.
The office became a money order office in 1903, and was a postal
savings station from July 1, 1913, to July 1, 1914. F. H. Bendix
is the assistant postmaster, and Sadie Wilkerson is the clerk.
The rural route was established in 1904. The carriers have been
F. L. Frost, B. C. Lewis and A. D. Wyman.
Wabasso. The postoffice was established May 1, 1900, with
J. H. Rahskopf as postmaster. In April, 1904, he was followed
by Dayton Billington, who served until December 1, 1914, when
Joseph Groebner was appointed. Theresia Groebner is the
assistant. There are two routes, served by Louis Fixen and
Howard W. Pickett, the first route being established in 1906. The
office was made a money order office in 1901.
Wanda postoffice was established in 1900, with Valentine P.
Eichten as postmaster. He served some six years and was fol-
lowed by M. J. Eichten, the present postmaster.
EARLY OFFICES.
Cnarlestown postoffice was established in section 20, Lamber-
ton, in 1872. It was located in the store of Praxel & Schandera, at
Cottonwood crossing, just south of the railroad track. The first
postmaster was A. A. Praxel. He resigned when the store was
moved, and G. L. Wagner appointed postmaster. He held the
office about two years and it was then discontinued.
Summit postoffice was established on the west line of Spring-
dale township about 1872 and discontinued when Tracy was
established a year or two later.
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 595
Ceresco postoffice was established in the late sixties or early-
seventies in section 20, Underwood township.
Swedes Forest postoffice was established about 1869. Peter
Swenson was appointed postmaster and he kept the office at his
house in section 26 until 1877 when he resigned and turned the
office over to the postmaster at Redwood Falls. No successor
was appointed.
The Lower Agency postoffice was established about 1868 in
Sherman township.
Paxton postoffice was established in 1878, with S. F. Cale,
postmaster.
Weldon postoffice was established in 1873, with Thomas Barr,
postmaster. The office was discontinued after a few years. The
office was located not far from the present site of Seaforth.
Three Lakes postoffice was established in 1875 and discon-
tinued in two years. Another Three Lakes postoffice was estab-
lished about 1900 and moved to Clements in 1902.
West Line postoffice was established in the fall of 1878 with
N. B. Weymouth appointed postmaster and the office located at
his house in section 26. It was discontinued in the summer of
1880. It appeared again before 1889 and was discontinued into
Lucan about 1902.
Box Elder postoffice was established in 1879 and Eben Martin
appointed postmaster. The office was located in section 39,
Underwood township.
New Avon postoffice was established before 1880, with J. S.
Towle, postmaster, the office being kept at his house. It was dis-
continued in the middle eighties. About 1900 the office was
revived with William Lindeman as postmaster. Later it was dis-
continued into Wabasso.
Authority. The material for this chapter has for the most
part been furnished by the postmasters. The Northwestern-
Gazetteer, 1876-1916, has been consulted. Material regarding the
postoffices established before 1882 has been secured from the
History of the Minnesota Valley, published in 1882. A. E. King,
for many years postmaster at Redwood Falls, has written the
article concerning the postal service in that city, and has also
furnished notes regarding many of the discontinued offices.
596 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
CHAPTER XLI.
THE PIONEER PERIOD.
For nearly two years after the Massacre, Redwood county
remained without settlers. It was, however, by no means
deserted. Camp Pope, in the river bottoms near what is now
North Redwood, was the center from which Sibley set out on.
his Indian expedition. A garrison was still maintained at Ft.
Ridgely. Both of these posts were in the patrol line established
for the protection of the frontier, and the soldiers were con-
stantly passing to and fro.
With the lessening of the Indian danger, Redwood county
presented an ideal spot for the location of settlers. Considerable
land had been broken for the Indians by the government farmers,
and was ready for the growing of crops. Here and there were
scattered neat cabins of hewed logs and also a number of brick
houses, which had been erected by the government for the
Indians.
Col. Sam McPhail, Civil war veteran, Indian fighter and
frontiersman, was quick to see these advantages. He decided,
therefore, to establish a townsite which would include the water-
power on the Redwood river, at the fall of which the government
had established a sawmill as early as 1855. Accordingly, the
present site of the village of Redwood Falls was selected as the
location of one of the patrol posts.
In the center of what is now the block bounded by Jefferson,
Washington, Second and Third streets, a stockade was erected
of prairie sod, reinforced with poles and logs. The wall was
some eight feet high, with a ditch around it. At the center of
the east and west walls were plank gates, the drive connecting
these two gates and running through the center of the stockade,
being along the line of the alley now dividing the block. Here
and there in the walls portholes had been cut, through which
guns could be fired in case of attack.
Inside of this stockade McPhail, with the help of the soldiers,
erected his now famous cabin, which is still standing in the
Ramsey State Park. In this cabin McPhail, with the soldier
patrol and a few pioneers, started the settlement of Redwood
county.
There is evidence in Col. McPhail's letters, that the few
Indians still remaining in the vicinity kept the little colony con-
stantly on the alert during the whole of this first summer. On
May 24, to Col. Pfaender in command at Fort Ridgely, he says:
"There are in this vicinity six or eight straggling Indians. If
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 597
you could send up ten or twelve cavalry for a few days, with our
aid I feel confident we could capture them." On June 2 he
wrote to Gen. Sibley : ' ' We are and have been greatly annoyed
by small bands of prowling Indians. We would respectfully ask,
if not inconsistent with the public service, that you grant us a
small detachment of troops." Again, under the date of June 14,
to the adjutant general, Oscar Malmros, he says : ' ' Send me to
Fort Ridgely twenty Springfield rifles, also 1,000 round ball
cartridges. Should we use these cartridges, we will pay for them
with scalps, that is, if the bounty of $200 still holds good; if
not, then charge them to the good of the service." The author-
ities responded to the appeals by sending guns and ammunition
on July 28.
In addition to the constantly passing patrol, detachments of
soldiers were assigned to the stockade at various times as sentinel
squads. It is said that in December, twelve former Confederate
soldiers were stationed here for that purpose. During the sum-
mer, McPhail kept the merits of his new town constantly before
the public by articles in various newspapers. In this connection
a story of McPhail 's characteristic humor is told by the old
settlers. McPhail, in writing up a Fourth of July celebration
for a Mankato paper, spoke of the large and respectable audience
present. Afterwards, upon discovering that only one person
besides McPhail was present at the celebration, the editor of the
paper took him severely to task for his deception.
"Well," said the Colonel, in his characteristic, squeaky voice,
"I wrote you the exact truth about it. I am large and Martin is
respectable, so we had a large and respectable audience."
On July 12, 1864, the little community began to feel the want
of a postoffice and petitioned the postmaster general, setting forth
that they were twenty-two miles from the nearest office and pray-
ing that an office be established at Redwood Falls, which petition
was granted in the fall, Saml. R Thompson being appointed post-
master. The mail was brought by the soldiers from Fort Ridgely.
During 1864 pioneer were constantly going and coming.
Sometime in the spring or summer, William Post and Frank
Kennedy are said to have arrived, taken a claim west of the
river and planted some potatoes, corn and melons. They did not,
however, remain permanently.
During the winter of 1864-65 there was quite a little settle-
ment inside the stockade. MePhail's family at that time con-
sisted of his wife and his children : John and Etta. The family
of J. S. G. Honner consisted of himself, his wife and his three sons,
Edward, Howard, and William. In the Honner cabin, later
enlarged, was kept the first hotel in the country. The family of
Saml. R. Thompson consisted of his wife and three children. Jacob
Tippery's family consisted of himself, his wife and three daughters
598 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
and two sons, Miles and Jacob. Mr. Tippery was here through the
winter, the wife and family here for a while then went away and
finally came back to live in 1865, in which year they were joined
by a son, Miles, who had been serving in the army. Edmund
Forgate and family also spent that winter here and erected the
first house on the town site outside of the stockade.
Among the men here without their families that winter were
O. C. Martin, T. W. Caster, George Charter and "Pom" Angel.
David Watson spent the winter here and erected, inside the
stockade, the first frame house on the village site, the other five
houses were of logs. J. W. Harkness was here in 1864. He and
his brother, Daniel, located here in 1865. Birney Flynn also
visited here in 1864.
The only people who lived outside of the stockade that winter
were George Johnson and his son, Marion Johnson, who came in
October, 1864, slept one night in the stockade and then located
on the banks of Tiger lake, on the town line of Homier and Paxton.
In 1865 the families in the stockade began to move outside.
Some remained on the town site and took claims in the neighbor-
hood. Others moved out into the country.
In the spring Dr. D. L. Hitchcock moved into the McPhail
cabin. This made three families living in the McPhail cabin,
the Thompson family living in a "leanto" on the west, the Hitch-
cock family on the east side, and the McPhail family in the center.
A few days later, Birney Flynn brought his family here. Mrs.
Hitchcock and Mrs. Flynn were a distinct addition to the social
life of the community. The only ladies who were here when
they arrived were Mrs. Honner, Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. McPhail
and Mrs. Fosgate.
In the same year came the families of 0. C. Martin, George
Charter and David Watson. The Charter family consisted of Mr.
