The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-12-10
The Oldest Man in Mankato
Will Celebrate His Birthday
From Wednesdays Daily.

so you will celebrate your ninety
fourth birthday this week Thursday"
said a friend inquiringly to Fred
Boegen yesterday afternoon, as he
sat In the sunny window of HIS old
home on Fifth street.
yes, IL live until then" replied
Mr.. Boegen. And as he is very hale
and hearty for his years there seems
to be no fear but what he will pass
his ninety-fourth milestone in safety,
and possibly many more milestones
In years to come.
Mr.. Boegen is known as the oldest
man in Mankato, and has lived in
the same house on Fifth street since
the fourth of July I'm 1857. He erect
ed the first windmill In the city, in
the very block in which he now lives,
and built the very first saw mill in
Mankato, way back in SO, the build
ing being located on Mulberry steet.
Later he erected nice brick saw
mill on Fifth street, next door to the
house in which he now lives, and
this building is still standing in a
very good state of preservation. The
country surrounding Mankato was
all timber land in those days, and
Mr.. Boegen continued to operate his
saw min for twenty years, or until
1870, when the logs gave out.
According to Mr., Boegen there is
one thing i'm Mankato which Is not
placed just where it should be. and
that is the monument which was
erected to mark the spot where the
hi fohE
hanged. Mr.. Boegen helped build the
Crame on which the Indians died,
and he states that the spot where
this wholesale and justif1able hang
ing occurred was ninety feet south of
the place on which the marker
stands, or on the north corner of
Front and Main streets, directly
across from Kron's Leader store. The
old steamboat landing was situated
where the Indian marker is now
The Minnesota river has undergone
many changes, and in 1858, when
the water was at It's highest, the
river was raging over the place where
the depots now stand.
Mr.. Boegen was born December 8,
1921, In the Province OF Nuremberg.
Belgium, In the town of Lottert, a
little village of forty houses. which
has since then degenerated into
much less that number. When twelve
years OF age his father secured him a
position taking care of horses He
worked for SO year, and his board
The working hours numbered eighteen
each day, summer or winter. The
cause Of the very low wages was the
hard times left by the war of Ma
poleon. In one years time Mr.. Boe-
gen spent only twenty cents of his
wages. He was then I'm his thirteenth
year. He never had any opportunity
to obtain an education, as there were
no schools in Belgium, About 1880,
some schools were started, but the
age was limited to twelve years, and
he was beyond school age. However
he taught himself many things, and
learned to read and talk English,
French. and German, well enough to
transact his business. ..t
In the month of May, 1851. Mr.. Boo
gen and five young men from his ma
tive village. decided to come to Amer
lea to seek their fortune, as sthere
we're too many people in Belgium for
anyone to make living. The war OF
Napoleon had left the country I'm an
impoverished state one hundred years
ago, the same as 1t Is doing today, and
the people were very poor. The six
young men from Lottert came straight
to Canton. Ohio. where they settled.
Mr.. Boegen helped build the frat ma
chine shop IN Canton. On October "a,
1854, he was married in Seneca county,
Ohio, and lived in Canton. until the
machine shop burned down in 1855,
after which he and his, wife went to
Tiffin, Ohio, to live. In 1867 Mr.. and
Mrs. Boegen and their eldest son, to-
gether with the families of Mr.. and
Mrs. Michael Wagner, Mr. and Mrs.
John Zera, Mr.. and Mrs. Hoifer. Mr..
and Mrs. Henry Boegen, and John
Wagner, emigrated to Mankato, and
landed In the town upon, the spot
where The city hall now stands. Those
were the days when old Stephen
Lamm kept a grocery and dry goods
store. and cold Man Kron" was pro-
prietor of the Minnesota House"
Mr. and Mrs. Boegen boarded with
Landlord izenrach, who was killed by
the Indians during the big uprising.
Remembrance of those dread days
Is very vivid in Mr.. Boegen's mind
Before the outbreak the Winnebago
Indians were very friendly and called
at the Boegen hofae every day. the
agency being at ST Clair. and the In
dian land extending to within a,ifew
miles OF Mr.. Boegen's home, When
raids BY the Indians were hourly ex-
rected and the terrified people were
gathered together in the houses like
sheep, not knowing from which direc-