February 1949 FRANK D. ALEXANDER LOWRY NILSON LOCATION OF COUNTY IN STATE DAKHUE SOIL Vasa 0 0 0 Q.. ~ Belle Creek Belvidere 0 0 ~ '<: SOUTH GOODHUE SOIL CONSERVATION DISTRICT Paved or bituminous road -+--+-+-+- R a i Iroad ~ Soil Conservation District Township line llml Incorporated place CONTENTS Page Foreword ................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Introduction 5 I. Six Types of Social Organization 1. The County ............... 6 2. Locality Groups . ··························· 10 3. Institutionalized Organizations 26 4. Formally Organized Groups ................................. 34 5. Agencies ........................ 54 6. Informal Groups and Other Informal Relations .. ...... ......... .................. 58 II. Analysis of Social Organization 7. Significant Changes in Social Organization ....... ................................... 61 8. Factors Affecting Participation ................................... 66 9. Organizational Relationships ································· ·································· 72 10. Conclusions ............................................................................ 84 Submitted for publication December 17, 1947 SM-2-49 1oreword I This is one in a series of studies carried out in 24 counties which were selected to represent the major type farming areas in the United States. Goodhue County, Minnesota, was selected as one of the five dairy counties. The other dairy counties were Litchfield, Connecticut; Hampshire, Massa­ chusetts; Oneida, New York; and Frederick, Maryland. Counties represent­ ing other types of farming areas were Henry, Indiana; Hamilton, Iowa; and Seward, Nebraska, in the Corn Belt; Ellis, Kansas; Wells, North Dakota; and Franklin, Washington, in the Wheat areas. Val Verde, Texas, and Sweet­ grass, Montana, in the Range-livestock areas. Bell, Texas; Pottawatomie, Oklahoma; Dallas, Alabama; and Union, South Carolina, in the Cotton Belt; Dent, Missouri; Rabun, Georgia; Magoffin, Kentucky; Bradford, Pennsyl­ vania, in the General and Self-sufficing areas. Imperial and Butte in Cali­ fornia in the Western Specialty areas, and LaFource, Louisiana, in a Re­ sidual area. This study of Goodhue County was initiated by the Division of Farm Population and Rural Life of the United States Department of Agriculture, and has been carried to completion with the cooperation of the Division of Rural Sociology of the University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station. The purpose of this and the other studies of the series has been (a) to analyze the types of groups in which rural people are organized and the patterns of group relationships through which they participate in local and nonlocal programs and services, (b) to analyze the ways in which agencies relate themselves and their programs to these types of organizations and patterns of group relationships, (c) to provide a comparison by types of farming areas, of trends in different types of organizations-formal and in­ formal, local and nonlocal, etc., and (d) to interpret the findings for farm people and for action and educational agencies. All of the studies in the series are being made by trained sociologists. In each case the report follows a generally uniform outline. All will present their analyses in keeping with the following major types of organizations: locality groupings, formally organized groups, informal groups and other informal relationships, agencies, institutionalized organizations, and the county as a unit of organization. Carl C. Taylor I~ Head, Division of Farm Population and Rural Life, U.S.D.A. H. Macy Associate Director, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station !(ural Social Orpa1tizatio11 J11 {joodltue eoullfV, vlfillltCSOfa * Frank D. Alexander and Lowry Nelson GooDHUE COUNTY belongs to the dairy farming region of the nation. Located in southeastern Minnesota, the county is bounded on the northeast by the Mississippi River. The seasons here are well marked, and the range between high and low temperatures is wide. Winters are moderately severe with sub-freezing temperatures as early as September and as late as May. Wheat early became the county's groups-Norwegian, Swedish, and Ger­ leading market crop, but production man. reached its peak in 1879 and since that While informal groups and relation­ date has been declining rapidly. On the ships are numerous, the dominant pat­ other hand, dairy cows increased from tern for meeting important social needs 17,838 in 1900 to 43,824 in 1945. At this is through the county's many formal date, approximately one-third of the organizations. Among various types of county's 3,008 farmers obtained the ma­ social organizations in the county, jor source of their income from dairy­ the churches rank first in the interest ing. Since 1890 the number of farms has and loyalty commanded from the varied little. The family-sized farm of people. The small school district with about 150 acres predominates. Farm in­ its one-teacher