Fifty Years In The Northwest
and many pleasant residences. The court house was built in 1876, at a
cost of $5,000, on a promontory commanding a fine view of the lake.
The depot of the branch of the St. Paul & Duluth railroad is located
half a mile south of the village. Summer excursionists assemble here
in goodly numbers, and the location bids fair to become very
attractive as a summer resort. During the Indian outbreak in 1862, and
the period of uncertainty as to the probable attitude of the Chippewa
Indians, the people of Chisago Lake built breastworks for protection,
on the isthmus connecting Centre City with the mainland, and planted
cannon upon them for defense. The remains of these old fortifications
may still be seen.
ANDREW SWENSON.--Mr. Swenson, the founder of Centre City, came to the
shores of the lake in 1851, and made his home on the present site of
the city. He was born in Sweden in 1817; came to America in 1850, and
remained a short time in New Orleans before coming to Minnesota. He
was a farmer and a member of the Methodist church. He was married to
Catharine Peterson in 1838. He died in July, 1887, leaving two sons
and two daughters.
JOHN S. VAN RENSSELAER came to Chisago Lake in the spring of 1851, and
settled on an island, where he lived three years in hermit-like
seclusion, raising corn and vegetables. His cabin, always neat and
tasteful, was furnished with a choice library. In 1854 he removed to
Sunrise Lake, where he lived fifteen years, engaged in farming. He
removed thence to Sunrise City. Mr. Van Rensselaer was the founder of
the first cheese factories in the county, at Sunrise City and Centre
City. He is an honorable and upright man, whose high aim is to
exemplify the golden rule in his life and deportment.
AXEL DAHLIAM settled on the west shore of East Chisago lake in 1852.
Mr. Dahliam had been an officer in the Swedish Army. He was a
cultivated gentleman. He died in 1869.
NELS NORD was born in Lindhopsing, Sweden, in 1819. In his eighteenth
year he enlisted in the Swedish Army and served twelve years. He came
to America in 1855 and located on Chisago lake, in the northeast
quarter of section 32, township 34, range 20. He was married in Sweden
to Lisa Anderson. They have one son, John P., who has been for seven
years the popular and efficient auditor of Chisago county. He was
married in 1878 to Hildah, daughter of Rev. C. A. Hedengrand. They
have one daughter.
JOHN A. HALLBERG was born at Smolland, Sweden, in 1830. He came to
America in 1853 and to Centre City in 1854. In 1872 he purchased a saw
and feed mill of Shogren Brothers. In 1876 he built a hotel. He has
held the office of justice of the peace many years and has served four
years as county commissioner. He was married to Matilda E. Carlson in
1870.
CHAS. A. BUSH is of German descent. His father, Wm. H. Bush, lived in
Wyoming. His great grandfather came to this country in 1765 and fought
on the side of the colonies. Chas. A. came to Minnesota in 1869 from
Pennsylvania. He has served as treasurer of Chisago county four years.
LARS JOHAN STARK was born in Sweden in 1826; came to America in 1850,
and settled at Chisago Lake in 1852. He was married in 1865, and again
in 1870. He has eleven children living. In Sweden he served as clerk
ten years. In his American home he has followed farming chiefly. He
has served as justice of the peace and county commissioner, and has
filled some town offices. He was engrossing clerk of the house of
representatives in 1864. He was a member of the house in the sessions
of 1865 and 1875. In 1868 he moved to the town of Fish Lake, and in
1877 to Harris.
FRANK MOBECK was born in Sweden in 1814. He came to America in 1851,
and in 1853 to Chisago Lake, where he settled on lot 5, section 34,
township 34, range 20. His home is on a beautiful elevation, on a
point of land projecting into the lake. Mr. Mobeck served in the
Swedish Army seventeen years. He has raised a large family of
children, all of whom are good citizens.
ROBERT CURRIE was born in Ayrshire, Scotland. After reaching manhood
he was employed many years as superintendent of a fancy manufacturing
company. He was married in Scotland. In 1854, after the death of his
wife, he came to America, and in 1855 selected a place for a home on
the north shore of west Chisago lake, where he lived till his death by
drowning in 1883. The site of his home was well chosen. It commanded a
beautiful view of the lake, and in the summer months was luxuriantly
adorned with flowers. Mr. Currie was a man of fine intellect, well
cultivated, and an ardent admirer of his countryman Burns, from whom,
and from Shakespeare and other masters of English literature he could
quote for hours. Mr. Currie's occupation was farming, but he filled
several offices acceptably. He was superintendent of schools, judge of
probate and clerk of district court. Though somewhat eccentric, he was
a social, kind hearted man.
ANDREW N. HOLM, formerly Andrew Nelson, his name having been changed
by legislative enactment in 1867, was born in Sweden in 1829. He
learned the trade of carpenter, came to America in 1855 and located in
Centre City in 1857, of which city he was first postmaster. He served
as a soldier during the Civil War and at its close removed his family
to Taylor's Falls, which is still his home.
LINDSTROM VILLAGE,
Located on the line of the Taylor's Falls branch of the St. Paul &
Duluth railroad, on lot 4, section 33, town 34, range 20, was platted
in 1880 by G. W. Sewall, surveyor. The proprietors are James and
Elisabeth Smith. It is situated on high ground and almost surrounded
by the waters of Lake Chisago. It would be difficult to find a
lovelier site. Maurice Tombler built the first store and elevator
here, in 1881. There are now three stores, one hotel, one railroad
station and several shops and dwellings. A post office was established
at Lindstrom in 1880; Charles H. Bush, postmaster.
