Fifty Years In The Northwest
has lived at St. Cloud since 1861, where he has a delightful home.
Of St. Cloud citizens not elsewhere mentioned in this work, and who
have been prominent in advancing its interests, are Charles Bridgman,
Henry G. Mitchell and son, C. F. McDonald, Lewis Clark, Alonzo F.
Cramb, C. F. Davis, Levi S. Geer, Josiah G. Hayward, David L. Kiehle,
A. Montgomery, Overbeck brothers, John H. Owen, and John Cooper. St.
Cloud has furnished three able jurists for the supreme bench in this
district, E. O. Hamlin, J. M. McKelvy and L. W. Collins.
ANOKA COUNTY.
Anoka county was organized in 1857, the nucleus or first settlement
being a small village on the Mississippi, at the month of Rum river,
named Anoka, from a Chippewa word meaning work or labor. The county
has a fine location on the east bank of the Mississippi. Its
boundaries on the north are Isanti county, on the east Chisago and
Washington counties, on the south Ramsey county, and on the west
Sherburne county and the Mississippi river. Rum river flows in a
southeasterly direction through the county, and by this river, its
tributaries and those of the Mississippi and St. Croix, the county is
well watered and drained. The valleys of these streams furnish many
fine natural meadows. The soil is a black sandy loam with clay
subsoil. Townships 31, 32 and 33, range 22, are drained by the
tributaries of the St. Croix. Originally consisting of oak openings,
natural meadows and tamarack swamps, interspersed with small lakes,
with excellent roads, school houses, churches and town organizations,
the county is well settled and has many fine farms under a high state
of cultivation. Its proximity to the pineries of Rum river and to the
markets of Minneapolis and St. Paul makes it a desirable location for
the lumbermen and farmers.
The county is subdivided into the following townships: Anoka, Bethel,
Blaine, Burns, Centreville, Columbus, Fridley, Grow, Ham Lake,
Linwood, Oak Grove, Ramsey, and St. Francis. The Northern Pacific and
St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba railroads traverse this county near
its western boundary, following the course of the Mississippi river.
Outside of Anoka the first settlement in the county was within the
bounds of the present town of Ramsey. Nathan Shumway, Cornelius Pitman
and Daniel Hawthorne settled there in 1850.
The first county commissioners were appointed by the governor. They
were E. C. H. Davis, J. P. Austin and Silas O. Lum. They met June 30,
1857, and appointed the following officers: Sheriff, James C. Frost;
treasurer, James M. McGlauflin; coroner, Joseph C. Varney; assessors,
Daniel Robbins, S. L. Guice, Francis Peeler. The first deed on record
in the county bears date of June 30, 1857. It conveys the northwest
quarter of section 26, township 33, range 24, from Nathaniel S. Davis
to Mary S. Small, for a consideration of five hundred dollars. There
is, however, a transcript of a deed from Ramsey county bearing
original date of Sept. 11, 1849, conveying the north half of the
northwest quarter of section 35, township 31, range 24, from Abel
Bloodgood, of Minnesota Territory, to Henry M. Rice, for a
consideration of two hundred dollars. The first town plat, that of
Anoka, bears date of July 5, 1854.
ANOKA.
This town lies on the east shore of the Mississippi and includes part
of fractional township 31, range 24. It is watered by Rum river, which
traverses the northwestern part, and by Coon creek in the eastern
part. The town originally was chiefly prairie. Its early history is
included in that of Anoka county.
ANOKA CITY.
The county seat of Anoka county is located on the Mississippi at the
mouth of Rum river and dates its settlement to the year 1847, when
Thomas Holmes located on the east bank of the river, and built the
first log house for a trading post. Aaron Betts, in the employ of
Holmes, brought his family with him, the first family in the town. In
the winter of 1847-48 Holmes sold out to Simeon P. Folsom, whose
family was the second in the town. Mr. Folsom raised the first crop in
the township. In September, 1848, Mr. Folsom removed to Sherburne
county, selling out his claim to Louis Roberts. In the winter of the
same year Wm. Dahl took possession for Mr. Roberts. In the spring of
1849 Antoine Roberts, brother of Louis, came from Prairie du Chien,
took possession of the home, and lived there some years, when he was
killed by an Indian. When the land on which the improvements were made
was brought into market Louis Roberts entered it.
In 1851 Anton Guion entered a quarter section of land on the west
side. He immediately sold his claim to Henry M. Rice, who bought it
with the intention of platting it as a town site. His brother, Orrin
Rice, occupied it and made improvements. Rum river has a fall of five
feet, which is fully utilized at Anoka.
In 1851 Geo. W. Branch took up a claim on the west side, and built a
house near what is now the corner of Main and Ferry streets. This was
the first frame house in Anoka, which, from this time forward, grew
almost imperceptibly into a village, till in 1855 the census showed
nearly 300 inhabitants. In 1860 the population was 602, and in 1886,
5,000. Anoka was incorporated as a city in 1878, with the following
board of officers: Mayor, G. W. Church; aldermen, D. C. Dunham, D. H.
Lane, L. G. Browning, A. Davis, H. N. Seelye, and J. H. Pierce;
treasurer, H. E. Lepper; justices of the peace, W. W. Fitch and E. S.
Teller; constables, George Geddes and Norman McLean. At that time the
city was divided into two wards, the First including the east side,
and the Second the west side, of Rum river. In 1881 the west side was
changed to the First ward, and the east side became the Second and
Third wards.
