Rochester High School - Rochord Yearbook (Rochester, MN)

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HISTORICAL ROCHESTER I T WAS in the spring of 1854 that the settlement which marked the beginning of the city of Rochester was made when T. C. Cummings and Robert Mc- Ready staked out claims and built shanties near the Cascade Creek. In the following July, George and Jonathan Head, with their father, settled on the site of the pres¬ ent business district. EAST SIDE BROADWAY IN 1890 Before long this small settlement became a stage stop on a coach line running from Dubuque to Saint Paul, the nearest Post towns being Winona and Elliota. The town neigh¬ bors were few those first years, but succeeding springs saw an extensive immigration and a flourishing business district. A store, built by J. D. Jenkins, was sold to Hugh Mair, who supplied it with goods for the rapidly growing population. The stock consisted of “wet and dry groc¬ eries, Mair having the distinction of bringing the first intoxicating li¬ quor to town in the form of a cask of gin This was partaken of freely by the ‘boys, but “Old Mair” was shrewd enough to get payment be added that “Zumbro clogged stream. COOK’S HOTEL IN 1890 is derived from “Les Embarrass. the in the end. It was rum¬ ored that when his sup¬ ply ran low it was re¬ plenished by an addi¬ tion of water from the Zumbro. Naturally, the gin froze in winter and was chopped up and sold in chunks, these be¬ ing melted over fires to make a drink. It might French for a blocked, or The first hotel, built in 1854 by George Head, was a rather small, but comfortable dwelling made of logs. All the provisions had to be “imported” from Iowa, so they were very expensive. This hotel was sold in 1856 to Mr. Asa Leseur who tore the old log struc¬ ture down and replaced it with a neat and commodious building known as the “York State House. the family of James Smith, in 1 855. The first death was that of a Mr. Brown, in the fall of 1834. The first marriage was a rather crude affair. The widow of Mr. Brown “took another man ’ but, there being no one to perform the ceremony, they called in several neighbors to witness the agreement and McReady performed a service which was to hold good until an authorized minister should arrive. ODD FELLOW’S HALL IN 1890 J he first recorded birth in Rochester was in Page Nine

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J c tV? The history of Rochester since 1854 has been marked not only by the industry of such illustrious men as James Bueklin, first judge; W. D. Lowry, Council Representative; Mayo fam¬ ily, father and sons, but by the unfailing efforts and sturdy courage of countless others, equally responsible for the glorious growth of this internationally famous city.

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The first religious service was held by a traveling preacher from St. Paul in December, 1854, at McReady ' s house one evening and Head’s the next. The next services were not held until the following March, when the Rev. Robert Welch, of the Baptist faith, held regu¬ lar prayer meetings, continuing them until the next June, when the Rev. Ben Reynolds, a Congregational minister, “covered wagon” Broadway assumed the duties as pastor and re¬ mained the only preacher until he was succeeded in 1858 by an unknown minister. The first lawyer, Mr. Jay Parker, appeared in the same summer but did not prosper and so left town. The city was growing rapidly, neighbors now living within speaking distance. Perceiving the need of a form of government, the people elected W. D. Lowry to the Terri¬ torial Council, which position he occupied until Minnesota entered the Union as a state, in 1858. City politics began in earnest then. After some dispute, Rochester was made county seat of O 1 m s te d County. A court was established and sev¬ eral lawsuits immedi¬ ately tried. The first judge was James Bueklin, Esq. The first case was tried in the summer of 1855. LATER BROADWAY The first sawmill was indeed a curious construction. It consisted of scaffolding six or eight feet in height, the saw being long annd narrow (called a whip saw). This saw had a handle at each end and the power was furnished by a man at each handle. Mr. Alexander, the proprietor, said that two men could saw out as much as five hundred feet of lumber a day. As the judge was hauling corn at the appointed time for trial, and the season was busy and work pressing, the parties adjourned to the cornfield for the trial. Twenty-nine years after the first settlement of the city, a terrific tornado almost anni¬ hilated it. Twenty six people were killed, and hundreds more injured. Dr. W. W. Mayo, the ‘‘Queen City’s” leading physi¬ cian, saw the need for a hospital to take care of the people. In this manner, the Mayo Clinic, with its system of hospitals, was founded. The Rochester of today, a city with a population exceeding 16,000, justly proud of her history, is experiencing a steady growth which promises a brilliant future. Broadway today Page Ten