By: Rolf Larson
(Reprint of St. Paul Pioneer Press, Thursday, October 5, 1961)
In the Fall of 1961, Gareth D. Hiebert, the St. Paul Pioneer Press columnist who wrote under the name "Oliver Towne," visited the sleepy village of Lake Elmo. This column was published on Thursday, October 5, 1961.
Here is a portion of this column:
"The railroad splits it. The North Western main line cuts Lake Elmo in two and the north side is a prairie town; south are the wandering lanes and deep, shaded lawns of a lake town, whose homes reach nearly a mile south down Washington county road 17, along Lake Elmo's shores.
ON AN EARLY October afternoon, behind the doors of the Lake Elmo State bank - a classic red brick portrait of a small town bank - Erwin Beutel and his son, Bruce, are tabulating the days results. The Lake Elmo State - a half century old this year - is a father and son affair whose fascination is not financial, but rests with such comfortable customs as closing for an hour at noon so the employees can go home for lunch. And opening on Saturdays until noon.
The October sun lies in patches between the elms, from which the village got its name, and reflects off the sign that says: Lake Elmo Inn. Those outsiders who turn into Main Street after dark usually do so because of owner Lester Goerss' reputation for food and atmosphere. Next door is a Lilliputian barber shop, whose unpretentious entrance masks a major economic force in main street life.
Lake Elmo likes the metropolitan sound of the phrase: "That barber is so busy you have to make an appointment." But if you're sick or need a tooth pulled, if you need legal counsel, main street can't help."
