Woolworth's Store a Landmark in Downtown Austin

The Woolworth’s store on Austin’s Main Street lives on in the memories of many residents. The first store opened in 1937. Twenty-six years later a major remodeling project was carried out. Some of the details from an article in the Austin Daily Herald on September 6, 1963:
“Austin’s new Woolworth Store will be open for business about the middle of October, C. W. Wilson, store manager said today...
Wilson, who has been assigned temporarily to the firm’s store in Albert Lea, returned to managerial duties in Austin this week. He said that Del Aharam, St. Cloud, previously assigned to the Milwaukee store, has moved here and will begin work as assistant manager.
Two former employees, Mrs. Inga Larson, stock clerk, and Mrs. Marion Waldron, bookkeeper, came back to work here this week...
The old Woolworth store was closed Jan. 26 and the building torn down. The new, modern, fireproof structure will have two selling floors, a lunch counter, and a floor for offices, stockrooms and public restrooms.
Wilson left here Feb. 4 and has been working in Albert Lea, except for a period in June when he assisted in opening a new Woolworth store in Fergus Falls.
“That store was very similar to our new one in Austin, and I gained a lot of valuable experience there,” he said...
Wilson said that he was especially proud of the new 48-seat lunch counter. He said only two other Woolworth stores in a six-state area would feature such modern equipment.”


George Hirsh Builds on Corner of Main & Water in 1901

Last week we explored the old Medical Building which housed Drs. Leck and Morrow in the 1930s and 40s. Before erecting their own building, the physicians were tenants in the Hirsch building, on the corner of Main Street and what was then Water Street (now 4th Avenue). There was even an operating room on the second floor.
George Hirsch came to Austin and opened a clothing store on the south end of Main Street, what is now Hastings Shoe, in 1887. Hirsh immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1873. He worked in several states, then set up a store in Council Grove, Kansas. After a fire destroyed it, Hirsh came to Austin on the recommendation of a wholesaler.
In 1901, Hirsh built the store that still stands, now occupied by Brick Furniture. The second floor and basement were rented over the years by a variety of concerns including Kinney and Detwiler, architects, Brown Brothers Barbershop, S.A. Emerson, plumber, Dr. Abe Mackoff, dentist, Albertson and Albertson, osteopathic physicians, J.W. Mann, insurance, A. J. Coon, barber and the Austin Rotary Club.
Hirsh's clothing business was taken over by his son, Alex Hirsh in 1927. In 1967, Jack Keenan purchased the business from Alex.

Old Medical Building Built on Site of Former Steamboat Landing

In 2009, consultants Bolton & Menk, Inc. researched the history of the Old Medical Building at 605 Main Street in downtown Austin. Their report is on file at the Mower County Historical Society and has some interesting details. Researchers drew heavily on articles in the Austin Daily Herald from 1928 and 1929.
"The Medical Building was constructed during the year of 1928. It is located near the current intersection of Main Street and 1st Drive NW (previously Lansing Avenue). The building was funded and designed by Dr. Clifford C. Leck who was a prominent physician in Austin, Minnesota since at least 1902. Dr. Leck had received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota in 1900.
The building was built in a vacant lot on the north end of Main Street, in between the Manhattan Oil Station and the Wagner Construction Company office. It is also the former location of a steamboat landing which took day passengers to Columbia Park located up the Cedar River. The steamboat could carry as many as 75 people in one trip. The steamboat was in operation until at least 30 years before excavation began, roughly 1898. When the location was no longer used as a landing, it was a convenient dumping ground for household, farm, and construction waste. The location was easily accessible for people to dump their farm manure...
The first floor primarily housed the medical offices of Dr. Leck and Dr. James Morrow. Other offices on the first floor were reserved for a dentist and two optometrists. Four private apartments were constructed on the second floor, with modern amenities including an electric refrigerator and closet beds...
The Medical Building had many amenities including a laboratory, an x-ray machine, a fluoroscope, a minor surgical room, and a large reception room complete with a fireplace."

