Compendium of history and biography of Minneapolis and Hennepin County, Minnesota, Part 22

Author: Holcombe, R. I. (Return Ira), 1845-1916; Bingham, William H
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago : H. Taylor & Co.
Number of Pages: 1190

USA > Minnesota > Hennepin County > Minneapolis > Compendium of history and biography of Minneapolis and Hennepin County, Minnesota > Part 22

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On the 18th of July the Anthony Wayne made another trip up the St. Peter's, going this time as far as the mouth of the Blue Earth, and being absent from St. Paul three days. The Nominee had previously ascended to the Little Rapids. The Yankee and the Dr. Franklin No. 2 also made Minnesota River ascensions this season. July 22, the steamer Yankee, Capt. M. K. Harris, Master, went up the St. Peter's to above the mouth of the Cottonwood. the site of New Ulm.

The Anthony Wayne. as has been stated, had, in May, commanded by Capt. Rogers, obtained the dis- tinction of making the first voyage directly to St. Anthony Falls. The Minnesota Pioneer, referring to the Wayne and its exploit of May 7, said this was "the first boat to throw a bow-line ashore under the foaming falls of Saint Anthony, amid the very roar and spray of the cataract." It repeated the feat June 27, 1850, the day previous to its first St. Peter's trip. A number of excursionists from St. Paul. with a party from St. Louis, were on board. Editor Goodhue was on the boat. Commenting upon the excursion he wrote :

"The Wayne started about noon from Fort Snelling for the Falls. The river is very rapid and far nar- rower than below, with many islands. The scenery is quite novel and the river of a character wholly differ- ent from what it is at any point below the Fort. The current is at least eight miles an hour; and, as the powerful engines of the Wayne can drive the boat against an ordinary current but ten miles an hour, she could move only at the rate of two miles an hour up stream, though making all the steam she could possibly get up. We are convinced, however, that a boiler like that of the Gov. Ramsey (which now runs above the Falls) would make steam fast enough to contend even with this current of the Mississippi, which actually runs like a mill-tail from the Falls to * Fort Snelling. * * At about the middle of the afternoon the Wayne reached the landing she made in the spring, which is in plain view of the Falls and convenient to the village of St. Anthony. A large concourse of our truly enterprising neighbors of St. Anthony welcomed us on shore. A little after dark the Wayne cast off her lines and swift as an arrow she dropped down the river to the Fort and thence to St. Paul by bedtime."

Capt. Russell Blakeley, the prominent pioneer steamboat man of the upper Mississippi, in his article entitled, "Advent of Commerce in Minnesota," says : "The Dr. Franklin No. 2, Capt. Smith Harris; the Anthony Wayne, Capt. Dan Able, and the Lamartine,

HISTORY OF MINNEAPOLIS AND HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA

went up to near the Falls of St. Anthony in the sum- iner of 1850." (See Vol. 8, Minn. Hist. Socy. Coll., P. 388).

THE FIRST FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION IN THE TOWN.

The first celebration of Independence Day in Minne- sota was held at St. Paul in 1849; the second was held at St. Anthony in 1850. The latter was arranged at a meeting of the citizens held June 14, when was appointed a committee of arrangements which was composed of Ard Godfrey, I. Carlton, J. D. Critten- den, E. G. Whitall, Edw. Patch, Sumner Farnham, R. Cummings, Daniel Stanchfield, and Wm. R. Mar- shall. This committee selected Gov. Ramsey for presi- dent of the day, Col. Mitehell for chief marshal, W. H. Welch for orator of the day, John W. North for reader of the Declaration of Independence, and Revs. W. C. Brown, of St. Anthony, and E. D. Neill, of St. Paul for chaplains.

At 10 o'eloek on the "glorious Fourth" the exer- cises of the day began by the moving of the procession from Anson Northrup's St. Charles House. The Sixth Regiment Band from Fort Snelling headed the column; then in order came the president and sundry viee-presidents, the orator and the reader, the chap- lains and the invited guests. These were followed by the benevolent societies and the citizens generally Perhaps 75 persons attended from St. Paul and there were half a dozen wagon loads from Stillwater and intervening loealities.

