Snail Mail: The FBI Visits Mudbaden

Today we rarely receive handwritten letters but they were once a primary method of communication. In this blog series, we’re highlighting some of the interesting letters in our collection. 

Today’s letter was written by Olaf Olsen to Francis Mathiowetz of Sleepy Eye, MN on December 17, 1947. 

At the time, Olsen was the manager of the Mudbaden Sulphur Springs in Jordan.  In the letter, Olsen explains that he is sad to see Mathiowetz leave as he was one of the better employees. He also mentions that the FBI came looking for Mathiowetz after he left. But we are left to wonder, ‘why was the FBI looking for Mathiowetz?’ 

Scroll down past the image to read the full text of the letter.

“Dear Francis: 

Thank you for your greeting card, letter, etc. We did not like to see you go Francis, for always we classed you among our better employes. [sic] We have had several since you left, but for some unknown reason, none of them seem to stick very long. I sometimes think that it must be down in the ‘sticks’ as some call it, and perhaps that is true, for after all, if you do not have relatives or good friends with whom you can visit, there is not much to stay here for, especially, if youth is still with you. I mean this, for I often thought that it would be pretty much the same with me also, if I were younger. Mudbaden has one redeeming feature, and that is, it is a good place to save money. 

We shall be glad to see you at any time Francis, should you have occasion to be up this way. 

For your information, there has been one party checking on you since you left. He introduced himself, saying he was with the F.B.I. Whatever I could say I did say, there naturally was nothing I could say that was not in your favor. 

I have shown Mike your card, saying you had sent your best wishes to him. We all wish you a Merry Christmas and trust you will have a Very Happy and prosperous New Year. 

Sincerely Yours,

[signature of Olaf Olsen]”

History of Mudbaden: Part 3

Looking for parts one and two? Check them out the last two blog posts!

The Mud Harvest  

Mud harvest at Mudbaden, 1915. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

Despite Mudbaden’s fancy new offerings, the base of the spa still rested in the mud. The sulfur-laden mud around the property was harvested each day and taken into the spa for use in treatments.  

The process was labor-intensive. First, the mud was dug out of the ground with a hand operated crane and loaded into a cart on a small rail track that was built for the sole purpose of moving mud. The cart was drawn, again by hand, into a space known as the mud room. This space featured a large mixer connected to a gas engine. The mixer broke up the mud and staff removed any vegetation or rocks that had become mixed into the muck. The mud was then heated, creating the proper temperature and consistency for curative processes.  

Mudbaden’s “Cures”  

Mens’ mudroom at Mudbaden, around 1910. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

The health treatments at Mudbaden took place in “mud rooms” that were divided by gender. When patients went in for their treatment, they would be directed to mud tables. These were massive steel tables with a shallow basin on top where hot mud was placed 3-6 inched deep. As patients laid in the muck, additional mud was placed over them, covering their bodies except for their faces.  

The goal of the treatment was to sweat in the sulfur-rich air. After the mud treatment, patients were rinsed in a large tub in the center of the room, and then wrapped in blankets and given sulfur-infused water to rink to increase their sweat. Finally, they were taken to a “cooling room”, and given a massage.  

These treatments all took place in the morning, leaving the afternoons free for entertainment and relaxation.  

Did it work? 
Though Mudbaden advertised its sulfur services for many different ailments, the most common patient complaint was rheumatism, or arthritis. While the treatment would not have “cured” arthritis, heat and humidity are still used today to help control pain. There is some scattered evidence that also points to sulfur also helping with arthritis pain, but no large, well-controlled studies have ever been conducted.  

If nothing else, spending a period of time relaxing, getting daily massages, and being catered to by room service likely made many patients who suffered from chronic pain feel temporarily better.  

Still Growing 

Staff at Mudbaden, around 1910. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

Mudbaden continued to grow in size and popularity throughout the 1920s. By 1924 the facility had a medical staff of four doctors, four nurses and one lab technician, as well as three massage specialists. The medical offerings of the resort expanded, adding an x-ray machine and two operating rooms. Forty-two other employees also lived on site, harvesting mud and providing hospitality services.  

