Fifty Years In The Northwest
CAPT. JAMES STARKEY was born in England in 1818. He came to America in
1849 and located in St. Paul in 1850. He removed to the town of
Columbus, Anoka county, in 1855, and was active in promoting its
interests. His first enterprise, the building up of the village of
Columbus, was not successful. In 1857, by order of Gov. Medary, he
commanded a military expedition against the Chippewas at Sunrise
Prairie, the object being to compel them to return to their
reservation, an expedition attended with some tragical results, as
elsewhere narrated. Capt. Starkey took part in the Civil War as
captain of a cavalry company. He was the first to survey a road
through the country lying between St. Paul and Lake Superior. He was a
representative of the first state legislature. Since 1865 Capt.
Starkey has resided at St. Paul, and is at present prominent as a
citizen and as an official in West St. Paul.
SHERBURNE COUNTY.
Prior to its organization, Sherburne was part of Benton county. It was
named in honor of Judge Moses Sherburne, an appointee to the bench of
the supreme court of Minnesota Territory. The county is bounded on the
north by Benton, on the east by Anoka and Isanti counties, and on the
south by the Mississippi river. It is somewhat irregularly timbered
with pine and hardwood, interspersed with oak openings, rolling
prairie lands and natural meadows. The surface is generally
undulating. A prominent ridge of high land, from three to five miles
wide, extends from Elk river in a northeasterly direction into Anoka
county. The county is well watered by tributaries of the Mississippi,
Elk and St. Louis rivers, and has besides many clear and sparkling
lakes. The soil is mostly sandy loam with clay subsoil, and valuable
granite quarries are found in the northern tier of towns.
David Faribault was the first settler or trader, he having established
a post on the Elk river in 1846, where he made a garden and raised
potatoes. In September, 1848, H. M. Rice and S. P. Folsom bought
Faribault's improvements, and Folsom moved his family to the place and
built a log cabin on what is now Auditor's addition to Elk River
village. He was succeeded in the ownership by Pierre Bottineau.
The county was organized in 1856, under territorial law. The governor,
Willis A. Gorman, appointed J. H. Stevenson, Ephriam Nickerson and
Eli J. Cutter commissioners (Stevenson being chairman); Eli Houghton,
treasurer; H. J. Putnam, register of deeds; Andrew Boyington, judge of
probate; John G. Jamieson, county attorney; Orlando Bailey, sheriff.
The first commissioners' meeting was held at the house of Joseph
Brown, at the village of Humboldt, which was made the county seat and
so remained until 1867, when it was removed to Elk River village. The
county was attached to Benton for judicial purposes until 1862. Prior
to this Mr. Brown's house was used for county commissioners' meetings
and for courtrooms until burned down some years later, when the
commissioners met at the house of John E. Putnam.
A court house was built at Elk River on lots donated by J. Q. A.
Nickerson, the village donating $1,000 and the county the remainder
necessary for the building.
Prior to the formation of the state government, the county was divided
into election precincts. The first term of district court was held at
Humboldt in December, 1862; Judge C. E. Vanderburgh, presiding; J. E.
Putnam acting as clerk. The first commissioners who held their meeting
at Elk River were H. Houlton, chairman; A. Boyington and O. Bailey.
The first meetings were held at the house of J. Q. A. Nickerson.
In 1867 the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba railroad was completed
through the county on a line parallel with the general course of the
Mississippi river. The North Pacific railroad, since built, runs
parallel on the same grade. The depots were built upon the same plan
and placed on opposite sides of the two tracks. The stations are Elk
River, Big Lake, Becker, Clear Lake, and East St. Cloud. The Manitoba
has a branch line from Elk River to Princeton and Milacca, built in
1884.
The first deed recorded was transcribed from the Benton county
records, transfers of property from James Beatty to Richard Chute and
David Olmstead, and bears date of July 28, 1851.
TOWNS.
The towns in Sherburne are: Baldwin, deriving its name from F. Eugene
Baldwin, an old citizen; Big Lake, from the lake on which located;
Becker, from Hon. G. L. Becker, of St. Paul; Blue Hill, from a high
hill in the town; Clear Lake, from a lake of that name; Elk River,
from the river on the shore of which it is located; Haven, from Hon.
John Ormsby Haven, who represented his district in the state senate in
1872-73; Livonia, from the christian name of the wife of an old
citizen; Orrock, from Reuben Orrock, a pioneer, originally from
Scotland; and Palmer, from Dr. Palmer, of Sauk Centre.
Elk River was the first town organized, and included the whole county.
The first election was held Sept. 30, 1858, at which the following
board of officers was elected: Moderator, Alden B. Heath; supervisors,
J. G. Jamieson, Alden B. Heath, J. Q. A. Nickerson; clerk, George H.
Davis.
VILLAGES OF SHERBURNE COUNTY.
Orono, a post office, was established at Orono in 1850. The office was
merged into the Elk River post office in 1853. This post office, with
the mills erected in 1851, became the nucleus of the Elk River
settlement, which some years later became Elk River village, within
the corporate limits of which Orono is now situated. Orono was
surveyed and platted May, 1855; Ard Godfrey, proprietor.
ELK RIVER,
Located originally about a mile below Orono, was not platted as a
village until 1865. J. Q. A. and Julia Nickerson were the proprietors.
