USA > Minnesota > Fillmore County > History of Fillmore County, Minnesota (Volume 1) > Part 27
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1896-President, Thomas Thompson; council, D. Galligan, O. V. Capron, R. R. Greer, C. H. Devilliers, L. T. Tollefson; clerk, O. M. Habberstad; treasurer, John Solberg; marshal, James Galligan.
1897-President, Thomas Thompson; council, O. V. Capron, C. H. Devilliers, John Toomey, W. S. Henry, C. H. Schansberg; clerk, O. M. Habberstad; treasurer, G. B. Ellestad; justices, M. F. Terwilligan, Ole Allen; marshal, James Galligan.
1898-President, Anton Christensen; council, D. Galligan, A. Carlson, John Toomey, Peter Torkelson, M. W. Williams; clerk, O. M. Habberstad; treasurer, G. B. Ellestad; marshal, James Galligan.
1899-President, Anton Christensen; council, James Toomey, L. L. Moe, R. R. Greer, Peter E. Torkelson, L. T. Tollefson; clerk, O. M. Habberstad; treasurer, John Solberg; justices, William Sackett, Ole Allen; marshal, James Galligan.
1900-President, John Toomey; council, A. Christensen, L. L. Moe, P. E. Torkelson, L. T. Tollefson, R. R. Greer; clerk, O. M. Habberstad; treasurer, John Solberg; marshal, James Galligan.
1901-President, R. R. Greer; council, C. H. Schansberg, Ira C. Pickett, T. Stanton, Julius Olson, Charles Peterson ; clerk, C. A. Chapman; treasurer, A. J. Lund; justices, William Sackett, J. G. French; marshal, James Galligan.
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1902-President, John Toomey; council, C. H. Schansberg, Ole Habberstad, Ira C. Pickett, M. V. Bean, L. L. Moe; clerk, Ole Viste; treasurer, A. J. Lund; marshal, James Galligan.
1903-President, John Toomey ; council, C. H. Schansberg; M. V. Bean, Ole Habberstad, I. C. Pickett, T. Stanton; clerk, J. H. Leary ; treasurer, O. M. Habberstad; justices, W. W. Sackett, J. G. French; marshal, James Galligan.
1904-President, M. W. Williams; council, M. V. Bean, W. S. Henry, Thomas Stanton, A. J. Hanson, Jacob Wahl; clerk, Guy R. Greer; treasurer, O. M. Habberstad; marshal, James Galligan.
1905-President, M. W. Williams; council, A. J. Lund, Thomas Thompson, S. A. Nelson, Jacob Wahl, W. S. Henry; clerk, Guy R. Greer; treasurer, O. M. Habberstad; justices, William Sackett, J. G. French; marshal, James Galligan.
1906-President, L. T. Tollefson; council, F. A. Drake, John Skaug, A. J. Lund, Ole Habberstad, A. A. Nepstad; clerk, F. M. Bean; treasurer, O. M. Habberstad; marshal, James Galligan.
1907-President, L. T. Tollefson; council, A. A. Nepstad, John Skaug, A. J. Lund, F. A. Drake, Ole Habberstad; clerk, F. M. Bean; treasurer, O. M. Habberstad; justices, J. G. French, W. W. Sackett; marshal, Charles Evans.
1908-President, C. A. Ward; trustees, A. J. Lund, F. A. Drake, Ole Habberstad; clerk, S. A. Stromme; treasurer, P. A. Nelson; justice, Thomas Scanlan; constables, Henry O. Bearson, Charles Evans.
1909-President, F. A. Drake; trustees, A. J. Lund, George McMaster, W. S. Henry; clerk, S. A. Stromme; treasurer, P. A. Nelson; justice, John C. Miller, Sr .; constable, Henry O. Bearson.
1910-Mayor, F. A. Drake; trustees, A. J. Lund, W. S. Henry, M. K. Skaug; clerk, S. A. Stromme; treasurer, P. A. Nelson; jus- tice, J. G. French; constables, Charles Evans, James Galligan.
1911-President, T. T. Tollefson; trustees, A. J. Lund, W. S. Henry, M. K. Skaug; clerk, T. A. Bell; treasurer, P. A. Nelson ; justice, J. G. French.
1912-President, L. T. Tollefson; trustees, M. K. Skaug, A. J. Lund, W. S. Henry; clerk, S. A. Stromme; treasurer, P. A. Nel- son; justice, J. G. French; constables, Charles Evans, James Galligan.
