Fifty Years In The Northwest
On motion of Judge Goodrich the following preamble and resolution were
adopted:
WHEREAS, The object of this association and the individuals composing
the same are closely _allied_ to and identified with that of the
Historical Society of Minnesota, therefore
_Resolved_, That up to the period in which this association shall
possess a hall in which to meet, its place of meeting shall be the
hall of said Historical Society.
As a matter of history we record the names of the members originally
and subsequently enrolled.
Ames, Michael E.*
Ayer, Frederick.*
Abbott, G. S.+
Altenberg, William.*
Armstrong, William.+
Atkinson, John W.
Anderson, John.+
Arpin, A.*
Babcock, Lorenzo A.*
Bailly, Alexis.*
Bass, Jacob W.
Beatty, James.
Banfill, John.*
Barton, Thomas.*
Bazille, Charles.*
Becker, George L.
Berard, Antoine.+
Bevans, Henry L.*
Black, Mahlon.
Bautien. V.+
Beaulieu, Clement H.
Beau, James.+
Bishop. Thornton.
Beaupre, Philip.
Blackburn, John T.
Burns, Hugh.
Berriwick, J.*
Blair, O. H.*
Boutwell, W. T.
Blakeley, Russell.
Bolles, Lemuel.*
Borup, Chas. W. W.*
Bostwiek, Lardner.*
Bradley, J.*
Brady, Patrick.*
Brawley, Daniel J.*
Brisette, Edmond.*
Bromley, C. B.
Brown, Joseph R.*
Brown, Wm. R.*
Brunson, Benj. W
Bryant, Alden.+
Buffit, C.+
Burkelo, Samuel.*
Bottineau, Pierre.
Bettington, John C.+
Beauchier, Francis.+
Besour, A. C.*
Bailly John.+
Boal, James Mc C.*
Campbell, George W.*
Cavalier, Charles.
Cave, Chas. S.
Cavender, A. H.
Chute, Rirchard.
Clewitt, James R.*
Colter, William.*
Conway, Chas. R.
Cooper, David.*
Cormack, John.*
Cave, William.
Culver, George.*
Culver, J. B.*
Connell, William.+
Cummings, R. W.
Curtis, Harley.*
Chapman, John J.+
Cloutier, A.+
Colby, Wm. F.
Colter, Charles.
Carlie, C.*
Chase, A. M.
Comer, Elias H.
Church, Cal.+
Dana, Napoleon, J. T.
Day, David.
Day, James.*
Dayton, Lyman.*
Desmarais, Louis.
Desnoyers, Stephen.*
Dewey, John J.
Dibble, William B.*
Doe, William E.*
Day, Henry T.
Day, Leonard P.*
Dorr, Caleb D.
Dobney, John.
Durant, E. W.
Day, William P.+
Dudley, John.
Davis, Patten W.
Dresser, Horace.+
Elfelt, Charles D.
Ely, Edmund F.*
Ellison, Smith.
Eddy, Frank S.*
Eldridge, Ariel.
Eaton, Alonzo.+
Elfelt, L. C.*
Faribault, J. B.*
Faribault, Alex.*
Farrington, G. W.+
Fisher, Jacob.
Forbes, W. H.*
Ford, J. A.+
Finch, T. M.+
Findley, S. J.*
Foster, A. D.*
Foster, Thomas.*
Freeborn, William.*
French, A. R.*
Folsom, S. P.
Furber, J. W.*
Furber, P. P.*
Fuller, A. G.+
Folsom, W. H. C.
Fox, Patrick.
Fairbanks, John H.
Foster, Henry.+
Furber, Theodore.
Fisk, Frank.
Folsom, Edgar.
Folsom, Ward W.
Farnham, S. W.
Fillmore, R. G.
Fisher, John.
Finn, William.
Farnham, Rufus, Jr.
Gammel, Irenus.*
Gibbs, H.R.
Gilman, David.*
Godfrey, Ard.
Goodrich, Aaron.*
Greely, Elam.*
Guerin, Vetal.*
Gautier, Napoleon.
Guernsey, W.H.
Glenn, Samuel.*
Getchel, W. W.
Gervais, Benjamin.
Gardner, Charles R.
Gardner, John C.*
Gray, Isaac.
Guion, Joseph.
Hartshorn, W.*
Hartshorn, W. E.
Hobart, Chancey.
