History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume I, Part 30

Author: Larson, Constant, 1870-
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 588


USA > Minnesota > Douglas County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume I > Part 30
USA > Minnesota > Grant County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume I > Part 30


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47


1890-President, N. P. Ward; councilman, Robert McCrory ; recorder, A. G. Sexton; treasurer, S. M. Thompson; assessor, J. H. Van Dyke; jus- tice, W. E. Chidester ; marshal, C. Hanson.


1891-President, N. P. Ward; councilman, Fred von Baumbach ; recorder, N. W. Hicks; treasurer, S. M. Thompson ; assessor, S. M. Thomp- son ; justice, F. G. Stevens; marshal, Frank Reynolds.


1892-President, James Walker; councilman, Richard Dent; recorder, N. W. Hicks; assessor, James S. Chapman; treasurer, S. M. Thompson; justice, James Fitzgerald; marshal, Chester Van Dyke. .


1893-President, James Walker; councilman, William McCrory;


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recorder, James Fitzgerald; treasurer, S. M. Thompson; assessor, James S. Chapman ; justice, W. B. Mitson; marshal, C. B. Van Dyke. Whole number of votes cast, 349.


1894-President, R. McCrory; councilman, Fred von Baumbach; recorder, James Fitzgerald; treasurer, G. G. S. Campbell; justice, J. A. Mckay; marshal, Peter Bolin; assessor, J. A. Mckay ; street commissioner, A. E. Shippey. For license, 282; against, 167. Whole number of votes cast, 479.


1895-President, R. McCrory; councilman, Robert Walkter; recorder, James Fitzgerald ; treasurer, S. M. Thompson ; marshal, J. S. Lampman, jus- tice, W. B. Mitson; assessor, George Whitcomb; street commissioner, C. B. Van Dyke. License, yes, 251; no, 193.


1896-President, O. J. Robards; councilmen, R. J. McNeil and W. K. Barnes ; recorder, James Fitzgerald; treasurer, S. M. Thompson; assessor, G. F. Whitcomb; marshal, J. S. Lampman; justice, A. A. Brown: street commissioner, C. B. Van Dyke, License, yes, 266; no, 274.


1897-President, N. P. Ward; councilmen, J. F. Hiebel and M. Kraemer; recorder, James Walker; treasurer, W. F. Sundblad; marshal, C. B. Van Dyke; justice, W. B. Mitson; assessor, William Van Dyke; street commissioner, G. R. Morse. License, yes, 259; no. 255.


1898-President, N. P. Ward; councilman, T. R. Aiton; recorder, James Walker; treasurer, William F. Sundblad; justice, Joseph Gilpin; assessor, William Van Dyke; marshal, C. H. Klein; street commissioner, Nick Henkes.


1899-President, N. P. Ward; councilman M. Kraemer ; treasurer, W. F. Sundblad, recorder, James Walker: justice, W .. B. Mitson; marshal, F. E. Franklin; assessor, James H. Wettleson; street commissioner, Nick Henkes.


1900-President, N. P. Ward; councilman, C. Aberle ; treasurer, W. F. Sundblad; recorder, James Walker ; justice, Joseph Gilpin; assessor, William Van Dyke; marshal, L. S. Kent; street commissioner, A. E. Shippey. License, yes, 307; no. 241.


1901-President, George G. S. Campbell; councilmen, John Anderson and H. T. Halvorson; treasurer, Joseph F. Heibel; recorder, WV. F. Sund- blad; justices, W. B. Mitson and J. A. McKay ; assessor, William Van Dyke; marshall, C. Fiskness; street commissioner, Nick Henkes.


1902-President, G. G. S. Campbell; councilman, Herman Nootnagel; recorder, W. F. Sundblad; treasurer, Joseph F. Heibel; assessor, William Van Dyke; street commissioner, Nick Henkes; marshal, Christ Fiskness.


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1903-President, N. P. Ward; councilman, Michael Kraemer ; recorder, WV. B. Matson; treasurer, L. S. Atwood; justice, F. E. Ullman; marshal, Christ Fiskness.


1904-President, John Anderson; councilmen, William Moses and J. A. Prodger; recorder, W. B. Mitson.


1905-President, John Anderson; councilman, M. D. Freshenburg ; recorder, L. C. Atwood ; treasurer, Charles J. O'Brien.