Mudbaden experienced a bit of a lag during the depression and years of World War 2. In 1948 that facility was sold again to David E Braum of Chicago. By 1950, advances in modern medicine had, to many people’s minds, rendered the services offered at Mudbaden obsolete.  

New Tenants 

On July 1st, 1952, Mudbaden closed its doors. The facility was purchased by The Sacred Heart Novitiate, and affiliate of the University of  in South Bend, Indiana. The building was occupied by postulates and used in the training of prospective Catholic priests. Trainees stayed for one year at the facility, living mostly in silence. Religious vows were taken at the end of the years, after which the novices returned to Notre Dame to continue their academic religious studies.  

In 1969 the facility changed hands again and became known as Lynnville, a rehabilitation center for alcohol addiction. In the late 1970s services expanded, offering drug treatment services as well.  

In 1985, Mudbaden was purchased by Scott County, which still owns the property today. Initially it was used as a minimum-security jail annex. Today, the former Mudbaden is known as the SCALE Regional Public Safety Training Facility. The buildings are used for training and education opportunities for Law Enforcement, Firefighters, Public Works, and other county services.  

If you have the opportunity to attend a class or visit the facility, you can still see its former glory in graceful woodwork and large airy windows. Even if you are unable to go inside, it it still worth it to drive by and see this building that was once the medical pride of Scott County! 

Written by Rose James, SCHS Program Manager

History of Mudbaden: Part 2

The story of Mudbaden continues... Looking for part 1? Check out last week’s blog post!  

Mudbaden is Born  

In 1910 construction began on a new building at Rosendahl Sulphur Springs. This facility was 124 ft long and 24 feet wide including a porch, steam heat and hot and cold water in every room. It would accommodate up to 70 patients at one time. In 1911, as business continued to prosper, O.J. Rosendahl and Dr. Larson officially purchased the land and facilities from original owner Ole Rosendahl for $30,000. The name was again changed – this time finally, to Mudbaden Sulpher Springs 

 Destination Mudbaden  

Promotional postcard from Mudbaden from around 1915. SCHS Collections.

Dr Larsen and O.J. Rosendahl were far more business-minded than Ole Rosendahl had been. Once they took over ownership, advertising and promotions soared. In 1910 a booklet was created and sent to every practicing physician in Minnesota, many in neighboring states, and past patients. This pamphlet heavily promoted the health benefits of sulfur mud treatments. Local newspapers were dotted with advertisements promoting the health benefits of a visit to Mudbaden – and the fun and relaxation that could be had with a vacation to the resort's modern facilities.  

 From this time on Mudbaden was promoted not only as a medical facility, but as a recreational experience and tourist destination. Along with sulfurous mud baths, Mudbaden hosted banquets, dances, parties and picnics. They even had their own baseball team.  

 In 1912 a convenient new rail station was built along the Omaha line 100 feet from the front door of Mudbaden. Trains began to run regular daily routes to and from the facility.  

Mudbaden could not have been built at a more apt time. In the early 1900s, health and science were all the rage. Cursory knowledge of germ theory and the scientific method as becoming more widespread, and the public was clamoring for new “scientific” cures that would relieve the suffering from old ailments. Not only this, but with new health practices, a greater percentage of the US population was reaching old age – meaning that Mudbaden’s advertised cures for rheumatism (arthritis) were suddenly in higher demand. In 1912, the proprietors of Mudbaden claimed that patients came from "Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North and South Dakota as well as many other states reaching to the Pacific and Canadian provinces” 

 New Ownership and Expansion  

Mudbaden lobby around 1920, from the SCHS Collections

Dining room at Mudbaden, around 1910. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

 In 1913 Dr. Larsen bought out O.J. Rosendahl’s half interest in Mudbaden and continued to build, adding new summer cottages and electric lighting. Then, in 1914, Dr. Larsen sold his interest in the sanitarium for $100,000 to a corporation organized under the name Mudbaden Sulphur Springs Company. Heading up this venture were Joseph Kehrer ( a well-known seed salesman and druggist in Jordan), E.J. Schmidt and P. G. VaBlarcom of Fond du Lac Wisconsin, and James E. McGrath.  Dr. Larsen maintained an interest.  