Charter, his wife and children, Emma, Solomon R., who soon died,
November 22, and Elizabeth. A son, Henry F., was born to Mr.
and Mrs. Charter, December 27, 1867. Emma Charter married
Samuel R. Thompson.
By July 4, 1865 quite a few families were living in Redwood
county. A big dinner was served in what is now the city park.
The oration of the day was delivered by Col. McPhail, and a
flag manufactured by the ladies was proudly put into service.
The first birth in Redwood Falls was that of Harry, the son
of John R. and Maggie Thompson, born in February, 1865.
The first death was that of William Honner, the young son of
J. G. S. Honner, who died April 12, 1865.
The first marriage was that of William Morrill and Hattie
Tippery, the daughter of Jacob Tippery. The ceremony was per-
formed by Col. McPhail as justice of the peace in July, 1865, at
the home of the bride's parents. Mr. Morrill, who had previously
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 599
been a soldier, erected a house that year, into which he and his
bride moved.
Previous publications have stated that the first marriage took
place under the falls, April 10, 1865. The contracting parties
were George Coffee and Amanda Cole, 0. C. Martin, justice of the
peace, presiding. The contracting parties are not known to the
early settlers and early historians have failed to state their
authority for the statements concerning this marriage.
The first religious services were held by a Baptist clergyman
in August, 1865, at the home of J. S. G. Honner.
The first blacksmith shop was opened in the spring of 1865
by John Thomas in the rear of his present residence.
As already noted, the first hotel in Redwood Falls was kept
by J. S. G. Honner, in his cabin inside the stockade. The next
hotel was kept by "William Mills, the mail carrier. The first
regular hotel, however, was opened in 1867 by James McMillan
on the present site of the county jail. This inn, called the <' Ex-
change Hotel," was the pioneer social center of Redwood Falls
for some years.
The first mail, with Saml. R. Thompson as postmaster, was
brought from Fort Ridgely every other day by the soldier patrol.
Later William Mills, who succeeded J. S. G. Honner as hotel
keeper, brought the mail from St. Peter once a week. Still
later, Mr. Mills was the mail carrier between Redwood Falls
and New Ulm. An amusing story is told in connection with his
encounter with a bear in the early days. One morning on his way
toward Fort Ridgely with the mail, he had reached a point
near the old Sioux Agency when he met a large bear. With his
gun, which he always carried with him, he shot the bear and
evidently stunned him. Thinking Bruin dead, Mr. Mills ap-
proached him for the purpose of taking his skin, when the animal
arose, made a leap at his throat and put up a most vigorous fight.
The bear was finally killed, but in the meantime Mr. Mills was
almost entirely denuded of clothing and had to return to Red-
wood Falls scratched and bleeding with the bear's pelt, but de-
cidedly in need of covering for himself.
February 9, 1865, Captain Louis Robert arrived in Redwood
Falls with a stock of goods and the next day opened the first
store in Redwood Falls, inside the stockade. He made his first
sale to Julia Williams, the school teacher, selling her ten yards
of calico for $6.00. In the fall of that year Captain Roberts
erected a store outside the stockade. It occupied the present
site of the Red Stensvad garage, about on lots 4 and 5, block 10,
on the south side of Second street, between Jefferson and Wash-
ington streets.
July 17, 1865, Henry Behnke and Brother of New Ulm erected
a store on the south side of Second street, between Washington
600 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
and Mill streets, about on lot 4, block 15. A. M. Northrup was
put in charge. Later the firm built a store on lot 12, block 16,
where the First National Bank is now located. The first blow
toward erecting the original building was struck July 17, 1865,
and the building was ready for occupancy on the 24th, the first
goods being sold that day. The building was 18x30 feet, one
and one-half stories high. A dance held on the evening of the
24th celebrated its completion. The third store in Redwood
Falls was opened in 1868 by Stickle & Scott, on lot 6. block 10,
the present location of the State Bank of Redwood Falls.
Colonel McPhail's claim included the fractional north half of
the north half of section 1, township 112, range 36, and the south
half of the southeast quarter of section 36, township 113, range
36. T. W. Caster's claim covered a portion of the north half of
section 1, township 112, range 36. The town site was located
on the claim of Colonel McPhail and a portion of that of Caster.
MePhail bought of Caster his part of the site and late in 1865
he platted it, employing David Watson as surveyor. Philip
Osborn was McPhail's holding agent and many of the abstracts
in the village bear his name as the original owner. McPhail had
an interesting method of disposing of his lots. He sold 20 lots
for $100. A person buying these lots did not know the exact
location of the lots he was acquiring. The purchaser paid his
$100 and waited until the day of the drawing. On that day the
numbers of all the lots in the village were placed in a box and
twenty numbers drawn therefrom at random in the name of the
various purchasers. Thus each man owned twenty lots scattered
in various parts of the village. It is said that McPhail sold more
lots than he had platted, and that as the day of the drawing drew
near he was compelled to hastily plat a few more blocks in order
that all might receive the number of lots that had been paid for.
The early assessment rolls still preserved at the Redwood
Falls courthouse are illuminating in that they give the names
of the pioneer property owners. The first assessment rolls on
file are those of August 1, 1868, when returns were made for
Redwood Falls and Yellow Medicine townships. These two
townships then constituted the whole of Redwood county, which
at that time extended to the state line. The assessment in Red-
wood Falls township was made by Robert Watson.
Land in what is now Redwood county had then been taken
as follows:
Morgan. In sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,
15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34.
Sherman. In sections 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24,
25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35 and 36.
Three Lakes. In sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,
14, 15, 16, 23 and 24.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 601
Paxton. In sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18,
19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36.
Honner. In sections 18, 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
and 36.
Charlestown. In section 25.
Redwood Falls. In sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,
12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 36.
Delhi. In sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18,
19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36.
Also in town 114, range 36 a part of section 31.
Sheridan. In sections 1 and 12.
Kintire. In sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.
22, 23, 24, and 36.
Swedes Forest. In sections 7, 8, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27,
28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36.
Morgan. John A. Willard and O. P. Whitcomb owned land
in section 1, Frederick Evertsbury and Geo. B. Wright, in sec-
tion 2; Isaac P. Olmstead, Geo. B. Wright and John Shillock,
in section 3; Geo. B. Wright and Wm. F. Davidson in sections
4, 5, 16 and 21; Wm. F. Davidson in sections 6, 7, 8, 9, 17, 18, 19,
20, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34 ; John Shillock and Wm. F.
Davidson in section 10 ; Geo. B. Wright and Chas. Shumacker in
section 11 ; Christopher Burton and Chas. Schumacker in section
12 ; Mark Howard in sections 13, 14 and 23 ; Geo. B. Wright in
sections 15 and 22; Mark Howard and Geo. B. Wright in sec-
tion 24.
Sherman. Lahiva G. Clough and Henry W. Lamberton owned
land in section 15; Henry Muller, Lahiva G. Clough and Henry
W. Lamberton in section 16 ; John M. Little and Henry W. Lam-
berton in section 17; Andrew T. Hale and Geo. B. Wright in
section 18 ; Andrew T. Hale, Chas. E. Vandelbergh and Henry K.
Olmstead in section 19 ; Henry K. Olmstead and Geo. B. Wright
in section 20; Andrew T. Hale, George B. Wright, Henry
Muller and Henry W. Lamberton in section 21 ; Jacob Muller,
Henry Muller, Henry W. Lamberton, William S. Root and
Edward McCormack in section 22; Jacob Muller, Lahiva G.
Clough, Charles T. Brown and Edward McCormack in section
23 ; Sarah M. Dresser in section 24 ; Sarah M. Dresser, J. Fredrick
Putnam and Henry A. Swift in section 25; Sarah M. Dresser,
John Willard, Orlin P. Whitcomb, Andrew T. Hale and Edward
McCormack in section 26; Andrew T. Hale, Henry W. Lamber-
ton and Edward McCormack in section 27 ; Andrew T. Hale,
Chas. E. Vandelbergh, Geo. B. Wright and A. A. Knowlton in
section 28; Chas. E. Vandelbergh, Amelia E. Tucker, Geo. B.
Wright, A. A. Knowlton and James Graham in section 29 ; J. W.
Paxton in sections 30 and 31; Amelia E. Tucker, Lahiva G.
Clough, Chas. T. Brown and Geo. B. Wright in section 33 ; Amelia
602 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
E. Tucker and Geo. B. Wright in section 34; Andrew T. Hale,
Henry A. Swift and Geo. B. Wright in section 35 ; and John A.
Willard, Orlin P. Whitcomb and Henry A. Swift in section 36.
Willow Lake. Wm. F. Davidson owned land in sections 1, 2,
3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 23 and 24; and Myron K.
Drew in section 5.
Paxton. Orvis A. Mason, Mark Howard and Norman Webster
owned land in section 4 ; George P. Morse and James C. Bwins in
section 5; Harvey Wingate, Elizabeth Angel, Park Worden,
George G. Beardley, Elizabeth M. Robinson, Maria Mason and
D. L. Bigham in section 6 ; Anna E. Springgate, John B. Downer,
Orlin P. Whitcomb and John A. Willard in section 7; George P.
