History of Ramsey County and the city of St. Paul, including the Explorers and pioneers of Minnesota, Part 57

Author: Warner, George E; Foote, Charles M., joint author; Neill, Edward D. (Edward Duffield), 1823-1893. Explorers and pioneers of Minnesota. 1n; Williams, J. Fletcher (John Fletcher), 1834-1895. Outlines of the history of Minnesota
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Minneapolis, North Star Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 684

USA > Minnesota > Ramsey County > St Paul > History of Ramsey County and the city of St. Paul, including the Explorers and pioneers of Minnesota > Part 57

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in 1853, the olfactory nerves of the settlers were saluted, constantly, with the effluvia arising from the decomposing bodies of Indian dead left according to custom, above the ground. This finally became so unbearable that Governor Gor- man ordered the removal of the remains.

After the Indian title was ceded, settlement progressed more rapidly, and in 1858 the legisla- ture granted a city charter. Sections one and two of the act read as follows : " All the district of country in the county of Dakota, contained with- in the limits and boundaries hereinafter described, shall be a city by the name of West Saint Paul, and the people now inhabiting, and those who shall hereafter inhabit within the district of coun- try herein described, shall be a municipal corpo- ration by the name of the city of West Saint Paul, and shall have the general powers possessed by municipal corporations at the common law, and the authorities thereof shall have perpetual suc- cession ; shall be capable of contracting and being contracted with, of sueing and being sued, plead- ing and being impleaded in all courts of law and equity ; and have a common seal, and may change and alter the same at pleasure.

" The limits of said city shall be all that district of country on the west side of the Mississippi river, commencing at a point where the section line between section sixteen and section nine, town twenty - eight, range twenty-two, intersects the Mississippi river on the wost side; thence running due west along said line, until said line intersects the Mississippi river; thence along down the channel of said river to point of be- ginning.

" The said city of West Saint Paul shall be divided into two wards, as follows: All of said city lying east of A street to be the first ward, and all lying west of A street to be the second ward, and that A street shall be continued, as near as practicable, a south course, to intersect the southern boundaries of said city,"

The act was approved on March 22d. It con- tained the usual provisions for government, and fixed the first Monday in the April following, as the date on which elections should be held for city officers, as follows: one mayor, six aldermen, and one justice of the peace, a treasurer, assessor, and marshal. The elections were duly held, and a city government formed; the list of whose

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WEST SAINT PAUL-ORGANIZATION.

names, and those of subsequent administration, will be found on later pages of this chapter.

Soon after the city government was put into proper shape, and Mayor Bell delivered a lengthy address to the council, at its first meeting.

At a meeting of the common council, held August 2d, it was ordered, "that 10,000 copies of Mayor Bell's message be printed, as follows: 5,000 in English, 2,500 in German, and 2,500 in French, for the use of the council and citizens generally." The use of this large number of copies is not very apparent, unless they were to be used to advertise the advantages of West St. Paul as a place for settlement, as the census, taken two years later, in 1860, only gave the total population of the place as 622; 319 males, and 303 females.

The records of the council were poorly kept, but enough are found to show that the city steadily ran in debt. Nearly all debts were paid in city orders, which finally depreciated in value to such an extent, that by order of the council an effort" was made to get some bank to endorse them.

From the books of the treasurer of West St. Paul, it would appear that in 1858 there were at least 153 blocks in the city, the value of lots being held at from $10 to $100 cach. The same books show that for purposes of taxation, the real estate in the city, in 1858, was valued at $248,928, and on which a tax of one per cent. was levied. Had the taxes all been collected, the rate of taxation would have realized $2.489.28. The records show, however, that only $976.96 was collected, and most of the real estate in the city was sold for non-payment of taxes.

The liabilities of the city were rapidly becom- ing greater than its assets, and claims for pay- ment becoming pressing it was resolved at a special meeting of the city council held Septem- ber 18th, 1858, that "the city issue its scrip for the purpose of paying the debts of the city already contracted, and to meet further liabilities an amount not exceeding four thousand dollas, dur- ing the current year shall be issued, and that said scrip shall be issued in sums of from one to ten dollars, and shall be received by the city at par for all taxes, and all debts due the city. Said scrip shall also bear interest at the rate of twelve per cent. per annum and shall be redeemed by the city within two years from the date of issue."

