The History of Jackson Township Part 3: Shakopee Brewery

Shakopee Brewery 

Shakopee Brewery* was one of the most prominent early businesses in Jackson Township. The brewery was built by German immigrant Herman Strunk and opened in 1856. With its opening, the Shakopee Valley Herald ran the following statement ““We understand that the Brewery of Mr. H. H. Strunk will soon be in operation. Our citizens will then be able to procure a pleasant and healthy drink without much trouble” 

It was the first brewery in Scott County, and remained one of its largest until the doors were closed by prohibition. In 1860, Strunk opened a distillery nearby, and then sold both to F. H. Franz. Franz, in turn. Sold to Andrew Winkler in 1863 who retained ownership until his death in 1870. After Andrew Winkler’s death, his widow Mary Winkler took over brewery operations. She ran the facility independently for 5 years until she married German brewer Hubert Nyssen. The two continued to manage operations until prohibition. 

Herman Strunk had built a hunting lodge next to the brewery, and the Nyssen family added to the building and turned it into a residence. It was built out of both limestone and brick- likely the limestone that was quarried in order to build the storage cellar for the brewing facility. The first floor of the house was a family residence, while the second was reserved for lodging for farmers and salespeople who came to deliver brewery supplies. The Nyssens also operated a large farm on the brewery land which grew barley for beer production. In 1987, the Shakopee Valley News interviewed Leo McGovern who worked on the farm and at the brewery when he was 12. He recalled “They had about 80 acres there and they had stock, chickens, pigs and horses. When I worked in the brewery, I helped hand pump the beer out of the vat and into kegs.”

1897 was a difficult year for Shakopee Brewery. On October 28th, a fire started in the brewery’s ventilator system, located under the roof. Fire teams were dispatched from Shakopee, and eventually got the blaze under control using water from the facility’s cistern system, but there was a great deal of damage. Offices, staff quarters, and the entire cooling system for the brewery were destroyed. 

Luckily the brewery was insured, and Nysssen received $3925 in insurance money to help repair the damage. Nyssen stated at the time that the money was not enough to completely cover the damage (at the time the brewery was valued at $14,000.000) but it was enough that the building could be repaired and production would continue. 

Shakopee Brewery, 1912. From the SCHS Collections.

Less than a month earlier, in a slightly more farcical story, one of the brewery’s wagon teams was lost. The Shakopee Argus reported on September 30, 1897 that a delivery team from Shakopee Brewery met with a toy balloon salesman on the road. The balloons spooked the horses, and the driver lost control. In the ensuing scuffle, the horses were lost, and both drivers were injured. 

Production at Shakopee Brewery 

In August of 1903, a reporter from the Shakopee Tribune spent the day at Shakopee Brewery getting instruction on brewing “as practiced in the big stone building where the amber liquid comes foaming forth to make Shakopee famous.”  

First he wrote about the barley that was used in production of beer at the facility. “Barley is the first requisite after the brewery is equipped, Mr Nyssen raises considerable of this grain, and buys a whole lot more from farmers every fall...The barley is soaked in an immense tank for 60 hours, about a hundred bushels at a time and then spread out on cement floors in the malt cellar and kept at a temperature of 54 degrees.” After this, the barley was turned every day for six days in order to sprout the grain. Next, it was loaded into “a room high up and just beneath the tall cupola which is a feature architecturally in nearly every brewery.” The floor of this room was made of sheet iron, perforated with holes. The barley was heated from below up to 212 degrees in order to remove moisture. During the heating and cooling process  “It is necessary for a man with a long shovel to dash around the heated inferno and turn the grain repeatedly. It takes no imagination to picture it a hot job and the man who can stay in the room for fifteen or twenty minutes at a time is in the line for a job at fire-eating at a circus sideshow” 

After cooling, the grain was ground in a mill, then mashed into a large vat of water that was accessible only by ladders. This process was fairly specific. First, the water was heated to 122 degrees, then held at 154 degrees. When it “gives off no color”, it was raised to 166 degrees and left to stand for an hour. The wort (liquid) was then drawn off int a vat, and the soaked grain was fed to hogs and cattle. This heating process supposedly took half a cord of firewood. The end result was then tasted to ensure it resembled “sweet water” 

After this the liquid was once again boiled, and divided into barrels. Three quarters of a pound of hops was put into each barrel in lots- the first when two hours before the boiling is done, and the second a half hour after the first. When this process is complete, the beer was taken to the cellar and cooled to forty two degrees using an open vat and coiled brass tubing. After this, yeast was added to the brew. 

