1856 Schmid Farmstead - 1876 Fieldstone Farmhouse

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"A German Immigrant, A Gentleman Farmer & A Professional Wrestler"  

    CLICK HERE to view a WONDERFULLY INFORMATIVE history of this area

    https://youtu.be/vaE8xvudBfU    Presented by Liz Vandam, Westonka Historical Society

    Minnetrista Minnesota’s “Section 35, a rich history" 

How this farmstead came to be

In the early 1850s, two young immigrant SCHMID brothers, Joseph (b. 1830)  and Benedict (b. 1833) arrived in Carver and Hennepin Counties  

Source:  The History of St. Victoria Parish, lists Joseph arriving in the Parish in 1853.   pages 16-30

Excerpt from  January 2016 article by By Amanda Schwarze - Lakeshore Weekly News 

     "Before Lake Minnetonka’s era of grand hotels and affluent residents, farmers spent long, physically grueling hours working the land, and now a symbol of that time has been recognized as a historic place.

     Joseph Schmid worked his way from a newly arrived German immigrant, to a subsistence farmer, to a success story. He arrived in Minnesota in 1853, and his younger brother Benedict followed in 1855. The brothers exchanged ownership of a 156.5-acre property in Minnetrista, according to the National Register of Historic Places registration form for the site. Benedict claimed the land in July of 1856, and by the early 1860s he had sold it to his brother, Joseph.

     As of 1860, just six acres of the land had been improved and were being farmed. During the next decade, Joseph grew the farming operation. By 1874, the Schmid farm was at its peak acreage of 334.36 acres and at least 30 acres were improved.

     While the farm was growing, Joseph, his wife, Elizabeth, and their seven children likely lived in a log home, according to the registration form. After the family had settled into the area and their farm became more of a success, Joseph, with help from his brother Benedikt, son Joseph, Jr, family and neighbors, built a new house out of field stones in 1876, lending an air of permanence to their home and farm.

     Joseph continued to grow and diversify the farming operation. By 1880, 56 acres were improved, while 40 acres were permanent meadows, pastures, orchards and vineyards, the form notes. Among the crops harvested in 1879 were 496 bushels of wheat, 50 tons of hay, 50 bushels of Irish potatoes, 384 bushels of oats and 50 bushels of apples. That year the Schmids also manufactured 200 pounds of butter and their hens produced 120 eggs.

     Joseph gradually began giving the farm over to his son, Joseph Jr. As the Lake Minnetonka area entered its era of extravagance, standard agriculture started to diminish, and Joseph Jr. began selling off large portions of the property around the turn of the century

     A tornado hit the area Aug. 20, 1904, and destroyed a large barn that was on the property, and likely other buildings as well, according to the registration form. However, the stone home that had marked a time of prosperity and a sense of permanence for the Schmids remained standing.

     In December of 1905, the last 80 acres of the Schmid farm were sold to Albert C. Loring to be added to his Woodend Dairy Farm, the form notes. Even though the house never had indoor plumbing or electricity, it was sometimes rented to Woodend employees until about 1948.

     Without anyone living in it, the home started to decay. The roof collapsed exposing the interior, much of which was destroyed. The land it occupied was eventually bought by the late professional wrestler Verne Gagne. Three Rivers Park District officials began purchasing property in the area for what would become Lake Minnetonka Regional Park, and part of Gagne’s land, which includes the home’s ruins, was bought by the district through eminent domain.." 

An 1850s Plat Map of Minnetrista Land Ownership, places "Benedict Schmidt as having "claimed" 156.50 Acres on July 12, 1856.   See our copy of the U.S. General Land Office document, which states that the land was PAID IN FULL, and Benedict's ownership was Certified on July 1, 1959. 

In August 1856, Joseph married Elisabeth SCHWEICKERT. Their first child, Elizabeth, was born on this property in 1857.   Joseph, Sr & Elisabeth raised 7 children, all born on this farm between 1857 and 1868.   They spent their early years in the original log cabin. 

The original log house was later replaced by a fieldstone house in 1876 , built by Joseph and his son Joseph, Jr.  

Benedict Schmid married Rosina AUER in May 1859, and had 11 children. Benedict's Diary is a MUST-READ.

Census Records and Plats place Benedict & Rosina in Lake Town Township, close to his sister Mary (Mrs. John PFEIFFER,) and also near in-laws, LEUTHARD. Later, they moved to Lake Minnewashta.

Some time around 1878, Joseph & Elisabeth moved to Baker Township, Stevens County, where daughter Elizabeth and husband John Casper LEUTHARD were raising their family.  

Their oldest son, Joseph SCHMID, Jr, now age 19,  runs the 156 acre farm. The 1880 Census places him here, along with his younger sisters Mary & Magdalena, and brothers Frank & Henry. 

The 1885 MN Census places parents Joseph Sr, Elisabeth, and their three youngest sons, Thomas, Frank, and Henry, up north in Baker Township, Stevens County.

Meanwhile, back on THE FARM in Minnetrista, Joseph SCHMID, Jr and wife, Mary Johanna POPPLER raised some of their children in this farmhouse. Joseph expanded the farm to over 300 acres. 

The 1895 Census shows Joseph & Elisabeth, ages 65, living back in Hennepin Co with their son Joseph Jr.    In the years between 1903 to 1905, Joseph Schmid, Jr sold off the property. 

The ruins of the 1876 Schmid fieldstone house still stand today, and were entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.  

Thousands of SCHMID descendants have visited the site of our Ancestors' historic homestead.  And many of the Joseph, Jr descendants have Grandparents who were born in this home.

In 2023 and 2024, the ruins will be stabilized so that visitors may safely tour the structure.  WE HOPE!

To order a bronze replica of Joseph's Civil War Grave Marker,  CLICK HERE