The question of salaries not having been set-

tled, at a meeting of the council held November 1st, it was resolved "that the mayor shall receive a salary of $150 per annum in full for his ser- vices as mayor of the city, payable quarterly; that the city surveyor and engineer shall receive for his services five dollars per day for each days work actually performed by him under the direc- tion of the city council, payable monthly; that the city attorney shall receive for his services from the date of the resolution to the first Mon- day in April next, the sum of one hundred dollars in two equal payments, on the first of January and on the first of April, 1859; that the city mar- shal shall be sergeant at arms of the council, and shall attend upon all meetings of the council, no- tifying members of any special meetings, when- ever required to do so by the mayor, keep the council room in order, and have the room ready at all times for the meeting of the council; he shall have charge of the room and all property of of the city therein, and shall receive for such ser- vices the sum of fifty dollars per year, payable semi-annually; that the city clerk shall receive a salary of two hundred and fifty dollars per an- num for his services, said salary to be payable quarterly. Provided that all the above salaries becoming due and payable to each and every offi- cer mentioned in the foregoing resolution, shall be paid in city scrip at par." The aldermen were also paid each the sum of fifty dollars per annum for their services.

Under the original act of incorporation the legislative powers of the council were defined and limited. Authority was given to levy and collect taxes on all property, real and personal, within the city limits, not exceeding one per cent. per annum, upon the assessed value thereof,accord- ing to the actual value of the land, and to have power to levy a tax not exceeding one-half of one per cent. on the assessed value of the property for building school-houses. The act gave the council authority to "appropriate money and pro- vide for the payment of the expenses of the city," but gave no power to levy any other tax than the two above specified ; and section 4 expressly states that it "shall have no power to borrow money or contract debts." This latter prohibi- tion was subsequently removed by the legislature passing " an act to amend an act to incorporate the city of West St. Paul," approved July 22d,

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HISTORY OF RAMSEY COUNTY.

1858. The amendment effected was by striking out the words " and shall have no power to bor- row money or contract debts," and inserting in place thereof " shall have power to borrow money to an amount not exceeding fifteen thousand dol- lars in any one year." It was under the powers granted by this act, therefore, that the city scrip was issued.

The financial operations of the council, how- ever, afforded but a temporary kind of relief, and the scrip rapidly depreciated in value. Its con- dition grew so bad that during the session of 1860 the legislature had to interfere, and an act was passed, on March 8th, to amend the charter so as to limit the liabilities and expenses of the city. Under this act the city was prohibited from " incurring liabilities and expenses in any one year to exceed fifteen hundred dollars for im- provements of any and all kinds, and three hun- dred dollars for salaries and fees of city officers, so that the total expenses, liabilities and disburse- ments shall not exceed the sum of eighteen hun- dred dollars per annum, and no salaries or fees shall be allowed or paid to the mayor or aldermen of said city."

In addition to this, the authority given to the city, by the former act, to borrow money to the amount of fifteen thousand dollars per annum, was repealed. The city was also formed into one school district, and the members of the board of education were to serve without salary or other pecuniary compensation.

The expenses of the city thus cut down, were still too great a burden for it to carry. There really was no reason why West St. Paul should exist as a city at all. It was a useless expense ; for, as before stated, the inhabitants only num- bered at this time, 1860, 622. No prospects ap- peared of this number receiving any additions ; real estate fell in value and debt increased ; so that, at the next session of the legislature, it had again to interfere in the affairs of the struggling city. This interference took the form of an act to again amend the charter. It consisted of only two short sections, which were approved March 2d, 1861 ; in which the city was "prohibited from' incurring liabilities and expenses in any one year to exceed two hundred dollars for improyements of any and all kinds, and three hundred dollars for salaries and fees, disbursements for stationery

and all other expenses of city officers ; so that the total expenses and disbursements shall not exceed the sum of five hundred dollars per annum, and no salaries or fees shall be allowed or paid to the mayor or aldermen of said city."