The mareh was to the eastern border of town to what was called Cheever's Grove, (below where now runs University Avenue) and here a speaker's plat- form and seats for the crowd had been provided. The program was carried out successfully. Judge Welch's oration was characterized by Editor Goodhue, who was present, as "replete with original thought and powerful illustration." At its conclusion the proces- sion marched baek to the St. Charles Hotel and had a fine dinner which the committee had provided. After dinner many of the company went aboard Capt. John Rollins's steamboat, the Gov. Ramsey, and made an exeursion a few miles up the river above the Falls. At night there was a "grand ball" at the St. Charles. There was a general participation in the exereises and it was declared that the occasion presented "by far the most brilliant assemblage of the kind ever assem- bled at St. Anthony."

HIGH WATERS IN 1850.

The summer of 1850 was long noted as a season of high water in Minnesota. The Mississippi, the St. Peter's, and all other streams were at flood tide for weeks. This was why steamboat navigation on the St. Peter's and to St. Anthony, and even above the Falls, was rendered easy. In the last week of July the Dr. Franklin No. 2 made a trip from St. Paul to St. Anthony, taking up seores of tourist passengers from down the Mississippi that wished to see the celebrated Falls. The "Doctor" had powerful engines and made the trip in less than two hours.

PIONEER ADVERTISING.

Certain of the pioneer business houses in St. Anthony in 1850 believed in advertising. There was no newspaper then in their home village, and they used the journals nearest thereto. Goodhue's Minne- sota Pioneer, at St. Paul, was the favorite medium. It had many subscribers at St. Anthony and the tributary country. Its issue of May 20 and of subse- quent weeks contained the advertisement of the family groeery house of Slosson & Douglass. The advertise- ment was about two inches in length, with a single- line heading in small black type and without other display, and read :

"FAMILY GROCERIES AT ST. ANTHONY .- Slosson & Douglass have opened a store of family groceries, nearly opposite the new hotel, at the upper end of the village. They will keep a supply of the best family groceries that can be found, including all leading artieles usually kept in the trade. Also, a great variety of articles of luxury for the table, as pine-apple cheese, vermicelli, piekled salmon, oysters in eans, sardines, pickles, and dried peaches. Also, the best kinds of ale, porter, wines, and spirits at retail. Also various kinds of nuts, eigars of all qualities, and spiees such as eloves, nutmegs, and mace. Also prunes, dates, raisins, figs, Zante currants, eitrons, and other dried fruits, and preserves. Also green apples in proper season. Also champagne and champagne cider. Also, beans, fish, mackerel, chocolate, lemons, and oranges. All for sale cheap for cash at a very small profit."

This firm had another "family grocery" store at St. Paul, and another at Stillwater. At that day there was no prohibitory law and liquors were considered "family groeeries," and openly kept and sold in such stores. It was not deemed disgraceful to either sell them or buy them, or even drink them in modera- tion. It was, however, deemed highly improper, and indeed disgraceful, to get drunk and "raise a rookus." It was common to give a "dram" of eorn whisky to every purehaser of 50 cents worth of groceries, or half a pint for every dollar's worth. The price of two-year old eorn whisky then, unadulterated and untaxed, was 18 cents a gallon at wholesale and 25 eents at retail; a pint cost five eents. It is but the truth to say that there was very little actual drunken- ness in St. Anthony, but St. Paul had a most unhappy reputation in this respeet. In his previously noted letter to Sibley of January 6, 1851, explaining why he had not already gone to Washington, John H. Stevens declared :

"St. Anthony is the saint, the Patron Saint of the Territory, and ere five years we will number 10,000 instead of 1,000 souls, our present population. St. Paul, with its gamblers, drinking shops, and drunk- ards, and her anti-industry combined, will sink, not- withstanding the fact that her four schools and four church steeples lift up their heads towards the sky."

