Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2020

Benjamin Emerson Shumway was born March 15, 1823, in Mattawamkeag, Penobscot County, Maine. He resided in Maine for 25 years, working in the lumber business.

In 1848 he moved to Minnesota. In 1850 Emerson’s parents, their nine children (including Emerson), and their in-laws and children, all moved to Ramsey in Anoka County. When they first arrived, Emerson’s parents were both sick with typhoid fever. The nearest physicians were at St. Anthony, and the settlers were skeptical regarding the qualifications of frontier physicians in general. Because she was a skillful nurse, Emerson’s mother directed as best she could the treatment which was given to herself and her stricken husband. They both recovered.

Nathan, Emerson’s brother, built a log cabin. Of course, it was a small cabin, and inadequate for the eight men and six women in one small longhouse, along with 17 children. Some of the relatives decided to sleep outdoors for the first few nights. Emerson built a house not too far from the river, and John Shumway built on the riverbank in front of it, near what was the steamboat landing. Penuel Shumway and his wife had a child on March 22, 1851. That child was Fernando, and he was the first white child in Anoka County. Unfortunately, Fernando’s mother died July 9, 1851.

By 1851 Emerson joined Thomas A. Holmes and friends at the “founding” of Shakopee. After helping build the Holmes Trading Post, Emerson got sick with smallpox in the fall of 1852. After his recovery, Emerson moved to St. Paul.

Emerson then married the servant girl of William Holmes, the brother of Thomas A. Holmes, and Susana Shook Holmes, who were early settlers in Holmes Mill (later called Jordan), Minnesota. Her name was Mahala Conklin, who was born June 9, 1835, in Marion County, Ohio. Julius A. Coller’s The Shakopee Storyand Rev. Edward D. Neill’s History of the Minnesota Riversays that Emerson and Mahala were married in Scott County and were the first marriage in the county. However, they were married in St Paul, Ramsey County, on June 7, 1853.

The Shakopee Storyby Julius A. Coller, the History of the Minnesota Valleyby Rev. Edward D. Neill, and an article about Shumway in the December 3, 1909 Scott County Argusnoted that in the fall of 1857, Emerson and Mahala joined a wagon train to California and were killed in the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

The Mountain Meadows Massacre was the killing of roughly 120 immigrants who were passing through southern Utah in September 1857. The massacre occurred on September 11, 1857, in a mountain valley about 35 miles southwest of Cedar City, Utah. The immigrants – men, women, and children – were traveling from Arkansas to California, part of the Baker Fancher wagon train. They were killed by a group of Mormons with the help of local Paiute Indians.

The Mountain Meadows Massacre was an awful part of history.

The only problem is that Emerson and Mahala were never involved.

They were not killed there, although many books say they were. In fact, they didn’t even head west until 1859.

In 1859, Emerson and Mahala crossed the plains with an ox team, and spent the first winter in Honey Lake Valley, California. Emerson was engaged in prospecting and mining in California and Nevada for ten years. Emerson and Mahala located near Horse Lake Valley, California. They ran a stock ranch for twenty years, and then they sold the stock and ranch and moved to Oregon.

Benjamin Emerson Shumway died February 6, 1909, in Logan, Oregon.

The February 19, 1909 Oregon City Courier noted that “Benjamin Emerson Shumway quietly passed away at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, February 6th, at his home on the Norton donation claim, Clackamas County, Oregon at the age of 85 years, 10 months and 2 days.

“He was born at Mattewamkeg, Maine, March 15, 1823, residing in the state of Maine until he was 25 years of age, following the lumber business. In 1848 he went to Minnesota, locating on land near the Falls of St. Anthony on the present site of Minneapolis, was one of the founders of the town of Shockope, [sic] Minn.

“In 1859 he crossed the plains with an ox team, wintering the first winter in Honeylake valley, Cal. He engaged in prospecting and mining in California and Nevada for about ten years. In 1869 he located land in Horselake valley, Lossen [sic] County, California, at which place he conducted a stock ranch for about twenty years, when he sold out stock and ranch, removing to Oregon, where he has resided every [sic] since.

“He was married in St. Paul City, Minn., June 7, 1853, raising a family and three children, two of whom, E. B. Shumway and Mrs. L. Allen, survive, with the wife, Mrs. Mahala Shumway…”

His wife, Mahala Conklin Shumway, died 2 ½ months later on April 30, 1909, also in the city of Logan.