The new owners began plans for construction of a modern building of steel, concrete and brick at a cost of $100,000.  Patient capacity was increased to accommodate 200. With construction underway, Mudbaden was once again sold - this time to the E.G. Pauling & Co financiers of Chicago.  

 Resort 

Construction at Mudbaden, 1915. From the SCHS Collections.

In 1915, the new facility was completed. It was 242 feet long making the total length of the sanitarium 425 feet.  There were four steam heated sun porches and two open verandas.  The main lobby and dining room were massive, well lit halls.  The lobby boasted two fireplaces and a high ceiling beamed with quartered oak woodwork. At either end of the dining room were mullioned windows.  Diners were served from a large modern kitchen, and adjacent to the dining room was a 40x70 ft amusement hall. Though the stated purpose of Mudbaden was still “health”, the feel of the facility was more in keeping with luxury resorts of the day  

 When the new building was completed in 1915, a daily bus service began that connected Jordan, Minneapolis and Mudbaden. Transport from the Twin Cities cost only 75 cents each way.  

 Find out about the health services offered at Mudbaden, and the future of the resort in next week’s blog post!  

 Written by Rose James, SCHS Program Manager 

History of Mudbaden: Part 1

A Smelly Swamp 

Local legend has it that when Ole Rosendahl went to claim a homestead near Sand Creek township, only a single 80 acre tract of land was left. Supposedly the land was covered with smelly, swampy mud, and no one thought the property had any practical use. Nonetheless, Rosendahl claimed the land and began to build a home on the property.  

As Rosendahl remembers it, sometime around 1900 a peddler was crossing his land and got stuck in the mud. He noticed the pungent, sulfurous smell and began to congratulate Ole on his good fortune! The peddler knew of sulfur-mud spas that were taking off in Germany, and thought Rosendahl was sitting on a metaphorical gold mine in his smelly mud.  

At the time, sulfur was thought to treat skin irritation, allergies, arthritis, infection and more. Rosendahl contacted the University of Minnesota about the correct way of “cooking” his sulfurous mud, and soon began a business, giving curative mud baths in his kitchen.  

The Landscape of Scott County 

Footprint of Lake Agassiz

It is no surprise to geologists that Rosendahl found his goldmine of mud. During the last ice age, the land that is now Scott County was covered in glaciers. Twelve thousand years ago, as the glaciers began to retreat, the melt-water formed a massive body named Lake Agassiz. This lake covered large portions of what is now North Dakota and Minnesota, and almost the entire province of Manitoba.  

Lake Agassiz was held in place by glacial dams. When the force of the water became too great, it broke through and rushed southwards at a rapid place, forming huge floods and glacial rivers that chiseled through the landscape before them. One of these, Glacial River Warren, carved the path that the Minnesota River flows through today.  

Glacial River Warren, superimposed over the path that the Minnesota River travels today.

This glaciation and flooding had a profound effect on the landscape of Scott County. Rushing waters carved out the river bluffs, while glacial pressures left behind compacted fertile soil. The waters also forced themselves through cracks in the bedrock, forming the seeps and springs and muddy peat that became the mineral spas of the future.  