. 1906 -- President, Toleff Jacobson; recorder, W. B. Mitson; treasurer, C. J. O'Brien.


1907-President, Toleff Jacobson; recorder, W. B. Mitson; treasurer, C. J. O'Brien : justices, F. E. Ullman and William Van Dyke. .


1908-President, Andrew Jacobson ; recorder, W. B. Mitson ; treasurer, C. J. O'Brien ; marshal, J. R. Cowing ; street commissioner, C. J. Hollquist. In the meantime the city charter having been adopted, the next election was held under that charter.


1909-Mayor, Gustav A. Kortsch; treasurer, C. J. O'Brien; justices, William Van Dyke and Joseph Gilpin; aldermen, Matt Habener, P. O. Unumb, J. A. Prodger, H. S. Campbell and W. E. Nesbett. License, yes, 365; no, 275. Recorder Mitson acted as clerk of the council until that body presently appointed C. J. Sundblad to the position of city clerk, which position he ever since has held.


1910-Mayor, John J. Anderson; treasurer, Nels Erickson; aldermen, Matt Haberer, P. O. Unumb and H. S. Campbell.


1911-Mayor, Michael Kraemer; treasurer, Nels Erickson ; aldermen, Robert Peacock, W. W. Sheldon; justices, Joseph Gilpin and William Van Dyke.


1912-Mayor, Alfred A. Secord; treasurer, Nels Erickson ; aldermen, Matt Haberer, P. O. Unumb and H. S. Campbell License, yes, 328; no, 374. Total number of ballots cast, 735


1913-Mayor, Louis Ginther ; treasurer, Nels Erickson ; justice, William Van Dyke; aldermen, J. F. Anderson and W. W. Sheldon. License, for, 375 : against, 291.


1914-Mayor, Louis Ginther; treasurer, Nels Erickson; aldermen, Matt Haberer and H S. Campbell. Total number of votes, 636. License, for, 347: against, 287.


1915-Mayor, Louis Ginther; treasurer, Nels Erickson; justice, E. F. Nelson ; aldermen, J. F. Anderson and W. W. Sheldon. License, for, 327; against, 305. May 31, 1915, Douglas county voted "dry" and the Alexan- dria saloons were closed in six months.


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1916-Mayor, Dr. C. C. Strang; treasurer, Nels Erickson; aldermen, C. V. Anderson, P. O. Unumb and T. H. Weatherhead. Total vote cast, 621. The present city council consists of C. V. Anderson, P. O. Unumb, J. F. Anderson, T. H. Weatherhead and W. W. Sheldon, representing the five wards in the city, respectively. The city clerk is C. J. Sundblad and the city attorney is Constant Larson. C. A. Johnson is superintendent of the board of public works and the commissioners of the same are Louis Ginther, N. P. Ward and Dr. E. E. Buell, C. J. Sundblad being secretary of the board. The chief of the effective volunteer fire department is L. S. Kent and the chief of police is Jerry Callaghan. Nicholas Hankes is street commissioner, also under appointment by the council, and the city health officer is Dr. L. W. Saterlee. The city hall, a substantial two-story brick structure, erected in 1882, affords headquarters for the city clerk, the police and fire departments and a well-equipped public rest room. The city jail adjoins the city hall on the south and the waterworks reservoir occupies premises adjoining. The city schools, a history of which is set out in the chapter relat- ing to education, are admirably maintained and a Carnegie library, situated across the street from the new high-school building, is an excellent adjunct to the same.


THE ALEXANDRIA POSTOFFICE.


The first postoffice in Douglas county was established at Alexandria very shortly after the beginning of the settlement there in 1858 and it is the recollection of Mrs. Fanny Van Dyke that her father, Charles Cook, was the first person there to be put in charge of the mails, which were carried between St. Cloud and Ft. Abercrombie by the mail carrier, Evans, after whom the village of Evansville later came to be named. Upon Cook's return East the charge of the little local mail was taken over by Alexan- dria Kinkaid and was distributed to the settlers from his cabin until J. H. Van Dyke started his store at the settlement, when the "office" was moved to that center of congregation and Van Dyke presently was appointed postmaster, continuing to hold his commission until his resig- nation in 1866, at which time Robert Wyman, who was running a hotel in the stockade abandoned by the soldiers in that year, was appointed and he was succeeded in turn by T. F. Cowing, N. B. Patterson, Charles T. Sims, 1874; Sophus N. Miller, 1876; Lorenzo G. Sims, 1880; Sophus N. Miller, 1883; Dr. Godfrey Vivien, 1887, and he by J. H. Van Dyke, who was suc- ceeded by his widow, Mrs. Fanny Van Dyke, who served for three terms, she being succeeded by Charles S. Mitchell, who served for one