DANIEL LINDSTROM was born in 1825, in Helsingland, Sweden. He had no
early advantages for obtaining an education, and spent most of his
youth herding goats amongst the mountains in the north part of Sweden.
In 1854 he came to America and located on Chisago lake, choosing a
beautiful location, which has since been laid out as a village, and
bids fair to become a place of popular resort. Mr. Lindstrom was
married first in Sweden, and now lives with his second wife, the first
having died in 1864. He has a family of three children. He has filled
official positions in his town acceptably.
MAGNUS S. SHALEEN was born in Sweden in 1796; came to America in 1855,
and made a homestead near Lindstrom in section 29, town 34, range 20,
where he died in 1869. Mrs. Shaleen died in 1873. John, the oldest
son, resides on the family homestead. He has served as sheriff of
Chisago county six years, and state senator eight years. Peter, the
second son, has served as postmaster of Centre City fourteen years,
and clerk of the district court five years. Sarah, the eldest
daughter, married John Swenson. They have three sons, John H., Henry
A. and Oscar, industrious, reliable young men, all in the employ of
the St. Paul & Duluth Railroad Company. Mary married Andrew Wallmark
at Chisago Lake, in 1856. One daughter is unmarried.
CHISAGO CITY.
The village of Chisago City is located on a hardwood ridge, between
Chisago and Green lakes, in sections 6 and 7, township 34, range 20.
It was platted by Isaac Bernheimer & Co., of Philadelphia, on lot 4,
section 7, township 34, range 20, in 1855. They built a hotel, several
dwellings, and a saw and grist mill on the banks of Chisago lake, at
an expense of about $7,000. These mills were burned in 1872. A stave
factory was built on the site of the burned mills, which was operated
successfully for many years under the management of George Nathan,
Otto Wallmark, W. D. Webb and others. This stave mill gave a new
impetus to the prosperity of the village, under the influence of which
the county seat was transferred to it. Its subsequent growth, however,
did not justify expectations. It was for many years without even a
post office. In 1875 the county seat was removed to Centre City. The
Lutherans have here one of the finest church buildings in the county.
The branch railroad depot is located one mile north, and quite a
village has grown up around it.
OTTO WALLMARK was born Dec. 7, 1830, in the province of Halland,
Sweden. In his minority he was nine years clerk in a store. He
received a common school education. In 1854 he came to America and
directly to Chisago City, where he lived many years, making a
homestead, which has since been his permanent home. He served eighteen
years as Chisago county auditor. He served several years as postmaster
at Chisago City, and in 1886 was elected state senator for four years.
His first wife was Mary Helene, his second wife, Eva Palmgreen. They
have one son and one daughter.
ANDREW WALLMARK, brother of Otto, was born in Sweden in 1826; received
a liberal education, and came to Chisago Lake from Sweden in 1854. He
has filled several town offices; has been register of deeds for
Chisago county nineteen years; was married to Mary Shaleen in 1856.
They have two sons and three daughters.
FISH LAKE.
The town of Fish Lake includes township 36, range 22. It was
originally well timbered, chiefly with hardwood, but 25,000,000 feet
of pine timber has been cut from it and mostly manufactured in the
town. There are some fine lakes in the town, of which the largest and
finest are Horseshoe and Cedar. The soil is black clay loam with
subsoil of clay. The town was cut off from the town of Sunrise and
organized in 1868. The first supervisors were Chas. F. Stark, Benjamin
Franklin and John A. Hokanson. A post office was established in 1868;
Benjamin Franklin, postmaster. The first settlers were Peter Olaf and
Peter Bergland, in section 25. The first school was taught by Miss
Mattison. The first marriage was that of John Hokanson and Matilda
Samuelson. The first death was that of John Erickson. The population
is mostly from Sweden. There is a good Swedish Lutheran church built
near the centre of the town. There are also a Swedish Methodist and a
Swedish Baptist society. The people are a well-to-do, independent
class. Fish Lake has a saw mill with a capacity of about 1,000,000
feet. In 1877 Hosburg, the watchman of this mill, was killed by
Priestly, an Englishman. Hosburg, in accordance with the rules, had
ordered him not to smoke on the premises. The Englishman was arrested,
tried for murder and acquitted.
PETER BERG was born in Sweden in 1801; came to America in 1850, and
settled at Chisago Lake in 1851. Some time subsequently he settled on
the north shore of Fish lake. In 1886, at the age of eighty-five
years, he is still a vigorous, active man. Mr. Berg was married in
Sweden. He has one daughter, Katharine, who married Sam Hamilton, of
Taylor's Falls. Mr. Hamilton died in 1871. She married as her second
husband Swain G. Yongren.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, though he bears the name of America's most
illustrious philosopher, is a native of Sweden, whence he came with a
Swedish colony in 1852, settled at Taylor's Falls, and subsequently
removed to the northern shore of Fish lake. By way of explaining how
he came by his American name we add that soon after his arrival he
came to the writer somewhat puzzled as to how he should write his
Swedish name in English. He gave it as "Ben Franz Norel," but
pronounced it in such a way that it sounded rather like Benjamin
Franklin. We suggested that name as a happy solution of the
difficulty, telling him something about the illustrious man who had
made it honorable. He adopted it at once, and has never disgraced it.
He is still a worthy, industrious and honorable citizen of Fish Lake.
FRANCONIA