Lydia

“Hey, That’s My (County) Seat”: The Battle for the Heart of Scott County, Part 2

This story is written by guest blogger Charles Pederson. To write for our blog, email us at info@scottcountyhistory.org

Part 1 described the roots of the county seat controversy and the first two attempts to move the seat to Jordan. In Part 2, learn about Jordan’s continuing efforts to bring the county seat to that fair village. And prepare for a surprise plot twist.

Third Attempt to Move the County Seat: 1876

Jordan had already made two previous failed attempts to move the county seat from Shakopee to Jordan. Ever optimistic, though, Jordanites began agitating again for the county seat to move. The scheming began in early 1874, not long after the previous attempt. Jordanites wrote to John Macdonald, Minnesota senator from Shakopee. Their letter’s sentiments fit right into today’s political climate: “We deem any opposition to the passage of the bill [to move the county seat] a sure manifestation of an unwillingness to submit to the voice of the people . . . [and] a desire and intent to defraud them of their rights. . . . Should you refuse us in this request, we shall hereafter consider you unfit to hold any office of public trust.”

In 1876, a bill passed the house but not the senate. The Jordanites again had to accept defeat and gather strength for their next attempt.

Fourth Attempt: 1878

Despite their numerous unsuccessful attempts, Jordanites helped introduce another legislative bill in March 1878 to move the county seat. The motion was defeated—and the residents of Shakopee held a huge reception and party for their senate representative, who had helped defeat it. However, a measure was passed allowing both Jordan and Shakopee to issue bonds to buy land and build or improve county buildings on it. Jordanites doubtless hoped this was their chance to get the county buildings themselves. But the measure was not acted on.

Fifth Attempt: 1889

Like a cicada, the controversy lay dormant for the next eleven years before surfacing again. Shakopee’s place as the county seat seemed to have become fixed and permanent. In 1889, however, as required by Minnesota statutes, a legally recognized petition was presented to the county commissioners. Alas for Jordan, most of the members voted to disregard it, apparently ignoring their duty.

Whence the residents of Jordan got the energy to continue the fight is speculation. In 1890, though, Jordanites convinced a judge to order that the board must consider the petition, as it was legally bound to do. At a February hearing before a Minnesota Eighth Circuit Court judge, the petition was again denied. Julius Coller, a staunch Shakopee cheerleader, wrote with ill-concealed elation that this “dashed the hopes of the would-be Court House removers.”

Sixth Attempt: 1927–1929

Three decades—and a new century—later, the county needed a new courthouse. One cost estimate for a new courthouse was $160,000 (approximately $2.5 million in 2021 dollars). Commercial interests in Shakopee logically imagined that this could lead to another fight over the county seat. To head off that possibility, a private group retained an architect to look at the building. He reported that a new courthouse was not necessary, that simply updating and remodeling the existing structure would be enough. Still, his repair and remodeling estimate was $65,000—more than $1 million today. Though a hefty amount, it was far less expensive than constructing an entirely new building elsewhere (in, say, Jordan). The board accepted that estimate, but Shakopee’s dreams of peace were dashed when the town was forced anyway to defend its status as the county seat.

Each side in the controversy placed ads in local newspapers to convince voters of the righteousness of their cause. This pro-Jordan ad appeared in the Jordan Independent of June 13, 1929. Scott County Historical Society Collection.

Just as the momentum for a fight between Jordan and Shakopee—those two old contestants—was building, the rivals must have blinked in shock when a surprise contender entered the fray. A group of residents in Lydia (population 60), seven miles east of Jordan, gave notice of intention to circulate a petition to bring the new courthouse to their town, thus winning the county seat. On November 4, 1927, Lydia residents leading the charge circulated a petition to that effect. Jordan, no doubt kicking itself for being late to the show, circulated a similar petition a week later. By mid-November 1927, canvassers of both towns were busy throughout the county, asking voters to sign their petitions.

What followed was a welter of confusion and rancor. Both Lydia and Jordan met the minimum legal number of signatures for their petitions. Lydia’s eight-day head start should have guaranteed that it be considered first for the county seat move, and indeed, the state Minnesota Supreme Court upheld that view. Both sides were anxious because Minnesota law stated that an election on the question could occur only every five years. Both wanted to strike while the iron was hot. Who knew what political conditions would be like in five years?

