1. Telephone service for the Manfred area started in 1908 as a part of the Manfred-Fram Telephone Company. The Central Office was built in 1909 to house the switchboard. Operators were Clara Le Grand and Olive Torkelson 1908-1909; Fred . . . — — Map (db m305697) HM
1. One of the first endeavors the pioneers desired to do when settling was to organize their churches. Vang Lutheran Church was chartered on October 7, 1894; and in 1906, the congregation constructed their “late Gothic Revival style” . . . — — Map (db m305799) HM
The buildings located on the east side of Main Avenue served mainly in the transportation or hospitality trades. 1. In 1901, Olaf Anderson built a barn for his livery and horse-drawn dray business. In 1912, he entered into the new . . . — — Map (db m305698) HM
August 24, 1906, Wells County Free Press news entry The buyers for the local elevators are busy fixing up and overhauling the houses in anticipation of the rush as soon as the threshing machines start up. There will be an immense amount of . . . — — Map (db m305772) HM
Early Manfred historian Sennev Nertrost Whipple wrote, “It was the coming of the Soo Line Railroad that brought home seekers to Wells County.” During the survey of the railroad it was determined that this part of the James River would be suitable . . . — — Map (db m305796) HM
1. In 1905, Nennie Johnson had this house built for his bride Alpha Skogmo and himself. After Nennie built Hotel Johnson in Manfred, they moved from this house into the hotel. Other residents of this house were Rasmus and Margaret . . . — — Map (db m305788) HM
Axel Le Grand, a farmer whose land bordered the original townsite of Manfred, platted a portion of his land as Le Grand's Addition. As a result, several houses, a machine shed, a church, and a service station were built there. Besides being a . . . — — Map (db m305795) HM
Manfred Lake came into existence in 1893 when the Soo Line Railroad built a dam on the James River, a little to the east of here. This body of water provided not only water for the Soo Line Railroad steam engines but also recreational enjoyment . . . — — Map (db m305789) HM
The Soo Line Railroad, which ran south of the elevators, was the backbone of commerce for the businesses in Manfred. 1. Built in 1894 by Gullik Nordtorp as Rogers Lumber Company, this was Manfred's first business. The building was . . . — — Map (db m305793) HM
1. Perhaps no activity is more significant for a community than the education of its residents. Established in 1897, the Manfred School District consisted of three one-room school houses within Manfred Township. By 1908, the student . . . — — Map (db m305797) HM
The location for the town of Manfred was determined by the Soo Line Railroad. Train engines powered by steam required a water stop every 7 to 10 miles, and railroad surveyors determined that this site along the James River would make an ideal water . . . — — Map (db m305798) HM
In 1908, quite a change took place on the west side of Main Avenue, when several buildings were added. 1. Early in 1908, C.C. Melby moved buildings #2 and #3 from facing south to facing east farther to the north. In the lots vacated by . . . — — Map (db m305897) HM
