Page View
Stratford centennial
(1891-1991)
The village, pp. 47-78
Page 47
The Village Stratford began as a "Company Town", as a direct result of the Connor Mill and a strong dependence on the Con- nor Company. The Connors built the Connor Company Store and a boarding house to meet the early needs. A post office was established next to the store. As Connor built homes, the workers' families were moved to Stratford and the village grew. The early area settlers were generally those who were planning to farm. They purchased their land, cleared the timber and then the stumps and rocks. Many of Coutes: Paul Unteit the first shelters they built were rough, log cabins with dirt floors. Time was usually of the essence. Their entire survival may depend on get- ting land cleared and crops planted as quickly as possible to feed their families. Most settlers farmed in the summer and worked in the camps during the winter months, leaving their families to tend to the farm while they were gone. Early settlers in the village proper were workers in the mill. They moved into homes which were built by the R. Connor Company. As early as 1892, other busi- nesses were being established. According to Judge Curtin, who came to Stratford in 1892, at that time there was On 97 between Elm & Walnut looking north. a population of approximately 20, with Connor's store, the sawmill, Sargeant's Hotel, the depot and two taverns, and five dwellings. The buildings were set in the timber, with no streets, only trails. It wasn't until late in the fall of 1893 that the stumps were taken out of the street. In May, 1892, H.L. Klemme came to Stratford, starting a tavern. He also thought the streets of Stratford were in need of improvement as many years later, Mr. Klemme told the editor of the Strat- ford Journal that it was necessary to wear rubber boots to go from his tavern to the depot. Scenes of growing Straford
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