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term, being succeeded by H. K. White, who died in office and was suc- ceeded by his deputy, Robert K. Brough, present incumbent, who has held the office continuously since in December, 1908. Following an ample appro- priation by Congress, the present handsome postoffice building was erected at a cost of about sixty thousand dollars, one of the most substantial build- ings in a town the size of Alexandria in the state, and was opened for business on February 22, 19II.


COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL CONCERNS.


Alexandria has a well-organized Commercial Club and its commercial and industrial interests are represented by the following concerns :


Alexandria Auto Company, garage and machine shop; Alexandria Citi- cen, J. A. Kinney, proprietor, newspaper and job printing; Alexandria Con- fectionery Company, candy manufacturers, ice cream, and restaurant ; Alex- andria Boat Works, E. G. Erickson, proprietor, manufacturers of boats; Alexandria Hardware and Lumber Company, J. A. Wedum, president, hardware, lumber, farm machinery, coal, bicycles, paints and oils ; Alexan- dria Electric Supply Company, motorcycles and electrical supplies; Alexan- dria Milling Company, E. G. Olson, president, flour and feed grinding : Alex- andria Post-News, E. E. McCrea, proprietor, newspaper and job printing ; American Laundry, Lackey and Olson, proprietors, general and family laun- dry; Alexandria Soda-Water Works, Michael Kraemer, proprietor, soft- drinks bottling works; Alexandria Telephone Company, C. H. Raiter, presi- dent, local and long-distance service; Alexandria Potato Warehouse Asso- ciation, buyers and shippers of potatoes; Atlantic Elevator Company, grain and coal; Anderson Furniture Company, Carl V. Anderson, proprietor, fur- niture, undertaking, carpets, rugs, pianos, sewing machines, bicycles, pic- ture framing and trunks; Anderson, John F., cement works and contractor; Aiton & Anderson, plastering contractors; Aiton, Thomas R., contractor and brick layer; Alexandria Tire Vulcanizing Company, Breese Brothers, pro- prietors.


Baker Weedless Fish Hook Company, J. Griebler, F. W. Becker, manu- facturers of fishhooks; Blake's Hotel, C. J. Blake, proprietor, summer hotel; Boyd, Dr. L. M., physician, specialist in eye, ear, throat and nose; Broms Cutlery Works, J. M. Broms, proprietor, factory and general repairs ; Broms Tire Repair Co., Anton Broms, auto tires and repairs; Brown Brothers & Chapin, farm machinery, vehicles and automobiles ; Buell, Dr. Eugene E., dentist ; Birchard, Mrs. B. J., flower store: Brophy, G. S., second-hand store; Bjorklund, A. W. T., plumbing and heating.


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Cable, John W., blacksmith shop; Campbell, George G. S., flour and feed store, and elevator ; Carlson, John A., groceries and crockery; Central House, L. Michaelson, proprietor, hotel; Chase, Richard, dray line ; Colbjorn- sen & Wegener, clothiers and tailors; Cole, Dr. C. L., dentist; Cowen, John S., real-estate dealer; Costello, Sherman, restaurant; Cowing-Robards Com- pany, hardware, agricultural implements, plumbing, heating and coal; City Flower Store, Mrs. Myra Pennar, proprietor ; Cozy Theatre; Chidester, Buel, real estate and insurance; Central House, feed barn.


- Dickinson Inn, Harry L. Dickinson, manager, summer hotel; Douglas County Bank, G. A. Kortsch, president; W. K. Barnes, cashier; Drum, Simon R., pianos.


Eagle Clothing Company, The, C. A. Kolstad, president and manager ; Edwards, W. C., veterinarian; Earl I. Best Lumber Company, lumber and fuel; European Hotel, William Heyer, proprietor; Eickmann, cigar manu- facturer.