But all this legislation was of no use. Matters steadily progressed from worse to worse, and the only cure for such a state of affairs that remained was of the heroic kind. Such was indispensably necessary, and was administered. The knife fell March 8th, 1862, and the feeble existence of West St. Paul as a city terminated. Its civic honors were shorn by act of the legislature, and charter annulled. It was, however, provided that the act should in no sense affect any taxes assessed or levied upon the taxable property of the city, or any tax liens or tax sales, or for any claims for money due or to become due upon such tax sales, or for any taxes levied.

The city clerk was required to surrender and deliver to the county auditor at Hastings, all books, accounts, and records, and the seal of the city, where they were to be kept for the inspec- tion of all persons interested therein. The county auditor was required to ascertain the whole amount of the liabilities and outstanding indebt- edness of the city, and to find out the character of such debts, and when the same accrued. In order to pay off this accumulated indebtedness, a special tax was to be levied of ten mills on the dollar, of the valuation of all taxable property within the limits of the former city, at the same time and in the same manner as other taxes were levied and collected. All the scrip, bonds and other evidences of the indebtedness of the city, that had been lawfully issued, were made receiv- able for all taxes so levied, until all the debts of the city were paid and discharged.

From this period until the date of its absorp- tion by the city of St. Paul, West St. Paul was governed as part of the township. This was all the government necessary as the census of 1870 only gives the population of the entire township as 907.

The special tax referred to above proved insuf- ficient to cancel the indebtedness that had grown up under the administration of the city authori- ties, so, in 1873, an act was passed to provide for the funding of the city debt of the former city. Edward H. Wood, Jeremiah A. McCarthy and

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. SAINT PAUL-THE WEST SIDE.

Albert Scheffer were appointed commissioners to perform the duties provided for. They were re- quired to meet once a month for a period of six months, for the purpose of having such bonds, scrip and other legal evidences of debt issued by the legally constituted authorities of the former city, presented by the holders for examination, and to turn over in lieu thereof new bonds run- ning ten years with coupons attached bearing date October 1st, 1873, with interest at the rate of ten per cent. payable semi-annually, both principal and interest payable at the First National Bank of St. Paul. The old evidence of debt were to be cancelled and destroyed, and the new signed by the chairman of the board, and countersigned by the town clerk. For the purpose of paying these new bonds a special tax of one-half of one per cent. upon the valuation of all the real estate within the limits of what constituted the former city of West St. Paul, was to be levied. In or- der to provide for the extinction of these bonds, the town treasurer was required after paying the interest on the bonds, from the proceeds of the special tax, to advertise in a daily paper in St. Paul the amount of the balance of the funds in his hands arising from such tax, and to ask for proposals for the surrender of the bonds. The party or parties offering to surrender the bonds at the lowest per cent. upon their par value was to be deemed the highest bidder therefor, and to be entitled to the money upon the surrender of his or their bond or bonds. In case of there remaining any portion of any of said bond or bonds unpaid after said payment, the board of supervisors was to issue a new bond for the amount of said unpaid balance with the coupons of the same nature.

The form of these bonds was somewhat changed next year, by an act approved March 9th, 1874. which provided that these new bonds should have coupons attached in series, running on or before, three, five and ten years after date, and to bear date March 2d, 1874, to bear interest at the rate of ten per cent. per annum, as before, but they were to be made payable at such bank or banks as the board of supervisors should designate.

It may be well to state in this connection, al- though out of chrononlogical order, that in 1878, after the territory included in the former city of West St. Paul had been annexed to St. Paul,

some of these bonds were still over due, and un- paid, and no provision having been made for their payment, action became necessary, as their de- fault and non-payment was, in a measure, a re- flecton upon the honor of St. Paul. The amount of these bonds outstanding, without taking into consideration unpaid interest was $13,200. The legislature was applied to and passed a special law allowing the common council of the city of St. Paul, in order to fund the bonded debt of the former city of West St. Paul, to issue St. Paul city bonds to an amount equal to the principal and interest of these defaulted bonds, which bonds the council were to issue in such sums as it might determine. Interest was fixed at seven per cent. payable at the fiscal agency of the city of St. Paul in New York city. These new bonds, however, were not to be disposed of at less than their par value. Under the provisions of this act, real property in the Sixth ward (West St. Paul) was to be levied upon each year, for a sum sufficient to pay the interest on these bonds, and in the year preceding their maturity a sum sufficient to pay the principal, as well as interest for that year. In this way the debt of West St. Paul was assumed and the bondholders protected.