Y-Teens Rennovate Basement in 1955

A report written in 1956 by Helen Baird Vance tells about early programs of the YWCA, including the founding of Y-Teens.
"In the past ten years the young adult program has been expanded and interest and hobby groups added. In 1953 girl's work was introduced. This was not a new program for the Y but it's Girls Work in the early years became the Girl Scout program. So in responding to requests for "something for teen-agers" Y-Teens came into being with Mrs. Maynard Lawrence, the director. She was followed in 1955 by co-directors, Mrs. Dale Foell and Mrs. Harold Collins. Under their guidance Y-Teens have developed a program for themselves which has proved stimulating and purposeful. Christmas wreath sales yielded an excellent profit and they are using it to improve their basement room, painting and decorating after school and on Saturdays. Their program planning, their devotions, their interest in others are rewarding experiences.
In 1951, a swim camp program was inaugurated and little girls from seven to twelve are learning to swim, each summer. The high school pool or the municipal pool have been utilized with Mrs. Art Hass as director and a corps of qualified assistants. Sixty to one hundred girls participate each year.
Perhaps the most intangible but certainly an important segment of community service is job placement and counseling. The YWCA maintains a list of women and girls seeking employment as well as a room registry. Transients are housed either at the Y or at an approved room. If they are short of funds, the Y provides for them. Personal services account for about 2,000 calls a year."

It's Own Fireside Protected by it's Own Rooftree

This week I'm sharing the story of how the Hormel family donated their house to serve as Austin's YWCA. This is told from the Y's history, a report written in 1956 by Helen Baird Vance.
"The fall of 1927 was a memorable and outstanding season for the Austin YWCA for it was then this fortunate organization was given the beautiful home of Mr. and Mrs. George Hormel for its headquarters. Mr. and Mrs. Hormel had always been generous contributors to the work of the YWCA and the latest gift was just another very substantial evidence of their thoughtful love of the Association, its aims and endeavors. After twenty-one years of service in the community, the Y after hoping that some day, plodding away it would have its own fireside protected by its own rooftree, the dream had finally come true.
Mrs. George A. Hormel presented the keys to her home to the officers and directors of the board of the Y at a one o'clock luncheon she gave for them in her home. All of the hangings, many of the rugs and much of the furniture was left exactly as it had been while the Hormels lived there. The dining room and kitchen were left intact to be put to whatever use the board would suggest. Mrs. Hormel personally selected every item replaced through the house and so it came as an absolutely complete home. With very few changes it was almost as though it had been built for the purpose it has served since 1927. The garages to the north were later remodeled for Girl Scout Rooms...
To the Hormel family, the house at 208 West Water Street was always home. To it the elder Hormels came when visiting in Minnesota in later years. And when each returned for the last time, it was here old neighbors and friends, those who knew them best, gathered to pay their final tribute. The YWCA, not only in its physical property but in spirit as well, stands a monument to their generosity. It was here the last rites for their only son, Jay, were held as were those of his parents but a few years previously. Newcomers to Austin will know the Water Street building only as the Y but to Austinites of long standing it will always be the 'Hormel House'!!"
Written in 1956, the author of this report could not have predicted that fifty years later, the building would continue serving the community, but return to the name Hormel Historic Home.

Austin's YWCA Gets Boost from New York Philanthropist

Last week I mentioned a gift to the Austin YWCA back in 1909 from Miss Helen Gould of New York which helped launch the local organization. Maybe readers guessed that she was the daughter of railroad baron Jay Gould and a philanthropist of note in the early 1900s.
Helen Gould was born in 1868 in Manhattan. She enjoyed a life of privilege, the third child of Jay and Helen (Day Miller) Gould's six children. When her father died in 1868, his estate was estimated to be worth $72 million.
She is perhaps best remembered for donating $100,000 to the federal government in 1898 to support the Spanish-American war effort. She was also a generous benefactor to the YMCA, YWCA, Rutgers College and New York University where she attended law school.
Helen Gould married Finley Johnson Shepard in 1913. At that time she was 44 years old and her personal fortune was estimated at $30,000,000. Her new husband is described in the Ithaca (NY) Daily News as a self-made railroad man, "estimated fortune: nothing."
The couple adopted five children. Helen Gould Shepard continued her philanthropic work until her death in 1938.

Austin YWCA Finds HQ in Downtown Austin in 1906

More on the early history of the YWCA of Austin, founded in 1906, from a report written in 1956 by Helen Baird Vance.
"Of major concern was the acquiring of headquarters. So, for $20 per month rooms were rented over the Bassler Clothing Store. The Austin State Bank and the Gildner's Clothing have replaced the Bassler Clothing.
In 1909 Miss Mayme Robinson, who was State Secretary at that time, extended the work to the County through a gift of $1,100 from Miss Helen Gould of New York. In October of 1910 the YWCA of the USA issued a charter to the YWCA of Mower County and the local organization became affiliated with the National Organization. It became incorporated under the laws of the State of Minnesota in 1919.
May 23rd, 1910, Mrs. F. I. Crane was elected president, succeeding Mrs. C. L. West, with Mrs. W. R. Terry, vice president, Mrs. J. H. Carstens, secretary and Miss Helen Banfield, treasurer. Mrs. Crane served as President until 1919. A Woman's Exchange was added to the activities and was a great success until the First World War, when it was discontinued. [Editor's note: a woman's exchange was a cooperative retail store where crafts and other homemade goods could be sold to the public.] In 1911, "The Gypsy Rover," a charming light opera with Mrs. P.D. Bealieu in the leading part was given as a benefit for the "Y." This was the first of many generous boosts."

