Fifty Years In The Northwest
As the population of the county increased the project of moving the
county seat to a more nearly central position was agitated. In 1858 a
vote was taken which resulted in favor of its removal to Centre City.
The matter of the legality of the vote was referred to the court, and
decided by Judge Welch adversely, on the ground that a majority of the
voters of the county had not voted. The county seat consequently
remained at Taylor's Falls. In 1861 another vote was taken by which
the county seat was removed to Chisago City, and there it remained
under somewhat adverse circumstances. Chisago City having but a small
population and no conveniences for such a purpose, and being for
several years without even a post office, repeated efforts were made
for another removal, until in 1875 a vote to remove it to Centre City
carried. In January, 1876, the records were removed. The county
authorities issued $5,000 bonds for a court house which was erected on
a point of land extending into Chisago lake, a beautiful situation.
The bonds have been paid and the county is without indebtedness, and
has a surplus of about $10,000.
The town of Amador comprises two eastern tiers of sections of township
35, range 20, and two fractional sections of township 36, range 20,
fractional township 35, range 19, and one fractional section of
township 36, range 19. The St. Croix river forms its boundary on the
north and east. The surface is undulating. The western and southern
part is covered with hardwood timber and has rich soil. The northern
part has oak openings and prairie, with soil somewhat varied, in some
places more or less sandy. It is well watered and drained. Thornton
Bishop, the first settler, came in 1846, and located a farm on the
banks of the St. Croix, at the head of the rapids, in section 34.
Richard Arnold settled on Amador prairie in 1854, and was followed by
James P. Martin, Carmi P. Garlick and others. Garlick was a practicing
physician, but engaged in other work. He built a steam saw mill and
made many other improvements, among them laying out the village of
Amador in section 9, township 35, range 20. H. N. Newbury, surveyor,
not succeeding in his undertaking, issued the prospectus of a paper to
be called the _St. Croix Eagle_ and to be published at Taylor's Falls.
This failing he removed to Osceola.
Amador was organized in 1858. The first supervisors were C. P.
Garlick, R. Arnold and James Martin. A post office was established in
1857; Henry Bush, postmaster. Mr. Bush had a small farm at the mouth
of Deer creek, where he built a large public house, two stories high.
This house burned down. He established a ferry across the St. Croix.
He had a large family of boys who roamed the woods freely until one of
their number was lost. The other boys came home as usual but of one
they could give no account. Parties were organized for the search,
which at last was given up as unsuccessful. A year afterward the bones
of the missing boy were found some miles away, by the side of a log,
where the little wanderer had doubtless perished of starvation and
exposure. Mr. Bishop raised the first crops of the town. The first
marriage was that of Charles S. Nevers and Mary Snell, by John Winans,
Esq., Feb. 23, 1860.
THORNTON BISHOP was a native of Indiana. He came to St. Croix Falls in
1841 and was married to Delia Wolf in 1842, by Rev. W. D. Boutwell, at
the Pokegama mission. This wife was a well educated half-breed. They
raised a large family of children. He came to Amador in 1846 and
farmed for some time at the head of the rapids, when he sold his farm
and moved to Sunrise. In 1880 he removed to Kettle River station. In
1883-84-85-86 he served as commissioner for Pine county.
WILLIAM HOLMES came to Amador and settled on a farm at the head of the
rapids in 1848. The farm is now held by John Dabney. Mr. Holmes
married a sister of Mrs. Thornton Bishop. She was educated at
Pokegama mission. They raised a large family of children. In 1852 Mr.
Holmes removed to Sunrise and thence to Trade River, Wisconsin, in
1875, where he sickened. His brother-in-law, Bishop, came to his
relief, removed him to his own home and cared for him till he died,
May, 1876.
JAMES M. MARTIN was one of the first settlers in Amador. He came
originally from Missouri, where he was married. He died July 17, 1887;
Mrs. Martin dying some years prior. Their sons are James M., Harvey,
Charles, Isaac, and Theodore. Their daughters are Mrs. Cowan, Mrs.
Wilkes, Mrs. Nordine and Mrs. Lanon.
BRANCH.
The town of Branch, occupying township 35, range 21, was set off from
Sunrise, and organized in 1872. The first supervisors were William
Winston, Peter Delamater and Frank Knight. A post office was
established in 1869; Geo. W. Flanders, postmaster. The surface is
mostly undulating, and the soil a sandy loam. There are oak openings,
and along the course of the north branch of the Sunrise river, which
flows through the town from west to east, there are many excellent
wild meadows. The north part originally contained pine forests; about
5,000,000 feet have been cut away. Branch contains some pretty and
well cultivated farms. The St. Paul & Duluth railroad traverses the
town from south to north.
NORTH BRANCH STATION.
The only village in the town of Branch was platted in January, 1870,
the proprietors being the Western Land Association, L. Mendenhall,
agent. The plat includes the north half of the northwest quarter of
section 21, and the northeast quarter of section 20, township 35,
range 21. The first settler was G. M. Flanders, who opened a store
here in 1868, which was burned in 1869. Henry L. Ingalls erected a
good hotel and other buildings. In 1870 Gurley & Bros. established a
store; B. F. Wilkes built a hotel; Winston, Long & Co. established a
store. In 1874 J. F. F. Swanson built a flouring mill, which was
burned in 1878. The loss was about $6,000, with but little insurance.
