Telephone Company
Roman Barthel of St. Michael, Minnesota, started working as a lineman for the Rural Telephone Company in 1933. His knowledge of the company provided information regarding its history.
In 1933, the telephone company was known as the Rural Telephone Company and was owned by a group of farmers of the area, including Rogers, Hassan Township, St. Michael. In the early years, the farm people worked off their telephone bills by helping the local telephone company set poles, string wire, etc. At that time, wages paid to linemen were $.28 per hour. Only 2 or 3 regular employees maintained Osseo, St. Michael, and Rogers, Hassan Township for a number of years. Prior to this time, phones were operated on a magneto basis. For those who don't remember, this was a crank-type system.
Later in the year, 1933, the properties were purchased by Paul Glaeser and Leo Fischer, who operated the company under the name of Pioneer Telephone Company. It was decided that St. Michael at that time would be converted to a dial telephone system. This was one of the first systems in the state.
In 1939, first in the Spring and then later in the Fall, sleet storms raised havoc with most of the lines which were open wire at that time. Months were spent putting these facilities back in order.
In 1954, there were 1,320 telephones in the Osseo, St. Michael and Rogers, Hassan exchanges. In 1958, the area was converted to dial, and with it came toll free dialing to Minneapolis and St. Paul.
In 1968, the dial switching unit was again changed, due to the high growth rate. In this same year, United Telecommunications and the Pioneer System were merged. The name changed once again, this time to United Telephone Company of Minnesota.
Crow River News/Osseo Press
The first issue of the Osseo Press (Vol. 1 No. 1) was printed November 29, 1923. It was 12 pages -- four covering local news; a four-page supplement, and the other four pages consisted of a patent section. In it was features, cartoons, recipes and advertising from the Patent Medicine Company. The cost of the issue was .5 cents. The Editor and Publisher of the first newspaper was Lester D. Wilcox. The original building of the Osseo Press was located where the Masonic Hall in Osseo exists today.
Otto M. Bohling took over the paper sometime in 1925. H.W. Schultz purchased the newspaper in May, 1926. Werner Schultz became editor of the newspaper in 1938.
When the original building burned down in August, 1932, the Press was moved to the Killmer Building in Osseo. In 1936, the building which today houses the Osseo Printing Company was built and the paper moved.
In January, 1966 Schultz sold the Osseo Press to Don R. Larson, who with his wife Carole operated the newspaper and converted it to an offset printing process. Today the Crow River News serves as the legal newspaper for the City of Rogers, Township of Hassan and City of Corcoran.