Rochester's Beginning
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Rochester's Beginning
Date Modified: 02/28/2008 2:11 PM
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Dates of note
1854 — George Head founds Rochester.
1864 — The Winona and St. Peter Railroad (which became the Chicago & Northwestern) comes to Rochester.
1863 — Dr. William Worrall Mayo comes to Rochester to work as an examiner of Civil War recruits.
1883 — Atornado strikes Rochester, destroying a third of the city and killing 24 people. Appointed chairman of the relief efforts, Dr. W.W. Mayo turns to the sisters of St. Francis for help.
1889 — St. Marys Hospital opens.
1928 — The airport opens and regular passenger service begins.
1956 — Construction of the IBM building, designed by Eero Saarinen, begins. The building is dedicated in 1958.
1978 — On July 5, Rochester receives six inches of rain and the flood forces 5,000 residents from their homes and kills five.
1987 — The Centerplace project begins.
2004 — Oakwood Broadway Plaza opens.
2006 — University of Minnesota Rochester is formally established as a campus in the U of M system.
1854 — George Head founds Rochester.
1864 — The Winona and St. Peter Railroad (which became the Chicago & Northwestern) comes to Rochester.
1863 — Dr. William Worrall Mayo comes to Rochester to work as an examiner of Civil War recruits.
1883 — Atornado strikes Rochester, destroying a third of the city and killing 24 people. Appointed chairman of the relief efforts, Dr. W.W. Mayo turns to the sisters of St. Francis for help.
1889 — St. Marys Hospital opens.
1928 — The airport opens and regular passenger service begins.
1956 — Construction of the IBM building, designed by Eero Saarinen, begins. The building is dedicated in 1958.
1978 — On July 5, Rochester receives six inches of rain and the flood forces 5,000 residents from their homes and kills five.
1987 — The Centerplace project begins.
2004 — Oakwood Broadway Plaza opens.
2006 — University of Minnesota Rochester is formally established as a campus in the U of M system.
From the lure of fresh water and fertile lands to the soaring heights (341 feet) of its tallest building, Rochester offers much to savor in its 153-year history.
Fresh water, fertile lands and frontier life drew settlers to the Rochester area. A wagon trail and later, the railroad, kept them and their children here.
But the city’s tender years are more colorful than that.
Baker and real estate developer George Head is credited with the founding of Rochester. He came to the area from Wisconsin in 1854 to stake his claim. But the land he wanted had been claimed by Edward S. Smith, who had already built a small cabin on it. After waving his gun a bit, Smith was appeased with a payoff.
Head named the city — which in early years was more like a large campground — after Rochester, New York. By 1858 the city had 106 residents and a mayor.
Aiding its growth was the city’s location along the Dubuque Trail, a 272-mile stagecoach route from St. Paul to Dubuque, Iowa. Even more important was the coming of the railroad in 1864.
Via the railroad, farmers could transport their crops of potatoes, corn (grown primarily to feed livestock) wheat and apples.
Woolen mills, straw hat factories, broom factories, cheese factories, bakeries and shops that repaired buggy wagons and built windmills opened for business in town.
Few might have guessed that the man who, with his sons, would shape Rochester’s future as a world-reknown medical destination, had arrived a year before the railroad, as a medical examiner of Civil War recruits.
Dr. William Worrall Mayo regularly brought his sons Will and Charlie along with him on medical calls, and they eventually became doctors themselves. When on Aug. 21, 1883 a tornado rampaged through the northern end of town, killing and injuring many, the Mayos worked with the Sisters of St. Francis to care for victims.
Mother Alfred Moes’ determination and the Mayo family’s expertise built a hospital, the seed that would grow into Mayo Clinic.
The stately homes of Drs. Charlie and Will, and associate Dr. Henry Plummer, remain part of the city’s cultural heritage. Dr. Will Mayo’s city mansion is now home to the Mayo Foundation, while Dr. Charlie Mayo’s country estate, Mayowood, and the Plummer House are available for special events rental and are open for tours.
Ever since the original building was completed in 1914, the Mayo Clinic has been linked with art. Mayo Jacksonville, Scottsdale and Rochester all have expanding collections. Rochester visitors may see work by Calder, Miro, Warhol, Braque and Matisse, to name a few. Self-guided art tours and tours of the Mayo Medical Center are available.
As the city expanded, land was regularly set aside for parks and playgrounds. At downtown Mayo Park, where the Mayo Civic Center now stands, a zoo once drew local children.
The zoo included three bear cubs said to be triplets. Where the Rochester Public Library now stands was then known as Statuary Park, where statues of Washington and Lincoln, and a Civil War cannon stood.
Until 1922, the Leonard House provided public housing for travelers.
Donations from the Mayo brothers and others allowed for the construction of the Civic Auditorium (now Civic Center), and a field across the street still used as a baseball field.
Baseball was such a popular pastime that around 1910 indoor games were regularly played at Rochester’s armory. Hanging paintings and photos were turned toward the wall to protect the glass during games.
The Rochester Airport first offered its services in 1928 to patients, visiting doctors and others traveling to and from the city.
In 1956, IBM chose Rochester as its building site after considering 80 cities. Famous architect Eero Saarinen designed IBM’s distinctive blue building.
Mother Nature wasn’t done with Rochester, though the devastating tornado had passed into history.
On July 5, 1978, a torrential downpour swelled the four tributaries that meet in Rochester, and much of the city was quickly underwater. Five people were killed, and 5,000 were evacuated.
Subsequent flood control projects have helped the city avoid a serious flood since implementation.
In the 1980s, Centerplace Galleria and other downtown renovations changed the look of the city center, while the soaring Oakwood Broadway Plaza opened in July 2004. At 341 feet, it is the state’s tallest building outside the metro area and offers luxury apartments for longterm stays.
An ongoing project to transform downtown Mayo buildings into a pedestrian-friendly campus will close streets to traffic to create walkways. Visitors who drive to Mayo may notice the recent widening project on U.S. 52.
The University of Minnesota has been providing quality higher education opportunities in Rochester since 1966; however, in December 2006 the University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR) was formally established as a campus of the University of Minnesota system. UMR, located at University Square (formerly Centerplace Galleria), offers over 35 academic programs, providing both graduate and undergraduate degrees, conducting research and outreach services focusing on health sciences and biotechnology.