The village now contains two elevators, three hotels, six stores and
the usual proportion of dwellings. There are two churches, the
Episcopalian building, erected in 1883; and the Congregational, in
1884. There is also a good school house. The village was incorporated
in 1882. In December, 1884, the store of Singleton & Bonnafon was
burned; loss estimated at $15,000, with but little insurance.
HENRY L. INGALLS was born in Abingdon, Connecticut, in 1804. In 1832
he was married to Lavina L. Child, of Woodstock, Connecticut, and with
his wife and younger brother emigrated to Illinois, settling at
Chandler, Cass county. There he remained seventeen years, when, his
impaired health necessitating a change, with his son Henry he went to
California. In 1853 he returned and settled on Sunrise prairie, then
an unbroken wilderness. For seventeen years he lived on his farm and
kept a popular country hotel. In 1870 he removed to North Branch and
built a large frame residence, where he lived until his death, which
occurred Sept. 2, 1876. Mr. Ingalls left three sons, Ephraim, Henry
and Van Rensselaer.
MRS. LAVINA L. INGALLS, whose maiden name was Childs, was born in
Connecticut in 1806; was married as above stated in 1832, from which
time she cheerfully and uncomplainingly shared the fortunes of her
husband in the West, undergoing the usual toils and privations of the
pioneer. While at Sunrise, during part of the time she had no
neighbors nearer than Taylor's Falls. The first post office in Chisago
county north of Taylor's Falls was at her house, and was known as
Muscotink. She and her husband, during the later years of their lives,
were Spiritualists, and derived great comfort from their peculiar
phase of belief. Mrs. Ingalls was a talented and kind hearted woman,
charitable in act and beloved by her associates. She died Dec. 29,
1879.
CHISAGO LAKE.
The town of Chisago Lake includes the four western tiers of sections
of township 33, range 20, and township 34, range 20. A permanent
characteristic of this town is its unrivaled lake scenery, rendering
it not only attractive for residences but a favorite resort of
visitors. Its principal lake has already been described. The first
settler was John S. Van Rensselaer, who located on an island opposite
the present site of Centre City in the spring of 1851, and raised a
crop of corn and vegetables. He built him a cabin and lived there
three years. Eric Norberg, a prominent Swede, came to the lake from
Bishop's Hill, Illinois, in April, 1851, and being pleased with the
locality, came back with a colony of Swedes, including Peter Berg,
Andrew Swenson, Peter Anderson, Peter Shaline, Daniel Rattick, and
others. They came by steamboat, landed at Taylor's Falls June 24,
1851, cut a road to Chisago lake and took undisputed possession of its
shores, finding no trace of human occupancy save some deserted Indian
tepees and the claim cabin of Mr. Van Rensselaer on the island. Mr.
Berg settled on the west part of lot 3, section 35, and southwest
quarter of southwest quarter of section 26, township 34, range 20.
Peter Anderson on the east part of lot 3, and northwest quarter of
northeast quarter of section 35, township 34, range 20. Andrew Swenson
on lot 5, section 27, township 34, range 20. Mr. Norberg had come
first to the country at the invitation of Miles Tornell, who was
murdered in 1848, near St. Croix Falls, by some Indian assassins,
hired to commit the deed by one Miller, a whisky seller. Mr. Norberg
originally intended to make his home at Chisago Lake, but died at
Bishop's Hill, Illinois, while on a visit in 1853.
The colony in 1852 raised the first rye, barley and flax in the
county. They also raised potatoes, green corn and vegetables, cut out
roads, cleared timber, and made other improvements. Peter Berg raised
flax and made linen thread in 1852, the first made in Minnesota.
Settlers came in rapidly. Among the arrivals in 1852 and soon after
were the Petersons, Strands, Johnsons, Frank Mobeck, Dahliam, Porter,
and others. A post office was established in 1858; A. Nelson,
postmaster. The town was organized in 1858. The first supervisors
were: Ephraim C. Ingalls, chairman; Frank Mobeck and Daniel Lindstrom.
The first church organization in the county was that of the Swedish
Evangelical Lutheran, in 1854. Here was built the first church edifice
in 1855, a frame structure subsequently enlarged, but in 1882
superseded by a fine brick building, costing $30,000. Its dimensions
are 116 × 66 feet, ground plan, and the spire is 135 feet in height. A
fine organ was purchased at a cost of $1,500. This church building is
an ornament to the town and the State, and would be creditable even to
our great cities. The first pastor was Rev. P. A. Cedarstam. His
successors are Revs. C. A. Hedengrand and John J. Frodeen, the present
incumbent. The communicants number about 1,300.
In 1880 the St. Paul & Duluth railroad extended a branch road from
Wyoming to Taylor's Falls. This passes through the town of Chisago
Lake, from west to east, crossing three arms of the lake. To secure
this road the town gave $10,000 in twenty year bonds. It obtains in
exchange an outlet for the products of its farms and forests. The
bridge across Chisago lake was built in 1857, at a cost of $1,500. It
has since been made an embankment bridge at an additional cost of
$1,600. Of this the State furnished $1,000 and the county $600.
CENTRE CITY,
The county seat of Chisago county, was platted May, 1857, on lot 5,
section 27, township 34, range 20; Andrew Swenson, proprietor; Alex.
Cairns, surveyor. It is located on a peninsula midway on the east
shore of Chisago lake. Few villages are more beautifully situated. It
contains two hotels, three stores, a saw and feed mill, two church
buildings, a Swedish Lutheran and Swedish Methodist, a school house