L.O. Jacob, a Coon Rapids pioneer... Anoka County History by Ryan Dawson

Wednesday, 27 May 2009

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Coon Rapids officially becoming a city and the town is kicking off the year long celebration with the Rockin’ Hollywoods Friday, June 12 at the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park.  The evening will begin with comments from the mayor and an ice cream social at 6:45 p.m.  One pioneer of the Coon Rapids community who deserves a mention is L.O. Jacob, who moved to Anoka County from Oklahoma in 1913.  He was formerly a student at Oklahoma A & M and took a job teaching agriculture at Anoka High School.  Jacob also coached football. After a short stint in the military during World War I, Jacob purchased a large farm in Coon Rapids along the Mississippi River in 1920.  The farm was also adjacent to the ox cart trail at the Rum River Bridge and Jacob soon became the county’s agricultural agent.  He played a significant role in agricultural development for the community and introduced new techniques for farming and irrigation. L.O. Jacob and his wife Ethel were very active in the community early on.  “Somehow the timing was right and they just fit in,” recalled Lee Swisher, daughter of the Jacob family.  “Mom was an artist, helped organize activities, and gave speeches for a variety of programs.” L.O. served on the school board for many years and helped establish the county’s first consolidated elementary school in Coon Rapids.  In honor of his contributions, the school was later renamed L.O. Jacob Elementary after he passed away in 1959.  Lee attended the elementary school in 1926 and has fond memories of her childhood in Anoka and Coon Rapids.  “What I remember was lots of fun on the farm,” she said. “We had ponies and all kinds of pets.”    The Jacob’s had one other child, Earl (Jake) Jacob, who later opened a Dairy Queen on Coon Rapids Boulevard and also served in the military as a Navy pilot.  “I think two was all they could handle,” said Lee. Lee is a proud member of the Anoka County Historical Society and still resides in Coon Rapids.  “It was a lot of fun growing up in that time - both my parents were very involved with everything that was going on, and they were always leaders of everything they did.”  For more information on the Coon Rapids 50th anniversary events, or to get involved, please visit: http://www.ci.coon-rapids.mn.us/fiftyanniversary.htm Editor’s note: Ryan Dawson is a an Anoka County Historical Society volunteer.