Photo above shows downtown Austin in 1914. 

Austin YWCA Founded in 1906

I recently found a report on the first 50 years of the Austin YWCA, written by Helen Baird Vance in 1956. Faithful readers will see some familiar names in this excerpt:
"On a Sunday afternoon, May 26, 1906, a group of women met together in the Congregational Church to consider the possibilities of organizing a Young Women's Christian Association. Mrs. J. H. Skinner acted as chairwoman and Miss Molly Jahnke as secretary. Reports were heard of financial and moral support for such a venture. The actual organization did not take place until the following Sunday to permit volunteer workers to complete the canvass of the city. Then, on that day, May 28, the final vote was taken, the "Y" organized and a board directors named. On that first board were, Mrs. C. L. West, Mrs. P. A. Reilly, Mrs. J. P. Anderson, Mrs. William Todd, Mrs. W. R. Terry, Mrs. Will Earl, Mrs. F. I. Crane, Mrs. Boostrom, Mrs. D. H. Stimson, Mrs. John Hormel, Mrs. R. O. Hall, Mrs. George Anderson, Mrs. O. H. Hegge, Mrs. J. H. Skinner, Miss Hortense Robbins, Mrs. Hiram Smith, Mrs. A. N. Kinsman, Mrs. J. M. Hall, and Mrs. R. E. Shepherd.
Before the organization of the YWCA in Austin, Billy Sunday had had a series of revival services. A tabernacle had been erected for him at the present site of the Terp Ballroom [Editor's note: currently El Parral]. All paths, filled with men, women and children, led to the tabernacle. Mr. Sunday and his wife were guests of Mr. and Mrs. Hormel in their home (now the YWCA) during those weeks in Austin.
The religious fervor carried over long after the last appeal, the last prayer and the last hymn were heard. And so it was that the women of Austin decided to do something constructive, something to build character, something to give continuity and support of the teachings of Billy Sunday."

Photo at top: Billy Sunday
Photo below: library in George A. Hormel home in 1925, a few years before it became home of the YWCA in Austin

Austin's 1949 Million Dollar Investment

After writing about Klagge's Ice Cream, a reader asked me to check on an ice cream shop he remembered in the Sterling Shopping Center. Thanks to the crack research team at the Mower County Historical Society, I have some information.
From the Austin Daily Herald on April 5, 1954: "Sterling Shopping Center will observe its fifth anniversary this week with open house, free movies and a candidate for Miss Austin... Today, the center comprises 26 stores and service establishments, the largest retail development in Austin area's history. Investment has exceeded a million dollars...
Building boomed with the opening of the first store and by the end of 1950, the following 10 businesses were in operation:
Trowbridge Super Market, Enstad Nash Garage, Sterling Motel, Kenneth Rosenthal Painting and Decorating Store, Chuck Hall Cleaners, Sterling Barber Shop, Sterling Pastries, Warn's Shoe Store, Earl's Furniture and Sterling Ice Cream Store...
Announcement was made Saturday that Janice Plager is Sterling's candidate for Miss Austin."

1868 Courthouse Site of Lynching Trial

Four courthouses have served Mower County since it was founded in 1855. The first courthouse in Austin was built in 1868 on the corner of Maple and Main Streets. The building had three levels: jail in the basement, offices on the first floor and the Court Hall on the second floor. Old timers told tales of going past the old courthouse and looking down through the bars to the prisoners in the basement and getting a ‘thrill out of it.’
According to the Austin Daily Herald on March 17, 1934, “The new courthouse was the scene of a sensational murder trial in 1868, a crime growing out of lynching, the only one that ever occurred in this county. In 1868 John and Oliver Potter and William Kemp, and several others were arrested as having caused the death of Chauncey Knapp. It is interesting to know that the accused were defended by John Q. Farmer (pictured above), who was later to be judge of our district court and to deliver the dedicatory address on that occasion.
The lynching occurred near Grand Meadow. Knapp was accused by citizens of being intimate with a woman of the neighborhood. The indignation waxed warm and one night some fifteen men caught Knapp, rode him on a rail, took him to a pond where he was so roughly treated that he drowned. His body was taken to a corn filed and buried between the rows of the growing corn. Knapp was missed, search was made and his body found. There were disagreements of juries and in the end all the suspected parties were released and no one ever punished.”
More next week on courthouses.

