The historic Watertown Bridge (Bridge 5882), which was demolished in 2014, was constructed in 1939. It was located near the central business district of the City of Watertown, and carried two lanes of Territorial Street over the South Fork of the Crow River.

In early 1939, the federal Public Works Administration (PWA) granted funds to replace a 50-year-old iron truss bridge in the city of Watertown. The bridge construction contract was given by the Carver County Board to the Theodore Jensen Company of St. Cloud for $33,007. Registered by Theodore Jensen of Denmark (born 1895), the Theodore Jensen Company had been responsible for past bridge building projects in Minnesota. Examples include the construction of Bridge 4912 (an 85 foot steel truss span) and Bridge 4915 (a 60 foot steel truss span) between Glencoe and Hutchinson; and a grade separation bridge over the Minnesota Western Railway in Watertown. Construction of the Watertown Bridge began the second week of April 1939. On August 4, it was dedicated in front of a large crowd.

The bridge was a steel stringer bridge structure, 144.5 feet long and 38 feet wide, with two 12 foot lanes, 3 foot shoulders, and a 6 foot pedestrian sidewalk on the south side. The bridge structure was comprised of two reinforced concrete abutments, with reinforced concrete wing walls and two concrete piers on spread footings across the river. The piers were faceted on both upstream and downstream faces. The superstructure of the bridge included three simple spans, with an Art Deco style that was characteristic of the Minnesota Highway Department’s standard urban bridges of the period (1930s-40s). The three spans were nearly identical, except that the steel I-beam stringers of the central span were slightly longer than those of the two end spans. Along the south side of the bridge’s east-bound lane ran a reinforced concrete sidewalk. The bridge had 273 linear feet of ornamental railings. The railings were painted black and supported by four concrete square end posts that extended above the abutments and four intermediate polygonal posts that extended above the piers. The endposts of the bridge supported four ornate Classical Revival style lap standards that bore a plate reading “Union Metal, Canton, Ohio”.

Throughout the following decades, the bridge was used for automobile traffic. It the 1990s, it was determined eligible for the National Register as part of the statewide Minnesota Historic Bridge Inventory. After a large amount of discussion and debate, it was ruled that the bridge needed to be removed for safety. The bridge was torn down in 2014 and a new one was constructed.

The East Union News is unusual among Carver County newspapers for a number of reasons. It was not a traditional paper by any means, from how and why it was published to who published it.

Ernest Enock Carlson was born to Andrew John and Maria Carlson on November 19, 1878 in East Union, Carver County, Minnesota. He was raised with his six brothers and sisters: Victor E., Lydia, Elise, Levi, Carl, and Alice Jeannette. He was second youngest. From an early age, E.E. Carlson worked alongside his father in a nearby flourmill before going into business for himself while still a boy.

E.E. Carlson started publishing the East Union News in 1891 when he was between 11-12 years old. This newspaper was a small 4-page, 4 x 6 inch paper of local happenings produced on a small hand-press. He began publishing it simply for “fun and pleasure”. His paper was soon popular among residents of the local community, though it was published for only a short time. The last issue was in October 1900. Carlson went on to continue his career in newspaper and printing at the Cokato Enterprise, the Cambridge North Star, and a publishing company he operated for a short time in Minneapolis with his brother, called the Arcade Printing Company.

Over the years, the Carver County Historical Society has collected hard-copies and microfilms of all the newspapers ever printed in the county. When a visitor came in looking to find the full “A Narrative of the Late War”, which E.E. printed about his father’s U.S. Dakota and Civil War experience from his journals, it was realized that the November and December 1897 issues were missing. That visitor had the missing editions. With the help of local historians from East Union, the full narrative was located. With the support of the family, it was published as Two Wars on the Frontier.

The story of the East Union News, though brief, is an interesting one. Considering the publisher was only eleven, the short publication range, the later missing editions, and the father’s narrative becoming a book, this is an interesting tale of an interesting newspaper from Carver County’s history.

 

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“Obituary- Ernest Enock Carlson.” Weekly Valley Herald, January 2, 1936.

Petersen-Biorn, Wendy, editor and Darlene Fasching, compiler. Two Wars on the Frontier. Louisville, Kentucky: Four Color Print Group, 2014.

