On this date in 1966, the Wahpeton newspaper editor got a lesson in local history. Pioneer resident Mrs. Kachelhoffer paid a visit and politely provided information for his next "Sky Ride" column.
Eldon Lum wrote, "A very charming Wahpeton lady has taken time to point out the fact we were in error when we wrote that Orton Bjore is the first architect to open an office in Wahpeton. Actually, he was preceded by a very well-known architect and builder, whose contributions hereabouts are still very much in evidence, and thereby hangs a tale."
Mrs. Kachelhoffer was the niece of nationally known architect Eugene Schuler, daughter of his brother Gustav. The Schulers came to Wahpeton around 1879 and ran a farm implement company until the town began building. Lum wrote, "Looking across Eighth Street from the kitchen table where I write this column, stands the very well-kept home of Dr. Jack Pfister. It was built for Sarah Rich Falle, daughter of the founder of Wahpeton. Mayor Eberly, who served when our City Hall was built, had the Schulers build his house at the corner of Eighth Street and Second Avenue."
Other fine works of the Schuler Brothers firm included the Wahpeton Hospital, Wahpeton Post Office (both on the National Register of Historic Places), Dr. O'Brian's residence, and a confection factory later known as Rogers Hatchery. Down the street stood the Ellen Seely mansion; around the corner, John Reeder's Queen Anne–style mansion and Gilbert Reeder's classic Spanish-style home. On one block were the homes of ND Supreme Court Judge Max Lauder, Sheriff Myhra, local merchant Probert, and NDSSS President Riley, later home to the Emmet Eastman family. Almost all the grand houses in Wahpeton and Breckenridge were built by the Schuler brothers.
Other local projects included the Wilkin Hotel, City Hall, Richland and Wilken Counties’ Sheriff’s Residence and Jail, St. John's Church, and the State School of Science Old Main and Music Conservatory.
Eugene Schuler also built notable buildings nationwide, including the cathedral at Reno, Nevada, the Oakland Tribune building in California, and numerous federal post offices and Catholic churches, including one in Lidgerwood, North Dakota.
Mrs. Kachelhoffer became a teacher in local schools and at the North Dakota State School of Science. Widowed in 1946, she still lived in the Gustav Schuler home on Sixth Street, next to Eugene Schuler’s house in the old silk-stocking neighborhood. She always had memories of old Wahpeton to share and didn’t mind correcting people on local history.
Datebook by Lise Erdrich
Sources:
- The Skyride: Fun-Facts-Features, by Eldon Lum. The Richland County Farmer-Globe,March 31, 1966, Page 24
- The Farmer-Globe Woman's Page. The Richland County Farmer-Globe, January 5, 1951, Page 4.
- Wahpeton Daily News, December 30, 1982, Page 50. Mrs. Kachelhoffer Recollections