school is characteristic comes are generally high, and levels of the rural-farm areas. Public agencies of living are considerably above the to assist the people in dealing with cer­ national average for farm people. tain social and economic problems have Since 1900 the total population of the increased considerably in the past 15 county has remained relatively stable. years. Many of the social and economic It was 31,137 in 1900 and 31,564 in 1940. interests of farm people are becoming Internally, however, the population has focused in the villages. Although the changed. Between 1900 and 1940 the county government serves the people open-country population has shown a in many traditional ways and its area marked decline, whereas the popula­ is the area of operation of a number of tions of the villages and of the town of organizations and agencies, its impor­ Red Wing have increased rapidly. tance is somewhat minimized because Groups from foreign lands or with dis­ of the division of local governmental tinctive ethnic backgrounds have al­ responsibilities with numerous sub­ ways been prominent. At the present units and because of the growing im­ time there are three dominant ethnic portance of service-area communities. • Most of the field investigation for this study was done during the last two months of 1946 and the first half of 1947. I. SIX TYPES OF SOCIAl ORGAN IZA liON I. Z:lte eount11 OODHUE COUNTY was estab­ directors of a business corporation, G lished by an act of the state legis­ however, because many of the other lature in 1853, and the first county county officials are also elected directly board of commissioners was appointed by the people. These officials are inde­ by the governor in 1854. Legally, Good­ pendent of the board aside from their hue, like other counties in Minnesota, is partial dependence on it for appropria­ a creature of the state with dual func­ tions to operate their offices and the tions: (1) to serve as an agency of the threat of judicial action which the state in· the local administration of cer­ board may initiate against them. Be­ tain laws and services, and (2) to act cause of his contacts with the board in a more restricted sense for the satis­ and his close jurisdiction over the faction of certain local needs. county's finances, the auditor is in a The present boundaries were defined better position than any other county in 1855. Twice in its early history, once official to see all of the county's govern­ to form a new county and again for an­ mental operations as a whole. It can nexation to an adjoining county, efforts hardly be claimed, however, that he were made through the state legislature serves as a coordinator. to detach areas from the county, but Although local elections are non­ neither of these attempts was success­ partisan, the county has both Demo­ ful. At first there were serious differ­ cratic-Farmer-Labor and Republican ences over the location of the county committees. Most of the members of seat. When a decision was made in these committees are village or town 1858 to build a court house in Red people. It is said that contests for state Wing, it met with opposition from offices arouse considerable interest but people in the southern part of the that those for county offices seldom do. county who wanted a more central lo­ The same individuals are returned to cation. Failure to choose a central site county offices election after election. for the seat of government has had a However, general interest in voting has retarding influence on the attainment been maintained at a fairly high level of a unified county community. for a number of years. In the presiden­ The principal governing authority in tial election year of 1920 which was the county is its board of commission­ only a short time after women were ers consisting of five members, each given the ballot, 64.5 per cent of the elected from a specific district. (See fig­ population 21 years of age and over ure 1 for organizational chart of county voted. Even in the nonpresidential elec­ government.) The board manages the tion of 1930, the percentage was as high county's property, oversees its finances, as 60.4, and in the presidential election sets the county tax rate, and acts as year of 1940, the voting rose to 78.3 general director of its business. It lacks One of the most important functions the powers ordinarily given a board of of the county government is the collec- RURAL SOCIAL ORGANIZATION IN GOODHUE COUNTY 7 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS J I ON{ '1!0... (A(I1 Of ToY[ 1.>13TIIOCTS,(L[(ft0 fDA 4 ~(,U~ (;0. COOP( .. AT<~[ (U(H$>01< vtn•.o .. s~~c co"'""'''' OH\(l~ "~ ,........ _....""'' U••~C·Jll !• co"""'""'"""' ht~L.O>tt> In' ••o•st" o• e.o. I. 1.....0 AP/'Q<Nl"[() C'" CO.. .. AVD•TO~. ~(.,to~{ v 0t $TAT[ Cl,.>'•l~ (-.(~5 cow"''~"' '"- t>UA.Of<l(t~S .,.,,,,... , 0(~1 &C>t.Ofl't()WtA"D C0o.t.,.UI<>H (0.. 1 CO<JHTY. W(l..fAtl;( O(Pf. co ..... ~, t.()o.AO AV0•1l)<I,C.0..(A" )AHATO">U" o• "[~\.