Peering at the Past When first built, it was claimed to be the best in state

Part four of a series.

An 1882 history of Houston County included a collection of occurrences that reflected life in the county during its first three decades. One typographical error has been corrected, but otherwise, the following text is quoted with the original spelling, capitalization and punctuation (or lack thereof) from that large hardbound volume. Current 2022 monetary values have been added in parentheses after the dollar amounts stated for the 1870s. Greenbacks were emergency currency issued by the United States during the American Civil War that were printed in green on the back. In consideration of space, not all of the entries are restated in their entirety. News from 1873 on into 1876:

The Year 1873

In November the first meeting was held to see about building a railroad from Caledonia. The projectors took the name of the Caledonia and Mississippi Railroad. Joseph Till was employed as engineer, and an organization was effected.

The number of births and deaths in Houston county during the year ending December 31, were: Births, males 208; females, 233; total 441. Deaths, males, 87; females, 73; total 160.

The Year 1874

In April Mr. Thomas Cady, a resident of Caledonia, found a pocket book in the cellar from which the building had been removed: it contained $50 ($1,223 in 2022 dollars), mostly in greenbacks, which were found in a disintegrated condition. It had been lost twenty years.

Early in June, the work of grading the Caledonia and Mississippi railroad was commenced. On Tuesday, the 9th, a picnic was held in honor of the turning of the first sod, near the house of John Molitor. A. D. Sprague and Thomas Abbotts headed the procession with spades on their shoulders… Capt. W. H. Harries delivered an appropriate address. Father Charles Koebrel followed with a speech in German. Refreshments were served, and a dance in the evening closed the festivities of the occasion.

In September, P. W. Wagner erected a brewery in Caledonia. As late as the autumn of the year, grand wolf hunts were organized in Houston county. Blackman & Son, Decorah, Iowa, proposed to bore for water in Caledonia.

The Year 1875

On the 22nd of January, the Brownsville and Root River Improvement Company was formed for the purpose of diverting the waters of Root River by way of Brownsville, to create a water power. The capital was placed at $100,000 (more than $2,500,000 in 2022).

A catholic Fair in Caledonia, in the winter of this year, realized $4,800 ($121,680 in 2022 dollars). The Methodist Church had quite a revival in Caledonia during this winter.

Work was commenced on the jail on Wednesday, the 21st of April.

On Saturday, the 22nd of May, John Sheehan of Brownsville, was killed by a runaway accident.

In June, Caledonia contained 900 inhabitants. The census of Houston county in 1875 were: Black Hammer 911; Brownsville 725; Brownsville Corporation 806; Caledonia 1,003; Caledonia Village 873; Jefferson 480; Hokah 461; Hokah Village 1,023; Houston 581; Houston Village 927; La Crescent 981; Money Creek 768; Mound Prairie 649; Mayville 614; Sheldon 908; Spring Grove 1,410; Union 480; Wilmington 1,262; Winnebago 905; Yucatan 798.

The Year 1876

The Houston County jail at Caledonia was completed on the 6th of January… It was officially inspected the next day and found to be in accordance with the plans and specifications. The rear wing, in which the cells are located, is 40×60 feet, and is bricked upon the inside. It has two tiers of interior cells of ten each, with modern appliances for simultaneously closing the doors. The building contains a residence, offices, and a men’s prison room, is heated by a furnace, and supplied with cisterns, tanks, and pumps, with hose and other conveniences. When first built, it was claimed to be the best jail in the State,

Ernst Wiegand, of Union, was instantly killed on the 25th of January by being thrown from his buggy; the horses having given a sudden start throwing him over the backboard and dislocating his neck. He left a wife and two children.

*Correction to the January 24, 2022, article: It was Caledonia (not Brownsville). The source for last week’s column (and this week’s column, as well) was a history of Houston County published in 1882, which in one section, noted the newsworthy events during the year 1870, which began with a review of businesses in Brownsville and then described a robbery at Sprague Bros. There was no mention of Caledonia, but those more knowledgeable about Caledonia history than I am, know that Sprague Bros. was in Caledonia – not Brownsville. The crime was quite an event in 1870 and 152 years later, is still quite a harrowing tale. But I apologize for mistaking the location.