Electric Lights and Water Works. Lanesboro owns its elec- tric plant and water power. The Lanesboro stone dam, con- structed in the fall of 1868 by the Lanesboro Company at a cost of $15,000, on the south branch of Root river, is evidently one of the most natural places for such a structure to be found any- where in the northwest. The dam is built of solid square stone found within 200 feet of the dam. These square stones averaged in size about two and one-half feet in thickness and were found
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laying loose on the surface of a rich loamy soil. Nature has been very kind towards maintaining a dam at this point, as it is built on solid rock foundation and connected scientifically at both ends with a natural rock wall from top to bottom. The front masonry wall is twenty-four feet high, and a fall where the generating power is located of thirty feet. If it ever becomes necessary, there is sufficient power to furnish an electric illuminating cur- rent for a town having a population of twelve thousand.
Lanesboro is also very fortunate in its water system. The supply of water for the town is pumped from a flowing spring which comes from the bowels of the earth at the foot of one of the bluffs and is elevated to a reservoir on the top of Church hill. The basin has capacity of 7,000 barrels, and from its elevated position gives a pressure of seventy pounds in the business part of town. Lanesboro has the best and the most valuable asset of any town in the state in its supply of good spring water, which is fully appreciated by its citizens. The water is constantly pumped into the basin from the flowing spring, making it most desirable and acceptable for domestic and home consumption.
CARROLTON TOWNSHIP.
Carrolton has the thirty-six sections of a government town- ship, with the addition of sections six and seven of that on the east, and one-half each of sections thirty-three, thirty-four, and thirty-five on the north. It is the northeast of the four central towns of the county, and has Pilot Mound on the north, Holt on the east, Preston on the south, and Fountain on the west. The south branch of the Root river enters the town in section thirty- two, and follows its winding way to leave the town from section thirteen at Lanesboro. There are few, if any, rougher towns in the county than this. The hills are high and the bluffs abrupt, and of course this gives valleys of corresponding depths, and in some places they are pinched up to form mere ravines or gorges, and in others spread out and make room for fine farms. The soil is varied from a light sandy clay to a dark rich loam. The south sides of the bluffs are nearly barren, while the north side is generally covered with timber. The Root river itself cuts across the northeast corner of the township. Watson creek comes into the town from Fountain in section nineteen, and empties into the south branch at Clear Grit, in section twenty-one. Trout creek works its way from Preston through section thirty-six into the mill pond at Lanesboro. Another little stream comes from Fountain, through section seven, and finds its way into the north branch of Root river. The other little rivulets in town are unimportant.
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Early Settlement. Among the first settlers to spy out this goodly land, were K. K. Bell, T. K. Bell, R. Knudson and R. Peter- son. They came early in the spring of 1854, and secured claims in sections seven and twelve, and the presumption is that the first log house in the town was put up by them. At first they lived in a shanty made of elm bark. These pioneers were origi- nally from Norway and had lived in Wisconsin before com- ing here.
Patrick O'Shaughnessy, Joseph Mulvihill, and John Mulvihill, natives of the south of Ireland, came here from Illinois and planted themselves on section seven, in the west part of the town. It may be well to state here that there are two sections six and seven in the town, the two extra ones being, as already intimated, in the northeast part. A former history states that a man wanted the lucrative position of supervisor, and so en- gineered as to get these two sections set off from Holt, and some half sections from Pilot Mound, and by this movement secured the object of his ambition.
G. W. Eddy, of Illinois, came and settled in section twenty in 1855. The north and west part of the town was first settled by James Crowley, John Noonan, William Ryan, R. Fitzgerald, M. Mulholland, James Oberton and others, who, coming from Ire- land, had at first located in Iowa.
Charles McGuire secured a farm in section five in 1856; O. C. Gulbrandson in section twenty-seven; L. L. Olson also came the same year. James Billings come to Preston in 1856 and pre- empted eighty acres on the southwest quarter of section thirty- one, in Carrolton, and laid out the addition in that section.
In 1857 J. H. Skarie located in section one, and during that year the town was quite well filled up.
Land Office Records. The first titles to land in Carrolton township were issued by the government in 1855. Those who obtained land that year were as follows, the date of the issuance of the warrant being given first, then the name of the owner and then the section in which the land was largely located: May 9, Hans Wood, 8; May 24, Joseph Mulvihill, 7; May 24, Patrick Shaughnessy, 7; July 7, John Ryan, 7; July 7, William Ryan, 18; July 19, James O'Connell, 7; July 17, John Noonan, 8; August 8, Nathan Austin, 21-23; August 22, Oscar F. Kennedy, 33-34; September 15, Michael Mulholland, 9; October 13, Philip Rudden, 11; October 20, Hugh Mulholland, 13; October 31, David B. Seelye, 28; November 24, George W. Eddy, 20-21; December 12, John Fisk, 34; December 31, Sigund Sigulfen, 5.