Holcombe, William.*
Holmes, Thomas.*
Hoyt, B. F.*
Hoyt, Lorenzo.
Hopkins, Daniel.*
Hopkins, Peter.
Humphrey, J. K.
Harris, George.
Holton, John.*
Houghton, George.
Houghton, James.
Haskell, Joseph.
Hone, David.*
Henkly, J. S.+
Hoffman, James.+
Haskill, Hiram.+
Hetherington, Thomas,*
Holcombe, W. W.
Hill, Lewis.
Irvine, J. R.*
Irvine, B. F.
Jackson, Henry.*
Jarvis, W. H.*
Johnson, P. K.
Johnson, R. W.
Jackins, John.*
Jackman, H. A.
Kellogg, M. N.
Kennedy, Robert.
Kittson, N. W.*
Keogh, James.
Knox, M. C.
Kent, William.
Kattenberg, Henry.
Lambert, H. A.*
Larpenteur, E. N.*
Larpenteur, A. L.
Lennon, J. G.*
Lennon, J. E.
Leavitt, Martin.
Lull, C. P. V.
Lyman, Cornelius S.*
Lott, B. W.*
Ludden, J. D.
Leonard, C. E.
Loomis, D. B.
Lowry, S. B.*
Lyman, Stoers B.
Lyman, David P.
McKenny, J. H.*
McKenzie, J. G.
Masterson, H. F.
McKusick, John.
McKusick, J. E.
Mitchell, J. B. H.
Marshall, W. R.
McLeod, Martin.*
McCleod, Alexander.*
McLean, N.*
Murphy, Edward.*
Meeker, Bradley B.*
Murphy, Alfred C.+
McKusick, William.
McHattie, Alexander.
Manaege, Peter.
Mackey, Andrew.
McDonald, R.+
Masier, Josiah.*
Marks, Isaac.*
Moreau, Charles.*
Mahoney, Wm.*
Mahoney, Jeremiah.
Morgan, John.*
Moffett, Lot.*
Morrison, W. C.
Morrison, Allen.*
Morton, T. F.*
Moss, H. L.
Murray, M. P.
Murphy, J. W.
Myrick, Nathan.
McComb, J. D.
McKean, Elias.
McMullen, James.+
McLean, Henry.+
Masterman, Joseph.
Mause, John.
Mower, Wm.*
Mower, Martin.
Mower, John E.*
Mosher, Jacob.
McHale, M.+
McHattie, John.
McLery, Charles.+
Moulton, E. (Jr.)+
McCarty, A.+
Manse, Charles.+
Neill, E. D.
Nichols, G. C.*
Nelson, Socrates.*
Nobles, W. H.*
Norris, J. S.*
North, J. W.
Northrup, Anson.
Newbury, H. H.
Oakes, C. H.*
Oakes, David.*
Odel, T. S.*
Olmsted, David.*
Owens, J. P.*
Parker, Rodney.*
Perin, Moses.
Potts, T. R.*
Prescott, Philander.*
Presley, Bartley.*
Pomeroy, J. H.
Proctor, J. S.
Pond, G. H.
Powers, Simon.*
Potter, Colver.+
Perro, Joseph.
Parker, L. N.
Parsons, Oliver.
Quinn, W. B.
Quinn, Peter.+
Randall, B. H.
Randolph, S. R.*
Ramsey, Alexander.
Ramsey, J. C.*
Ravoux, Auguste.
Reed, C. M.*
Rice, H. M.
Rice, Edmund.
Robertson, Andrew.*
Rice, C. R.*
Robert, Louis.*
Robert, Joseph.*
Richardson, R. M.
Rollins, John.*
Rose, Isaac.*
Russell, R. P.
Russell, Jeremiah.*
Riggs, S. R.*
Robert, Alexis.+
Roy, Peter.*
Russell, William.
Rohrer, Daniel.
Robert, Nelson.
Rogers, John.
Ramsden, Thomas.
Rutherford, Wm.*
Rogers, Richard.+
Rutherford, James.*
Selby, J. W.*
Simons, Orlando.
Simpson, J. W.*
Simpson, Robert.
Shaffer, C. E.
Shearer, A. L.*
Sherman, M.
Spencer, J. B.
Spicer, Nathan.+
Shelley, E. Y.
