A Town without a Zipcode
A cemetery, church, township hall, farm implement dealership and a fully functional set of railroad tracks, but no zip code. Smiths Mill is a community so small that Wikipedia doesn’t even recognize it; however, for the first 25 years of my life I called it my home. While I now reside on the very populated East Coast and work at the television network giant ESPN, I often get asked where my roots are. Apparently, others seem to think that I have an accent. No, I am not from Canada, but rather:
Minnesota (State)
Mankato (largest nearby city)
Janesville (Zip code address)
Smiths Mill (My hometown)
Try not to blink as you drive through this tiny village or you will miss seeing most of it. The settlement of Smiths Mill, originated in 1873, was rightfully named in honor of settler Peter Smith’s mill which was built on a rolling country hillside and closely situated near a railroad line. Nearby, Born Lake provided the water necessary for the mill and for the residents. As the town continued to grow, a school house was built for all of the children living throughout the area, in addition to a creamery, blacksmith, grocery store and post office. So, yes, at one time, Smiths Mill did have a postal zip code. As the years went by, the businesses closed and the post office was merged with the Village of Janesville, located three miles to the east. Today, this little residential bedroom community boasts about 25 homes, a truck repair shop, church, cemetery, township hall and a farm implement dealership. My parents still live in my childhood home, which they moved into 3 weeks before I was born.
Zip code or no zip code, this small place holds many of my childhood memories. The church parking lot next to my home was more than just a cement slab. While it was sometimes filled with the cars of churchgoers on Sunday mornings, weddings or funerals, we considered it to be the neighborhood playground the rest of the time. My brother and I, and a handful of kids from the neighborhood, rode our bikes there and had basketball, tennis and whiffle ball tournaments in the spring, summer and fall seasons. During the school year, it was the school bus stop. And in the winter months, we played on the huge piles of snow. Three of my grade school and high school classmates were also from this little neighborhood so there was never a dull moment.
One of my favorite memories took place in early May each year when the close knit little community came together for the one of the neighbor’s annual “Straw Days” gatherings. The fun activities began with a parade down “Main Street” in front of our homes. Because there were so few units in the parade and the length of the street was only a couple of blocks long, the parade made a complete round trip up and down the street - twice. One of the oldest residents always lead the parade with her motorized wheelchair, while others followed in restored cars, tractors, riding lawnmowers with carts and floats atop flatbed hay wagons. My classmates and I dressed as old ladies and wore straw hats, and one year we dressed in colorful Hawaiian outfits. A horse or two was always at the end of the parade – for obvious reasons…. Following the parade, everyone gathered in the hosting neighbor’s yard for games and fun activities, along with a potluck meal. The tables were piled high with a variety of wonderful homemade hot dishes, salads, desserts and treats – enough to feed two villages! In fact, a number of residents were invited from Janesville and the surrounding area to celebrate with us. The evening always ended with everyone gathering their chairs around a huge bonfire to relax and toast marshmallows. This annual celebration was a fitting tribute to this wonderful place I call home.
The early evening walks with my family were also a favorite part of what makes this town special to me. Many times in the summer months, we ate dinner and then headed out the door for a mile walk to the “four corners” and back. Along the walk, we would pass some of the old buildings from the original businesses. Overlooking Born Lake, I have seen many beautiful sunsets and this place still remains one of my favorite spots in town as it is very peaceful and quiet – a serene place to go to relax and reflect.
I could go on forever writing about the uniqueness and great memories I have which took place while living in this small town without a zip code, but will save some of those experiences for later. I have been back to the town a few times since moving and nothing seems to have changed a whole lot - the quaintness remains the same. Only the faces of the children playing in the church parking lot have changed.
Minnesota (State)
Mankato (largest nearby city)
Janesville (Zip code address)
Smiths Mill (My hometown)
Try not to blink as you drive through this tiny village or you will miss seeing most of it. The settlement of Smiths Mill, originated in 1873, was rightfully named in honor of settler Peter Smith’s mill which was built on a rolling country hillside and closely situated near a railroad line. Nearby, Born Lake provided the water necessary for the mill and for the residents. As the town continued to grow, a school house was built for all of the children living throughout the area, in addition to a creamery, blacksmith, grocery store and post office. So, yes, at one time, Smiths Mill did have a postal zip code. As the years went by, the businesses closed and the post office was merged with the Village of Janesville, located three miles to the east. Today, this little residential bedroom community boasts about 25 homes, a truck repair shop, church, cemetery, township hall and a farm implement dealership. My parents still live in my childhood home, which they moved into 3 weeks before I was born.
Zip code or no zip code, this small place holds many of my childhood memories. The church parking lot next to my home was more than just a cement slab. While it was sometimes filled with the cars of churchgoers on Sunday mornings, weddings or funerals, we considered it to be the neighborhood playground the rest of the time. My brother and I, and a handful of kids from the neighborhood, rode our bikes there and had basketball, tennis and whiffle ball tournaments in the spring, summer and fall seasons. During the school year, it was the school bus stop. And in the winter months, we played on the huge piles of snow. Three of my grade school and high school classmates were also from this little neighborhood so there was never a dull moment.
One of my favorite memories took place in early May each year when the close knit little community came together for the one of the neighbor’s annual “Straw Days” gatherings. The fun activities began with a parade down “Main Street” in front of our homes. Because there were so few units in the parade and the length of the street was only a couple of blocks long, the parade made a complete round trip up and down the street - twice. One of the oldest residents always lead the parade with her motorized wheelchair, while others followed in restored cars, tractors, riding lawnmowers with carts and floats atop flatbed hay wagons. My classmates and I dressed as old ladies and wore straw hats, and one year we dressed in colorful Hawaiian outfits. A horse or two was always at the end of the parade – for obvious reasons…. Following the parade, everyone gathered in the hosting neighbor’s yard for games and fun activities, along with a potluck meal. The tables were piled high with a variety of wonderful homemade hot dishes, salads, desserts and treats – enough to feed two villages! In fact, a number of residents were invited from Janesville and the surrounding area to celebrate with us. The evening always ended with everyone gathering their chairs around a huge bonfire to relax and toast marshmallows. This annual celebration was a fitting tribute to this wonderful place I call home.
The early evening walks with my family were also a favorite part of what makes this town special to me. Many times in the summer months, we ate dinner and then headed out the door for a mile walk to the “four corners” and back. Along the walk, we would pass some of the old buildings from the original businesses. Overlooking Born Lake, I have seen many beautiful sunsets and this place still remains one of my favorite spots in town as it is very peaceful and quiet – a serene place to go to relax and reflect.
I could go on forever writing about the uniqueness and great memories I have which took place while living in this small town without a zip code, but will save some of those experiences for later. I have been back to the town a few times since moving and nothing seems to have changed a whole lot - the quaintness remains the same. Only the faces of the children playing in the church parking lot have changed.