Fifty Years In The Northwest

1857. The writer of these sketches had known Mr. Samuel Hayden in early life, and distinctly remembered seeing him the winter of 1827, driving an ox team in the pineries on Dead river, Maine. He was then a young man of twenty-one, and the writer was a boy of ten. Sixty years later they met in Sherburne county, and the writer recognized in the aged man of eighty-one years the young man of twenty-one, though for the moment unable to call his name. It is seldom that memory bridges so wide a chasm. JOSEPH JEROME settled in the town of Haven in 1846, and is therefore among the first of the pioneers. In 1848 he sold his property to Samuel Sturgis and removed to Michigan. JOSHUA O. CATER came from Stafford county, New Hampshire, and was one of the earliest settlers of the town of Haven, where he still lives. J. F. BEAN also came from New Hampshire to Sherburne county, and is now a resident of Livonia, and postmaster at Lake Fremont. J. H. FELCH, of Maine, an early settler of Livonia, is now living at Elk River. JAMES BRADY came to Palmer in 1855. He died about 1868. JOSHUA BRIGGS settled in Palmer in 1855, and died there in 1881. ROBERT ORROCK, for whom the town of Orrock was named, died at his home, at a good old age, January, 1885. JOHN G. JAMIESON died at Elk River in 1869. A. B. HEATH removed to Oregon in 1873, where he still lives. DR. B. R. PALMER, for whom the town of Palmer was named, was a resident of Sauk Centre and died there in 1885. JUDGE MOSES SHERBURNE, for whom the county was named, died at Elk River in 1869. CHAS. F. GEORGE, who settled in Santiago in 1856, is at present chairman of the board of county commissioners. ROYAL GEORGE, a pioneer of the same date, returned to Vermont, where he died in 1887. W. L. BABCOCK, a merchant of Santiago, still resides here. CHAPTER XVII. BENTON COUNTY. At the organization of Minnesota Territory three counties were created, of which Benton was one. Its eastern boundary followed the course of Rum river from its mouth to its junction with the west branch and thence a line due north to the Mississippi river. The boundary line upon the west followed the windings of the Mississippi down to its junction with Rum river, making a county large and irregular in outline, extending from north to south about one hundred miles, and about forty at its widest point from east to west. The formation of new counties since that time has left it with less than eleven townships lying east of the Mississippi river and bounded on the north by Morrison, on the east by Mille Lacs, and on the south by Sherburne counties. The soil is diversified. There is black sandy loam in the plains and a black vegetable mould in the timber, with clay subsoils. It is a fair agricultural district, having groves of pine and hardwood in the east and natural meadows, prairies and oak openings in the central and western portions. It is well watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries, Elk, Little Rock and Platte rivers. It has some fine lakes, of which Mayhew, Briggs and Little Rock are the largest. A granite formation underlies most of this county and crops out in many places, furnishing valuable quarries. The granite is plain and variegated and is being worked and shipped extensively. Near the village of Watab there is a rich upheaval. The St. Paul custom house is made of the Watab granite. The Northern Pacific railway passes through this county parallel with the channel of the Mississippi river. The Manitoba, St. Cloud & Hinckley branch passes through the southern tier of towns. The organized towns are Alberta, Gilmanton, Glendorado, Granite Lodge, Maywood, Minden, Sauk Rapids, St. George, and Watab. The villages are East St. Cloud, Foley, Oak Grove, Rice's, and Watab. The first settlers were Philip Beaupre, in 1844; David Gilman, in 1848; Jeremiah Russell, Wm. H. Wood, James Beatty, Ellis Kling, Wm. Smith, and J. C. Mayhew, in 1849. Sauk Rapids was made the county seat, then Watab, then Sauk Rapids. The first board of officers, qualified Jan. 7, 1850, were: Commissioners, Wm. A. Aitkin, chairman; Joseph Brown and James Beatty; assessors, Truman A. Warren and Reuben M. Richardson; attorney, W. D. Phillips. The voting precincts were at Sauk Rapids, Swan River and Crow Wing. The judges of election were: For Sauk Rapids, J. Russell, Wm. Sturgis and Curtis Bellows; for Swan River, Philip Beaupre, James Green and Duncan Stewart; for Crow Wing, Allen Morrison, Wm. Morrison and Sylvester Stateler. The first election was held at Pierre Bottineau's house, now in Sherburne county. George Egbert and Thomas Holmes were judges of election. The first court in the county was held Nov. 11, 1850; Bradley B. Meeker, presiding. David Gilman was the first sheriff, John C. Hawley the second. The first deed recorded was from James Hitchins to Wm. F. Coblett. It bore date of Oct. 21, 1850. Taylor Dudley was register of deeds. The land conveyed was a tract lying at the foot of Sauk Rapids, being a land claim of one hundred and sixty acres, purchased from Calvin Potter. SAUK RAPIDS. The site of the village of Sauk Rapids was judiciously chosen. It slopes gently to the river's east bank, giving a pleasant frontage to the rapids. Philip Beaupre came here first in 1844. His son, William P., was the first white child here, born May 24, 1852. Geo. O. Sweet was the second, born Aug. 22, 1852. Several Indian traders located here and at Watab. Following Mr. Beaupre came T. A. Holmes, James Beatty, J. Russell, Calvin Potter, James Hitchins, Curtis Bellows, and Charles Webb. The first plat of Sauk Rapids was made and recorded in 1854. The proprietors were J. Russell, G. M. Sweet and S. Van Nest. The surveyor was C. B. Chapman. The village was incorporated in 1881. The commissioners appointed under the general act to effect the organization were Alphonso J. Demenles, Erasmus