Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 22

The following advertisement about Askov's American Publishing Company comes from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 21

The following text about Willow River comes from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners. 

Willow River 

Willow River, located on the Northern Pacific railway and Highway No. 1, just forty miles from Pine City, the county seat, is a town with a future. 

Its growth depends upon the farm lands surrounding it, and these are rapidly being developed. Dairy herds, promising cream, cash, and contentment, are a part of this community. 

The Willow River grade and high school is a beautifully constructed building not surpassed by any in surrounding towns. It gives the youth of its community the advantage of a high school education at home which means much to the parent and child. 

Religious education also need not be neglected for there are three churches, namely, Presbyterian, Catholic, and Lutheran. 

Due to the demand and market for good eggs and poultry the territory around this town can boast of many a profitable poultry flock, some making handsome profits from this source. 

A number of lakes, one as near as three-fourths of a mile from town, furnish fishing and bathing beaches and coax many a tourist from his dusty trail. 

Surely no new farming community can have more advantages and beauty-spots than are at Willow River and in surrounding community.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 20

The following text about Sturgeon Lake comes from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners. 

Sturgeon Lake 

Sturgeon Lake, a village of about 200 population, is located in the extreme northern end of Pine county, on the new concrete International Highway No. 1 and county Trunk Road No. 5, and on the Northern Pacific railroad, fifty miles from Duluth, and one hundred twelve miles from St. Paul. 

It is chiefly a trading center, having several stores, garages, a bank and confectionery that suffice to the needs of the farmers surrounding it and to the traveling public. It is the main village inlet to the lake country comprising more than twenty-five beautiful lakes; lakes that are abounding with fish, ideal for cottage sites, and fast becoming a mecca for tourists traveling from coast to coast. 

It has two rural mail routes extending out of it. Mail route No. 1 makes a contour west for twelve miles, running through a prosperous farming country. Mail route No. 2 circles around the lakes east for a similar distance, and between the two routes they distribute mail to an area of more than twenty-five miles square. This area is well settled with prosperous farmers who engage in diversified farming to their success. Almost every farm site possesses a fine home, a large roomy barn, well organized out buildings, and some have silos to provide ensilage for the cattle during the winter months. 

Cream is the principal product, but small grains, corn and potatoes are also raised in substantial quantities. Sturgeon Lake is the market place for most farm products. Many farmers have been successful with chicken raising and they have concentrated on that to the exclusion of other lines. 

That a prosperous state of affairs exists throughout this environment is apparent by the fact that most of the farmers own their homes and possess modern conveniences, labor-saving devices, radios for entertainment and instruction, and a general tranquility exists everywhere. 

Sturgeon Lake is fast gaining a place as a popular tourist center, it being in a strategic position to the many lakes surrounding it. The shores of Sturgeon Lake, the largest of the lakes, are fast getting lined with cabins and tourist camps and those who commercialize this natural advantage are making extensive efforts to provide accommodations for the many visitors that come here to spend their vacations fishing, boating, and bathing. 

The roads leading through this country are constantly being improved. The state has practically completed a concrete thoroughfare between the Twin Ports and the Twin Cities, making access to country towns on that highway an easy matter. The county is also active with its road improvement. County Trunk Highway No. 5, running from Aikin county line to Wisconsin, through Sturgeon Lake, is being graded, clayed and graveled. The townships continually improve smaller roads leading into various farm communities and between farms. With this extensive road improvement it is possible to travel any place in the country with any kind of vehicle throughout the entire year. 

Every community around Sturgeon Lake has its school, and every farm is withing walking distance to one. The neighboring towns have high schools, so that the facilities for securing an education are good. 

There are churches of a dozen different denominations within a radius of ten miles from Sturgeon Lake. 

A significant come-back of no small merit can be noted west of Sturgeon Lake where the holocaust of 1918 swept through and destroyed scores of farm homes. Today the traces of that fire are few. The farm buildings have been replaced with finer structures, and where the forests stood fine fields and pastures have been made. It required perseverance and tenacity to start over again, but the majority of the fire sufferers were equal to it, and now have fine homes again. 

The settling and upbuilding of Sturgeon Lake can not be credited to one single person. It can, however, be credited to homogeneous groups who have accomplished deeds co-operatively with the thoughts that benefits for the community are benefits for the individual as their central idea.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 19

The following advertisements about Sandstone comes from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 18

The following text and advertisements about Sandstone comes from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners. 

Sandstone 

Midway between the Twin Cities and the Twin Ports is Sandstone, a village of 1,200 population, located on the Great Northern Railway and the paved Highway No. 1, in the land of clover, cows and contentment. 

Sandstone's atmosphere, like its climate, is very agreeable. It is one of friendliness and cheer. Its people are cordial. Its living conditions are equal to those of any modern, progressive community. 

Sandstone has pleasant surroundings with facilities to care for mind and body. 