In 1853 Ed. I. Shaw built and opened the first store. It was on the
west side, and the building still stands, and is known as the Schuler
building. It is now the hospital: Caleb and W. H. Woodbury erected a
saw mill on the east side. It was subsequently owned by Woodbury, Shaw
& Farnham. During the same year a bridge was built across Rum river by
the government; Orrin Rice, contractor. The first flour will was
finished in 1855. It was burned ten days after with $5,000 worth of
wheat and corn a total loss, as there was no insurance. It was owned
by A. P. Lane, Caleb and Henry Woodbury. The mill was rebuilt by Caleb
Woodbury and Wm. L. Barnes. In 1855 H. L. Ticknor erected and opened
the first store on the east side. Rev. Royal Twitchell preached the
first sermon and taught the first school. The first mill was utilized
on Sundays as a church.
The Congregationalists organized the first church in Anoka in 1855,
and erected a church building in 1857. The Baptists and Catholics
organized in 1856, the Methodists and Episcopalians in 1860, the
Universalists in 1867, the Swedish Lutherans in 1870, the Adventists
in 1880, and the Free Methodists in 1882. The Masons organized a lodge
in 1866, the Knights of Pythias in 1872, the United Workmen in 1877,
the Patrons of Husbandry in 1874, and the Odd Fellows in 1882.
Anoka has suffered from time to time by fires. A flour mill, two saw
mills, half a dozen hotels, and a large number of stores have been
burned at different times, and twice the business part of the city has
been destroyed. Aug. 16, 1884, the entire business portion of the
city, including 60 business blocks and the Washburn mills, was
consumed. The loss amounted to $750,000, on which there was an
insurance of $316,000. The burnt district has since been handsomely
rebuilt, and the Washburn flour mill has been replaced with a superior
building, five stories high, 60 × 180, ground plan, and rising to the
height of 112 feet. This is one of the finest mills in the State.
The court house is valued at $35,000, the city hall at $12,000, and
four school buildings at $75,000. The bridge across the Mississippi, a
fine structure, 700 feet long, was built at a cost of $100,000. Street
cars have been introduced on some of the streets. The principal
manufactories are the Lincoln flouring mill, with a capacity of seven
hundred bushels per day, owned by the Washburn Mill Company; four saw
mills belonging to the Washburn Mill Company, with a capacity of
50,000,000 feet per year; the Anoka Sash and Door Factory, one of the
most thriving industries in the city, Jonas Morell, manager; a starch
factory, a boot and shoe company, with a capital of $30,000, recently
organized. Other industries are well represented; the whole giving
employment to over 1,000 men.
The First National Bank of Anoka was organized as a private banking
institution in 1872. It became a state bank in 1882, with a capital
stock of $25,000, and a national bank in 1883, with a paid up capital
of $50,000. The officers are: President, H. L. Ticknor; cashier, B. F.
Pratt. The Anoka National Bank was organized in 1883, with a paid up
capital of $100,000. The officers are: President, W. D. Washburn; vice
president, C. C. Crane; cashier. C. S. Guderian.
BETHEL
Includes township 33 and the twelve south sections of township 34,
range 23. Its surface is partially prairie land, and is dotted with
small lakes. The first settlers were Quakers, with the exception of
Rice, Price, O. Evans and Robert Minard, who came in 1855. Bethel post
office is located at what is known as Bethel Corners. The town was
organized in 1858. The first supervisors were O. Evans, W. Dickens and
R. Price.
BLAINE,
Named in honor of James G. Blaine, embraces township 31, range 23. It
was originally included in Anoka, but was set off and organized in
1877. The first supervisors were Moses Ripley, George Tisdale and
Richard de Long. The records have not been kept with sufficient
accuracy to enable us to determine who were the first settlers. It
appears, however, that the first comers abandoned their claims. Green
Chambers is the first settler recorded. He came in 1865.
BURNS
Includes township 33, range 25, and is in the northwestern part of the
county. The soil is clay loam, and in the western part are many lakes.
Of these Twin lakes are ninety feet in depth. The first settler was
John Derigan, who was also one of the first settlers of Elk River
township, in Sherburne county. The town was organized in 1869. The
supervisors were John D. Keen, John A. Mussey and W. D. Le Clair. A
German Lutheran church was built in 1878.
CENTREVILLE
Includes township 31, range 22. It is the oldest settlement in the
county, Alphonse Jarvis having located here in 1840. Frank Lamott
settled here in 1849. The first considerable settlement was made on
Rice lake, in 1850, by F. W. Traverse and other German families. A
French colony settled in the eastern part of the town in 1852.
Prominent among these colonists were Francis X. Levalle and brother,
Oliver and Frank Dupre, Francis Lamott and Oliver Peltier. The town
was organized in 1857, with the following commissioners: Oliver
Peltier, chairman; Francis Lamott, treasurer, and Stephen Ward. The
town was originally a timbered and meadow district. It has a good
black loam soil, and is well watered by Rice lake and numerous small
streams. It contains a number of ancient mounds. Its nearest railroad
station is Centreville, on the St. Paul & Duluth road, an Washington
county.
CENTREVILLE VILLAGE
Was platted in 1853, by Peltier, Lavalle & Lamott. It contains a
substantial brick church known as the Church of St. Genevieve of
Paris, built in 1859. The congregation numbers about four hundred.
COLUMBUS,
Township 32, range 22, was settled in 1855 by James Starkey, Isaac
Conway, John Kleiner and Henry Batzle. Mr. Conway became a dealer in
real estate, and removed to California where he died.
JAMES STARKEY figured prominently in the early history of the