In the years 1873 and 1874, annexation began to be agitated on both sides of the river. In St. Paul, the chief reason for such a step was to be found in the fact that it was desirable to extend the jurisdiction of the city, for the purpose of re- pressing crime, as it often happened that crimi- nals eluded the grasp of justice by flying across the river. While the inhabitants of West St. Paul and vicinity were in favor of the measure, those in the southern and western part of Dakota county, objected to seeing the county shorn of part of its territory. And, be it observed, here is to be found the explanation of a fact, not very generally known, but one that has puzzled many to account for, namely, the passage of an act, in less than two weeks before the act of annexation was passed, to again incorporate West St. Paul as a city, with all the rights and privileges that the name and title implies. Such an act was passed and approved February 24th, 1874. Sec- tion 4 of this act, required an election to be held within two weeks after the approval of the act. It was never voted upon, and few people are even aware that such an act ever had an existence.

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HISTORY OF RAMSEY COUNTY.

Lulled into a sense of false security by this step, the opponents of the annexation scheme took no measure to oppose it, as of course the project ·seemed to be dead. But before the two weeks had expired, another law was passed and ap- proved March 9th, 1874, entitled an "act to detach certain territory in Dakota county, and annex the same to the county of Ramsey," which repealed the act recently passed. Sections 4 and 5 required the question to be submitted to a vote in both Dakota and Ramsey counties, at the next general election. The elections were held on November 3d, following, and resulted in a majority vote in favor of the act, by both counties. Proclamation was made of the ratification of the act, on Novem- ber 16th, and thus West St. Paul became the Sixth ward of the city of St. Paul. Section 3 had considerable weight in influencing the vote in Dakota county, as it provided that the bridge at Wabasha street should be declared free, in case the vote stood in favor of the annexation.

In fixing the southern boundary of the addi- tion to Ramsey county, the usual rules govern- ing such actions were disregarded, and in place of this boundary making a straight line on the map, forty acres, in the shape of a square, were left in Dakota county, so that the line runs due east until it strikes this property, then north, then again east, then due south until the projected line is reached, and then on in its original direc- tion due east. This was provided for in the act, under section 1, which reads as follows : "that all of that part of Dakota county lying north of the south boundary line of sections seven, eight and mine, of township number twenty-eight, range twenty-three, west, are hereby detached from the county of Dakota and attached to the county of Ramsey, for all purposes whatsoever. The south- west quarter of the south-east quarter of section seven, township twenty-eight, range twenty-two, west, is excepted from the provisions of this act, and shall remain a part and portion of Dakota county."

This blot upon the map was made for the ac- commodation of Philip Crowley, who was one of the school commissioners of Dakota county, and who would have been legislated out of his office otherwise, as of course he could not hold office in one county and reside in another. At the next election, however, he was not selected for

another term, and he would now prefer, no doubt, to be in Ramsey county.

The big flood that occurred in the spring of 1881 inflicted much damage to the property on the river flats. Nearly all living on these flats had to leave their dwellings, several small houses were entirely carried away by the force of the waters, and many of those that were left had to be reached by means of boats until the freshet sub- sided. Thousands of cords of wood were floated off, and much other damage was inflicted. School . instruction was discontinued for a time, and the school-house was given up for the use of those persons who were driven from their houses by the flood.

Such in brief is the history of West St. Paul. Born under adverse circumstances it had a hard struggle for existence. It assumed the toga virilis at too early an age, and its years and strength were insufficient to bear the burdens of manhood thrust upon it all too soon. Its fate, therefore, was according to the laws of nature. The seeds of dissolution sown in early youth bore their pro- per fruit and its decay naturally ensued. Its en- graftment upon the healthy body politic of St. Paul gave it fresh blood, and the vitality thus infused has changed its circumstances so that its growth and improvement now is co-incident with that of the great city of which it is part.

The following is a partial list of those who have held office during the years of its existence as a city. It is not a wholly complete one, as it has been found impossible to obtain all the names, so few and incomplete are the records that can be found.