Bibliography

Coller, Julius A. II. The Shakopee Story.

Neill, Edward D. History of the Minnesota River.

Oregon City Courier, 19 Feb. 1909.

Scott County Argus, 3 Dec. 1909.

Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2023

Barbara Hümpfer was born March 2, 1831, in Wipfeld, Germany. Wipfeld is a municipality in the district of Schweinfurt in Bavaria, Germany.

Barbara’s parents were Franz Hümpfer (1796-1847) and Elizabeth Caesar Hümpfer (1797-1836). Her grandparents on her father’s side were Johann George Hümpfer (1762-1827) and Maria Margaretha Schmich Hümpfer (1762-1813). Her paternal great-grandparents were Johan Martin Hümpfer (1720-1805) and Eva Bauer Hümpfer (1723-1786); and Bernhard Schmich (1733-1827) and Maria Margaretha Eck Schmich, who was born in 1739.

Around 1847, her father and Barbara moved to America and lived in Indiana. Her father died in 1847, and Barbara moved to Chicago, Illinois.

It was there, on July 2, 1849, that Barbara married George Schott at St. Peter’s Church in Chicago.

Georgii George Andreæ Adam Schott was born in Bavaria, November 25, 1821. He came to this country in his young manhood and located at Chicago where he engaged in the shoe trade. While there, he met Barbara.

After remaining there for a short time, Barbara and George moved to Neberville, Illinois.

Shortly after, they came to Shakopee, which at that time was merely a settlement of a few houses.

George and Barbara, after two years, crossed the Atlantic to visit their old home. After a short trip abroad, they returned to America and located at Kankakee, Illinois. They stayed in Kankakee for six years.

However, the climate and business opportunities afforded by Minnesota appealed to the family, and they moved back to Shakopee in 1868. They remained in Shakopee for the remainder of their lives.

Barbara and George had 13 children. In 1908, six of the children had died: Leonard of North Yakima, Washington; Casper of Walla Walla; Sister Claretta of St. Louis; Clara, Michael, and Mathias of Shakopee; and Regina Schott Kohls of North Yakima. Those still alive in 1908 included Sister Angela of Notre Dame Order, Chicago; Christina Schott Simmer of St. Paul; Henry of North Yakima; George of Chicago; Elizabeth, and Mrs. Margaret Barbara Schott Berens of Shakopee.

Barbara died December 12, 1893, in Shakopee, and was buried at Calvary Cemetery.

George died at age 86 in Shakopee on June 9, 1908. He was a devout member of St. Mark’s Catholic Church from which the funeral with Rev. Monsignor Plut was the officiating clergyman. His remains were laid to rest in the upper Catholic cemetery, according to the June 12, 1908 Scott County Argus.

Bibliography

Scott County Argus, 12 June 1908.

Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2023

Barbara Brück (also called Brueck or Brick) was born September 5, 1845, in Blankenheim, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Hessen, Germany. Blankenheim in Regierungsbezirk Kassel (Hesse) is about 190 miles (or 306 km) southwest of Berlin, Germany’s capital.

Barbara’s parents were Private Peter Bruce Brick (1820-1882) and Elizabeth Ehlen Brick (1825-1894). Her grandparents were Johannes Brueck and Anna Barbara Bell Brueck (1781-1820); and Thomas Ehlen (1775-1832) and Ursula Vogelsberg Ehlen (1779-1832).

Barbara and her parents moved to Racine, Wisconsin when Barbara was five years old, and they became settler-colonists in the United States. They arrived in the United States on April 30, 1852, in New York. After a short time, they moved to St. Joseph Township in Scott County.

Barbara’s father was a private in the Minnesota Heavy Artillery in the Civil War. He was inducted on September 27, 1864.

Barbara’s future husband Adam Geiß Geis, at age 21, was drafted into the Fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment on June 6, 1964. Adam was a private in the Civil War.

When Private Geis returned from the Civil War, where he served under General William Tecumseh Sherman, Adam and Barbara married at St. Mary of the Purification Church in Marystown, near Shakopee, on January 18, 1866.

