Historical News

A Couple of Ghost Towns in Renville County

BY ELLAYNE CONYERS

BECHYN:

The former town of Bechyn is located in the western part of Section 28 in Henryville Township in Renville County.  The land was donated by two men who then build a church there and in turn this created a village.  The first church services were held in homes in 1868 until the 1879 St. Mary’s Church was built.  In 1915 the present day church was built and it remained open until 1992.

The name “Bechyn” comes from the Bohemian settlers who came from Bechyn, Bohemia.  In 1973 there were 20 families from Bechyn, Bohemia residing in Henryville Township.  The Post Office in Bechyn began in 1888 and was discontinued in 1904.  (The non-existence of a post office is what makes a town a ghost town.)  Bechyn had a blacksmith shop, two stores, a restaurant, several homes, a barber shop and a town hall.  The town hall was well known for holding many social and civic events.  In later years, a gas pump was added as well as another restaurant.  Bechyn was a community center for the settlers in the area.  It was the place where dances, picnics and ballgames were held.

Sadly, like most of these villages, Bechyn did not grow.  St. Mary’s church has since closed.  However the people of Bechyn organized a preservation committee to keep the church from being demolished.  It is still standing today and serves as a reminder to the historical importance of the village of Bechyn and its community.  The Bechyn community is one of the oldest existing Bohemian communities in the United States.

Each summer the Czechoslovakian Festival is held on the church grounds of St. Mary’s church.  Polka bands from New Ulm entertain the visitors as they dance o the music and enjoy food particular to their heritage.

BEAVER FALLS:

Beaver Falls was once the thriving business and Community center of Renville County.  At one point, it was rumored to have about 200 people.  It was one of the first established villages in the county and it was designated as the first county seat.  Residents were hopeful that the railroad would eventually come to this village.  It is located in the northwest half of Section 22 and is one and half miles from the Minnesota River.  The first settlement made here was before the Dakota Conflict.  It was incorporated in 1890 at the courthouse in Beaver Falls.  Renville County was declared an organized county in March of 1866 with the county seat temporarily located at Beaver Falls.  It was the county seat from 1860 until 1900.

There was competition between Birch Coulee and Beaver Falls as to the election for the county seat – and Beaver Falls won the election.  In 1872 a new jailhouse was completed and used for county business in Beaver Falls.  A second courthouse for the county was completed in December of 1890.  This building was used until 1900 when the county seat was moved to Olivia, after a heated battle between Bird Island, Beaver Falls and Olivia.

Beating The Heat of Summer

BY ELLAYNE CONYERS

Remember the days before air conditioning?  I do – but I try to forget.  Growing up on a farm on the flat, windy prairie was unforgettable.  You could open all the windows on all four sides of the house in order to let the air blow through – only it was HOT air.  The basement was a few degrees cooler, but it was damp and dingy air that you had to share with the bugs and mice.  The beds would be moved to the open porch during the summer with a little relief – but here the mosquitoes were ready for a nightly feast of warm sweaty flesh.  You had to keep a salt shaker within reach of the bed so that you could rub the salt into the mosquito bites.

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Getting Connected to a Chicken - Part II

BY ELLAYNE CONYERS

PART II:

Chickens have always been considered women’s livestock – and the one and only way women could make their own money in the early days of pioneer settlement. It seemed that small and manageable, chickens were just an extension of a kitchen garden, and women often sold extra eggs to make some money of their own.  In 1893 a book entitled “What Can a Woman Do,” a guide for women looking for income; the suggested professions included lady journalist, dentist, poet, and hen-keeper.  Beekeeping and gardening were the only other agricultural jobs on the list.  The author, Martha Louise Rayne, stated that there is “money in eggs,” and she recounted the story of two “tempest-tossed and homeless women’ who set up a poultry farm together and enjoyed great success – that is, until one of them decided to marry a man, forsaking her hens and her poultry partner.  Nevertheless, Rayne recommended that even married women keep chickens, because it could be done without interfering with domestic duties.

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