Cross, B. K. Knowlton. A wagon bridge built across the Mississippi at this point cost $25,000. It was greatly damaged by a storm, and partially destroyed by the cyclone of 1886. The dam across the Mississippi at Sauk Rapids was built in 1870 at a cost of $140,000. The east wing is owned by the Commodore Davidson estate; the west, by the Sauk Rapids Manufacturing Company. The rapids are formed by the eruption of granite ledges across the channel of the river. A flour mill built here with a capacity of three hundred barrels per day was totally destroyed by the cyclone of April 16, 1886, which was one of the most destructive on record. The estimated loss in Sauk Rapids was $300,000, of which $108,000 was made up by voluntary contributions from St. Paul, Minneapolis and other portions of the State. The public buildings, including the court house, school buildings and several churches, were destroyed, together with many fine stores and dwellings. Since the cyclone the village has been handsomely rebuilt. A new court house has replaced the old one at a cost of $6,000, a new school house has been built at a cost of $12,000--a model building with rooms for five departments. There are five new church buildings, an Episcopal, Congregational, Methodist and two Lutheran. WATAB. Watab appears to have been a noted Indian trading post from 1844 to 1855. Asa White, D. Gilman, C. W. Borup, N. Myrick, Gen. Lowry, and others were located, or had stations here. Watab was for a short time the county seat of Benton county. A bridge was once built across the Mississippi here, but it has disappeared. The village site was surveyed and platted, and a post office established in 1853. P. Lamb was postmaster. A steam saw mill was erected here, but was afterward removed. The first improved farm in Benton county was located in the vicinity. David Gilman, Benjamin Bright and George Goodhue were early settlers. PHILIP BEAUPRE was born in Lower Canada, in 1823. As his name indicates, he is of French descent. He received a French education. He came West in 1841; entered the employ of the fur company in 1843, and located at Sauk Rapids in 1844. When he arrived there were no white inhabitants, save Indian traders, on the Mississippi north of St. Anthony. Mr. Beaupre built a log house in 1851, and was continuously engaged in trade until succeeded by his sons. He assisted in forming the county, town and village organizations, filling many offices of trust and honor. In 1880 he served as judge of the probate court, and since as collector of customs at Pembina. In 1851 he was married to Teresa de Noyes, of St. Louis, and has a family of seven sons and six daughters, all residing in Benton county. DAVID GILMAN.--Hon. David Gilman, of Watab, was born April 29, 1812, at Saratoga, New York. He was left fatherless at the age of six months, and his mother subsequently placed him in the family of a neighbor to be brought up and cared for until the age of twenty-one. As he grew older he was not pleased with this arrangement, and at the age of fourteen left his home to adventure for himself. His opportunities for securing an education were limited. In 1836 he came to Michigan. In 1844 he married Nancy W. Lamb, of Woodstock, Vermont. In 1848 he came to Watab, Minnesota, and made him a permanent home, making himself a useful, influential and public spirited citizen, filling many positions of trust in his town, county and state governments. Amongst the offices filled by him were those of deputy United States marshal, member of the second territorial legislature, and of the constitutional convention. He was postmaster at Watab from the establishment of the office in 1849 until 1885, when he died, greatly lamented by his friends and honored by all who knew him. Mrs. Gilman and four children survive him. JAMES BEATTY was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, April 27, 1816. When fourteen years of age he went to Cass county, Michigan. He farmed for the Winnebago Indians near Fort Atkinson, Iowa, for several years, and coming to Minnesota in 1848 located at Sauk Rapids, which he made his permanent home. He has been engaged as Indian trader, hotel keeper, merchant and farmer. He was a member of the Minnesota territorial legislatures of 1851, 1853 and 1854. He was married to Eliza Foscet, of New York, in 1854. They have three children living. ELLIS KLING was born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, Oct. 15, 1824. He was brought up as a farmer, and has made farming his occupation through life. He came to Sauk Rapids in 1851. In 1854 he was married to Lucy Lewis, of Belle Prairie. They have five sons and one daughter. GEORGE W. BENEDICT.--Mr. Benedict was born at Rochester, New York, in 1827. He served an apprenticeship to a printer in Canada for five years. In 1851 he was married to Anna Cronk, a native of Prince Edward county, Canada. For four years he published the Tecumseh (Mich.) _Herald_ and in 1854, having removed to Sauk Rapids, established the _Frontiersman_ for Jeremiah Russell. This paper he conducted for three years. He then conducted the _New Era_ for one year. In 1868 he established the Sauk Rapids _Sentinel_, which he conducted four years, when he started the Alexandria _Post_ and also became a member of a company that published the St. Cloud _Press_, with which he was connected one year. In 1872 he re-established the Sauk Rapids _Sentinel_, which he sold to W. L. Nieman, but repurchased after the cyclone of 1886. Mr. Benedict was in the United States revenue service ten years, and served as a member of the state senate one term. J. Q. A. WOOD was born in Chichester, New Hampshire, in 1815. He graduated at Union College, New York, in 1843; studied law with President Franklin Pierce; was admitted to practice in 1846, and made his home at Sauk Rapids in 1854, which has been his home ever since,