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CAMPIA
Campia
is an unincorporated village in the northeast part of Rice Lake Township.
The village was platted Feb. 8, 1904, on the northeast quarter of Section
12, Township 35 north, Range 11 west. The owner was N.
W. Bailey of
Rice
Lake, and the surveyor Sidney G. Jones.
The "Soo" railroad, which runs through the village, had been constructed
several years previously, in 1901, about which time George
Monahan built a store here, which he
conducted
for five or six years. A depot was built by the railroad company, but for
some time, the place was simply a supply and shipping point for the neighboring
farmers.
Mr.
Monahan sold his store to Mons Larson,
who was its proprietor for twelve years, and who is still living in the
village. Two other stores were also started, one by C.
A. Baggs of Cameron, and the other
by O. M. Strand,
but
both failed within two or three years.
About 1892 Jake Rechenthaler started a blacksmith shop, which he conducted for about nine years, when he sold the plant and business to Oscar Henderson, who is still its proprietor.
In the spring of 1919 Mr. Larson sold his store to William Settlers, who now owns it. The village can also boast of a bank, sawmill and box factory, a lumber yard, grain elevator, five potato warehouses, a garage, restaurant, hotel and pool hall.
The
Bank of Campia was established in November, 1918, by
M.
L. Russell, L. M. Randall, A. G. Clarke and
Mons
Larson, besides one or two others who held
their shares but a short time. A suitable building was purchased and
adapted
by improvements to the needs of the institution. The bank opened for business
with a capital of $10,000, and with M. L. Russell as president, L. M. Randall
vice president and A. G. Clarke cashier. The additional directors were
Fred
Bumberger and Erland
Engh. Subsequently M.
C. Johnson succeeded Mr. Clarke as cashier.
and on Aug. 1, 1919, L. M. Fairfield
succeeded Mr. Johnson in the same office. The official board in November,
1921, was as follows: C. P. Stenerson,
president; Mons Larson, vice president, and L. M. Fairfield, cashier. There
was a surplus of $6,000 and deposits of $52,000.
One potato warehouse in Campia is owned and operated by the local unit of the American Equity Society. The others belong respectively to the D. R. Baggs Co. of St. Paul, Albert Miller & Co. of Chicago; P. A. Nicholson, of Rice Lake, and Leonard, Crossett & Riley, of Cincinnati, Ohio.
The grain elevator, which was established at the time the railroad was constructed, belongs to the Northern Supply Co., of Amery, Wis.
There was formerly a stock shipping association in the village, which was discontinued after an existence of two years, and the farmers now sell directly to the buyers.
Nels B. Nelson started the lumber yard five years ago.
The telephone service of Campia is controlled by the Barron County Telephone Co., and has been for a number of years. The streets are graded and there are some cement sidewalks. The water supply is obtained from open wells.
There
is no church in the village, but in 1876 a Lutheran Church was started
about a mile east, among the organizers and early members being K.
N. Tadness, 0. A. Dale, T. J. Oleson, 0. J. Oleson, K. J. Oleson, Mons
Larson
and Ole Anderson.
For four or five years meetings were held in the schoolhouse on the corner
near the church, the first minister being the Rev.
Mr. Grove, who remained two years. The second,
the Rev. John Waage,
served
the church about ten years, driving up from Sand Creek. His successor
was Rev. Chris Fuss,
and then came Rev. John Kvam,
who was pastor for about eighteen years. His successors, in order, have
been the Rev. John
Skagan,
Rev. P. F. Kjorlaug, Rev. 0. M. Klevem, and
Rev.
Theodore Kleppe, the last mentioned being
the present pastor.
The
Campia postoffice was established July 1, 1918, previous to which time
the village was on a mail route. The first postmaster was Gertrude
Aslin. Then Ed
Forest and J.
K. Denson had it for a short time. On July
1, 1921,
Mrs.
Delena Germaine became postmaster and is still
serving, with William Germain
as assistant.
The
village has a population of about 165 and is surrounded by a good farming
country.
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