Yesterday and Today in Savage

M.W. Savage’s Stable

The historical photo was M.W. Savage’s main stable at his horse breeding farm in Savage. It was home to Mr. Savage’s famous racehorse Dan Patch. Mr. Savage purchased Dan Patch when the horse was six out of New York for a whopping $60,000. Mr. Savage saw promise in the carriage horse, which was followed through on when he raced him in the Minnesota State Fair that year. Dan Patch set the turf world record at 1.55 a mile in 1902. Mr. Savage continued to race him and when he was too old to race he showed him. Since then the original stable seen in the photo has been torn down but the Dan Patch Historical Society continues his legacy. A memorial to Dan Patch is engraved at city hall in Savage.

Savage Shipyard

The historic photo shows a Navy ship being launched on the Minnesota River from the shipyard in Savage. The Savage Shipyard was a primary military port from 1941 to 1945 during WWII. In a time of need, Cargill, Inc. stepped in to give up their grain mills to help produce Navy ships. In 1945 WWII had ended and Cargill produced a total of twenty-two ships. Following the war many were scrapped, while a couple were saved. The space had been returned back to Cargill which still remains in the same location. Now Cargill peacefully remains on the Minnesota River and is estimated to produce 6% of the nation's grain.

Windmill Cafe

Past the old low-riders in the original photo stand a brown painted building that is the Windmill Cafe. The Windmill Cafe was opened in 1972 and has served as a great mom -and-pop dinner in the heart of Savage. Diane and Denny were longtime owners of the Cafe, but as years went on they decided to retire and hand the business over to long-time friends Kari and Adam Whetsel. With a beautiful new paint job, the Whetsels opened back up for business in January of 2020.