It contains United-Congregational, Norwegian Lutheran, Swedish Mission, Catholic, and Dutch Reform churches. Services are held by Trinity Lutheran and Episcopal denominations as well. 

Sandstone has a modern consolidated grade and high school with normal training and agricultural departments. It has an efficient corps of teachers. Its school building is commodious and built of sandstone. 

It has a hospital operated by two physicians and surgeons. It has also a dentist. 

A library containing 1,800 volumes is housed in the village hall to serve the community. 

The Masons have a $25,000 temple, the I.O.O.F. have a fine lodge building and the Modern Woodmen of America have an organization here. Several other clubs are also active. 

The village owns and operates its water system, has municipal sewer system, and is supplied with electricity by the Minnesota Power & Light Company, which has a power dam on the Kettle river just below the village. 

Sandstone has a substantial high class motion picture theater, a weekly newspaper, two up-to-date hotels, two popular restaurants, besides many other business establishments. 

Sandstone is the home of Pine county's oldest bank, and its first national bank. The combined resources of these two as of June 30, 1926 totals over half a million dollars. 

The Kettle river borders the east side of the village and affords some extraordinarily picturesque scenery along its banks ranging from fifty to one hundred and fifty feet in height. (The kind people “travel hundreds of miles to see”.) Several lakes nearby afford excellent fishing and are fine recreation centers. Over 100,000 fish were planted in the lakes and streams surrounding Sandstone this year. 

Community spirit is high in Sandstone, is responsible for a strong community club, an annual fair, a village band, and a base ball team. 

The farming territory is but partially developed and many acres still await the hand of the plowman. As Dan Wallace, editor of “The Farmer”, said at a recent farmers' club meeting in this locality: “The surface has just been scratched”. The last few years have shown remarkable growth but in the near future much greater strides are sure to be made. 

Dairying is the chief concern of Sandstone farmers because of the wonderful clover, alfalfa and other legumes grown in this vicinity. Timothy is easily grown, and wild hay abounds on practically every farm. Corn is grown for fodder and silage. Guernsey and Holstein cattle predominate, and many fine grade herds are being built up. 

A fine spirit of co-operation exists among the farmers, and the fruit of this is shown by the fact that most of them belong to the Sandstone Farmers' Co-operative Creamery Association, the Eastern Minnesota Egg and Poultry Producers Association, and are now joining the recently formed Co-operative Feed Shipping Association. 

The Sandstone Farmers' Co-operative Creamery Association has 250 patrons and owns a $7,000 creamery. At the last annual meeting it was voted to build a new creamery, and provisions made to raise money, since the business has greatly outgrown the present plant. Last year this association did a business of nearly $150,000 and paid the farmers $140,788.64. In 1922, it made 128,000 pounds butter; in 1925, 345,000, a remarkable growth. 

Small grain, fruit and vegetable crops play an important part in the farmers' diversified crop system. Rye, oats and barley are the most important grain crops, and these with the forage crops are used locally to a great extent. 

Potatoes, rutabagas, and cucumbers are in the front rank in quality and quantity produced. Approximately $10,000 a year is paid the farmers for pickling cucumbers by companies in Sandstone. 

The growing of small fruits is still in its infancy and very excellent strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples and plums are produced. The climate is well adapted to the cultivation of fruits, and proximity to the “Twins” will accelerate its growth. 

The poultry industry and the production of honey are two other profitable lines which are being developed. The raising of poultry goes hand in hand with dairying and is advancing rapidly. One Sandstone farm which specializes in poultry raising now has nearly 2,000 chickens, and a 12,000 incubator. This is an example of what may be done with poultry around Sandstone. Honey production is natural where clover abounds and farmers find it profitable here. 

Sandstone got its name from the rock deposit which is located in the village. 

The Kettle river sandstone is used for mill blocks, sawed stone, building stone, curbing, paving blocks, and crushed rock for paving and highway building. 

The William Penn Stone Company has a $100,000 plant for cutting and working stone here. This is one of the largest of its kind in the United States and is equipped with the latest stone working machinery. Much of the work has to be done by hand and about 40 men are employed the year round. The yearly pay roll amounts to about $75,000. 

Among the more important buildings in which Kettle river sandstone is used are the Great Northern Station and the million dollar Baker building, Minneapolis, the library of the University of Illinois and the Spokane Club of Spokane, Washington. 

Sandstone is a division point on the Great Northern railway. All trains stop here, including the six passenger trains running between Duluth and St. Paul. The passenger train running to St. Paul via Princeton starts each morning from Sandstone, excepting Sundays. 

Sandstone is an important Great Northern town. 

A visit to the beautiful Kettle river at Sandstone or the Sandstone quarries and stone cutting plant is extremely interesting and well worth while. Make us a visit, and you will want to live in Sandstone. 