THE FIRST BREWERY IN MINNESOTA.

In the Minnesota Demoerat (printed at St. Paul) of December 17, 1850, appeared an advertisement which is herewith eopied :

HISTORY OF MINNEAPOLIS AND HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA

"MINNESOTA BREWERY, AT ST. ANTHONY FALLS-I am now ready to supply the citizens of this Territory with Ale and beer, which will be found equal-yes, superior-to what is brought from below. I am now demonstrating that malt liquors of the very best quality can be manufactured in Minnesota. Try my Ale and Beer and you will be convinced of the fact. "'JOHN ORTH."

TAYLOR'S MILLS.

The Minnesota Pioneer of November 14, 1850, had this reference to the operations of Arnold Taylor, Mr. Steele's partner, soon after he had acquired his inter- est :

"That enterprising gentleman, A. W. Taylor, Esq., one of the proprietors of St. Anthony, has entered into a contract with a Mr. Libbey, for the erection of seven superb saw-mills which will be large enough to occupy all of his flumes below the dam, for the total sum, including repairs of the dam, of $15,000. The frames are to be erected next summer and three of the mills put in operation by September next, and the seven mills are all to be in complete operation in one year from next April."

OTHER ADVERTISEMENTS IN 1850.

"GRINDING-The undersigned is now in readiness for grinding Corn, Rye, Oats, Peas, Buckwheat, and what- ever else requires grinding, including Salt, at the grist mill on the west side of the Mississippi River at St. Anthony, for lawful rates of toll. When desired, grists will be received at the subscriber's, on the east

side of the river, and be returned ground at the same place .- CALVIN A. TUTTLE. (Pioneer, June 13.)"

Mr. Tuttle was then operating the old Government grist mill, which Hon. Robert Smith had leased from Fort Snelling authorities. Feb. 27 previously the Pioneer said, that the mill was in "a dilapidated con- dition, in charge of Mr. Bean, who is living there as a tenant of Hon. Robert Smith."

"STEAMER GOVERNOR RAMSEY-The Light Draught Steamer Governor Ramsey will hereafter ply regu- larly between Saint Anthony and Sauk Rapids, leav- ing St. Anthony every Monday and Thursday at 10 o'clock P. M. and Sauk Rapids every Wednesday and Saturday at 8 o'clock A. M. For freight or passage apply on board .- JOHN ROLLINS, Master. (Pioneer, June 27)."

The Ramsey was 108 feet keel, 120 feet deck, 25 feet beam, and drew 12 inches light. In its construction J. S. Meley, of Waterville, Maine, was the master builder.

"THE ST. CHARLES HOTEL-At Saint Anthony. This large hotel, one of the most spacious in the Northwest, is at length completed and furnished and is now open for the public. At the bar, in the parlor, in sleeping arrangements, at the table, and in every department of the establishment the proprietors will spare no pains and no expense to suit the wishes and convenience of travellers; and it will not be for want of a desire to please if they do not make the house agreeable to families and others during their stay with them who are visiting the romantic scenery of the Falls in pursuit of health or of pleasure. (Pioneer, October 17.)"

CHAPTER XI.

WHEN THE FOUNDATIONS WERE LAID.

THE AFFAIRS OF STEELE AND TAYLOR-ST. ANTHONY IN 1850 AND 1851-THE VILLAGE AS DESCRIBED BY PIONEER WRITERS- THE .FIRST NEWSPAPER-FIRST SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, ADVERTISEMENTS, ETC .- PIONEER ENTERTAIN- MENTS-ST. ANTHONY MIGHT HAVE BECOME THE CAPITAL OF MINNESOTA-THE MOMENTOUS INDIAN TREATIES OF 1851.

STEELE AND TAYLOR DISAGREE AND THEN DISSOLVE.

