Mazeppa Area Historical Happenings -From the July 2012 Issue

Compiled by Mike Holtorf

From the 1893 Mazeppa Tribune, Ben Houghtaling Editor

Zumbro Falls

August:  Zumbro Falls has improved more this season than ever before, J.T. Ritter having built a new meat market; J.W. Disney a fine dwelling house; John Strickland has doubled the size of his store, with other improvements, the work on these buildings being done by Kirkham Bros.  E.B. Doty is putting up a brick and stone store 30×60 feet, the mason work being done by Chas. Kegle.  Besides these there are many minor improvements and talk of a good livery stable. A gentleman was here this week looking up a site for a saloon building to take place of the blind pigs. Zumbro Falls is “right in it.”
Aug. 23, 1893:  Our new elevator, which has just been built to replace the old one which was destroyed by fire, is much larger then the old one and will soon be running in full blast.
Fred Lempke and Allie Warren were married last week. We wish them the best.
September:  Notice: If I am bothered any more by parties who get drunk in Zumbro Falls, I shall prosecute them to the full extent of the law.  If anyone has any trouble through me, they can take the same course. Jacob Lautenschlager. Zumbro Falls, July 8th.
Mrs. Ella J. Doty, former wife E. B. Doty, merchant of this place is about to leave the Falls and make her home with her mother in Vermont.  Mrs. Doty has been a resident of this vicinity for the past twenty-three years and during that time has gained the admiration of all those with whom she has come in contact. She has always been a faithful helper in sickness and a friend of the poor and needy.
Last Sunday about thirty of our citizens visited St. Peter’s cave at Bear Valley.  This cave has been known to the people about here for many years, but was never thoroughly explored until last Sunday.  The party was well supplied with lanterns and took along a ball of binding twine, in order to find the way out more easily.  Upon entering the cave we came upon a room about 30 x 60.  After leaving this we stepped down and came into a smaller room and crawling upon our hands and knees we came upon a pool of water.  On rounding this we came upon a level plat of rock, on which we found a flint-lock musket, and two powder horns.  The musket was rusty and looked as though it had been there a long time.  Beyond this we came to a brook of ice cold water which sprung out of a crevice in the rock.  Beyond this was a large pond which we could not cross, so we cut the twine and went back.  On reaching the Falls again the twine was measured and found to be 117 rods long.  This cave is well worth any one’s time and trouble to see.  At one time in the early history of the country it was the hiding place for bands of robbers and it is said that the Younger and James boys stayed there shortly before the robbery of the Northfield bank.
October:  Thos. Warring has the contract for the stone work on the new Ritter building.
G. W. Stevens, having purchase Tammany Hall, will thoroughly renovate it next month.
A little disturbance was raised on our streets Sunday evening in the way of singing.  Better go to another town if you want a blow-out boys.
Fred Hall, of Millville, has purchased Mrs. E.B. Doty’s building and will open a licensed saloon this week.

Mazeppa

July:  On Saturday the four-year old child of Andrew Scholer, living east of town, in some way managed to get hold of a bottle of carbolic acid and drank about half an ounce. The parents at once gave it white of eggs and milk and brought it into town as fast as a team could carry them. Dr. Cremer took chare of it and by the prompt use of emetics and the stomach pump save its life. It was a close call and to the prompt action of the parents the child owes its life.
August:  Tickets from Mazeppa to Chicago now sell at $12.78 for the round trip, good for thirty days.
The tank and tower of the village water-works need a coat of paint badly. The hoops on the tank need tightening as the tank leaks somewhat.
Heine Baustert has quit work at the market and will fire on George Lavan’s engine during the season. They took the engine, tender, water-tank and stacker out to Peter Lavan’s Monday afternoon, the whole making quite a train as they passed through town.
Work has begun on the repairs to the Trout Brook bridge, and the piles are now being driven.
On Friday afternoon Squire Maxwell moved the post office into the Churchill building, recently vacated by M. Baustert.
Willis Mack on Wednesday completed the purchase of M. Baustert’s stock of confections and fruits and has moved all into his place. Negotiations have been going on for some time and now Mr. Mack has the only exclusive confectionery and restaurant in town.
September:  Squire Maxwell had a well drilled this week by Darcy & Gombert, and Englehart & Sibley are at work on one for John Hilger. Pure water is evidently in great demand.
October:  Phillips & Co. have leased N.J. Majerus’ building adjoining theirs and are cutting an archway through, preparatory to occupying it. Chas. Pehl is doing the work.
November:  The marriage of Peter Clemens to Miss Mary Befort occurs next Tuesday.
On Monday evening, in Hastings, occurred the marriage of Frank Colling to Miss Kate Schilling, of that city.
Peter Nei wishes to state to the parties who turned out to chavivari him last Sunday evening, that they are just a little late, as he has been married more than four years.
John Hartman is buying hoop-poles these days, and is paying from $6.00 to $8.00 per thousand.
A bridge is to be put across the dry run just this side of Lena station, a thing which will be appreciated by all who have occasion to travel that way in the spring of the year.
The curves in Trout Brook near the bridge east of town have been faced with brush and stone, and further shifting in the course of the brook is probably done away with. Fred Mack and Jud Holcombe did the work and it’s a good job.
Mrs. Henry Ahneman died suddenly on Friday morning of heart disease, aged sixty-six years.
Died: Mrs. E.W. Black -Nov. 17, 1893- of pneumonia
Amanda Harrington was born in Onandaga County, New York Dec. 3rd, 1820.  She was married to E.W. Black August 1st, 1838 and about 1866 they moved to Mazeppa. Then children were born to them, seven of whom, with her husband survive her.
Peter Christnach, Mazeppa; Andrew French, Plainview; and John Brass, Reads Landing will represent Wabasha county at the December term of the district court, to be held in Winona.
Merritt Nichols, James Ryan and Chas. Howe, arrested for burglary at Oronoco, broke jail at Rochester on Monday.  A reward of $500 is offered for their capture.
John Riede and C.L. Allen hauled water on Monday from the village hydrants to gill their cisterns for the winter.  The dry weather of the past summer makes this necessary.
Comstock & Hager have purchased the lower mill and will go to work at once to repair the dam.  They expect to have the mill in running order by January 1st.  Good for them.
Mrs. Chas. Perry and two daughters, residing near Zumbrota, spent last Saturday in Mazeppa.
A daily mail service between Rochester and Oronoco has been established, to go into effect Dec. 11th.
December:  Died-Dec. 23rd – Clarissa L. wife of D.L. Philley, aged 68 years and eleven months died of congestion of the lungs. Clarissa Lydia Eaten was born in New York. Her and her husband David Philley came to Mazeppa in 1868. They had 6 children & four of whom were constantly at her side during the critical part of her illness.