The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-01-01
An Account of the Immense
Business of our Manufact-
uring Institutions Dur
ing the Past Twelve
Months.
A List of New Buildings and I'm
pr0vements with Some Remarks
as to the Outlook for the Com
ing Year.

i Inc iuCISdScu prosperity
that has been showered
upon the nation during the last half
of the year, in consequence OF the
large crop, has been felt here and the
pulse of trade has been stronger than
for months previous. There has been
a great deal done in the line of i'm
provement during the past year, and
while the total amount expended in
the city will not reach the sum ex-
pended in some former years, it rep
resents more solid growth in the res
idence portion of the city. The fall
ing off from figures of former years, is
due almost entirely to the absence OF
extensive public or semi-public i'm
provements. Taking out the public
school building at $4,000, and the
Cassidy Packing Co.'S works at $25, 900,
and the greater share of the balance
represents Improvements made, OF
new buildings erected outside of the
business portion of the town. The
many Improvements upon residence
property, and the erection of many
new homes, the majority of which are
of moderate cost, denotes degree OF
prosperity equal to that OF any year
the city has ever experienced. 1t in
dicates that wages have been good
and work plenty, for the greater share
Of those new homes have been erected
by the laboring classes. No better
evidence is wanted of the prosperous
condition of the city, than the mere
fact that its working men are secur-
ing homes of their own. 1t also as
sures a contented spirit among the
people that cannot be secured in any
other manner.
While there has been an absence of
large deals in real estate, that has
characterized some former years, yet
the movement has been healthy
one, and gives evidence of an increa-
ed desire upon the part of our citizens
to own their own homes.
The outlook for 1892, is of
most encouraging nature, and
in this connection we might say that
the great need of our city is for more
tenement houses of moderate cost,
that would rent at from SIS to $25 per
month There has been a great de-
mand for houses during the past few
months, and many have been unable
to secure such as they wanted. We
believe that if fifty or one hundred
such houses could be erected next
season they would all be occupied be-
fore the closing in of winter, and give
good returns upon the investment.
The public Improvements by the
city will reach nearly $4,000 which
has been expended in the extension of
the sewage system, water mains, grad
ing streets, putting in curbs and gut
tiers, and improvements at city hall.
The extension of the sewage system
and water mains place the city in
gOOu shape III GndU llue.
In the matter of sidewalks, more
have been laid this year than ever
before, and of a very substantial ma
ture. Many of our business men have
put in walks of sawed stone in front
of their business places, and the same
has been done in many parts of the
residence portion, until now the city
is well supplied with walks.
Another evidence of the prosperity
that has settled upon our city is the in
creased amount of shipping done here.
We are unable to give the aggregate
amount in carloads, but are informed
by railroad men that it will exceed
the amount of former years, in both
outgoing and incoming freights.
The life of town depends largely,
if not entirely, upon its manufacture
ing interests. Mankato has already
a good start in this direction, and has
some thriving industries located in it's
midst, as will be seen by the brief re-
view of them below. The past year
has been busy one and the new year
holds out still brighter promises.
Their combined wage roll is large
one, and forms the foundation for our
prosperous mercantile trade. The
following will give an idea of what
our industries are doing:
r. d. HUBBARD'S MILL.
This mill is furnished with the best
modern machinery that could be Sc
cured, and with its reputation fol-
turning out the finest qualities OF