Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-09-14
By REV. A. E. MCLEAN, Markville

BY REV. A. E. MCLEAN, Markville.
Twenty-Five years ago the Askov
American began its service in Pine
county, and to those who have wit
messed its growth, the quality of it's
news columns, its thought provoking
editorials. the fine freedom allowed
to those who had opinions they wished
to get before the public, and its wide
usefulness as an advertising medium,
its history has been noting less than
marvellous. l am glad of the OPP
portunity to offer my congratula-
tons and express my sincere wish
for even greater success and larger
usefulness in the years ahead.
Naturally, my remarks having to
do with the past rs years will deal
largely with eastern Pine county,
inasmuch as l have been a resident
of Markville off and on for nearly
that length of time, having come
here in 1915. With only very poor
dirt road connecting us with Sand
stone, the nearest point in the county,
my knowledge of county affairs was
rather limited. Roads in eastern Pine
county at that time were largely
non-existent. The main industry was
timbering. Pulp wood camps and
saw mills were more frequent than
farms What farmers then lived here
were homesteaders, none of whom
had very large clearings. There were
no churches. The religious life of
the communities was cared for by
small Sunday schools and the occa-
sional visit of some nonresident min
lister. One-room schools were ade-
quate to care for the children of the
settlements.
Inflated Expansion.
In the period contemporaneous
with and following the World war,
The Red Clover Land Co. did some
wide advertising, with a view to
colonizing eastern Pine county. The
result was rapid growth of popula-
ton. These newcomers were mostly
from Iowa, Illinois and the Dakotas.
AS the land they bought was located
in many cases some distance from
established roads, the townships
bonded themselves to build roads to
the settlers homes The little school,
houses were entirely inadequate to
care for the large number of chill
dren and large consolidated school
buildings were erected at Markville
and Cloverton. Bonds were issued
by the school districts to pay the bills.
Banks were organized at both these
villages. A newspaper, the Union
Enterprise, was started at Clover
ton Presbyterian churches were
organized at Cloverton and Mark
vile. The Markville church erected
building.
A few years later the Lutherans
and the Catholics erected houses
of worship in Markville. 1t looked
as though the dwindling timber in
dustry would rapidly be replaced
by farms all through the section.
However the slump came, as it
did everywhere. The exodus of set
tiers who could not make 60 of
it left abandoned houses and clear
ings; the houses to be the victims
of thieves and forest fires, the clear
ings to grow into weeds and brush.
The two banks closed their doors.
Some disastrous fires made an end
of some of the store and other bust
ness buildings. Roads grew back
into brush. The schools became half
empty. Taxes went sky high as
bonds came due. Nonresident land
owners began to cease paying taxes,
leaving the load to the few who were
trying desperately to develop their
farms and to build homes and COM
munities. In many cases the tax
burden became too great and so
during the past five years the rate
90 IoJ; Il cfooIi1x,