Secondary:

“Cokato Enterprise- New Editor.” Weekly Valley Herald, May 9, 1901.

Rapids are defined as a fast-flowing and turbulent part of the course of a river. Oftentimes, river travelers and hikers hear a set of rapids before catching sight of them. Rapids are often famous in and of themselves, but “Little Rapids” outside Carver is famous for the fur post that once stood on the site.

Nothing remains of the Little Rapids Fur Post save an historical marker nearby. But, in the early to mid-1800s, the post was a bustling hub of activity. The post was an active one in Minnesota thanks to the continued presence of Wahpeton Dakota in the area. From around 500 A.D. until the group left in 1851, during the treaty period, the group relied on summer planting and abundant fish provided by the rapids and good soil in the area. This village is one of the few historic period Dakota villages, in the metro area, of which the exact location is known.

This continued occupancy made this site a prime spot for the fur trade. Archaeological evidence suggests the presence of a fur post on the site as early as 1787. Sometime between 1802-1805 (exact date varies by source), Jean-Baptiste Faribault set up shop on the site. Over the years, this post operated under both the British Northwest Fur Company, formed 1787 and in operation until the end of the War of 1812, and the American Fur Company, formed by John Jacob Astor in 1808 and in operation through 1851.

Jean-Baptiste Faribault severed ties with the Northwest Fur Company in 1809, moving to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin to begin work with the American Fur Company. Sometime between 1821-1826 (again, sources vary), Faribault returned to work at the Little Rapids post. When not available, other traders took over for Faribault, Louis Provencalle among them. Provencalle also ran a post at Chaska. The Factor, or regional manager for many fur posts in this region, was Henry H. Sibley, between 1834-1851.

When Faribault returned to Minnesota, he settled in the town of Mendota as a farmer, and only operated Little Raids during the winter months. Furs were gathered in winter more often because the animals pelt was thicker and warmer, providing for a better coat. This made Other animals, such as mink, were brown ¾ of the year, and only had white fur in winter to blend in with their surroundings. However, this white fur was prized in Europe for fancier things such a coronation robes.

When Jean-Baptiste Faribault chose to retire to his Mendota farm in 1844, control of the post passed to one of his sons, Oliver, who moved it to the other side of the rapids at Shakopee. In 1851, with the signing of the Traverse de Sioux and Mendota treaties, the fur trade in Minnesota essentially ended. The sight was forgotten until archaeologists conducted digs at the former Wahpeton Dakota village. The rapids remain popular with tourists and hikers, though today they are more often referred to as the Carver Rapids. Thus ended the relatively short history of the Little Rapids Fur Trading Post.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aby, Anne J., ed. The North Star State: A Minnesota History Reader. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2002. (secondary)

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online website. “Faribault, Jean-Baptiste.” Accessed and printed August 31, 2006. In Fur trade education program. Carver County Historical Society.

“Exploring the Great Northwest: The Fur Trade.” Educational program. Carver County Historical Society.

Lofstrom, Ted and Lynne VanBrocklin Spaeth. Carver County: A Guide to Its Historic and Prehistoric Places. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1978. (secondary)

Minnesota Historical Society Historic Fort Snelling website. Faribault House. Accessed August 4, 2014. http://www.historicfortsnelling.org/sibley-house-historic-site/faribault-house

Olson, Mark W. “ The Reason We Are All Gathered Here.” Chaska Herald, September 17, 2009.

Rubinstein, Sarah P., compiler. Minnesota History Along the Highways: A Guide to Historic Markers and Sites. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2003. (secondary)

Sibley, Henry H. “Memoir of Jean Baptiste Faribault.” University of California Digital Archives. Accessed August 4, 2014. https://archive.org/stream/memoirofjeanbapt00siblrich/memoirofjeanbapt00siblrich_djvu.txt

Spector, Janet D. What This Awl Means: Feminist Archaeology at a Wahpeton Dakota Village. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1993.

he Scandia Cemetery is located near the former site of the Scandia Baptist Church. The church was located near present-day Islandview Golf Course, just east of Lake Waconia. The cemetery houses the Andrew Peterson family plot.