Lydia sued to halt Jordan’s petition “on the grounds,” said Lydia banker Martin Imm, “that Lydia announced its intention of obtaining the courthouse before Jordan did and therefore is entitled to file its petition first.” The suit was denied. Lydia then filed notice of appeal all the way to the Minnesota Supreme Court. In response, a Jordan backer obtained a restraining order to halt consideration of Lydia’s petition. Ultimately, the Supreme Court decided that Lydia’s petition had precedence over Jordan’s and could be considered after all.

After all that, the state attorney general ruled that signatures in the Lydia petition were invalid. As found in the 1905 Minnesota statutes, the petition had been filed, and the county board met to decide which, if any, of the signatures to said petition [were] not genuine; and which, if any, of the signers thereof were not, at the time of signing the same, legal voters of said county; and which, if any, of the signatures thereto were not attached within sixty days preceding the filing thereof; and which, if any, of such signatures have been withdrawn.

In other words, the board decided which names on the petition were invalid. More than 700 names were withdrawn from Lydia’s petition. Coller happily reported, “The petition was subsequently rejected.” Undoubtedly with much weeping and gnashing of teeth, Lydia was knocked out of the running.

Lydia’s exit from the race left only Shakopee and Jordan. There were charges of malfeasance, dire warnings of higher taxes, and claims of prejudice against one town or the other. Jordanites claimed Shakopee was avoiding paying taxes. Shakopee replied with outraged explanations why that was untrue.

Each side sent out representatives to speak with voters, and numerous articles appeared in local newspapers, trumpeting why each town was superior to its rival.

Attempting to rouse their supporters, Jordan and Shakopee took their show on the road throughout the county, attempting to rally their supporters in towns and townships during the week leading up to the election. A feature of at least one rally “was the large number of ladies present,” as reported in the Jordan Independent. This might not seem so remarkable until one remembers that women had gained the national right to vote less than ten years previously.

The Shakopee–Jordan county seat battle culminated in a special election in June 1929. This sample ballot instructs voters how to place an X to indicate their choice. Scott County Historical Society Collection.

Finally, election day, June 15, 1929. A majority of county voters decreed that Shakopee retain the county seat: 4,428 voted to keep the county seat in Shakopee, and 2,533 to move it to Jordan. The vote included “approval of the Shakopee proposal to remodel the old courthouse instead of building new,” according to the Jordan Independent. The newspaper continued, “Shakopee was jubilant over its big victory and celebrated in happy abandon Saturday night, Sunday and on.” Church bells, car horns, fire sirens, and huge crowds distinguished the celebration.

They All Lived Happily Ever After?

This 1929 push marked the end of efforts to move the county seat from where it had been for seventy years and has remained for ninety more. Perhaps, however, Shakopee shouldn’t feel too smugly complacent. The law on changing county seats remains in the 2020 Minnesota statutes. You never knowwhen the fight may kick up again!

Further Reading

History of Lydia- Part 2: Fire!

Downtown Lydia around 1970. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

Downtown Lydia around 1970. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

The history of Lydia has been shaped by fire, specifically two disastrous blazes, one in 1901, and one in 1933. 

The 1901 Lydia fire has been described as “one of the most disastrous fires in the history of the county”. It occurred in the middle of the night, sometime between midnight and one, and the causes are still unknown. The blaze began at the Ludke Brothers Store, formerly owned by F. J. Vogel. 

An article published at the time described the scale of the fire: “The flames when discovered were already beyond the controllable stage, even with a well equipped apparatus. Such an apparatus is wholly lacking in Lydia and the neighbors who came to the scene had no better means of combating the fiery element then buckets and wet blankets”. It continued, “Not a thing was saved except the books, and the boys consider themselves very fortunate at being able to snatch them from the flames. The residence, which was attached to the store building, was also destroyed along with every article of furniture and clothing it contained”

Losing one of the town’s general stores would have been a challenge for the small community, but that was unfortunately not the extent of the fire. “The blacksmith shop, operated by Adolph Wandschnieder went up and the smithy building belonging to Chris Busse. Also destroyed were John Ries refreshment stand and 600 lbs of butter and 50 cases of eggs...Busse’s house caught fire, but was saved. Miller Bros’ store was also in jeopardy, as the wind bore towards it. The heat was so intense that it burst the glass in front of the store. Wet blankets saved it... Were it not for the good wells of Lydia it is hard to imagine what the damage would have been” 

Store owner Frank Ludke almost died in the blaze. He went into the store to try to save some of the records, and passed out due to smoke inhalation. Luckily firefighters were able to pull him out. Rather than rebuilding, after the fire the Ludke brothers moved to Montana where they started a hotel that catered to traveling miners. 