Morse, James C. Bwins, John B. Downer and William H. Horr
in section 8 ; William B. Haslip, Andrew T. Hale, Geo. B. Wright
and Julius Meyer in section 9; John A. Willard, Orlin P. Whit-
comb, Joseph Brown and Henry C. Baker in section 18; J. W.
Paxton and Geo. B. Wright in sections 13, 14, 15, 16, 20 and 23 ;
Jacob A. Parmeter in section 12; George F. Stevens, Geo. B.
Wright and Asa B. Barton in section 17; Andrew T. Hale and
Mark Howard in section 18; J. W. Paxton and Sam McPhail in
section 19 ; J. W. Paxton in sections 10, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28,
29, 32, 33 and 36; J. W. Paxton and James W. Justice in section
30; and Wm. F. Davidson in sections 34 and 35.
Honner. William Pfaender owned land in section 18 ; J. S. G.
Honner, Wm. Woodward, Wm. Harding and Wm. Pfaender in sec-
tion 19 ; J. S. G. Honner and John Andrews in section 20 ; Chris-
tian Kuenzli in section 21 ; Eliva T. Jones, Hugh Casey, Christian
Kuenzli and John M. Chapin in section 28 ; John M. Morton, D. L.
Hitchcock, Christian Kuenzli and Ener Birum in section 29,
E. and C. C. Birum; J. S. G. Honner, Rufus C. Cole, George
Houghton, William Harding, Susan Brown and Meuis Pervus
in section 30; Birney Flynn, Pam Angel, Phebe E. Watson, D.
Watson, Martha E. Watson, J. E. Pope and Francis Vanin in
section 31; Daniel C. Harkness, Ener Birum, D. L. Hitchcock
and Abigail M. Northrop in section 32; Eliva T. Jones, Giles
Farmin, John M. Chapin and Mary Mansfield in section 33;
Bernhardt Kuenzli, George Johnson and James A. Bailey in sec-
tion 34; Orvis S. Mason and Norman Webster in section 36.
Charlestown. All of section 25 had been taken. Rachel Bean
owned the southeast quarter and Wm. H. Harrison the rest of
the section. A notation is made that Joseph H. Bean lived in
township 107, range 38, in Cottonwood county.
Redwood Falls. Ly Brand & Thompson, Chas. Folsom, Peter
Ort, John R. Thompson, Philip Osborn, D. L. Hitchcock, Sam
McPhail and Wm. Beard owned land in section 1 ; Jacob Tippery,
Wm. Beard, Peter Ort, J. A. Willard, O. P. Whitcomb, John R.
Thompson and Wm. H. Morrell in section 2; J. A. Willard and
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 603
O. P. Whitcomb and Lorenzo Darling in section 3; James S.
Daniels and Geo. B. Wright in section 4; Chas. B. Vandelburgh,
Geo. B. Wright and Samuel Herron in section 5 ; Geo. B. Wright,
James Harvey and Samuel Herron in section 6; George B.
Wright in section 7; Charles E. Vandelburgh and George B.
Wright in section 8; Charles E. Vandelburg, John Gleason,
Mark Howard and H. W. Lamberton in section 9; S. S. Repler,
W. J. Jackson and Henry A. Swift in section 10; J. R. Thomp-
son, Joseph Wagner, William Beard, J. A. Willard and 0. P.
Whitcomb and Adie C. Austin and George B. Wright, in sec-
tion 11 ; Wm. Beard, Chas. Folsom, Lewis M. Baker, J. R. Thomp-
son, John Andrew, J. A. Willard and 0. P. Whitcomb and Pulaski
Broughton in section 12 ; John Andrews, Albert H. Childs, Newell
Worden, Sanford C. Baker and A. T. Hale in section 13; Cres-
centia Wagner, Joseph Wagner and John R. Bigham in section
14; S. S. Repler and W. J. Jackson, Chas. E. Vandelburgh and
Geo. B. Wright in section 15; Calvin C. Proctor in section 16;
Catharine R. Prior and Geo. B. Wright in section 17; Geo. B.
Wright in section 18; Benj. Prior in section 20; Benj. Prior, Theo-
dore D. Lyman and Leanord Prior in section 21 ; J. W. Paxton in
sections 23, 25, 26, 27 and 36 ; Frank Patterson and J. W. Paxton
in section 24 ; Theodore D. Lyman in section 28.
Delhi. Henry G. Abbott and G. B. Mason owned land in sec-
tion 4 ; Henry G. Abbott in section 5 ; Eliza I. Dausingburgh, Geo.
B. Wright and Asa G. Pelton in section 6; Mark Howard, Geo.
B. Wright and John B. Downer in section 7 ; Mark Howard in
section 8; Andrew T. Hale, Amelia E. Tucker, Hiram B. Petter-
son and C. B. Mason in section 9 ; William Brown, Hiram B. Pat-
terson and George B. Mason in section 10 ; Carl Simonette, Tallak
Broken and Hartwell Allen in section 13 ; Wm. Skinner, Geo. H.
Eastman and W. G. Gates in section 14; W. H. Lamberton and
Geo. I. Snitinger in section 15; Benj. P. Lamberton in section 16;
Elizabeth M. Moreland, Chas. Bryant and Asa Pelton in section
17 ; George Eckhardt, Simon A. Colson, John B. Downer and Sum-
ner Ladd in section 18 ; Oliver M. Leavens and George Eckhardt
in section 19; Oliver M. Leavens and John Blair in section 20;
John Blair and W. H. Lamberton in section 21 ; Daniel Jones,
Benj. P. Lamberton and Mark Howard in section 22; S. S. Repler
and W. J. Jackson, John S. Davies and Edwin Lloyd in section
23 ; S. S. Repler and W. J. Jackson, Asa Barton, Tallak Broken
and Simon A. Colson in section 24; Joel B. Clough, Francis H.
Whitman. Geo. Houghton, Soide, Meuis Peenus, John B.
Downer and Peter Dausnigbury in section 25 ; Lorenzo E. Darl-
ing and Chas. E. Fogg in section 26; Ezra M. Birdley, Mark
Howard and Evan Williams in section 27; John A. Willard in
sections 28, 29 and 30; Henry W. Lamberton, Archibald Noble,
John Blair, James G. Stoddard in section 31 : Henry W. Lamber-
604 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
ton and John A. Willard in section 32 ; John A. Willard and Orlin
P. Whitcomb and Chas. E. Vandelburgh in section 33; John A.
Willard and Orlin P. Whitcomb in section 34 ; Lorenzo E. Darling
and John B. Downer, Soule in section 35 ; and J. W.
Griswold, Joel B. Clough, John B. McMillan, Geo. B. Wright,
Francis H. Whitman, Sam McPhail, Park Worden, 0. C. Martin,
Mary J. Martin, Ly Brand and Thompson, Redwood Mill Co.,
Harrison Wilson and C. P. Griswold in section 36 ; township 114-36,
Jas. M. House and Simon Gibhart owned land in section 31.
Sheridan. John Beattie and George Smith owned land in
section 1 ; and George Smith in section 12.
Kintire. Simon Gibhart, Asa G. Felton and Alfred M. Cook
owned land in section 1 ; Israel Sheldon, Charles S. Plummer
and Alfred M. Cook in section 2; Simon Gibhart in sections 3
and 4 ; John I. Parry in sections 5 and 6 ; Burnham Hanson in
section 9; Burnham Hanson and Alfred M. Cook in section 10;
Myron K. Drew and Geo. W. Clark in section 11 ; Jas. M. House,
Alfred M. Cook and John B. Downer in section 12; John B.
Downer, Hiram H. Butts and Stanford Holland in section 13 ; Jas.
M. House and Mary A. Stickle in section 14; Jas. E. Morrell in
section 15; Mary A. Stickle in section 22; Myron H. Allen in sec-
tion 23; Stanford Holland and Phillip Hope, Jr., in section 24;
Alfred M. Cook and Jas. G. Stoddard in section 36.
Swedes Forest. Torkle Oleson owned land in section 7 ; Knud
Knudson in sections 8 and 11 ; Torkle Oleson in section 12 ; Iver
Iverson in section 19 ; Caroline A. Fogg in section 21 ; Charles E.
Fogg in section 22; Henry G. Abbott in section 23; Alfred M.
Cook in section 24 ; Alfred M. Cook, Fred Holt, Fredrick Wolte
and Henry G. Abbott in section 25 ; Charles Johnson Aams, Henry
G. Abbott, Fredrick Holt in section 26; Charles E. Fogg, Henry
G. Abbott in section 27; Israel Sheldon in section 28; Alfred M.
Cook, J. W. Sprague, H. A. Swift and H. W. Lamberton in section
29 ; H. A. Swift, Henry W. Lamberton, J. W. Sprague in section
30; John J. Parry in sections 31 and 32; Simon Gibhart in sec-
tions 33 and 34; Charles Johnson Aams in section 35; Henry J.
Abbott, Asa Felton, James M. Round and Alfred M. Cook in
section 36.