Founding of the Scandia Baptist Church and Cemetery

The Scandia Baptist Church was founded in 1855, with the first service held in Andrew Peterson’s cabin on August 1. A church building was later constructed near the present-day cemetery site. In 1859, Ellen and Andrew Bergquist contributed a plot of land for cemetery use, just southeast of where the church stood. The burial ground was enlarged in 1882, via another land donation made by the Bergquist’s neighbors, Peter and Sophia Johnson. On December 4, 1882, Andrew Peterson went to Waconia to have a deed written for the cemetery, which he filed on December 30 in Chaska.

The Scandia Baptist Church Cemetery over the Years

As services continued to be held at the Scandia Baptist Church, the cemetery was used as a burial site for local residents. In 1955, on the seventy-fifth anniversary of the church, the cemetery was given an ornamental archway. The archway was given by Otto-Wilhelm Lundsted, who presented it on behalf of himself and his (deceased) twin sister, Alice Linder. Because the small size of the Scandia Baptist Church building limited potential growth of the congregation, the building was taken on October 16, 1973 from its foundation and moved to the Bethel College Campus in St. Paul. Though the church building is gone, its cemetery remains and continues to serve its purpose.

The Scandia Cemetery to this Today

The Scandia Cemetery still remains where it was first built, in what is now in modern-day Waconia. A golf course and clubhouse currently occupy the former site of the Scandia Baptist Church, with the cemetery sitting south of the clubhouse (across the township road). Within the cemetery, a single stone with individual foot markers point out the resting place of Andrew Peterson. Peterson’s children lay in adjacent cemetery plots, with the exception of Josephine, whose grave is located just a few rods away. The cemetery also holds the graves of most of the church pioneers, and their families. The Scandia Baptist Cemetery Association is currently in charge of the maintenance and operation of the cemetery.

 

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Mihelich, Josephine Andrew Peterson and the Scandia Story. Minneapolis, MN: Ford Johnson Graphics, 1984.

In the early days of Carver County, river travel was the best way to get goods, supplies, and new immigrants to Carver County. The City of Carver had a long history as a river town, with many steamboats running up and down the river from its docks. None of these was more well-known or respected than the steamboat “Antelope”.

The Antelope was built by George and James Houghton, though captained by George Houghton. George Houghton was born January 28, 1828 in Brandon, Vermont, to Eli and Deborah (Dwinel) Houghton. James Houghton was born seven years earlier in 1821. The brothers immigrated to Minnesota in 1848 with their parents, who settled in Wright County, near Monticello. George Houghton had settled in Chaska by 1855.

The Antelope was Captain Houghton’s first endeavor into the steamboat trade, in operation between 1857-1863. The Antelope’s 37-ton capacity was designed with a shallow hull to be able to run at any water level. In her first season in 1857, this small steamboat made 105 round-trip run. It was the first steamer to provide regularly scheduled round trip service between Carver, Chaska and St. Paul. Rates for this service were $1.25, which was less than cost for passage by stagecoach. Captain Houghton’s boat was popular for the very well-behaved crew. Stoughton allowed no brawls, no drunkenness, no obscene or blasphemous language, and no improper conduct by any crew or passenger.

In her first season, the Antelope made 105 runs, with a final trip on November 14th, 1857. Just a few years later, she proved her worth and design during the unusually dry 1860 season. While other larger steamers had hulls too low or were trapped in shallows and sandbars, the Antelope kept running smoothly. Captain Houghton and his crew were the busiest steamer crew that year, making over 80% of trips to St. Paul on the Minnesota River. Of the 250 steamboat arrivals from the Minnesota River to St. Paul that year, 198 of them were made by the Antelope.

Newspaper accounts of the time praise the Antelope and her captain for always arriving on time, safe passage, and the well-behaved crew. The steamer was known to many as a “Carver County Institution.” The Antelope had a few troubles though. During the Civil War and U.S. Dakota War, the steamer hauled soldiers and supplies. On one such run, or so the story goes, passengers and crew witnessed one of the final battles fought between Dakota and Ojibwe tribes. On October 19, 1862, panicked civilians were fleeing from fear of attack by American Indians. In the hysteria, they commandeered the Antelope to try to flee.

