??? The village of Golden Gate occupied this area for some years. The town took its name from the U.S. Post Office established in 1868 with Ebenezer Fuller in charge.
??? Construction of a water-powered grist mill on Spring Creek in 1869 by John Heimerdinger started the growth of the village.
??? Enterprising neighbors quickly provided other goods and services for customers coming to the mill. Purchases made here saved a long trip to other towns.
??? Two general stores, a blacksmith shop, a mill, the post office and a few dwellings scarcely merited the high-toned name "Golden Gate", so the pioneers used the nickname "Podunk".
??? A town hall was added and a schoolhouse built north of the creek. There was a resident preacher for a time but no church. The cemetery started just south of the village.
??? Because the railroads by-passed Golden Gate in the early 1870s the community slowly vanished. The mill ran until 1902, when it was purchased by the Sleepy Eye Milling Company. Parts of the dam, pond area, mill-race, mill foundations and the cemetery are the last visible remains of Golden Gate.
Donated by Friends and Relatives of Early Golden Gate Settlers
Brown County Historical Society - 1978 ??? ??? ??? P.W.K.
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