The New Township
At the founding of Jackson Township, there were already many people living in the area. Because of the small size of the township, and its proximity to Shakopee, Jackson remained connected to the larger town. In spite of this, residents of the township quickly moved to establish their own governing body. The first official meeting of the township occurred in the home of W. F. Weiser in Shakopee in 1870. By 1872, residents had formed their own elected governing group. Joseph Graffentadt was elected Chairman, Franz Baumhoefer and John Thul were supervisors, and Hubert Rohel became clerk.
The first school in Jackson had been built in 1868, before Jackson separated from Shakopee. It was a small, frame building and 43 students were enrolled. A few years later, a larger brick building was built to replace it. After the Jackson district officially merged with Shakopee Schools, the brick building became the township hall. It remained in service until 1981.
Early Business
There were several prominent early businesses in the township. The Jackson Mill was built by the Ries brothers in the early 1860s. It was a small, water powered mill with one grinding stone. In 1870, the mill was sold to Franz Baumhoefer. He increased the capacity, adding a second grinding stone and converting the mill to steam power. At its height, the mill was producing 40 barrels of flour per day.
J. B. Conter’s lime kiln opened in 1858. At the time there were four lime kilns in the area, but Conter’s was the largest. In 1858, Conter’s kiln produced 16000 barrels of lime, while its next closest competitor produced 14,000.
Lime had a number of important uses in 19 th century America. It served the construction industry as a key ingredient in mortar, plaster, and whitewash. Lime mortar was vital for brick construction because it held the bricks together. Lime mixed with milk and salt created whitewash, an early form of paint. Regardless of which material was used to build a home’s exterior, the interior walls could be plastered with whitewash to create a smooth surface.
Lime also had agricultural uses. It was added as a soil additive to neutralize the acids in highly acidic soils, and it was added to heavily clay soils to help break them down.
Lime was created by burning limestone. Chunks of limestone were dropped into a lime kiln from above. For this reason, the river bluffs of Jackson were prime for the building of lime kiln, allowing easy high access to the kiln’s tall chimney. After it was loaded in to the kiln, the limestone would be heated to around 1650 degrees fahrenheit, which caused the stone to break down, forming a powder. This powder would be scooped out of the kiln, and loaded into barrels for sale. At the time, lime sold for around ninety cents per barrel.
Invoice from J. B. Conter, 1894. From the SCHS Collections.
A later focal point in the township was Valley Ballroom. It was built in 1933, and hosted performers such as Lawrence Welk, Polka Master Whoopie John Wilfahrt and Guy DiLeo. Norbert (Nubby) Thies, a former town supervisor who grew up in the area said “I remember that people from all over the area would come to the dance hall for an evening of fun and entertainment. Every Christmas and New Years they would have a big dance.” Valley Ballroom closed its doors in 1959. The building was condemned and demolished to make way for the construction of the County Road 41 bridge.