A little more O.O.Searle ☺

Okay, just so ya know, I realize practically no Hesch or Hesch relative cares about O.O.Searle.  If you're one of that group, we probably won't be offended if you skip this post. (Just don't whine if you flunk the test).

From an online "Big Island History" page, this blurb popped out:
"1991--Olaf A. Searles buys about 125 acres on the Island and builds a three story, 21 room mansion.  He hires laborers to dig a channel separating his portion of the Island."

 1891--so I went looking for a plat map from that time period.  This was 1898.  He really DID own quite a bit of land in Lake Minnetonka.  But, hmmm...wouldn't channels around that chunk be kind of odd....?  And, wouldn't digging a virtual moat around your land be considered a bit antisocial?

Anyway, while I was searching Minnesota Reflections for the map, I tried "Searle", checking if perhaps Olaf helped sponsor the plat book.  Instead, the website figured I was searching the whole collection, and this, below, popped up.  It's from a Morrison County booster booklet published by Northern Pacific Railroad (intended to enhance both entities, of course).

My interest in the booklet was pretty general when I first read thru it last year, but now, parts jump out.  O.O. is mentioned under a few of the the photos because of his "Searle outlots".  Also, there's his business partner/employer, the A.E. Johnson Company, doing business in Little Falls.  (I've made the  booklet pages small, but you can enlarge them with a click--its interesting to see what a paid ad looked like back then ☺ ).

Woohoo, doncha LOVE this kind of serendipity?