The history of Couderay
is mostly developed from railroading and lumbering. The early
dates of the starting of the railroads were from Tuscobia to Birchwood
in 1907. Tuscobia is a small junction near Rice Lake.
Birchwood was name for the White Birch trees growing there.
The railroad from Birchwood to Radisson was built in 1903.
Radisson was named after
an explorer of that name who was believed to have camped on the Chippewa
River. In 1905 the railroad was built from Radisson to Winter.
Mr. Winter was superintendent of the Omaha railroad. The railroad
from Winter to Draper was completed in 1906. Draper was named
after a doctor in the lumber camps. Loretta is named after
Loretta Hines, wife of Edward Hines of Chicago. The railroad
from Kennedy to Kaiser was finished in 1910 or 1911. Kennedy
was also named after a superintendent of the Omaha railroad.
In 1912 the railroad was finished from Kaiser to Park Falls.
Kaiser was named for E. A. Kaiser, a lumberman.
Couderay is named after
the La Court de Orielles Indian Reservation. The name was shortened
by the postmaster, Mr. George McCluskey.
A sawmill was in Couderay
before the railroad was built. The sawmill was hauled here
from Bruce in 1902 by P. M. Parker, who sold it to Chippewa Hardwood &
Hemlock Lumber Company, owned by the Heffelingers who’s nicknames were
Sulby & Pudge. The company went bankrupt in 1908.
M. H. Bekkedahl, bought
the mill and all property here in 1910, including Eddy Creek.
In 1931 M. H. Bekkedahl went bankrupt. He was from Westby Wisconsin.
There was a row of houses
extending eastward from the Gust Nard House for 25 families.
There were 7 houses that could hold two families each and eleven houses
that held one family each.
Heffelinger built the big
boarding house. It was completed in January 1907.
Bekkedahl built the addition in 1917 or 1918.
The addition was bought
by the Ojibwa community who tore it down and hauled material to Ojibwa
for their hall. The main part was purchased by Polish organization
in Radisson who built their “White Eagle Hall.”
A. O. Nustad moved here
in 1905 from near Westby Wisconsin, and built the sawmill at Eddy Creek,
1½ miles east of Couderay and sawed for Signor Crisler Lumber Company,
who logged on the reservation.
At Eddy Creek there was
a mill, store, boarding house and several residences.
Mr. Nustad moved the boarding
house by capstan while living in it. By capstan he would hook
three horses on to the house and each day it moved closer to Couderay than
it was the day before. When Mrs. Nustad washed clothes she
would hang the cloths between two trees and at night, would walk back to
where she hung the cloths and take them off the line.
Mr. Nustad sold his property
at Eddy Creek to M. H. Bekkedahl in 1910. He then started a
store where Bekkedahl’s store is now located and was postmaster succeeding
Mr. McCluskey.
Mrs. Nustad was killed in
a auto accident around 1913. She lived only a short time.
They had five children, the youngest was only four when Mrs. Nustad died.
Mr. Nustad sold the store
and house and became postmaster.
Mr. Reiser sold his property
to M. H. Bekkedahl and Oscar Bekkedahl became manager of the store and
later purchased it.
John H. Mayer became postmaster
after Mr. Reiser. Newell Rawlingson became postmaster after
John H. Mayers. Mrs Severson became postmaster.
The bank was organized in
1917. The cashier being as follows, Harold Erickson, Mr. Andrew,
Mr. Dougherty, B. C. Crowell, Art Reis, B. C. Crawell.
The bank built the building
half which housed the bank and other half of building was occupied by drugstore
and Dr. A. G. Maerchlein, who moved here from Exeland.
The bank was discontinued
in 1933. Drugstore was discontinued soon after.
The building was purchased by R. W. Argetsinger who remodeled it into a
General Store. This was torn down and a new store built in
“?”.
The first school was the
building that is now owned by E. J. Argetsinger (place where John Walczak
now lives) east of the garage. In this school there was only
one teacher for several years. The new school was built and
occupied in fall of 1913. In the new building they had two
teachers. Only the first floor being completed.
The second floor was completed in 1918.
The garage was built in
1922 by E. L. Argetsinger and C. M. Olson. They sold
it to Martin Raddatz in 1929. (now owned by Ed Forrester)
The First man who had courage
to buy land for a farm was Ed Ferdon which he sold to Jim Gavin.
In 1930 James Larson moved
his sawmill here from Lemington.
In The spring of 1945 he
sold out. Mr. Fengel, a man from Winter, bought his woodworking
shop. It was 40 feet by 100 feet in size. Mr. Fengel
sold this to Radisson Catholic Church who used material to build their
church.
The Presbyterian Church
was built in 1907, lots being donated by O. O. Whitehead of Minneapolis
who owned town sites of Couderay and Radisson.
