New book will cover 50 years of incredible changes
Published 12:00 am Sunday, February 13, 2005
As our committee discusses, analyzes, lists, dreams and questions the contents of our upcoming Freeborn County history book, I stepped back in time to the 1882 book for some ideas on how our county has changed.
By next November, the new book will be ready, just in time for the beginning of our sesquicentennial celebration. The exact title has not yet been decided, but the contents will cover various aspects of Freeborn County’s history from 1930 to 1980 &045;
a 50-year period of incredible changes in our lifestyle. Electricity came to the farm, small family owned businesses disappeared and national chain stores opened, schools consolidated, our country went to war &045; more times than we would like to think about, traffic moving from east to west on Main Street and north to south on Main and Broadway bypassed the city when the interstate system was built
small towns around the county became bedroom communities, and family dinner gatherings moved from the kitchen to fast food restaurants. Technology has improved our lives and complicated it.
Our new hardcover book, by Donning Publishers, will bring back memories through text and photos. We’ve reviewed several books by the company, and discussed the publications with neighboring historical societies who are also working on special editions. We’re excited about this new piece of Freeborn County’s history.
As I was thinking about the many, small, family-owned, neighborhood grocery stores in Albert Lea in the 1940s, I wondered what other locally owned businesses were described in the 1882 history book.
I learned, at that time there were several elevators and warehouses handling the produce from area farms and shipping it in all directions. There were six wagon-makers and blacksmiths, including “Olson & Anderson. This establishment has been in operation since 1869, with Martin Olson as a member of the firm. The shop is on Clark Street. At first general blacksmithing business only was done, but in 1879, the manufacture of wagons and buggies commenced. In 1882 the firm put in a small steam engine of six horsepower. They do considerable plow repairing and other like kinds of work.
And “G. A. Hauge & C. Christopherson manufacture wagons and repair plows. They also manufacture C. D. Edwards Ditchers, which cuts a ditch 2 1/2 feet wide and 3 1/2 deep. The power is conveyed by a capstan turned by horses or oxen, and it seems to be a valuable device for the purpose of excavating drainage ditches. Mr. Hauge purchased the establishment in 1875. About seven hands are employed. The shop is a large brick building on Washington street, near Spring Lake (present day Morin Park) and has a horse-power to drive some of the machinery. Such an establishment is of great value in the midst of an agricultural community.”
There was also a boat builder. “In 1865, Mr. C.D. Marlett built a shop in which to construct boats. It is still in operation by Mr. Marlett, who also does general repairing.”
And a cigar factory – “Thomas J. Wanek began manufacturing cigars on the 6th of April, 1878. Cigar manufacturers are still amenable to the revenue tax, started during the war of 1861. The license to start with is $10 per year, and then a stamp tax of $6 per thousand must be affixed to all that are made. About thirty-five or forty thousand are put up each month. Among the various brands made are the &uot;Select,&uot; &uot;Henry Clay,&uot; &uot;Evening Star,&uot; &uot;Happy Dream, &uot;Protector,&uot; &uot;Magic Slipper,&uot; &uot;Shade&uot; and &uot;La Montana.&uot;
Stores listed in Albert Lea “the county trading point” sold “groceries, dry goods, hardware, agricultural implements, furniture, drugs and medicines, clothing, millinery, fancy goods, and in fact, all the usual variety of articles required by the present stage of civilization.”
There were also two lager beer warehouses listed in the 1882 book, and I thought you’d enjoy
reading a description and the accompanying comments. &uot;John Gund Brewing Company has a refrigerating warehouse at the depot, which holds about 200 barrels of lager beer. It is sold along the line of road to the extent of about three car-loads every two weeks. O. Knudsen is the manager at Albert Lea.
&uot;It may be remarked that the growth of the lager beer business has been rather marked, and when we remember that the Anglo-Saxon race is a drinking race, as is also the Scandinavian and the Celtic race, their favorite beverage being spirits, the change in favor of malt liquor is noticeable. What is to be the outcome is a matter that the political and social scientists may speculate upon, as the question is not yet decided whether the use of malt liquor, in contradistinction to spirituous, is really a guard against drunkenness.&uot;
I cannot promise you our 2005 Freeborn County history book will have quite the flavor of the 1882 edition, but I am guessing that when future generations read the upcoming book, they will shake their heads in amazement at how we lived in our “new and improved” society.
(Bev Jackson is the executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum in Albert Lea.)