For publication in this work, the names of the personal tax
payers of 1868 have been divided according to present day boun-
dary lines by D. L. Bigham and M. E. Powell, both of whom
were personally acquainted with nearly all the men in these
lists.
Redwood Falls township and village : John Andrews, D. L.
Bigham, H. C. Baker, John P. Baker, Louis M. Baker, Behnke
Brothers (New Ulm), P. B. Broughton, S. A. Briggs, George
Charter, E. A. Chandler, James B. Davidson, I. C. Dwyer, Ed-
mund Fosgate, Birney Flinn, Charles Folsom, C. P. Griswold,
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 605
S. S. Goodrich, E. R. Harkness, D. L. Harkness, D. L. Hitchcock,
Edward March, James McMillan, 0. C. Martin, William H. Mor-
rell, Sam McPhail, A. M. Northrup, John Noble, L. 0. Root, S. J. F.
Rutter, Louis Robert, William Simmons, John H. Thomas, F.
Watson, Robert Watson, Park Worden and William Walker.
Charlestown. Joseph F. Bean, Charles Porter, Joseph Wagner.
Paxton. S. E. Bailey, F. W. Byington, C. D. Chapman, William
H. Cornell, John Duscher, Godfrey Luscher, 0. A. Mason, Peter
Ort, Norman Webster, Alpheus Wilson, Thomas McMillan, D. 0.
King and John Little.
Homier. High Curry, William Davis, C. W. Fleischauer,
J. S. G. Honner, George Johnson, D. 0. King, Bernhart Kuenzli
and Sebastian Wandrou.
Sheridan. Charles Holton and G. G. Sanford.
Sherman. Jacob J. Light, William McGinnis, Edward Mc-
Cormack, Oliver Martell, 0. W. Newton, Frederick Putnam, Wil-
liam Root, L. J. Russell, James Stephens, I. M. C. Tower, James
Arnold.
Delhi. J. W. Paxton, James Anderson, Jacob Tippery.
Swedes Forest. Nelse Swenson.
Springdale. Joseph Steves.
Unknown. F. Bilsing, Jacob Boyse, William Boyer, C. Hall,
E. Z. Karry, H. B. Patterson and Lorenzo Busch.
The construction of the Stockade has been described. In
1865 a few frame houses began to go up about Redwood Falls.
Some of the pioneers were fortunate in that they moved into log
or brick houses made for the Indians before the Massacre. But
for the most part the early pioneers in the vicinity of Redwood
Falls built their cabins of logs, some of which were obtained
from cabins ruined during the Massacre. Some of these cabins
of the pioneers were thatched with bark, and the floors consisted
mostly of trampled earth.
However, the government saw mill at the falls of the Red-
wood, which was put in renewed operations soon after the ar-
rival of the first settlers had a strong influence on the architec-
ture of the early houses around Redwood Falls. The Scandinav-
ian people built mauy dugouts, especially back from the river in
Swedes Forest township. The Danes in Brookville and Sundown
and the Scandinavians in Gales, Johnsonville, Springdale and
North Hero also had a number of dugouts. However, for the
most part, the habitations in the southern part of the county
were sod houses, partly underground and partly overground.
Some of these sod houses were whitewashed on the outside,
boarded up on the inside and made quite comfortable homes. In
the central part of the county the early houses were for the most
part of board, though many of these were reinforced with sod,
sometimes with straw and hav. Most of the houses of the vari-
606 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
ous kinds, log cabins, dugouts, board and sod, had a small window
8 by 10 window glass and one door made from sawed lumber.
A vital influence on the type of houses in Redwood county was
exerted by the fact that D. L. Bigham established in 1869 at
Redwood Falls the first lumber yard in the Minnesota valley west
of New Ulm, purchasing lumber at $15 to $16 a thousand, paying
$10 freight, hauling it three miles from the landing to Redwood
Falls and then selling it for $32 a thousand. His object was to
assist in building up the country rather than to make money,
and the lumber from his yard was used in cabins from Redwood
Falls to the state line. The first load of lumber was brought from
St. Paul in 1868 aboard the boat "Pioneer," which he chartered
for this purpose. About 1870, he made a contract with a lumber
company owning saw mills on the St. Croix river and that with
the boat "St. Anthony," and its barge brought the lumber to the
Redwood landing, from which place Mr. Bigham had it hauled
three miles to Redwood Falls. The river trip was one beset with
many hazards, and often Mr. Bigham 's lumber was scattered
along the river bank everywhere from Mankato to Redwood
landing.
Most of the early settlers came here with horses, intending
to use those animals for farming work. They soon found, how-
ever, that they were not suitable for pioneer endeavor in this
climate, and while a few of the pioneers kept their horses for
driving purposes, most of the work was done by oxen, who could
comfortably weather these cold winters and who could survive
on marsh hay, wheat straw and rutabagas.
None of the land in the Indian reservation was subject to
homestead or pre-emption entry, it was put in the market Decem-
ber 7, 1867. The land office was at St. Peter. In the fall of 1866
commissioners of the government appraised the lands within the
reservation on which some claims had already been made. They
valued the land at prices varying from $1.25 to $2.50 per acre,
excepting special tracts covered with valuable timber, well situ-
ated, and lands where improvements in the form of buildings
or otherwise, had been made. These lands in some cases sold as
high as $7 per acre, where the government had made improve-
ments for the benefit of the Sioux. Houses of brick or of wood
had, as stated, been built at various points up and down the
reservation and a clay pit and brick yard opened at Yellow
Medicine. It was reasonable therefore that wide difference should
be made in the appraisal of land.
In addition to their homestead and pre-emption laws, pioneers
in this region had the opportunity of taking a tree claim of 160
acres. To prove up on a tree claim, it was originally necessary
to bring proof that 40 acres of timber had been planted thereon
and had been growing for five years. The act was several times
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 607
amended and finally reduced to 10 acres. Only one tree claim
could be taken in each section. It is said that only one tract in
Redwood county fully complied with the provisions of the origi-
nal tree claim act. In Gales township one man planted the 40
acres and at the end of five years was able to adduce proof that
not a single tree was missing. In the early days, aside from se-
curing the tree claim by planting trees, the settlers were also
paid a bounty by the state for each acre of growing timber which
they had planted on their claims.
The land office of the Redwood Falls land district was estab-
lished in July, 1872, with Col. B. P. Smith, registrar, and Major
W. H. Kelley, receiver. Several years later the office was removed
to Marshall.
The census of 1870 gave Redwood county a population of 1,829.
The county then extended to the state line. Sheridan and Sher-
man had their present boundaries. Redwood Falls township took
in practically all of the remainder of what is now Redwood
county. In addition to this there were a few settlers in the
western part of the county, and a few in Swedes Forest. The
settlers in Swedes Forest were for the most part Scandinavian.
The settlers in the western part of the county were a mixture of
Scandinavians, Germans and Americans. The settlers around
Redwood Falls were for the most part American and Scotch. The
settlers in Sherman were American, Scotch and Irish, only a few
Germans having at that time arrived.
Unlike many counties of the state, the county was at that
time predominantly American. Of the 1,829 people in the county
1,147 were native born and only 682 foreign born. Of the 682 for-
eign born, 286 were from English speaking countries, leaving only
396 from foreign speaking countries. Of the 1,147 natives there
were 341 born in this state, 183 in New York state, 161 in Wiscon-
sin, 62 in Ohio, 77 in Pennsylvania, 65 in Illinois, and the remain-
der in other states.
Of the 682 foreign born, 176 were born in British America
(these were mostly of Scotch ancestry), 52 in England or Wales,
32 in Ireland, 26 in Scotland, 62 in Germany, 319 in Norway or
Sweden, 6 in Switzerland and 9 in Denmark.
Of the 111 people in Sheridan, 52 were native and 59 foreign.
Of the 691 in Redwood Falls, 492 were native and 199 foreign.
Of the 67 in Sherman, 50 were native and 17 foreign. The only
colored man in the whole county was in Sherman. Of the 307
people in Lac qui Parle county, 115 were native and 192 foreign.
Of the 268 people in Lynd, 235 were native and 33 foreign. Of
the 385 people in Yellow Medicine, 203 were native and 182
were foreign.
In 1872, at the close of the pioneer period, the railroad was
built through the southern part of the county, and a few stores
608 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
were established there. The hard winter, however, caused rail-
road business to be suspended during the winter of 1872-73.
Many of the early pioneers were typical Yankee frontiersmen,
lovers of the wilds who were ever on the front crest of the advanc-
ing tide of civilization, and as soon as settlers followed them in
any number, they made their way further into the wilderness.
However, many came here with a view to making this their per-
manent home. Nearly all the Danish people in the southeastern
part of the county, the Scandinavians in the southwestern and
northwestern parts, the Scotch people who made their principal
settlements in Delhi and Redwood Falls, and the German people
who settled through the central part of the county, as an over-
flow of the Brown county settlements, as well as the Bohemians
who arrived later, came for the purpose of establishing homes
rather than in a spirit of adventure. Many, too, of the Americans
remained, and such present-day names as Powell, Hitchcock, John-
son, Bingham, Martin, Thomas, go back to the days of the very
earliest settlements.
