The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-03-11

sonal property at public auction
and moved to Sank Centre, where
they now live. They still have their
farm and are renting it out. Grand
mother and Grandfather still have
to look after the affairs concerning
the farm and buildings, but they feel
relieved that they do not have to run
it and work there themselves any
more for they are now quite old and
quite worn out. They like, however,
to talk of the bygone days and of
certain happenings then. Grand
father especially loves to tell the
story of his trip to the Black Hills
and the Indian terrors on the way.
The farm has changed greatly
now. A bridge has been built across
the river and roads cut through.
Most of the woods is gone, but here
and there a few patches remain.
Along the river bank, too, some woods
is left. The trees, however, are small
and there is much underbrush.
Some of the hills which before were
covered with heavy forest are now
bare. The river is more shallow; and
the lake too has gone down, SO that
in one place there is a piece of
swampy looking land reaching from
the drive to the lake.
Alpha Lying.
Sank Centre Senior High School,
Sank Centre, Mimi.
a.
The Beginnings of My Community
The last thing that / remember
was sitting in the Lobrary looking up
the history of Sank Centre. ALI at
once the room was full of misty
light; and a wonderful voice said !:
"I am the Muse of History. l will
help YOU" She waved her wand. The
Library was gone. The whole town
was gone-even the railroads, the
telegraph and the telephone poles.
The bridges and even the roads were
gone.
was standing in an open space.
To the north, east, and west,
stretched the great forest To the
south lay the fair virgin prairie, un-
touched by man. Between prairie
and woods ran beautiful river with
grassy meadows on either side. /
walked with the Muse of History
along this river, and Romance walk
ed with us. She showed me the wild
beauty of meadow and woods, in
winter and summer the home of fur
bearing animals, and the river full
of fish. The tinid deer were graz
ing in the woods, and the birds sing
ing and nesting in the trees. There
were little birch bark canoes on the
river, and the wigwams on the bank
the happy home of the Indians.
This was in 1855. :,
History waved her wand; 1t was
1856. l saw seven people. Inc
Townsite Company, led by Alexander
Moore, coming and building the first
house built here by white man, on
the bluff of the river.
The next year Moore and Jacques
built house on the bank of the river
and proceeded to build dam. The
following spring, their house and
dam was washed down the river by
the rush of water. Then in 1860 the
dam was rebuilt and saw mill built
to convert the beautiful forest into
much needed lumber. Then L saw
Jesse Draper's blacksmith shop, and
a pest office established and run by
S. M. Bruce.
The first rural school in Sank
Centre, district No 25, was taught IN
1860. For a time the school was SIT
uated on the southeast quarter OF the
south east quarter of section No. 26.
In 1869 the first independent school
district was organized. Romance
took me inside the first school house,
and oh! how different from the proud
Sank Centre High School of today.
The rough hewn building. The long
board seats and long desks in front,
seating ten to fifteen pupils. Where,
oh where, were the text books and
equipment?
We then visited the first store. 1t
was opened by Pendergast and Fish
in 1861, but this was outside the vii
|lage limits. A little later Joseph Cap
sar established the first store inside
the city limits. 1t was small frame
building, not at all imposing on the
outside, but oh! the wonders of the
linside-the gorgeous array of calico
and percale, the bright new hardware,
and the shelves of groceries. Ro-
nance said, ''This place is very dear
20 our people. Here they meet and
exchange ideas, tell their joys and
sorrows, and all the latest news from
back home" We then looked into the
first hotel built by N. Adley in 1868
Next we went to the famous old gris1
mill, built the same year, containing
two sets of burrs "You can't mag.
inc how much this means to our PEG
ple," the muse said, as we stood by
the side of Alexander Moore's new
store, on the corner of what is now
Main and Third Streets.
History then turned my attention
to the Indians, who, becoming alarm.
ed as they saw the rapid advance Of
the white men, made terrible raio
in 1863. I then saw our people has.
tily build the famous old Stockade
around their store and military post
It was made of tamarack poles driver
in the ground, about fifteen feet
high, and three poles thick
The Muse started. She said. Ell
| is July 8, 1868. / must away. Vicks-
burg is fallen. Gettysburg is won.
Hope for the south is dead"
Two years seemed to pass. The
war ended. Then the real growth OF
| the town began. People of all ma
| tionalities came in and settled. In