Shakopee Brewery, 1907. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

The reporter asked Nyssen where brewing yeast came from. He learned, “One brewery gets its start from another. It is passed from brew to brew in a brewery, and has been at Nyssen’s for half a century nearly, and the supply has never given out. One thing is sure, the beer would not be beer without yeast”

After the yeast was added, the beer was transferred to fermenting tubs to be turned into alcohol. The brewery chalked the date on the side, and allowed each tub to sit for two weeks. After this, the beer was transferred into storage vets for another 6 weeks. Next, it was transferred once again into “chip casks”, where shaved beech chips were added to give it color. Then “kreusen” was mixed in to cause the beer to foam. 

Finally the beer was pressurized, and racked into kegs in the brewery cellar. The cellar was a vaulted space, running underground in the hill for one hundred feet. It was only lit with candlelight, and blocked by a series of doors in order to keep a constant temperature. 

* Note- Shakopee Brewery was known by several different names as ownership changed. For the sake of readability, we have consistently referred to the facility as “Shakopee Brewery”

The History of Jackson Township Part 2: The Early Township

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.

St Joe's Church, Sand Creek

The St Joseph Catholic Church was said to have been the focal point of the community of St Joe. Jeanette Robling, a lifelong resident of Sand Creek Township, said in 1887, “It was really the church that made the community. There never was a business district. All community centered around the church.”

St Joe’s Church was located at the intersection of county roads 71 and 10 in Sand Creek. The story goes that a group of early settlers wrote to the Bishop in St Paul to request permission to build a local church. They heard that their request might be refused because of their proximity to Jordan which was also building a Catholic church at the time. Supposedly, a farmer came out with his wagon to meet the Bishop when he came to inspect the area. Instead of taking a direct route back to the community of St Joe, the farmer drove the Bishop along a circuitous and bumpy back route. St Joe seemed farther from Jordan then it actually was, and the Bishop gave permission for the church to be built. 

St Joe’s Church was established in 1858, with the first day of work on January 11th. It was built entirely by community volunteers and, due to farming and family obligations, was not finished until the following October. The original building was a 24’x35’ log cabin, not dissimilar to the residences in St Joe at the time. The first priest was Father Eberhard. In 1860 a bell, cast in St Louis, was purchased for the church by the local Young Men’s Society

In 1873, this cabin was replaced by a sandstone church building. For the next two years the priest was Father Duestermann. After that the Franciscan Order took over church management.

Exterior of St Joe’s Church. From the Prior Lake American, September 7th, 1987

In 1874 a school opened on site, run by an order of nuns, with 60 students in attendance. The school consisted of only two rooms, with two teachers on staff. Attendance for each student averaged only 50-60 days per year due to farm work, illness and weather. By 1883, 106 children were enrolled. Unfortunately, this proved to be a difficult year for the school. Several students died in an epidemic, and the school closed for a large portion of the year as a protective measure. In 1884, the nuns retired and the building became the District 22 public school. The building was still shared with the church for religious instruction until 1947. It remained in operation until 1960, when the district combined with Jordan. 

A tower was added to St Joe’s Church in 1925, and electric lights were installed in 1938. The church held its first “annual bazaar” in celebration. 

St Joe’s Church stood for over 100 years. The last mass in the building was held in June of 1971, and officiated by Father Rogers. Many in the congregation were sad to see the church go. There was actually a lawsuit around the decision, based on the fact that the original donors of the land had given it for “church, charitable and educational purposes.” The final ruling was that when the deed was turned over to the Franciscan Order in 1875, this original intent was voided, and the church could be closed and the land sold. 

Items from inside the church were auctioned off in February of 1972, and the resulting funds were put into place to preserve the church cemetery. The old teachers residence was torn down to provide parking. Finally, the church itself was removed in 1988. 

In June of 1989 a memorial to the church was dedicated on site featuring the old church bell. The inscription reads “St Joseph's Catholic Church. On this spot stood St Joseph's Catholic Church. This monument is dedicated in memory of those who worshiped here and supported the church for 113 years. The bell is original. The stone and brick are from the church.” 

