Saving & Sharing Your History
Are you looking for new posts about Scott County History? The SCHS blog has moved. You can now find us at https://www.scottcountyhistory.org/blog. You can also access all of our past posts at the new website!
Questions? Reach out to us at info@scottcountyhistory.org
Shakopee Ferry Crossing, 1879. In the background, you can see the supports for the Lewis Street Swing Bridge under construction. Photo from the SCHS Collections
Addition to Mudbaden Health Spa in Jordan, around 1915. Photo from the SCHS Collections.
Building a barn in St Joe, around 1920. Photo from the SCHS collections.
Construction of the Holmes Street Bridge in Shakopee, 1928. From the SCHS Collections.
New addition to Mudbaden ouside of Jordan, around 1930. Photo from the SCHS Collections.
St Francis Hospital Shakopee, 1952. Photo from the SCHS Collections
First National Bank in Shakpee, 1972. Photo from the SCHS Collections.
The first brewery in the Minnesota River Valley, Shakopee Brewery opened in 1855. The facility was founded by H.H. Strunk (also the proprietor of Strunk Drug). Strunk owned Shakopee Brewery until, interested in other pursuits, he sold the business to Andrew Winkler in 1863, who retained ownership until his death in 1870.
After 1870, Winkler’s widow, Mary, continued to manage brewery operations. Five years later, she married a German Master Brewer named Hubert Nyssen and the two continued to run Shakopee Brewery together.
Unfortunately, the building was destroyed by fire in 1885. Fire was a huge concern in early brewing due to the dangerous combination of wood or coal heating and the dry, airborne dust produced when grain was industrially ground. Luckily, the family had enough capital to invest in rebuilding the facility. Shakopee brewery remained a fixture of the community until prohibition forced it to close in 1920.
You can still see the ruins of the brewery today, along the Minnesota River bike path, on the northwest edge of the city.
Shakopee Brewery, 1907. Photograph from the SCHS Collections
Hubert Nyssen, around 1920. Photo from the SCHS Collections.
The Jordan Brewery was founded in 1866. Like the Shakopee Brewery, it was started by a prominent local businessman – in this case Frank Nicolin. The structure of Jordan brewery was built to last with limestone and brick walls more then 3 feet thick. Nicolin sold the building soon after it’s opening, and in 1867 it took on the name Sand Creek Brewing, run by partners Sebastian Gehring and Frank Paier, who ran the business for almost 20 years. In 1885 they decided to sell to Peter Schutz and William Kaiser. Kaiser left the partnership, and by 1902 the facility was owned jointly by Peter Schultz and Peter Hilgers, whose names have remained with the brewery building ever since.
Like breweries around the country. Schutz and Hilgers closed in 1920, but reopened immediately upon prohibition’s repeal in 1933. At its height, Schutz and Hilgers brewed 40,000 barrels of beer annually and distributed to seven states.
In 1946 the brewery facilities were bought by Mankato Brewing Company, but they were soon forced to shut down due to financial difficulties. Finally, in 1954, the building caught fire during construction work, and nearly burned to the ground. The ruins were left vacant for many years until the city considered demolishing the property. Today, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and has been refurbished into retail property.
Schutz and Hilgers Brewery, around 1940. Photograph from the SCHS Collections.
Lable from Schutz and Hilgers, around 1940. From the SCHS Collections.
Kokes Brewry was started by brothers-in-law Thomas Kokes and Albert Minars in 1884. Kokes, like many other early brewery owners, was a prominent local businessman who also owned a general store. Located at the corner of Second Avenue NW and Fifth Street N, the brewery advertised itself as “using clear hops and malts” and having a modern “steam operated” plant. Minars left the partnership in 1887, but Kokes remained an active owner for many years. The brewery was a prominent local employer, and delivered barrels to many small communities nearby New Prague.
When prohibition hit in 1920, the facility switched to selling soft drinks and malted non-alcoholic cereal beverages. Unfortunately, this new business model was not as profitable, and the business closed in 1931. Today, the historic building houses apartments.
1891 plat map of New Prague. Kokes Brewery is marked with a black square, in the upper right-hand corner.
Schmitt Brewery was opened by Albert Swinger in 1860. It cost $500.00 to build, and was located Northeast of town along what came to be known (aptly) as brewery creek. In 1866, Schmitt Brewery fell victim, like many other early breweries, to a fire, and Swinger was forced to rebuild.