Barbara and Adam settled on a forty-acre farm in Spring Lake Township. They lived there for 38 years. In 1904 they moved to a smaller farm near Marystown. Ten years later, Barbara and Adam moved to a little house in the shadow of St. Mary of the Purification Church.

Fourteen children were born to Barbara and Adam.

Private Adam Geiß Geis died August 17, 1933, in Marystown. He was buried at St. Mary’s of Marystown Cemetery, Marystown in Louisville Township.

During the last 15 months of her life, Barbara lived with her daughter, Maria Ann Geis Hennen (1872-1961). Barbara had a slight cold for several days, but three days before she died, she had the privilege of becoming a great-great-grandmother.

Her great granddaughter, Margaret Sand Dellwo, had a child on February 14!

Barbara’s slight cold suddenly became serious, and before medical aid reached her, she died of apoplexy. Apoplexy is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleeding, such as cerebral, ovarian or pituitary, but in 1934, it was the word used for Barbara’s stroke.

Barbara’s funeral service was by Rev. Father Klein at St. Mary of the Purification Church in Marystown. Barbara was a long-time faithful member of St. Ann’s Society of the Marystown church, and the society attended the funeral as a body. Six grandsons of the beloved woman served as pallbearers, including Paul and Alfred Geis, Leander Scherer, Alvin Hergott, Lawrence Hennen, and Jacob Menden.

Barbara was buried next to Adam, in the cemetery next to St. Mary of the Purification Church in Marystown.

Aurelio Marin Mendez, Jr., was born December 31, 1978, to Aurelio Mendez-Marin, Sr. (1950-2007) and Irma Andrade, who was born in Mexico on September 13, 1948. Grandparents included Amadeo Mendez Tejeda (1914-1997) and Gabina Marin Mendoza (1932-2011), from Mexico, and his great-grandparents were José Clotilde Cleto Mendez, Rita Margarita Tejeda, Maximino Marin Alarcon and Teodula Mendoza Carmona, also from Mexico.

Aurelio, Sr., and Irma were immigrants from opposite ends of Mexico, and as teenagers they came to the United States for work. Federal Naturalization Records show that Aurelio and Irma applied for nationalization on September 20, 1991, in Chicago, were granted citizenship on November 19, 1991, and took an oath of allegiance to the United States.

Aurelio, Sr., and Irma had six children. They worked at a Mexican restaurant in Chicago when a friend from Minnesota tried their food and encouraged them to move to Minnesota, according to an interview in the Shakopee Valley Newson April 29, 2021.

The family scouted out the Twin Cities area, packed their bags in Chicago, and the parents and three of their six children, including Aurelio, Jr., moved to Minnesota. They opened two Mexican restaurants in Glencoe and Hutchinson. The restaurant worked for a while, but as Aurelio, Jr.’s brother, Josue said, it was out in the country and they did not know a lot about authentic food, so the demographics didn’t really fit what the family had to offer.

The Mendez family decided to give their Mexican restaurant one last shot. They found the vacant Dairy Queen off County Road 101, across from Rahr Malting Company in Shakopee. They spent what little money they had to purchase it. Aurelio, Jr., quit his job at Lions Tap and Pauly’s American Grill, and Josue put in his two-week notice at his construction job, and they worked on the old Dairy Queen, turning it into Taco Loco.

A few plumbers and electricians were willing to work with an agreement to get paid once they opened and hooked their employees up with catering food. The day the restaurant was scheduled for inspection, rain poured and the roof started leaking. They failed inspection the day before opening, according to the article, “After 18 years, Shakopee’s Taco Loco says ‘goodbye for now,’” in the Shakopee Valley News, April 29, 2021. They agreed to return the next day.

The brothers patched up the hole and flooded the roof for hours that evening until the leak was fixed, and the next day, they passed inspection. Taco Loco opened, and the family-owned fast-food eatery developed a cult following, even beyond Shakopee’s borders.

Taco Loco was open 24 hours at first. The four Mendez brothers, Noe, Josue, Tino, and Aurelio, Jr., took 12-hour shifts. The restaurant took off by word of mouth.

On March 4, 2007, Aurelio, Sr., the family patriarch, was hospitalized with pneumonia, and he died of a diabetic coma. The vision continued when Aurelio, Jr., took over his responsibilities.

