The Hospital

I finally came across a picture of the Holdingford Hospital. Click on the photo you will able to read the article.

Electric power plant

Holdingford's First and only Electric power plant, was started by Val Herman in 1915. It was a diesel powered generator creating electricity stored in batteries. Starting in 1919 power was supplied by the St. Cloud Water & Power Co. and in 1927 NSP obtained the power rights.
In the picture Frank Wrobel is standing to the left of the door. I don't know who the other people were. I've heard there was a butcher shop there in later years.And there was a laundramat there until 2000 not sure when that started yet. It's now for sale. Maybe make a neat place for a Historical Society ?

Recovery of Newspapers

Some good news, we are aquiring all the bound copies of the 'Holdingford Recorder' which turned into the 'Holdingford Herald Newspapers', until it was purschased by the Stearns-morrison Newspapers. They will be under the protection of the City of Holdingford. Someday I hope to see a historical society started in town. There is a rich local history here.

Representive R. Holding

I had heard a rumor that Randolph Holding served in the Mn. legislature, I tried searching various places without any sucess. I happened to be at a Holdingford Commerical Club meeting when Minnesota State Senator Michelle Fischbach was there speaking to the group. Afterwards. I told her of my search, I had found lists of the heads of senate and house and list of women legislators but not rank and file members. Two days later I recieved the answer. I found out through the help of Senator Michelle Fischbach & Jeanna Whitby from her staff, that Randolph Holding indeed did serve in the Minnesota Legislature as a House member in 1872 (District 31) he was on the 'Ways and Means' committee and the 'Rules and Joint
Rules' committee.
Acording to the 'Holdingford Advertiser' of July 1915 Randolph died at Ransom, N. Dak. at the age of 71.

A map of herman's Fairview Addition from 1915. It shows Gertude Avenue, this was his wife's name. The Holdingford City Council recently changed the name to Gertude Street as it was the only 'Avenue' in Holdingford. And running incorrectly against modern convention,east-west. This area of the city at one time was all woods, oldtimers have told me they used to go hunting in the woods here. In the late 1960's the land had been completely cleared and was partly used as a gravel pit.

Since this blog is named hermans fairview. After the addition in Holdingford of the same name . It Started in 1915. by Valentine Herman one of Holdingford's early movers and shakers in the community. Photo from 1920 as he ran for reelection to County commissioners.

hospital

I took this photo the other day it is the cornerstone of the hospital built in Holdingford. As you can see it is dated August 27,1911. Thie hospital was on the west side of Two River Rivers, at the intersection of county roads 9 and 17. In the same year on the east side of the river, the "Holding Farmers Creamery" was started.

At one time Holdingford had 4 churches in town two Roman Catholic churches, a Luthern and a Congregational Churches . When I came to Holdingford in 1968,the Luthern Church was closed but looked like in the photo. Some people wanted to reopen it but it was torn down and replaced by two houses. The site was the corner of Plymouth & 3rd Street. The Congregational Church was gone before that, not sure when yet.

This is the way the depot looked to me in 1974.

power of the news

I found this interesting article by political writer Tom Roeser in his 12/08/2005 post he writes about an article he wrote when working for the St. Cloud Times in 1953. It's about the village of Holdingford's policeman of the time one Ben Ruhland. Apparently several of the Opatz brothers had a different idea of closing time for one of the bars in town. Reading the article is interesting. Ben Ruhland was hired as policeman for Holdingford in 1953 and continued in that position til 1959.