The end of the church also marked the end of St Joe. Never a large community, it began to disperse after the church closed. Today it is considered a ghost town. 

Early Sand Creek Township

The Landscape of Sand Creek

Like most parts of Scott County, the Sand Creek Township area was originally settled by the Dakota, thousands of years before European Americans came to the area. We don’t know many details of this Dakota Settlement, but early European Americans in the area commented on Dakota communities on the bluffs along the Minnesota River in the township. The area was home to the Eastern Wahpeton band of the Dakota. Given the landscape of the area, it is believed that there were likely seasonal hunting villages in what is now Sand Creek Township. 

Sand Creek was originally part of the Big Woods. This landscape was made up of heavy oak, basswood and elm. In fact, the forested area in Sand Creek was described by early European Americans as “impenetrable”. The thick trees made traditional European farming methods challenging. 

Early European American presence in the area was tied to milling. The nearby community of Jordan sprang up for this reason as well. The first European American structure we know of in the area was a sawmill built by William Holmes in 1853. William was the brother of Thomas Holmes, a land speculator known as the “Father of Shakopee”. Thomas Holmes eventually left the county, but William stayed on and settled in Jordan. After the mill was constructed, a few homes sprang up in the area, owned by men named John Smith and Comfort Baines. In 1854 a second mill was built, this one a grist mill operated by William Varner. In 1855 the first frame house was built. This small community in Sand Creek Township came to be known as St Joe. 

At this time, Sand Creek was known as Douglas Township, and was officially organized in 1858. Several months later, it was renamed St Mary Township. In 1859 the name was finally hanged to Sand Creek.

Early European American Settlers of Sand Creek Township

On January 20, 1927 the Shakopee Argus Tribune ran a piece profiling the early settlers of St Joe.

W. B. Baudy was born in Indiana in 1822, and came to Minnesota in 1857. While in Indiana he listed his profession as “hired man”. After arriving in Minnesota, he spent several years working in Scott County’s brick industry, and in various pineries. Finally, he was able to purchase 77 acres in section 4 of Sand Creek Township. He didn’t remain on the land long, but enlisted in 1862 and served for two years in the Union army. His first wife, “Miss Springer” passed away while he was at war. After he returned, he married “Miss Barrisford”, and they had two children. 

Frank Matchett was born in Ohio, and studied journalism at the Hiram Institute. After graduating, he worked as printer for the Elmira Eagle for several years, then became a typesetter in Cleveland. He came to Minnesota after accepting a position to work at the St Paul Press in 1874. He did not stay there long, choosing instead to move around the state, helping to start small newspapers including the Wright County Eagle and Howard Lake People’s Advocate. In 1878 he came to Scott County and settled in Sand Creek Township, starting the Scott County Advocate newspaper. He married Sarah Reed of Jordan in 1879. 

Eli Palmer was born in Syracuse, New York in 1818. He soon moved to Illinois where he remained for 37 years. In 1855 he agreed to captain a wagon train to California, where he built a trading post and remained for two years. After this time, he sold his property in Illinois and bought land in Sand Creek township. Eli Palmer enlisted in the Union Army in 1861 and served for three years. 

Henry and Francis Eckman came to the United States from Germany in 1850. They originally moved to St Louis where Henry drove a butcher’s wagon. After saving up money for several years, they came to Sand Creek Township and claimed a homestead. Henry built a small log cabin with a bark roof. For their first year, they had no oxen to help with breaking the ground. They used horses to “scratch the surface” of the land and planted a few crops among trees and stumps. The next year they bought oxen. Over time, they were able to plow the land and eventually built a barn and upgraded from a log cabin to a brick house. Eventually they focused on dairy cattle and sold butter and cheese. Henry and Francis had seven children. One started a sawmill, one a furniture store in Jordan, and three joined forces to open a brewery in Glencoe. 

The History of St Lawrence Township Part 2: Residents of Early St Lawrence

Early St Lawrence

The first hub of St Lawrence township was the Village of St Lawrence. This community did not spring up organically. The town was founded in 1858 by four prominent businessmen: Samuel Burton Strait, W.H. Stodder, C.L.Pierson, and Warren DeCamp. Within a few years, they paid to have a sawmill, blacksmith shop, general store, six homes, and a massive hotel built along the river. The site was carefully planned, and the four investors hoped that the central location of their community would make it the premier stop for river traffic in the area. 

