The following article appeared in the Rock County Herald on Oct. 8, 1929:Birthplace of Manchester cracker factory torn down State Fire Marshall considered stone building erected thirty years ago a menace to public welfare"The birthplace of one of the few commercial dreams of the earlier days of Luverne, that actually equaled and exceeded the fondest expectations of the dreamer, was eliminated as a landmark this past week when the old stone building at the rear of Fitzer Bros. clothing store, was razed. Contractor P.N. Gillham supervised its erection, and also its wrecking. Thirty years had elapsed between the two processes. It was in the late ‘90s that L.D. Manchester, after working early and late, week days and Sundays, in maintaining the Vienna restaurant and bakery — a very popular place in its days — for several years without making a great deal of financial headway, conceived the dream that has its fruition today in the Manchester Biscuit Co. plants at Sioux Falls and Fargo, N.D.; properties with a valuation in excess of a million dollars. He wanted to start a cracker factory; L.D’s friends, almost without exception, insisted that it was a wild venture that could not end other than in his ruin, for he must compete with the "cracker trust," and money was difficult to obtain. Bankers refused to enthuse, but the founder of the Manchester Biscuit Co. continued to dream his dreams and work, to the extent that he would go out on the road for a few days soliciting orders for his products, and would return and labor night and day to produce goods with which to fill these orders.It was in the summer of 1899 that L.D., disregarding the counsel of his close friends, cast discretion to the wind and entered a contract for the erection of the stone building that was to provide a home for his cracker factory. While the project represented only a few thousand dollars, it was a major effort for the restaurant man, considering the capital he had available. In due course of time the building was finished and equipped with the marvelous, but now crude and cumbersome, steel oven, and the opening of the new factory was announced in the following manner in the Herald of Nov. 24, 1899: ‘The Vienna Bakery and Cracker factory, an important new industry to which Luverne is indebted to the enterprise of L.D. Manchester, began operations last Monday and is now turning out crackers of all varieties at the rate of about 12 barrels per day.‘The factory building, which had been erected by Mr. Manchester during the present season, especially for the purpose indicated, is a substantial stone structure 25x40 feet; two stories in height, with a basement. It is located in the rear of the Vienna bakery, 90 feet from the street frontage, with the purpose in view of connecting it with a new building extending to the street, which Mr. Manchester proposes to erect in the near future.‘The basement is occupied by the boiler and engine which furnish power for the factory, the hard coal furnace by which the oven is heated, bins for coal, etc. The boiler also supplies steam for heating the factory, the store building and restaurant, and Mr. Manchester’s residence. From the basement an underground passage leads to the packing rooms in the rear of the store.‘The first floor is devoted exclusively to the purposes of the bakery and cracker factory. The oven, which is located at the north end of the building, is one of the largest and best in the state outside of the city factories. It is what is known as a reel oven and has a capacity of 400 loaves of bread, or 12 1/2 barrels of flour in 10 hours. It may be operated by hand or steam but is generally operated by steam. ‘In connection with the oven is a steam-proof box with room for 418 loaves of bread. The cracker plant consist of a dough mixer with a capacity of 600 pounds of flour; a cake mixer and a frosting beater with a capacity of 60 pounds; a cracker machine with a capacity of 45 barrels per day; a cookie machine with a capacity of 2,000 pounds; a sizing machine, pan racks, etc. All of the machinery is operated by steam power, and when everything is in operation the factory presents a busy and interesting scene. ‘The second floor is used for the purposes of a store room and contains at present a large stock of canned goods, a carload of cracker flour and a carload of bread flour. The gas machine by which the factory and store are lighted, is also located on this floor. A first-class elevator provides means of communication between the basement and the second floor and the building is provided with a sewer with which the sinks in the factory are connected. ‘A large room in the rear of the store building, which, as above stated, is connected with the factory by an underground passage, is used for the purposes of a packing room, where the crackers are put up in neatly labeled boxes and turned out ready for shipment. ‘The new factory began operations with a force of eight employees, but it is probable that the force will be largely