The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1913-08-05
Items of Interest
In Early Days of
Redwood County
Famous New Ulm" Cases Graphical
ly Described By Well-Known
Historian
COUNTY ORGANIZED IN 1866
Following "reminiscences of Indian
Days A Continuation of Ridge
ly Tragedies"
COUNTY ORGANIZED IN 1866
(By julius A. Schmahl)

1t was only year or two after the
massacre of 1862, when the Indians
raided up and down the Minnesota
valley for the last time, that the citi-
zens of Redwood Falls, Brown county,
with a view to the formation of a new
county, held an election in the stock
ade, which they had constructed as
means of defense against any possible
Indian troubles, on the site now occu-
pied by the Granite Block and ada
cent property.
At that election most of the officers
customary in counties were elected.
The clerk of court and judge of pro-
bate alone were missing from the list,
and that with good reason, as no clerk
of court could be required when there
was no court, and no judge of probate
was needed when no estate existed of
the living or dead.
John S. G.. Homer, afterwards
prominent political figure, and for
whom the town of Homer was named,
j. R. Thompson, whose name is in
volved in many proceedings of lis PEN
dens, and O.. C. Martin, who after
wards became the first farmer of the
township, all three of whom have long
since passed away, were the commits
sioners elected. I. w. Caster was
elected auditor, j. S. G. Homer also
had an additional honor of being elect
ed register, Jacob Tippery, treasurer,
u, r. Thompson, sheriff. The action
was premature and illegal, but the
legislature of 1866 legalized the little
political game and Redwood county
came into being.
The fall following the legalizing by
the legislature permanent officers
were elected with O. C. Martin, Hugh
Curry and John Winters as commits
sioners, Edward March as auditor, l..
NJ. Baker register of deeds, Jacob Tip
perry as treasurer, Birney Flynn as
clerk of court, Samuel McPhail as
judge of probate and county attorney
and Norman Webster as sheriff Ev-
cry one of these gentlemen has been
called into the other world
1t was at the election in the fall of
1865 that Redwood Falls was made
the county seat. Previous to the cree
ton of the county buildings, courts
were held in the rooms over Capt.
Louis Roberts store, or Indian trading
station, just back of where the Gran
lite Block now stands. The county of
fees were for long time kept at the
houses of the persons elected to fill
the different positions.
Incidents in Early History
The store of Louis Roberts brings
to the recollection of the writer some
of the earlier incidents of Redwood
Falls, as they were afterwards told
me by people who were identified with
the incidents. The first school was
held within the stockade during the
winter of 1S64-1S65, Miss Julia A.
Williams of Minnesota Lake being the
teacher, and log school house was
built in December of 1865 But it was
during February of 1866 that Capt.
Louis Roberts stock of goods arrived
at Redwood Falls, and on Feb. 10th,
of that year, the day that the store
doors were formally thrown open,
Miss Williams was the first caller and
the first purchaser, buying ten yards
of calico at 60 cents per yard, and lay
ing down Sc in hard cash for the pur-
chase. / wonder what patrons of
Redwood Falls stores of today would
think if they were obliged to come
across with that amount for that
yardage.
But the old store building brings to
me other and more vivid recollections,
recounted by historians and actual
personal experience. 1t was on the
second floor that the first term of the
district court for the county was ever
held.
1t was special term, beginning on
June Is, 1867, and continued in ses-
sion for seven days, and it was while
/ was trying to help out a fellow at
torney in criminal case that my eyes
rested on that celebrated case of the
State of Minnesota VS.. John Gut, COM
mencing on page 315 of the 18th Min
nesota Reports, that the story of this
term was again recalled to my mind