Fifty Years In The Northwest
the Stillwater & White Bear railroad. There is in addition to this
road an extension to Minneapolis known as the Minneapolis & White Bear
railroad. The Sault Ste. Marie passes through the north part of the
village.
WHITE BEAR LAKE
Is one of the most famous pleasure resorts in the vicinity of St.
Paul. Its clear waters, gently sloping wooded shores, and the entire
absence of marsh or swamp lands adjoining, render the situation at
once pleasant and salubrious. It has an extreme length of 6-1/2 miles,
and a width of 2-3/4. It has, according to survey meanders, a shore
line of over 20 miles, and its area is 3,940 acres, or 62 square
miles.
Beautiful parks surround the lake. Prominent among these are Wildwood
Park and Mahtomedi, the latter renowned as a camp ground, and later as
the site of a summer school, modeled after that at Chautauqua, and one
of a system of schools of which the Chautauqua school is the principal
and central institution. Spirit island, connected with the mainland by
a bridge, is also a charming resort.
The lake shore is crowded with hotels and cottages for the use of
summer visitors. Among these the Leip House is especially worthy of
mention, the proprietor having beautified the grounds and built around
the hotel a small village of cottages for excursionists. Other houses
are the Ramaley, the Williams, the Chateaugay, the Dellwood, etc.,
with pleasant surroundings. The appearance of this resort during the
summer months is one of great animation. Tourists and summer visitors
crowd the hotel, or gather in groups along the lake shore, while the
lake is dotted with their sailing vessels. A small steamer makes
regular trips to points of interest about the lake.
White Bear Lake village was incorporated by the legislature in 1881,
the following being chosen as the first officers under their charter:
Daniel Getty, chairman of council; James C. Murray, Luke H. Bacon,
Abel E. Leaman, and Fred W. Benson, councilmen; B. E. McGurk,
recorder; H. K. Getty, treasurer; Wm. Clark, village justice; Reuben
Clewett, marshal.
DANIEL GETTY was born in the north of Ireland in 1826. His ancestors
were Scotch-Irish. He came with his parents to Philadelphia in 1832;
was educated in the common schools, and learned the trade of a cabinet
maker. He came to White Bear in 1855, and opened the first store in
the place. He has four sons associated with him in business. He has
done much to promote the prosperity of White Bear, and by enterprise
and close attention to business, both as a merchant and a dealer in
real estate, he has been successful.
SOUTH ST. PAUL
Is located in the northeastern corner of Dakota county, four and a
half miles below St. Paul, the site of the Presbyterian and Methodist
missions of old Kaposia. It is situated on a plateau considerably
above high water mark, in the rear of which the grounds rise gradually
to a rich agricultural plain. It is connected with St. Paul by an
hourly motor line of cars. It has communication with St. Paul by the
Chicago, St. Paul & Kansas City railway, and also has communication by
water.
The famous St. Paul Union Stockyards are located here, and occupy two
hundred acres of land. This great enterprise was founded by A. B.
Stickney and Ansel Oppenheim, president of the company. W. M. Littell
is general superintendent; Arnold Kalman, secretary and treasurer. The
stockyards were located here in 1886, and now (1888) possess a capital
of $1,500,000 in grounds and necessary buildings pertaining to such an
enterprise. There are eight miles of railroad track upon the grounds.
The stock is brought from Montana, Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and
Iowa by railroad.
The city was organized in 1887, with the following board of officers;
Joseph H. Lawrence, mayor; George W. Wentworth, Philip Crowley, J. W.
McGrath, and Irwin Marshall, aldermen.
A post office was established in 1888, of which H. M. Littell is
postmaster.
The city embraces South Park, and there are five churches, English and
German Methodist, a Congregational and two Baptist churches.
An electric motor line is being established. The city of South St.
Paul has about 6,000 inhabitants. Its progress is upward.
NORTH ST. PAUL.
This rapidly growing suburb of St. Paul is situated on the shores of
Silver lake, a lovely sheet of water lying six miles northeast of the
court house. The grounds about the lake were converted into farms soon
after the settlement of St. Paul. In 1886 the Wisconsin Central
Railroad Company extended their St. Paul branch through the
neighborhood. Capt. H. A. Castle established suburban residences near
the lake. In March, 1887, the North St. Paul Land Company was formed
for the purpose of encouraging manufactures and furnishing homes and
facilities for business. Their plant was located on the farm of Capt.
Castle. The company consists of H. A. Castle, Lane K. Stone, Frederick
Driscoll, W. S. Morton, and George A. Sexias. The capital stock of the
company was fixed at $1,000,000. Under their enterprising management
twenty miles of street has been graded, a boulevard extended around
the lake, five miles of sidewalk completed and numerous cottages
erected. A railroad depot has been built at a cost of $8,000; two
hotels and fifteen manufacturing establishments have been erected.
There are (in May, 1888) 3,000 inhabitants, with eight church
organizations and six buildings, and a school house, built at a cost
of $11,000. The growth of this village since its commencement in 1887
has been remarkable.
New, populous and important suburbs of St. Paul are Merriam Park, St.
Anthony Park, and St. Paul Park in Washington county.