After his success with the Antelope, Captain George Houghton, often working closely with his brother James, added to his fleet. The first to be added in 1862 were the steamboat Clara Hine, and the steamers Ariel and Albany. Each made trips twice weekly. When the Antelope aged out of service, her steam whistle was installed on the Ariel which had taken over the same route. In 1865, Houghton added the 125-foot, 56 passenger sidewheel steamboat, the Mollie Mohler. It was named for his first wife who had passed away sometime in the 1850s. In 1867, the Mollie Mohler was so busy it made over half of the 161 steamboat stops at Mankato. On May 14, 1870, the steamboat was badly scorched as it was docked alongside the War Eagle. When that steamboat exploded the Mollie Mohler was barely able to build up enough steam to move out of the way.

In 1870, Houghton branched out onto the Upper Mississippi with the Pokégama. This steamboat regularly made 2 ½ days 195 mile trips up the Mississippi from Aitkin to Grand Rapids and from Crow Wing to Pokegama Falls. It was destroyed by fire while in dry-dock on November 12, 1877.

George and his third wife Lydia retired to Minneapolis in 1883, selling their home at 120 Third Street East in Carver. George Houghton died in his home on November 7, 1902 from complications of a previous fall. He and his wife are both buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.

George Houghton and his steamboat Antelope are still remembered in Carver County. As one of the most reliable, timely, safe, and respectable steamboats, the Antelope will go down in steamboat history.

 

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“Carver County, Its Towns, and Some of the Early Settlers.” Weekly Valley Herald, February 27, 1879.

Hartley, Lucie K. The Carver Story. 2nd ed. Carver, MN: printed by author, 1993.

Heritage Preservation Commission of the City of Carver. “Carver Historic District, Dakota Uprising Sesquicentennial Update, 1862-2012.” Walking tour, 2012. http://www.cityofcarver.com/carver-history/

 Hughes, Thomas. “History of Steamboating on the Minnesota River.” Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society, 10 no. 1 (1905): 134-158. https://archive.org/stream/historyofsteambo00hughrich/historyofsteambo00hughrich_djvu.txt

“Obituary.” Weekly Valley Herald, February 2, 1872.

Petersen, William J. “The Early History of Steamboating on the Minnesota River.” Minnesota History, 11 no. 2 (June 1930): 123-144. http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/11/v11i02p123-144.pdf

“River Business.” Weekly Valley Herald, May 16, 1863.

“River Business.” Weekly Valley Herald, May 30, 1863.

Carver Church dates back to the early 1890s. A prominent congregation was established in the church by the turn of the 1900s, which lasted until the 1960s. Following the departure of its congregation, the church was given to the City of Carver, who used it for a variety of other purposes. The church underwent a renovation in 2006, and still stands to this day at 109 Main Street in Carver.

The Carver Church (presently the Church by the River) was initially a nondenominational Sunday school that began in 1893. An official church congregation was organized in 1899. On September 1, 1900 a congregation was incorporated in accordance to the Laws of Minnesota, by members and friends of the Presbyterian Church of Carver. When the congregation was incorporated, the church members also elected church officers, at a meeting chaired by theological student and acting pastor of the church, Benjamin R. Weld. These first elected officers consisted of Trustees Andrew Sthol (3-year term), Noah Hammarlund (2-year term), and Dr. Everett Hartley (1-year term). John S. Danens and Charles A. Franzen were elected as church elders.

One month after incorporation, on October 2, 1900, formal incorporation papers for the church were filed with the Carver County Registrar’s Office. In 1913, the congregation decided to build a permanent church. $3600 was raised for the construction, and paid to Carver building contractor Olaf Hanson, whose own home still stands at 308 Third Street West. On Armistice Day, 1918, the church passionately celebrated the end of World War I. In the celebration, the church bell was rung so hard that it cracked.