Early Cola Wars in Austin

Austin Bottling Works, Inc. was founded in 1924 by George Wilson and his father-in-law Dr. Charles F. Lewis. Wilson was a Scottish immigrant who worked in sales for Geo. A Hormel & Co. in Texas and Alabama before coming to Austin. Wilson married Marjorie Lewis, daughter of one of the founders of the Austin Medical Clinic.
The first plant was located at 400 2nd St NE (near the current Austin Daily Herald). By 1930, the plant moved to 403 4th Ave NE (near the old downtown utility plant). The business focused on bottling and sales of soft drinks and the sales of fountain supplies such as extracts, cider, crushed fruit and cleaning supplies. In 1949,  a new plant was built at 1600 1st Ave NE (across from East Side Lake).
Back in the 1920s, Coca Cola was less popular and, according to Wilson family legend, George Wilson would slip a bottle into a case of more popular grape, cherry or orange flavored sodas to build exposure to the product. George's sons, James and  Charles took over the family business and it remained a a pillar of the community for decades. Changing with the times, the bottling company eventually became a distributor and dropped bottling several years before it was sold in 2002.

Dr. Vern Cullen: A Life of Service

A few months ago I was working on the names of places in Austin. A thoughtful reader sent me some information on the man that Cullen Park is named after. Cullen Park is on the east side of 12th Street SW, across from Sacred Heart Care Center.
From the May 31, 1969 Austin Daily Herald:
“Dr. Vern R. Cullen, 73, Austin dentist and former alderman, died Friday at St. Olaf Hospital.
Surviving are his widow, Augusta; a son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Vern (Joanne) Torrens, Bloomington, Minn.; four grandsons, Scott, Steven, Jay and Jeff; nieces and nephews.
Dr. Cullen was born in Austin. He served with the Army in World War I and with the Navy Dental Corps in World War II, discharged as a commander after serving in the Pacific theater. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Dental School in 1923 and came directly to Austin to practice. After World War II he did post-graduate work in orthodontics at the University of Minnesota and returned to Austin to open his practice in 1946...
Dr. Cullen was a city alderman 1933 until 1941 and Cullen Park was named after him. He was a charter member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church and a life member of the University of Minnesota Alumni Club; a member of Austin Post 91, American Legion, the 40 and 8, Olaf B. Damm Post 1216, VFW, Eagles, Southeastern Minnesota Dental Society, American Association of Orthodontists, Osmond Temple Shrine, Legion of Honor, Austin Shrine Club, Unity Chapter 29, OES, Fidelity Lodge 39, AF & AM, from which he received his 50-pin in 1967, St. Bernard Commandry, Royal Arch Masons Ch. 14, National League of Masonic Clubs, Square and Compass Club. He was the first commander of Chapter 27, Disabled American Veterans...”

For more on Cullen Park: http://www.ci.austin.mn.us/Parkandrec/Parks/cullen.html

Some new information on Klagge’s Ice Cream: In the 1980s, there were two Klagge’s locations. One at Oak Park Mall was managed then owned by Phil Buck. Phil’s brother Paul owned and operated the 4th Ave NE location. In 1985, Paul took over ownership of the mall store again. During those years, the ice cream was made at the 4th Ave NE location for both restaurants.
Another reader let me know that Elmer Klagge opened the store in 1939. He had Austin’s first frosted malt machine in the mid-1940s. No one had heard of a frosted malt, which was soft serve chocolate ice cream served in a cone. At 5 cents, it was an affordable treat and as a result, some believe that Elmer Klagge knew every kid in Austin. 