Aurelio, Jr., made sure to ground Taco Loco in the community, and vice versa. “He was our leader, and he led by example,” said his brother, Josue. “When my dad passed, he led us.” When anyone reached out to the restaurant for school fundraisers, sponsorship, or donations, Aurelio, Jr., never turned anyone away.

Along with his partner, Maria Isabel Garcia, Aurelio was the loving father of Brianna, Isaac, Audrey, Ayana, Jessica, and Aurelio Mendez III. Aurelio enjoyed being surrounded by his family, and he loved working at his family restaurant alongside his mother, brothers, and children.

Taco Loco moved to the east side of Shakopee and ran the restaurant near Dangerfield’s. Love, respect, and hard work was the motto.

In 2019, Aurelio, known as Junior, was diagnosed with adrenal cancer. Adrenal cancer is a rare cancer that begins in one or both small, triangular (adrenal) glands located on top of the kidneys. Adrenal glands produce hormones that give instructions to virtually every organ and tissue in the body. Adrenal cancer can occur at any age.

Aurelio, Jr., died March 19, 2020, at the age of 41. He was buried at the Catholic Cemetery in Shakopee.

Meanwhile, Josue, his brother, took over at Taco Loco. “I got thrown into this situation when my brother got sick. I wasn’t 100 percent ready to take over. I did what I could with what I had.”

The loss of Aurelio, combined with the hit the restaurant took during the pandemic, was hard for the family, and on August 28, 2021, Taco Loco closed. But Josue said Taco Loco isn’t done for good; it’s just done for now in that particular building!

Bibliography

“After 18 years, Shakopee’s Taco Loco says ‘goodbye for now.’” Shakopee Valley News, 29 April 2021.

Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2022

Antoinette Marie Ann Strehlow was born in Shakopee, Minnesota on August 19, 1916. Her parents were Emil William Strehlow (1890-1946) and Lizetta Marie Vierling (1892-1954). Her siblings included William George (1913-2009), Eugene John (1922-2005), and Lorraine Marie Strehlow Mahowald (1926-2019).

Antoinette married Thomas Allen Carpenter (1910-1982). Thomas was from New York.

Antoinette and Thomas had eight children: Eva Marie, Lizetta Marie, Ellen Pauline, Catherine Mary, Thomas Eugene, Perry Jack, Lawrence Francis, and Annette Marie Carpenter. They all lived at 531 Sixth Avenue East in Shakopee.

In an article in the Shakopee Valley News on Thursday, September 18, 1969, Antoinette talked about her three sons, all who were in the military during the Vietnam War. In the article, “Keeps Mom Busy Baking … Family Has 3 Sons in Service,” Antoinette talked about the big job supplying baked goods from her home to her three sons in service. But she was glad to do it. Her five daughters and daughter-in-law also helped cook the food.

The oldest son was Tom, who was 22 years old in 1969. Tom was born January 26, 1947. He was the first in the armed forces. He enlisted in the Navy. He served aboard the USS Puffer submarine. USS Puffer, a Sturgeon-class nuclear attack submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the pufferfish, a saltwater fish with toxic spines that can inflate its body with water or air and is one of the most poisonous vertebrates in the world. Like all ships of her class in the Silent Service, USS Puffer conducted many operations that were critical to the needs of the nation. According to Antoinette, the USS Puffer operated in the Pacific Ocean, but the location was classified.

Antoinette’s son, Perry, was in the Army, and in 1969 was stationed in Korea. Perry was born on August 22, 1948. He was drafted and would finish his tour of duty one year later. He married Mona Ueland of Shakopee, and as of 1969, they had a son.

The youngest of the three boys was Larry, who was 19 years old in 1969. Larry was born on May 18, 1950. He decided that since his brothers were doing their part, he would too. Larry enlisted in the Marines, and in 1969 he was situated in Vietnam. He had approximately three and one-half years left in his enlistment. Larry married Betty and had a one-year-old daughter at the time. They lived in Chaska.

All three sons eventually returned home to Shakopee.

Thomas died June 21, 1982, in Shakopee.

Antoinette died April 24, 2011. She was 94 and was a resident of Carefree Living.

She was buried at the Shakopee Catholic Cemetery.

Antoinette left behind 19 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; and many loved nieces and nephews who loved her dearly.