Very soon after Steele and Taylor entered into co-partnership as owners of a great part of St. Anthony and the mill-site at the Falls, serious dis- agreements arose between them. Each aceused the other of designing and attempting to secure entire control of the property interests jointly owned. Tay- lor was in Boston the greater part of the time, but he was kept informed of the rapid advance of prop- erty in St. Anthony, and wished he had secured more of Steele's elaim. Steele aecused him of plotting to obtain (by the advantage of the large sum of money he eontrolled) possession of all the interests of Steele & Taylor at the Falls. Taylor retorted that it was Steele who was trying to possess these interests.

Then the two partners could not agree about cer- tain details involved in the disposition of their prop- erty. Steele wanted to sell lots at reasonable priees and on liberal terms, and to donate sites for churches, school houses, and other public buildings. Taylor wanted to obtain the best price possible for every lot sold, and was satisfied with one-fourth down, interest on deferred payments to be twelve per cent! This was a common rate at the time for money due on property sales; the rates for borrowed money were much higher.

One history says that Mr. Taylor withdrew from the firm of Steele & Taylor "in a little while," or "in the spring of 1850." The truth is that the partner- ship existed until in January, 1852. In the fall of 1850 Taylor was endeavoring to sell the water power of the Falls on his own aecount and had the following advertisement in the Minnesota Pioneer of 'Octo- ber 17:

"FALLS OF ST. ANTHONY-UNRIVALED WATER POWER .- The undersigned will sell or lease upon the most liberal terms water-powers for mills, factories, or any other purpose at the Falls of St. Anthony. A more favorable opportunity for obtaining unequaled hydraulie power was never before presented.

"A. W. TAYLOR.

"St. Anthony, October 17, 1850."

In February previously the Pioneer had noted that Mr. Taylor (giving his initials incorreetly as "D. L.") had recently "made sale of a large portion of his interest." Mr. Steele somehow assented to these sales,

and possibly partieipated in them. Mr. Taylor con- timmed to hold his interests in the partnership, and though their relations were intimate the partners were not friendly. Steele was in debt, and it is said that Taylor sought to press him out of their business by buying the claims against him, and demanding their payment. Steele was rather heavily indebted to Philadelphia jobbers and sent Stevens to them to effect settlements. Writing to Sibley from Lovejoy 's Hotel, New York, in March, 1851, Stevens says : "You can little imagine how glad I feel that Steele is out of the elutehes of his Philadelphia ereditors."

In October, 1851, Mr. Taylor, accompanied by his attorney and agent, a Mr. Bundy, came to St. Anthony to look after his interests. At onee he began the erection of the large story-and-a-half building (before mentioned) intended as a store and office building, and which stood on Main Street. It was on one of the Steele & Taylor lots, although it does not seem that Steele eonsented that Taylor should build it as his. . own individual property. Also a short time after his arrival Taylor made preparations to build a mill on his own aeeount at the western end of the dam.

About the 1st of Deeember he brought an action against Steele to recover damages from him and at the same time he asked for an attachment against the latter's interest in Hennepin and Nieollet Islands and in other property. The case was heard by Terri- torial Chief Justice Jerome Fuller at his chambers in St. Paul and decided by him in Deeember. In his published opinion, which appeared in the Minnesotian of December 13, Judge Fuller related that the aetion was brought to reeover damages for a breach of the covenants of seisin and warranty contained in a deed from Steele to Taylor purporting to convey, along with other lands, one undivided half of Hennepin

Island. The damages asked were alleged to be $10,- 000, to which sum the costs of suit were to be added. The plaintiff, Taylor, alleged in his petition that he was justly entitled to the sum named from Steele, the defendant, "and that he has reason to fear, and does fear, that he shall lose his said debt; wherefore he prays that an attachment may issue." etc.