Summer Memories: Klagge's Ice Cream

During our recent rash of hot weather, I was visiting with some folks out at the Mower County Historical Society. They told me that it used to be a summer tradition to cool off at Klagges Ice Cream Store. The original Klagges was a few blocks east of the Hormel Historic Home (then the YWCA) at 701 4th Ave NE,  just east of the bridge.
Established in 1939, an advertisement from 1963 says “When Mom’s Tired of Cooking Call Klagge’s for Hot Take-Out Dinners, Chicken Supreme Dinner $1, Jumbo Shrimp Dinner $1.25, Walleyed Pike Dinner $1.10.”
The 4th Ave building was destroyed by fire and reopened in 1971. In 1972, an Austin Daily Herald article stated: “Located at 701 4th Ave NE, Klagges new ice cream store re-opened in September, 1971, after a fire destroyed the building at the same location. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. William Wilkinson, Klagges sells homemade ice cream, meals to eat in the car and to take out.”
In 1988, Dave and Tam Christopherson purchased the Klagges business and offered a complete breakfast, lunch and dinner menu.
I also found an advertisement for Klagges in Oak Park Mall that ran in the Austin Daily Herald in 1982. That ad lists owner Phil Buck, a variety of menu choices and 20 flavors of ice cream. I’m sure someone will tell me if there were two competing Klagges ice cream shops in the 1980s—it’s sure looks that way to me.

First National Bank Gives Away 4,000 Cigars at Opening Celebration

After reading about the 1931 open house at the First National Bank in Austin, I couldn't resist sharing some of these charming details, from the Mower County News on February 26, 1931:
“When the new First National Bank opened its doors to the public last Saturday afternoon in dedication and celebration of the completion of its lovely new structure, more than 12,000 visitors passed thru the Colonial portals to view this splendid achievement.
Several prominent bankers visited our city to attend the reception as did a number of managing officers of the First Bank Stock Corporation with which the merging Austin banks are affiliated. Many people came from the various villages of the country and several delegations from Albert Lea, Owatonna and Rochester.
During the reception hours which were from two to five o'clock in the afternoon and from seven to nine o'clock in the evening, mementos were passed to each visitor who passed thru the building. It is estimated that 5,000 roses were distributed to the ladies  while 4,000 cigars were given to the men.
The Boy Scouts gave their efficient assistance in guiding the throngs about the new bank structure thus avoiding any confusion as the people filed thru orderly in rows. A company of charming ladies, employees of the banks, gowned in quaint Colonial costumes in harmony with the Colonial type of architecture and furnishings greeted us with a smile and presented us with souvenirs.”


While the article did not feature photos, this is what I imagine the 'quaint Colonial costumes' looked like.

Bank Open House Draws 12,000 in 1931

The First National Bank was chartered in 1868 in Austin and 63 years later, the institution merged with the Austin National Bank and moved across Main Street into a new building. Having been established on the northeast corner of Main Street and 2nd Ave NW (then Bridge Street), the bank occupied a new building on the northwest corner of the same intersection in 1931.
From the Mower County News on February 19, 1931:
“Celebrating the completion of the new First National Bank building and the consolidation of the city’s two leading financial institutions, the Austin National Bank and the First National Bank, an open house party unique in the city’s history will be held Saturday afternoon and evening...
In harmony with the setting, a bevy of girls in colonial costumes will assist in the public reception and will distribute souvenirs of the occasion to all.
Actual consolidation of the bank, the details of which are being announced today, will not be effective until Tuesday morning when the new building will be occupied by the merged organization...
As construction has progressed residents of Austin have become familiar with the beautiful exterior combining white stone with the vari-colored brick of the early American method of construction. The interior follows the colonial style in as complete detail and every piece of furniture is an authentic copy of an early American piece.”
A report in the same newspaper the following week indicated that 12,000 people attended the open house. The 1931 colonial building was remodeled in 1956 and is now known as the U.S. Bank building, housing U.S. Bank, the United Way of Mower County, Mower County Vehicle Registration and other offices.

What Does $100,000 Look Like?

Austin’s First National Bank was founded in 1868 and in 1896 the business remodeled to the present design, recently restored, and seen at 300 North Main Street—the corner of Main and 2nd Ave NE, north of the old courthouse square. The bank eventually merged with Austin National Bank and the newly formed organization built a new building which opened in 1931. The story of that new bank, I’ll save for next week.
First, a few tidbits on the old days of banking in Austin:
“In 1886, an acute problem was faced by N. F. Banfield, the young bank cashier. Mr. Shaw [editor’s note: O. W. Shaw was then bank president] had gone east on a visit. On Saturday night, June 10th, it was learned that the Mower County Bank could not open its doors the following Monday. Banfield took the train to St. Paul, called upon the president of the First National Bank, explained the situation and was assured that $100,000 in currency would be on hand by Monday morning. When worried customers came into the bank on Monday morning, they saw the money piled high behind the bank’s grillwork. Instead of a run on the bank there was an increase in deposits.
In a time of tight money conditions in 1907 the bank issued script. It was accepted by the merchants and workers for several months. Every piece of script was paid through the New York bank.”
From Mill on the Willow: A History of Mower County, Minnesota.

