USA > Minnesota > Washington County > History of Washington County and the St. Croix Valley, including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota > Part 34
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Nearly all this lumber was manufactured at Stillwater; Schulenburg, Boeckeler & Co. manu- facturing 11,700,000 feet of lumber, 1,350,250 shingles, 2,449,300 lath; Hersey, Staples & Co., 5,987,217 feet of lumber, 1,009,645 shingles, 1,699,- 880 lath. The estimated value of logs passed through the booms, added to the value of manu- factured lumber at market prices, gave a total for the year 1865, of about $1,400,000, according to the most reliable information within reach.
The lumber product of 1870 amounted to 191,- 577,776 feet of logs scaled by the surveyor gene- ral; total value of the product, $2,126,848.62.
The product of 1871 amounted to 149,777,235 feet scaled, valued at $2,122,139, showing that the product fell off 41,800,541 feet from that of the preceding year, but the total value, owing to increased price of lumber, was nearly as great as that of the former year.
In 1872, the logs from the St. Croix boom amounted to 205,000,000 feet; total value, $2,358,- 000. The prices obtained were as follows: logs, $10.50 per thousand ; manufactured lumber, $14.00 per thousand.
We clip from the North Star, in regard to lum- bering business of the St. Croix in 1872: "The lumbering establishments on the St. Croix are seventeen mills and two booms, with a capital invested of $500,000. These mills are capable of turning out 35,000,000 feet of lumber, 10,000,600
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HISTORY OF THE SAINT CROIX VALLEY.
lath, and 15,000,000 shingles annually, the total value of which is at least one-half million dollars."
The year 1873 shows a falling off in the prod- uct and total valuation, but an increase in value per thousand. The items were 88,063,976 feet of lumber at $13.50 per thousand, $1,188,893.67; 20,200,000 shingles at $3 per thousand, $60,600; 22,477,000 lath at $2 per thousand, $44,954; 56,- 054,171 feet of logs at $9 per thousand, $504,- 487.53; 28,000,000 feet of logs above and below the boom, at $7 and $9 per thousand, $233,090.91; total 166,163,628 feet, $2,031,996.11 valuation for the year's product.
In 1874 the log product was 167,170,525 feet, valued at $2,186,522. In 1875, 152,410,069 feet of logs passed through the St. Croix boom. In the winter of 1875-6 the cut on the tributaries of the St. Croix was 126,600,000 feet.
In 1877 the logs scaled by the surveyor general amounted to 153,373,869 feet. For once in the history of the St. Croix lumber trade no logs re- mained on hand, either in the boom at Stillwater, or down the river. In 1878 the cut was 130,189,- 265 feet of lumber, 43,007,200 shingles and 20,- 664,400 lath.
The total amount of logs run through the Still- water boom during the year 1880 was 207,100,000 feet. Logs scaled and recorded at the surveyor general's office during the year, 1,068,106, scaling 212,239,721 feet. The following is the summary of the lumber cut in the St. Croix Valley during the year 1880: Total amount of lumber, 32,307,- 000 feet; shingles, 9,157,000; lath, 5,367,000.
We have been kindly furnished by Judge Joel Foster, of River Falls, with an account of his first acquaintance with this valley, and since it sets forth in familiar language, incidents and scenes of early days in a very interesting manner, as only an eye witness could describe them, we offer it here entire, believing that it should be preserved and will be enjoyed and cherished by our readers:
Judge Joel Foster was born in Meriden, Con- necticut, December 15th, 1814, half way between New Haven and Hartford, on the old original road from New York to Boston, where he spent the earlier years of his life on a farm, until De- cember 30th, 1830, when he with his brother George, and brother-in-law, Lewis, started for the then far western wilds of Illinois, their objective point being East St. Louis, or Marine, a short
distance below, on the Illinois side of the river. They made the trip across the country with two teams, in wagons, reaching East St. Louis some- time in February, 1831. From that point they went to Marine, where their brother Isaac was located. Joel then attended school for a short time and then engaged with his brother in a store until the spring of 1832, when he commenced to open up a farm on government land, a short dis- tance from the village of Marine. He continued ยท on the farm for three years, when he removed to AIton, Illinois, and took charge of the steam ferry across the Mississippi river at that point, which belonged to his brother. His ambition at this time was to run a river steamer. But a steam saw-mill company at East St. Louis, per- suaded him to take charge of their engine, which he did, and remained with them one year. The mill was engaged in getting out railroad timber. At the expiration of this time he removed to Ed- wardsville, Madison county, Illinois, and en- gaged with another mill company until the spring of 1846, when he enlisted for the Mexican war. He took this step partially on account of failing health, and furthermore, with a view to change of occupation. His military service, together with the climate of the table lands of Mexico, proved favorable, and he recovered, and was promoted in consequence of merit to the office of second lieu- tenant in the Second Illinois Volunteers, Col. Bissell's regiment. During the summer of 1847, he returned to St. Louis, and, the winter follow- ing, visited New England. From this point we will allow the judge to tell his own story.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
REMINISCENCES OF JUDGE JOEL FOSTER ON THE EARLY HISTORY OF RIVER FALLS.