If you are looking forward to independence and want a good farm home, buy here for good value and low price.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 17

The following advertisement about Rock Creek comes from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners. Apparently Rock Creek, a small town a few miles south of Pine City, did not contribute any text to this publication.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 16

The following advertisements about Pine City come from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 15

The following advertisements about Pine City come from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 14

The following text and advertisements about Pine City come from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners. 

Pine City 

Pine City, the county seat of Pine county, an incorporated village of 1500, is located 63 miles north of St. Paul, and 96 miles south of Duluth, on the Northern Pacific railroad and State Highway No. 1, in the heart of the richest farming community in this section of the state. It is the dairying center of the community tributary to Pine City and boasts one of the best co-operative creameries in the state, a creamery which last year paid its patrons over $320,000.00 and which is showing a healthy growth over previous years' business. 

Not only is dairying a leading industry, but many potatoes are raised as well as all small grains, and corn in large acreage. 

There are four churches, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran and Presbyterian, and a fine high and graded school. It is the home of the Eastern Minnesota Power Co., a public utility concern, reaching to some 30 towns west and south of the home plant. It also supports two newspapers, The Pine County Pioneer and the Pine Poker, and has two hotels and the usual number of stores and other business places. 

The village of Pine City was platted in 1869 and was organized in 1881, but the officers did not qualify until the following year. One of the show places of the village is “Robinson Park”, donated to the village by Captain Richard G. Robinson, a former resident. 

Located on Snake river, between Pokegama and Cross lakes, Pine City is widely known as a summer resort community, and numerous summer homes owned by city people dot the shores of the adjacent lakes. Camp Phares, a newly built hotel and resort place occupies extensive grounds on the east side of Cross lake, near the old townsite, Chengwatana. At Pokegama lake are the Island hotel, a summer resort property, and the Pokegama sanatorium, owned by Dr. H. Longstreet Taylor of St. Paul. This is a tubercular sanatorium consisting of fine modern buildings and equipment, with a resident doctor and a corps of nurses, capable of caring for fifty or more patients at all times. 

Improved and unimproved farms can be had in the neighborhood of Pine City at prices ranging from $15 to $175 per acre, depending on locality and distance from town. The population is of a mixed type, with many thrifty Germans and Bohemians, Scandinavians and Yankees.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 13

The following text and advertisement about Markville come from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners. 

Markville 

Markville is probably the fastest growing community in Pine county. The farming country about the village is unusual in the variety of soils available. East of town the soil is more or less sandy but with plenty of bottom to raise splendid crops, while west and north of the village the soil is clay loam, a typical hardwood country that is rapidly being made into good farms by the settlers. The head waters of the St. Croix river with all its tributary rivers and trout streams and the number of nearby lakes adds much to the beauty of the country and to the sportsman's pleasure. 

A number of new settlers have come to Markville in the past year. The lowering of the price on the big land companies' holdings has caused a pick-up in the real estate market. This is the first real agricultural district south of Duluth and Superior, and prices for farm products are sure to be good. Many farmers are already making good with truck shipments to these markets. 

The village is keeping pace with the surrounding country in development. During the past few months a number of new business enterprises have located at Markville. Among the most notable are the Farmer's new creamery, which has been made a wonderful record during its few months of operation, the Markville bakery, the Enterprise-Messenger, east Pine county's newspaper, and several others. Dr. E.F. Freymiller has purchased a residence in Markville and is now located here permanently. Our first R.F.D. began service from the Markville post office this season. The Soo Line coaling and watering station is located here and extra operators to serve the night trains are kept at Markville. A system of telephones for the surrounding country is being constructed. The Markville end of the county trunk road No. 10 was graded this spring and we are now on a good highway. 

Other enterprises in Markville beside those mentioned are: two groceries, a strong bank, a splendid garage, barber shop, two restaurants, hotel, pool hall, wood buyers, lumber yard, stock yards, two potato warehouses, meat market, hardware store, contractors and builders, implement dealer, blacksmith shop, etc. Markville has continuous current electric service at very reasonable rates, especially for power. 

A brick school building housing both the grade school and the high school and a Presbyterian and a Catholic church are centers of community life. 

Anyone contemplating buying land is cordially invited to look this community over.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 12

The following text and advertisement about Kerrick come from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners. 

Kerrick 

One of the smaller towns of Pine county but one that does more business than any other of its size in the northern part of the state. Hustle seems to be the first and last name there. It has a general store that does from $65,000 to $80,000 business per annum. It has a lumber yard, a confectionery store and barber shop, garage, potato and feed warehouse, a fine hotel, and a strong bank. This bank is the last one on the Great Northern railway until you get to Superior, Wis. The footings now total over $150,000, and its surplus and capital is $22,000. 

Kerrick has no creamery but patronizes the Farmers' Co-operative creamery about two miles away. Many of the farmers are members of the Twin Ports Dairy Association, and ship whole milk to Duluth. 