The hotel in particular was built to impress. The building was four stories tall, and featured limestone walls three feet thick. Special double doors were built to allow immigrants to unload their large trunks. Inside, the building had polished walnut flooring, a large dining room, and an elaborate maple banister. A 1925 article in the Belle Plaine Herald about the township described this banister in humorously flowery terms  “...touching it, one seems to sense a magic contact with the pulsing life of that earlier day. He sees dainty ladies in crinolines mounting the stairs, assisted by young gentlemen in high stocks and stovepipe hats. It was an age of courtesy and reserve; but who knows but what that haughty maiden tingled a stolen kiss, coming down those stairs after a ball. Who knows what marriage pacts were sealed on those stairs. Ah what tales that banister could tell.”

The first school in the township was established in 1858. It was taught in a log cabin by Mary Evermann. The post office was also founded in 1858, and W. H. Stodder served as postmaster. He was succeeded by John Hewitt who held the post office until it was closed in 1880. Neither Pierson or Stodder remained long in Sand Creek. After a few years, both sold their land and moved east. Similarly, DeCamp sold his property and left Sand Creek. Of the original founders, only Strait remained in the area.

Others seemed to agree that the founders’ vision of a river hub was a good one. By 1860, the town of St Lawrence had a population of 216. 

Residents of the Village of St Lawrence

One of St Lawrence’s early residents was Fredrick Erikson. Erikson had immigrated to the United States from Sweden in the 1840s. He came to the United States with more wealth than the average immigrant at the time, and invested in the burgeoning railroad industry. By 1860 he had set his sights on “retiring” as a farmer, and bought 1100 acres in St Lawrence Township. 

He built a four story house on a hill, a two story “manouse” capable of housing 30 farmworkers, and a barn that could hold 150 horses. 

St Lawrence resident Clara Frank who was a little girl at the time recalled visiting the upper floor of the house and being awed at seeing the landscape around her from the vantage point of a four story view. She also said that every night she would hear the farm workers be called in to dinner with the clang of a giant bell that she compared to a church bell. 

Erikson farmed in St Lawrence for about 20 years before deciding that the railroad business was more lucrative. He sold his land and moved west to California to rejoin the rail industry. The large Erkison farm, called Oak Farm at the time, was broken up and sold to neighboring property owners. 

Strait House, 1998. Photo from the SCHS collections.

Samuel Strait, one of the founders of St Lawrence, also built a home for himself in the community. Like the St Lawrence hotel, the house featured thick limestone walls. It was large, with big windows and a shaded front porch. 

For those people steeped in county history, the name of Strait will seem familiar. Samuel Strait held property in Sand Creek, but eventually moved to Shakopee. He originally claimed 130 acres of land in Sand Creek. He then paid others to claim land in his name and gained 900 more. The first election in Sand Creek was held on May 11, 1858. Strait was chosen to moderate the election, and was also elected Chairman of the community. 

Strait Flour Mill, 1885. From the SCHS collections.

One of Samuel’s sons, George Strait became a prominent local miller. He opened mills in Jordan and Chaska, eventually settling in Shakopee where he started the Strait Flour Mill. By 1885, this mill ground more than 300,000 bushels of grain annually. 

Major Horace Strait, around 1865. Photo from the SCHS collections.

Horace Strait, another son raised in St Lawrence, enlisted as a private in company 1 of the 9th Minnesota after the Civil War broke out in 1862. Horace rose through the ranks, eventually becoming Inspector General on the staff of General Andrew Macarthur. Andrew Macarthur was, in turn, the father of famed General Douglas Macarthur

After leaving the service, Horace Strait pursued a career in politics. He was elected as a Republican to the 43rd, 44th, and 45th congresses, but failed in his reelection bid in 1878 to the 46th congress. However, two years later he was elected to the 47th and reelected to 48th

and 49th congresses. His political downfall finally came when he supported a tariff on lumber coming into Minnesota from Canada in the 1880s, a time when much of the Southern portion of the state was in need of inexpensive lumber to support a boom in building.