The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1937-06-03

it being the only one in the Min
neSota valley west of New Ulm.
He brought the lumber up the
river on boats. He also was a sur
veyor and county school super
intendent and I visited many
times at their home as guest of
his daughter Alice, now Mrs.
Robert Soaring of Mankato. Their
home was just across the street
west from the Christensen home.
My chum of Sleepy Eye visited
Virginia Huntington.
We should also mention the
milling industry. From the picture
shown there had evidently been
a government grist mill, but in
1868 John Warden built mill a
short distance above the falls,
later man named Rutten was a
partner and it was he who built
the home across north from the
falls and which later became the
o. B. Turrell home. MIR. Turrell
became an extensive land owner
here Downing at one time $4,000
acres) and he also was banker
later.
This mill was later sold to
MIR. Sorlein; then to the Hemerd-
niger brothers of Golden Gate
whose father was a miller there
and an old settler. They sold to
A. c. Burmeister who ran it for
many years, making many i'm
provements. Here are two pic
lures of this mill, one taken quite
early and the other after the
electric light plant was started, it
being at first attached to the mill.
E. Cuff who had been a miller in
England and later in Milwaukee
built mill here in 1878. This,
too, is gone. The Bruins mill
was built the same year on the
site of the old Even Birum saw
mill at North Redwood which
had been built in 1868.
G. P. Whitcomb built an eleva-
tor 100000 bushels) in 1879 and
the Vandusens a large one here
the same year, so we find this was
a big wheat country.
The Chicago and North West
ern railway was built west from
Sleepy Eye in '72 and '73 crossing
the south part of county and
much lumber and various sup
plies were then hauled across
from Springfield on the old trial.
My parents had come up from
their farm west of Golden Gate
to Shutdown township in IA in or
der to raise stock during the
grasshopper scourge and I was
born there and later in 1873 in
January my father died from the
effects of the hardships during the
war and then we moved back to
the home bought in Golden Gate
where my brother and 1 spent our
happy childhood days. The school
house still stands just across
north from the old mill pond.
The Chicago q Northwestern
built the branch to here in 1878
and the st. Louis the road thr-
ough North Redwood about the
same time and small towns were
started which took some trade
from Redwood Falls but still the
town continued to grow.
The first paper had been edited
March %, 1866 by Colonel Nc
Phail but only for one issue as it
was distributed to advertise the
advantages of this county to set
tiers. The first genuine newspap-
er was 'The Redwood Falls Mail"
which started publication Sep
TENDER Is, 1869 and it was pur-
chased later in April, 1873 by
William Herriott and name chan
ged to Redwood Gazette" which
name it has since borne. In 1880
James Aitkin bought it. The
Redwood Reveille" was started
in 1885 and name changed when
w. G. Starr took over the paper
to the Redwood County Sum"
The first drug store was started
by DR.. Hitchcock and was later
carried on by his son H. M. for a
great many years. DIR. Hitchcock
was the first doctor here and DIR.
William Finn the second, both of
whom did a great deal for the
people of this community. DR..
Tom Finn is son of the early
doctor. DR.. Knapp was also an
early doctor in this part of the
county, later settling at Fairfax
and my brother, the late DR.. w.
P. Lee became associated with
him after graduating from med
ical college at the University of
Minnesota at the age of 81. He