July 1990

The Anchor of Our Culture: Perceiving and Preserving the Historic House, Part 1

diValmarana, Mario

In the April 1990 issue of Preservation News, diValmarana defines the term “historic house” as used in America and why and how such structures can and should be preserved.

August 1990

The Anchor of Our Culture: Perceiving and Preserving the Historic House, Part 2

diValmarana, Mario

Continues the survey of historical houses and the importance of preservation.

November 1990

Old Main: From Mankato Normal School to Old Main Village

Palmer, Gail

Traces the history of the school from 1864 to 1988..

Mankato, Buck, Gage, Shaubut, Saulpaugh, Sears, Hyde, Searing, Cooper, McElroy, Crawford, Wilson Campus, Blakeslee, Nickerson, Armstrong, Morris, Moore, Nichols, Lincoln, National Register

December 1990

George W. Cummings: Man of Many Talents and a Few Pranks

Norland, Roger A.

Cummings, born in Vermont, settled in Blue Earth County in 1853 and filled many County offices from 1856 through 1858. In December 1859, he concocted a false story of John Brown’s rescue at Harper’s Ferry, which was printed in the Mankato Record. In 1861, became a sergeant for the Minnesota Sharp Shooters, but after moving to Washington, DC, he criticized its officers. Cummings ended his checkered career as a medical doctor. He left his mark here with the “Cummings Addition to Mankato.”

Civil War, Garden City, County offices, Hanna, Moreland, Roosevelt, Wise, Mankato Independent

January 1991

With Respect to Van Garren

Roberts, Craig

In 1905, the largest funeral ever held at the Sterling Church near the Maple River was for Garren, a former slave who had lived in the area since the Civil War days. “A common man, he learned respect in disrespectful times.”

Martin Luther King Day, Blue Earth City Enterprise, Annis, Gibbs, Welk, Amboy, Sterling Church

February 1991

The Frederick Family History

Roemer, Ted

Two members of this county’s family were honored at the annual Heritage Dinner in 1991. Traces their background and ancestors, and then focuses on this branch and its accomplishments.

Buckstal, Le Ray Township, Kramer, Neubert Construction, Madison Lake, All Saints Catholic Church, Scheid

March 1991

Tale of Two Good Thunders

Palmer, Gail

Seeks to clarify the distinction between the two chiefs of the 1860’s, both of whom were connected with the village of Good Thunder although one was Sioux and the other Winnebago.

Mankato Daily Review, Sibley, Sioux Uprising, Bishop Whipple and Christian Church, Winnebago, Maple River Ford, Wiells Railroad

March 1991

Maud Hart Lovelace

Schuster, Marcia T.

Reprinted from a 1973 Home Magazine article, Schuster gives a complete short summary of the life and career of Mankato’s own illustrious author, whetting the reader’s interest in Hart Lovelace’s famous Betsy-Tacy books.

Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown, Black Angels, Merian, Deep Valley, Ray, Mankato High School, Betsy and the Big World, Betsy-Tacy days

May 1991

Boys in Blue (Minnesota in the Civil War)

Stenzel, Bryce

A brief summary of events leading up to the entrance of Minnesota in the conflict, then looks at local soldiers and battles in which they served.

Anderson, Blue Earth County, Ramsey, Cameron, Cannon, Company I, Company H, 1st Minnesota Infantry, Isaac Sherman, Missionary Ridge

June/July 1991

The Benjamin D. Pay Family

Schultz, Georgia Enfield

Follows the first of the name to settle in Mankato, and the later importance of family members to area business.

Garden City, Pay Candy Company, Ben Pay Hotel, Mary Pay Coughlan, Porter, Pay,” Mary Pay Johnson, Fowler

October 1991

The Mystery of Emerald Green Park

Tabbert, George

Focuses on a Mankato park that flourished at the junction of Willard and Fulton streets in 1908.

Mankato park system, Snow, Common Council, Mankato

November 1991

Old Main: From Mankato Normal School to Old Main Village

Palmer, Gail

Follows the various homes of the teacher training institution from 1868 to 1988 when the final structure, now on the National register, became a retirement community.

