Fifty Years In The Northwest
Includes the two eastern tiers of sections of township 33, range 20,
and fractional township 33, range 19, including about fifteen whole
sections, and four fractional. The soil is good, and originally
supported a growth of hardwood. The surface is undulating. It is well
watered by Lawrence and several other small creeks tributary to the
St. Croix, and has several small but clear lakes. Ansel Smith was the
first settler of the town and village, which he named after Franconia
in the White mountains. He came here in 1852, and located a claim on
the present site of the village, on the St. Croix river, section 10,
township 33, range 19. He did much for the prosperity of the village
and town. He raised the first crops and was the first postmaster
(1854). The town was organized in 1858. The first supervisors were
Ansel Smith, Leonard P. Day and A. J. Adams. The town is now well
settled and has many excellent farms. The branch St. Paul & Duluth
railroad has a depot three-fourths of a mile from the village of
Franconia. A German Methodist church is located near the centre of the
town.
FRANCONIA VILLAGE
Was platted in 1858, by Ansel Smith. It was incorporated in 1884. Paul
Munch, in 1860, erected a first class, three storied flouring mill on
Lawrence creek. A saw mill, erected in 1854 by the Clark brothers and
Ansel Smith, has passed through many changes of ownership. It is now
the property of Matthews & Jourdain. Henry F. and Leonard P. Day built
the first good dwelling in the village, on the banks of the St. Croix,
just above the steamboat landing. Margaret Smith taught the first
school. The first death in the village was that of Neil Monroe.
ANSEL SMITH came from Vermont to St. Croix Falls in 1850 and engaged
in teaching. In 1851 he helped erect the Chisago House in Taylor's
Falls. In 1852 he made a claim on the St. Croix river, in section 10,
township 33, range 19, and there platted the village of Franconia,
clearing away the worst of the timber with his own hands. He was an
energetic, active business man, and took an interest not only in the
affairs of his town and neighborhood, but in the country at large. He
represented his district in the fifth, sixth and seventh legislatures.
He was appointed register of the United States land office at Duluth
in 1870 and served till 1872. Mr. Smith died at his residence in
Duluth in 1878, leaving a wife and three promising sons, two of them
practicing attorneys in Duluth; one cashier of a bank in Duluth.
HENRY F. AND LEONARD P. DAY.--The Day brothers came from St. Lawrence,
New York, to the St. Croix valley in 1849, and settled in Franconia in
1852. Henry married Margaret Smith, daughter of David Smith. During
the Rebellion he served in Company C, Seventh Minnesota Volunteers. He
moved to Florida in 1886. Leonard P. was married to Mary Mitchell in
1856. He died in 1874, leaving a widow, two sons and two daughters.
His widow (in 1886) is the wife of Henry Wills, of Osceola.
HENRY WILLS was born in 1829, in Illinois, and married his first wife
in Missouri in 1856, who died in 1878, leaving nine children. Mr.
Wills was one of the first farmers in Franconia, and has been active
in promoting improvements in his town and county. He moved to Osceola
in 1886.
THE CLARK BROTHERS came from Maine and located in Franconia in 1854,
where they built the first mill in the village. Subsequently they
became citizens of Taylor's Falls, engaging in the mercantile, livery,
saw and stave mill business. James, the oldest, married Carrie
Jellison in 1863, and moved to Windom, Minnesota. Rufus, the next in
age, married Kate Strand in 1860, and died May, 1880, leaving a widow,
three sons and one daughter. Charles, the youngest, was married to
Martha J. Gray in 1868, and removed to Fergus Falls.
DAVID SMITH was born in Scotland. He came to Franconia in 1855, where
he has now one of the best farms in Chisago county. His youngest son,
James, lives on the old homestead with him. His second son, John, has
made his home in Rush City. Andrew, his oldest, served during the
Rebellion in company C, Seventh Minnesota. His oldest daughter,
Margaret, is the wife of H. F. Day. His daughter Nancy is the wife of
N. H. Hickerson and resides in California,. Barbary, the third
daughter, is the wife of John Grove of Burnett county.
JONAS LINDALL was for many years an enterprising and prosperous
business man in Franconia. He opened up an extensive wood trade with
St. Paul, in which C. J. Vitalis is his successor. Mr. Lindall
represented his county in the senate of the fifteenth and sixteenth
state legislatures. He was accidentally drowned from a barge of wood
at Hastings in May, 1872. His widow is married to Chas. J. Vitalis.
WM. PEASLEE came from Maine to the St. Croix valley and settled in
Franconia in 1857, and followed mercantile pursuits at that place and
at Taylor's Falls. He died at the latter place in 1876. Mr. Peaslee
was married at Palmyra, Maine, to Sophia E. Harriman, who, with
Clarence, an only son, survives him. His widow resides in Taylor's
Falls and superintends a millinery and fancy store. Clarence succeeds
his father in the grocery and dry goods business at Taylor's Falls. He
married Rosa, a daughter of Patrick Fox.
CHARLES VITALIS was born in Smolland, Sweden, in 1843; came to America
in 1868 and settled in Franconia village. He was for five years
employed as clerk. In 1873 he embarked in the mercantile and wood
business. In one year he shipped 13,000 cords of wood, and has
averaged for the last 14 years 7,000 cords, making a total of 100,000
cords. He was married to Josephine Nelson, widow of Jonas Lindall, in
1873. They have three children. Elof, John, Elias and Hans are
brothers of Charles Vitalis, residing in the town of Franconia.