First National Bank: a Tale of Two Buildings

A reader asked about the history of the First National Bank, the bank once housed at 300 North Main Street—the corner of Main and 2nd Ave NE, north of the old courthouse square. Back when the bank was founded in 1868, the streets were Main and Bridge and at that time, north of the NEW courthouse square. Here is the early history from the 1896 ‘Souvenir of Austin’ pamphlet:
“The First National Bank is the oldest financial institution now doing business in Austin. It was organized in 1868 and its subsequent successful career has been a natural outgrowth of substantial development of the city and surrounding county. But few changes in its management have occurred since its organization, as O.W. Shaw has been president from the first and there have been but two cashiers. The present cashier, N. F. Banfield, succeeded H. W. Page in 1885. The First National Bank corner is one of the landmarks in the history of the city’s business interests, as it has been the site of all the bank’s transactions since its inception nearly thirty years ago. The original building was destroyed by fire one month after occupancy. The brick structure which was erected in its place did valuable service for many years and was one of the substantial blocks of the city. In order to meet the demands of an ever-increasing business the present year has witnessed the construction of a new and larger building of modern architecture. It has been built of brick with solid stone front and it is conceded on all sides to be the finest and most artistically designed business structure in Austin. With the new vault, together with new and modern furnishings, the bank is justly entitled to be ranked among the progressive and up-to-date financial institutions of the state.”

Photos show First National Bank buildings in 1869 (top) and 1896 (bottom). Both courtesy of Mower County Historical Society.
The building, at 300 N Main Street, has been restored to it's 1896 exterior by owner Patrick Bradley and is seeking a tenant. For information, contact me at laura@hormelhistorichome.org.

Dutch Town and the Bloody Third Ward

Last week I mentioned “Dutch Town,” a neighborhood on Austin’s east side in the late 1800s. Here is an essay by Dr. Francis Meany explaining Austin neighborhoods in the early 1900s from “Mill on the Willow: A History of Mower County, Minnesota:
“Doc Meany’s East Side Story
My father ran the Democratic party in the third ward and served three terms as alderman. That was before he took out his final citizenship papers in 1896. He ran Tom Meany’s Saloon on Railway Street (10th St NE). I was born in 1895 in a little house just behind the saloon.
The saloon was sold after my father died in 1905. One night a fire started and the East Side Fire Department was called in. They saved all the whiskey and cigars, but the saloon burned down...
There were definite boundaries within Austin. At least as far as the boys and girls were concerned. There was Dutchtown, east of the Milwaukee tracks. The west side was everything west of Main Street. Then there was the toughest section of all, the ‘bloody third ward.’ That covered the area bordered by the river on the west and the Milwaukee tracks on the east.
In those days the best looking girls lived in the third ward, but one of those uptown birds had better not cross the lines and come visit them...”

Beaver Lake vs. East Side Lake

In 1858, someone built a mud and log dam on Dobbins Creek, east of the then-fledgling village of Austin. It was built to power a flour mill; it also served to create a large lake about 15 blocks east of Main Street. Known as Beaver Lake, it became an area recreation center: offering swimming in the summer and ice skating in the winter. Beaver Lake was especially popular with the residents of 'Dutch Town,' the neighborhood sandwiched between the railroad tracks and the lake.
Then in 1892, the dam was washed out by a flood on Dobbins Creek. The lake was drained, leaving swamps and pasture land.
Fast forward 120 years to 2012. Austin's east side is home to another large lake: East Side Lake. The lake defines the eastern approach to our community and provides recreation to residents. The Vision 2020 project even seeks to expand the recreation on the lake, and other waterways.
But East Side Lake is not Beaver Lake. How was East Side Lake created? Who lead the effort and why? Come find out at Mower County Historical Society's Lunchbox History at the fairgrounds on Thursday, June 28 at noon. I will speak about the history of East Side Lake. The event is free, call the MCHS at 437-6082 for more information.

Photo of East Side Lake in the early 1960s, courtesy of Tim Ruzek at the Cedar River Watershed District.