Ownership of the brewery fluctuated after the fire. City records list B. Osterfeldt as proprietor in 1870, but Christian Schmitt purchased the brewery in 1871.
In 1877 the building burned down yet again and was rebuilt by Schmitt. For many years, Schmitt brewery was a local business, with a capacity of 10 barrels per day. Schmitt began to expand, increasing the capacity to 500 barrels per year and starting a bottling line, but his health was failing. In 1905, Schmitt passed away, leaving the brewery to his sons. It finally closed in 1916 after being outsold by competition from larger, regional brewing facilities.
Schmitt Brewery around 1900. Photograph from the SCHS Collections.
Looking for parts one and two? Check them out the last two blog posts!
The Mud Harvest
Despite Mudbaden’s fancy new offerings, the base of the spa still rested in the mud. The sulfur-laden mud around the property was harvested each day and taken into the spa for use in treatments.
The process was labor-intensive. First, the mud was dug out of the ground with a hand operated crane and loaded into a cart on a small rail track that was built for the sole purpose of moving mud. The cart was drawn, again by hand, into a space known as the mud room. This space featured a large mixture connected to a gas engine. The mixer broke up the mud and staff removed any vegetation or rocks that had become mixed into the muck. The mud was then heated, creating the proper temperature and consistency for curative processes.
Mudbaden’s “Cures”
The health treatments at Mudbaden took place in “mud rooms” that were divided by
gender. When patients went in for their treatment, they would be directed to mud tables. These were massive steel tables with a shallow basin on top where hot mud was placed 3-6 inched deep. As patients laid in the muck, additional mud was placed over them, covering their bodies except for their faces.
The goal of the treatment was to sweat in the sulfur-rich air. After the mud treatment, patients were rinsed in a large tub in the center of the room, and then wrapped in blankets and given sulfur-infused water to rink to increase their sweat. Finally, they were taken to a “cooling room”, and given a massage.
These treatments all took place in the morning, leaving the afternoons free for entertainment and relaxation.
Did it work?
Though Mudbaden advertised its sulfur services for many different ailments, the most common patient complaint was rheumatism, or arthritis. While the treatment would not have “cured” arthritis, heat and humidity are still used today to help control pain. There is some scattered evidence that also points to sulfur also helping with arthritis pain, but no large, well-controlled studies have ever been conducted.
If nothing else, spending a period of time relaxing, getting daily massages, and being catered to by room service likely made many patients who suffered from chronic pain feel temporarily better.
Still Growing
Mudbaden continued to grow in size and popularity throughout the 1920s. By 1924 the facility had a medical staff of four doctors, four nurses and one lab technician, as well as three massage specialists. The medical offerings of the resort expanded, adding an x-ray machine and two operating rooms. Forty-two other employees also lived on site, harvesting mud and providing hospitality services.
Mudbaden experienced a bit of a lag during the depression and years of World War 2. In 1948 that facility was sold again to David E Braum of Chicago. By 1950, advances in modern medicine had, to many people’s minds, rendered the services offered at Mudbaden obsolete.
New Tenants
On July 1st, 1952, Mudbaden closed its doors. The facility was purchased by The Sacred Heart Novitiate, and affiliate of the University of in South Bend, Indiana. The building was occupied by postulates and used in the training of prospective Catholic priests. Trainees stayed for one year at the facility, living mostly in silence. Religious vows were taken at the end of the years, after which the novices returned to Notre Dame to continue their academic religious studies.
In 1969 the facility changed hands again and became known as Lynnville, a rehabilitation center for alcohol addiction. In the late 1970s services expanded, offering drug treatment services as well.
In 1985, Mudbaden was purchased by Scott County, which still owns the property today. Initially it was used as a minimum-security jail annex. Today, the former Mudbaden is known as the SCALE Regional Public Safety Training Facility. The buildings are used for training and education opportunities for Law Enforcement, Firefighters, Public Works, and other county services.
If you have the opportunity to attend a class or visit the facility, you can still see its former glory in graceful woodwork and large airy windows. Even if you are unable to go inside, it it still worth it to drive by and see this building that was once the medical pride of Scott County!