Barney Flynn, David Watson and D. L. Bigham located nearly
all the early settlers in the northern part of Redwood county.
Scarcely a day in the late sixties passed by without their driving
some one out on the prairie for the purpose of staking a claim.
Authority. "History of the Minnesota Valley," 1884.
"Early Days in Redwood County," by 0. B. Turrell, published
in the "Collections" of the Minnesota Historical Society.
Personal testimony of Pamela Davison (Mrs. D. L.) Hitchcock,
who reached Redwood Falls in 1865.
Personal testimony of Marion Johnson, who reached Redwood
Falls in 1864.
Personal testimony of Major M. E. Powell, who reached Red-
wood Falls in 1867. Major Powell had served in the Civil war
with Col. Sam McPhail, and was his personal friend for many
years thereafter. He many times heard the story of the first
settlement from McPhail's own lips.
CHAPTER XLII.
REDWOOD FALLS PARKS.
It has become the fixed policy of many towns and of all large
cities, also of states and the national government to acquire the
ownership of tracts of special scenic value, in order to protect
them from spoliation for commercial gain or the limited and
exclusive use of private ownership, and maintain them as recrea-
tion grounds for the pleasure and welfare of all their citizens.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 609
Although Redwood Falls is located central to the largest
prairie area of Minnesota, in the edge of what was once known
as the Great American Desert, extending many hundreds of miles
across the territory of the middle West, its system of scenic parks
and driveways is not equalled in variety of strikingly picturesque
effects by any tract of its size.
This remarkable exhibit is the result of rock formations fixed
during geological periods, ages before the earth was fit for the
habitation of man, and to its location at the junction of the
valleys of the Ramsey and Redwood river near to where the Red-
wood valley opens out into the deeply depressed bottom lands of
the Minnesota.
Underlying beds of granite rock come nearer to the surface
level of the country at this point than elsewhere so that both
streams have a very tortuous and zig zag course as they have
found or made their way over, between and through the immense
rock ledges which they have uncovered and these streams are a
continuous succession of rapids and waterfalls until they descend
to about 200 feet below the surrounding prairie level.
The shelter of the valleys with their moisture from the streams
and the frequent springs which formed deep ravines extending
farther out into the higher lands gave protection in early times
against the ravages of the prairie fires which swept and blackened
this region at every fall season, and preserved a heavy growth of
timber and abundant wild animal life which made this a veritable
oasis in a desert prairie waste.
Lake Redwood Park. To preserve a considerable portion of
this tract in the primitive condition as found by the white man
would seem to be a sufficiently ambitious enterprise of this kind,
but a closer observation of the extensive widening of the Red-
wood valley above the narrow rock gorge which extends under
the river bridge disclosed that here was a natural basin for holding
a water reservoir extending several miles up the river that would
be a valuable addition to the recreational resources of the town.
The building of a high dam for this purpose would not be produc-
ing an altogether artificial result, for it would be but reproducing
a condition and appearance that existed at a still more primitive
time at least thousands of years ago, before the torrents of the
streams had ploughed their way through the rock barrier which
then held the waters of the original Lake Redwood, which then,
as now, rested so quietly along the winding course of the stream,
with its shore line alternating with wooded bluffs and prairie
slopes.
A rock crusher grinding the granite blasted from one side of
the river, and a sand pit at the other side supplied materials which,
mixed and cemented, was used to build the concrete dam for
water power purposes.
610 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
The town purchased the land for overflowage, with an addi-
tional lakeside tract coming to within a block of a business street,
equipped with boat houses, a public bath house and toboggan
slide, with contract made with owner of the water power to
maintain water at a specified high level. Redwood Falls now
owns this Lake Redwood property of about 200 acres, which make
liberal provision for outdoor summer and winter sports and
recreation.
A flotilla of launches and row boats, a bandstand erected out
in the lake, electric lighting of grounds for evening use, an addi-
tional park area three miles up the valley, where was built a large
pavilion to accommodate picnic parties and excursionists, made
this a popular resort until interest was diverted to other park
development and to automobiling.
Redwood Falls Park. The next important acquisition to the
scenic city park system was the original mill lot farther down
the river containing the Redwood Falls, from which the town
takes its name, and a considerable portion of the horseshoe bend
in the river nearly surrounding a high wooded tableland and
driveway overlooking the most picturesque portions of the stream.
One rare feature of the tract is a nearly perpendicular northern
slope, protected by its position and by foliage from the summer
sun, supplied with moisture from rains, and exaporation from
the stream below, kept cool by the underlying rock formation;
all of which has induced the growth of acres of a thick cushion
of mosses interspersed with lichens and ferns.
The utility of the water power resources at this point has
had an important part in the development of this part of the
state. Here, at the Redwood Falls, was built, by the United
States government during the fifties, in reservation days, the first
saw mill for the only supply of lumber for this region at that
time. A few rods above this was later built the first grist mill
in the upper Minnesota valley. A little later, still farther up
stream, a second flour mill was erected, and this was followed
by a third flour mill, which utilized the rapids around the bend
below the Little Falls, making four improved water power sites
within the village limits, all within a range of one hundred rods
of each other. Most of this waterfall has now been combined by
construction of a concrete flume extending along the bluff from
near the upper level of Lake Redwood to a secluded corner of
Redwood Falls park, where a small but neat, unpretentious
building at the river's edge contains a modern, up-to-date power
plant supplying light and heat and power to four towns for the
varied industrial and household uses to which electricity can be
applied.
The water drops from the upper lake level to the lower river
level, nearly one hundred feet, the highest waterfall in Minnesota,
HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY 611
and still the power resources within the city limits are only partly
developed.
It is doubtful if any other city of any size owns a tract so
ruggedly picturesque adjacent to its business section and sur-
rounded by its near resident districts, as the Redwood Falls park.
Alexander Ramsey State Park. Extending out from the town
down the river, to its junction with the Ramsey valley, is a larger
park area purchased by the state of Minnesota and known as the
Ramsey state park. The Redwood river enters this tract on the
east, through a deep rock gorge with massive granite walls, while
Ramsey creek tumbles along its tortuous course from the west
over beds of boulders until it plunges over the perpendicular rock
precipice known as the Ramsey falls, about the same height as
the Minnehaha.
The water basin at the foot of the falls, nearly surrounded
by towering masses of granite to which cling mosses and vines, and
the red cedar trees with their rich evergreen foliage, the deep
gulch below the glens above, all surrounded by extremely abrupt
surfaces of wooded hills and bluffs, make a setting for a waterfall
scene that is rarely equaled.
The different levels of the park, from the low bottom lands to
the high exposed portions, the varied soils and sub-soils and ex-
posures to all points of the compass, have given growth to so many
species of plant and flower and vine and bush and tree that it is
a veritable botanical garden of wild plant life.
It is still within the memory of old settlers that elk, deer, bear,
lynx and buffalo, as well as many smaller animals had their home
in this vicinity.
All shooting is prohibited in the park and within the city
limits, many bird houses built, roomy enclosures for deer and elk
and other provision made for the return of wild animal life.
The park contains large deposits of sand, beds of gravel and
heavy clays and unlimited supplies of granite in various stages
of decomposition, providing the best materials for roadbeds and
surface finishing, while there are nearby deposits of lignite coal,
pure white kaolin, iron ore, paint rock and cliffs of cream white
clay and other deposits of geologic and commercial interest.
Easy Access to Parks. The scenic city parks cannot be "im-
proved," as is usually necessary with city park development,
as their chief attraction will always depend on the policy of their
present management to preserve them unchanged, except to pro-
vide that its features shall be easily accessible by maintaining the
several miles of winding driveways and river crossings which
have been constructed to reach, by easy grades, all levels and
extremities and to extend the system of foot paths to the other-
wise inaccessible portions.
Redwood Falls is a central point in the construction of state
612 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
roads, while all roads are usually good in this section during the
outing season of the year. It is within a five-hour ride hy train
or an easy auto trip from the twin cities.
Passing through here is one of the main routes through the
state from the cities to the Dakota line, which is a part of the
"Black and Yellow Trail" extending from Chicago through Min-
nesota and the Black Hills of South Dakota to the Yellowstone
park, which will become the most popular scenic auto route of
the northwest.
The success of any public enterprise which is not distinctly
commercial in its character is the result of co-operation of public-
spirited citizens. A considerable number of these have contributed
necessary assistance toward the development for public use of
the scenic city parks, but each succeeding generation in Minnesota
will be deeply indebted for what will become the most notable
scenic attraction of the state.
First, to Dr. J. G. Rhieldaffer and family, who owned the Ram-
sey park tract for over forty years without revenue. During this
time they made no restriction on its use for recreation pur-
poses, and never allowed it to be despoiled, even by pasturing, so
that a riotous growth of wild flowering plants blooming from
the earliest to the latest growing season covers nearly its entire
area.
It is seldom that so long a continued private ownership of a
tract of this kind has resulted in so great a public benefit, for it
easily could have been put to such use as would be disastrous to
its park value. It passed to state ownership at a very moderate
estimate of price, the entire purchase cost of the Ramsey park
being slightly more than $4,000.00, being about the same amount
as paid by the city of Redwood Falls for the Lake Park area.