Early Events. Peter Regnold, son of Regnold Knudson, was born in February, 1856. Mary Crowley was another early baby. Sheldon P. Eddy and Mary K. Eddy were united in the bonds of
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wedlock in July, 1855, at the house of G. W. Eddy. Mr. Ropes of Carimona tied the nuptial knot. The marriage of Ole Bendrick- son to Lucretia Knudson, and Martin Bremen to Mary Ryan, should also be mentioned. In July, 1854, Mrs. P. O'Shaughnessy was killed by the falling of a tree which was struck by lightning. They had not yet got up their cabins and were camped in a grove. The men were away at work, and on their return, after a shower, found Mrs. O'Shaughnessy under the fallen trunk, dead, and Mrs. John Mulvihill prostrated by the stroke. Although she was resuscitated she never fully recovered from the shock. An early death was that of Patrick Mullony, who, in the winter of 1856, started to walk home from Carimona to Carrolton in a snow storm and losing his way, perished. His faithful dog went home and led his friends back to the spot where he lay in the snow, stark and dead. His was the first burial in Carrolton cemetery. The first saw-mill in town was built by K. O. Orton in 1857, on the north branch of Root river, in section seven, over in the eastern part of town. About eight feet of fall was secured. It had a reciprocating saw, the canal that carried the water to the mill was nearly three-fourths of a mile long, but in 1858 it was de- stroyed by a flood. It was rebuilt and in 1860 was again washed away and the mill demolished. The material was then used to build a barn in section twelve. Gilbert & Foster, in 1858, built a mill to saw lumber on section thirty-four. In the winter of 1860 it was washed away and has never been replaced. The first saloon in town was before the war, previous to the excise tax. It was opened by Tom Hasset, on section thirty-four north. The whisky was procured raw from the distillery at Troy.
Political. The town was organized May 11, 1858. The elec- tion was at the house of Michael Mulholland in section nine. There was quite a discussion as to the name, a motion having been made to call the town Cork. But finally it was named in honor of the bold signer of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Carrol. The board elected at that meeting was as fol- lows: G. W. Eddy, chairman; John Mulvihill, Lawrence Con- nelly; town clerk, M. E. Billings; assessor, Nathan Austin; col- lector, Nic. Connelly ; justices of the peace, E. F. Armstrong and M. P. Enright; overseer of the poor, Patrick Wein. In 1859, M. Scanlan was elected town clerk and served for 21 years. At a special meeting held on December 9, 1864, the sum of $4,000 was voted to secure volunteers to fill the quota of the town. On April 6, 1865, the sum of $800 each was voted to those who would volunteer. The whole amount paid by the town for volunteers and to drafted men was about $8,000. The town affairs have been economically administered by the various boards that have been elected.
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Clear Grit was once a flourishing hamlet in section twenty- one, but nothing now remains of it but the ruins of a mill. The mill was constructed in 1869, by Everett Newcomb. In 1871, Hendrickson & Mclaughlin came in possession. In 1872, John Kaercher, of Preston, bought them out and enlarged the mill. In 1878 the mill was changed to a roller mill, the first in the county, as is stated, to make the alteration. In February, 1879, it was started with the new process, having twenty-one sets of rolls. Later it passed through various hands. The first store was opened here in 1872, by John Kaercher. It changed hands several times previous to 1875, when W. H. Roberts bought the concern and conducted it for some years. In 1877 Kelly & Mosher started a lumber yard, and the next year sold to Charles Grinder. He put up a building, 40x24 feet, as an office and hardware store, but never supplied the goods to fill it. In 1880, selling what he had on hand, he closed the establishment. In 1879 John Paul began a lumber yard. In 1874 Theabold Switzer built a hotel and con- ducted it about one year, when it passed into other hands. In 1881 Freeman Young built a wagon and blacksmith shop, making wagons and repairing, but the same year he discontinued his place and left.
Isinours Station. The depot building was elected by the citi- zens of Preston, who, having been disappointed in securing the road at their own doors, were obliged to go to this expense, as one of the directors remarked, "it had cost so much to get around the town that the company could not afford to build a station for them." The land was secured of George Isenhour, and a man was employed to care for the station. In a year or two the com- pany placed an agent there, and have since managed it. Mr. Isenhour built a hotel. In 1871 a post-office was established here, with W. M. Grant as postmaster. Very soon, however, Mr. Isen- hour was appointed. Mr. Isenhour was followed by Mrs. John C. Mills, who was the last postmistress. Mail is now received from Preston. While hopes were entertained that this would some- time be a village, the place still consists of a railroad station and two houses, the post-office and the hotel having been discontinued. The place is known as a junction point, and also as the resi- dence of the Hon. and Mrs. John C. Mills.
