History

• The City of Springfield was founded in 1872 by John Burns, who worked for the Winona and St Peter Railroad.
• Springfield is located in Brown County on the banks of the Cottonwood River. US Highway 14 runs through town.
• The Burns Brothers, John and Dan, were among the area’s earliest settlers in 1869. John settled just south of the current location of Springfield, while Dan settled to the west where Walnut Grove is now located.
• The 1st real wave of settlers to the Springfield area came in 1869, following the passage of the Homestead Act in 1862.
• Among the 1st families to settle the area were the Brown and Altermatt families. The Brown Family were all killed in the Sioux uprising of 1862, and a monument in the Springfield City Cemetery commemorates them. The children of the Altermatt family became well-known businesses and farmers in the community.
• Early land speculators in the Springfield area included: Sherburn Sanborn, William S. Mellen, George W. Van Dusen, and Walter L. Brackenridge.
• The credit for naming Springfield goes to Mike Gamble, the village’s 1st merchant and postmaster. Gamble was appointed Post Master in 1873 and named the village “Burns Station” after the town founder, John. He later found out that a post office by the name of Burns already existed in Anoka County, so he chose the name “Springfield” because there was a spring in a field on the southwest side of town.
• The 1st settlers in Springfield did their trading in New Ulm. Groceries and supplies were purchased in New Ulm, which was the nearest town. It was a day’s trip down and a day’s trip back in a lumber wagon. There was a sawmill in Iberia where lumber could be purchased as well.
• The railroad was built through Springfield to Tracy in 1872.
• A plat of the village that would become Springfield was filed in 1877, and 2 years later the community had 250 inhabitants, 4 stores, over a dozen other businesses, a school, 2 churches, and a doctor. The village was incorporated in 1881. In 1923, the village officially became a city.
• A weekly newspaper printed entirely in German appeared in Springfield in 1889. The Springfield Adler, or Eagle, was established by J-B Velikanje and a man named Manderfield as a silent partner. The paper only lasted about 2 years before it folded.
• Springfield supported a cigar factory in the old days. William Mueller was the main supplier of “stogies” to area saloons. The factory was closed when Mueller was appointed Post Master.
• Springfield’s 1st big fire was in 1900 when the State Bank-Bendixen Building was destroyed. The next big one occurred in 1908 and totally destroyed the 8-room schoolhouse on the hill. This fire prompted the city council to take action. A water tower was erected, and water mains with hydrants were laid all over town.

Businesses

• The Springfield School District’s mascot is the Tigers. Their varsity football team was the Class-A State Champion in 2005.
• Some of Springfield’s major employers include: Tesk Manufacturing, which makes trailers; Harvestland Co-Op; The Springfield Medical Center, a member of the Mayo Health Systems since 1998; St. John’s Lutheran Home, a large nursing home and assisted living facility; and the Powermate Corporation, a nation-wide distributor of air compressors and generators.
• Harvestland Co-Op and Powermate both underwent major expansions in 2005.
• The Springfield Medical Center completed major expansions in 2006. The 7-point-7 million dollar project included new radiology and surgical suites, 12 private in-patient rooms, a doctor’s lounge, a new nurses station, and new obstetrical rooms.

Festivals & Events

• Springfield’s big summer festival is called “Riverside Days.” The annual event is always held on the last full weekend of June. The good times include things like a carnival, barbeque in the park, a kiddie parade, and much more.
• Springfield’s annual Nativity Pageant traditionally takes place during the 2nd weekend of December. The Christmas Story is told under the stars by more than 200 Springfield residents who volunteer their talent for the event. There are live animals in the manger, and a Springfield-area infant plays Baby Jesus. The admission is free, the community’s Christmas gift to area residents.
• The Springfield Theater holds an annual play every summer.