Dr. Rhieldaffer was a prominent early resident of St. Paul
contemporary with Governor Ramsey, and of the same type of
sterling character and public spirit, and was a state official before
coming to Redwood Falls.
The moving spirit behind the park project has been H. M.
Hitchcock, whose hard work, enthusiasm and unselfish devotion
have been important factors in making the park possible.
The legislative campaign for establishing the Ramsey park was
directed by Senator Frank Clague, representing this district. His
long service in the legislature was of such a character that he
held some of its most responsible official positions. His persistent
record of opposition to extravagant appropriations gave his
recommendation weight. Senator Clague 's advocacy, with the
loyal co-operation of Representative Jos. R. Keefe in the house, se-
cured a practically unanimous vote for the purchase and improve-
ment of Ramsey park in the session of 1911. During the succeed-
ing sessions unreserved support of maintenance appropriations
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 613
have been given by Representatives C. M. Bendixen, Albert Hauser
and by Senator Potter, all of them advocating as a fortunate privi-
lege, especially to those of this prairie section of the state, to pro-
vide so close at hand this minature duplicate of the rugged scenes
of the west and of the forest reserve of the north.
The greatest personal obligation, however, for the pleasures of
the park are to Commissioner Jos. Tyson, who enthusiastically
devotes his chief interest and most of his time to this project.
He has proven himself an expert in road construction, which has
been the most difficult, but the most necessary part of his job, and
this has been splendidly accomplished without any payment for
high priced professional engineer's service. From early hours to
late during the working season, he has closely superintended every
improvement, and it is a marvel to those of good judgment of this
work that so much has been accomplished with so little expendi-
ture. A small annual payment is allotted by the state auditor for
Mr. Tyson's services, but they would be just as freely given
without any payment, and could not be more so with several
times the amount. Under his administration, the purposes of the
park are being realized with the attendance, frequently to hun-
dreds and on special occasions, thousands of visitors. It is due
to Mr. Tyson's management that Ramsey park is becoming the
most popular and the most liberally utilized of any of the small
investments that Minnesota has made.
Indian Legend. The utility and attractiveness of this portion
of Redwood county had a determining influence over much early
history of unusual interest pertaining to the development of this
part of western Minnesota, beginning with the occurrence which
gave origin to the name of the Redwood river.
The name is a translation of the Indian word Tchansayapi,
the only name by which the river was known up to the territorial
days of Minnesota, and is the name still commonly used by the*
Sioux Indians now living in Redwood county.
Even as late as 1869, the American encyclopedia published in
that year describes the river and designates it by this Indian
name.
It is generally supposed that the name Redwood was chosen
because of the abundant growth of the red cedar trees, which
rooted themselves in the rock crevices and is one of the charac-
teristic features of the locality.
Inquiry of the state historical society secures the statement
that the Indians named this river because of the growth of the red
willow or, as the Indians called it, kinnikinick, which grew more
plentifully here than elsewhere, and they valued this highly for
its bark which they gathered and dried and smoked.
The early settlers here remember that the smoking of kinni-
kinick was a common habit and custom among the Indians and
614 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
was used in fantastically shaped and decorated red pipestone
pipes.
The pleasing effects of this use of the plant was not entirely
imaginary for it has a soothing effect on the nerves. There has
been extensive use of this plant as medicine and the chemist has
analyzed it and extracted from it a fine white crystal effective
in the relief of rheumatic and neuralgic pains, but its medicinal'
value was doubtless learned from the Indian medicine man.
Either one of these two views of the origin of the name of Red-
wood river seems sufficiently plausible to be accepted, but neither
one is true according to a legend that is told among the Indians
who should be the best authority on this question.
The name Tchansayapi, like many other Indian names, was
chosen because of an important event and this occurred many
years, probably many generations before the white explorer had
ventured to the upper Mississippi or Minnesota valleys.
It is a natural supposition that here was one of the Indian's
most happy hunting grounds, but this is more than a mere con-
jecture for the story that is told relates that this locality was so
highly prized by both of the principal tribes who occupied this
northwest territory, the Sioux from the west and the Chippewa's
from the north and east, that there was a spirited contest between
these two Indian nations for the possession.
At a certain time during this period of conflict, as a scouting
party of Sioux Indians passed through the woods along the stream
they marked trees with spots of red paint as a guide to a larger
band of warriors who were to follow.
In commemoration of their success in finally securing undis-
puted possession of this region, the Sioux Indians christened the
river with the name Tchansayapi, the word probably coined for
this use, which being interpreted in the light of its origin, means
the river by the trees painted red.
CHAPTER XLIII.
MERCANTILE AND CIVIC DEVELOPMENT.
(By F. W. Philbrick.)
Redwood Falls, the first town in Redwood county, was started
by Col. McPhail, in 1864, and began to spread out from the stock-
ade in the spring of 1865, taking its name from "Redwood River"
and adding to it the name of the "Falls," which are located in
its immediate vicinity.
At the first county election held in the fall of 1865, Redwood
Falls was made the county seat of Redwood county, and has
since continued to remain such.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 615
The first general store to start in Redwood Falls, and the first
in Redwood county, was that of Louis Robert, who, in the spring
of 1865 opened a store on Second street, east of where the
"Golden Rule" store now stands.
A little later in the same year another general store was opened
up by Henry Behnke & Brother, and a store building erected by
them on Second street.
Hustin & Garvin were the next to open a general store here in
1868, and prior to the year 1870 a number of business enterprises
sprang into existence.
Among the list of the pioneers are the names of the four gen-
tlemen who settled here at a very early date, and are still living
here : John H. Thomas came in 1865 and opened the first black-
smith shop. D. L. Bigham came in 1868 and started the first lum-
ber yard. Wm. Pitts Tenney arrived in 1870 and opened the first
barber shop, called the "Pioneer." Milton E. Powell came the
same year and opened a law office.
Among other early settlers, since passed away, who contributed
largely to the interests and improvement of Redwood Falls in
its early days, may be mentioned a few as follows : James Mc-
Millan, in 1865, built and operated the first hotel, The McMillan
Hotel, name afterward changed to "Exchange Hotel." The
Redwood (flour) mill, built in the year 1868, by Park and John
Worden, was looked upon as a splendid addition to the new burg.
This mill, located on the Redwood river, a short distance above
the falls, has several times been overhauled and remodeled and
is still in service. The Delhi Roller Mills, another flour mill,
erected in 1869, by A. M. Cook & Son, was also considered a val-
uable acquisition to the new town. This mill was located a little
distance up from the Redwood bridge. It was destroyed by fire
in the early nineties.
The first newspaper published in Redwood Falls was the
"Redwood Mail," established in 1869, by V. C. Seward. It was
purchased in 1873 by "William B. Herriott and the name changed
to "Redwood Gazette," under which name it is now issued by
Mrs. Bess M. Wilson.
Birney Flynn, another one of the very early settlers, came in
1865 and engaged in the real estate business. Before his death
he was elected to, and held several county offices.
Doctor D. L. Hitchcock coming here in the later sixties, was
the first physician to locate in the place; he also opened the
first drug store which is still in existence, now being conducted
by his son, H. M. Hitchcock.
David Watson was the first surveyor to arrive and locate in
the new town. He also operated the first stage between Saint
Peter and Redwood Falls.
Immediately following the year 1870 finds Redwood Falls
616 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
with a goodly number of business and professional men, among
whom we mention Dr. Wm. D. Plinn, a noted physician and sur-
geon, who located here in 1870. He later became a member of
the state medical board, afterward he was made its president; he
was also a member of the U. S. Pension Board.
Judge H. D. Baldwin, another early and highly esteemed citi-
zen, came here in the year 1871 and established a law office ; since
locating here he served as judge of probate and district judge;
also other offices of trust.
Wm. F. Dickinson came here in 1871 and established the Bank
of Redwood Falls. His death occurred a few years ago, then the
affairs of his bank were taken over by the present First State
Bank.
Geo. W. Braley also arrived here in 1871 and shortly after
established the Redwood County Bank, which he continued to
operate until his death in 1884, when his affairs were closed by
administrator. In 1880 he was elected state senator from this
district.
During the years intervening between 1870 and 1880, quite
a number of new concerns located in the new town; also quite
a few changes were made in the old concerns ; of these we have
not sufficient space here to mention.
Coming down now to the year 1880, the beginning of our own
observations, we find Redwood Falls an enterprising little burg
of about nine hundred population and about the only town of
any particular importance within twenty-five miles of it.
A branch of the C. & N. W. R. R. from Sleepy Eye had been
built in here in 1878. A depot and four elevators had been erected
on its tracks and Redwood Falls now began to put on the appear-
ance of a thriving city. However, the country tributary was but
sparsely settled at this time and the community had just passed
through the grasshopper scourge ; trading was done mostly with
butter and eggs, but merchants were blessed with a good outlet
for disposing of these commodities and therefore able to pay
their customers fairly good prices, which brought farmers to this
market from a radius of thirty miles around. It is reliably stated
that at one time upwards of 40,000 pounds of butter were held
in the basements of two Redwood Falls merchants.