A second fire started in 1933. This one was equally devastating to the town, destroying   a restaurant, the barber, a garage, and Gerlich’s Harness Shop & Dance Hall. The timing, during the Great Depression, was not fortuitous. Many of the business owners did not have the cash on hand to recover. Of these businesses, only the garage was rebuilt after the blaze. 

History of Lydia- Part 1: Lydia Businesses

Downtown Lydia around 1970. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

Downtown Lydia around 1970. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

We have a great deal of information about life in early Lydia thanks to the dedicated work of the Lydia Area Historical Society. The group started in 2001 as an opportunity for older Lydia residents to gather together and share stories of the town. Over time, the Lydia Area Historical Society has scoured historic newspapers for items pertaining to Lydia’s history and invited long-time residents to join meetings and share their stories. This has resulted in the publication of a book on Lydia History and a public monument dedicated to Lydia. The Lydia Area Historical Society will also be creating an exhibit about Lydia for the Scott County Historical Society which should be opening in 2022. 

Lyia History

According to the Lydia Area Historical Society, the first European American residents of the area were a group of Irish immigrants who relocated to the ara in the 1850s. They were followed closely by a wave of immigrants from England. 

The Lydia Post Office opened in 1861, and ran until 1903, when the community became part of Jordan’s rural mail route. The first postmaster was named Calendar Pewthere. Perhaps more known in the community was Calendar’s wife, Lydia. She ran the first general store, and was on hand to help residents collect and send mail. The community still bears her name today. 

Miller’s Store

In the late 1870s, an entrepreneur named William Miller came to the area. He opened a sawmill, feedmill, and sorghum press . In 1880, at the suggestion of one of his customers, Miller took some of the excess wood from his mill and used it to build “Miller’s General Store”. 

William Miller’s enterprises proved to be successful. The sorghum press suffered a setback when a 17 year old worker, Ed Dorn, lost one of his hands in the press. This temporarily closed the business, but soon William Miller’s sons, George and Edward, opened a new press just south of Lydia.

Alvin Ebel, a lifetime Lydia resident, recalled his childhood memories of the Lydia Sorghum Mill for the Prior Lake American in 1976. He stated “...steel wringers like those of an old washing machine would press juice from sticks of sugar cane. The liquid was boiled in a vat until a sweet molasses was produced. Farmers would put this on pancakes or bread or whatever else pleased them. On the way home from school we would always pass by the sorghum press and put our fingers into the mixture. It was delicious”

 Eventually William Miller’s sons also took over operation of the store. One of George and Edward Miller’s trademarks was the acceptance of goods in trade. Instead of only taking money, the brothers allowed farmers to pay in chickens, ducks, calves, hogs, eggs and produce. They would then take these agricultural items to St. Paul for resale. 

In 1920, George and Edward Miller sold the store to William Bussman. William unfortunately died of tuberculosis soon after, and his brother Freddie and Freddie’s wife Martha took over operation. The couple continued the tradition of accepting goods as payment from local farmers, and ran the store until they retired in 1974. Eventually they expanded inventory, even selling tractors and other large pieces of farm equipment. 

Vogel’s Store

By the late 1880s, demand was high enough in Lydia that a second general store opened. F. J. Vogel’s Store was located directly across the street from Miller’s store on Lydia Road. 

In spite of his entrepreneurial enterprises, F. J. Vogel’s true passion was for politics. He was elected to the state legislature on the Republican ticket, and held office until he died from tuberculosis in 1898. After his death the store was sold to the Luedke family of Prior Like who owned the business until it burned down in 1901. 

Lydia Blacksmith 

Calendar from Wandschneider Blacksmith, 1908. From the SCHS Collections

Calendar from Wandschneider Blacksmith, 1908. From the SCHS Collections

The first blacksmith shop in Lydia was built by the Hornke family. They ran the enterprise until 1890 when they sold it to Adolph Wanderschnieder. Wanderschneider was known for being excited about using the latest technology. He first ran the shop on horsepower using a treadmill, and was one of the first in the are to transition to operating on a gas engine. 

Wanderschnieder owned the blacksmith shop until 1920 Igraitz Ratoski. Ratoski was a World War 1 veteran who fought on the side of Germany, but relocated to the United States soon after the war ended. He settled in Lydia and married Vilo Pierre who was, at the time, the teacher for the Lydia school. 

Ratoski’s tenure as blacksmith lasted until World War II, when he and his family relocated to Seattle so Ratoski could aid in the US war effort by by lending his mechanical skills to the west coast shipyards. 