People

• The City of Springfield’s population is approximately 2,200 people. The City’s Mayor is Mark Brown.
• At the end of 2011, the Springfield Hospital made the decision that beginning in 2012 babies will only be delivered on an emergency basis at the hospital. Expecting mothers will be able to choose where they have their babies delivered, and both pre- and post-natal care will continue to be offered in Springfield.
• Springfield prepared for flooding in 2011 by raising a levy by two feet to protect the city’s utilities. The Cottonwood River did spill over it’s banks. Springfield Athletic Director Brady Schwab said that 150 high school students offered a chance to pile sandbags and more than 130 volunteered.
• The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce presented it’s annual SPIRIT OF SPRINGFIELD AWARD to Brian and Colleen O’Leary in 2011. Brian O’Leary has been active with the Springfield EDA, Rotary Club, American Legion, and has served as President of the Historical Society. Colleen is an EMT who is active in the Springfield Legion Auxillary and has served on the Board of the Springfield Medical Center, amongst other activities.
• The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce introduced an arm wrestling contest during it’s annual meeting in 2011. The contest featured men versus men and women versus women with over $4,000 in prizes along with crowns and trophies for the winners. On the men’s side, the winner was Craig Curry from the Rehabilitative Services wing of the Springfield Medical Center. Second place was Ryan Christiansen, and coming in third was Adam Schmid. For the women, all of the top 3 winners worked at Tauer’s SuperValu in Springfield. First place was Angela Clemon. Second place was Jill Riederer, and third place was Cris Kotten.
• The Springfield High School YES team students produced a video in 2011 on how science and technology can help the environment and it was selected in the top 10 in the nation as part of the Samsung “Solve For Tomorrow” contest. The team won technology prizes for their school.
• 9-year-old Haley Simonson of Springfield was named the 2011 National Miss Minnesota in St Paul. Haley is the daughter of Jim and Mary Simonson. She was among 53 girls competing for the junior pre-teen division. She also received the “Spirit Award” during the competition. Haley represented Minnesota at Disneyland in California.
• Miss Riverside 2011 was Tori Quesenberry, the daughter of Harmon and Megan Quesenberry. Crowned Miss Riverside Princess was Amanda Jenson, the daughter of Glenn and Anita Jenson.
• In 2011, Springfield 16-year-old Alexandria Chaney, the daughter of Mandy Chaney and Chad Miller, visited the cities of Sydney, Canberra, Darwin, Katherine, and Cairns during a trip to Australia as part of the People to People International program. The program was founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956.
• The Springfield School District was awarded a $20,000 grant to honor it’s dedication to the betterment of agriculture in rural America. The money comes from the Monsanto Fund.
• The Minnesota School Board Association named a member of the Springfield School Board with it’s most prestigious honor. Daniel Olson has been named to the 2010 All State School Board for his outstanding contributions to public education. Olson is currently serving his 15th year on the Springfield School Board. Only 7 of the nearly 2,300 school board members across the state were chosen for the All State Honor.
• A new addition to the Springfield Area Community Center was officially completed in 2010. The project cost a total of just over $259,000, coming in $6,000 under budget, and was completed using taxpayer money. It was totally supported by gifts and donations, including a large gift from the Helen Fleischmann Estate. The Springfield Chamber of Commerce has rented space in the new addition and moved it’s office there.
• The Springfield High School YES, or Youth Energy Summit, Team learned in 2010 that they were the winners of 2 grants for energy improvements to the school. The YES Team uses hands-on learning to address energy opportunities and issues in rural Minnesota communities. Springfield’s YES Team was formed in 2008 under the guidance of teachers Amanda Meyer and Jayme Fast. The team received a $10,000 grant from the Clean Energy Resource Teams Project to hire an architectural firm to survey a site for a “green roof” at the high school. A $1,000 grant was also received from the Southwest Initiative Foundation to help purchase and install motion detectors for the lights in the Springfield High School locker rooms.
• In 2010, the City of Springfield was featured on local cable television by Our Story Productions of Fairmont. Shows produced by Our Story Productions highlight small towns in southern Minnesota and what they have to offer with humorous take-offs of popular television shows. Thirty-six volunteer actors assist in developing the hour-long programs.
• The first phase of a 2.3 million dollar renovation project at the Springfield Medical Center was completed in 2010. Work on a new physical therapy department began in the hospital basement in September. An elevator to the new department was installed, and phase two work on converting the old physical therapy department into offices and patient rooms got underway. Other work included enlarging the hospital’s registration desk, creating a new front entrance with drive-under canopy, a new meeting room, and landscaping and parking lot improvements.
• Expansion of the campground at the City of Springfield’s Riverside Park was completed in 2010. Work included upgrading the electricity to all campsites at the park, adding 5 new campsites on the south end of the camping area, and enlarging several sites in the middle section of the campground, including providing water and sanitary sewer services. The work was funded by a $242,000 donation from the estate of Helen Fleischmann.
• The City of Springfield crowned its 2010 Miss Riverside during its annual Riverside Days. Miss Riverside 2010 is Julia Reiner, the daughter of Mike and Denise Reiner. Crowned Riverside Princess was Cheyenne Platz, the daughter of Jon and Pam Platz.
• A groundbreaking ceremony was held in 2010 at the Sanborn Manufacturing plant in Springfield. The company constructed a 40,000 square foot addition to it’s existing warehouse to provide additional storage space. It is located on the east side of the facility on Highway 14.
• The Springfield School Board approved the contract for a new Principal in 2010. David Kreft began his duties on August 1st, 2010 at Springfield High School.

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