Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/234

 182 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY and west, some years before this village "was known, and before the farmers had taken up diversified farming to a great degree, wheat raising being their principal avocation, had much to do in the making of Goodhue county responsible for Red AYing's repu- tation of being tbe greatest inland wheat market in the world, which at first sounds boastful, however, is true, the city of Red Wing at that time receiving more wheat from farmers' wagons than any other place in the world. While very much of this wheat was necessarily brought from territory as far away as Owatonna, ox teams usually making the long '"caravans" that brought in the bread stuff which was shipped from this (then) small place to the eastern markets. Therefore it is not hard for the reader to place a value upon the section of country around us which then figured so prominently in making Red Wing's great grain market and which today borders on this village and whose farmers in the main market their grain at one of the three ele- vators here found and who buy their goods in the town which affords so good a market place. In addition to the elevators, the village for a number of years boasted of a fine, up-to-date 250-barrel flouring mill, which, according to the way of mis- fortune, however, about a year ago was burned to the ground. It is almost necessary that a point of this kind have a mill, and today there is talk of one. though not so large as the old one, being founded by the Farmers' Co-operating Company. The business men of Goodhue generally have made good, and their reputation, from a financial point of view, is an enviable • me. although it is not possible for one in a place no larger than this to accumulate the money that can be done in cities, yet Here are many features surrounding this particular place that spell fascination to the person looking for a good place in which to locate, the death rate, in the first place, being the smallest of any place in the country, good schools, adequate fire protection, a supply of the most beautiful city water that was ever drawn into a glass, and those who believe that the religious sects have much to do with the advancement o? any place here have the opportunity of attending the Methodist, Catholic, or English Lutheran church, while only a short way east of the village there are found German Lutheran churches and parochial schools. Before passing, it seems only fitting to make some special mention of the First National Bank of Goodhue, which began business in a small way in 1900. as a private institution. Busi- ness increased so rapidly that a $12,000 brick block for its accom- modation was soon erected, and the banking house was made over into a national bank and today its deposits are $190,000. Figures won't lie. and figures of this kind cannot help but