"'Judge, how did you happen to find this beau- tiful little nest, hid away here among the hills as it were?' 'What induced you to come out here and locate all alone as you did?' These ques- tions have been put to me so often in the last twenty-seven or eight years, I shall state as briefly
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as possible the train of circumstances that en- abled me to find this location, and the inducements that made me locate here.
"At the time of the breaking out of the Mexi- can war, I was in business in Edwardsville, Mad- ison county, Illinois, having come west at an early day, a boy of sixteen, locating in the valley of the Mississippi, forty-six years ago this coming winter. The location proved almost fatal to the family, there being eight of us at this time, five brothers and three sisters, and I became so well satisfied of the mistake made in locating so far south, with different water and air from what we had been breathing and drinking, and that I must shift my location if I wanted to live long, that I made use of the war to help me break up where I was, and give me chance to view Texas and Mex- ico, with reference to future location. Of course there was a small sprinkling of patriotism and loyalty in it.
"The campaign in Texas and Mexico proved a great help to me so far as health was concerned. I became stout and robust. The mountain air of Mexico agreed with me, but on returning home to Illinois a relapse took place, and I was in a fair way to be worse off than ever, and was thinking of starting to San Antonio, Texas, when a nephew, Eli Lewis, who afterward settled on the place that Mr. O. S. Powell now owns, near the village of River Falls, came down from this section. He told me he thought it very healthy, though no farming country; but you understand steam- boating, you can go into that, or lumbering. I started at once, as there was no time to spare, on account of ill-health; took passage with Captain Harris on the old 'Senator,' almost the only boat that came up this far at that time. The boat had two barges in tow loaded with United States dra- goons for Fort Snelling. It was a month, lacking three days, when we landed at St. Paul, owing to the overloading of the boat and breaking the main shaft. The boat landed at the foot of the street that goes to the river, past the Merchants' hotel, on Saturday evening. Had few or no passengers ex- cept the troops and myself. The plank was run out just long enough for me to walk ashore with my rifle, blanket and satchel, the boat pushed off, and started for the fort. I looked around and on the bank, or bluff above me, in the grass and hazel brush, was a bench with five or six men sitting on it.
In looking for a place to get on the upper bank I found a narrow cut through, that enabled me to land on the bank above. There was a small building, where the Merchants now stands, for a hotel. The grass and hazel brush were all around it.
"Next morning was the Sabbath. There was little stir. Some half dozen of us were sitting on a bench outside of the house. About ten o'clock a man came along with some rather better clothes than the most that were around. He stopped and looked us over and eyed me in par- ticular. I had on a coat that I had worn through the war. Part of the officers of Col. Bissell's regiment instead of adopting the army frock coat had adopted the dress coat with the same collar, and when we cut off the brass buttons and put on black, it made the clergy uniform. After looking at me some time he gave me a very polite invitation to go with him to church. I excused myself on the ground of ill-health, this mistake you will see is easily made when you see how near an honest copperhead Democrat resembles an honest preacher.
"The boat returned about 11 oclock Sunday. Captain Harris hailed me on the bank, and said: 'Foster, you had better come on board and go round to Stillwater, and make out your month.' I did so and found myself at Stillwater next morning at sunrise. In the course of the fore- noon I went into a saloon to get out of the sun, as I was quite weak; not able to walk two hun- dred yards without resting. There were a num- ber of men drinking and talking. They appeared to be men that had been employed in hunting pine lands, and carrying axes and chains on on government surveys. They were talking of the advantages and disadvantages of different localities, when one who was a little more drunk, than the rest, said: 'Gentlemen you may talk of your fine lands, and locations, but if I had a sec- tion or two in the Kinnickinnic Valley, I would not ask General Jackson to be my aunt.' He staggered near me and I said; 'Where is this valley?' 'Oh, over in Wisconsin, back of the mouth of the Willow river.' 'Where in the val- ley is this land?' 'Oh, anywhere near the falls.' 'Are there falls?' 'Yes stranger, the d- st prettiest falls you ever seen.'
"The two Noble brothers that I had known in
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HISTORY OF THE SAINT CROIX VALLEY.
Illinois, had located at the mouth of Willow river, near Hudson, and that being the point that I wanted to stop at to look around, I looked out for the first skiff or dug-out to get down from Stillwater, and stopped with Milton Noble, in a little log house on the bank of the lake.
