Rochester High School - Rochord Yearbook (Rochester, MN)

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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

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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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A YEAR after Rochester was found¬ ed, in 1855, a log building was constructed which served as Rochester’s first school house. This building was very crudely finished, the bark being hewn off on the inside only. The eight windows afforded ample light, and since they were of waxed paper, served also as ventilators. Desks facing the wall could be seen on all sides but the east, « , , , t ™ ROCHESTER’S FIRST LOG HOUSE where the only door was located. 1 he desks were crudely made of wide boards supported by pegs placed in the wall for this purpose. The teacher’s desk was in the northeast corner of the room. In the center of the room was a firebox, which heated the school on cold days. The ceiling was made of plaster board to make the school more fit to withstand the weather. Behind the firebox, were several benches for the classes. Miss Mary Walker, the first school teacher of Rochester, taught intermittently for two years. Miss Phebe Hoag and Miss Stedman succeeded her the fol¬ lowing Rummer, and Mr. Reuben Rey¬ nolds, the first male teacher, was hired about this time. Edu¬ cation progressed so rapidly that there were soon forty pri¬ vate schools. Rochester had be¬ come a thriving city and the need for a large school was soon realized. The possi- DARLING’S BUSINESS COLLEGE b i 1 i t i e s were dis¬ cussed, but when the Civil War broke out, all other issues were dismissed. Mr. O. P. Whitcomb was final¬ ly authorized to pur- chase the Central School site which he bought for six thou¬ sand dollars. The building was finished in 1 868. Miss M. C. Bateman of Lansing, Michigan, was elect¬ ed principal. ROCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL After Miss Bateman’s term of principal- ship had expired, a yearly change of prin¬ cipals followed until Mr. C. H. Roberts was elected to that office. He was very capable and the school advanced rapidly under his leadership. Rochester schools have progressed frorn a log cabin with rude furnishings in 1855 to eight large, public schools of an ap¬ proximate value of two million dollars in 1927. Page Eleven