Pennington-Polk-Red Lake County MINNESOTA Biographies.....Carl Kretzschmar February 25 1842 - February 22 1902
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File contributed for Minnesota Biographies Project by:
John Kretzschmar JKretzs@insightbb.com August 9, 2004, 5:53 pm

Author: John Kretzschmar

	Carl Kretzschmar was born in Annsburg, Saxony, Germany on February 25, 
1842.  As a young man he became a chef and eventually owned the Royal 
Restaurant in Berlin, Germany.  He cooked and served many of the royalty 
including Kaiser Wilhelm.  In 1870 he sold the restaurant and at the age of 28 
he immigrated to St. Paul, MN. and thence to a farm near Fergus Falls, MN.  
After establishing a homestead he moved to Crookston, MN. in 1876 and entered 
into the mercantile business with good success.  In 1882 his next move was to 
what is now the town of Red Lake Falls MN. which he founded.  There he built a 
dam, a mill and a brick block.  It was in Red Lake that he had the misfortune 
to get involved with unprincipled men and lost most all his wealth that he had 
accumulated.  From there he acquired a 2/3 interest in a quarter section of 
land from John Labree where the city of Thief River Falls now stands.  August 
1883 the town was officially plated.  In 1887 he built a dam (later sold to 
the city) across the Red Lake river.  In 1888 he built and opened the O. K. 
Mill for business.  Carl served on the school board and the village council 
for many years and was the first Mayor of Thief River Falls.

On October 11, 1884 he married Anna Hoernig of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  Anna was 
born November 4, 1864.  It is unknown how they had met each other.  Surviving 
children of the marriage was Olga, born June 6, 1886; Esther, born October 16, 
1889; and John Carl, born July 3, 1896.  Two other children had deceased at 
very young ages.  Anna died in Thief River Falls on January 7, 1933.

Carl Kretzschmar died February 22, 1902 in Thief River Falls.  Both Anna and 
Carl are buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Thief River Falls.


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