Miss Jane Todd Makes Her Mark on Austin

As with many families in Austin’s history, the Todds had two generations of influence in our community. Municipal plant superintendent William Todd had four daughters and the oldest one served the city for 40 years.
Born in 1891, Miss Jane Todd began working for the city municipal plant as an assistant to her father William Todd on July 6, 1900. (His obituary from 1931 states that she had been his secretary since ‘childhood.’) She continued to serve for 9 years after his death, retiring in 1940. She was appointed secretary of the city’s first board of water and light commissioners in 1903. According to an article from the Mower County News on May 2, 1940: “She... saw the plant grow from a small institution of an investment of only $16,000 to the present large plant valued at about two million dollars and she took part in that expansion.”
Miss Todd was honored by city leaders including chief electrician Wallace Gregson, plant chief H. W. Boody, commissioner C. F. Cook, water department chief E. C. Butler and gas department chief Elmer Nelson. The article also notes that six office employees spoke honoring Miss Todd: Edith Laufle, Esther Marcusen, Florence Wilder, Margaret Boyd, Blanche Mahachek and Dorothy Johnson. Miss Todd received a gold wrist watch in appreciation of her service.
Jane Todd lived in her childhood home, 419 E Mill Street, until her death in 1949. She was staying in the Curtis Hotel in Minneapolis after attending a national trustee meeting of the Order of the Eastern Star in Chicago when she suddenly became ill and died.
Photo above: Jane Todd at work at the city municipal plant.
Photo below: The Todd sisters
Both photos courtesy of the Mower County Historical Society

Todd Park Picnic Tables Popular in 1959

This fall will mark the 85th anniversary of Todd Park. Over the years, it has evolved and changed with the times.

In 1927, a group of citizens approached the Water and Light Board, suggesting that the former Herzog farm, purchased by the city to use its springs as a water source, be named in honor of the municipal plant superintendent William Todd.

The community wished to honor Todd for his long service to Austin. Todd started as city engineer in 1881. He built the city's first municipal electric light plant in 1899 and pushed for investment in springs rather than wells for water. Todd was also known for improving and maintaining a park, officially named Central Park, located on the grounds of the municipal plant.

[An interesting side note, the first caretaker of Central Park was Anton Friedrich, the man who can be credited with ensuring that George Hormel founded his business in Austin. Friedrich owned a father-and-son butcher shop that burned down in the fire that swept Main Street in 1887. He suggested that Hormel, then a traveling salesman, settle in Austin and go into business with his son Albrecht Friedrich. Friedrich & Hormel, Butchers and Packers, opened in October 1887. The short-lived business was dissolved in 1891 when Friedrich took over the retail side and Hormel focused on meat packing, founding Geo. A. Hormel & Co, now Fortune 500's Hormel Foods.]

In the 1927 Austin Daily Herald article on the park, it is simply described as 100 acres. Another article by Dick Joyce from 1959 describes its features:
"It has 300 picnic tables and five pavilions, 33 stoves and 72 swings, 12 teeter totters and eight sets of horse swings, merry-go-rounds, 10 water fountains and four baseball diamonds--a reserve supply of firewood, a meandering creek and grassy knolls...Picnickers go to the park at night and sleep on a pavilion table to hold it for the next day. Or they come at daybreak to set the table and establish prior claim."

William Todd died in 1931 of heart failure. Friends say that the 1928 tornado, which destroyed the utility plant, depleted his spirits and lead to his decline. He was survived by two brothers, three daughters and three grandchildren. More on his eldest daughter next time.

Image is vintage postcard showing Todd Park, circa 1935.

Austin's Water Utility Developed by Superintendent Todd

One of the key names in the history of Austin is William Todd. He was instrumental in developing Austin’s utilities, an enterprise fraught with controversy. First, the story of Austin’s water system, from the October 13, 1931 Austin Daily Herald.
“Austin then (1881) had water works consisting of a pumping station and taking its water from deep wells in the park near the present plant, and occasionally pumping river water into the mains, when the wells failed to supply enough water. Mr. Todd was in the meantime improving himself in engineering and in 1891, the city council elected him to the position of chief engineer of the plant. He worked on several plans but he argued that Austin would never have a sufficient supply until it used the waters from the Sargent, now City Springs and the Herzog and Sachse Springs. Up to that time the job of superintendent of water works and that of city attorney was held by Attorney John M. Greenman.
Engineer Todd and the city attorney did not agree on many points and at a council meeting of March 15, 1898, Mr. Todd was elected superintendent, a position he held up to the time of his death (in 1931). He measured the flow of waters of the springs and reported his findings. Those were days of hot argument, part of the people favoring more wells and part favoring the purchase of springs that could have been purchased for a song compared with the price paid in later years for the springs and the Herzog farms to control the springs, all of which is part of the history of Austin, to be found in the doings of our city council.
Todd was on the side that wanted the springs. The other side laughed at the idea that Austin would ever be large enough to use the water of any one of the famous springs. Then it was that Todd made a statement that will live long as a policy for any and every city: ‘Every city should see that its water supply is taken care of twenty years ahead.’
But it was some years before the city would give up its idea of getting water from wells, but Todd never quit his agitation for the purchase of the springs.
Before we got the springs the city had taken on another piece of work, the municipal control of lighting and power by the electric current.”
Photo shows Austin's Electric Light and Pumping Station in 1908.

