The Coming of the Railroad
Early Train
The Woodstock branch of the Omaha was built during 1879-1880. A sketch of the first train up the branch. The railroad was extended to Pipestone five years later


store the same year. The first lumber yard was managed by J. Sipple. Dr. Thos. Lowe was the first and only doctor to practice medicine in the village of Hadley. L. Bryan was the first depot agent and he bought grain as a side line. Hadley had the first brass band to toot a horn in Murray County. The first blacksmith was A. C. Dale who in after years moved to Lake Wilson. Hadley at one time supported a good drug store. The druggist's name was P. Chase. He was also postmaster here for a number of years. In spite of the many changes Hadley has the largest co-operative creamery in this section of the state.


THE HADLEY BASEBALL TEAM

        The Hadley baseball team has a record that is not surpassed by any village in the state of Minnesota.

        Baseball started in Hadley in 1882 and ever since that year there has been a baseball team—a real record.

        The first baseball team consisted of Dave, Tom, Bill, Jack and Alex Lowe, Ed Sardeson, Ben Stine, Andy Hoye and Bill Forsaith and a mighty team of sluggers they were. Baseball masks, catchers mitts and pads were unknown. At the county fair one year, the Hadley boys beat their opponents 56 to 7.

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        At one fair date, the team played a picked team from the county. There was a 2nd baseman on the county team that was over aggressive. Andy Hoye was full of pep and somehow jolted the 2nd baseman and the result was a broken leg for the 2nd baseman. The purse offered by the fair board was $25.00 and the cost of setting the leg was $25.00, so the Hadley team broke even, and they won the game.

        Here is the team that played Lake Wilson, June 30th, 1903:
A. Fresk, 2nd base; Oscar Fresk, right; Dony Knutson, 3rd; Fredstrom, Catcher; C. Johnson, center; St. John, left; Trig Knutson, S. S.; Wm. Fresk, pitcher; Wm. Clauson, 1st; Lud Glarum, umpire. They lost to Lake Wilson. It was a rotten game. Hadley made 15 errors and Lake Wilson, 12 errors.
        In the early '40's the Hadley baseball team really came into its own. Here is a record that no town in Minnesota the size of Hadley can equal.
1941 Hadley was champion in Gopher League, lost to
         Ivanhoe in finals.
1942 Hadley was champion of Gopher League, made state
         meet, but lost to Minnesota Lake.
1943 Hadley again made the state tournament. Won first
         game from Virginia, but lost to Nothem in the second
         round.
1944 Hadley lost in finals to Worthington.
1945 Hadley won in Gopher League, lost at state meet to Ashby.
1946 Hadley lost in the semi-finals.


EARLY HISTORY OF THE 4-H CLUB

Here are the names of some of the boys who were active in
the early history of the work.

1924 Dairy calf exhibited at the Minnesota State Fair
1924 Everett Clauson — Poultry at Junior Live Stock Show
1925 Members: Goodwin Fresk, Glen Bennett, Nolan John-
  son, Lloyd R. Johnson, Everett Clauson,
  Allan Johnson, Amery Johnson, Gordon
  Fresk, Allan Engebretson, Howard Clau-
  son, Willard Clauson.
       At the boys' camp at the State Fair in 1925 were Everett Clauson and Carl Grone.

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