increased in the near future. The foreman of the establishment is L.E. Schaver, who formerly had charge of the mixing department in Griggs, Cooper & Co.’s factory in St. Paul. He is an expert cracker man and under his management it is sage to predict that the products of the Luverne Factory will be fully equal in every respect to the best on the market. ‘The new enterprise is a credit to Luverne and cannot fail to be of great value to our business interests. The highest praise is due to Mr. Manchester for the enterprise and public spirit he has shown, and he should be rewarded, as he doubtless will be, by the liberal patronage of our merchants and the earnest support of all our people.’If things did not run smoothly at first, the demand for the products of the factory steadily increased, and by working early and late Mr. Manchester saw to it that orders were promptly filled. As the months went by, the Luverne Factory began to attract attention from the big city business interests, and it was not long until Sioux Falls concerns sought to induce Mr. Manchester to transfer his base of operations to that city, where railway transportation accommodations then offered a big inducement. Friends of Mr. Manchester warned him that he would be making the biggest mistake of all to locate at Sioux Falls, but again he followed his own judgment. Since the Coffey block was erected on the site of the Vienna restaurant and bakery in 1919, the old stone building at the rear had not been occupied for any purpose and its deterioration had therefore been quite rapid. Recently the state fire marshal requested that it be torn down, and as Mr. Gillham needed rock with which to ballast the grade on the Kenneth-Magnolia state aid road at the bridge two miles north of Magnolia, he found the contract for wrecking the building a timely one."Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

We may not be what we eat. Who we are and how old we are can be more accurately determined by what we read. In our home the alumni newsletter from a college we both attended says it all. Although the lead stories are different with each edition, each newsletter contains the same types of information on its pages — class news and listings for advanced degrees, marriages, births and deaths. Over the years and as we grew older, we turned first to whichever section had the highest name recognition. At present, that would be the deaths section. We shake our heads in dismay as our classmates’ names appear in the newsletter for the last time and 60-somethings with the faces of 19-year-olds fall off like so many fruit flies. Our inexplicable fascination with obituaries isn’t all that rare, and it does put us in good company. Noel Coward once remarked, "I read the Times and if my name is not in the obits I proceed to enjoy the day." The class notes in the newsletter are limited to grandiose accomplishments. Special attention is given to graduates doing such things as winning Nobel Prizes, being the first person to scale Mt. Kilimanjaro alone and without any type of climbing equipment, or discovering the long sought after cure for hangnails. Ten years without a speeding ticket, successfully quitting smoking or significant weight losses don’t seem to count in the class notes. The listings for advanced degrees include information about where the graduate work was completed and the captivating titles of dissertations and theses — "The Mating Habits of Canadian Geese – Monogamy or Monotony?" and, "Peacetime Uses of the Atom." After reading the titles you decide to hold off buying the publications and wait until the movies come out. The marriages column has changed over the years. What used to be a single listing for each graduate’s life now resembles the multiple listings for real estate. People live longer and older spouses either die or are replaced periodically with new and improved models. The births column is living proof that even though some classmates didn’t do particularly well in the academic world, they have excellent reproductive skills. Not to be minimized, those skills are important to immortality and the general scheme of things. The deaths column, a personal favorite, raises many questions. What did they die of? Was there any indication when they sat next to you in Geology 101 that they were sickly or bound to die before their time? Was their lifestyle any different from yours? What was their birth date? You vaguely recall dating some of the names and socializing with others. (In itself a remarkable feat, because you can’t always remember what you had for breakfast.) If some dearly departed shares the same birth date with you, right down to the same year, there’s the uncanny sense of losing a kindred spirit or some unknown twin, perhaps separated from you at birth. Playwright Neil Simon summed up many of our sentiments when he wrote, "The thought of death has now become a part of my life. I read the obituaries every day just for the satisfaction of not seeing my name there." How true.

