Then & Now: A History of Rice County, Faribault & Communities

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worth of insurance. The offer was accepted by the
council. The building was constructed during the later
months of 1894 and 1895. At the April 13, 1896 council
meeting, Frank Little, the representative of the
insurance company, said that his company had spent
over $20,000 and asked for help in completing the
building as he had not sold as much insurance as he
hc.dhoped.
Before the building of the City Hall, the library had
been housed in the court house. On April30, 1896 R. A.
Mott and John R. Parshall, representing the Library
Association, offered to turn over their library
materials to the city. State law provided for a one mill
levy for the support of libraries. Support for the library
was voted at the election on April 12, 1897 by a vote of
547 to 222.
Gives New Library
In addition to the gift of the city hall building,
Faribault was fortunate in receiving $100,000 for a
library building and $20,000 for land to build it on from
Mrs. Anna Buckham as a memorial to her husband,
Thomas S. Buckham. The gift was announced at the
September 11, 1928 council meeting.
The summer of 1929 saw one of Faribault's sons
become world famous. Dale "Red" Jackson and his
partner, Forest O'Brien, set the world's record for
non-stop flying. They flew their plane for 420 hours 212
minutes without landing, or 173 hours and 37 minutes
longer than the previous record. Later this same
record was broken by Jackson and 0 'Brien. The
council sent a telegram of congratulations on July 23,
1929.
On two occasions the business of the council was
interrupted to listen to important news events. On June
22, 1937 the council recessed to listen to the returns of
the Louis-Braddock fight, and on December 9, 1941 it
recessed to hear Franklin D. Roosevelt's report to the
nation after Pearl Harbor.
The Board of Health was created by the council
December 1, 1881. One of the first actions by the board
was the providing of a Pest House where persons with
contagious diseases could be cared for. The board also
enforced quarantine regulations. In January 1890 a city
doctor was appointed. Dr. Seeley's salary was set at
$60 per year or fifty cents per call. This fee was to
include the cqst of any necessary medicine.
In 1899 Captain James Hunter approached the
council with an offer to sell Hunter's Hospital (now the
Evergreen Knoll) to the city.
The offer of the German Evangelical Deaconess
Society to build a hospital was presented to the council
October 24, 1907. This offer specified that the building
should not cost more than $35,000. The city was to
contribute $10,000. Beds would be provided for thirty
patients. Because of the contribution by the city, it was
agreed that people for whom the city was responsible
would be cared for at the rate of $1 per day. After
several years the hospital asked for an increase to $2.40
per day. This was refused. The $1 per day rate was still
·in effect in 1953 when the board of directors of the
hospital petitioned for an increase.
During the Spanish flu epidemic it was necessary
to provide additional hospital space, so Hunter's
Hospital was again used as an emergency hospital and
Resolution 708A was passed to pay the bills for those
unable to do so.
In 1912 the Visiting Nurse Association requested
the council to appropriate $75 to have a bathtub
installed in the basement of the City Hall for the use of
poor children.
At the second meeting of the Common Council on
April 10, 1872 two policemen were hired for a salary of
$40 per month. Later in the year one of the men was
designated as chief and his salary increased to $50 per
.month.
It may be difficult to think of Faribault as needing
an ordinance to prohibit Houses of Ill Fame, but the
council passed such an ordinance June 5, 1874.
Generally laws are passed to meet a need.
Prisoners not Coddled
The Common Council could not be accused of
coddling prisoners in the city lockup. In 1876 they
approved a diet of bread and water for prisoners and in
1896 provided a rock pile for tramps to earn their keep.
The broken up rocks went to the street department for
repairs. Action against law violators was swift. At the
February 18, 1874 council meeting a complaint was
registered against Wattles' Saloon in the Barron
House. It alleged that the saloon had become a "haunt
for little boys" and that gambling, smoking and the
serving of liquor to minors were allowed. A hearing
was held at which several boys were questioned under
oath by the cityattorney. The following day the council
met and revoked the license.
Control of saloon licenses seemed to be a major
function of the council. There was a large turnover of
ownership and each change had to be approved. Many
pages of the official minutes are devoted to these
actions. In 1917 Ordinance A47 was adopted, setting the
hours for opening and closing saloons and prohibiting
girls and women from entering saloons. In 1913
Ordinance A35 had been passed forbidding free lunches
in saloons.
With the advent of prohibition, law enforcement
problems changed but did not decrease. Now the police
had to see that the so-called "soft drink parlors" did
not do a little "bootlegging" on the side. One dealer
evolved a plan whereby liquor was kept in the
basement and if a reliable customer wanted something
stronger than pop, a bucket was let down through a
hole in the floor to get it. In time, the police interfered
and the dealer had to sell his business.
November 28, 1922 a delegation of ladies came to
·the council meeting to ask that Prohibition be
enforced, that matrons and chaperones be provided at
all public dances and that windows in places where soft
. drinks were sold be curtained and those curtains
drawn. The council's decision was not to require the
drawn curtains.
The council called for bids for a police car
November 27, 1928. Bids were received for a Buick,
Hupmobile, Chandler, Hudson, Oakland, Dodge,
Oldsmobile and Graham-Paige.
"Tiny" Retires in '56
On December 26, 1956 one of Faribault's dedicated
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