Schmidt, Christian George 1864 - 1933

SCHMIDT, KREGEL, FRANKE, DITTMER, MEYER, FALKENHEINER, SOLL

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 5/30/2020 at 10:48:32

Clayton County Register, Thur., 16 Nov. 1933. Condensed from a much larger obituary, portions of which were unreadable.)

Christian George Schmidt, the third son of Wolfgang and Paulina Thelma Schmidt, was born in Read township on Oct. 14, 1864. At the age of one year his parents removed to the town of Elkader, and since that time, with the exception of several years spent in Black Hills country, South Dakota, the decedent spent his entire lifetime in this community.

In 1890, after his return from the West, he entered the employment of the Stearn's store. On Oct. 8, 1891, he married Emma Kregel, a girl from Garnavillo. At about the same time he became interested in the partnership, which afterwards was known as Schmidt Brothers. This partnership owned and operated the flour mill in Elkader, at the time the most important industry in the community.

In about 1900 the Schmidt Brothers, composed of Christian, familiarly known as Chris, Fred H. brother and son of Wolfgang Schmidt, and R. F. or Robert, son of Blasius, became interested in the development of electricity and started a small plant, one of the first in this part of the country. They ran this plant with the water power for the milling. They soon developed a demand for electrical current and by 1913 they enlarged and developed the water power and to increase the area of their operations. They then constructed the dam that now stands in the Turkey River. They increased the area over which their lines passed, taking in Garnavillo, Guttenberg, Colesburg, Elkport, Littleport, Garber, St. Olaf and Farmersburg. They were veritable pioneers in the development of the electrical power business. It was during this period that the Schmidt Brother's Co. became the Elkader Light and Power Co. The company at the time developed a bond issue of $150,000. This was one of the first pieces of utility financing in Northeastern Iowa. The bond issue was solid - based upon real valuation - and was largely taken up by local subscription. This bond issue was afterwards retired and paid many years before the due date. In 1922 it became apparent that the rapid expansion and development of the utilities business made it impossible for small groups to continue in business and at that time the Elkader Light and Power Co. was sold through successive sales finally became the property of the Central States _______ & Light Corp. and is part of a ___ power company's expanding over the middle west.

(Note: At this point the article becomes unreadable for several sentences.)

He passed away Nov. 1_th, at 9:00 p.m. He closed his eyes and slept.

He has left surviving him his wife, Mrs. Emma Schmidt; four children, Mrs. Elma Franke of Milwaukee; George Schmidt, Elkader; Mrs. Helen Dittmer, Elkader; and Mrs. Christine Meyer, Elkader; six grandchildren; three brothers and sisters, Fred H. Schmidt, Elkader; William Schmidt, California; Wolfgang Schmidt, Norfork, Nebr.; Mrs. Kate Falkenheiner, Amelia Soll and Carolyn Schmidt, of Elkader; and many nephews and nieces, other relatives and friends.