Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/732

 640 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY several lumber camps, as well as a number of stores, including a hardware store in Red AVing and a heavy hardware and wagon stock store in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis store was sold in 1886, and the Red AVing and other stores were later disposed of. The sawmill was burned in October, 19C5, and the branch yards and logging interests were sold, but the sash and door factory is constantly developing. This plant was burned in September, 1893, but was immediately rebuilt on a larger scale, and again enlarged in 1906, at which time the retail lumber interests of the concern in Red AVing were sold to the Ballorcl-Trimbell Company. Charles Arthur Betcher, who, like his father before him, has been prominently identified with the business and civic develop- ment of Red Wing, is a native born son, having first seen the light of day August 25, 1862, son of Charles and Alargaret Betcher, of whom a sketch is found in this history. He attended the Red AVing public schools and the Red AVing Seminary, in which latter institution he was under the able tuition of Prof. Hood. At Shattuck School. Faribault, where he prepared for college, he graduated in 1880 as valedictorian of his class and with an average of high scholarship. After having passed his entrance examinations to Yale he was offered two opportunities, one of passing through that classic institution and the other of engaging at once in his father's business. He chose the latter course and in 1881, anxious to start business, he entered the hardware store of C. Betcher & Co. Two years later he entered his father's lumber office. Thus equipped with a knoAvledge of the details of the business, he was sent to Minneapolis in 1884 to take charge of the heavy hardware and wagon business which his father owned in that city. AVhen the Minneapolis branch was sold in January, 1888, Charles A. returned to this city as secretary and treasurer and manager of the Charles Betcher Lumber Company. In this position he remained until 1903, when, upon the death of his father, he became president of the com- pany. The sawmill of the lumber company was burned in Octo- ber, 1905, and the branch yards and logging interests were sold, but the sash and door factory was increased and a large busi- ness is developing. This latter plant was started originally in the early fifties, but burned in September, 1893, being imme- diately rebuilt on a larger scale and again enlarged in 1906, a fuller account of which is found in the history of the company, which appears elsewhere. Aside from his interests in his own concern, Mr. Betcher has been a director of the Goodhue County National Bank since 1902, treasurer and director of the Red AVing Malting Company since 1902, president and director of the Red AVing Linseed Company since 1905, treasurer and di- rector of the Red AVing Sewer Pipe Company since 1909, and