Bibliography

“Keeps Mom Busy Baking…Family Has 3 Sons in Service.” Shakopee Valley News, 18 Sept. 1969.

Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2022

“Minnesota” was derived from the Dakota word Mnisota, meaning clear water, that reflects the clouds and the sky above. It’s a beautiful image without a word for it in English.

According to Peter Diamond, in “Behind Minnesota’s Native History“ from Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, “The word was appropriated and anglicized to fit into the English lexicon, Minnesota, and became the term what we now call the land between its manmade borders. Supplanting language is just one form of cultural erasure. The Dakota, Ojibwe, and other tribal groups have called this land their home for thousands of years and still do to this day.”

Water is a sacred symbol of native society – in Dakota, mni is at the heart of many of their traditions. Bdote, or “where the rivers join,” is passed down through oral history as the place where the first Dakota man and woman were created from the earth.

So, what happened to Minnesota’s native population? Beginning in the 1850s, Diamond noted that “Dakota nations were relocated by the U.S. government to land along the Mississippi River as part of treaty agreements. But between 1850 to 1860, as Minnesota’s non-native population grew from about 6,000 to 170,000, the influx of people took crucial provisions and resources from the Dakota, and their ensuing hunger and hardship led to the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.”

In fact, in a speech on September 9, 1862, Minnesota governor Alexander Ramsey said, “The Sioux [Dakota] Indians of Minnesota must be exterminated or driven forever beyond the borders of Minnesota.” Almost all the Dakota fled the state, hid, or were forced out.

James Jim Redbird Otherday was born near the Springs (later called Faribault Springs) in what was later Shakopee in 1849. His parents were Jacob Oyatekokepa Otherday (1816-1869) and Martha Tamazawiŋ Toboska War Eagle Wamadeduda Otherday (ca. 1815-1911).

Jim, as some people called him, was “modest and unassuming and in a long and colorful career he made many friends and free enemies,” said an article in the Shakopee Argus-Tribuneon April 3, 1930. “In fact, he was the friend of everybody in the Shakopee community, and everyone had a good word for Jim. He lived on a five-acre plot of land and maintained a little garden….” He spent most of his time hunting and fishing.

James married Hapstiŋna Makaakaŋiwaŋkewiŋ Black Flute Lucy Campbell, who was also called Lucy, around 1864.

Hapstiŋna grew up on the north side of the Rivière Saint-Pierre (St. Peter’s River) around 1832. She was a Mdewakanton Dakota Indian. Her father was Antoine Joseph Kauginapin Black Flute Campbell (1825-1913), and her mother was Emma Emily Quana Otherday Laframboise Campbell Graham (1833-1919). Hapstiŋna’s mother was the sister of Ṡakpe II, the Dakota leader whose name is now the name of the town of Shakopee.

Jim’s brother, Anpetutokeca John Otherday, was the most recognized Native American at this time, even though Jim was also well known in Shakopee.

Anpetutokeca noted in 1869, “When I gave up the war path and commenced working the earth for a living, I discarded all my former habits … My wife died during the winter which left my heart very sad. It was very hard for me to learn the white man’s ways, but I was determined to get my living by cultivating the land and raising stock.”

Anpetutokeca was born about 1819 in present-day Nicollet County. Anpetutokeca was a Dakota mediator from Minnesota who sought peace between Native people and white settler-colonists. He was a leader of a small band of Wahpeton Dakota farmers living on the reservation near the Upper Agency with his wife, Roseanne. For guiding 62 European Americans settler-colonists to safety during 1862, Otherday was received as a hero in St. Paul. “He helped guide non-Indian families through Indian villages for their safe journeys. Some people understood it was a humanitarian gesture, and others felt that we were betraying the tribe,” said relative Michael Childs in an oral interview at Minnesota Historical Society on June 20, 2022.

Anpetutokeca served as a scout for Henry Sibley and fought beside white soldiers at the Battle of Wood Lake. He died in Dakota Territory in 1869, according to Gary Clayton Anderson and Alan R, Woolworth in Through Dakota Eyes: Narrative Accounts of the Minnesota Indian War of 1862.

