The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1915-06-03

THE SAUK C
greatest number in Sank Centre is the
st. Paups Catholic Church. The site,
which has always been retained, was
purchased in 1870 for $475, by the
Hon. Joseph Capser, Ferdinand Borg
mann, Joseph Ebensteiner, Henry
Kalkman, George Gruber and An
thony Miller, of which amount Mr..
Capser contributed $500. AS early
as 1864, services were conducted at
the home of Mr.. Capser, the Rev.
Father Matthias officiating. In 1871
their church building was erected.
This building, although before many
years overcrowded, was made to serve
it's purpose until April rs, 1906, when
under the leadership of the Rev. Fa-
Their A. ART, the energetic and indo-
mitable Pensioners completed and
dedicated their present imposing
church edifce, the most costly Of its
kind of any in the city. This min
listers to the needs of the German
speaking congregation.
Another large congregation is that
of the Irish Catholics and is known as
the Church of Our Lady of the
Angels. Their church structure was
raised in 1888. Their first regularly
appointed priest was the Rev. Father
C.. Gamaiche.
Fraterna1 associations have found a
nourishing soil in Sank Centre. The
earliest one was that of the Masonic
order, when Star in the West Lodge
No. 60, A. F. & A. NJ, held under
dispensation it's first meeting on Dec
ember Is, 1866. The officers were:
w. H. Smith, w. M; N. S. Parker, S.
W.; Lucas Kells, J. w. The member
ship was nine. The charter is dated
October %, 1867.
Sank Centre Lodge No. "a, I. o. O..
F., was instituted March 1, 1872, with
five members. The first officers were:
A. M. Stiles, N. g.; S. Beidleman, v.
G.; J. M. Gilman, Secy.; S. A Irish,
Treas. AS the years sped by, other
fraternals were added to the list. Tne
Ancient Order of United Workmen,
the Modern Woodmen, the Catholic
Order of Foresters, the Knights OF
Pythias, the Yeomen, are all repre-
sented at Sank Centre.
In 1872 Andrew J. Smith establish
ed the first bank in Sank Centre. This
was known as the Citizens Bank, and
went out of existence in 1896. In the
year 1880 Solomon Pendergast and
Lucas Kells founded the Bank of Sank
Centre, which afterwards merged Into
the First State Bank of Sank Centre,
now forms one of the strong triumvlr-
ate that supplies the financial neces-
sites of this locality. The other two
are the First National and Merchants
National. The former of these two
was founded in 1884 with Henry Kel-
Ter, president and C. M. Sprague,
cashier. The Merchants National was
organized in 1902, with Henry Keller
president, and A. w. Austin cashier.
In the construction of this bank there
was an eye to the future, and the re-
salt is that bank building was erect
ed which will remain unsurpassed I'M
til the city is several times its pres
ent size. James A. Caughren is now
it's president, and A. F. Strebel its
cashier.
Directly after the close of the In
dian outbreak there located at Sank
Centre a gentleman whose lot hence
forth was so enWrapped in the affec-
tons and interests of the people Of
the entire region that he left behind
him monument more durable than
bronze or marble. Although now for
thirty-three years his labors on earth
have ceased, and many of the old set
tiers to whose needs he so faithfully
ministered have gone into the silence
with him, such was the reputation
he established that their children
still mention his name with peculiar
fondness and reverence. This was
DR.. Benjamin R. Palmer, the first
regularly qualified physician in Sank
Centre. DIR. Palmer was cultured and
possessed a fine medical education, a
portion of which he had received in
Paris. He was a native of Pennsyl-
vania. A victim of pulmonary hem
orrhages and forced to leave his home
climate, he came to Minnesota and it's
invigorating atmosphere. Nor did he
seek what in his day would correspond
to the idle isolation of the modern
sanitorium, incapable as it is of being
separated from a morbid tendency to
self-inspection which itself is I'M
healthful. He went directly to the
frontier and plunged into the arduous
duties, hardships and even perils that
characterize the labor of one of his
e