Aerial view of New Market, ca 1958. SCHS Collection.
Early Elko and New Market
Rail access could make or break a fledgling town. Trains brought goods and supplies and allowed local manufacturers and farmers to conveniently ship their products. It also brought new people to settle and expand local communities.
The process of bringing the railroad to Scott County began with a series of stops and starts. The Minnesota Territory first received federal land grants to provide for railroad construction in 1857. Unfortunately, the next decade contained a series of tumultuous events that delayed construction. First, there was “the panic of 1857,” an economic depression in the United States characterized by a declining international economy and overexpansion of the domestic economy. During this time, rail companies were reluctant to add to their lines. Next came two concurrent wars—the US-Dakota War of 1862 and the Civil War (1861–1865)—that disrupted lives and businesses throughout the country. Rail finally came to Scott County in 1865.
The settlement that would become New Market was formed before the railroad came to the area. The first known European Americans living in the settlement were Patrick White and his wife, who moved to the area in 1855. They were soon followed by others, including John Mahowold, who broke ground for the township’s first European American farm in 1857. This event was rapidly followed by many more recorded firsts. The first religious meeting happened in 1858—a German Catholic service held in Martin Eishen’s farmhouse. The first church was built on the property of Peter J. Baltes in 1861. The first school was built on land donated by Peter Wagner in 1865, and the first post office, which was simply the living room of Peter J. Baltes, opened on April 7, 1867.
An 1876 article in the Scott County Argus described the area thus: “Fourteen families. Their nationality was as follows: one Irish family, three Yankee families from the state of Maryland, nine German and two Norwegian families. Their buildings were all log houses with elm bark covering the roof, and the windows mostly one light 8x10, and no floor and no furniture.”
Schoolchildren and their teacher outside a schoolhouse near Elko. The boy with the X on him is Michael Schneider, ca 1910. SCHS Collection.
The same Scott County Argus article described another local first: “The first teamster in New Market was Peter Hoffelt. He made a small hand sleigh, loaded it with seventeen rabbits, and went to St. Paul to sell the rabbits and to buy a sack of cornmeal. He procured the meal and started for home, his wife in the meantime feeling very uneasy about him. On the second day about nine o’clock in the evening he arrived in New Market. He stopped at the house of Martin Eishen about bedtime and cried out three or four times: ‘Woah! Woah! Them d--d cattle never would stand.’ Mr. Eishen opened the door and said, ‘Where is your team Mr. Hoffelt?’ He laughed and replied, ‘I am the team and the driver too!’ and then started forward, reaching home about 11 o’clock that night. His wife met him on the road and assisted him in drawing the sled home. This is the story of the first teamster in New Market.”
In 1895 the area was officially incorporated as New Market. They built a hotel and school and continued to grow through the turn of the century, supported by the train station at nearby Elko.
When the Chicago-St. Paul Railroad mapped out the area of Elko as a stop on their expanding rail lines in 1902, new businesses grew up around the railroad and existing businesses in New Market prospered. The town of Elko was officially incorporated in 1949 after a conflict with the township over liquor licenses. 62 of the 114 residents had petitioned to the Scott County Board of Commissioners requesting to become a village. The Board approved the petition and then the citizens of Elko voted on the measure.
Advent of the Interstate
Use of railroads declined as automobiles became more popular and interstate highways popped up across America. Interstate 35 was constructed in the 1960s and the railroad left Elko a decade later. With these changes, business declined in both towns but housing construction boomed.
As housing exploded, concerns grew surrounding the capacity of the existing sewer system. Housing construction stopped in the 1980s and a new sewer system was built─shared between Elko and New Market.
Merger
In 2004, the city councils of Elko and New Market began to consider the possibility of a merger. Together, the two towns drafted a Cooperation and Combination Plan, which laid out the steps they would have to take for the approval and implementation of a merger. This plan was completed and approved by both city councils in January 2006.
Even before the merger, Elko and New Market shared several services in addition to the shared sewer system. Elko contracted with New Market’s fire department, and New Market borrowed Elko’s police department.
A public merger vote, open to all citizens of Elko and New Market, was held on March 21, 2006. The merger passed with resounding success. In Elko, 213 people voted for the merger, while only 38 voted against, and in New Market the score stood at 224 to 47.
Sign for the merger between Elko and New Market, 2006. SCHS Collection.
The new Elko New Market was honored with two awards for the successful unification: an Excellence Award for Municipal Consolidation from the League of Minnesota Cities and an Innovation Award from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
Today, the unified town of Elko New Market is home to more than 4,500 people, longtime natives and new arrivals alike. While distinct from New Market Township, the town of Elko New Market remains the commercial hub for township residents.