There are several very nice farms, the largest being a 1,000 acre tract owned and operated by D.J. Curry. This farm keeps 75 to 100 head of cattle. 

This small community has been a leader in the “Community Fair” idea. This fall they have a just put on their 7th successful “Kerrick Community Fair”. They have taken considerable pride in this activity and have maintained a lead in it. There is a fine brick school building with four class rooms, domestic science, manual training rooms and gym. The gum, under the direction of Prof. A.R. Hyatt, has turned out basket ball teams that have been a credit to the town. 

Oak lake is one of the beauty spots and is the Mecca of the young folks during the summer months, and furnishes no end of enjoyment for the campers and picnickers. 

The town enjoys the distinction of having the best store paper in the Northwest, which goes out to the patrons and others interested twice a month. The editor's column is headed “Subscription price – Your good will.” The paper is in demand by every one who has ever lived here and has been rated by Butler Bros., the big wholesalers, as the “best store paper that ever came to their desk”. 

The possibility for dairy farming, chicken and bee raising is unlimited. The land is exceptionally productive and can be bought at reasonable prices. There is no local land agency but the Kerrick State Bank will gladly answer any inquiries made about the territory or farms therein.

The town needs and invites, a hardware man, a good live poultry and egg buyer, a good stock buyer, and a blacksmith.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 11

The following text and advertisements about Hinckley come from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners. 

Hinckley 

Hinckley is a thriving up-to-date village of 800 population of enterprising citizens, located on the main lines of the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railways, midway between Minneapolis and St. Paul on the south and Duluth, Superior and the iron range country on the north. We have 16 passenger trains daily. Hinckley is also located midway between the Twin Cities and the Twin Ports on State Highway No. 1. 

Hinckley has one of the best high and graded schools in the state, having an enrollment of over 400 pupils. 

Hinckley has a farmers' co-operative creamery which turns out the premium brand of Land O' Lakes butter. The Farmers' Co-operative Egg and Poultry Producers Association's headquarters are at Hinckley and are handling the farmers' products at satisfactory prices to them. 

Four potato warehouses handle the potato and rutabaga crops and good prices are obtained with competition. Cattle and hogs find a ready market with the two stock buyers and shipping association, in fact, all products of the farm have a ready market. 

We have five churches, Protestant and Catholic. In fact, Hinckley offers every advantage, commercial, social, and religious, that could be asked for in a favorably situated, progressive and growing town. 

Hinckley has a large farm trade territory and while there are many very finely improved farms there is yet some very fine unimproved land to be had very cheap and on terms to suit the actual settler. These lands are very productive and yield crops abundantly. 

Only a short haul by freight, express, or auto truck delivers our products to our consumers in nearby cities and the Iron Range country. This wonderful market is growing rapidly and constantly. 

We of Pine county and Hinckley do not need to trouble ourselves about Europe's buying power, or a world's market, for we have the Best Market on Earth that can be reached with a Ford truck. Over one million dollars was paid to Hinckley farmers for their products last year, not including any grains of any kind, as follows: Dairy products, $420,000; poultry and eggs, $195,000; live stock, $248,000; potatoes, $205,000; rutabagas and vegetables, $82,000; cucumber pickles, $16,000. 

Come to a growing town in a growing community adjacent to growing cities and growing industries, and almost within sight of the greatest development projects of the age, surrounded by wonderful productive soil where clover is a weed, where prosperity follows the dairy cow and where the churn produces a constant flow of gold; where the rain fall is abundant – to help fully develop this locality and share in its glorious future. We want a few more red-blooded earnest young men and women. We ask you to join us in making this the favored region that God and nature intended it to be, a land of happy homes, of a contented, prosperous people.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 10

The following text about Henriette comes from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners. 

Henriette 

Henriette is a progressive village located in the southwestern part of Pine county. The land thereabout is a very productive, fertile clay soil which produces large yields per acre. Clover and timothy grows in abundance and it is not unusual to get two and three tons of hay per acre per cutting. Oats are always an excellent crop producing from 50 to 80 bushels per acre. Corn is being successfully raised also and some very good yields of fine corn is being produced. Owing to the abundant growth that all kinds of grasses make in this section dairying has become an important industry, making a return to our farmers of enormous sums. To give you an idea of the magnitude of the dairy industry in this immediate vicinity just place Henriette in the center of a circle extending twelve miles each way and you will find ten creameries and two cheese factories paying out to the producers in excess of $1,000,000 annually. 

Located as we are, on the main line of the Great Northern Railway, midway between the two great population centers of Duluth, Superior and the great Iron Range cities to the north, and the great twin cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 64 miles to the south, and the closeness of the large So. St. Paul packing house, we are especially favorably located close to markets, which gives us all the advantages of close haul low freight rates to our markets. 

Here you'll find excellent graveled hard roads mostly everywhere and many beautiful lakes are within a few minutes drive.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 9

The following text and advertisements about Finlayson come from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners. 

