The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-06-02

" shop. Three boot and shoe maker
" One meat market. One photogral
gallery. Five blacksmith and repa
, shops. One lumber yard. Or
Il livery and sale stable. One veteril
= airy surgeon. Several dealers in a.
II ricultural machinery, besides COZ
It tractors, builders, carpenters, ston
It and brick masons, plastcrcrs, ct,
e The American Express Co. and Wes
II crn Union Telegraph Co. each hay
Offices here also. Beside the bus
ness houses YOU will here see tn
\ largest number of fine residences an
beautiful lawns that can be seen i
| any small village in the West dwell
. ingS not built with eastern none
for purposes of speculation, but bull
: with money made in legitimate bust
ness here, and built To live in an,
enjoy.
Listen to the conversation of trav
elerS rs they pass through on thu
lightning trains and YOU will hea
the remark on every side. "what ;
delightlul,little village"
Good Thunder.
Lyra township was organized Il,
Il township in 1866. with register
of eleven voters ut the first annual
election. This township was for
merly part of the Winnchago In
dian reservation until the general
government removed the Indians
in 1868, and opened the lands for
sale by sealed bids. In Il few weeks
actual settlers and spectators had
bought every foot of land in the
six townships, comprising the orig
inal reservation. This tract of land
has always been considered the
garden of Minnesota" the prairiies
being from two to four miles i'm
width, from stream to stream.
Lyra is watered by the Blue Earth
river on the west line, and the Ma
pie river runs through the central
portion, and the Cobb river nearly
touches the northeast corner of the
township. These streams are
skirted with nice timber, SO that
each farm is supplied with abun-
dance of fuel and timber for a life
time. while innumerable stone
quarries crop out of their banks at
short intervals apart. The timber
consists of hard maple, oak, wal
nut. elm, cottonwood and bass
wood. 1t was beside the the Maple
river that Good Thunder chose the |
site for his Indian village and dwelt
until removed in 1863. He always
held friendly relations with the set
tiers, and during the dark days of
1S62-63. while the murderous Sioux
We're massacreing and pillaging the
settlements he kept his young war
riors under restraint. and lent his
aid and counsel to those who were
fleeing for their lives. His many
acts of kindness endeared him to
settlers.
In 1870 the Central railroad of
surveyed and located
their line through the township of
Lyra. and Immediately thereafter
plated IA township of eighty acres,
which was named Good Thunder,
Git being on the same site occupied
by the old chief and his band. but /
owing to financial embarrassments
the road was not completed until |
the fall of 1915, since which time
quite ii lively village has sprung up
The business consists of two hotels.
four general stocks of merchandise,
two groceries. one hardware. two
shoe stores, one drug, one millinery
and notion, two saloons, one har-
ness shop, two blacksmith and one
wagon shop, one steam saw mill,
six grain warehouses, capacity
of 80, 900 bushels, shipping annually
100000 bushels of grain, three
churches, Lutheran, Catholic and
Baptist, and Il graded school. The
population of the township of Lyra
is 1000, of the village 200. The
location of the village is one of the
finest agricultural districts of the
county, and promises some day to
develop itself into one of the best
markets for cereals and stock, as the
soil around is rich black loom,
with clay subsoil, prairie rolling,
and grass abundant. Wheat, corn
and oats, flax and barley, sugar
cane, fruits, vegetables, etc, etc,
cannot be excelled by any country.
1t is sheltered in winter from pelt-
ing storms by the timber. Price of
timber from $40 to $40 per acre
prairie from $40 to S15 per acre !;
while improved farms, fenced, all
in good state of cultivation, i'll
Guiding buildings, can be bought
for SIS to S25 per acre, according
to locality, within three to five
miles of depot. TO men of capital
the village of Good Thunder is adj
mirably located for steam grist
mill, WOODEN ware mandatory, pa
per mill, flax and tow mill, wagon
mandatory, sugar refinery, cheese
factory and creameries-the latter
is being worked up this season.
Hands must double in price in
short time.
The aforesaid rivers have a num-
Der of good water powers unim-
proved, which might be utilized at
a small expense, to drive any