News: Curtiss – Early Businesses and Churches

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Bass, Clark, Pribbernow, Olson, Dahlberg, Laabs, Green, Bowen, Bowen, Peissig, Hennlich

----Source: Olson Family Scrapbook

Bass & Clark, whose first sawmill was located near the creek east of the present home of Miss Bertha Kraut, moved the town from the flag station on the former Andrew Olson land west of Main Street to its present site because he needed water to run the mill. In 1897 Albert Pribbernow started a new sawmill which he operated until the early 30's... The first creamery in town was started by O. K. Dahlberg on E. Front Street where the home of Mrs. Emil Buss is now. In 1899 Emil Laabs started the first cheese factory in the creamery. This was partly destroyed in the 1905 storm which also swept away most of the village buildings. In the winter of 1905-06 Emil Laabs and his brother Fred hauled lumber from Colby and started the present Laabs factory on the north end of Main Street. In 1909 Mr. and Mrs. Ben Green moved to Curtiss and operated a general store for a number of years.

The first church built in Curtiss was the Lutheran, now the Congregational. The new Lutheran church was built in 1905 and later the Reformed Church in the village and the Norwegian Church west of town.

In 1910 all but one of the Front Street buildings were wiped out by fire. Rebuilt the same year, they now comprise Front Street east of the bank.

The Northern States Power Co. came to Curtiss in December, 1922 and the lights were finished the following February. As stated in Tuesday's story, present officers of the village are Harold Laabs,
President; Les Bowen and Emery Peissig, Trustees and Tony Hennlich, Supervisor. Mrs. Hennlich is postmistress.