Mayors-George W. H. Bell, 1858; William Ir- vine, 1859; George W. H. Bell, 1860; D. W. C. Dunnell, 1861 to March Sth, 1862, when the city charter was repealed.

City Clerks-D. A. Benton, to August, 1858; R. A. Phelan to 1859; A. Grethen to December, 1860; George C. Dunwell to March, 1862.

Aldermen-1858-A. Bryant, O. O. Curtiss, re- signed in September, Warren Woodbury elected to fill vacancy; Henry Dierk, William Irvine, James Sweeney. 1859-Henry Dierk, James Sweeney, Thomas Wheeler, W. B. Newcombe, George C. Dunwell, James Maloney. 1860-Wil- liam Irvine, Samuel Sweeney, Joseph Conlee, John Tower, John Vanderhorck, William Pratt.

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1861-Alex. Alexander, William Irvine, John Vanderhorck, A. II. McDonald, Freeman Jones, Anthony Kramer.

City Attorneys-1858, J. H. Brownson, died in office, R. A. Phelan elected to fill vacancy, Janu- ary 3d, 1859; A. Grethen, from April, 1860, to March, 1862.

City Engineers-Perry French and William Fenton.

City Marshals-William Wright, J. J. McCar- thy.

Treasurers-J. Vanderhorck, A. Bryant.

Board of Education-George C. Dunwell, Henry Dierk, Richard Bradly, George W. H. Bell, Wil- liam Lyden, from April, 1860, to 1861.

CHAPTER XLV.

TRANSPORTATION - STEAMBOATS-RED RIVER CARTS-PRESENT SYSTEM OF RAILROADS.

The question of transportation in the early days of Minnesota, was one not difficult of solu- tion, owing to its unrivalled position with regard to water communication. The broad bosom of the Father of waters was soon made subservient to the demands of man, and the means thus pro- vided by nature were taken advantage of, and utilized at quite an early date, and the steamboat interest became one of great prominence and benefit, an interest that was developed at a rate commensurate with the growth of the country; which, also was one of the chief causes of this growth. For years the river was the only chan- nel of communication that existed, and whicli sufficed for the wants of the community, until the subsequent growth of population dispersed the inhabitants, so that they receded farther and far- ther from the shores of the water-ways, along the course of which settlement always first tended. Then the absence of artificial lines of transit became a much felt weight that oppressed the de- velopment of the great resources of the country.

It was long, comparatively speaking, before railroads were able to make their appearance, and inter-communication was restricted to horse and

ox teams, and later on, to stages, that, under the management of the Minnesota Stage Company traversed the state in all directions of settlement. Fortunately the natural prairie roads which run over the high undulating uplands, had the smooth- ness and compactness of artificial turnpikes. This peculiarity of the internal highways of Minnesota distinguished it from other western states. It is stated, that, in a majority of coun- ties, the average weight which a two-horse team would draw for a distance of thirty miles a day was from two thousand to three thousand pounds. In the south-west counties however not quite such favorable results could be obtained.

In Illinois, before plank roads and railroads gave her access to markets, the average rate of travel, in the most favorable seasons, was twenty miles per day, and the average load which a two horse team could carry was fifteen hundred pounds. The average Illinois load was one thou- sand pounds. Minnesota, therefore, possessed a great advantage over other states in the natural facilities of land transit.

It was this favorable disposition of the land that enabled the Red River carts to make such long journeys with safety and facility, and which subsequently allowed of the quick construction of railroads through the vast prairies of the state.

From St. Paul down the river, however, the natural roads were not nearly so good, and greater impediments were in the way of unrestricted travel.

Until the year 1823, the general idea had pre- vailed among steamboatmen, that the rapids at Rock Island were of such a nature as to prevent the passage of a steamboat, and until that date, therefore, the only means of water transportation was by Mackinaw boats. This idea was dissipated by the passage of the Virginia from St. Louis to Mendota ; which was the first steamboat to navi- gate the waters of Minnesota. It was built at Pittsburg, drew six feet of water, and measured 118 by 22 feet. It was commanded by Captain Crawford, and left St. Louis with Major Talia- ferro, the Indian agent, Count Beltrami, Major Biddle, Lieutenant Russell, and others, arriving at Mendota, May 10th, 1823.

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