Falconer, Dr. Thomas, veterinarian; Farmers National Bank, Tollef Jacobson, president, Andrew Jacobson, cashier ; First National Bank, C. J. Gunderson, president, P. O. Unumb, cashier; Franklin, F. E., real estate and insurance ; Fredenburg, Moses D., machine shop; Fair Store, The, C. E. Mabee, proprietor, variety store.


Gamble-Robinson Company, H. N. Doyle, manager, wholesale fruits and groceries; Goodwin, Albert G., real estate broker; Great Northern Express Company, W. L. Lawson, agent; Gregersen, A. H. and Company, dry goods and groceries; Griebenow, Herman H., groceries; Gunderson & Leach, Claus J. Gunderson, Hugh E. Leach, lawyers; Gilbertson, A., soft drinks and billiards.


Hammar, Mrs. Mary, restaurant ; Hanson, Dean, harness; Halverson Furniture Company, furniture, undertaking, rugs, wall paper, picture fram- ing; Hanson, J. R., furs and electric wiring; Haskell, Dr. A. D., physician and surgeon ; Herberger-Wettleson Company, dry goods; Herbert, F. O., groceries; Herbert, Cyril, billiard hall; Hoglund, J. L., jeweler ; Holverson, Henry T., druggist and optician ; Howard Theatre, C. P. Hanke, proprietor ; Hande and Tonsager, barber shop; Hopson, A., barber shop.


Johnson, P. A., photographic studio; Johnson, Charles A., granite monu- ments and tombstones; Johnson, E. W., tailor and cleaner.


Keene, Dr. L. M., physician and surgeon; Kent's Bus and Transfer, L. S. Kent, proprietor; Kitzke, Miss Clara A., millinery; Knapton Sisters, millinery; Koyle, Kittie, millinery.


Larson, Constant, lawyer; Letson House, Louis Ginther, proprietor,


HOTEL BLAKE, ALEXANDRIA.


SENATOR KNUTE NELSON AT HOME, ALEXANDRIA.


BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF ALEXANDRIA.


STREET SCENE, ALEXANDRIA.


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DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.


ยท hotel: Levin, Albert, barber shop; Loo Land Company, real estate; Ludke- Luckert Company, wholesale groceries; Lindquist, Albert V., photographic studio; Lundberg, Levine A., restaurant.


Mckay, J. A., real estate: McCabe, Dr. John A., osteopath ; Manhat- tan Oil Company, W. V. Abercrombie, agent ; Motor Inn Garage Company, garage, automobile dealers and auto repair shop: Moore, John L., restau- rant; Minnesota House Feed Barn, William Hagan, proprietor.


National Contracting Company, J. A. Shulind, president, general con- tracting: North American Storage Company, F. R. Noonan, manager, cold storage and creamery, dealers in butter and eggs.


Olson, Frank C., plumbing and heating; Oppel, C. and Company (C. and F. C. Opel, H. Paulson), shoes.


Purdon, Andrew, wagon-maker; Pederson, photos ; Pennar, Alex., con- tractor ; People's Store (Ferdinand F. and Carrie Wellin), dry goods and millinery; Peterson Brothers, garage and auto machine shop; Peterson, C. O., drugs, books and stationery; Peterson, P. M. & Company, painters and decorators ; Prescott, W. L., real estate ; Prescott, Dr. Laurel, dentist ; Prod- ger, J. A. auto livery ; Park Region Echo, Carl Wold, proprietor, newspaper and job printing ; Paulus, William, contractor.


Quality Bakery and Lunch Rooms.


Radecop, Fred C., blacksmith shop; Raiter Brothers, shoes and rub- bers: Raiter, Fred C., meat market; Renner, J. M., plumbing, heating and general repairs; Rul. Wegener Brewing Company, H. Birkhofer, president ; Ruud, Dr. M. B., physician and surgeon.


St. Anthony and Dakota Elevator Company, H. S. Campbell, agent, elevator: St. Paul Bakery, Joseph Leuthner, proprietor, commercial bak- ing; Satterlee, Dr. L. W., homeopathic physician ; Satter, Andrew, livery and feed stable; Seeger, Andrew, pop corn, fruit, tobacco; Sheldon Clothing Company, clothing and gentlemen's furnishers; Shepard, D. B., contractor ; Shoppey's Bowling Alleys; Secord, Alfred A., real estate; Standard Oil Company, H. A. Schroeder, agent; Stevens, F. M., auto and horse livery; Strandberg, C. A., wood dealer ; Strang, Dr. C. C., dentist: Stricker, Frank W., painter and decorator ; Swenson's dray and ice line; Syvrud & Meyers, automobile dealers and auto livery; Syvrud & Hanson, real estate; Stoppel, Mrs. Max, millinery ; Stoppel, Helmuth J., barber shop.


