Most early settlers were farmers. Horses and wagons moved the produce to markets in St. Paul and Minneapolis. River, and later railroad transportation, connected Rose Township farmers to a regional market. Farmers also produced swine, poultry, cattle and milk products.
Rose Township’s location between the growing cities or St. Paul and Minneapolis led to a specialized type of farming; market-garden farming. These small-acreage, labor-intensive farms grew fruits and vegetables for the expanding Twin Cities.
“Vegetables had to be cut, pulled, picked, or dug. Then they had to be loaded and carried to the yard where they were trimmed, bunched, washed, and arranged to be taken to market the following day – until the 1920s by horse and wagon; later by truck. The trip to either Minneapolis or St. Paul market was several miles. This meant getting up at 4:00 am.”
Edna Greenberg Reasoner, daughter of Frank Greenberg