Mudbaden is Born 

Ole Rosendahl’s first known treatment was given to Ernie Morrell for his ringworm. Morrell claimed to feel much improved after his mud bath and word soon began to spread. In 1906, Rosendahl purchased a large local house and had it moved to his land to create his spa. On December 27, 1906 an ad appeared in the Jordan Independent stating “Mr. Rosendahl assuming ready for patients” 

 An article accompanying the ad described the mud spa thusly: 

 “The large sanitorium which Ole Rosendahl is having erected at the site of his sulfur springs here is assuming a finished aspect, being in fact partially completed. The main part was 26×50 feet in dimensions, two stories in height and there is an addition nearly as large. A considerable portion of the sanatorium is now finished and Mr Rosendahl will soon be ready to receive and care for his patients. It is his plan to have hot water heat and electric lights in the building. He reports wonderful cures, especially of rheumatism. A recent case was that of a Minneapolis physician who became so badly crippled with inflammatory rheumatism that he couldn’t come out to Mr. Rosendahl’s, so the latter sent him some of the mud and water from the sulfur springs, believing that its use would put the man of medicine sufficiently on his feat to make the trip to the healing waters of Jordan. But lo and behold! The application of the mud and the use of the water at his own home so cured the doctor that he found it unnecessary to come at all and he immediately resumed his medical practice.”  

 The wording of this article is important. The late 1800’s and early 1900’s were a golden age of so-called “patent medicines”. Miracle cures in pill, powder, and mud form filled the pages of newspapers, and little legislation existed to curb spurious claims. Just before Mudbanden opened, a law has passed attempting to protect the public. It was no longer legal to make false medical claims in advertising. It was, however, perfectly legal to advertise our cures in the form of “reports” and testimonials.  

 Regardless, Rosendahl’s spa continued to grow. By 1908 the business had become too big for Ole Rosendahl to handle on his own. He passed management on to his sons, O.J. and Ben Rosendahl. The boys also brought in a medical staff, Dr. T.M. Larsen, and Dr. W.H. Philips. Dr. Larsen was a chiropractor from Denmark, was an “expert masseur”.  He was slick, sales-minded, and charismatic, and threw himself wholeheartedly into promotion. With this new team, the customer base of the spa increased rapidly. The Rosendahl Sulphur Springs was officially incorporated in 1909 with capital stock of $50,000. 

Learn more about the continued growth of Mudbaden next week! 

Written by Rose James, SCHS Program Manager

On the Hunt…

This summer the Scott County Historical Society turns 50 years old. To commemorate our golden anniversary, we are having a summer full of events, festivals, and grand picnic (August 25th), and we have launched the Great Summer History Scavenger Hunt!

Visit 10 historic locations (or as many as you can) in Scott County before our 50th anniversary picnic! Take a picture at each one and email it to us (info@scottcountyhistory.org). Complete the quest and you will win…

• A prize at our 50th anniversary picnic

• The chance to have your photos featured in an upcoming exhibit

• everlasting fame and glory.

The great hunt has already spawned stories. A woman and her father have been visiting a new town’s locations each day and are trying new restaurants. A family has been making a summer scrapbook with their photos. To augment those tales, here are some of the stories behind the 10 Scott County locations you will visit as you complete your summer adventure:

Location 1: The Stans House/ Scott County Historical Society – Shakopee

The Stans House was built in 1908 by Hubert Stans. It is constructed in the Dutch Colonial Style, popular at the time. One of our long-serving volunteers recounted visiting the house while she was girl, but sad she never got past the kitchen because Mrs. Stans didn’t want young folks mussing up the rest of her house. Luckily, today you can visit the whole lower floor. It has been restored giving visitors peek at what life was like for a middle class family in Scott County near the turn of the 20th century. Inside you can wind a Victrola, learn how an icebox works, and recline on a fainting couch. If you are interested in touring the house, be sure to call us and make an appointment in advance- 952.445.0378.

Next door to the Stans House is the Scott County Historical Society. Inside the building is used for a wide variety of  purposes. We have rotating exhibit galleries: currently you can learn about Scott County in WW1, toursim in Scott County, American Indians of the area, and the history of the Stans Family. Coming soon are exhibits on sports in the county, and the use of tools to build Scott County. The building is also home to a  research library featuring the lineup of newspapers throughout county history, subject folders, historic maps, county books, and a card catalog to help you track down your family’s history. The museum and library are open:
Tuesday , Wednesday and Friday- 9am to 4pm
Thursday- 9am to 8pm
Saturday- 10am to 3pm
Come pay us a visit!