Lydia Creamery 

The first creamery in Lydia was operated by John Diedrich, and opened in 1890. In 1899, area farmers decided to open a cooperative creamery, and soon bought out Diedrich’s enterprise. The creamery was a success, and soon 30-40 farmers were regularly bringing their dairy in to be turned into butter. By 1910, the creamery was enough of a community cornerstone that they sponsored the local Independence Day celebration which included a dairy-themed float and fireworks. By 1921, the creamery had 77 stakeholders. Until electric cooling systems came to Lydia, farmer members would meet each winter on Fish Lake to harvest ice used to chill the butter throughout the year. 

Lydia Creamery, like several other area creameries, suffered a setback during the prohibition years due to a rash of butter robberies in the area. In 1926, thieves made away with 8 tubs of butter valued at $200. The next year there was another robbery attempt, but this time the thieves were foiled by the Floyd Andrews Inc Detective Agency which had been hired by the Land O Lakes company to protect area creameries. 

In 1930 the cooperative ended, and the creamery was purchased by Richard Boettcher,  who used the facility to make butter under the name American Beauty. Facing competition from creameries that specialized in milk, and the rising popularity of oleo (margarine), the business closed in 1940. 

The building continued to stay in use, first as a hardware store, and then as a candy and ice cream shop. It burned down in 1954 and was not rebuilt. 

Gierlich Hall and Harness Shop

In 1890, Frank Gierlich built a harness shop, and added a dance hall upstairs. The hall hosted dances every Saturday. Long time Lydia residents remembered that admittance could be had for a quarter- except for a special week in 1917 where the charge was seventy-five cents, but a motorcycle was given away as a door prize. 

The hall was also a home for community gatherings. The Methodist Church held their chicken suppers at Gierlich Hall, and it also hosted the Lydia Cremery’s annual co-op meetings. Additionally, a local group known as the Lydia Farmer’s Club would put on regular one and three act plays for the community. Every Christmas, Gierlich Hall hosted the Lydia School’s annual holiday program. 

The Gierlich Hall and Harness shop remained a community staple until it burned down in 1933. 

Lydia Feed Mill around 1965. Photo from the SCHS collections.

Lydia Feed Mill around 1965. Photo from the SCHS collections.

Lydia Feed Mill 

William Miller owned an early feed mill in Lydia, but the business best remembered as the Lydia Feed Mill was opened by Richard Boettcher in 1926. Richard ran the mill until he passed away in 1940, and ownership passed to his sons Marvin and Eitel. The mill stayed in the family until it closed in 1989. 

The Lydia Feed Mill had one brief closure. During World War II both Marvin and Eitel were drafted. The town of Lydia took up a petition to cancel the draft so that the brothers could continue to run the mill, but the request was denied. Both brothers served, and the Lydia Feed Mill was closed until they returned from their service. 

In 1958 the mill expanded,  Over time, storage bins, a truck hoist, feed mixers and an electric corn sheller were added. In 1985 the Prior Lake American profiled the Feed Mill, at the time run by Eitel Boettcher and his sister-in-law Beatrice. The paper noted that, in spite of modernization, the Feed Mill still had an old-fashioned feel. Farmers continued to leave bags of feed on the doorstep when the mill was closed over the weekend, and “Inside the office, a quarter still buys a bottle of pop, and the weather and the economy are frequent topics of conversation. ” 

Beatrice Boettcher noted that the Feed Mill had become a center of community life “Everyone used to gather at the Country Store, but when that closed last year people started coming here to visit. Later in the day, some of them go to the County Seat Restaurant.”

After the Lydia Feed Mill closed, the building remained empty for several years. It was finally demolished in 1993.

Creameries Around Every Corner

Scott County has a long agricultural history, as does much of the Minnesota River Valley area. When most people think agriculture, the first idea they have is of farming but agriculture as an industry is more than crops and cattle. When farmers harvest their yields, the next step of the process begins, turning that raw good into a finished product. A major industries that sprang up on the late 19th and early 20th century in Scott County was creameries which did just that.

Creameries could be found in every township, and nearly every major town had one. Most of these creameries started as Co-Ops, businesses that were founded and owned by the local farmers that made use of the business. While the list of creameries in the county is long, a look at three will help illustrate their impact on agriculture in the county: Joel, Blakeley, and Marystown.