Buck, Methodist Episcopal Church, Gage, Shaubut Store, Old Main, Sears, Hyde, Searing, Cooper, Teachers College, McElroy, Crawford, Wilson Campus School, Highland Arena, Blakeslee Stadium, Nickerson, Moore, Upper Campus, National Register

February 1992

Red Jacket Mill and the Red Jacket Bridge

Schrader, Julie

Based on the author’s History of Blue Earth County, traces the grist mill from 1866-1872 and its part in wheat becoming the principal regional industry. Also focuses on the bridge built at the site of the mill in 1911, and the special three-car railroad train at its dedication. Finally, in 1960, the old single lane concrete bridge began to cave in and was replaced.

Le Sueur River, Scott, Harrington, Worden, Winnebago Reservation, Dickison, Hawley, Pearson, Schultz, Taylor, Palmer, Lamm, Snow

April 1992

Carlstrom Family History

Kroke, Jeff

Several members of this immigrant Swedish family followed the construction trade in the Mankato area, erecting many business, school and public office buildings. They also were active in community affairs, and some of their descendents continue in the economic and cultural life of the area.

Heritage Family Dinner, Nelson, Odd Fellows Building, George Carlstrom Sr., Swedish Knighthood, Sebey, Robert W. Carlstrom, Madole, Stemper, Hanson, Eric A. Carlstrom, Anderson, Severson, Sumner Carlstrom, Honeke, Koepper

June 1992

Preserving Your Family Photographs

Kroke, Jeff

Differentiates between three early types of photographs and printing methods, then gives valuable suggestions in caring for both old photographs and modern prints.

daguerreotype, ambrotype, tintype, albumen prints, Photos, cyanotype prints

August 1992

Legend of the Maiden Who Fell in Love With the Morning Star

Enchanting tale of the maiden and the curiosity which was her undoing.

October 1992

Steamboats Frequent on Minnesota River from 1852 to 1868

Taken from a Mankato Free Press article appearing November 11, 1952, this story focuses on the main means of transportation to and from Mankato in the early years.

St. Pierre, C, ST, M&O Railroad, Red Jacket Mills, Favorite, Laura, Le Hillier, Nicollet, Davis

November 1992

The History of Minneopa

Braam, Gene

This script was performed by a Ghosts from the Past cast at Williams Nature Center on October 3-4, 1992. Author researched the subject using Thomas Hughes’s History of Minneopa State Park (1932).

“Minne Inne Nopa,” Dakota, Winnebago, “Mankatosa,” Le Sueur, Lyons, Minneopa Falls, Chief “Red All Over,” Bunker Hill, Herbert, Alden, Garden City, James, Younger, Williams

December 1992

Volunteers Make It Happen At the Society

Craig, Jon

Presents the work done Ken Knutson and other volunteers in processing artifacts for the BECHS Collection. At the time, there were 11,600 artifacts in the collection.

Knutson, Ghosts, Berger, Goodrich, Grundmeier, Hanson, Hopman, Jensen, Maher, Mohr, Ohlenkamp, Oneyh, Schultz, Severson, Votca, Showers, Henry, Wilson

January/

February 1993

Mankato’s New Fire Department

Craig, Jon

Relays information from Fire Chief Ben Bargerter’s History of the Mankato Fire Department and a Mankato Free Press article from April 5, 1960, tracing the early story of local firefighting units from 1860 to 1920.

Hook and Ladder Company #1, Engine Company #1, City Hall, Hubbard Mill, Hose Company #2, Fireman’s Ball, Bangerter

March/April 1993

A Man and His Dream (J.R. Tincom)

Palmer, Gail

J.R. Tincom had a beautiful dream for 240 homes and a city park to be built on his land; it would take 120 years for it to be realized. Palmer has intriguingly traced Tincom’s vision through the years and the people who settled the James Avenue area and helped make it the important part of Mankato that it is today.

