The village of Toeterville, in Union Township, had its beginning with the building of the Dubuque and Stacyville Railroad on January 21, 1898. After considering other nearby sites, the railroad company decided upon the present site and named it Toeterville, in honor of Henry Toeter, a prominent farmer in the community. The town site was platted by Henry and Mina Toeter in May, 1897.
The first building in the village was a one-story general merchandise store built and operated by Fred Stoyke and August Grube. A post office was installed in the store and Fred Stoyke was the first postmaster.
This building was later made into a two-story building and used as a hotel, with Adolph Hofland as landlord.
An elevator was built by Henry Toeter.
B. F. Muldown, an experienced grain buyer, was engaged to operate it. The first grain shipped was a carload of barley in November, 1897.
Toeterville Depot in 1914
[Click Image for view of
depot and elevator]Andrew Nelson, of Deer Creek, built a two-story building which housed the blacksmith shop on the ground floor while the second floor was used for dances and other social gatherings. A hardware and implement business was established by Carl Kuehl and his brother Frank.
In 1902, Henry Toeter built a two-story building and leased it to a man named Manderville, who operated a general store and the post office. This same building is still in use. It has been the Bruggeman Grocery since 1908, operated first by the late Fred Bruggeman and, presently, by his son, Fredrick A. Bruggeman.
Other businesses established were the
Eclipse Lumber Company and Toeterville Oil Company. In the 1920's, these were under the joint ownership of Otto F, Decklever, H. F. Grube, and L. H. Langrock.
Toeterville Main Street in 1914
[Click Image for original]In 1920, a sugar beet dump was built by the Waverly Sugar Company. A blacksmith shop and a wagon factory were also built. The wagon factory and a two-story hotel burned, at a later date.
A creamery, which operated for ten years, was erected in 1898 by an association of farmers. It was managed by Sam Nelson and, in later years, by A.M. Hofland.
A pool hall and barbershop in the basement of the hotel and a livestock shipping business were among the enterprises which were born and later died.
The Union Savings Bank was organized in 1914. It closed in 1933, at the time of the "Bank Holiday", and was unable to re-open.
To date, in 1972, the only businesses still operating are the elevator, which is now a co-op elevator; the Bruggeman Grocery Store; the Post Office in the grocery store; and the Bisbee and Fossey Garage.
Early prices gleaned from a 1907 newspaper were:
Eggs- 15 cents per doz. Butter- 28 cents per lb. Ducks and geese - 7 cents per pound Old roosters - 4 cents per pound Springs and hens - 7 cents per pound Hogs - $5.75 to $5.80 per hundred Corn - 40 cents per bushel Coal - $5.00 to $5.50 per ton.
Reproduced with the approval of the Mitchell County Historical Society; from THE STORY OF MITCHELL COUNTY 1851-1973, and MITCHELL COUNTY MEMORIES 1946-1996.
LOCATION: Approximately - 1/4 mile north of 465th St on Hickory Ave.
Please respect landowners property, ask before you enter.
Transcribed in August 2002 by: Neal Du Shane
Contact information:
TOETERVILLE MCHS 080602.doc