Location 2: Veterans Memorial- Shakopee

Located off of highway 101, Memorial Park is Shakopee’s largest. The 147 acre park features picnic shelters, friendly mill-pond ducks, multiple playgrounds and shady walking paths. Centrally located is an AH-1F Cobra helicopter. The design was prominently used during the Vietnam war, and now serves as a sculptural tribute to Shakopee’s veterans.

Location 3: Mudbaden (now called the SCALE Training Facility)- Jordan

Mudbaden was a health spa founded by Ose Rosendahl in 1906. Around 1900, a peddlers cart and horse got stuck in the mud while trying to pass through Rosendahl’s property. As they worked together to free the cart. As they labored in the mud, the murky ground began to release sulfurous fumes. Rather than be offput by the smell, the men realized that Rosendahl had a business opportunity on his hands. The smelly mud was believed to have health benefits, and mud spas were making money throught Europe at the time. Rosendahl began cooking up mud treatments in his kitchen, and soon “Rosendahl Sulpher Springs” was born. 

By 1910 a new building was built to house up to 70 people who had come to visit the restorative mud. The sight was renamed Mudbaden, and it began to become a serious tourist attraction. By 1912, ten plus trains were stopping at the site each day.

In 1914 the modern brick building was built with a capacity of 200 visitors. Mudbaden was a true resort, with dancing, music, parties, movies and banquets complimenting mud treatments. The facility continued to grow, acquiring the rival Jordan Sulpher Springs site in 1925. It continued to host a steady clientele until the 1940s when medical advances made mud treatments seem out of vogue. Mudbaden finally closed it’s doors for good in 1952, but the beautiful structure created for the mud baths still stands. Now known as the SCALE regional training facility, Mudbaden is located at 17706 Valley View Dr and is a pleasant bike ride from Jordan.

Location 4: Ambrose Friedman Cabin – Jordan

One of the oldest European American homes still standing in Scott County. It was being used as a storage shed, but was purchased, restored and moved to its present location by Clement Nachbar in memory of his parents, Mathias Nachbar and Wilhelmina Mertens Nachbar, who settled near Jordan in 1855. The cabin is now open as a museum on Memorial Day and for special events. The cabin is found at the intersection of Water st and Varner st, near downtown Jordan

Location 5: Episcopal Church of the Transformation – Belle Plaine

The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, an Episcopal church building in Belle Plaine,  is a Carpenter Gothic style building with wooden buttresses. Sometimes referred to as a “prairie Gothic” church, it was built in 1868 for English-speaking parishioners, but most of the rural residents at the time were German and Irish immigrants who brought their own languages and religious practices with them. The result was a church building that struggled to attract worshipers for 80 years before the beautiful church was abandoned. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Memories, details and stories about the church can be found in the book “What Happened Here: A History of the Episcopal Church of the Transfigoraton” by Lee Howard Smith, available at the Scott County Historical Society. Here is a taste, recalled by Hinrietta Hillstrom Smith: 

I have many memories of this church. I remember the early services at 7am with the early morning sun streaming through the east window above the alter with its beautiful colored glass. I remember the 5pm services during the winter months when the church had to be heated. The fires were started during the morning and kept going most of the day in order to get it warm enough to spend an hour at service. Later to save time and heat services were held in the Vestry. I had a round oak stove which wasn’t being used that I loaned to the church, some benches were moved in, a small table with white linen was used as an alter. It provided warmth and since there were so few people there was a closeness, and a closeness to God.