Later other branches of the C. & N. W. R. R. were built through
the county and small towns began to spring up which had a
tendency to draw more or less trade from Redwood Falls. The
M. & St. L. R. R. also came along building their line through the
northern portion of the county, establishing several small towns
along its track, all of which trading territory had heretofore
been tributary to Redwood Falls. One of these towns being the
little town of North Redwood, located some two miles north of
Redwood Falls, where three elevators have been built, taking from
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 617
this place quite a bit of grain that formerly came here. Yet,
with these difficulties to contend with and overcome, Redwood
Falls has steadily forged ahead until at the present time it has
become a statewide noted little city of no small importance.
The principal business interests of Redwood Falls in 1880
were represented as follows: James McMillan, and Philbriek &
Francois, general stores ; Robt. A. Wilson, dry goods ; W. S. Clay-
son, clothing; McKay & Race, Lechner & Ackman, and Wm. Crou-
ley, groceries; D. L. Hitchcock and B. O'Hara, drugs; Laird &
Dornberg and E. A. Chandler, hardware; Bishop Gordon and
J. J. & C. W. Tiffany, agricultural implements ; Liebenguth & Mc-
Connel, meat market; Geo. Drake, harness goods; W. F. Dickin-
son, Bank of Redwood Falls; Geo. W. Braley, Redwood County
Bank; Winona Lumber Co., C. W. George, agent; Laird, Norton
Lumber Co., H. D. Chollar, agent ; A. E. McCarty and Saml. Baker,
liveries ; J. D. & Geo. W. Bunce, Commercial Hotel ; J. W. Tows-
ley & Son, Exchange Hotel ; J. J. McDonald, Canada House ; E. O.
Chapman, wagon maker; Aiken & Rigby, Gazette Printing Of-
fice ; Worden & Rutter, Redwood Flour Mills ; Cook & Son, Delhi
Roller Mills; Joseph Lichtwarck, Matt Offerman and F. M.
O'Hara, saloons; Mrs. S. O'Jai and Mrs. T. E. Walton, millinery;
Fred V. Hotchkiss, Wasson & Bager, Geo. F. Crooks and John
Thomas, blacksmiths ; Dr. Wm. D. Flinn and Dr. C. S. Stoddard,
physicians and surgeons ; M. E. Powell, H. D. Baldwin and Alfred
Wallin, lawyers.
Redwood Falls also contained at this time four elevators, three
churches (Methodist, Presbyterian and Episcopal), a fairly good
school building, a County Court House, and a branch of the TJ. S.
Land Office with Wm. P. Dunnington, register, and Wm. B. Her-
riott, receiver.
The principal business streets were Second and Mill streets,
but owing to a fire that occurred in January, 1886, destroying
eleven of the business buildings on the north side of Second street,
between Washington and Mill streets, a change in the business
location was brought about.
Washington street now began to take the lead by building a
row of substantial two-story brick buildings on each side of the
street between Second and Third streets. Prior to this time there
was but one brick building in the place. Immediately after the
fire the village council passed a fire ordinance prohibiting all
frame buildings being built within the business district ; so while
this fire was quite a loss to the community in many ways, it proved
to be a good thing in other ways, being the means of starting up
the building of good substantial brick buildings in place of those
wooden ones destroyed.
Of the business men doing business in Redwood Falls in 1880
there are but two remaining in business at the present time,
618 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
namely : H. M. Hitchcock, drugs, and F. W. Philbriek, dry goods,
the others have gone out of business, departed for other fields,
or have passed to the great beyond.
The city at the present time (1916) has a population of 2,240.
It contains a magnificent waterpower, derived from the Redwood
river and falls. This is being only partially utilized for operating
the flour mills and electric light and water plants. Several sur-
rounding towns are being supplied with light and heat from
its local electric light plant.
Redwood Falls aside from its scenic beauty and waterpower
facilities, is noted for its substantial business buildings, clean,
well-kept streets, its many blocks of cement sidewalks and fine
water and sewerage system. The water furnished the city is
taken from natural living springs, that come to the surface along
the banks of the Redwood, within the cities' limits, and is much
praised for its purity and fine medicinal qualities. The city has
excellent telephone and electric light twenty-four-hour-service.
It has a large grade school and a splendid high school requiring
the employment of a corps of some twenty or more teachers,
which provide excellent educational advantages for this and sur-
rounding community. It has six thriving churches, a Carnegie
library, fine court house and jail, an up-to-date creamery, a tile
factory, flouring mill, a machine shop and several garages. It
has two wide-awake newspapers, three strong, finely equipped
and well managed banks, good hotels, and stores in all lines
worthy of a city four times its size.
It also has a large and splendidly equipped stockyard, where
stock of all kinds are bought and sold.
It is the home of Company L, Second Regiment, Minnesota
National Guard, a company composed of some sixty or more of
its best young men, and in which the city takes a great pride.
A large armory has recently been built for their accommodation.
The building of a central heating plant has recently been
started, and when completed will, no doubt, prove a valuable
acquisition to the city's business interests.
The Ramsey State Park, which is located within the city's
limits, is one of the latest natural attractions. This beautiful spot
of nature is being improved and made more beautiful each year,
and when completed is destined to become one of the greatest
pleasure resorts and beauty spots in the state of Minnesota. All
of which combine to make Redwood Falls one of the most attrac-
tive little cities in the state.
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 619
CHAPTER XLP7.
REDWOOD FALLS CEMETERY.
The care of the remains of those who were first to pass away
has always been an enigmatical proposition in the early history
of all communities. Organized cemetery associations are frequently
the last community movements. Burial places, consequently,
from the start, are isolated. In fact, the first settler, the first
group of travelers, have placed the remains of those who have
suddenly passed away, where, in a few years, the marking and
spot would be forgotten and lost.
Redwood Falls was no exception to this rule. Graves were
scattered over what is now the city, but in its embryonic state,
a mere gathering of a few settlers. Now and then reports of the
disinterment of bones occur and an old resident recalls a burial
at the particular spot. This will continue as the years roll by,
and it is to be regretted that the remains of such distinguished
old settlers as 0. C. Martin and Birney Flynn cannot be placed
in the present magnificent cemetery. But it was the wish of the
former that his remains be laid to rest on the hillside overlooking
the Redwood river, on his own farm, just southwest of Redwood
Falls. Mr. Flynn wished his body to rest under a little tree near
the Flynn residence, on Fourth street, between Mill and Minne-
sota. The bodies will remain there until completely forgotten,
and then probably, some day, the bones will be disinterred in
the excavation for the carrying on of progress of events.
With Redwood Falls proper the early day burials were in the
old stockade grounds, at the liberty pole erected on the present
court house square, at the Baldwin hotel corner on Bridge and
Mill streets, afterwards giving away to the old Redwood House,
and in later years known as the Baldwin Hotel. The principal
place of burial, however, was on the banks of the ravine or Red-
wood river, at the confluence of the ravine and the river, just
back of the present G. Kuenzli home, on Bridge and Lincoln
streets. There were one or more burials on the bank of the river
just back of the present W. H Gold residence on Minnesota
street.
It was not until July of 1873, ten years or more after the
founding of the town that Edward March purchased from Pom-
eroy Angel, and had surveyed ten acres in section 31, town 113,
range 35, the present cemetery site. David Watson, a name still
familiarly known to early settlers, platted or surveyed the tract.
The first burial to be made in this cemetery was Julia Ann Long-
bottom, and her sister, Jane Longbottom, this occurring in June
of 1874. The next burial was that of Mrs. David Alexander, and
620 HISTORY OP REDWOOD COUNTY
the next was that of the body of Eugene Thorpe, a soldier hoy,
who, at the age of nineteen, and in 1868, was drowned in the Red-
wood river, his remains being removed from their original resting
place in the village proper to the soldier plot donated by William
P. Dunnington in the new cemetery.
Among the early settlers, who had passed away, and whose
remains were transferred from the village places to the new
cemetery, were those of Mrs. Ellen Penney, William Beard, Bev-
ery Brown, the Clark baby, Frederick Thurston, Bela Haliday,
Rev. Charles P. Wright, Albert Werder, Simmons, Dr. B.
Bruce, C. C. Belt, Amasa Daniels, the Herriott baby, the two Fisk
sisters and Valentine Apfel. The remains of the two Fisk sisters
were first laid to rest in the old stockade, while the remains of
Valentine Apfel were laid to rest on the brow of a small hill
just south of the present cemetery. He was the father of Mrs.
Roset Schmahl, mother of the Schmahl children, residing in Red-
wood Falls, and other points in this state, and he passed away
at the ripe old age of 90 years.
Among the children who passed away in the early days and
whose remains were transferred to the new and present plot,
were Baby Powell, Price Hollen, Coulter Wiggins and Minnie C.
Jones.
On September 24, 1883, William P. Dunnington and Fred L.