Judge Fuller quashed the summons and vacated the attachment against Mr. Steele, because, he said, that under all the eircumstances Taylor's claim of alleged damages was not a "debt" against Steele, but merely a claim, which must first be proved valid before a

HISTORY OF MINNEAPOLIS AND HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA

"debt," was created, and this proof had not been made. Therefore Taylor could not "fear" that he should lose his "debt" when he had no "debt" to lose. John W. North, Lorenzo A. Babcock, and Mor- ton S. Wilkinson were Taylor's attorneys, while R. R. Nelson and Wm. Hollinshead represented Mr. Steele.

But on the 17th of January following (or in 1852) Steele purchased all of Taylor's interests in St. Anthony, paying him therefor $25,000, and Taylor was allowed to keep the proceeds of certain sales that he had made, giving a bond to convey other proceeds and property to Steele. Somehow there was great satisfaction in St. Anthony that Steele was now the chief proprietor of the village, Ard Godfrey still retaining his modest interest. On the 23d the people gave Steele a banquet at the St. Charles hotel in con- gratulation and celebration of his having acquired Taylor's interests. Plainly they did not like Mr. Taylor.

A year or two later Steele brought suit against Mr. Taylor to compel him to keep his specific performance to convey back certain property. Whereupon certain other parties that had contracts with Taylor for specific conveyances intervened and sought judgment against him. The issues were somewhat involved and the case was long protracted, being finally decided by the Supreme Court in January, 1856, (1st. Minn. Rep.) Steele obtained judgment, but the intervenors lost on technical points.

PREDICTING THE TOWN ON THE WEST SIDE.

It had long been well understood that when the Indian title to the lands on the west side of the Missis- sippi should be extinguished by purchase, they would be speedily occupied by the whites. The site opposite the Falls would be laid out into a town, mills built along the shore, etc. The St. Anthony people had pro- poscd that when the new town came it should be called South St. Anthony. In the winter of 1850 the talk was that permission to lay out the town would be given soon and that the surveying would be done in the spring. The Pioneer of February 27 announced that-

"There is a probability that a town on the west shore of the Falls of St. Anthony will be laid out and vigorously commenced the ensuing season. We pro- pose that it be called All-Saints, so as to head off the whole calendar of Saints."

The editor's suggestion was not meant to be ir- reverent, but was simply questionable sarcasm and humor. There were already in this region a number of geographical features, such as rivers, lakes, water- falls, towns, etc., bearing the names of saints, and the waggish editor pretended that he feared some saint would not be remembered in the bestowal of names and thus fail to have proper honor done him; so he proposed that the new city be named for all the saints in the calendar that not one might be slighted. The jest was in bad taste in every respect, and actually injured Goodhue and his paper. The projectors of the new town thought it a slur upon their enterprise and resented it. A little later the editor offended St. Anthony by saying in his paper :

"There was a notable fire in St. Anthony last Tuesday. It was indeed an important conflagration. The flames swept across vast open spaces whereon it is expected that some day mammoth costly structures will stand, and if they had only been there the other day enormous would have been the loss to the 'metrop- olis of the Northwest.' "

The Legislature of that season chose a public printer for the Territory. Stevens wrote Sibley that John North and Ed Patch, the Representatives from St. Anthony, both . voted against Goodhue for the posi- tion, "because of his slurs against this town.'

NEWSPAPER NOTES AND COMMENTS ON ST. ANTHONY IN 1849-50.

Maj. Nathaniel McLean, best known historically as the old-time Indian agent at Fort Snelling, but in 1849 senior editor of the Minnesota Chronicle & Reg- ister, of St. Paul, visited St. Anthony in the fall of the year named. In his paper of September 15 he said that "the half had not been told" concerning the wonderful progress made by the pioneer village at the Falls. Of the milling interests of the place the Major wrote :

"There is a grist mill. built of stone, on the west side formerly used for grinding corn for the Indians. Mr. Steele has a saw-mill now running two saws, and preparing to run two more in the same building. A number of acres of the mill-pond are covered with pine logs, which have been floated down from above."