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CHAPTER XXI
RUSHFORD AND PETERSON.
Rushford City-Modern Progress-Early History-Naming the Hamlet Pioneer Days-Municipal History-Public Library- Rushford Township, now Rushford Village-Early Settlers- Early Events-Land Office Records-Political-Peterson Vil- lage-Early History-Municipal History.
Rushford is a progressive city in the northeastern part of the county, on the Root river, and the Southern Minnesota branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul. It is well laid out, and well situated, with a pretty park, which was platted with the city, and various natural features of picturesque beauty which have been well preserved and cared for. The city was settled in 1854 and incorporated in 1868. In the early days the hamlet was known as Trail City by reason of the fact that many Indian paths converged here. The city has a good water works system, an excellent high school, a public library, electric lights on streets and in residences, fine telephone and telegraph service, good fire protection, a sewer system, two banks, a good newspaper, two theaters, two good hotels and several boarding houses and restau- rants, a lumber yard, a creamery, two elevators, a power com- pany, and representative lodges of several of the leading fra- ternities. It is excellently supplied with the usual business houses and professional men. There are several churches of the leading denominations, and the social and literary standing of the com- munity is high. In the manufacturing line may be mentioned woolen, knitting, flour and feed mills, a bottling plant and a wagon shop, as well as the usual cobblers, blacksmiths and har- ness makers.
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Early History. The first claimant here was E. K. Dyer, who had lived in Houston, Houston county, and came about April, 1854, with his family, a wife and two children, and built a log cabin near what is now the west end of Rushford avenue. During the summer he cultivated a little patch of corn; he had a yoke of oxen, a cow, and a few hogs, some of which, during the season, were destroyed by bears. The following spring Mr. Dyer went to Zumbrota and thence to La Crosse, and afterwards to La Crescent.
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OLD LOG CABIN
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Hiram Walker, his wife and two children, were the next comers in Rushford. He was a native of New Hampshire, and came up here from La Crosse, where he had lived since 1851. His arrival was in August, 1854, after having traveled through quite a portion of the county in quest of a good water privilege, which he found at this place. Having decided to locate here he returned to La Crosse, and securing a boat, he, with two other families, Joseph Otis and S. S. Stebbins, put aboard their household goods and started across the Mississippi and up the Root river, which they followed in its winding way until above Houston. Here an impassable obstruction was encountered, and they were forced to abandon the boat and haul their goods the rest of the way with a team. In the meantime Mr. Stebbins had been taken sick, and his condition was such that it was deemed advisable for him to return, and accordingly Mr. Otis took him back to La Crosse in a canoe. Mr. Walker, with the assistance of two hired men, Joseph Pease and R. H. Valentine, transported the goods to their destination. Coming up the river, at the point where the boat was abandoned, they met Mr. Dyer and wife, completely discouraged, and intending to leave the place never to return. Their two children had died of fever, and with their new home thus desolated, they could not bear to remain there alone. Mr. Walker and his family reassured them, and they were prevailed upon to return, remaining through the winter. As soon as Mr. Stebbins, who was a brother-in-law, was comfortable enough to leave La Crosse, Mr. Otis and family came up. Mr. Stebbins joined them later in the winter, and so there were four families in Rushford during the winter of 1854-55. When that pioneer party was coming from La Crosse, Mr. Stebbins, who was taken sick, had a supply of merchandise that was brought along, but the store itself was not opened until he finally reported in person, although Mr. Walker had sold merchandise from this stock. Soon after Mr. Walker arrived he began the erection of a mill on Rush creek, which was ready to operate the follow- ing spring.
William Johnson came up in the fall of 1854, and lived here until his death in 1881. He was a Canadian by birth, and came here from New York state.
The next prominent old settler was William W. Snell, a native of North Brookfield, Mass. He was the son of a Congregational minister. He arrived on May 4, 1855, bought a lot of S. S. Stebbins and built an unhewn timber residence. His wife and child were left in Lawrence, Mass., and as soon as his house was prepared he sent for his young family, and they arrived in Oc- tober. Mr. Snell held religious services in the house of Mr. Steb- bins on the Sunday following his arrival here, and later organized
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a Congregational church, of which he was pastor over thirty years. He was a mechanical genius, and invented the principle of the twine binder now in general use.