Finlayson 

Finlayson is located on the Northern Pacific railroad, only 90 miles from St. Paul, and 65 miles from Duluth, in the Ten Thousand Lakes country of Minnesota. Duluth is predicted to become the greatest inland ocean port in the world; this ocean port will benefit the adjacent territory materially, and the time is not far distant when the farm lands in this vicinity will be very valuable. 

The products of this territory, consisting mainly of the milch cow, eggs, potatoes, alfalfa, clover, and minor grains, have not been subject to the great price fluctuation that was harmful in the grain country; a steady, good price has been maintained and our farmers always have, and are now receiving good prices, and are prosperous. 

Good marketing facilities for everything the farmer has to sell, by way of main line railroads and cheap water transportation from Duluth gives Finlayson easy access to the eastern markets. 

Paved and graveled highways connect Finlayson with the principal cities of the state, auto trucks and pleasure cars are driven on them after the heaviest rain without difficulty. The predominating nationalities found in this territory are people of German, Scandinavian, and Finnish descent, all of which are thrifty, hard working, honest people. 

Religious and educational advantages in Finlayson are 6 churches of different denominations, and a full four year high school. 

Finlayson has a population of 300 people, of the progressive kind, who are always interested in the new settlers and their welfare, it is an up-to-date place where the farmer can sell anything he raises for cash at all times, and buy everything and anything to supply his needs. 

Good land is still to be purchased at very reasonable prices and anyone desiring a good farm home with limited means can find it in the Finlayson territory.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 8

The following text and advertisement about Duquette come from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners.

Duquette

Duquette, situated on the banks of the upper Willow river and the Great Northern railway, is the natural central point in a section where dairy farming is the main industry.

Not so very many years ago the principal source of income of the settlers, and about the only commodities shipped out, was cord wood, ties, posts, pulp wood and other forest products.

Today by far the greatest income is from butterfat, and the most valuable export is Land O' Lakes butter. Potatoes, eggs, and live stock are also being shipped out in ever increasing quantities.

Some 35 or 40 years ago, at the time the Great Northern railway, or as it was then known, the Eastern Minnesota railway, was built through this section, Frank Duquette, a French-Canadian woodsman, came here and built a small saw mill and established a small general store and saloon, and operated on a small scale for a number of years. A number of French-Canadian families settled here with him, who worked in the woods during the winter and in the saw mill during the summer. The large logging operators however soon had the valuable pine timber cut and the small operators were soon left with small lots of less valuable timber, and our old friend Duquette soon quit and the people who came with him began to drift elsewhere. In the meantime, however, some homesteaders had settled in the vicinity and some of the cut-over land was offered cheap and a number of other settlers came in.

In 1903 Frank Duquette sold his store and some of his land to Anderson & Co. who put in a stock of merchandise more suitable for a farming community and furnished a market for whatever commodities the settlers had to sell. In 1905 the firm was reorganized and incorporated under the firm name of Anderson Erickson Co., and from that time till now this firm has taken a leading part in helping to build up this section of the country. A post office was established and a townsite surveyed and named Duquette, in honor of the fine old gentleman who first started business here.

It is not so much of a town as towns go, a depot, a general store, a lumber yard, a harness and shoe repairing shop, blacksmith shop, a potato warehouse, a fine farmers' co-operative creamery, privately owned, but leased and operated by the Farmers' Co-Operative Creamery Association, and where they make Land O' Lakes butter, a modern, up-to-date school house (consolidated school), one of the finest in the state for the size of the district, and last, but not least, the community hall, built and owned by the Duquette Community Association, a co-operative stock company. The hall is a monument to the public spirit of the community and an object of pride to its people.

The Oak Lake Farmers' Co-Operative Telephone Company, another co-operative institution, furnishes telephone service among the farmers and with the rest of the world through its connection with the North Western telephone system at Moose Lake. Good roads, good water and a soil that will produce in abundance any crop suitable to this climate. Right now, when so large a section of Minnesota and other states are threatened with less than half crops, the crops here, with the exception of hay in some places, are above normal. But of all the great and valuable assets of this community, the greatest and the most valuable is the honesty, integrity, industry and public spirit of the many good men and women of the community, as fine and true a lot of people as there are to be found anywhere. Lots of room and a hearty welcome to a lot more of the same kind.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 7

The following text and advertisements about Denham come from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners.

Denham

Denham is located on the Soo Line in the extreme northwest corner of Pine county, in the midst of a productive dairy and agricultural community, 55 miles from Duluth and Superior, 120 miles from the Twin Cities.

Not so many years ago this country was the home of the Red Men, who found it a veritable paradise, as the woods, lakes and streams abounded in berries, game and fish. The first settlers tell stories of adventures with these Indians, and in many places relics are still found.