Joel Creamery Building in 2006

Joel Creamery Building in 2006

The Joel Creamery was a small one man operation, and produced primarily butter. This creamery served the local farmers in Joel, but also had buyers in Belle Plaine Township. Butter is a staple of creamery production, and most every creamery produced it in some quantity. The Joel Creamery opened its doors in 1893 and remained in operation for 24 years, owned and operated by A.C. Schmit. Upon its closing, Schmit thanked his patrons for their support. For many in the early 20th century, local creameries were the primary way that people acquired dairy products.

 Marystown Creamery was opened in the early 1900s and, like Joel, produced mainly butter. However Marystown specialized in sweet cream products. The creamery turned out several thousand pounds of butter.

Marystown Co-Operative Creamery Stock

Marystown Co-Operative Creamery Stock

By 1924, the Marystown Co-Operative Creamery had been leased out to the Redman Ice Cream Company, producing the cream that would go into their Ice Cream though not actually producing the desert itself. In 1925, the creamery became a depository for local farmers to drop off their milk and cream. In 1927, however, the creamery closed and the building was torn down not long after.

Lydia Co-Operative Creamery Calendar

Lydia Co-Operative Creamery Calendar

 Perhaps the longest running of the small town creameries was that of Blakeley. Beginning operations in 1917, the creamery quickly boomed in business as local farmer bought in. On its first day in operation it is reported that it churned 1000lbs. of butter. In 1928 it produced 399,170 pounds of butter. By 1933, the Blakeley community was receiving $160833, or over $3 million dollars today, in revenue from the creamery. The average patron received about $22, or $426 today, annually. Rather a substantial profit considering they were in the height of the great depression. Blakeley creamery continued to operate until 1970.

Creameries were a means of production in the agriculture industry, but more than that they provide for their community. Goods coming out of the churns were bought by locals who couldn’t easily travel to larger towns, and farmers received dividends on the cream and milk they brought into the businesses. For many farmers, the creameries became a nucleus of farming in their area along with the feed mills, and grain mills. Creameries today are not as abundant as they once were, and few Co-Op creameries still exist at all. These business remind us of the larger impact agriculture has on our communities and ways in which people survived and prospered in decades past.

Written by Dave Nichols, Curator

Ghost Towns of Scott County

Merriam-Webster’s definition of a ghost town is: “a once-flourishing town wholly or nearly deserted usually as a result of the exhaustion of some natural resource.”1

It is sad to say, but Scott County has its fair share of ghost towns. Below is a list of those ghost towns, with years that the towns were founded and/or ended. As you can see, many of these towns only lasted a handful of years, at most.

  • Louisville, 1854

  • Mount Pleasant, 1856

  • Bellefontaine, 1856

  • St. Lawrence, 1856

  • St. Joseph, 1858

  • Dooleyville: 1855-1870

  • Yorkville

  • Merriam Junction, 1866-1871

  • Helena, 1887

  • Village of Joel: Blakeley Township 1897-1917

  • Brentwood, 1860

  • Luxembourger – early 1900s

  • Lydia

Why did these towns disappear? Many of these towns contained grist or sawmills, a post office, church, school house, hotel, general store, creamery, newspaper, tavern, blacksmith, and of course residential houses. So why, with all the apparent success of a growing town, did these towns die out?

For many of these towns, the main reason was location, as well as mode of transportation to the town. Several of these towns were built near rivers, as that was one of the main sources of transportation at the time. For St. Lawrence, the building of the railroad spelled the end for the town. The river was no longer used, and no main roads were built to the town. For Merriam Junction, a town built right on the railroad, the invention of the automobile was its downfall. All that is left of the town is an old dilapidated railroad depot.

For towns like Yorkville and Brentwood, animosity between their neighbor towns caused them to struggle with their business. Yorkville residents were seen as a threat by those in Chaska Township, and many Yorkville residents were lured over to the other side. Brentwood was on the other side of the railroad tracks to Jordan, and held possession of the depot. Jordan residents disliked this fact, and eventually Brentwood was incorporated into Jordan, disappearing entirely.

No matter the reason for its disappearance, the fact remains that these towns that once flourished are no longer standing. Even though many of these towns have little to indicate where they once stood, their memories are still held in the minds of once residents, as well as their family members. These towns still stand in photographs, newspapers, and postcards. Take a look at a few of the photographs the SCHS has in its collection of some of the ghost towns in the county.

Merriam Junction

Merriam Junction

Lydia

Lydia

Joel

Joel

Helena

Helena

If you wish to learn more about the ghost towns of Scott County, please contact the SCHS for more information. If anyone happens to have photographs or information on any of the ghost towns in the county, please let us at SCHS know. We would greatly appreciate the information!