Cobden celebrates 100 years

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

COBDEN -- Cobden celebrated its 100th birthday Sunday night by dedicating a centennial plaque in the park.

Brown County Commissioner Donald Wellner of rural Springfield said the plaque, paid for in part by Brown County Board, is a tribute to the pioneers that settled Cobden.

Brown County Historical Society Director Bob Burgess thanked Cobden Mayor Don Utz for his research for the plaque and Darla Gebhard of the BCHS for her work with the centennial committee on drafting the words on the plaque.

"These words are carved in good metal and will survive the ages," Burgess said. "The story is most interesting."

Cobden was named after British politician Richard Cobden, a free-trade advocate who said national and international trade should not be regulated by any government. The community was first called North Branch due to its location near Sleepy Eye Creek. The name later became Cobden.

"He (Richard Cobden) was early in this thinking in this regard that free trade was a universalist concept that would alleviate some of the friction between nations," Burgess said.

Cobden advocated peace and opposed Lord Palmerston's active foreign policy, denouncing the Crimean War and the Chinese War of 1857. He supported the North in the American Civil War. His last speech was against government production competing with private enterprise.

Platted in 1901 and incorporated in 1905, Cobden's first officers were Thomas Peterson, president; A. Newdall, A.C. Klein and Herman Altermatt, councilmen; and J.F. Brodish, recorder. Christian Emmerich was the first postmaster.

The first businesses in town were a bank, creamery, flour mill, hardware store, lumber yard, two grain elevators, two grocery stores, a blacksmith, carriage shop and livery stable.

There were also two schools, a town hall and fire hall. The town hall and fire hall are on a list for restoration.

An antique tractor pull Sunday afternoon included 144 competitors. Polka music was played after the pull until the Willow Creek Band hosted a street dance.

Mary Sellner, who helped organize the pull with her husband Dennis, who farms nearby, said Cobden is a very friendly small, blue collar town that would never snub its nose at anybody.

"You could come here in your dirty work clothes and you'd fit right in," Sellner said. "Nobody would look down their nose and think you weren't good enough to sit next to them at a bar or eating at Skinner's Bar. Everybody knows everybody here. It's kinda like 'Cheers. It might be the only place left with two bars in such a little spot." (54 people in the 2000 census). Lots of them are relatives."

Tractor pull results:

3500-1. Curt Wille 117-2. 2. Don Weiss 112-5. 3. Dennis Sellner 107. 4500-1. Steve Mattson 142-6. 2. Lee Sellner 133-3. 3. Steve Sellner 117-1. Powder puff-1. 1. Joyce Mickelson 154-9. 2. Sue McMullen 151-1. 3. Mary Hillmer 147-5. 4. Barb Windschitl 146-4. 5500-1. Brad Sprenger 107-8. 2. Steve Mattson 106-4. 3. Corey Suess 105-6. 6000 (Top Dog) 1. 1. Al Forst 153-4. 2. Loren Hillmer 144-1. 3. Dan Domeier 137-9. 6500-1. Doug Wiese 139-3. 2. Jason Windschitl 138-9. 3. Brian Sellner 137-2. 7500-1. Al Forst 190-4. 2. Dan Peterson 180-4. 3. Gary Braulick 173-4. 8500-1. Loren Hillmer 145-7. 2. Ken Wiess 137-2. 3. Keith Hoffmann 136-4. 9500-1. Don Swenson 160-3. 2. Dave Haala 157-3. 3. Leonard Hillesheim 155-7. 10,500-1. Don Swenson 193-4. 2. Lenny Neid 173-8. 3. Leon Tauer 172-7.