Hawley, City Drug, Jacobi, Mankato Free Press Daily, Tincomville, Mankato Review, James Avenue, Byron Street, Lincoln Park 

May/June 1993

Riverside Railway Hub

Braun, Jeffrey

Excerpt from author’s series on the railway industry in Mankato, southern Minnesota’s rail hub.

Union Report, Omaha roundhouse, Hubbard Mill, Chicago & NW Railroad, D,M &E, CS+PM & O, Winona and St. Peter Railway, Milwaukee Road

May/June 1993

Tourtellotte to Immanuel-St. Joseph

Schrader, Julie

Traces the 100-year history of Mankato hospitals that culminated in the first known merger between a community hospital and a Catholic hospital.

Sisters of Sorrowful Mother, Willard, Tourtellotte Hospotal, Kron, Mother Frances Rest Home, roundhouse, Gus Johnson Apartments

July/August 1993

The Horseless Carriage Comes to Mankato

Burns, Bert E.

Focuses on “Mankato’s short life as an automobile manufacturing center,” covering the years 1891-1912. Cites the many local people who had a hand in the rapid growth, then demise, of the area’s motor car industry.

Stanley Steamer, Jensen, Parry, Eckman, Mayer Foundry, Carriage House, Cords Buckley, Barnell, Jaques, Haynes-Apperson, Mayer Special, Huettl, Hodapp, Dedrickson, Theissen, Main Street Hill, Le Sueur Hill, Mankato Free Press, Bennet, Warnecke, Rosenberger, Currier, Hubbard Milling Company, Kato car

September/

October 1993

There’s No Business Like Show Business (Mapleton)

Burns, Inella

For many years, beginning in 1880, the Mapleton Opera house served as a community center for traveling shows, dances, graduations, and especially for performances by local talent. Several amateurs in the opera company, including Flo Hanna, Jack Johnson, and Charles Brown, became professionals. Later the building found many uses before it was finally torn down in 1972.

Griebel, Bierbauer, Sprague, Stevens, Bishop, Plymat, Davis, Keavenery, Gilmore, Giddings, Troendle, Weatherbee, Johnson, Brooks, Moses, Hotaling, McGinley, Schwear Equipment, McGuiggan Garage, Frank Elevator, Rosenquist

September/

October 1993

Summer Daydreaming: Ghosts of the Omaha Road

Braun, Jeffrey

Nostalgic look at venerable trains, some at work and some housed at the Hubbard Mill Yard and the Omaha Roundhouse.  These steam trains, more than forty years old, still “pound the rails” hauling freight and making local passenger runs (as of 1993).

Hubbard Mill, Omaha Tenwheeler, Chicago and Northwestern, Union Depot

November/

December 1993

From Daredevil to Businessman (Glenn Allyn)

Braun, Jeffrey

Colorful turn-of-the century Mankato car dealer is profiled, beginning with his participation in youthful pranks (firing off the curve was common in Lincoln Park, amazing 36 arrests for speeding), then taking him through his years in the auto business where he also raced cars for fun.

Mayer special, Kato cars, Mayor Mayer, E. Watters, Joe Reynolds, Ford dealership, Lewis, Jones, Hopkins, Rosenberger, Williams, beach, Nichole, Murphy, Hammett, Hoerr, Schaus, Clements brothers

January/

February 1994

He Made the Army His Career (George Mead)

Grundmeier, Shirley

Following a brief resume of the life of General George W. Meade, the article traces the life and career of the Colonel W. Mead, from his birth in Ohio in 1845 to his death in Mankato in 1928.

Gen. George G. Meade,  Col. George W. Mead, Garden City, Sioux, Battles of Wood Lake, 9th Minnesota, Mankato Militia, 12th Minnesota Volunteers, Antoinette “Nettie” Cram, Tom Hark family, Tanner, Sloan, First Baptist Church, Pennington, Palmer, Cords

March/April 1994

Past and Present Boomtown – Eagle Lake

Grundmeier, Shirley

Surveys growth of the village of Eagle Lake from its beginnings in 1856 to a total population of 1703 in 1990. Originally five miles east of Mankato, today the “quiet neighborly community” lies less than three miles away.

