Mankato High School - Otaknam Yearbook (Mankato, MN)

Page 16 text:

Q29 ll lllll ll ill ll llik E 'X Pall Wis I death, but when Mankato received its orders to hang them, there was not enough rope in town, so a delay of one week was granted. People came from miles around to witness the hanging, and when the Indians breathed their last breath, a shout from the crowd filled the air, and many white people felt sat- isfied. Early on the morning of May 10, 1867 the steam boat 'tJulia hit a snag in the Minnesota River about three miles north of Main Street Bridge. John Henry Barr and his family, early residents of Mankato, were on the boat, and an interesting account of the incident was later written by Mr. Barr. Everyone was landed safely on shore, and there was nothing then for the people to do but start walking. The two Barr boys followed the river, reached Mankato, and brought back help to the stranded passengers. Interesting is the fact that the Barrs lost a barrel of dishes in the river, but the next fall, when the water was low, they recovered them and only one saucer was broken. The efforts of P. K. Johnson in founding Man- kato cannot be overestimated. Ile built the first house, ran the first post office, was the first Justice of the Peace, and is generally acknowledged as the founder of the city. Mrs. P. K. Johnson and Mrs. J. S. Hinckley gave Mankato its name. Through some misunder- standing they thought they were giving it a German Blizzard M1881 name, and later learned that it was an Indian name meaning Blue Earth. ' ' Humorous to us now, but of vital importance then, is the story of the pigs. It was the custom in those early days to let the pigs run loose about the town. Finally a protest was raised and the town was divided into those who wanted the pigs penned up and those who didn't. A tug of war took place to decide the argument, and as a result pigs were penned up. So from that day to this pigs have not regained their right in Mankato. In 1.855 the first school house was built where - the Union building stands now. Thirty-seven pupils were taught by L. G. M. Fletcher, whose salary was S835 per month until the money raised by popular subscription was gone. The first modern school building was erected in 1871 after a 310,000 bond vote had been taken. This was the old Pleasant Grove school on Byron Street. The year 1875 is famous for the grasshopper siege. Houses, trees, and everything in sight .were covered with the insects. Trains were unable to go on until thc crushed grasshoppers were scraped off the wheels. The government paid ten cents per quart for grasshoppers brought to a designated place and measured. In nine days the county had paid out 331,255 for 15,766 bushels, and at that rate the county would have been bank- rupt in a month, so the payment was discontinued. Nothing man could do less- ened the number of grasshoppers and until April, 1877 the inhabitants of the vicinity lived in dread of each new day. The final disappearance of the bugs is Flood of 1881 Page Twelve N

Page 15 text:

vim' ll slml ll IIIW ll is IIA :ADA Wigs and stood where Richards' Dry Goods store now stands. By 1853 Blue Earth county was organized, the first county election took place, witl1 eighteen votes from Mankato. This year also saw the ,erection of the first hotel, the Mankato House, the first day school, the first Sabbath school, and the first preach- ing. The latter three we1'e all - conducted at tl1c home of , I James Hanna. In 1854 P. 'K. Johnson wrote: Mankato has twenty W0men'Whf' Namd Mankato familiesg about twenty build- ings, among them a good hotel, thirty by fifty feet, with a wing, a school with twenty-You-r scholars and Miss Sarah Jane Hanna as teacher. There are carpen- ters, masons and plasterers here. Four miles away on the Ile Sueur River, is a saw mill. Three miles above us a town called South Bend is laid out. flt looks like business. Three or four boats were running regularly on the Minnesota. River in 1853 and the erection of public roads had started. Captain Dodd raised H4800 in St. Paul, and with a force of men, in 1853, cut through the great forest. This was the first highway in this vicinity and it was named after Captain Dodd. 'l'hc road has long since been abandoned, but portions of it can be noticed by the traveler as he journeys from S-iou-x City, Iowa to St. ' Paul, original terminals of the historic road. The Mankato Independent was the first newspaper in our city. It was published in 1857. The winter of 1857 and 1858 was a mild, warm one, with the editor of the Indepen- dent sitting in his shirt sleeves illld the door of his office open. In 1859, the sceond paper, The Mankato Record was established. Our City was a thriving little village by this time, with a population of one thousand people, several business houses, five hotels, two newspapers, two sawmills, and the first bar- ber shop. News of the terrible New Ulm massacre reached the village just after the majority of men. had left t'or action in the Civil War in 1861. One hundred and eight of the men were called back to tight the Indians. Announcement of the Editor Of Indian attack was brought to Mankato by W. W. Paddock, who was in New Ulm at the time of the outbreak. During the night, the blaze of the tire could be seen at g Mankato, and all but four blocks of New Ulm was burned. , Four hundred and twenty-five Indians were arrested, and ' three hundred and three of those sentenced to be hanged. .. I The East was shocked at the idea of taking so many lives at once, and they prevailed upon President Lincoln to in- I - terfere. Finally only thirty-eight Indians were sentenced to fjld geppman Mm MRS. P. K. JOHNSON MRS. J. S. HINCKLEY First Newspaper Page Eleven S

Page 17 text:

W c4139 ll lllll fl ill' ll :LX IIA IPA!! WELD a curious story. The governor of lNlinnesota set aside a day for fasting and prayer and after that day the grasshoppers steadily decreased and the reader van decide for himself whether the prayers of the people had any influence in ending the g.rrasshopper siege. On November 1, 1877 the only earthquake ever Felt in Blue Earth county occurred. lieginning with the year 1880 one reads of the fon,nding.r of many of the present business establisliments in Mankato. That year the first issue of the Mankato Daily Free Press was published. The general depression over the United States in the year 1897 was also felt at Mankato and that year is l'9ll1CIll- hered for its many business failures and great fire losses ill our town. One ol' the rnost famous floods in this vicinity was that in 1881. The huge snowfall came in February of that year, and in April the water was up as far as Second street in some places. The next twenty-five years of our town are more or less familiar to most, oi' us. One could go on forever relating interesting facts about Mankato, hut our space here is limited, so we have endeavored to present only a brief onitline of thc early history of the town. Last Steamboat To Come To Mankato Page Thirteen