The first white men to settle here literally hewed their homes out of the forest. They blazed trails and carried their supplies for many miles. Many as these hardships were, they make light of them and never forget to tell of the neighborliness of the other settlers, and all were willing to do their part for any one in need of help.

Gradually the woods were cut down, stumps removed, ground cultivated, and each succeeding year showed great progress; schools and churches were built, roads improved and general living conditions made more comfortable and pleasant.

Great progress has been made in the past few years, particularly so since the Soo Line came into operation in this locality. In 1921 a co-operative creamery association was organized, which, with capable management, has proven to meet with the best of success, and today we have ideal conditions for the carrying on of the dairy industry. This is a great inducement to those who desire a new location for establishing a permanent home. More than 300 families make up the settlement of the community, consisting principally of Scandinavians, Bohemian and Polish nationalities.

PROSPERITY FOLLOWS THE DAIRY COW

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 6

The following text and advertisements about Cloverton come from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners.

C.C.C.

The above initials are symbolic of the Cloverton Community Club. They are also the beginning of “Courage, Confidence, and Contentment”; “Clover, Cows, and Chickens.”

It was with courage that the Cloverton Community Club was organized. The courageous ones, like the pioneers, had confidence in the possibilities of this territory. They considered it worthy of improvement and of development, and time will tell their judgment was well founded. It is still with courage and an increased confidence that the people of this community are shoulder to shoulder, making this community the best place on earth in which to live; not for the present only, but for the future. And in living every human being looks forward to the condition in life known as contentment – contentment which consists of enough wealth to make life comfortable – fine farms and homes, a good school to educate the children, and a good church. All this with the end in view that we may live harmoniously and at peace with our fellow men. The combination of the above should result in happiness. Courage to tackle the difficult; confidence to overcome obstacles, and contentment in having reached nearer the goal.

“Clover, Cows, and Chickens.” This community is especially adapted for these, clover grows everywhere – from roadsides to meadows. Cows are grazing contentedly in green, fertile pastures abundant with forage. The farmer is satisfied that his cow should be contented, for is it not because of her that he chuckles over his large monthly cream check? Alfalfa, too, is becoming a rival of clover for the cow's contentment. And in addition, there is the busy little hen. Chickens in many instances buy the groceries for the home giving the cream check an opportunity to go into the bank. Plenty feed for the cows, larger cream checks, and a healthy flock of chickens are the stepping stones toward the goal of contentment.

In the center of this community is CLOVERTON fortunately situated on a strip of the most productive soil in the state. It is in eastern Pine county on the Soo line between the Twin Ports and the Twin Cities, both great markets. Cloverton has two stores, meat market, barber shop, two restaurants, garage, Standard Oil Co. station, a bank, two church denominations – Lutheran and Presbyterian, rural route, local and long distance telephone service, electric lights, I.O.O.F. and M.W.A. lodges, a concert band, a tri-county shipping association. It has a school, grade and high, that is the apple of the community eye. The building, being all modern, is the most beautiful in the county.

C.C.C. invites you to visit us, learn to know us, and to live with us. We want more ambitious families who want to live where life is enjoyable through the building up of a better community. In a similar manner that “Prosperity Follows the Dairy Cow”, so does contentment follow the Cs – “Clover, Cows, and Chickens.”

Thus it is easy to remember this community by the Cs – Cloverton, clover, cows, cream checks, chickens, courage, confidence, and contentment.

The above is but a part of this community. For further information write CCC.C. All inquires will be cheerfully answered.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 5

The following text, picture, and advertisements about Bruno come from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners.

Bruno

The village of Bruno has a population of 300, is located in Pine county on the Great Northern main line between St. Paul and Duluth, 50 miles south of Duluth and 100 miles north of Minneapolis.

The village was incorporated in 1903 and originally was a lumbering and saw mill town. The lumberjack was gradually replaced by the pioneer farmer who converted the cut-over lands into productive farms. Today Bruno is the center of a prosperous farming community with a farmers' co-operative produce and creamery association, operating an up-to-date creamery, manufacturing the celebrated Land O' Lakes butter. In addition to this the village has one bank, two garages, three general stores, hotel, restaurant and confectionery, lumber yard, pool and barber shop, feed store and two produce warehouses, shoe shop, meat shop, and pickle plant. A modern brick school building, teaching grades, manual training, domestic science and four years of high school. Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic, and Advent churches, and what is quite important to prospective settlers, we have clear and pure water, clay loam soil, rich in vegetable and mineral elements, very fertile and productive, we have the best of roads radiating out of Bruno in all directions. This is a natural dairy section in the heart of the now famous “Big Red Clover Belt”. We welcome new settlers and there is yet much unimproved land that can be bought at a low price.

     One of Bruno's Prosperous Farms 

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 4

The following text and advertisements about Brook Park come from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners.