"At this time the inhabitants of what is now Hudson, on both sides of the Willow river; what could be called located, consisted of old 'Doc' Ald- ridge and bis son Bascol and families, Amos An- drews, the Noble brothers, Peter Bouchea, Louis Massey, Joe Lagrew, and one or two half-breeds. These composed the inhabitants on the south side of the river. Old Perrington as we called him, who had just moved down from St. Croix Falls and located on the north side of the river, and commenced building a dam for a mill, and Capt. Paye, who had commenced lumbering on the Willow river, embraced the settlers on the north side of the river. Strong feeling existed at that time as to which side of the river the future town should be located. Perrington and Paye could control more votes as they employed the floating population in lumbering, the only business at that time it was thought the country was fit for. I found the greatest excitement on the south side at the time of my arrival in laying out a town and inducing settlers to locate, and beat old Perring- ton. They had a surveyor at work, but were not agreed as to the name for the new town. I sug- gested the name of Buena Vista, from the battle of that name, just won, which in the Mexican lan- guage means beautiful view, an appropriate name since the town site gave a beautiful view of the lake. Within two or three days the new town received a reinforcement that raised the spirits of the settlers very high. They had got a new settler down as it were, right out of the ene- my's camp. Moses Perrin came to their landing from up the river. He was a first-class carpenter and builder. He had been at work at St. Croix Falls for Perrington, and had taken his wages in lumber, and was going to locate with them, put bis lumber in a house and keep a hotel. IIe did so, and it was the first hotel built, and a first- class house for those times. It was not very large, but large enough to accommodate the traveling public at that time. It held the land office and boarded the officers in a later day. The climate and water appeared to take immedi-
ate effect on my health. My recovery was so rapid that in four or five days I could take my rifle and go up the bottom shooting, going farther each day, until I got to the point I wished to ex- amine. The heavy timber on the Willow river bottom extended then nearly to its mouth. I continued all the time quizzing and laughing at the settlers about their country, but taking note of everything of importance. In ten or twelve days I had gained strength sufficient to go to Rush river, a distance of twenty miles, by using two days for the excursion. This stream was at this time called the best trout stream in the sec- tion. I had become quite anxious to view the Kinnickinnic valley and falls, but as fishing and hunting was all the interest I claimed to take in the country, and having been told there was no trout in the Kinnickinnic, and learning that the trail to the Rush river crossed near the falls of the Kinnickennic, I set myself at work hunting up some one that would take the trip with me to the Rush on a hunting and fishing excursion. Looking around I fell in with a sort of a 'Leather Stocking' that was stopping on the other side of the lake at what is now called Baytown. He agreed to go with me if I could get supplies of pork and bread, or flour, which at that time was hard to get outside of lumbering camps.
"The settlers on the south side of the Willow river had to this time relied on deer killed by Peter, the half-breed, and the large amount of fish which were easy to take, for supplies. It so hap- pened that three or four days after, Mr. Nobles was going to Stillwater, in a skiff, and my appe- tite had so improved that I wanted pork to cook with my fish and venison. I said, 'Nobles, don't you think you could get some pork at Stillwater?' He replied, 'Yes, if I had the money.' On start- ing up the river, I had placed in my watch pocket $200, one twenty and one two dollar bill, Bank of Missouri money, at that time land office money. Having spent my small change, I had to fall back on these bills, and gave Nobles the two dollar bill, to buy pork. On seeing the other bills he said: 'Foster, here now, you see that I have got a claim on this quarter section, and it will make a town some day. Now I will tell you what I will do. I will relinquish my claim in your favor. You enter and give me forty acres.' I laughed at him, saying: 'What do I want of this sand
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bank? What show for a town here? The lum- bermen say it is no pinery country.' He got the pork, which gave me supplies for the trip to Rush river. I told my hunting companion that we could go only half way the first day, and would start after dinner. We did so, and encamped under a black oak tree just back of what is now Professor Wild's residence, and I could hear the roar of the falls. Next morning I suggested to my partner that we take a hunt, he go up stream and I go down. I climbed up the mound and came on to the point behind which Mr. McGreg- or's house now stands. Viewing the valley be- fore me for a few moments I made straight for the falls, not stopping to shoot a deer that leaped the tall grass before me; viewed the falls awhile and returned to find my friend waiting. We broke camp and reached what was known as the crossing on Rush river about two o'clock. We caught all the trout we wanted that evening; one looked as though it would weigh three pounds, and returning the next day camped on the same place as the night before. I took an- other look at the falls and returned to the lake the next day to be laughed at as usual for not be- ing a better hunter and fisher. I have thus stated the train of circumstances that led me to find the location. Now the inducement that led me to locate here, a short extract from a letter to my brother may give some light. 'I think I have found the New England of the north-west, the same pure water, the same speckled tront, the same swamp alder, with a more beautiful forma- tion. It looks as though the Almighty had made this portion of our country first and made it on a perfect system, piling the rocks up in beautiful mounds, spreading over them sufficient soil to dress and beautify and make pasture land of them, spreading out the farming lands between the mounds, with pure streams of water and beautiful falls, giving abundant water-power, with timber convenient. The great growth of vegetation growing wild, told me that the same soil would also grow tame vegetation. I knew that nature never belied herself, and the history of the wild man had taught me that they never made a mistake in locating, as far as natural ad- vantages are concerned. What has been their judgment in reference to the St. Croix Valley? I see two powerful tribes, the one at the head,
the other at the foot, as it were, the Chippewas and Sioux. That this section, watered by the Apple, Willow, Kinnickinnic, Rush and Eau Galle rivers had been the neutral or bloody grounds between the two tribes. The only ques- tion for me to decide was what point in the val- ley embraced the most of the advantages. I thought the falls of the Kinnickinnic.'