Thompson, Albert, garage, auto supplies and repairs; Thornton, Ralph S., lawyer; Treat, George L., lawyer and real estate; Thompson, Herman T., barber shop.


Unumb, E. O., dry goods, clothing and groceries.


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Van Dyke, Lafayette, cigar manufactory; Vennewitz Brothers, meat market; Volker, Dr. J. J., dentist.


Walker, William, groceries; Ward, N. P., groceries and crockery; Weatherhead, T. H., dray and ice line; Weber, Barney, pool and billiard hall; Weeker, A. O., tailoring ; Wittenburg, Dr. D. E., chiropractor ; Western Express Company, O. F. Ehlers, agent; Westman, Wilhelm, photographic studio; Wagoner, Edward C., pianos.


The Commercial Club of Alexandria was incorporated on March 18, 1907, the names of the incorporators being A. H. Gregerson, G. A. Kortsch, Horatio Jenkins, Ezra E. McCrea, Fred C. Oppel, E. Eugene Buell, G. B. Ward, Constant Larson, H. T. Halvorson, H. A. LeRoy and O. Hen- nings and the following officers: President, A. H. Gregerson; first vice- president, G. A. Kortsch; second vice-president, Horatio Jenkins; corre- sponding and recording secretary, Ezra E. McCrea; financial secretary, Fred C. Oppel; treasurer, E. Eugene Buell: executive committee, A. H. Greger- son, Ezra E. McCrea, G. B. Ward, Constant Larson, H. T. Halverson, H. A. LeRoy and O. W. Hennings. The present officers of the Commercial Club are as follows : President, J. H. Wettleson; first vice-president, Andrew Jacobson ; second vice-president, H. S. Campbell; corresponding and record- ing secretary, George L. Treat; financial secretary, J. W. Knox, and treas- urer, G. A. Kortsch. There are also live commercial clubs at Osakis, Bran- don and Evansville, which look after the commercial interests of those towns and besides these there are numerous farmers clubs in the county, which have proved and are proving of large value in their respective rural com- munities. There are also a number of farmers' co-operative associations for conducting elevators, potato warehouses, the shipping of live stock and other products of the farm, the buying of farm machinery and other bulky merchandise at wholesale, besides a number of very effective local creamery associations.


THE ALEXANDRIA FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY.


The fine public library at Alexandria had its beginning in a reading club started in the village days of that city as early as 1878, a small circul- lating library being established at that time. While Senator Nelson was serving in the state Senate he was instrumental in having enacted the pres- ent admirable public library law in Minnesota and under the provisions of that law there was organized the Alexandria Free Public Library, which has had a continuous and successful existence ever since. For a time after the village bought the building since used as a city hall, the books of the


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library association were housed in the hall of that building, now used as a town hall, and during George G. S. Campbell's incumbency as president of the village he was able to secure from Andrew Carnegie a donation of ten thousand dollars for the erection of a Carnegie free public library in Alexandria. A choice lot across the street from the high-school property was obtained and the present handsome public library was erected, an addi- tional two thousand dollars later being secured from the old iron master to complete the same. There are about nine thousand volumes in the library and one thousand four hundred and eighty-nine cards were in circula- tion in the summer of 1916, a fair index of the popularity of the library among the reading people of the city and vicinity. The present library board is composed of the following members: G. A. Kortsch, president ; George G. S. Campbell, secretary; Constant Larson, H. A. LeRoy, U. P. Ward, E. E. McCrea, Mrs. Anna Volker, Knute Nelson and Mrs. W. F. Sundblad. Margaret A. McCord is the librarian and the city treasurer acts as treasurer of the board. Under the will of the late F. B. Van Hoesen the library board received a legacy of five thousand dollars, the income from which is to be applied to library purposes forever and this, in addi- tion to the small tax levied for library purposes maintains the library in admirable fashion.


CHAPTER XX.


INCORPORATED TOWNS AND VILLAGES.


