The writer of this came
to Couderay the 4th of January, 1907, as station agent for the Omaha Railroad.
The town was a typical mill
town of the kind found in the new and undeveloped sections of the north.
Saloons open night and day, Sundays all the year round, so the class of
new employed was not of the better class by far.
Signor Crisler Company operated
in the Couderay Indian Reservation with A. O. Nustad owning the sawmill
and doing the sawing at Eddy Creek. This concern soon went
bankrupt account of poor management and slump in price of lumber.
The Chippewa Hardwood and
Hemlock Company, a Heffelinger concern owned by the Heffelinger of Minneapolis
operated the sawmill in Couderay. This concern also went bankrupt
in 1907 due to mismanagement and slumps in lumber prices.
During the first years,
or 1907and 1908, both these mills were operating night and day.
After those concerns went bankrupt, the two mills were idle for a year,
when M. H. Bekkedahl of Westby Wisconsin purchased all the interests of
the Signor Crisler Company, A. O. Nustad and Chippewa Hardwood and Hemlock
Company. Also securing the contract for the timber on the Couderay
Indian Reservation from the government. Timber consisting of pine,
hemlock, basswood, oak, and birch.
He remodeled the mills,
built a large addition to the planning mill which is used for a tobacco
case factory, built a dry kiln, wrecked the C. H. and H. Company mill using
the machinery to enlarge the Eddy Creek mill and planning mill here.
The saloon element and the
dry voters soon began to disagree and the dry voters tried two times to
oust the two saloons and finally in the spring of 1915 they were voted
out by a vote of 25 to 56, as more of the better class of people had started
to move in by that time, crowding out the booze fighters. Blind
pigging was started during that summer, but soon discontinued and parties
left town as the residents of the place had voted the town dry and intended
to keep it and in that it was so kept.
In spring of 1916 the saloon
question was not brought up as the conditions predicted by the dry voters
were fulfilled. Morality, financially, and economically great
improvements were easily seen. Business at the stores increasing,
our third dispensing with the village Marshall. No transients
asking for meals and lodging after having spent their last penny in the
saloons. Other winters it was a regular thing to have those
callers every week. So during the first year of the dry town
a number of voters were soon over to the dry cause.
During all those years we
had a lumber company and one other store here. Most of the
dwelling houses were owned by the lumber company and occupied by their
employees.
The population being about
300 all those years, moving out and in as a population of a typical mill
town does. A great number of Chippewa Indians, from the Couderay
Indian Reservation being employed in the mills here for all common labor.
Settlers began to settle
up and buy land near town in 1912, adding to our county population from
that date on.
During the winter of 1907,
a Methodist minister from Birchwood held several services here, but on
account of lack of attendance he soon gave up the work. Then
there was about one year when there was no services of any kind here.
In the winter of 1908, Reverend McConnell of Superior came and took up
the work for the Presbyterian Church, coming here to preach occasionally
from Superior until a regular minister was assigned to the field.
Reverend MacFadden being the first regular man who preached here as well
as at Radisson and Winter, as they were all mission points at that time.
Reverend McConnell (1910)
also organized a Sunday school here soon after, which has been kept up
ever since. And also organized a Ladies Aid in 1911.
Services and Sunday school were held in the schoolhouse during all those
years, there being no other protestant organizations here of any kind.
Mrs. C. M. Olson took over
the Sunday school and taught a class for about 43 years. She
also had class meetings during the week.
When the Ladies Aid was
organized, they soon started to lay aside some money which was to be used
towards the building of a church here and soon had $100.00 placed in the
bank towards this fund. Later increased to $200.00.
The minister assigned to
this field very seldom would stay the regular year out on account of the
small attendance at services and failing to get the promised amount of
salary. Not being used to the new and undeveloped County, they
soon became discouraged and left the field for a new man to take up as
the work did not look very promising.
Most of the ministers assigned
to this field were students, who preached during their vacations, etc.,
vacancies being filled by Reverend McConnell and Reverend “?”.
Mrs. Olson also headed the
Ladies Aid during most of those years using the one east waiting room of
the depot here from the winter of 1907 to June 1934.
Regular services having
been held here up to April 1st 1915, for several years. It
was decided upon to organize a Presbyterian Church here and often holding
special services here for a week by Reverend Alexander assisted by Reverend
McConnell and Reverend Boller of Reserve. The organization
was perfected on April 25,1915 with a membership of 27.
In the summer and fall of
1916 the First Presbyterian Church here was built and out of any local
debt at the time it was dedicated in October, 1916.
The Ladies Aid furnished
over one thousand dollars in cash towards the building of the Church in
Couderay, Wisconsin.
M. Anderson and Anton Raudnut
were the carpenters that helped to build the church here. Several
others helped including Reverend Moffitt.
O. O. Olson of Minneapolis
donated the 3 lots and pulpit and bible to the church at Couderay.
He owned the town site here and much land in this section.
A lady from Superior donated
the used organ to the church.
We got donations from so
many of the wholesale houses, Sears Roebuck Company, Montgomery Wards,
Swift and Armour Company, the governor an senators at that time etc.
We got the lumber for the
church from the Bekkedahl Lumber Company at cost. Also all
other materials at wholesale costs to us. We borrowed $700.00
from the Presbyterian Board, all other debts paid in full when church was
dedicated in October 1916.
The addition to the church
was built in 1922 and dedicated at that time. All paid for
and most all of the money needed was supplied by the Ladies Aid, who did
a wonderful job during all those years. They really were the
spark plugs all the time. All the time from it’s organization.
In 1916, working hours at
the mill were 7AM to 6PM, 6 days a week.