The Episcopal Church of the Transformation is at 201 N Walnut St in Belle Plaine

Location 6: Two Story Outhouse – Belle Plaine

The Hooper–Bowler–Hillstrom House was built in 1871 in Belle Plaine, Minnesota, United States, by Sandford A. Hooper, a local businessman and promoter of the town. By 1886 it was sold to Samuel Bowler, a founder of the State Bank of Belle Plaine and lumber-yard owner. Bowler added a new kitchen, buttery, and , most famously, a five-hole, two-story outhouse that is connected to the house via a skyway. He also added a copper-lined bathtub. When the Bowlers moved to Denver, Colorado in 1901, the clapboard frame house was sold to Alfred Hillstrom whose family lived in the house until it was purchased in 1975 by the Belle Plaine Historical Society. The house is now furnished in a variety of periods that reflect its long life. It is open for tours from 1-4pm on Sundays between Memorial day and Labor day. Find the Hooper-Bowler-Hilstrom house along with its famous toilet at Court Square Park in Belle Plaine

Location 7: New Market Hotel and Store – Elko New Market

The Elko New Market Hotel and Store was built by Joesph Baltes in 1897. The building was originally given the cozy name of Home Hotel, and featured a first floor tavern with sleeping rooms upstairs. The hotel served visitors a business people traveling throughout the region. It also was a local social gathering place, holding suppers during dances at the Village Hall, and as a place to meet with locals and visitors.
The hotel was typical of its time, with no electricity, and the owners living on site in the back of the first floor barroom. Laundry services were also offered for a small fee, and the owner’s wife would start washing sometimes as early as 3 O’clock.

Today the building still looks the same as it did in 1897, though with some different paint around the old windows, and big green sign on the front. . Visitors to the hotel today can walk up the double-wide staircase and peek into original rooms, each with a different theme which constantly changes. The current operators of the hotel maintain six rooms that visitors can see. The first floor is still a shop that is open periodically throughout the year.

Visit the Elko New Market Hotel and Store at 441 Main St, New Market, MN

Location 8: Church of Saint Wenceslaus – New Prague

The group of immigrants who settled New Prague had originally settled around Dubuque, Iowa, but many of them died of cholera. Four men from the community traveled up the Mississippi River to Saint Paul, in search of a healthier climate. They met with Catholics in the area who advised them that Benedictines from Saint John’s Abbey near Saint Cloud, Minnesota, were helping settlers find land. The explorers from the Czech community got lost, though, and ended up following the Minnesota River to Shakopee instead. They found that there was ample land to the south, so the four men purchased land and brought their families north from Iowa.

The parish of St. Wenceslaus was organized in 1856, and a log church was built the following year. The log church was destroyed by fire in 1864, so a more permanent building was erected in 1866, built of brick and stone. As the parish grew, though, more room was needed. Father Francis Tichy (pictured) directed the building of the new church, which was designed by St. Paul architect Hermann Kretz. Archbishop John Ireland dedicated the new building on July 7, 1907.

Brick and Kasota limestone were used for constructing the spacious building. It dominates the skyline of the small city of New Prague, measuring 165 by 67 feet , with two towers that rise 110 feet. The architectural style combines neoclassical and Romanesque architectural styles, and is based on a church in Prague. Czech Republic. The church, rectory, and school were listed together on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Location 9: Train Depot – New Prague

One of the most important developments in the new village occurred in 1877 when the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway (M & St. L) reached New Prague. The arrival of the railroad era expedited agriculture as New Prague’s most important industry. A link with the outside world enabled farmers to send their commodities to markets and created a conduit to bring inventory to the village’s businesses. Just four years after the M & St. L reached New Prague, the first grain elevator and flour mill were completed, marking the beginning of New Prague earning its nickname, the “Flour City.”

The historic New Prague Train Depot is still standing next to the flour mill on 2nd ave in New Prague

Location 10: Your Hometown History!

For site number 10, choose a place that has historic significance to you or your family. It could be a home that goes back generations, or simply a place that you enjoy today. Take a picture and share your story with us- these stories are what make history come alive. 

Please join us in the 2018 summer history hunt- and share your pictures and stores with is at info@scotthistory.org, even if you are unable to make it to every site. Happy hunting!