Very few counties in the state having the population claimed by Doug- las county can pride themselves of so many incorporated towns and villages. Geographically, they are apportioned with regularity, which fact goes to show that they were located to meet the demands and needs of the sur- rounding communities and not to appease the selfish ambitions of some ambitious person. Each town and village has shown growth and prosperity and in each case has become a commercial center and trading point for the surrounding. community.


OSAKIS.


In the eastern edge of the county on the Great Northern Railway, and on the shore of the most picturesque lake in Minnesota, is located Osakis, the second village in size and importance in the county. The history of the village is somewhat obscure but it is known that with the coming of the early settlers, a man by the name of Peter Botneau, a Canadian half-breed Indian, had a camp one mile east of where the village now stands. His camp was on the dividing line between the Sioux Indians, who inhabited the prairie, and the Chippewa Indians who lived in the timbered region. Therefore he called his place "Sakis," which meant a place of danger. With the coming of some English settlers they added the prefix "O" and thus the village took on the name of Osakis.


Early in the history of Douglas county, a few white settlers had gathered near Osakis Lake, attracted by the great beauty of the place, locating just over the line in Todd county, and one of them, John Potter, in 1859, made a claim where Osakis now stands. In 1859 the stages began running here on their way to Ft. Abercrombie, and this was one of the stations. When the Indian outbreak came in 1862 all the settlers abandoned their claims and left for safety, and many never returned. However, along in the latter part of the sixties, Daniel Stevenson, one of the pioneers of Minnesota, pur- chased the land and laid out a town. Among the first settlers were the Gordon boys who took up their residence on the bank of the lake. The first store in the village was erected by James Chambers in 1866 and he con-


PUBLIC LIBRARY, ALEXANDRLA.


-


HIGH SCHOOL, ALEXANDRIA.


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DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.


tinued to hand out merchandise and groceries for several years. The year of 1867 brought several newcomers to the village. In January of the same year Warren Adley, who for several years had been engaged in the hotel business, erected a commodious hotel, and around his establishment clustered several homes and buildings of a various nature. Henry Stone established a general store where the Brown implement store is today. On May 25, 1867, Mr. Sanderson opened a tow mill and did an active business for some time. Among other early settlers not already mentioned were: Thomas Adams, J. C. Stone, Leon Faille, A. M. Giddeon, A. S. Worden, John McKinsey, W. H. Stevens, W. P. Long and W. H. Crowe. A large majority of male settlers were single men. For instance, in the summer of 1886 there were ten young single men in the village and all lived in two small houses. There was not a girl eligible to marriage in many miles. Finally, in the summer of 1868, Mrs. Tannehill moved into the village with five beautiful and charming daughters. At once there began a spirited and lively contest among the young men to win the hearts of these fair maidens. So persistent were the attentions of the young men that the con- test was not long drawn out and in a very few months Mrs. Tannehill was alone.


The first fire in the village occurred in 1887 when the old railroad eating house, built in 1879, was burned to the ground; the second fire occurred on January 16, 1889, when the building belonging to George Frye and Adley's barn burned; the third fire was on May 18, 1890, but not a great loss was sustained.


The first passenger train came through the village November 1, 1878.


The first wooden sidewalk was laid by William H. Crowe, as was also the first cement sidewalk in May, 1881.


The village became an incorporated district on February 21, 1881, with the following officers: President, W. P. Long; recorder, William H. Crowe; treasurer, J. B. Bird. At the present time Osakis has a village form of government with the following officers: Mayor, L. D. Bentley; recorder, S. J. Lyons; treasurer, D. B. McCleery ; Robert Metcalf, William Brown and William Baker; justices, W. B. Lyons and C. S. French; constables, R. H. Belknap and Mike Clifford.


The business and professional interests of the village during the sum- mer of 1916 were in the hands of the following: Allen, H., contractor and builder ; Anderson Bros. & Baker, hardware and implements; Anderson, Mrs. A. B., milliner ; Austin, G. A., real estate.


Belknap & Son, livery; Bentley, L. D., real estate; Berg, Carl, contrac-


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tor and builder: Bjorklund, Alexander, contractor and builder ; Bjorklund, John, shoe shop; Borschert, F. H., attorney; Brown Bros. Implement Com- pany, farm implements and automobiles; Bryant, G. L., veterinary ; Buck, Charles, stone mason.




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