It seems that the trouble in labeling John Kerry a flip-flopper and George W. Bush as arrogant and inflexible, is like the devil: In the details.John Kerry voted for the $87 billion to go to war in Iraq, as did most members of Congress, because the Commander-in Chief of our nation, and his top advisors, told them and the American people that Saddam Hussein's regime was a direct threat to America. And I believe that most members of Congress also voted for this not for an eagerness to send ourmen and women to die in Iraq, but because they believed that this would be a just war, and that we had a reasonable strategy to achieve a civil end to this unprecedented invasion by the United States.As far as the Bush administration's inflexibility goes, where could one start? Before the war started, the UN said that Iraq had no WMD. Intelligenceinvariably reported that Iraq had no connection to al-Qaeda. Iraq never tried to purchase uranium from Niger. Colin Powell himself, the former Head of the joint Chiefs of Staff, personally advocated diplomacy in the face of bullishness.As it turns out, the Bush administration has disappointed the nation, members of Congress, our recently perished troops, our currently wounded, and all of their families by maintaining that this is a war on terror.In the face of all of this, the Bush admisistration chose its path, perhaps long ago, and chose a war they did not understand, did not need and for which they did not prepare, but yet desired.I'm certain that any veteran of a foreign war will never tell you that killing, in any form, or in any action, is glorious. But it should have measurable results and goals if your nation proscribes suchaction. Think Normandy.At this, point the only measure I can see is more than 1000 Americans dead, at best estimate 20,000 Iraqicivilian deaths, oil lines that were allegedly secured now destroyed, inroads to peace made and now severed.It's time for a new Marshall Plan.Matthew Hoiland

MINUTES OF THE SOUTHERN HILLS CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION SEPTEMBER 13, 2004Dana Dahlquist, President of the Condo Assoc., called the meeting to order with the following members present: Dana Dahlquist-President, Linus Svoboda-Vice-All, Jim Jellema, Joanne Goehle-Treasurer, and Connie Wiertzema-Secretary. Members absent: Keith Elbers and Carol Ver Meer. Guest: Ross Metzger.Motion by Svoboda, seconded by Jellema to approve of the minutes of August 10th. Motion carried. Motion by Jellema, seconded by Svoboda to approve payment of the August expenditures. Motion carried. No further business, meeting adjourned at 8:45 P.M.Connie J. WiertzemaSecretary(9-23)

MINUTES OF THE HILLS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITYSEPTEMBER 13, 2004Dana Dahlquist, President of the Hills EDA called the meeting to order at 8:35 P.M. Board present: Dana Dahlquist, Jim Jellema, and Linus Svoboda. Absent: Keith Elbers. Employees present: Joanne Goehle, EDA Treasurer, and Connie Wiertzema, EDA Secretary. Guest: Ross Metzger. Motion by Jellema, seconded by Svoboda to approve of the minutes of August 10th. Motion carried. Motion by Svoboda, seconded by Jellema to approve payment of the August expenditures. Motion carried. Motion by Jellema, seconded by Svoboda to dissolve the Southern Hills Apartment fund, and transfer its checking account funds to the Hills EDA checking account. Also, to rename the Southern Hills Apartment CD to a Hills EDA CD.No further business, meeting adjourned at 8:37 P.MConnie J. WiertzemaSecretary(9-23)

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE HILLS CITY COUNCILSEPTEMBER 13, 2004Mayor Jim Jellema called the meeting to order at 6:05 P.M. with the following Council present: Jim Jellema, Linus Svoboda, and Dana Dahlquist. Council absent: Keith Elbers. Employees present: Connie Wiertzema, City Clerk; Joanne Goehle, City Treasurer; and Wayne Ward, City Maintenance. Guests present: Ross Metzger, Tom Houselog-Rock County Assessor, Dean Goettsch, Gerald Haak and Wilmer Elbers. Motion by Svoboda, seconded by Dahlquist to approve the minutes of August 10th and September 8th. Motion carried. Motion by Dahlquist, seconded by Svoboda to approve payment of the August expenditures: General $7,284.37; Park $2,967.64; Fire $2,606.51; Street $2,314.32; Legion $627.41; Sewer $959.44; Garbage $2,951.16; Recycling $492.35; Water $4,197.36; Baseball $29.00; Softball $1,044.01; Law Enforcement $8,944.00. Motion carried. General Checking 96,764.29General Fund CD#18197, 2.5%, 12/4/04 240,288.97General Fund CD#17792 (prev. #15742) 2.5%, 5/29/03 – cashedin 6/3/03General Fund CD#17760 (prev. #17573) 2.5%, 3/15/05 20,994.17Sewer Fund CD#17877 (prev. #17433) 2.5%, 10/18/03 – cashed in 10/03 – ($21,000 to general)Sewer Fund CD#18255, (prev. #18171) 1.5%, 7/19/04 – inter-fund loan to Southern Hills Apts. to pay off apt. bond - $70,771.64Fire Truck Replacement Fund CD#18237, 1.5%, 1/11/05 23,228.20Hills EDA Security Deposit Account 2,414.23Hills EDA Checking – Acct. #1248 11,288.17Southern Hills Apt. Acct. #1255 8,213.32Southern Hills Condo Acct. #1263 -1.86Southern Hills CD#17759 (prev. #17572) 2.5%, 3/15/05 5,248.54EDA CD#17850 (prev. #17384) 2.5%, 5/7/05 28,313.93EDA CD#18275 (prev. #17268) 1.25%, 07/04 – inter-fund loan toSouthern Hills Apts. to pay off apt. bond - $10,661.76EDA CD#18160, 1.5%, 10/17/04 20,000.00EDA CD#18505, .75%, 8/24/04 10,668.55TOTAL $467,420.51Motion by Dahlquist, seconded by Svoboda to approve the Treasurer’s report. Motion carried. Tom Houselog, Rock County Assessor, attended the meeting to discuss the proposed cost increase in the Assessment Agreement for 2005. The county is proposing the renewed contract at $5,665, compared to the 2004’ contract at $4,700. The current parcel count in Hills is 360 parcels, costing $15.74 per parcel at the proposed rate. A motion was made by Svoboda, seconded by Dahlquist to contract with Rock County for two years at $15.75 per parcel ($5,665) for 2005; with an additional four percent increase in 2006 for a total of $5,892. Motion carried. Houselog also informed the Council that the Southern Hills Condo Association is not eligible to be taxed under the 5% PILOT agreement, due to changes in the use of the building, and that the bond is paid off. Estimated tax computation sheets were reviewed for each condo unit. Houselog also informed the Council of taxes on the City’s property located on North Church Avenue of approximately $30 per year. Dean Goettsch from Exchange State Agency reviewed the City’s insurance policy renewal and updated rate changes. Liability insurance, based on the City’s expenditures, has decreased by 5%; and property insurance has increased by 10 percent. A motion was made by Svoboda, seconded by Dahlquist to continue to waive the statutory limits for liability coverage. The Council approved the proposed policy, with no changes. Motion carried. Wilmer Elbers and Gerald Haak, representing United Enterprises, attended the meeting to discuss the sale of lots in Block 2 of Park View Third Addition to the City of Hills or Hills EDA. United Enterprises offered to sell Lot 1 for $11,000; Lot 2 for $11,500; and Lot 4 for $11,500. No action was taken at this time. Elbers and Haak will contact their realtor regarding any fee.Ward reported that complaints of rusty or discolored water were not as significant this past month. Jellema noted that there are still problems for two blocks along South Anna Avenue. Discussed whether there is a need for a culvert at the northeast corner of West Second Street and South Church Avenue. The Council agreed to wait until Push, Inc. has packed and replanted grass in the boulevard following cable installation.Pending the availability of funds through the township or county, the Council agreed to spray for mosquitoes at Ash Creek at $85 per hour, plus the cost of chemical. Ward inquired whether the City would consider hauling dirt for Kerkhove’s new home construction for $25 per hour. The Council refused, as the rental fee remains at $40 per hour for equipment, plus labor at time-and-one-half per hour. An insurance claim will be submitted for the replacement of a garage door. Discussion on whether to tear down the garage near the water tower was tabled pending insurance claim information.Motion by Dahlquist, seconded by Svoboda to purchase a 1979 Elgin Pelican street sweeper for $12,000 with funds from the general checking account. Motion carried. Ward inquired whether the Council had made a decision on a communication system for city maintenance to keep in contact with his home for emergency purposes. No action was taken. Plans to install handicap accessible pathways at Rez Park, using class II crushed rock, will be discussed next spring.Motion by Dahlquist to nominate Keith Elbers to serve as Mayor Pro-Tem, in place of Arlen Leenderts, throughout 2004. Motion seconded by Svoboda and carried. Motion by Dahlquist, seconded by Svoboda to accept an LP contract from Popkes Car Care of $1.049 per gallon through March 31, 2005. Motion carried. Discussion regarding the assessment of blacktop costs was tabled until the October meeting. The Council reviewed a revised draft of the proposed 2005 budget. Motion by Dahlquist, seconded by Svoboda to reduce the street fund expense an additional $4,300; and approve of the proposed 2005 budget as discussed. The total proposed property tax for 2005 is $55,447, compared to $50,016 in 2004. The Council set their Truth-in-Taxation meeting for December 14th at 6:00 P.M.Motion by Svoboda, seconded by Dahlquist to approve of a building permit for John DenBesten to construct a patio. Motion carried. No further discussion, meeting adjourned at 8:25 P.M.Connie J. WiertzemaCity Clerk(9-23)