Under the heading, "The Falls of St. Anthony," Goodhue's Minnesota Pioneer of January 23, 1850, gave a pleasing and spirited description of the little town and its interests at that date. Goodhue him- self wrote the article, as is evidenced by its glowing and at times extravagant statements. He declared that its record of growth had never been equaled; or, as he put it,-

"This place emphatically stands unprecedented in the record of its march of improvement. Less than ten months ago, after it was founded, the first house was built upon the lot given to the first settler ; now there are nearly 100 buildings and 600 inhabitants. The saw-mill has four saws, with a dam capable of run- ning 18: also a first-rate lath machine combined with a shingle machine. An agricultural society has been formed and premiums offered for the best grain prod- ucts grown in the country.

"There are five stores in the place and one grocery. A fine steamboat is now building to take hundreds of delighted visitors next summer up the romantic Mis- sissippi above the Falls, and will be ready to com- mence her trips to the Sauk Rapids in May.

"A large and commodious hotel has been erected on a pleasant eminence above the Falls, and will be completed soon after the opening of navigation the coming spring. It will have two piazzas, 72 feet in length, fronting the river. and from the upper one visitors can have a magnificent view of the angry waters as they hurry over the precipice. The hotel is not more than ten minutes walk from the steam- boat wharf, which is now building. It will be kept by

HISTORY OF MINNEAPOLIS AND HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA

a gentleman that understands the art of making his guests feel perfectly at home. He was one of the first settlers of Minnesota and will be the proprietor of the first hotel in St. Anthony.

** Two schools have been recently opened where all branches of education may be pursued, including the ornamental. The school house which is on the bluff of a beautiful prairie overlooking the Falls, is neat and spacious. One of these schools is taught by a lady [Miss Backus] and the other by a gentleman [Prof. Lee].

"A charter for a literary association was obtained from the last Legislature. A small but choice selec- tion of books has been purchased and preserved in a fine large book-case. Weekly lectures are given before this association by gentlemen of the first talents. An excellent singing school has just commenced and is taught in the latest style and most approved plan.

"A great variety of newspapers and other publica- tions are taken, for the people are a reading and thinking people. They are also a church-going people and every Sabbath the school room is filled with an attentive audience, listening to a Baptist or Methodist or Presbyterian clergyman."

In its issue of May 4, 1850, the Minnesota Chronicle & Register described how busy the St. Anthony mills were then, saying :

"The mills at St. Anthony run now night and day. Four saws are in operation, turning out 30,000 feet of lumber every 24 hours. In addition, some 10,000 laths and 6,000 shingles are made daily. The larger part of the immense stock of logs got out during the winter has been driven down and secured and the Mill Com- pany are now prepared to fill bills as fast as ordered.

"An absurd rumor has been current, to a certain extent, that in the sale of lumber by the Company preference is given to the citizens of St. Anthony, and that a resident of that place could buy lumber on a year's credit, when a citizen of St. Paul could not make a purchase for cash. In sheer justice to the Com- pany we give this report a flat contradiction. This story refutes itself, and would not receive notice had it not been industriously propagated in certain quarters."

A prominent and quite effective booster for St. Anthony in its first years was L. M. Ford. He was interested in the place and had some lots for sale, but he was largely unselfish. He wrote many articles for the Minnesota newspapers laudatory of St. Anthony and the country, and at his own expense sent scores of papers containing his articles all over the Eastern country. These printed articles, supplemented by hundreds of private letters, were responsible for much of the immigration which came to the country in early days. In an article written by Mr. Ford about St. Anthony, and which appeared in the Minnesota Pioneer of February 27, 1851, he said : *

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Compendium of history and biography of Minneapolis and Hennepin County, Minnesota, Part 22

Author: Holcombe, R. I. (Return Ira), 1845-1916; Bingham, William H Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Chicago : H. Taylor & Co. Number of Pages: 1190

Author: Holcombe, R. I. (Return Ira), 1845-1916; Bingham, William H
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago : H. Taylor & Co.
Number of Pages: 1190