The story of Mudbaden continues… Looking for part 1? Check out last week’s blog post!
Mudbaden is Born
In 1910 construction began on a new building at Rosendahl Sulphur Springs. This facility was 124 ft long and 24 feet wide including a porch, steam heat and hot and cold water in every room. It would accommodate up to 70 patients at one time. In 1911, as business continued to prosper, O.J. Rosendahl and Dr. Larson officially purchased the land and facilities from original owner Ole Rosendahl for $30,000. The name was again changed – this time finally, to Mudbaden Sulpher Springs
Destination Mudbaden
Dr Larsen and O.J. Rosendahl were far more business-minded than Ole Rosendahl had been. Once they took over ownership, advertising and promotions soared. In 1910 a booklet was created and sent to every practicing physician in Minnesota, many in neighboring states, and past patients. This pamphlet heavily promoted the health benefits of sulfur mud treatments. Local newspapers were dotted with advertisements promoting the health benefits of a visit to Mudbaden – and the fun and relaxation that could be had with a vacation to the resort’s modern facilities.
From this time on Mudbaden was promoted not only as a medical facility, but as a recreational experience and tourist destination. Along with sulfurous mud baths, Mudbaden hosted banquets, dances, parties and picnics. They even had their own baseball team.
In 1912 a convenient new rail station was built along the Omaha line 100 feet from the front door of Mudbaden. Trains began to run regular daily routes to and from the facility.
Mudbaden could not have been built at a more apt time. In the early 1900s, health and science were all the rage. Cursory knowledge of germ theory and the scientific method as becoming more widespread, and the public was clamoring for new “scientific” cures that would relieve the suffering from old ailments. Not only this, but with new health practices, a greater percentage of the US population was reaching old age – meaning that Mudbaden’s advertised cures for rheumatism (arthritis) were suddenly in higher demand. In 1912, the proprietors of Mudbaden claimed that patients came from “Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North and South Dakota as well as many other states reaching to the Pacific and Canadian provinces”
New Ownership and Expansion
In 1913 Dr. Larsen bought out O.J. Rosendahl’s half interest in Mudbaden and continued to build, adding new summer cottages and electric lighting. Then, in 1914, Dr. Larsen sold his interest in the sanitarium for $100,000 to a corporation organized under the name Mudbaden Sulphur Springs Company. Heading up this venture were Joseph Kehrer ( a well-known seed salesman and druggist in Jordan), E.J. Schmidt and P. G. VaBlarcom of Fond du Lac Wisconsin, and James E. McGrath. Dr. Larsen maintained an interest.
The new owners began plans for construction of a modern building of steel, concrete and brick at a cost of $100,000. Patient capacity was increased to accommodate 200. With construction underway, Mudbaden was once again sold – this time to the E.G. Pauling & Co financiers of Chicago.
Resort
In 1915, the new facility was completed. It was 242 feet long making the total length of the sanitarium 425 feet. There were four steam heated sun porches and two open verandas. The main lobby and dining room were massive, well lit halls. The lobby boasted two fireplaces and a high ceiling beamed with quartered oak woodwork. At either end of the dining room were mullioned windows. Diners were served from a large modern kitchen, and adjacent to the dining
room was a 40×70 ft amusement hall. Though the stated purpose of Mudbaden was still “health”, the feel of the facility was more in keeping with luxury resorts of the day
When the new building was completed in 1915, a daily bus service began that connected Jordan, Minneapolis and Mudbaden. Transport from the Twin Cities cost only 75 cents each way.
Find out about the health services offered at Mudbaden, and the future of the resort in next week’s blog post!
Written by Rose James, SCHS Program Manager
A Smelly Swamp
Local legend has it that when Ole Rosendahl went to claim a homestead near Sand Creek township, only a single 80 acre tract of land was left. Supposedly the land was covered with smelly, swampy mud, and no one thought the property had any practical use. Nonetheless, Rosendahl claimed the land and began to build a home on the property.
As Rosendahl remembers it, sometime around 1900 a peddler was crossing his land and got stuck in the mud. He noticed the pungent, sulfurous smell and began to congratulate Ole on his good fortune! The peddler knew of sulfur-mud spas that were taking off in Germany, and thought Rosendahl was sitting on a metaphorical gold mine in his smelly mud.
