Now that the new town was platted, lots needed to be sold, which led to the (Great Auction Sale at Palmer). What an exciting time it was for Palmer, Minnesota. The great auction sale for Palmer was to be held on August 18, 1915 at 10:00 AM. Reed-Cruikshank Real Estate Company out of Faribault, MN was in charge of the sale. The Ad states: A corn field today --- Banks, Schools, Churches, Stores, and Homes Tomorrow. It was to be an event filled day starting with the auction at 10:00. Also there, was the Waterville Band. This band was selected to perform for the crowd starting promptly at 10:00. A farmer’s picnic was to be held. And a tug of war competition was to be held between eight neighboring towns. And throughout the day Reed-Cruikshank Co. gave away several valuable gifts. There was a half page ad that was placed in the Thursday, August 12th, 1915 Waseca Herald newspaper. 18 lots were sold for prices varying from $50.00 to $130.00. In all about 500 people attended the sale throughout the day. The paper also stated that a nice level spot has been selected for the town. It is at the edge of a ravine which will afford good drainage. Also taking place that day, Geo. H. Goodspeed of Waseca, had a crew of men at work grading for a side track (in the railroad right of way) for the elevator, coal and lumber sheds which were to be erected that fall. After the main sale was completed, there were many lots left that were unsold. So, the plan was to have another sale. This sale was to be held on Sunday August 29th 1915 to sell all remaining lots. All lots were tagged with a number and price and were sold on a first come first served basis. Many lots were sold over the years, but no homes were built. Most lots were sold on speculation that the town would grow. Information provided by Robert Hagen.