After 1959, church membership declined, and the building incurred damage in the great flood of 1965. The church’s last service was held on September 26, 1967. Afterwards, many members of the congregation continued Presbyterian Church attendance in Chaska. In 1971, the old church building was acquired by the nonprofit organization Carver-On-The-Minnesota, Inc. who used it as a museum for several years, with plans to turn it into an inn. The building was eventually gifted to the City of Carver, and is still owned by the city to this day. Under the city’s ownership, the building hosts city council and commission meetings, civic activities, and can be rented for special events such as weddings, parties, and funerals. By 2006, thanks to the work, funds and efforts of the Carver Lions Club, the Minnesota Historical Society, and many other volunteers, the church was restored. The Carver Lion’s Club received a 2006 Community Effort Award from the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota for their efforts. The award is displayed inside the church, alongside many vintage photos and relics from Carver’s history.

The church building shows a conventional design in the Gothic style, with a touch of Queen Anne Revival. The building has a square plan, with a square corner bell tower as its principle entry. Additional features include panels and moldings on the bell tower, shingled gables, Gothic windows, and a border of colored leaded glass squares around a central motif of leaded glass windows.

Funeral practices in Minnesota, and the businesses involved, have changed much over the years of Carver County’s existence. From the days of furniture and undertaker shops to better regulated funerary practices, the history is long and ever-changing.

In early days, before modern methods of verifying death, many feared being buried alive. Funeral homes contained a “waiting mortuary” (although these were more common in Germany than America). This room held the dead for a number of days, proving they were dead and not merely asleep or unconscious. Also in early Carver County, many of the towns and communities had their own funeral homes, as travel between communities was less easy. Wakes were held in the home, before the dead were transported in wake baskets to the funeral parlor, church, or cemetery.

One of the more significant changes has been in the terminology used for this profession. While many still use these titles interchangeably, they actually describe very different jobs. An embalmer is someone who has studied the science of preserving humans with chemicals to forestall decomposition. A funeral director is a licensed embalmer, but adds much more to their role, such as supervising or preparing the dead for burial, directing or arranging funerals, and owning or operating the funeral home. An undertaker is one whose job is to arrange, manage and conduct funerals. A mortician is simply another name for an undertaker.

In early Carver County, most businesses were never simply a funeral home. Those in the funeral business operated joint furniture and undertaker shops, selling caskets along with household furniture, mattresses, wagons, baby carriages and other similar combinations. Chaska was home to the Burkhart Bros, opened in the 1880s. They were sellers of carpets, wool/hair/husk mattresses, feathers, baby carriages, coffins and hearses. Lambert Weller also opened in the late 1880s, a dealer in furniture parlor sets, bedroom sets, baby carriages and undertaker’s wares, and also a contractor and builder.

Cologne was home to Peter Jorissen’s business beginning in 1871. He advertised “furniture of all kinds”, including coffins, trimming and a fine line of baby carriage. His undertaking services were advertised as “1st class services at cheapest rates at all times”. His business was sold in 1923, though it remained as a furniture and undertaker store.

The village of Norwood was once home to H.G. Lenzen, Furniture Dealer and Undertaker, who opened shop in 1904. A second opened in 1948, originally run by Raymond Block and his wife. This business remained in operation with various owners through the 1970s. Watertown was home to the earliest furniture and undertaker business in the county, owned by Edidius Moers and opened in 1864. A second store was opened by the Campbell Bros. before the partnership went south and was sold to the Carlson Bros. in 1892.

The Village of Young America was home to Powers’ Furniture and Mortuary, though the dates of operation for this business were unable to be found. Vitense Furniture and Mortuary opened in the old Powers store in 1936 and stayed open for 10 years, before being turned into a restaurant.

There does not seem to be a history of undertaking businesses in Chanhassen, New Germany, or Mayer, although there are cemeteries associated with the local churches. Peter Feyereisen opened a marble yard in Chanhassen for tombstones in 1882.

In the 21st century, Carver County is home to four modern funeral homes. Bertas Funeral Home in Chaska, the Hantge-McBride Funeral Chapel in NYA, Johnson Funeral Home in Waconia, and the Iten Funeral Home in Watertown. The businesses in NYA and Watertown are one of several owned by each different company. No longer in the furniture, carpentry, upholstery and mattress businesses, these funeral homes are dedicated to a single trade.