As for Jim Redbird Otherday? During the Third District American Legion Convention, which brought more than ten thousand to Shakopee in June 1927, Jim entertained listeners for a fee, and his recollections of the Battle of Shakopee in 1858 was a hit to the people listening, according to The Shakopee Storyon page 318.

Jim was a familiar figure on the streets of Shakopee. He passed away at his modest little frame home across the river east of town on Friday, March 28, 1927. His daughter, Minnie Otherday Weldon, noted that she was 86 years old, according to the article, “Jim Otherday Crosses Divide,” in the Shakopee Argus-Tribune, April 3, 1930.

The funeral took place at St. Mary’s Catholic Church with Father McRaith officiating. The interment was at the Valley Cemetery, beside his wife, father, mother, and brother. After the Tiowakan Spiritual Center and Community Cemetery was opened at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in 2000, the remains of Jim and other relatives were reinterred at the SMSC.

For more information about James Redbird Otherday and Tínṫa Otuŋwe, visit Hoċokata Ti [ho-cho-kah-tah-tee] the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s (SMSC) cultural center and gathering space. The public exhibit, “Mdewakanton: Dwellers of the Spirit Lake,” enhance the knowledge and understanding of the Mdewakanton Dakota people and their history. Hoċokata Ti is at 2300 Tiwahe Circle, Shakopee, MN 55379. (952) 233-9151.

Bibliography

Anderson, Gary Clayton and Alan R. Woolworth. Through Dakota Eyes: Narrative Accounts of the Minnesota Indian War of 1862. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1988.

Childs, Michael. Oral interview. Minnesota Historical Society, 20 June 2022. http://www.usdakotawar.org/node/1029.

Coller, Julius A. II. The Shakopee Story,p. 318.

Diamond, Peter. “Behind Minnesota’s Native History.“ Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, 3 Dec. 2019. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/our-home-native-minnesota-history-center/.

“Jim Otherday Crosses Divide.” Shakopee Argus-Tribune, 3 April 1930.

Shakopee Argus-Tribune, 3 April 1930.

Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2022

Anna Kubatová Kubat was born in Pušperk, Plzeň, Czech Republic January 21, 1841. Her parents were Johann Kubatová and Josefa Matka.

Anna came from a large family in Bohemia. In June 1862 Anna, along with her parents and some members of her family headed to America on the ship Geestemunde, and arrived in Baltimore, Maryland before heading to New Prague, Minnesota. In the story handed down by the Kubat family, Johann Kubatová raised his voice and named the place after Prague in his fatherland.

Anna married Mathias A. Deutsch, Jr. Mathias came in 1855 with his parents, brothers, and sisters. Mathias was a farmer, but also a shoemaker. He was born August 24, 1832, in Besch, Landkreis Merzig-Wadern, Saarland, Germany and died January 27, 1915, in Sand Creek, Minnesota. Mathias was the son of Mathias Deutsch and Anna Spandel.

Mathias was an upright, honorable God-fearing man who had earned the respect of his neighbors.

Mathias, like his family, spoke German. In fact, Mathias’s parents not only spoke German, they insisted that their son marry someone who also was German and spoke the German language.

Anna spoke Czech. The Czech language, formerly known as Bohemian, is a Slavic language. It is sometimes mistaken for Russian, Polish, and Slovakian. There are many similarities between the Czech and Slovakian language since the two countries used to be one country (Czechoslovakia) until their peaceful split in 1993.

So, Mathias did what every other son did. He married Anna, even though he only spoke German, and Anna only spoke Czech. They married on January 27, 1863, during the Civil War. Though they both couldn’t speak each other’s language, they must have been doing okay, as they ended up having nine children: Bill, Joe, Frank, Sophia, Anna, Mary, Henry, Matt, and John.

When Anna was 72 years old, Anna and Mathias had their golden anniversary on January 27, 1917, in Helena.

Two years later, Mathias died January 27, 1915, at age 82. He was the first of many family members buried in the family plot at the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Sand Creek.

Anna lived to be ninety years old when she died March 8, 1931. In fact, Anna lived for 68 years on the same family farm in Sand Creek.

Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2022

Anna Christine Kreger was born June 28, 1871, in Waconia, Minnesota. Her parents were Andrew Ferdinand Kreger (1839-1916) and Mary Ann Moormann (1845-1916). Anna’s grandparents were Andrew Christ Kreger and Wilhemine, and Johann Bernard Moormann and Margaretha Mueller.