Warner purchased the remaining ground of the cemetery from
Edward March and Catharine March, his wife, reserving lot 4,
section 10, subdivision two for themselves. On September 27,
1884, Fred L. Warner sold his interests to Mr. Dunnington, and
on May 25, 1899, Mr. Dunnington disposed of his interests to
George L. Evans and Fred L. Warner, a few months later Mr.
Warner closing out his interests to Emil Kuenzli, and the new
owners were Kuenzli & Evans.
On March 15, 1910, there was a gathering of a number of
public spirited ladies of Redwood Falls and surrounding country
at the G. A. R. hall, and after going over the poor condition of
the cemetery, it was decided to organize a society to be known
as the Redwood Falls Cemetery Association. At this meeting
Mrs. R. E. Fuller was chosen chairman and Mrs. Julia Glassco
as secretary. A committee was appointed to draw up by-laws,
and on March 26, 1910, they met at the home of Mrs. Cunning-
ham, seven members being present. At this meeting Mrs. Phebe
M. Fuller was elected president of the association, Mrs. Pearl
Golden, first vice president; Mrs. Ella V. Philbrick, second vice
president ; Mrs. Sheila Lutz, recording secretary ; Mrs. Lela Pease,
corresponding secretary, and Mrs. Ida Fedderly, treasurer.
On May 15, 1910, the association purchased of Mary Shaver
a tract of land, 4% acres, directly west of the old site, and bring-
ing all of the property down to the road leading to North Red-
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 621
wood. On May 28, 1910, the members met at the G. A. R. hall,
where the articles of incorporation were adopted and signed, and
ordered recorded with the secretary of state of the register of
deeds of Redwood county. Nine trustees, Phebe M. Fuller, Alice
F. King, Ella V. Philbrick, Sheila Lutz, Pearl Golden, Alice
Angell, Lelah Pease, Ida Fedderly and Nelina McLain, were
elected on this occasion, and the acknowledgment to the articles
was then taken by James B. Robinson, who has since passed
away. Mrs. Fuller was re-elected president, while Mrs. Alice
Angell was elected recording secretary, Lelah Pease, actuary, and
Ida Fedderly, treasurer.
March 28, 1911, the association purchased of Kuenzli &
Luscher their remaining interest in the original tract, paying
$1,200 for the same, and in addition assuming a mortgage for a
small amount. The money for this purpose was raised by popular
subscription of the lot owners, donations, etc., among the larger
donors being J. Fletcher Skinner, of Chicago, formerly of Red-
wood Falls ; Mrs. Mary Shaver, of Seattle, Wash. ; Anton C.
Weiss, of Duluth, all former residents ; W. H. Gold, J. P. Cooper,
Julius A. Schmahl, Frank Clague and the Woman's Club of Red-
wood Falls.
Such was the foundation of the organization of ladies that
has been the cause of transforming the grounds from a state of
neglect and almost disgrace to the present beautiful condition.
That these ladies are to be congratulated and thanked by every
person having a regard for a proper care of the dead, is certain.
All the money that was received was used in paying for the old
and the new grounds, and for the improvement of the property.
Since the ladies have taken the ownership a caretaker has been
continually employed, a fine iron fence has been erected around
the new tract, and granite gate-posts have likewise been added
to the improvements. A granite monument to the memory of
the Civil War veterans, buried in the plot, has been erected by
the ladies of the Relief Corps. Since the corporation was formed
Mrs. Golden has passed away and Mrs. Anna E. Ward elected
to the vacancy, while Mrs. Angell has moved to California and
Mrs. Mary Flinn elected in her stead. Mrs. Philbrick passed
away in May of 1916, and Mrs. Alice F. King succeeded her as
vice president, Mrs. H. M. Hitchcock being elected to fill the
vacancy on the board of trustees. At the time of preparing this
article the officers are: Mrs. Phebe M. Fuller, president; Mrs.
Alice King, vice president; Mrs. Anna Ward, secretary; Mrs.
Lelah Pease, actuary; Ida Fedderly, treasurer; and trustees, in
addition to the officers just named, Mesdames Nelina McLain,
Inez Luscher and H. M. Hitchcock.
Authority. This article has been prepared by Julius A.
Schmahl, secretary of state, from notes gathered by Mrs. Phebe
622 HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
M. Puller. Mrs. Fuller has consulted the records of the associa-
tion, with which association she has been intimately connected,
and the records of the cemetery. She has also made a careful
survey of the old tombstones, and has consulted with many of the
old settlers.
CHAPTER XLV.
MILITIA COMPANY.
(Edited by Dr. J. W. Inglis.)
Company L, Second Regiment, M. N. G., is on the Texas bor-
der at the time of the writing of this article, captained by its
organizer, Capt. M. W. Hingeley.
In the spring of 1908, Captain Hingeley, then a bank cashier
in Redwood Falls, did some strenuous work, first enthusing the
citizens, then interesting the young men, and finally securing the
necessary concessions from the city council.
As the result of efforts of the citizens of Redwood Falls, and
other cities, three new companies were mustered into the state
service, for the Second Regiment, which at that time had its head-
quarters at Austin, with Col. A. W. Wright commanding. These
companies were "K," "L" and "M." Company L was the Red-
wood Falls company. It was mustered in on October 5, 1908,
with the following officers : Captain, M. W. Hingeley (a regular
army veteran of the Philippine service, during the Spanish-Amer-
ican War) ; first lieutenant, Rev. C. S. Mork (rector of the Epis-
copal church) ; second lieutenant, A. C. Dolliff (then, as now, a
leading attorney of Redwood Falls). The company under this
captain and these lieutenants did excellent work during the sum-
mer, but during the winter interest decreased owing to the ab-
sence of a drill hall, and at many times the company seemed on
the verge of being mustered out of service.
Capt. Hingeley resigned to take up banking at Floodwood,
Minn. Dr. J. W. Inglis was elected captain in January, 1900. It
was while he was captain that the legislature passed the Armory
appropriation of $10,000. This appropriation was later increased
by $5,000. Company L was the first in the state to receive the
appropriation. The citizens of Redwood Falls conceived the idea
that with an additional amount an armory and theater combined,
could be erected, so about $4,500 was raised by subscription. The
armory was completed while Charles Galles was captain, in 1914,
at a cost of $25,000, and the building is now free from debt.
Originally the site west of the jail was purchased and deeded to
Company L. It was found, however, that Company L had no
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY 623
existence as a corporation and subsequently the present site was
secured. The site west of the jail will doubtless always remain
public property, as technically the title probably rests in each
individual member of the company at the time it was purchased.
Captain Galles resigned while the company was on duty at Fort
Snelling, in the summer of 1916, awaiting the call to the Mexican
boundary, and the original captain, M. W. Hingeley was appointed
in his place. First Lieutenant Mork was succeeded in turn by
Clarence March, Theo. G. Olson, Chas. Galles and W. B. Clement.
Second Lieutenant A. C. Dolliff was succeeded in turn by Frank
Theiring, Charles Galles and John Lauterbach.
While at Ft. Snelling awaiting its call to the Mexican service,
the company was constituted as follows: Captain, Myron W.
Hingeley; first lieutenant, W. B. Clement; second lieutenant,
J. W. Lauterbach ; first sergeant, Archie Horr ; quartermaster
sergeant, George Gaedy; sergeant, Oliver E. Steele; sergeant,
William Peavy ; sergeant, Glenn Gold ; sergeant, William Evans ;
sergeant, E. L. Gallea ; cook, Leroy Ewer ; corporals : E. H. Bol-
lum, John Mason, Harre L. Starr, William Carity, B. W. Rice,
Art. Frank Baldwin, H. L. Jordan, Frank Welch, H. F. Warner,
C. A. Lauterbach ; privates : Julian Stensvad, Floyd Jones, W. C.
Morgan, Milo Jones, Harry Flathers, John Mowry, Walter E.
King, Harry Dickson, John Sexton, Loyd Bobsin, Otto Voltz, Irl
H. Starr, William Neal, Sewell Battin, Knute Nielsen, Earl Han-
sen, Robert Fuller, Robert Johnson, Burr Bateman, Charlie Okins,
E. C. Ahrens, Willard Simpson, Roy Kuck, Ira Rogers, Jacob Mc-
Intyre, Bert Marsh, Fred Okens, Joe Wicks, Fay Parish, Claude
Smith, Gideon Dashmer, Chauncy Welch, S. T. Edwards, George
Thayer, Russell Bunch, Fred Ahrens, Leroy McPhee, Ben Everett,
Luvern Schmidt, Frank Hammer, Harold Gray, Howard Hall,
William Arnett, Roy Erickson, Connie Ackman, Albert Howard,
Maurice Jones, C. G. Biggers, Vern Shoemaker, Bill Flathers.
Since then the following changes have been made : Kuck, Chauncy
Welch, Vern Shoemaker, sergeants; E. H. Bollum and Frank
Baldwin, corporals ; Ben Everett and W. C. Morgan. Glenn Gold
is now regimental adjutant. The following have been released
from service : C. A. Lauterbach, Henry Dickson, Harre L. Starr,
George Thayer, Lloyd Bobsin, William Neal, Howard Hall, E. C.
Ahrens. A number of recruits have been added.
1951
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11