AUGUST J. ANDERSON was born near Wexico, Sweden, in 1860; came to
America with his parents in 1869, and to Franconia. At thirteen years
of age he commenced clerking for C. Vitalis, with whom he continued
until 1873, when he associated himself with him in the mercantile
business. He visited Europe in 1883.
FRANK N. PETERSON.--Mr. Peterson came to America in 1865, and in 1866
settled in the valley of the St. Croix. He attended school at Carver,
Minnesota, one year, when he became a traveling salesman for Leopold &
Co., of Chicago, and in 1881 settled in Franconia. He organized the
lumbering firm of Borens Brothers & Peterson, which continued until
1886, when a new organization was formed, called the Franconia Lumber
Company, consisting of P. Jordan, Sam Mathews, of Stillwater, and the
subject of our sketch.
Mr. Peterson has been the president of Franconia since its
incorporation. In 1869 he married Miss Ingur Johnson, daughter of Eric
Johnson, a pioneer of St. Peter, Minnesota, and is the father of two
children, Axel, a promising son, who died in February, 1885, at
fourteen years of age, and Maria, now a student in the Ladies'
Seminary at Faribault, who is developing marked ability as a pencil
artist. Mr. Peterson owns one of the finest houses in the valley,
romantically situated, which is supplied with pure spring water. It is
a pride to the village and attracts general attention. He is also the
inventor and patentee of the Lindholm & Peterson adding machine.
HARRIS.
The town of Harris contains twenty-four sections of township 36, range
21, the four western tiers of sections. The soil is a sandy loam with
clay subsoil. The town is well watered and drained by Goose creek,
which entering the town from the northwest, and bending at first
southward, then eastward, leaves the town near its southeastern line
in section 22. The timber consisted originally of oak openings and
pine; 10,000,000 feet of the latter have been removed from the
southeastern portion. Luxuriant wild meadows are found along Goose
creek. The first improvement was a farm, made by W. H. C. Folsom in
sections 21 and 22 in 1854. The first permanent settler was Henry H.
Sevy, who located on this farm in 1856. The town of Harris was
organized in 1884.
HARRIS VILLAGE.
A charter organizing Harris village was granted by the district court,
under the general law, in 1882. A question arose as to the legality of
the act. A subsequent legislature, by legislative act, confirmed all
similarly organized villages in the State. The supreme court decided
the organization of such villages illegal and the legislative act
sanctioning it unconstitutional. It was subsequently organized
legally. The village was surveyed by A. D. Miller and platted in May,
1873, in the south half of section 21, township 36, range 21, Philip
S. Harris and N. D. Miller, proprietors. It derived its name from
Philip S. Harris, a prominent officer of the St. Paul & Duluth
railroad. Fred Wolf was the first settler, in 1870, and first merchant
and first railroad agent, in 1873. He acted as postmaster subsequently
and filled other offices of trust. His interests are intimately
blended with those of the village. Isaac Savage was the second settler
and merchant. He was the first postmaster, in 1873. The first school
was taught by Mary Gwinn, in 1873. The first marriage was that of M.
P. Smith and Charlotte Swenson. The first child born was Brague, son
of W. D. Sayers. The first death was that of Isaac Morrill. A good
school house was built in 1877. The village is rapidly growing. It has
an extensive trade in hay, wood, ties and piles. Wheat shipments are
large. It has four stores, two hotels, three elevators, three hay
presses, two wagon and smith shops, one agricultural warehouse, one
skating rink, one livery stable, two saloons, one meat shop and a
railroad depot.
LENT.
This town includes the whole of township 34, range 21. It is well
watered and drained by Sunrise river, but has no lakes. The soil is a
sandy loam; the timber chiefly oak openings. The early settlers were
Harvey Lent, from whom the town derived its name, William Robinson,
James Buchanan, who raised the first crops in 1855, Joshua Dawson,
Jesse Moore and others. The town was organized in 1872. The first
supervisors were Dawson, Moore and Robinson. The first post office was
established in 1875, at Stacy, a railroad station on the St. Paul &
Duluth railroad, which traverses this town from south to north. Frank
Dawson was the first postmaster.
NESSELL.
Nessell includes township 37, range 22. The surface was originally
covered with a growth of hardwood, with some pine. Of the latter,
about 10,000,000 feet has been cut. The soil is adapted to wheat
culture. It is well watered. Rush lake occupies a nearly central
position, and is a beautiful sheet of water with about fourteen miles
of meandering shore line, crystal clear, and deep, well stocked with
fish, and bordered with groves of maple, oak and linden. The town was
set off from Rush Lake and organized in 1870. The first supervisors
were Wm. H. McCray, John H. Breit and Matts Colleen. The town is
settled by a class of industrious, upright people. There are three
churches, with prosperous societies, the Swedish Baptist, the Swedish
Lutheran and German Lutheran. Martin Linnell was the first child born.
The first marriage was that of Wm. Vanetta and Anna Johnson, in 1861.
Alice Draper taught the first school. Rev. Cedarstam preached the
first sermon.
ROBERT NESSELL was the oldest settler. The town was named for him. He
was born in Germany in 1834; came to America in 1847, and to Minnesota
in 1854. He was married at Sunrise to Kate Torbert, of Shafer, in
1856, and the same year located his present home. Other early settlers
are John H. Breit, John Lindsey, P. Kelley, and the Jarchow brothers.
STEPHEN B. CLARK made Nessell his home in 1867. Mr. Clark was born in
Vermont in 1830; came to Marine in 1851. He served three years during