When she was 29 years old, Anna married Joseph Daniel Fischer (1869-1929) in St. Paul on July 25, 1900. It was a double wedding, with Anna and Joseph, and Julia Kreger, her sister, marrying John Doty. Rev. Father Solnce from St. Agnes Catholic Church officiated.

According to the Scott County Arguson July 26, 1900, “The church had been handsomely decorated with palms presented by Hanson, the florist, and the auditorium was well filled with friends of the bridal parties which lent a gala air to the glad occasion.”

After the church ceremony, the bridal party had a reception at the brides’ parents’. “Shakopee, of course, takes an unusual interest in this double wedding from the fact that one of the grooms, Mr. Fischer, has lived all his life here, and is now proprietor of the Shakopee Cement Stone works, one of the city’s successful industries.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Fischer will come to Shakopee, their future home, on this evening train, and commence housekeeping at once in the Henry Hinds house east of N.A. Ferguson’s residence. All is ready here to receive them, and a reception will be held at their home tonight.”

Anna and Joseph had four children: Evelyn Margaret Fischer Strunk, Beaty Anna Beatrice Fischer, Cyrus Joseph, and Joseph Daniel.

Anna Christine Kreger Fischer died on October 29, 1951, in Shakopee, and was buried next to her husband, Joseph, at the Catholic Cemetery in Shakopee.

Bibliography

Scott County Argus, 26 July 1900.

Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2023

Anna (Annabelle) Pope was born in Farmington, Minnesota on April 18, 1878. Her parents were Seymour Pope (1845-1907) and Mary Florence Williams Pope (1850-1931). Anna’s grandparents were Edmund Pope (1802-1858) and Jerusha Taylor Pope (1804-1851); and Jonathan D. Williams (1805-1857) and Elizabeth B. Matteson.

Anna’s great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Thomas Pope, was born in England in 1608 and died in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, was on the Mayflower, and came to Plymouth Colony as a settler-colonist, as did several of her relatives. Plymouth Colony (sometimes Plimouth) was the first permanent English colony in New England from 1620 to 1691 and the second permanent English colony in North America, after the Jamestown Colony, according to Wikipedia.

Other great-great-great-great-great-grandparents of Anna were Ensign Jacob Mitchell (1645-1675) and Susannah Pope Mitchell (1649-1675). Jacob and Susannah were involved in King Philip’s War, sometimes called the First Indian War, Pometacomet’s Rebellion, or Metacom’s Rebellion. It was an armed conflict in 1675-76 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England settler-colonists and their indigenous allies. The war is named for Metacom, the Wampanoag chief who adopted the name Philip because of the friendly relations between his father Massasoit and the Mayflower Pilgrims, according to Wikipedia.

Ensign Mitchell and Susannah were slain by Phillip’s warriors “early in the morning as they were going to the garrison, wither they had sent their children the afternoon before,” according to The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Boston, 1847.

Anna, along with Ida Dorothea Busse, became the first graduates of Union School in Shakopee, in 1898. Students before them had graduated in Shakopee, but this was the first time that a state signed approval based on the good rank among schools of the state in the matter of examinations, according to the Scott County Argus, May 23, 1898.

In the Scott County Arguson June 19, 1898, the first annual commencement of Union School happened Tuesday evening, June 7, 1898, at the Lander Opera House on the corner of Holmes and First Avenue in Shakopee. The program was listened to with rapt attention by an audience “which tested the capacity of the big hall.”

It started with a march by the stringed orchestra, made up of “mandolins, guitar, and ‘cello.” Anna and Ida marched in, along with the school board, Professor McBee, and the speaker, Hon. William H. Eustis. Rev. J.B. Ferguson invoked the Divine blessing. Then Mrs. R.P. Starr, in a piano solo, sang “Selections from Faust.” According to the Scott County Argus, “The surprising ease and grace with which Mrs. Starr brings into play all the techniques of her art, at the same time never failing to express the thought of a composition, entitle her to high rank as a musician, and in the opinion of many she excels any pianist, professional or amateur, that has been heard in Shakopee.” She then sang “Narcissus”as an encore.

