Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-06-21
become large town, won out in thi
contest.

contest.
Mr.. G.. w. Olney, father of Frank
Olney, county attorney of Swift county,
was one of the leading pioneers of the
village who was especially interested
in its future prosperity. He built a
store and hotel combined, which was
utilized for short time for county
purposes. When the county seat fight
was on between Willmar and Kandi-
yohi he took a leading part in it. His
property was destroyed by fire soon
after Kandiy obi lost the county seat.
The first term of court held in the
county occurred at Kandiyohi station
before the county seat was moved to
Willmar. Judge anderburg presided
and the principal case on the calendar
was the trial of the murderer (Couey),
who shot Mr.. Vision, of Granite Falls,
on the prairie just east of Raymond.
James Matson was the pioneer mer-
chant of Kandiyohi, and others who
kept stores in an early day were
Croker, Benburen Bros. and A. N.
Ecklund. Mr.. Ecklund sold his prop
erty to Mr.. Flanders, who afterwards
entered into partnership with Mr..
Thorson. Mr.. Flanders, besides look
ing after the store, did considerable
business in wheat buying and built the
east end elevator. The store is now
| the property of Mr.. John Lundquist.
Down at the east end of the town
Shoberg & Peterson started store.
When Mr.. Shoberg closed out his
business at Kandiyohi the firm assum-
ed the name of Peterson Bros, who,
with Mr.. Dennis O'Brien, carried on a
large business as grain merchants.
Sanderson Bros. now conduct the
store, and in connection with gen.
eral stock of merchandise, carry
large line of farm implements.
The first blacksmith to locate in the
village was Frenchman named Pru-
schitt, who started up in business at
the time OF the founding of the town.
Mr.. Thorson also opened blacksmith
shop, which he disposed of when he
entered into the mercantile business
with Mr.. Flanders. This blacksmith
shop is now owned by the Krona Bros.
A third blacksmith shop was owned by
Mr.. Shoberg, who later entered into
the mercantile trade and is now a
business man in st. Paul.
Kandiyoh1 station in those early
days boosted of saloon, a hotel and
printing Office. The hotel was kept
by Mr.. Conkling, and after him, along
in the eighties, Mr.. Maloney was it's
landlord for several years.
The paper was edited by Mr.: Clark
and was called, if we are not mistaken,
the Kandiyohi Reveille. Hon. L. O.
Thorpe, we are informed, was an
apprentice in the office-one of
the first jobs he struck after arriving
in this country:
Among the first to locate in Kandi-
yOhl was Mr.. George MacLaughlin,
who was the pioneer man in the county
to deal in farm machinery. Others
who settled at the "Station," but were
not among the pioneers, were Charles
Dudley, who engaged in the cattle
business; Mr.. Fuller, an elderly gen.
tleman, who for a number of years
kept the only boarding house and
hotel. He recently died at the ad-
vanced age of over 100 years. Then
comes John Burns and and family,
who have been principally engaged in
farming; the Stanford brothers, now
prosperous farmers living near the
Station" but who at that time fur
nished the country with brooms of
their own make; Mr.. Matson and Mr..
Anderson, who have been in the en-
plOy of the Great Northern railroad
for over twenty years.