Brook Park

Brook Park, Pine county, is a village of about 200 population, located on the Great Northern Railway, midway between the Twin Cities and the head of the lakes, two of the best markets in the world. We are also located on Trunk Highway No. 23, about 6 miles west of No. 1, and about 10 miles east of No. 5, Trunk Highway No. 23 running from a point on No. 1 south of Hinckley, through Brook Park, Mora, Milaca, St. Cloud to Paynesville, Minn., thereby giving us very good connections and good roads to all points.

We have a farmers' co-operative creamery, making Land O' Lakes butter of the very best quality. Two large potato warehouses, a pickle salting station, three general stores, a bank, flour and feed store, a confectionery store, and several other lines of business, two churches, a high school, Odd Fellow and Woodman lodges. The population is mostly mixed.

The land in this locality is all what is known as cut over land, at one time covered with a growth of pine, all of which was cut off several years ago. Most of the unimproved land is now covered with a small growth of poplar and brush, easy to clear, giving the owner plenty of fuel. The land, when cleared, will produce all kinds of crops that do well. Potatoes, grain and grasses are some of the best; clover is also known as a weed, the clover seed business being one of the best paying of any with but little work to harvest the crop, as most of it comes without seeding. Potatoes also do well. All buyers of potatoes who handle the crop here always speak well for the kind the land produces; two to three hundred bushels to the acre is a common occurrence and some varieties in peat even do better. Grain is also a sure crop. Oats run as high as 50 to 60 bushels to the acre, and early varieties of corn will mature, giving the dairyman plenty of feed for the stock.

The farming country in and around is well taken care of by rural mail routes, there being three out of this office daily, leading in every direction. Rural telephone lines extend to all parts, and practically every farm has a telephone. Roads leading out of town are all in good condition.

If you are considering a new location and want to be near good markets, with fine railway service and good highways, look up this section of the state.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 3

The following text and advertisements about Beroun come from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Homeowners.

Beroun

A prosperous village of 200 population, midway between Pine City and Hinckley on the Northern Pacific railway and Highway No. 1, the center of a very productive farming community, devoted to dairying, poultry raising, and general farming.

Beroun has four general stores, meat market, lumber yard, blacksmith shop, two garages, two hotels, two fireproof potato warehouses, pickle packing plant, brick co-operative creamery, Catholic and Methodist churches, new brick school, and bank.

The Beroun territory is settled largely by Bohemian farmers who have demonstrated their ability to transform a cut-over country into a prosperous farming community. Dairying is the basic industry as evidenced by the success of the local co-operative creamery association, large dairy barns, silos, and numerous fields of alfalfa.

This territory was originally covered with hardwood timber, some fine stands of which remain, has a very productive clay loam soil and some peat lands which with modern farming methods are being made to produce abundantly. Prices of improved farm lands vary from $35 to $100 per acre, depending upon improvements and location.

Beroun ships on an average of a car of live stock a week, over $100,000 worth of butter a year, 50 to 90 cars of potatoes a year, has one of the M.A. Gedney Co.'s most successful pickle producing stations and ships a large amount of poultry products and clover seed.

Potato raising contributes no mean measure of the success attained by several of our farmers, some fields having returned as much as $400 per acre last season, and offers a means of securing large returns from a small acreage in favorable season.

This section has never known a crop failure and offers to the man of moderate means an opportunity of securing a productive farm home, near to market, good schools and healthful climate.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 2

The 1926 promotional booklet on Pine County included feature stories, advertisements, and sometimes pictures for each of the county's towns. The section about Askov follows. 

Askov

About 20 years ago a group of Danes started this colony in order to attract that class of Danes who valued the spiritual inheritance of their mother country highly, and who wanted to find a place where all the good and valuable ideas as to this life, and life beyond, might be preserved and propagated in their children.

The land was, in reality, a worthless waste covered with stumps, stones, and brush. It had been robbed of its wealth by the great lumber companies. Fire had swept over it and consumed everything left by the lumberman. Several times it was tried to colonize it, but without success. The settlers would not stick. The few that did stay were living in Indian style in small log huts, daubed with clay to keep out the cold and wind. Each hut was surrounded by a small clearing of an acre or so, where a little garden truck was raised; otherwise the settler spent his time hunting, fishing, and attending town meetings.

The colonizers were successful in attracting a large number of land-seekers and home-builders and sales went fast in spite of the physical aspects of the country. Mr. L.C. Pedersen, the leading spirit, was so full of the future possibilities of the country, which he painted in words so alluring that everyone who came in contact with him seemed to be inspired.

Time went on and things progressed. The country lost its wild appearance. The village grew; a public school was built, outgrown, added to, and rebuilt in succession; a church was erected, a pastor called; co-operative associations were formed; a creamery started; all things went well until this day, and now we have a smiling, prosperous community, dotted with beautiful, well kept farm homes in which dwell happy, contented men and women surrounded by romping, roundfaced, gay children. Instead of the stumps, stones, and brush the fertile fields are covered with crops of all kinds, and in the pastures among the scented clover dairy cows, thoroughbreds, are grazing or sunning themselves.

