J. E. Stadon
Little is know about Mr. Stadon. The 1885 census does not list him as a resident of Cokato, so when he arrived in town is not certain. Entries in the early Cokato newspapers seem to indicate he was an itinerant photographer, stationing himself in one town for a certain period of time. An advance person in each town took appointments prior to arrival. The duration of each stay varied; six to eight weeks was not uncommon.
Towards the end of his career in Cokato, Stadon sold his studio to J. W. Larson--bought it back soon after--then, according to the Cokato Commoner of March 28, 1893, sold his studio to E. E. Ometh and departed to Indiana. |
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J.W. Larson
Stadon sold his interest to J. W. Larson, a Cokato hardware store owner, in March 1889. Larson’s venture was short-lived as in April 1890 the Cokato Observer noted that Stadon was again operating his studio.
It is not know why Larson left the trade. The museum has only two photos which bear his name. |
E. E. Ometh
The longest operating studio in nineteenth-century Cokato, Elbert. E. Ometh ran his business from April 1893 to October 1898. At the same time, he ran a studio in Waverly.
A native of Norway, Ometh arrived in the United States with his family in 1869, settling in Cumberland, Wisconsin. After learning the photography trade there, he removed to Rush City (Chisago County) in 1890, and came to Cokato via the purchase of Stadon’s studio in 1893. By all accounts, Ometh was well-liked and respected. An 1894 biographical sketch stated “his steadily increasing patronage proves the merit and appreciation of his work.” Ometh’s marriage to Alice Erickson of Dassel, in December 1897, prompted the Enterprise to describe him as “one of the most popular men of the town...” Ometh left Cokato in late October 1898. He moved to Sparta, Wisconsin—near La Crosse—to open a soda-water business. The Enterprise noted how the community was “sorry to loose (sic) a man so proficient in the picture business as Mr. Ometh...” |
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R. Tynelius
By the time Reinhold Tynelius arrived in 1898, Cokato village had grown dramatically from its rather spartan beginnings. A Swedish immigrant who had only been in the United States since 1893, Tynelius took to his business with great vigor. The 1900 federal census listed him as a bachelor, and he had a “lodger,” seventeen year-old Swedish immigrant Henry Mattson, sharing his residence. Tynelius left Cokato in May 1901, to open a studio in Braham
Sadly, Tynelius’s life was cut short in a tragic accident in July 1902. While in St. Paul to purchase supplies at the Zimmerman Brothers wholesale house, Tynelius fell down an open elevator shaft, fracturing his skull. He died shortly afterward at the age of forty-four, and is buried in Braham. |
Fred Hanson
It is not clear if Hanson directly purchased the Tynelius studio. An item in the April 18, 1901 Enterprise noted that Hanson was “reconstructing the photograph gallery…on Broadway.”
Hanson’s business ledger shows his first photos, taken on May 14, were of a confirmation class from St. Sigfried’s Episcopal Church in Cokato, and one of their rector, Rev. A. J. Almfeldt. That same ledger shows his last photo taken on November 5, 1902, of Miss A. Forsman, from Lamson. Hanson sold his photography interest to Gust Akerlund in early December 1902. |
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George Swedburg
When Gust Akerlund put his photography business up for sale in 1913 to become an auto mechanic, George Swedburg bought it.
Originating from Willmar, Swedburg operated out of the former Akerlund Studio till Akerlund approached him about buying back the business in 1918. The museum has a few of Swedburg's photographs but unfortunately not a lot about the man himself. |
Rose-Christianson
Little is known about the Rose-Christianson Studio. An article in the August 21, 1947 Cokato Enterprise stated that Earl B. Christianson and Harland E. Rose, who had been employed in studios in Minneapolis and St. Paul, were renting the Akerlund Studio for their business.
How long they were in business is not known. This is the only photo we have from their time in the community. |
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And the Rest...
Other early photographers we simply know little about or only have one or two photos they took.
Photograph of the Myrbock family taken by Cokato photographer M. W. Peterson, circa 1890.
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Photograph taken by Cokato photographer E. J. Almquist possibly in the 1890s.
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This is a photograph of J. N. Runions who was a photographer in Cokato at one time. His portrait was taken by Gust Akerlund.
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Photographer sections are largely from: Mike Worcester "Lost Cokato: Cokato's Other Photographers." In the Midst Of. (January, 2005) v 25 n 1. Copyright Cokato Historical Society.
