The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-05-26

81 school, sIistficss bad increased q b
and thorough attempt was made, t
systematic the work and improve tht
teaching force of the county, among
which there was hardly first grade
teacher in the rural districts and more
holding third than second grade Ger
tifcates. In Redwood Falls, hide
pendent District No. has q thorough
ly graded and high school system
with twelve teachers, library Of Loo
volumes, necessary apparatus for the
elaboration of the sciences, and an en-
rollment of 500 pupils. There are
now seven graded schools with one OF
more departments; IS school districts
with lO3 school buildings, nearly all
of which are comfortable and well
furnished.
Over 1000 pupils are enrolled and
126 teachers, of which 40 hold first
grade certificates or Normal diplomas,
are employed. Only seven third grade
licenses are in force (lS98). Sixty dis
tricts are supplied with libraries. rang
ing in value from 60 to 100; ninty per
cent. of the districts supply text books
to pupils free of expense. S. j. Race,
the present very efficient superintend-
ent, has held the Office since 1886.
The government built saw mill at
the falls of the Redwood in 1856, the
race for which was blasted out of the
granite forming the ledge of the falls,
for the purpose of supplying lumber
for houses to be built for the Indians.
b. G. Pomeroy, now living in the town
of Underwood, assisted in building
the mill; later, during or after the
outbreak, it was entirely dismantled
and all the machinery carried away,
presumably not by the Sioux. The
building, however, remained and was
refitted and put in order in 1866 by
McPhail, Martin and Thompson and
cut the lumber for all the frame build
ings at first erected in the vicinity,
and was, at the time, the most import
ant and, if the report of charge of
SIG thousand for saving is true, the
most profitable industry above New
Ulm. Another saw mill was built by
Ener and Andrew Birum in 1869 on
the Redwood, about half mile above
it's confluence with the Minnesota,
which, with an abundance of native
timber near at hand and constantly
increasing demand, as in the case of
the mill at the falls, proved both a
necessary and profitable venture.
The first grist mill in the county,
now called Redwood Roller Mills, was
built in 1863 by Park Worden and S.
j. F. Ruter, just above the falls of the
Redwood, with two run of stone and
room for two run additional. The mill
has since been changed to the roller
system and supplied with modern fa-
cilities and appliances, with a oapaci-
ty Of Is barrels of -four a day. The
present owner is A. g, Burmeister. A.
NJ. Cook and sons built the Delhi mill,
with three run of stone, in 1869, on
the river above the latter and at the
crossing of the Redwood river by the
old territorial road. This mill was
owned later by w. E. Baker and Jas.
Mcmillan and later still by O. w. Nc
MILAN & Co. 1t was destroyed by
fire in 1896.
Bridge building was inaugurated in
the county by the legislature of 1871,
which passed an act appropriating
$1,000 for the construction of a Howe
truss bridge across the Redwood at
the Dalles; the bridge was entirely OF
wood. This bill was introduced by
Hon. j. S. G.. Homer, representative,
and was passed only after hard fight.
The amount was the first considerable
sum appropriated from the internal
improvement fund created by the five
per cent. given the State on sales of
government lands. The bridge was
replaced some years ago by an iron
combination. structure on more
modern plan.
The early settlement of the county
was greatly retarded by the withdraw
al from the operation of the home
stead law of a large body of land for g
railroad bonus, equal to one-half in
most townships; the location of con.
siderable tracts of the University and
Internal improvement grants within
it's limits and the sale of large part