The Redwood gazette., 1935-02-07
Riverside Was Once ThriVing Community,
Tiger Lake Named for Stranded Steamer,
Other Recollections Of Early Day Pioneers

the Minnesota river, The Tiger,
was swept across a sand bar int
shallow water. Unable to get tn
boat back into the main stream, j
was left there. It's rotting tim
bers finally disappearing. TIL
lake was given the name "Tiger'
in honor of the ship which foun,
q watery grave in this body o
water.
Previous to the electric light sy
stem which was installed in 189'
by A. C. Burmeister, various
schemes were resorted to for fur
nishing light in the growing com
munity. The early forms Of ligh
ing consisted Of tallow candles
which were made from molds b,
the early residents of Redwood
village. Later came the oil light.
and finally the electrical power
station which serves the city to.
day.
Schools Mark Towns Progress
In its early days, Redwood Falls
then thriving village, started the
nucleus of what today is recogniz.
ed as one of the best school sys-
TENS in Minnesota. The first
school of Redwood Falls was es-
tabiished inside the stockade
which stood where the present
Christian church now stands on
the corner of Third and jefferson
streets. It's first teacher was JUL
ia A. Williams who originally
came from LIE Sueur, Minnesota.
This was during the fall and win
ter of 1864. Her pupils at that ear
ly date were the children of the
Thompson, the Fosgate and the
McPhail families. Martha Wat
son, later Mrs. Martha Webster.
followed Miss Williams as teacher,
and small additional school
house was erected by the village
in 1866 just west of the present
garage on Second street. Other
early teachers of Redwood Falls
were Miss Eta Tippery, Edward
March and Colonel Chandler. In
1869 school house was erected
at the corner of Chestnut and JEFF
ferson streets. A Mr.. Kaufman
and his sister, Miss Kaufman
were in charge of this school un.
til 1873, more pupils were added
which necessitated the enlarging
of educational facilities in the
growing village and the old ware.
house which belonged to Mr.
Crump, an early day settler of the
city, was secured for additiona
room. On this spot the Dream
Theatre now stands.
Other Early Day Happenings
During the winter of 1864-6s
the inhabitants of the stockade
which marks the village site o1
the present city had no medica
protection and most of the sicl
were treated by home methods
and deaths owing to the absence
of skilled medical advice were fire.
quent among the early settlers
The nearest doctor was located
at Fort Ridgely, where surgeon
of the U. S. Army was stationed.
In the fall of 1865, DIR. D. L.
Hitchcock, a travelling medico ar
rived at the stockade with his
family. There was great rejoic-
ing among the residents as the ar
rival of this doctor gave them the
assurance that they would have
skilled medical care from then on.
DR.. Hitchcock was followed by
DIR. w. d. Finn. A son of DIR.
Finn, DIR. t. E. Finn now is
engaged in the medical profession
in Redwood Falls. DIR. Finn and
DR.. Hitchcock pooled their resour-
ces and the stockade inhabitants
had the services of expert men in
the medical line. Sickness fell off
and the health of the little COM
munity gained rapidly. A story is
told of how DIR. Hitchcock, during
the bad winter of 1866, raced on
horseback, like a Paul Revere,
through the dead of the night TO
deliver the child of q woman pion-
eer who was stricken on the trail.
Az the risk of his life from roam
ing Indian bands who infested this
region at that time, the brave doc
tor brought the new citizen into
the world and succeeded in bring
ing the mother and baby within
the protecting walls of the stout
stockade.
One of the most thrilling adven-
lures of DR.. Hitchcock occurred
during the blizzard of 1878, wher
snow several feet in depth covered
most of Minnesota. A man neal
Wood Lake had his feet frozer
and immediate amputation wa'
necessary. DR.. Hitchcock accom-
panied by DIR. Finn set out from
the stockade across the frozer