Hills-Beaver Creek Dist. 671Minutes8-23-04The Hills-Beaver Creek School Board met for its semimonthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the elementary school in Beaver Creek for a walk through of the building and was called to order by Vice-Chairman Esselink. After the walk through the meeting was resumed in the library in Hills. Board members present were Leuthold, Larson, DeBoer, Harnack, Boeve, Esselink, and Baker. Superintendent Deragisch and Principal Holthaus were also in attendance. Chairman Harnack recognized the visitors to the meeting. Jolene Farley of The Crescent was the only visitor. Motion by DeBoer, second by Baker and carried to approve the agenda.The minutes of the last meeting were approved as sent out. Motion by Esselink, second by Larson, and carried to approve the LP bid of .949 per gallon and #2 fuel oil of 1.199 per gallon with Popkes Oil. Motion by Leuthold, second by DeBoer, and carried to hire Sherry Paulsen as an elementary teacher assistant. Motion by Boeve, second by Esselink, and carried to hire Wade Jellema as a part-time cross country assistant coach. Superintendent Deragisch gave updates on the head cook position and the No Child Left Behind Report Card. A summary of the summer MSBA Convention was given.A date was discussed for the finance committee to meet.Dates to Remember: August 24 Staff Picnic 6:30 pm at the Hills Park August 30-31 Staff Workshop September 1 First day of school September 13 School Board meetingAgenda item for next meeting: Finance updateA walk through was then conducted at the high school.Meeting adjourned at 9:50 p.m.Ann Boeve, Clerk(9-22)

Harry Franz, 84, St. Peter, formerly of Luverne, died Saturday, Sept. 18, 2004, in St. Peter.Services were Tuesday, Sept. 21, at First Lutheran Church in St. Peter. The Revs. Alan Bray and Don Holmstrom officiated. Burial was in Ft. Snelling. Harry Franz was born to Peter F. and Helena Friesen Franz on Feb. 21, 1920, in rural Bingham Lake. He grew up on a nearby farm. He attended church in Delft and graduated from schools in Carson Township and Mountain Lake. He was a guard on the 1939 state champion Mountain Lake basketball team and continued playing basketball as an undergraduate ROTC student at South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D. He also received his master’s degrees in education and guidance and counseling from SDSU. He served as a captain in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II and stateside during the Korean War. After completing his college degree, he began teaching earth and life sciences and coaching basketball in Luverne. He married Emma Goehle July 16, 1950, at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. After many years of teaching and counseling, he retired to St. Peter in 1983, where he served as assistant basketball coach at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter for several years.Survivors include his wife, Emma Franz, St. Peter; two sons, James (Janet Schultz) Franz, Minnetrista, and Bradley (Lisa) Franz, La Junta, Colo.; one daughter, Debra (Dr. James) Lakin, Lakeville; seven grandchildren, Christian Loger, Anne Loger, Madeline Franz, Allyson Franz, Jordan Franz, Cecely Franz and Alyssa Franz; two brothers, Henry (Estelle) Franz, Bingham Lake, and Peter (Marion) Franz, Edina; one sister, Elizabeth (Arlie) Fast, Bingham Lake.Mr. Franz was preceded in death by his parents, one sister, Helen, and her husband, Donald Roos.Memorials may be given to scholarships in Harry’s name through Dollars for Scholars at Luverne High School. St. Peter Funeral Home – Klein Chapel, St. Peter, was in charge of arrangements.

Shawn Paul Baartman, 24, Aberdeen, S.D., formerly of Luverne, died Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2004, in Aberdeen. Services were Friday, Sept. 17, at Worthington Baptist Temple in Worthington. The Rev. Jim Sickmeyer officiated. Shawn Baartman was born to Peter Baartman and Sara Lee Bakker on June 11, 1980. He lived in Luverne most of his life before moving to Aberdeen. He was enrolled in college to pursue a degree in psychology. Survivors include his mother, Sara Lee Bakker; one sister, Monica Solomon Derby, Sisseton, S.D.; grandmothers, Margaret Bakker, Hills; and Claretta Baartman, Pipestone; three nephews and one niece.