First of a series
An abundance of wood and water, especially water power, brought about the birth of many commun-ities, such as Sheldon in Houston County, Minnesota. The village was named for Julius Sheldon who came from Suffield, Conn., and impressed with the excellent water power, purchased land. In 1853, John Brown a native of Scotland built the first dwelling and took advantage of the water power by establishing the first sawmill in the township. John Phelps constructed a grist and flour mill nearby.
A bonus was the suitable clay and sand for a brick kiln, which like the sawmill, not only produced materials for buildings and chimneys but also employment for many men.
An additional bonus was the charming setting in Beaver Creek Valley, which may not have directly boosted the economy but certainly contributed to the quality of life. An 1888 newspaper heralded the virtues of life in Sheldon, “situated at the head of Beaver Creek Valley, about eight miles south of Houston and seven miles north-east of Caledonia, in Houston County. About one mile south of this village, the east and west branches form a junction and then run in a northerly direction through this village to the South Fork of Root River. Our village is beautifully located, being protected on the west, south and east by high bluffs, which are well covered with fine young timber. Besides Beaver Creek, there are numerous spring branches, which give us an abundance of water … most every dwelling is supplied with a good well.”
The item boasted of “one first class general store” (Williams & Mitchell), which also served as the post office with postmaster W. B. Mitchell. There was one large grist mill with “modern improvements to make No. 1 roller flour” and “a great deal of feed grinding.” There was Lorenza Curry’s “first class drug and notion store,” which offered woodwork and photography. There were two blacksmith shops and a pair of “first-class carpenters” as well as a justice of the peace, a stock buyer and a horse surgeon who was accomplished in dehorning cattle. The village had a “good” school with two “No. 1 teachers” plus a “fine Presbyterian church, no pastor.”
The item closed, “Over 40 choice lots for sale to parties desiring to locate.” But the once-promising economy was withering to leave Sheldon a peaceful farmers’ village. Early on in 1855, despite two bills in the state legislature, Sheldon did not become the county seat. And as water power had been the attraction in the 1850s, the railroad determined the economic fate of pioneer villages in the 1860s and 1870s. The railroad reached Houston to the north of Sheldon and Caledonia to the south. As stated in the 1882 Houston County History, “the construction of the Southern Minnesota Railroad, six miles or so away, with the warning bell of the locomotive, proved to be the curfew that tolled the hour to extinguish its light, as it has many another promising village…”
The post office, established in a store in 1857 and served for decades by stagecoach, would be discontinued in 1903. Then for several years, John Roop and daughter Josephine brought the mail from Houston every day. Then the nation initiated Rural Free Delivery (RFD), and Sheldon was on one of four rural routes out of Caledonia. Rural delivery, according to local historian Ethel Johnson, “caused great excitement, every one buying mail boxes.” The several rural mail carriers were all “cheerful, could smile and offer a cheery word no matter how hot or cold or road condition. Hats off to the rural mail carriers.” Today, residents in Sheldon have Caledonia mailing addresses and Houston telephone numbers.
During those stagecoach days, the Martin Newberry Hotel was busy with passengers needing a meal and sometimes lodging for the night. The first of a string of stores was built by Moses Woods in 1856, which Johnson described as “a small structure but proved very convenient for the early settlers as it saved many miles of travel with oxen or on foot.” Available for purchase were necessities such as flour, salt, sugar, coffee, tea, salt pork and soap. Saloons also prospered during those early years.
That aforementioned drug store offered not only medicine but also some candy. “We could get a long stick of licorice root for one cent,” recalled Johnson, “besides he kept a good supply of rock candy.”
When Lillian Flatten wrote of growing up in Sheldon, all that remained in the 1930s were “a general store with gas station, a one-room school with grades one through eight, and a small Presbyterian church.”
The village school was built about 1858-1860. The one-room school opened with seats so long that “a dozen children could sit in one seat,” wrote Johnson. “At one time, 70 children attended for the nine-month term. One teacher had charge of all the grades, and they kept good order.” All country schools eventually closed with consolidation; Sheldon’s school closed in 1957, after which grade school pupils rode into Houston on the school bus, which had been transporting high school students since 1948. Sheldon’s school building has since served as a community center and township hall.
Sheldon was founded by Scots, therefore the church was Presbyterian, organized in mid-November 1860. The timbers had to be hauled by oxen from the river bottom for the building, which was ready 50 weeks later. Rev. Sheldon Jackson preached the dedication sermon. The church building was in use in Sheldon for over 101 years, from November 1861 until August 1963 when it was moved to the Houston County Historical Society complex adjacent to the county fairgrounds. With original furnishings, it is open to the public as a memorial to pioneer Christians.
In 2024, there are between 10 and 12 dwellings with a population estimated at no more than 20. But quantity is not equivalent with quality. Those residing in Sheldon in the 1900s had fond memories of that experience, including taffy, dancing, race horses and… to be continued.
Sources: Sheldon, Minnesota, 1858-1972, History of a Town, by Ethel Johnson; Down An Old Dirt Road, Life in Rural Sheldon, Minnesota During the 1920s, ‘30s and Early ‘40s, by the family of John and Louise (Jensen) Flatten.
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