Shoemaker’s Business Directory, Chicago and NW Railroad., Burgess, Cummins, Speier, Le Ray Township, Mankato Free Press, Point Pleasant, Hilton Hotel, Mankato Public Spirit, Phelps and Allyn, Kelly, Haslep, R.L.Polk’s Directory, Eagle Lake School, Mankato East, Jaycee Women

May/June 1994

The Twilight Garden Club:  31 Years of Service

Friederichs, Michelle Maack

Surveys history of the club from 1963 to 1994, citing flowers and herbs that grow well in the Carriage House garden and were common during Victorian Times. 

Hubbard House, Sibley Park, Meredith, Hoppe, Hemenway, Foudray, Hubbard Milling Company, City of Mankato

July/August 1994

The Wieckings:  As the Twig is Bent

Grundmeier, Shirley

Highlights the lives of this “family of achievers” from father H.R. Wiecking and mother Emma (Kerndt) and their five illustrious offspring.  Daughter Anna, for whom (along with sister Emma) MSU’s Wiecking Center was named, points out how parents and teachers “influence children for good...when some of the ideals that make our country great have been submerged.”

As We Once Were, Burns, Mankato Normal School, Odd Fellows Lodge, Rebekah, Lodge, Eastern Star, YWCA, Zetetic, Saulpaugh Hotel, Court House, Library, Pleasant Grove School, Lovelace, Wells, Woodworth, Children’s House, Upward Bound, Margarita Cigar Factory, Symphony Guild, Helping Children to Be Better Citizens

November/

December 1994

Notes About Farmers and Farm Conditions in Blue Earth County

Boyington, W. W.

Reprinted from July 1923 edition of the Free Press, Boyington interviewed many of the farmers along Routes 41 and 1 during a midsummer drought.  The article paints a vivid picture of lives of various farmers along the two routes, with many names still well known in the area.

Scherer, Day, Route 44, Hood, Church, Naylor, Thomas J. Evans, Nokes, Jones, Rosenburg, Route 1, Williams, Griff Evans, Klingbeck,, Beise, Norman, Smith, Severson, Foster, Fox, Buastian, Queen

January/

February 1995

A Step Back in Time:  Celebrating Lake Crystal’s 125 Years

This edition is dedicated to “all the people who have worked to make Lake Crystal the town it is today.”  Photographs and texts focus on “Early Citizens,” “A Progressive Community,” and “125th Anniversary Events.”

High School, First National Bank, McGuire, Post Office, Davis, Granlund, Christensen, Olson, Hughes, Pritchaud, Crystal Lake, The New Era Steamship, Lake Crystal Union, Neff, Price

March/April 1995

The Dethloff Family

Focuses on the honorees of the 1995 Annual Heritage Family Dinner sponsored by BECHS.  Active in the Amboy area since 1898, the Dethloffs are traced in word and picture through a century of involvement in church and community.

Heritage Family Dinner, Oak Ridge Farm, Amboy, Rueter, Strobel, Shelby Township, Baumgartner, Busse, Amboy Herald, Pleasant View Cemetery, Hoag, Hicks, Boesch, “The Villager,” Amboy History

May/June 1995

The Fountain in the Park

Norland, Roger A.

Mankato’s Lincoln Park once held a memorial fountain surrounded by monuments in memory of Blue Earth County soldiers who served in the Civil War.  Norland gives details of the erection in 1892 and its dedication on Memorial Day, 1893.

Shepard, GAR, Soldier’s Monument, Lincoln Park, Mead, Company F, Sons of Veterans, Concordia Band, Women’s Relief Corps., Wakefield, Pope, Wilkin Post #19, Weaver

July/August 1995

Blue Earth County Fair

Schrader, Julie

Marking the 136th anniversary of the fair, Schrader presents a brief history of words and photos from the Historical Society Collection.