The following table gives the population of St. Paul from 1838 to May,
1888.
YEAR. POPULATION.
1838 3
1847 50
1849 400
1850 850
1855 4,400
1856 5,630
1857 9,973
1860 10,600
1865 13,100
1870 20,300
1871 24,200
1872 25,500
1873 27,023
1875 33,178
1880 41,498
1881 50,900
1882 75,835
1883 88,378
1884 99,322
1885 111,397
1886 123,395
1887 155,577
1888 (Estimated) 187,759
POST OFFICE.
The following figures will show the amount of business transacted at
the post office, St. Paul, Minnesota, for the year ending Dec. 31,
1887, as compared with the year 1886:
GENERAL BUSINESS.
1886. 1887.
From sale of stamps, envelopes, etc $204,565 90 $274,178 95
From sale of newspapers and periodical stamps 15,912 38 17,697 00
From sale of unpaid letter stamps 1,814 80 2,119 00
From box rent 1,866 50 1,772 25
From sale of waste paper, twine and packing boxes 95 98 176 93
From other offices (deposited) 87,721 65 106,858 42
Sent assistant treasurer United States, New York 177,412 59 268,770 70
Paid route agents, messengers, etc 93,246 16 83,130 49
Paid letter carriers 38,121 19 44,282 11
Paid letter carriers' expenses and horse hire 1,856 01 1,644 89
----------- -----------
Total postal funds $622,612 36 $713,620 74
MONEY ORDER BUSINESS.
No. Amount. No. Amount.
Domestic orders and postal
notes issued 29,420 $257,572 95 35,603 $305,339 94
Fees on same 2,250 62 2,537 94
Foreign orders issued 2,632 37,356 88 2,540 57,582 03
Fees on same 466 90 699 80
Domestic orders and postal notes paid 74,526 670,304 82 84,972 701,667 17
Foreign orders paid 1,250 30,701 91 1,508 36,132 44
Surplus money order funds received
from other offices 1,743,516 42 1,773,455 99
Surplus money order funds remitted
Chicago and New York 1,339,600 00 1,275,800 00
------------ ------------
Total money order funds $4,081,770 50 $4,153,215 11
Total postal funds 622,612 36 713,620 74
------------- ------------
Grand total financial transactions $4,704,382 86 $4,867,845 85
POST OFFICE HISTORY.
The names and date of the commission of the postmasters of St. Paul
are as follows: Henry Jackson, April 7, 1846; Jacob W. Bass, July 5,
1849; Wm. H. Forbes, March 18, 1853; Chas. S. Cave, March 11, 1856;
Wm. M. Corcoran, March 12, 1860; Chas. Nichols, April 2, 1861; Jacob
H. Stewart, March 14, 1865; Jos. A. Wheelock, March 4, 1870; David
Day, July 1, 1875.
Net yearly income, being balance on quarterly returns from its
establishment to the present time:
1846 $3 43
1847 20 33
1848 48 40
1849 369 25
1850 429 07
1851 1,192 72
1852 1,497 73
1853 1,806 04
1854 3,042 89
1855 3,814 07
1856 5,164 67
1857 9,171 87
1858 5,577 05
1859 6,135 66
1860 5,254 47
1861 5,136 71
1862 6,898 99
1863 9,509 53
1864 13,140 08
1865 12,082 32
1866 12,009 03
1867 15,033 19
1868 16,991 76
1869 20,848 03
1870 23,437 66
1871 32,250 61
1872 36,817 17
1873 43,305 05
1874 43,284 36
1875 42,767 82
1876 41,667 92
1877 38,998 42
1878 48,141 04
1879 64,670 59
1880 73,456 87
1881 96,197 77
1882 132,702 66
1883 141,704 78
1884 127,977 99
1885 134,501 13
1886 153,009 08
1887 189,017 20
Gross yearly income of the St. Paul post office from 1875 to 1887:
1875 $58,922 63
1876 57,092 85
1877 53,412 82
1878 63,922 49
1879 81,299 92
1880 102,450 22
1881 128,156 45
1882 173,131 31
1883 190,907 36
1884 186,571 22
1885 200,407 94
1886 226,972 28
1887 272,181 87
CHAPTER XXI.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
HENRY HASTINGS SIBLEY.--The father of Gen. Sibley, Judge Solomon
Sibley, of Massachusetts, was a well known pioneer of the Northwest.
He settled in Ohio in 1795, but two years later removed to Michigan,
which he represented as delegate to Congress in 1800. In 1799 he
served as member of the first legislature of the Northwest Territory.
He was judge of the supreme court from 1824 to 1836, and died in 1846,
universally lamented. The mother of Gen. Sibley was the daughter of
Col. Ebenezer Sproat, and a granddaughter of Commodore Whipple of the
American Navy. She was a cultured lady, of unusual personal beauty and
of rare accomplishments. She was married to Judge Sibley in 1802, and
died at Detroit Jan. 22, 1851. Henry H. Sibley was born in Detroit,
Michigan, Feb. 20, 1811. He received an academic education, and two
years' tuition in the classics. In 1828 he came to the Sault Ste.
Marie and secured employment as a clerk. In 1829 he entered the