 

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Barac, Lavonne. Chaska:A Minnesota River City, Volume 1 and 2. St. Paul, MN: Carver County Public Library, 1989.

Hoisington, Daniel John. Chanhassen: A Centennial History. Chanhassen, MN: The Press, Banta Corporation, July 1996.

Mayer Booster Club. History of Helvetia-Mayer and Community. Lester Prairie, MN: Lester        Prairie News, 1936.

Norwood Book Committee. Norwood Centennial, 1872-1972. Glencoe, MN: Kopy Kat Printing, 1972.

Olson, Steve. Cologne: The First 100 years. Cologne, MN: 1981.

Tremblay, Ruth and Lois Schulstad. Images of America: Carver County. Charleston, South  Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2011.

Warner, George E. and Charles M. Foote. History of the Minnesota Valley: Carver County.           Reprint. Carver County Historical Society, 1986. Originally published in George E.       Warner and Charles M. Foote, History of the Minnesota Valley, Minneapolis: North Star   Publishing Company, 1882.

Watertown Centennial: 1856 . . .1956. Watertown, MN: Watertown Activities, Inc., 1956.

The story of Waconia Sorghum is a story of the entrepreneurial spirit of American pioneers. It is the story of a trade passed from father to son. These are the facts of the Wessale family and their success in the sorghum industry.

John “Honza” and Catherine Wessale journeyed from Czechoslovakia to America in 1854. They eventually settled on a farmstead just south of Waconia, Minnesota. The couple would have 8 children, 2 of whom died in infancy. In 1864, when his oldest son was just 13, John “Honza” Wessale enlisted in the Civil War, walking from Waconia to enlist at Fort Snelling on January 18, 1864. Just over 5 months later, John Wessale died in Arkansas on July 5, 1864.

Catherine Wessale relied on the money sent home before her husband’s death, her widows pay, and the money her oldest son, John Jr., could provide through work, until her death in February 1916 at age 91. Over the years, John ran the farm and did odd jobs. Then, in the early 1880’s, John Wessale started growing sorghum and making syrup. He opened a sorghum mill in Waconia in 1901. It was in 1914 when poor health forced him to hand control to his sons that the sorghum mill really flourished and expanded. Control passed to sons Frank and Edward first, who had learned from their father since the ages of 9 and 10. Their brother George would join them after completing an engineering degree to aid in mechanizing and expanding the plant. Their brothers went into the paper business with their uncle, Anton Wessale, who would gain business success through ownership and publication of the Waconia Patriot and the St. Boni Star. John Wessale passed away February 6, 1920.

The Waconia mill was located on 3rd St., between Orange and Oak Streets. The plant was destroyed in the 1904 cyclone and later rebuilt. In the 1920’s, Edward Wessale designed and patented machinery to better remove the leaves and seeds from the stalks. The brothers also installed new machinery that extracted more syrup from the stalks. Waconia sorghum Mills, Inc. developed a new strain of the Minnesota Amber sorghum as well, which ripened earlier, kept longer after harvest, had greater weight, and had a higher juice content. By 1920, the company was producing 60,000 gallons of syrup a year. They were featured in papers, magazines and periodicals across the country.

In 1924, the brothers expanded the company into Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The plant there was nearly double the size of the Waconia plant. By 1928, the Waconia plant grew 550 acres of sorghum, the Cedar Rapids plant grew 1,750 acres. By 1929, the newspaper touted Waconia Sorghum as the largest mill in the world. That same year, the company expanded again into South Fort Smith, Arkansas. In 1933, the Waconia mill was put up for sale, and business continued only at the other locations. Over the years, those plants declined as well. Today, Waconia Pure sorghum is only part of our memories and history.

So what is sorghum? Sorghum is a grass plant that grows best in warm climates and reaches 2-8 feet in height. It is available in grain, grass and sweet types. It is grown around the world to make flour, porridge, syrup, malted and distilled beverages, feed for livestock, and ethanol. In the 21st century, the majority of sorghum grown in the U.S. is of the grain variety as livestock feed. It is seeing an increase through its use by ethanol plants. It is also a good alternative for those needing gluten-free foods.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, most sorghum grown was of the sweet variety. Crushing the stalks releases a juice that is then boiled down into a syrup. This syrup was often used in place of honey or molasses, not being as sweet as maple syrup. It was used as a sweetener in baking and cooking, and a spread or syrup on things like toast or pancakes. Sorghum syrup is still available in stores today, on shelves near molasses.