Minneopa House, Garden City, Mankato Fair, Sibley Mound, Continental Can, Agricultural Society, Pleasant Mound and Shelby Townships

July/August 1995

The Circus Comes to Town

Schrader, Julie

Schrader points out that Al Ringling’s help from his uncle, Nicholas Julear in St. Clair was instrumental in the beginnings of the Ringling Brother’s Circus here in 1872.  She also presents some rare area photographs from the 1880’s to 1908 that dealt with the circus and other local gatherings.

Ringling, Julear, St. Clair, Walker, Chambers, Harmonia Hall, Long, Zenopolski, Hall and Barrett Hotel, Wise, Mankato Review, Little Cobb, Winnebago Agency, Miller Ice Company, Minneopa, Point Pleasant, Barclay, Jackson Lake, Sterling Center

October/

November 1995

Fifty Years Well Spent (from her book “As We Once Were”)

Wiecking,

Anna M.

In this excerpt, Wiecking focuses on achievements in Blue Earth County that had changed peoples lives over the years.  She cites the way people earned their living, new industries, transportation and communities, schools and churches, health and recreation.

Hubbard Mill, Seppman Mill, Minneopa Park, Schistag, Normal School, Buck, Methodist Church, Carnegie Library, Whipple, Agnus Dei Window, Saint Peter and Paul’s, Presbyterian, Tourtellotte, Willard, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Immanuel Hospital, McMahan, Dornberg, Welsh, Germans, Scandinavians, Macbeth, Edwards, Andrews, Lovelace, Hughes, Ray, Rose, Mickleson

Summer 1996

Mankato Art History Celebrates Centennial

Burns, Inella

Burns follows the club on a “journey through a hundred years of cultural and social history,” citing examples of civic projects, and political activity, as well as the study of art and artists.

Hunt, Andrews, James, Fox, Evans, Morehart, Taylor, Mankato Free Press, Barney, Foster, Mayflower, Italian Art, Pure Foods Campaign, Comstock, Brandrup, Youngdahl

Fall 1996

Then and Now

Two pages of well-known buildings and areas in Mankato are compared in photographs from 1902 to the present.  They include Carnegie Public Library, Main Street Bridge, Post Office, First National Bank Building, Court House.

Summer 1997

Once Again a Boom Town (Eagle Lake)

Grundmeier, Shirley

Follows the progress of the village from 1856 to present, finding it still a “quiet, neighborly community” although it had grown in population from 350 to 1700 in 1990.

Shoemaker’s Business Directory, Chicago & NW Railroad., Mankato, Burgess, Cummins, Speier, Le Ray, Point Pleasant, Hilton Hotel, Public Spirit, Phelps, Allyn, Kelly, Haslip, Polk’s Directory, School District #77, East High, State Tournament

Summer 1997

First Lime Township Settler Lived Year in Bank House

Franciscus, Frank

German immigrant Matthias Dehumacher and his wife Anna were the township’s first settlers in 1855, living first in an abode made of bark, later in a log house still occupied by family members in 1942.

Schumacher, Bavarra, Keuchler, McGraw, Moses, Boehland, Winnebago Agency

Summer 1997

Beauford Corners

Palmer, Gail

The unoccupied creamery, United Methodist Church, and mailboxes still bearing the names of generations of owners gave evidence of the once-thriving village 12 miles south of Mankato.  Gail Palmer, area rural teacher from 1930’s-1950’s faithfully details its history.

Mapleton, United Methodist Church, Mauer, Morrow, Sellers, Getty, Minkel, Runke, Cramer, Coy, Kreig, Hislop, United Brethren Church, Winnebago Reservation, MacBeth, Frey, Arza, Gatis, Rogers, Child, Findley, Wing, Klimpton, Nitzel, Haberer, Schultz, Husmo, Latovrell, Sherman, Johnson, Ruhncle, Madison, Herzberg

Fall 1997

The Hubbard Family at Home

Burns, Inella

Photographs and text highlights R. D. Hubbard, his wives and children, and the extensive social life they enjoyed in their mansion.

