St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-23

Gated about four miles north of Albert Lea,
owned by a town-site committee organized
at St. Paul and Hastings 1t was a hot
fight. but Albert Lea received a majority of
votes partly owing to its beautiful location.
and also 10 the fact that the voters favored
home town-site prOprietors in preference to
nonresident prOprietors. Albert Lea then
commenced to improve. but its prosperity
was in measure retarded by an influence
continually at work to remove the county
seat, which finally eliminated in another
county-seat election in the fall of 1860,
wherein Bancroft and ItaSca Joined forces
TO establish the
COUNTY SEAT
at Itasca. But the voters of the county
again decided for Albert Lea, which for
ever settied the county seat question in
Freeborn county. Still Albert Lea was a
small village and never amounted TO much
till after the close of the Civil war Dur
ing the war it stood still. The fact was the
county furnished more than its quota for
the war; most of the business men Of AL
bert Lea liable 10 do military duty enlisted,
and a good set Of men and soldiers they
proved TO be, and the result was that
Albert Lea furnished more commissioned
officers than any other place of its size in
the entire state. This place never had a
boom. Its growth has been gradual, and
only such as the country tributary 10 il has
demanded. The first railroad touching AL
bert Lea was the Southern Minnesota road,
which was constructed to and past this
place in 1859. The fact that the road was
constructed about fOrty-five miles past this
place the same season it reached here, was
probably good thing for the town, as it
avoided boom and a
PROBABLE INITIATION
of the price Of real estate. which might
have been the case had the road stopped here
for time and might have had damaging
results. The growth of the town has been
healthy and it mas never had TO fall back
and recuperate from boom, as some of the
neighboring towns have been Obliged to do.
From the time the Southern Minnesota
railroad reached the town, Albert Lea made
vigorous strides to prosperity, until il was
Incorporated in 1878. 1t IS now the largest
and most prosperous city in the
southern tier of counties. Its population
by the last census was 3, 367, an increase
of /, 405 since 1880. Ii is the greatest rail-
road center in the southern part OF the
state. 1t is on the Southern Minnesota
division of the Chicago. Milwaukee 81 ST.
Paul railroad, which extends from La
Crosse west through Minnesota and long
way into Dakota, with a branch from
Wells TO Mankato. 1t is the
TERMINUS OF A DIVISION
of the Minneapolis d. ST. Louis railroad,
which extends from Minneapolis. Mimi, to
Des MOines, Ia. and is also the terminus
of a division of the Burlington, Cedar Rap
ids q Northern railroad. which with its
running connection with the Minneapolis
81 St. Louis road constitutes what is known
as the great Albert Lea route Eighteen
express trains arrive and depart from AL
bert Lea daily Except Sunday, and about
thirty freight trains pass through daily,
The postOffice receives and sends out nine
mails six days of each week. There are
five general stores, four exclusive dry
goods stores, eight retail grocery stores. one
wholesale grocery store, which probably
has larger trade than any house in the
state outside of st. Paul or Minneapolis
four drug stores four clothing houses. three
boot and shoe stores, three restaurants,
SEVEN HOTELS,
two livery stables, three wagon shops that
are doing a good business-one OF them
turning out as nice buggies and carriages as
are required by the trade of the city and
surrounding country, one foundry and ma
chine shop, one shop for the manufacture
of plOws, ditching machines and seed
and cookie separators, one gun
shop, two photograph galleries;
also a number of blacksmith shops.
harness shops, shoe shops, cooper shops,
etc, one Touring mill with a capacity of
300 barrels per day, one grist mill, three
lumber yards three school buildings with
fifteen rooms, one female college, nine
church ediiices. The value of improve
ments the last year amounted to S13s, 579,
AN INCREASE
over 1884 of Sl4, S57, although 1885 was
what we call year of ''hard times"
Albert Lea is beautifully located on
Fountain lake, which is surrounded with
native timber. The citizens have been
profuse in planting shade trees,
which, with the natural groves make
it appear like a city in the woods.
There is plenty Of room for capital TO be
invested in manufacturing, and the facili-
ties for shipping in every direction make it
a very desirable point for locating manu-
factories. The place is regarded by visitors
as "a picture leaf in the book of nature"
MENOMONEE.