Hi, Karen,
Tom's message about Eologius being sent to MN to look for land in 1918 was picked up by a Hesch family blog. I thought I'd better add my two cents.
My mother remembered Eologius stopping in Minnesota on his way back from World War I. He was in the army through the war so I don't think he was sent to MN to look for land about 1918. His Schmolke family (Fred and Elizabeth and their younger children) moved to MN in 1919 though, at the urging of Fred's brother John who owned lots of land in MN. When he came back from the war the family was already in MN. My mother remembered him in his uniform. He went back to Alberta and no one saw him after that. Rose and Mary did go to Alberta to look for him. Apparently he had moved on to BC and changed his name to Eugene. He drowned. I have his estate papers and his military record.
Nancy Pundsack