At the time, sulfur was thought to treat skin irritation, allergies, arthritis, infection and more. Rosendahl contacted the University of Minnesota about the correct way of “cooking” his sulfurous mud, and soon began a business, giving curative mud baths in his kitchen.
The Landscape of Scott County
It is no surprise to geologists that Rosendahl found his goldmine of mud. During the last ice age, the land that is now Scott County was covered in glaciers. Twelve thousand years ago, as the glaciers began to retreat, the melt-water formed a massive body named Lake Agassiz. This lake covered large portions of what is now North Dakota and Minnesota, and almost the entire province of Manitoba.
Lake Agassiz was held in place by glacial dams. When the force of the water became too great, it broke through and rushed southwards at a rapid place, forming huge floods and glacial rivers that chiseled through the landscape before them. One of these, Glacial River Warren, carved the path that the Minnesota River flows through today.
This glaciation and flooding had a profound effect on the landscape of Scott County. 
Rushing waters carved out the river bluffs, while glacial pressures left behind compacted fertile soil. The waters also forced themselves through cracks in the bedrock, forming the seeps and springs and muddy peat that became the mineral spas of the future.
Mudbaden is Born
Ole Rosendahl’s first known treatment was given to Ernie Morrell for his ringworm. Morrell claimed to feel much improved after his mud bath and word soon began to spread. In 1906, Rosendahl purchased a large local house and had it moved to his land to create his spa. On December 27, 1906 an ad appeared in the Jordan Independent stating “Mr. Rosendahl assuming ready for patients”
An article accompanying the ad described the mud spa thusly:
“The large sanitorium which Ole Rosendahl is having erected at the site of his sulfur springs here is assuming a finished aspect, being in fact partially completed. The main part was 26×50 feet in dimensions, two stories in height and there is an addition nearly as large. A considerable portion of the sanatorium is now finished and Mr Rosendahl will soon be ready to receive and care for his patients. It is his plan to have hot water heat and electric lights in the building. He reports wonderful cures, especially of rheumatism. A recent case was that of a Minneapolis physician who became so badly crippled with inflammatory rheumatism that he couldn’t come out to Mr. Rosendahl’s, so the latter sent him some of the mud and water from the sulfur springs, believing that its use would put the man of medicine sufficiently on his feat to make the trip to the healing waters of Jordan. But lo and behold! The application of the mud and the use of the water at his own home so cured the doctor that he found it unnecessary to come at all and he immediately resumed his medical practice.”
The wording of this article is important. The late 1800’s and early 1900’s were a golden age of so-called “patent medicines”. Miracle cures in pill, powder, and mud form filled the pages of newspapers, and little legislation existed to curb spurious claims. Just before Mudbanden opened, a law has passed attempting to protect the public. It was no longer legal to make false medical claims in advertising. It was, however, perfectly legal to advertise our cures in the form of “reports” and testimonials.
Regardless, Rosendahl’s spa continued to grow. By 1908 the business had become too big for Ole Rosendahl to handle on his own. He passed management on to his sons, O.J. and Ben Rosendahl. The boys also brought in a medical staff, Dr. T.M. Larsen, and Dr. W.H. Philips. Dr. Larsen was a chiropractor from Denmark, was an “expert masseur”. He was slick, sales-minded, and charismatic, and threw himself wholeheartedly into promotion. With this new team, the customer base of the spa increased rapidly. The Rosendahl Sulphur Springs was officially incorporated in 1909 with capital stock of $50,000.
Learn more about the continued growth of Mudbaden next week!
Are you part of the Scott County Libraries Summer Reading program 2020? Find the answers to your Scott County History Hunt here, along with some more information about each item!
This is an iron! Today most irons are plug into the wall and are electrically heated. Before home electricity was commonly available in people’s homes, people had other ways to flatten their wrinkly cloths. This iron would have been heated on the top of a wood-burning stove. You can see a hole on the side of the iron. A separate handle would have been put into the holes so the person using the iron would not get burned on the hot metal. Irons often came in sets of two so that one could heat on the stove while the other was in use. This iron was bought around 1910
This is a hair curler! Similar to the iron, this curler would have been heated on a wood-burning stove. Hair would have been wrapped around the tongs on the right. The person using the iron would use a hot pad to hold on to the handles on the right. You would have had to be careful to not get your hair curler too hot, so you didn’t burn your hair! This hair curler is from around 1915.