Naming the Hamlet. During the first fall the question of a name for the place was agitated, and Mr. Dyer himself, it seems, had a preference for Pomfret, but this name did not suit the rest. But it was finally settled in this way : Mr. Dyer invited the whole population to partake of a Christmas dinner at his house, and after the viands were disposed of, when the most happy feeling prevailed, the host started the question as to the town name, and various cognomens suggested. One lady proposed Rushville, which Mr. Walker amended by calling it Rushford. A vote was proposed, and the elective franchise freely accorded to the women. The following document was then drawn up and duly signed: "The undersigned having met at the house of E. K. Dyer at a Christmas supper, voted, that we will vote for the name of Rushford to be the future name of the town 104, range eight, also to be the name of the village near the mouth of Rush creek. Rushford, December 25, 1854. (Signed.) E. K. Dyer, William Johnson, Joseph Otis, Hiram Walker, Joseph Pease, R. H. Valentine, E. T. Dyer, C. Walker, M. C. Otis." The last three were the ladies of Rushford.
Mr. Dyer was soon after appointed a justice of the peace, and during the winter or early spring exercised the functions of his office by uniting in marriage Halvor Sennes with the lady of his choice, it being the first occasion of the kind in town.
Pioneer Days. Mrs. Mary I. West has gathered the facts of the early settlement of Rushford practically as above, but from a somewhat different viewpoint, and her story of those trying times is here reproduced.
Mr. and Mrs. E. K. Dyer, and son Wallace, the former of whom had been a sailor on the coast of Maine, arrived in La Crosse from the East in August, 1852, and there heard of the Root river. In September of the same year they pushed up the river in a flat boat, landing at what is now Houston, and there staking out a claim. However, in November Mr. Dyer moved up the river and stopped at Cushing's Peak, spending the winter with Mr. Cush- ing, from whom the peak was named.
In the spring of 1853 Mr. Dyer moved up the river to the present site of Rushford and laid claim to property which in recent times has been owned by Mrs. Otto Foss. In the fall he returned to Houston.
In the spring of 1854 an Indian informed Mr. Dyer that his claim was in danger of being jumped, so he and the family re- turned and lived in a rail shanty until he built a log house near the present site of the Park Hotel. During this interval no one
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else lived on the present site of the city except the Indians. In August the two Dyer children died, and thus bereaved, alone in a strange country, the parents sorrowfully turned their faces to- ward Houston.
On the way they met Hiram Walker, and after a conversation, it was decided that the Dyers should again return to Rushford and that Walker and his family should also locate there. Ac- cordingly, the Walker party proceeded up the river to Rush- ford, and the Dyers, after a visit to Houston, followed them a few days later. For a time they lived together in the Dyer cabin, and Mr. Walker soon built himself a cabin on the site occupied in modern times by Hendrick Hendrickson. Following these pioneers other settlers began to arrive.
In the meantime, in June, 1854, Duncan Cameron and Rod- erick McLeod, from Wisconsin, settled on farms in Rush creek valley, near the northern part of the city. At this time there were two Norwegian families on the south side of the river. In July S. S. Stebbins and Joseph Otis came from La Crosse and after staking out claims, returned for their families. Late in the fall Joseph Otis came with his family and built a cabin near Brooklyn bridge. Later Stebbins and his family arrived and built his cabin on the corner lot west of what in modern times became the site of the Mohan family.
In the winter of 1854-1855 there were located on or near the present site of Rushford the following families: Four American families on the site; adjoining the city and north of the Root river were two Scotch families and one Norwegian family; on the south side of the river there were three Norwegian families and one American family. To the west were four Norwegian families and one American family.
In the spring of 1855 Mr. Dyer sold to Soloman West. In the spring of 1856 Mr. West sold to G. G. Stevens.
Before 1855 mail was brought from La Crosse by kindly dis- posed travelers, and left at the house of Mr. Stebbins, which served as tavern, place of worship, store and postoffice. In the fall of 1855 a postoffice was established at Looney Valley, over the line in Houston county, with Dr. Willson as postmaster. The first postoffice at Rushford was in the summer of 1857, with C. G. Hulbert as postmaster. Hugh Lampman was the first govern- ment mail carrier to bring mail to the hamlet.
The first regular store was built by Otis Bathrick in the spring of 1856.
Municipal History. In 1868 Rushford was incorporated as a city by a special act of the legislature. A single clause, however, was so ambiguous that there was considerable trouble afterwards, as it provided that the city should continue a part of the town
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