It is on the east bank of the Mississippi, at its junction with Elk
river, above which it now extends a distance of two miles. It has a
pleasant location. It was incorporated in 1881, with C. S. Wheaton,
president; W. T. Struble, recorder; N. K. Whittemore, H. P. Burrell
and L. Pollard, commissioners. Elk river affords a fine water power
with ten feet head. Mills were erected here in 1851. A great fire in
May, 1887, destroyed mill property valued at $50,000. Since the fire a
flour mill with a capacity of 250 barrels a day has been completed at
a cost of $25,000. A saw mill is also in process of construction. The
village has an elevator with a capacity of 10,000 bushels, 2 town
halls, 3 churches, Episcopal, Free Will Baptist and Congregational; a
first class school building, with rooms for four departments; a school
building at Orono, with two departments; and two railroad depots,
built at a cost of $9,000.
In June, 1885, a private bank was incorporated as the Bank of Elk
River.
EAST ST. CLOUD,
In the town of Haven, is a thriving village. It has one of the best
granite quarries in the State. The State, in 1887, located here its
reformatory school, receiving a donation of two hundred acres of land,
covered with gray and variegated granite. The village was surveyed and
platted in August, 1853; Geo. F. Brott & Co., proprietors.
CLEAR LAKE
Was surveyed and platted March 24, 1882; Alanson Potter and wife,
proprietors.
BECKER
Was surveyed and platted Dec. 5, 1870; J. Freeman and H. C. Fridley,
proprietors. Mr. Vadnais was the first settler, in 1855.
BIG LAKE,
Originally Humboldt village, is located on Elk river, ten miles above
its junction with the Mississippi. Its first settler was Joseph Brown,
a veteran pioneer, but not to be confounded with the invincible Joe R.
Brown, elsewhere referred to. Mr. Brown came here in 1848, and made
substantial improvements. He died in 1886. His family still reside
here. James Ely and Newell Houghton also settled here in 1884. Mr.
Houghton was killed at the New Ulm massacre in 1862.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS NICKERSON was born in New Salem, Franklin county,
Maine, March 30, 1825. He received an academic education; taught
school and followed farming in Maine. In 1849 he came to St. Anthony
Falls, and in 1853 settled at Elk River, which then contained but one
house, a hewed log structure, which he, in company with B. F.
Hildreth, purchased for a hotel. The house has been enlarged from time
to time, and has been continuously under the charge of Mr. Nickerson.
He has besides employed much of his time in farming and lumbering, and
has dealt in village lots. He was appointed postmaster at an early
day. He has filled various responsible offices, among them that of
county treasurer and town and county supervisor. He was married to
Julia A. Farnham, of St. Anthony Falls, Oct. 2, 1852. They have five
children.
HENRY BITTNER was born in Bavaria in 1799; came to America in his
boyhood; enlisted in the United States Army in 1835; served in the
Mexican War; was present at the battle of Buena Vista, and when the
American forces were surrounded performed a daring feat, carrying a
dispatch from Gen. Taylor through the Mexican lines to an American
fort. He was a target for the bullets of the Mexican Army, but arrived
at his destination severely wounded. He was discharged on account of
his wounds. In 1855 he came to Clear Lake and made him a home. He
offered himself as a volunteer during the late Civil War, but was not
received on account of age and disability. He died at his home at
Clear Lake in 1885.
FRANCIS DE LILLE, of French descent, was born in Canada in 1782. He
came with his family to St. Anthony in 1848, and in 1852 to Elk River,
where he occupied the first house built in the lower town. He settled
on a farm, where he lived the remainder of his life. He died April 18,
1874, under peculiar circumstances. He was a devout Catholic, and died
suddenly in the church while kneeling during a part of the service.
His widow and youngest son reside at the old homestead.
MRS. DE LILLE, formerly Catharine Queenan, of Ireland, is one of the
oldest settlers of Sherburne county. She has eight children living,
Mary F., married and living in Dakota; Frank, Agnes; Elisabeth,
married to Peter Trump of Taylor's Falls; Harriet, wife of Joseph
Holt, of Taylor's Falls; Joseph F., Rosanna and Sarah, all married.
HOWARD M. ATKINS was born in New Sharon, Franklin county, Maine, May
11, 1838. His father was stricken down by lightning, leaving him at
the age of thirteen to assist in taking care of the family. Howard was
near his father and was struck senseless by the same flash that
deprived him of a father. Recovering, he set himself earnestly and
seriously to the duties of life, performed his allotted tasks about
the household, and succeeded in obtaining a good high school
education. He came to Princeton, Mille Lacs county, in 1856, studied
law and was admitted to practice in Mille Lacs county in 1863.
Subsequently he practiced law five years in St. Cloud. He came to Elk
River in 1876. He has held official positions in Mille Lacs, Stearns
and Sherburne counties. Mr. Atkins has acquired an honorable position
through his own exertions and richly deserves the respect of his
fellow citizens. He was married in 1862 to Virginia Sinclair, of
Illinois. They have two sons and four daughters.
B. F. HILDRETH was born in Milford, Maine, March, 1822. He learned the
trade of a blacksmith and came to St. Anthony in 1849, and the year
following did part of the crew work of the first steamer launched on
the Mississippi above the falls. Since then he has engaged chiefly in
lumbering and farming. In 1850 he was married to M. E. Farnham, of St.
Anthony. He removed to Elk River in 1873.
SAMUEL HAYDEN was born Oct. 12, 1806, at Madison, Maine. He came to
Livonia, Sherburne county, in 1856. He has a family of four sons and
three daughters, residents of Minnesota. His brother, the Hon.
Wentworth Hayden, was a member of the constitutional convention of