This is a butter mold! Today we usually buy our butter from the store where it comes in sticks. When people made their own butter from home, it usually came out of the butter churn as white or yellowish lumps – not very appetizing. Some people would make their butter more attractive by stamping it using a butter mold! The butter would be put inside the butter mold, and someone would push down on a handle on the top to press the image into the butter. This butter mold was made around 1925.
This is a doughnut mold! It would be used to help shape and cut homemade doughnuts. The head spins, allowing a cook to cut out multiple doughnuts quickly! It was made around 1935. The year is not surprising. You rarely saw doughnuts in the United States before 1920 when they were introduced by Russian immigrants in New York. From there they spread, and became a nationwide craze when they were featured the 1934 Worlds Fair! 
This is a corn husker! It is also known as a husking glove. It has a metal plate that would have been attached to the palm of the hand with two straps. There is a hook on the outside of the metal plate that would have been used to quickly pull the husk off of a cob of corn. This was usually done in the fields as the corn was harvested. After the corn was pulled off the stalk and the husk was removed, it would be thrown in a wagon and later sold. This corn husker was used in Shakopee around 1920.
This is a sausage mold! To use the mold you would lift the long skinny metal handle on top, and put ground meat into the opening. When you lowered the handle, the meat would be pushed through the mold into a casing, or sausage wrapper. Today we usually buy our meat already cut, sliced, or made into sausages, but in the past people would often do that work at home. This sausage mold is one of the oldest items in our collections. It was bought in 1858!
Are you interested in finding more unusual from Scott County’s history? The Scott County Historical Society Collections are available online! You can search our collections – as well as the collections from many other Minnesota museums – at https://mncollections.org/
One of the oldest businesses in the county was the St. Paul House. Founded in 1854, the business operated for 111 years. During its long history it served many different roles, initially it was a railroad hotel and saloon. Eventually it transitioned to be a stagecoach stop. During the early 1900s the business changed hands several times. After years of being another saloon in town, it was bought and remodeled to be a hotel and restaurant in 1915.
By 1936 the hotel received a major renovation by the new owner, Frank Wampach. The hotel had its appearance updated and had a bowling alley built. The St. Paul House was just one of many businesses in the county noted as being a Speak Easy and for having gambling machines. It wouldn’t be until the Shakopee’s police starting breaking up gambling dens that the machines were removed.
In 1954, on the business’ centennial, the St. Paul house received on last remodel and also re-branded itself into the “New St. Paul House”. It was advertised as the same homey feel with modern style. The hotel also received its iconic, massive carriage house lantern. The St. Paul House has a stage where it performed dinner theater and other shows. Unfortunately, this updated restaurant would not last long. In 1965, the St. Paul House would burn down and the building was never restored.
Few businesses and buildings in Scott County have as long and storied history as the St.
Paul House. Today, the Order of Eagle Aerie sits where the St. Paul House used to at 2nd and Fuller in Shakopee. Rare is a business that can survive 100 years and even beyond. Scott County is fortunate to have a prime example of such a business that was able to change and adapt with the changing face of the county.
The Blakeley area of Scott County is a beautiful area to visit and explore, but one of the things hidden away in this corner of the county is a history that helped build Minnesota
and the country as we know it today. This region of our county was once home to a thriving business of brick making. These bricks, formed from local clay and fired right here in Scott County would be loaded on trains by the ton to be used in buildings in the County, Twin Cities, and across the county.
The late 19th Century saw a boom in construction across the country, industry was starting to take hold a main player in the American economy and the demands of the growing country required bricks to build factories, houses, and all manner of other construction. From the 1860s through the early 1910s the Blakeley area, including Belle Plaine, operated six different brickyards at various times through the period. At the peak of their production, this region of no more than 5 miles was producing nearly 60,000-70,000 bricks per day.
One of the first brickyards in the area was opened by I. N. Dean, the founder of Blakeley, in 1870. The brickyard employed dozens of men throughout the season and many made their way through the winter by helping prepare for the next season by cutting timber. The largest of the brick kilns in the area measured in at 35 feet long and 20 feet high, it was powered by cotton wood that was typically cut the winter beforehand.