Other performers included Mabel Peck who sang “Angel’s Serenade,” Mae Plumstead sang a few soprano solos, and then Anna spoke about colonial women, probably from her family remembrance, and “it was a pleasure to hear her good thoughts in clearly denunciated words and expressive sentences. At the conclusion of her essay she was given quite an ovation, amid which a handsome bunch of roses was tendered her.”

After Ida spoke and a few more songs, Hon. William H. Eustis spoke for 45 minutes about his thoughts. Eustis likened the condition of his mind to his grandmother’s workbasket, in which there were many varied spools, some with much wound upon them and some with less. Finally, William Willson presented the diplomas to Anna and Ida, and after the benediction by Rev. Ferguson, the audience was dismissed.

As for Anna? After graduation, she stayed in Shakopee for a short time, and on June 22, 1904, in Shakopee she married Arthur Hubert Alexander of Northfield. Arthur’s parents were Jonas C. Alexander and Eliza Jane Nichols Alexander.

Anna and Arthur moved to Waterford, Minnesota, and by 1910 they had moved to Bucoda, Washington. In 1935 they moved to Soledad, in Los Angeles County.

Anna died July 31, 1957, in Los Angeles, California.

Arthur died August 23, 1962, according to The Signal, Santa Clarita, California on Thursday, August 8, 1957. He was buried in Los Angeles, next to the first graduate of Union School in Shakopee, Anna (Annabelle) Pope Alexander.

Bibliography

“King Philip’s War.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Philip%27s_War.

The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847. AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001–2009.

“Plymouth Colony.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Colony.

Scott County Argus, 23 May 1898.

Scott County Argus, 19 June 1898.

The Signal, 27 Aug. 1931.

Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2021

Angelica Maria Arevalo was born December 1, 1978, in Reynosa Tamaulipas, a small town on the border of the United States and Mexico.

Her parents are Hortencia Rodriguez and Gilberto Arevalo. Angelica is the oldest of eight siblings. Her parents and Angelica immigrated to the city of Houston, Texas when she was six months old.

Angelica attended Houston public schools, excelled in middle school, and was accepted to the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, a magnet school.

At age 16, Angelica started dating Eduardo Contreras. They met in church. On March 18, 1996, they were married. She continued her education and graduated, and, in 1998, Angelica became a citizen of the United States.

Eduardo had a good job opportunity in Minnesota because he was good with roofing and siding. In March 1999, Angelica and Eduardo moved to Shakopee. This is where Angelica saw the opportunity to begin advocating for and representing the Latino community. With the support of the deacon at the church she attended, the Iglesia del Dios Vivo, Columna y Apoyo de la Verdad, La Luz del Mundo, Angelica became a liaison between the church and city.

She helped with many projects from acquiring permits from the city to advocating for the brethren of the church. In her spare time, Angelica helped translate documents, interpret at courts, local schools, and even hospitals. There was always someone that would come and ask for advice, resources and information, since she was fluent in the English language and knowledgeable of the resources and programs available in Shakopee.

Angelica continued to work for the community, including the CAP Agency in 2011, where she started as a Spanish speaking customer service representative and later as a certified lactation counselor for Scott, Carver, and Dakota County’s WIC program; was a member of the Parent Advisory Committee at Central Family Center, where she worked on starting programs in other languages; was the vice-president of the Shakopee Diversity Alliance (SDA) from 2018-2019; and served as volunteer coordinator for Mary Hernandez’s campaign.

After all of this, Angelica was asked repeatedly to not just support candidates but join boards and political positions. To make a difference, Angelica joined the Shakopee Soccer Association where she promotes the association by recruiting players in diverse cultures and communities. She also helps with financial assistance to the players with financial difficulties.

Finally, Angelica decided to run for city council in Shakopee. She wanted to continue supporting diverse housing. Since Shakopee was so diverse and rich in cultures, family comes in many sizes. Having multi-living options and housing for all was a need.

Secondly, Angelica knew representation was still a lacking factor. She had been there for the Latino community and provided many services for so long she knew someone needed to be their voice. She wanted to become the first Mexican American female to sit on council.

And Angelica wanted to support local businesses to keep the community and downtown thriving.

Starting January 1, 2019, Angelica Maria Arevalo-Contreras became the first person of color and the first Mexican American city council member. She continues to advocate for and represent all the people of Shakopee.