The town is a thriving village, newly built and newly painted, containing school and church and all kinds of up-to-date stores and the largest and best equipped printshop in the county, where job work running well over $25,000 was turned out the past year.

We have created a spot here in Pine county, Minnesota, which now and in times to come is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to the state and to society in general. We have worked hard to gather our own people here, not in order to segregate them from America and American ideals, but in order to have a place where all the good we have brought with us from the mother country may thrive and bear fruit, and where we may in some degree, inculcate some of these ideals into our friends who came from other lands to found homes in America. We are a large community, but wish to double our number; acres upon acres lying around are idle and need a tiller, so if you are in search of a home, visit Askov and see its possibilities; then you may decide to dwell among us.

Pine County Promotional Booklet – Part 1

Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting selections from the 1926 promotional booklet entitled Pine County: Where Folks are Home Owners. Compiled and distributed by the Pine County Farm Bureau, this little booklet offers profiles of Pine County towns, ads for area businesses, and pictures of Pine County life, all in an effort to attract new settlers and encourage the county's growth and development.

Forward 

In preparing this bulletin, giving the facts of Pine county so that people visiting our exhibit at the State Fair will easily know where this wonderful and progressive county is located, statements made in regard to the various communities have been carefully censored so that no misstatements concerning the conditions have been made. We are frank to say that the conditions in our county have not been over-rated, that we have many pieces of land that are very suitable for farming, still in its virgin state. 

We extend a hand of welcome and will be glad to give you further information in regard to the conditions of any community or the county as a whole if you will take the time to write to us. 

Yours very truly, W.F. Hammargren, County Agent 


PINE COUNTY 

Pine county is located midway between St. Paul and Duluth. Only two and one-half hours drive to either Duluth or St. Paul on one of the best state highways in Minnesota, namely, Highway No. 1. This highway in Pine county is paved from north to south boundary except for a few open gaps which will be completed in the fall of 1926. This, together with Trunk Highway No. 23, which comes in from the west, and with a system of state aid highways gives every farmer in Pine county a good road leading into markets and to the two trunk highways. 

We have in Pine county 3,326 farms out of which 6 are operated by managers. 331 are operated by tenants and 2,989 are operated by the owners themselves. This alone should prove to the home seeker that Pine county is an ideal place to locate for anyone seeking a farm of his own. The value of our farms is more than $20,000,000. The amount of land in these farms is over 335,000 acres of which most is under cultivation. 

Our principal crops are corn, oats, barley, potatoes and rutabagas, of which potatoes lead as far as a cash crop is concerned. Our soil here is ideal for potatoes and yields of over 300 bushels of marketable potatoes per acre in 1925 were reported. Alfalfa grows abundantly in this county. Illustration No. 1 shows the second crop of alfalfa on the Otto Wiedemann farm, east of Pine City. Illustration No. 2 shows the cutting of alfalfa on the August Wickstrom farm on the 17th day of June, 1925. The growing of this important crop gives the farmers in this county an abundance of roughage of good quality. We have alfalfa growing in every township and a dairy farmer looking for a good dairy farm can come to Pine county assured that he can raise this important legume. Yields of three tons in two cuttings to an acre is nothing uncommon. 

 Second Crop of Alfalfa on Otto Wiedemann Farm Near Pine City

 Cutting of Alfalfa on August Wickstrom Farm Near Pine City

We have a most important industry, namely, the dairying. The farmers of this county received more than $2,000,000 for the dairy products alone for the year 1925. To help the farmers get the most out of the dairy products we have fourteen farmers' co-operative creameries which pay the highest market price for butterfat. Our co-operative creameries are located at the following points: Denham, Finlayson, Sandstone, Hinckley, Beroun, Brook Park, Pine City, Rock Creek, Greely, Cloverdale, Markville, Askov, Bruno, and Duquette. By writing to any one of these creameries you will receive first hand information in regard to the conditions tributary to their creamery. 

We have in Pine county four cow testing associations working in cooperation with the co-operative creameries to raise the standard of the dairy cow. 

Good Summer Playgrounds 

Not only have we fine farms and good soil conditions but we also have some of the finest summer resorts and lake properties that are as yet not taken up. For tourists Pine county offers fine opportunities to spend a vacation at our lakes and fine beaches. 

Pine county has a mixture of people – progressive, religious and hard working pioneers that will extend to any home seeker a hand of welcome. This holds true not only with the farmers but with the business people in all the towns. You will receive a courteous, friendly welcome whether you expect to locate here or are driving through this county. We extend to you a welcome stop in to visit in the towns as you pass through this county, producing the finest crops and the best people in the state of Minnesota.

 Good Fishing and Boating

Pine County Prize Winning Exhibit at State Fair in 1922

Prepared by M.E. Poferl, Pine City