The region had several brickyards which operated throughout the years, the major yards were: Wiest and Daugs, Mierbachtol, Ed Ward’s, Peter Becker’s, Jacob Krenz’s, and Dean’s Yard. Dean’s would eventually be bought out in 1882 by A. Wiese and operated by Sam Kahn until it closed in 1914. These brickyards produced different kinds of bricks which served several purposes. Bricks made from yellow and blue clays created bricks useful for interior construction, while red or crème colored bricks served as exterior materials. Becker’s and Krenz’s produced crème and red bricks respectively with the rest producing mainly interior brick.
When all six yards were in production they employed between 200-300 people, and the average wages for a brickyard worker in the late 1800s was around 15 cents an hour. Brickmaking requires particular conditions, though, and production would shut down if it rained or when winter came. Many of the workers that didn’t migrate for the winter, would be employed to cut timber for the kilns for the coming season. An entire winter would be required to cut enough wood to feed the massive kilns. The kilns themselves would be firing 24 hours a day with people watching it constantly to ensure it maintained the required temperature. The bricks were made from a mix of sand, water, and clay and pressed into forms to be fired.
The brick business was booming in Scott County toward the end of the 19th century, orders in the range of 2 million bricks were being submitted annually from construction firms in the St. Paul and Minneapolis with others coming from as far away as New York. Many of the bricks which came out of Belle Plaine and Blakeley went into building some of the first brick buildings in the area, especially in Belle Plaine itself. Beginning in the 1860s, the Blakeley region and Belle Plaine were churning out bricks at blinding speed, but the 1890s would see a fast decline to the once booming industry.
In 1893, the country would experience a sudden and deep depression, the Panic of 1893. The economy would recover within a few short years, and it would be nothing compared to the depression which would come forty years later. Still, the Panic had driven many businessmen to halt construction of building and the demand for brick quickly began to fade. In 1894, Peter Becker’s yard for example had a surplus of over 2 million bricks due to canceled orders. The other brickyards in the area experienced similar hardships. Daugs and Wiest cut the cost of their bricks in half from $6 per brick to $3, but the writing was on the wall. Mierbachtol Brickyard was the first to close its doors from the decline in 1894, followed by Ed Ward’s and Daugs and Wiest the following year. The Becker yard continued for a few more years, with Jacob Krenz having closed in the late 1880s. The yard owned by A. Wiese, the first brickyard built in the area of Blakeley, did not close until 1914.
The late 19th Century was the height of brick making in Blakeley, and the area had a host of dedicated and quality yards. Producing between 60,000-70,000 bricks per day at the peak of production, the region helped built the state and the country at large. Unfortunately, like many industries at the time, the Panic of 1893 saw the end of the boom of construction and with it the decline of our local brickyards. While the yards closed in the late 1890s and some a little later, the bricks they produced can still be found in some old buildings today. What better testament to their quality and the hard work that produced them than to still be standing over a century later.
Prohibition was no a surprise to those who owned breweries. The tide of “Drys” were growing for years before 1920. In Scott County, most towns had a brewery that had to decide how to handle this transition. That is what this post is about, the Shakopee Brewery, Jordan Brewery, and New Prague Bottling Works.
Firstly, the Shakopee Brewery was a long established business in Scott County. At the time the brewery was owned by M. J. Doherty. While most breweries began the process of switching to a different industry, the Shakopee Brewery instead closed its doors for 16 years. It wasn’t until repeal in 1933 that the brewery was bought and rebranded as Northwestern Distilleries, opening in 1936 but only last for about 4-5 years before closing for good.
The Jordan Brewery during Prohibition was called Schultz and Hilger’s Brewery, and like
the Shakopee Brewery, it was closed during Prohibition. However, the building of Jordan Brewery was used as a chicken hatchery. The space was rented from the owners, and after repeal the business reopened and began producing Jordan Beer.
New Prague Bottling Works had its own brewery that it maintained, and by the late 1910s was a thriving business. When Prohibition came about, the business transitioned to soda production and closed down its brewery building. When repeal came about the company never reopened its brewing business, instead it became a distributor for Scheel’s Beer.
Prohibition had impacts that are still being felt today. If you found this little piece of history interesting, come visit our Prohibition exhibit opening in April to learn more about Scott County in Prohibition.
Written by Dave Nichols, Curator
Notes from Scott County History 