 

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“Dreams of Lifetime Realized in the Sorghum Industry.” Waconia Patriot, December 30, 1926.

“Founder of Waconia Sorghum Mills Buried.” St. Bonifacius Star, February 13, 1920.

Kadlec, Tony. “Pavučina Corner, Guest Column: The Story of John Wessale.” Silver Lake Leader, June 16, 2011.

“Local Happenings.” Carver County News, May 2, 1929.

National Academy of Science. “Investigations of the scientific and Economic Relations Of. . .The Sorghum Sugar Industry.” Academic paper, November 1882. Washington, D.C.: Gov. Printing Office, 1883.

“Obituaries: John O. Wessale.” Washington Post online, January 15, 2005. Accessed August 7, 2014. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11008-2005Jan14.html

“Sorghum Mills Product Well Known.” Weekly Valley Herald, March 22, 1928.

 U.S. Department of Agriculture. “The Culture and Use of Sorghums for Forage.” Farmers Bulletin, no. 1844 (1955). Washington D.C.: U.S. Gov Printing Office, 1955.

Verne, W.W. “Verne’s Views.” Weekly Valley Herald, September 30, 1926. 

Wessale, William. “Salutatory.” St. Bonifacius Star, June 6, 1919.

           

Carver County has strong ties and partnerships with many locations throughout the world, but perhaps the strongest ties is with our “sister” county of Ydre, Sweden. Ydre kommun is a small municipality located in Östergötland County in SE Sweden. As of December 31, 2013, the municipality had a total population of 3,617.

It was Tuesday, September 20, 2011. The Carver county Board has approved a resolution to strengthen the bonds of friendship and ties of heritage with Ydre, Sweden. This new partnership was meant to promote an increase in cultural understanding and prosperity between the two, and recognize the historical connection thanks to Swedish immigrant Andrew Peterson. For many, it was recognition of a bond that had already existed for many years.

Between 1800 and 1910, more than 1.3 million Swedes came to the United States in search of opportunity and a better life. The peak year for immigration was 1887 with 46,000 Swedes making the trip. In 1870, nearly 75% of all these Swedish immigrants were located in a 5-state area: Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. Of these, Minnesota was and remains the most “Swedish” of all states. In the 21st century, there are over 400 Scandinavian place names in Minnesota and nearly 12% of Minnesota’s population claims Swedish ancestry, with Swedes comprising nearly 70% in certain counties.

This Swedish America or Svenskamerika is well represented by Ydre immigrant Andrew Peterson. His comprehensive journal is a window to another time, and was the basis when Swedish novelist Wilhelm Moberg wrote his The Emigrants series. His success exemplifies the millions of Swedish immigrants. Peterson is considered a national hero in Sweden with an exhibit in the Ydre town of Asby, a society in his honor, and a plaque along the road to where he grew up.

It was in part due to Peterson and in part to Minnesota’s Swedish heritage that the relationship with Ydre grew. In the 21st century, the Nordic Club of Carver County and the Andrew Peterson Society (established 2003) in Sweden have teamed up to help preserve the Andrew Peterson farm. In 2006, a groups of Swedes from Ydre made the first of two trips to aid in hand-carving and traditional repairs. Large groups from the Society have made the trip have toured Carver County, other Minnesota Swedish areas, and Iowa locales in 2010 and 2011.

This strong continued interest in Andrew Peterson and repairing his farmstead, along with Minnesota vast Swedish heritage, prompted the county to become involved. Becoming sister counties with Ydre, Sweden only strengthened already existing ties for prosperity.

 

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“Swedish Immigrants.” https://www.augustana.edu/general-information/swenson-center-   /swedish-american-immigration-history

www.andrewpeterson.se/web/sv/welcome-andrew-peterson-society

Zuege, Unsie. “Carver Now has Sister county in Sweden.” Chanhassen Villager, September 22,   2011.