Hubbard House, Tiffany, Cook, Jay, Lundin, Mankato Free Press, Griffith, Episcopal Church, Kate, Esther, Ray, Ervin, Presbyterian, Larson

Winter 1998

Mankato Hard Hit by Raging Blizzard; City Cut Off From Outside World; Trains Held Up (reprinted from Mankato Free Press, January 29, 1909, p.1)

Traces one of the worst blizzards that ever isolated the city, following the day-long rain that isolated the area.  Includes two pages of snow and flood photographs from early 1951.

Milwaukee train, Wells, Great Western train, Omaha road, Chicago & Northwestern, Citizens Company, Front Street, Northwestern Telephone, Kleinschmidt, Andrews, 1951 Flood photos, Coy, Jones, Western Union, Eagle Lake

Spring 1998

Rich History Surrounds Mankato State

Russell, Robert

Using text and photographs, Russell traces the first of the University from 1858 to 1958.

Normal School, Act of 1858, Buck, Winona, St. Cloud, Governor William Marshall, Methodist Church, Gage, Shaubut, Lines, Searing, Cooper, Teachers College, Armory, McElroy, Great Depression, World War II, Crawford

Summer 1998

Parks Offer Recreation in County

Burns, Inella

Over the years, many people and organizations were instrumental in securing and maintaining the ten parks in Blue Earth County that today “meet the area’s recreational needs as well as preserve attractive natural sites” for future generations.

Outdoor Recreation Resources Renew Committee, Hecht, Lake George, Lura Lake, Daly, DNR, Anderson, Duck Lake, Schraml, Bray Park, Douglas, Madison Lake, Williams Nature Center, Sleeper, Perpich, Rapidan, NSP, Eagle Lake, Schimek, Wildwood, Le Sueur River, Vollmer, MAF, Wood, Ford, Cowley, Votca, Marks, Woitas, Scullan

Winter 1999

A Simple Hill Becomes Mankato’s Premier Ski Area

O’Brien, Rich

The history of Skihaven (now Mount Kato) is traced from its humble beginnings in 1937 as Harvey Anderson and his wife Dolly are fondly remembered.

Anderson, Belgrade  James Ave, Indian Lake Road, Skihaven, Dolly Anderson, Mt. Kato

Spring 1999

Tales of School Days Gone By (reprint from “The Land” April 16, 1999)

King, Tim

Description of Tom Melchior’s book They Call Me Teacher: Stories of Minnessota Country School Teachers and Students From 1915 to 1961.  Includes some excerpts from the book.

Melchior, Palmer, Gustafson, Judson

Summer 1999

Mankato DAR Chapter Celebrates 100th Anniversary

Grundmeier, Shirley

A brief history of the Anthony Wayne Chatper, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).  Includes a brief biography of General Anthony Wayne and his service during the Revolutionary War.

Anthony Wayne, Mankato Free Press, Durkee, Wallingford, Glenwood Cemetery, Real Daughter, Severance, Hughes, Pleasant Grove, Benson, Fort Le Hillier, YWCA, Morse, Garden Club, Presbyterian Church, ROTC, Ihrig, Anderson,

Summer 1999

Minnesota River Steamboats

Finnegan, Clarice and Zimmer, Beth

A brief history of steamboating on the Minnesota River from 1850 through 1897.

Steamboats, Anthony Wayne, Nominee, Yankee, Excelsior, Benjamin Franklin, Tiger, Black Hawk, West Newton, Clarion

Fall 1999

East Side, West Side, Public High Schools in Mankato

Grundmeier, Shirley

Closely focuses on the schools from the first log cabin site, through fire, war, and the 10-year campaign for a new school.  Culminates in the construction and early years of a second high school.

West High, East High, Union Square, Fletcher, Union School, Pheasant Grove, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Big Nine, 1941 fire, Rogers, Grundmeier, Memorial Field,  1952 flood, Kennedy, Stockman farm, Dakota Middle, CIM, Scarlets, Cougars