History of Lake Elmo, Minnesota
by Maurice Sliney
February 29, 1939
These reminiscences, which I present, are all inspired by my recollection of events as I knew and saw them, or heard of them from old settlers at that time.
My first impression was received at the County Fair, which was held at Elmo. The lake was then called Bass Lake, the name being later changed to Elmo. A railroad man named Stickney, who was one of the promoters of the St. Paul, Stillwater, and Taylor's Falls railroad, bought the land between the railroad tracks and the lake from Mr. Lohmann. I think it was his influence that caused the County Fair to be held at Elmo at that time. Mr. Stickney was well known in Stillwater. He was Principal of the schools for some time. John McDermot had acquired a lease on a part of the lakefront. Mr. Lohmann sold the land to Mr. Stickney, subject to McDermot's lease. To get McDermot to cancel his lease, Stickney gave him a strip of land north of the railroad tracks and gave him lumber to build the house in which he kept a saloon.
This house is part of the present tavern. The fair ground thus obtained was fenced with a high board fence, fair buildings were erected and a half-mile racetrack was built on the ground.
Stickney, acting for the railroad company, I suppose, built the hotel at the lake. Col. Mark Flower was manger of the hotel and of everything in connection with the grounds. The first electric lights west of Chicago were used at Elmo. In the meantime J.W. Lohmann built a store just north of the present location of Bess's store. While the building was being erected a tornado struck Elmo and damaged the new buildings and blew down the Fair building. It also blew the chimney off the house in which Mr. Moscrip now lives.
There was a flat grain house standing on the ground almost directly across from the present creamery. I believe that the grain was run from the bin into the cards, for one had to drive up on a platform to unload. It took a good team to haul an ordinary load of wheat up the incline to the platform. No doubt the force of gravity was used to load cars. If I remember rightly, Henry Lohmann did the buying there for a time. I don't remember whether this building was burned, blown or torn down, but it did not do business long.
Colonel Flower was the first manager of the hotel. The hotel property was sold to Dr. Walther some time later. I think he operated it for a short time. It was then leased to a man named Bohn. He operated it for some time and built a roller skating rink where we often risked our necks in the new sport.
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| Lake Elmo street scene - ca. 1906. Photograph taken by H.L. Buck. |
About 1888 the Iowa Land Company bought the property and also the Lohmann farm that Mr. Moscrip now owns. That part of the Moscrip farm lying between the railroad and a line north of the Moscrip house was platted and laid out into lots. The Iowa Lane Company, under the direction of James E. Moore, ran the hotel for some time. It was thought that Mr. Moore made it too exclusive. He excluded the general public. As a consequence, it did not pay. The hotel was burned down some years later. Then a clubhouse was built which was also burned. The company never sold any lots as far as I know. They issued a paper called "The Elmo Echo". It was devoted to booming Elmo. They had letter stationery on the reverse side of which was printed a neat map of the parked portion between the railroad and the lake.
About 1889 the electric cars were being used. In the early nineties they were well established. This gave streetcar companies a chance to extend their lines to lakes close to the cities. This helped to kill close-in lakes, which had to depend upon railroads.
John McDermot sold out to George Berschew. John Lohmann operated the store for some years. I think he sold out to a man named Magniece. I believe Martin Shearan was a partner of Magniece. I believe the store was burned down while they occupied it. After that there was not store building there until Mrs. Berchen built the present beers store about 1890. She built it for Louis Lohmann to go into business. He ran the store for many years. John Brower built the first blacksmith shop and wagon repairs shop. It stood where the bank now stands. He sold out to Nick Frank who in turn sold out to Peter Klein.
As a boy, I knew many of the original settlers. They were at heart splendid Christians. This is evidenced in the churches built in pioneer years.
In the early days there was a large horse and carriage patronage coming to Elmo. There were many livery stables in St. Paul and Stillwater and a large part of their business was to outlying country places.
In that period people were very healthy, for if they were sick it would cost a lot to have doctors come from the city. There were not many hospitals. Naturally the older people developed considerable skill in treating the sick. There were old ladies who cured everything by the use of goose grease and castor oil. A cold, or any ailment above the shoulders, was cured with goose grease and a woolen stocking. The neck was rubbed with goose grease and then a woolen sock was tied around it. If anything was the matter below the shoulders, the amateur doctor would cure it with castor oil. If the patient happened to be a good sized kid, she would get ready and then signal the kid's father. He would take a hammerlock on the kid, and then she would pour the castor oil down his throat. It is alleged that some of the kids survived this treatment. Believe it or not, there were large families reared in Oakdale who grew to maturity without a doctor ever entering their home. There must be some virtue in goose grease and castor oil, else some member of those families would have passed out.
In the late eighties there came to live at Elmo a young doctor. He became the leading physician and surgeon of Washington County. He, through his professional reputation, put Lake Elmo on the map and kept it there for many years. This young man was Doctor Stevens. Is fame as a physician and surgeon was not confined to the limits of our county and state. It extended to Montana in the West and Wisconsin in the East. Night and day he was at the service of those who needed him. The immeasurable blessing he was to the local people cannot be estimated.
In the early days we were a cosmopolitan people. We were quite cultured until we began to wear Yankee boots. We spoke several languages. We read the gospel in high German at church. We spoke low German at Elmo. We spoke Luxenbourg on the Hudson road. In addition to these, we spoke some English.
Many of the old settlers who had their farms open when the Civil War broke out, made money all through the war period. They charged high interest rates on loans; twelve percent was not unusual. I have heard some of the early settlers say that they paid three percent per month for short time loans. All those farmer bankers were war rich. The four years' war brought them high prices and they prospered. Many of the old farmhouses and barns we see here and in all the old settlements throughout this state and Wisconsin, were built by profits made during the Civil War.
In the early days all livestock was permitted to run at large. Even hogs had this privilege. Sometimes there was trouble about school districts. Sometimes someone wanted to move the schoolhouse. Then someone wanted a new road laid out; others objected to the road. Then again, there would be a dispute at town meetings. All those things caused spats among neighbors. While these differences between factions were being fought out, we always thought we had a right to lay off the mantle of Christianity until the dispute was settled.
Breachy cattle caused many a row and roving hogs were the devil's agency in making trouble.
The popularity of Lake Elmo as a summer resort and as an all year around place to live, at that time, was possible only because of the railroad accommodations to enable people to get back and forth to the city. Those accommodations were utilized by the people, although they were crude compared to the transportation we have today. We have a local bus line that serves people who do not drive cars. Almost everyone living here has a motorcar. Thus he has his own means for his personal transportation. He can start his car and drive to the heart of the business center of St. Paul in twenty minutes without speeding.
Surely those advantages, if generally know, should place Elmo on the map as a desirable residence suburb. Why would it not be a good plan to resurrect the Elmo Echo? It gave good service until it went into a trance more than forty years ago.