Early Life of William Todd, Austin City Engineer in the early 1900s

Austin’s Todd Park was named after William Todd, a native of Scotland and Austin’s first full-time City Engineer. His work in the city is closely linked with the utilities including water and electricity. His personal story is outlined in the October 13, 1931 Austin Daily Herald article published on the date of his death. (Mr. Todd died about two weeks after the plane crash involving Arthur Wright. I was researching the crash when I found this article.)
“William Todd, seventy-four years of age, half century resident of this city, connected with the water and light system for thirty-one years, and creator and superintendent of the most successful municipal plant in the Northwest, died at his home, 419 East Mill Street [Ed: now 1st St NE], this morning at 1:40. Funeral services will be at the First Presbyterian Church at 2:30 Thursday afternoon followed by Masonic services at Oakwood cemetery.
Superintendent Todd was born near Glasgow, Scotland, September 1, 1857, and grew to be a young man of twenty-two before deciding to come to America. With his brother, John, he came to Cresco, Iowa, where the brothers resided for a year and coming to the little, but growing, village of Austin in 1880. Being a stationary engineer, Mr. Todd found work with the C. M. and St. P. railroad company. The next year he sent to Scotland for Miss Elizabeth Morrison to whom he was engaged before he left Scotland. They were married by Rev. C. E. Wright at the old Mansfield House, now called the Grand.
They made their home in a house on Mill Street in the same block which Mr. Todd has lived ever since and where he died this morning.”
The headline of this article tells where the tale will go next: “William Todd, Father of Municipal Plant, Dies After Years of Service to Austin: Directed Destiny of Water, Light and Power System Here.”

Dramatic Post Office Robbery in 1925

A few more colorful details about former Austin Post Master George E. Anderson, from the Austin Daily Herald on April 17, 1956:
"In 1903 Anderson married another Anderson, Miss Mollie Anderson. By not changing her name, Mollie carried on a family tradition- her mother's maiden name had also been Anderson.
Mollie Anderson was a Norwegian but Anderson said "I brought her up to our Swedish level."
...Anderson's own connection with the Postoffice extends 38 1/2 years. He entered the postal service in 1898 and retired in 1935. He served as clerk, city carrier, assistant post master and as post master from 1924 to 1935.
Three robbery attempts occurred during Anderson's term, but most dramatic was the third one in 1925, when Anderson and his wife were held captive in their home while three robbers tried to get the combination to the Post Office safe from Anderson.

Although he knew the combination Anderson chose to "forget" it. In the meantime in an unguarded moment his son, Erwin, called the operator for help. Anderson still has the wire with which the family was tied and the handkerchief used to gag Mrs. Anderson."

 

George Anderson, Jovial Post Master

One of Austin’s former Post Masters was known for his sense of humor. From the April 17, 1956 Austin Daily Herald:

"Born ‘spitting distance’ from Austin 80 years ago, George E. Anderson, former Austin postmaster, has lived here for 74 years.

‘Spitting distance’ in those days was a farm near Rose Creek. Anderson’s family decided to move to Austin for the better educational facilities. Anderson graduated from Austin High School in 1893 and attended the University of Minnesota for two years.

From his parents he inherited a flare for telling a joke. At post-office dinners he often combines the truth with fantasy to bring down the house.

“My mother was a scream,” Anderson said. “She always knew a joke and we never knew what was coming next. And my father was just like her. He even disowned me once.”

Anderson, who has been active in many Masonic bodies, explained that with separate Masonic groups he and his father once attended a meeting in Owatonna. 

George E. Anderson had some trouble getting into one of the session and said, “My father will vouch for me.” 

When questioned Anderson’s father said, “Him? I never saw him before in my life.””

More next week about this colorful Post Master. Photo shows Austin Post Office circa 1920s.