The Cold War was a time of fear, fear of both Communism and nuclear attack. Students practiced “duck and cover” in school, families built fallout shelters in their backyards. All across America there were plans about civil defense, and one plan that was put into action was the Nike Missile system. With bases across the country in strategic locations, it was the first line of air defense.

Between 1959-1974, the Army built dozens of missile bases at strategic locations. Four of those locations formed a protective ring around the Twin Cities, at sites near St. Bonifacius, Farmington, Bethel, and Roberts, Wisconsin. It is the site near St. Bonifacius that is of interest here. Battery C of the Third Missile Battalion of the 68th Artillery was stationed between Watertown and St. Bonifacius, located on one of the highest spots in Hennepin County.

This base was located in two sections, about a mile and a half from each other. Staffed by between 100-115 officers, warrant officers, and enlisted men, these sites were the launching area and the fire control area. The fire control area, located 1 ½ miles east of the launch area, closer to St. Bonifacius, held the radar and computer equipment and controlled the flight of the missile. The launching area, located 3 ½ miles from Watertown, held the underground magazines and the raising platform, to launch the missiles within minutes. The base opened in late 1959.

During the fourteen years that this base was in operation, it was a boon to the local economy. Between $3000 and $4000 a month was spent on purchase of food for personnel, payroll income for local workers, leasing of houses by the base, and rental of additional homes by personnel, roughly 55 homes in total. Each year, the base commander also held an open house for local residents to see how the base operated and see how they were being protected.

In 1962, the Minneapolis-St. Paul post of the Army Air Defense Command filmed a special documentary. This documentary was a dramatization of “tense moments of action and decision” by Nike Missile staff after an unidentified aircraft is identified on radar and a missile is launched to intercept. This documentary was filmed on location at the Army Air Defense Command post downtown and the missile base near Bethel. Airing on February 8, 1962 on WCCO-TV, it was touted in local papers as of interest due to the nearness of the St. Bonifacius base.

No missiles were ever launched from any of the four Twin Cities bases. The St. Bonifacius base was closed in 1972. When the base shut down, one of the deactivated Nike Hercules missiles was donated to the St. Bonifacius Commercial Club, who spent money to have it installed in the city park. It was installed in 1974 with a marble slab memorializing those who served at the base. Over the years, civic groups and city workers have repainted the missiles white coating and black letters as needed.

As the years passed, local residents began to forget why a missile was located in the city park. In 2010, Fred Keller, president of the St. Bonifacius Area Community Development Group and navy serviceman during the Cuban Missile Crisis, spearheaded efforts to tell the story of the Nike base and Cold War. A $14,000 grant was received through the Minnesota Historical Society, through the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund, supplemented with donations from local groups. As a result, two large interpretive panels were created and installed around the missile. The site is now popular among those riding the regional bike trail, local history classes, and those who knew of or served at the Nike base nearby.

When learning about the Cold War and the nuclear era in schools, students learn on a national scale. Having the Nike missile and former base in St. Bonifacius allows students to bring national events down to a local scale. Students can see how the local area was effected by the Cold War and what part local areas played. Thanks to the efforts of locals groups, this history is now preserved and interpreted for future generations.

 

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“Ground Work is Started on Nike Missile Base.” Carver County News, July 10, 1958.

“Here’s Aerial View of Nike Missile Site near Watertown.” Carver County News, July 30, 1959.

“Here’s What a Nike Guided Missile Installation Would Look Like.” Carver County News, August 1, 1957.

Meersman, Tom. “Former Nike Hercules Missile in St. Bonifacius Stands as a Reminder of the Cold War.” Star Tribune, September 4, 2013. http://www.startribune.com/local/west/222201881.html

“Missile Base at St. Boni Aids Area Economy.” Waconia Patriot, September 12, 1963.

“Missile Launches City Interest.” The St. Bonifacius Extra, supplement to the Waconia Patriot, April 6, 1995.

“Nothing New Officially on Nike Missile Base.” Carver County News, August 1, 1957.

“Open House at St. Bonifacius Missile Base is Sat., June 6th.” Waconia Patriot, June 4, 1964.

“Special TV Show on Nike Missile