Steele, Franklin.*
Spencer, John H.+
Sawyer, Seth M.*
Spates, Samuel.+
Somerville, John.+
Stevens, J. H.
Stone, Lewis.*
Sturgis, W.*
Sweet, G. W.
Setzer, H. N.
Stanchfield, Sam.*
Sibley, H. H.
Stinson, C. F.+
Santel, A.+
Staples, Josiah.+
Shamley, John+
Sanford, H. S.+
Shearer, James.
Stratton, L. W.*
Scott, C. P.+
Short, A. J.
Shoasby, John.*
Stiles, W. L.+
Taylor, J. L.
Taylor, Jesse W.*
Taylor, N. C. D.*
Terry, J. C.
Tinker, W. H.
Thompson, James (colored).*
Trask, Sylvanus.
Trower, John.+
Thompson, G. W.*
Terry, Robert.*
Van Voorhes A.*
Villaume, Thomas.*
Von Tassel, William.*
Walker, Orange.*
Whitaker, E. H.
Whitney, J. C.
Wilkinson, M. S.
Wilkin, Alex.*
Wells, James.*
Wilson, Harvey.*
Woodbury, Warren.*
Willoughby, A.*
Wright, Thomas.+
Williamson, T. S.*
Willim, William.
Wilmarth, Alvin M.
Wallis, John.+
Worthingham, Wm.+
White, Asa.*
Westing, Henry.*
Welshance, M.*
Williams, D. D.*
Whalen, Patrick.*
Yorks, J. C.
[Note: * Deceased.]
[Note: + Unknown.]
OBJECTS AND ORGANIZATION.
The society was organized in 1849 by a few of the pioneers of the
Territory, and incorporated by an act of the first territorial
legislature, approved Oct. 20, 1849, this being the first literary
institution organized in the Territory; and its "library," then only a
few volumes, was the first ever established in Minnesota. The original
charter of the society stated its objects to be: "The collection and
preservation of a library, mineralogical and geological specimens,
Indian curiosities, and other matters and things connected with, and
calculated to illustrate and perpetuate the history and settlement of
said Territory." The amended charter of 1856 enacted: "The objects of
said society, with the enlarged powers and duties herein provided,
shall be in addition to the collection and preservation of
publications, manuscripts, antiquities, curiosities, and other things
pertaining to the social, political and natural history of Minnesota,
to cultivate among the citizens thereof a knowledge of the useful and
liberal arts, science and literature."
The work of this society may therefore be formulated thus:
I. (1) The collection, (2) the preservation, (3) the publication of
materials for the history of Minnesota and its people.
II. The collection and management of a library containing useful works
of reference on the most valuable departments of knowledge.
III. The diffusion among citizens of the State of useful knowledge.
ITS PROGRESS.
In the early days of the Territory, owing to its want of means, the
sparse population and its poverty, and the infancy of the commonwealth
generally, the society accomplished but little beyond collecting some
information regarding the early history of this region, and printing
the same in several pamphlet volumes. In 1864 it had only eight
hundred and forty volumes in its library. It was then reorganized, and
with the aid of a small annual appropriation from the State, since
enlarged, has been able to make very gratifying progress.
ITS PRESENT CONDITION.
It has now comfortable apartments in the state capitol, a building
believed to be fireproof; a sufficient income to pay its current
expenses, granted partly by the State and partly contributed by its
members; one of the largest and most valuable libraries in the State,
containing 22,000 volumes of choice works, together with a cabinet or
museum of historical and archælogical curiosities, and a number of
historical pictures, engravings, manuscripts, etc. An endowment fund
of several thousand dollars, accumulated by gifts and membership fees;
two lots, eligibly situated, on which at no distant day, will be
erected a fireproof building.
PROPOSED BUILDING FOR THE SOCIETY.
Reference was made before to the building lots of the society. These
were purchased by a subscription of the members in 1855, for the sum
of $1,500, in hopes that the society would be enabled to erect thereon
a fireproof building for its use, but up to this time it has not been
able to do so. The lots are now valued at $20,000 or more. Several
months ago an effort was made by the president of the society to raise
enough by subscription to insure the commencement of a building to
cost, completed, $50,000; of this amount $14,500 was subscribed, and
it is believed that there are liberal and public spirited citizens of
our State who will contribute the balance when called on, or provide,
by will, for bequests in its aid. Such an edifice would be a
perpetual monument to their generosity and public spirit, and would be