The Mankato Record publishes an interesting review of the growth and business of Mankato in the past year. The first settlement at Mankato was made in 1852; in 1860 the population of the village numbered about 900; in June, 1865, it contained 1,973 souls. The increase has been very great in the past year; 112 new buildings have been erected during the past year, at a cost of $125,000. Mankato has four brickyards, which manufactured, in 1866, 1,600,000 bricks. A brick machine is to be used next season, which will turn out from 15,000 to 25,000 bricks per day. There are five steam sawmills in the township, which cut about 2,000,000 of lumber, which with 300,000 feet from St. Paul, was used in the township. Limestone and lime abound. The total receipts of freight amount to 1,150 tons, mostly via the Winona and St. Railroad. About 258 tons of wheat, flour, &c., were exported via the Winona road. The Record says: During the season of navigation, from the 25th of April to some time in August, we had about forty-five or forty-six steamboat arrivals, and the great bulk of our exportations were made through that channel. The wheat shipments alone, by river, amounted to 190,000 bushels, and 4,700 tons. (Winona Daily Republican, Friday, January 18, 1867, Page 1)
Mankato has four brick yards that turn out 90,000 brick daily. (The Winona Daily Republican, Tuesday Evening, June 10, 1873, Page 2)
The material is rapidly accumulating for the depot and eating house of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Company in this city (Winona). Aside from the large quantity of stone which is being daily unloaded at the site of the proposed building several car loads of cream colored bricks have arrived from Mankato. The plans have been prepared and are now in Chicago, awaiting the approval of the managing officers. (The Winona Daily Republican, Saturday Evening, February 14, 1880, Page 3)
The Mankato brick company sold last week 700,000 brick, of which 250,000 go to Duluth, 250,000 to Lanesboro, 200,000 to Blue Earth City. (The Winona Daily Republican, Wednesday Evening, June 2, 1880, Page 2)
Another favorable place for the development of this alluvium near Mankato is about 40 rods north of the city limits, along the Omaha Road, where the river basin extends to a width of 3 or 4 miles. (Clays and Shales of Minnesota, Frank F. Grout and E. K. Soper, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1914, Page 73)