Having selected the falls of the Kinnickinnic in preference of. all other points in the St. Croix Valley as my future home, believing it to embody more natural advantages than any other point in the valley, the next step was to examine the out- lets for that point. For that purpose I purchased from Peter Bouchea a skiff, and made prepara- tions, as I told them, to get out of the country before winter set in, and one beautiful morning in the fall of '48 loaded all I had, consisting of blankets, pork and bread, on board of my skiff. I think all the men in their new town were on the landing to see me off, except Uncle Massey and one half-breed, Jo Lagrew. They appeared to feel sad that any one should leave them when needed settlers so badly. We shook hands all around; I pushed off and gave them my benedic- tion : 'Boys get out of this frozen, God forsa- ken country as soon as possible; but if you will stay, God have mercy on you !' When about fifty yards from shore I heard one of them say : "This is the last we shall see of Foster in this country.'
"There was a large flock of wild geese on the sand-bar on the Minnesota side; I floated near them, fired, and got two of them. At noon I was at Cat-fish bar, now Glenmont, looking for a boat landing and some outlet for a road towards the falls. Had broiled pork and goose for my dinner and pushed on to the month of the Kin- nickinnic, to examine how far the lake backed up and what chance for an outlet from the falls in that direction. Went up the mouth in my boat to the first riffle, just below what is now the crossing of the Prescott and Hudson highway, and camped for the night. The next morning I rigged up my blanket for a sail, rowed out into the lake and had hoisted my sail, when one of those sudden gusts of wind struck my boat and came near upsetting me. The wind blowing di- rectly down the lake, I did not dare to attempt landing, so turning the bow of the boat down the
1
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HISTORY OF THE SAINT CROIX VALLEY.
lake, and it run that six miles like a race-horse, shot out of the mouth of the lake, behind the point of rocks, into the Mississippi, running up almost high and dry on the sand.
"The mouth of the lake, or what is now Pres- cott was the controlling point at this time so far as farming was concerned, as St. Croix Falls was for lumbering. St. Croix Falls had control of all the valley, and could send whoever they pleased to represent them politically.
"I found the settlers at the mouth of the lake raising the third little frame house in the place-The Thing brothers were building it. There were at this time around the mouth of the lake, opening and preparing to open farms, Doe, the two Harnsberger brothers, the three Thing brothers, two Cornelison brothers, Rice, Schaser, McMurphy, Rissue, Miner, and a fur trader whose name I do not recollect.
"I soon learned that I should not have to use my boat any further, as a steamboat had just gone up to the fort with supplies. I sold my skiff, and while waiting for the boat in the trad- er's little store, a circumstance took place that benefited me much in reference to my situation with the Indians afterwards. I was sitting on the trader's counter looking at an Indian crossing the river in a canoe. He landed and came into the store, extended his hand to the trader saying 'How !' They commenced talking. In a short time he gave a kind of a grunt, 'Ugh !' and commenced eyeing me as it were on the sly. Af- ter he left I said to the trader : 'What were you and the Indian talking about ?' 'About you.' ' What had you to say about me ?' 'He wanted to know what ' chemokee man,' or white man that was ?' 'What did you tell him ?' 'I told him that you were one of old General Taylor's braves, just off the war-path with Taylor.' 'That was the reason he gave the grunt.' The Indian happened to be Six, the chief of the Red Wing band, and a friend of General Taylor when he was in command at Fort Snelling.
"There are three things that the Indian thinks necessary to take him to the beautiful and happy heaven, or hunting grounds with his fathers ; these are bravery, strength and marksmanship. Six had found me a brave, he afterwards found me strong and a good shot, and he always re- spected me and made his people do the same.
"The next morning the boat came down. I got on board, went to St. Louis, told my brother what I had found, and that I intended to return in the spring. Said he, 'As you are in no business, would it not be better to return at once and see how you like the winter in that country ? Be- sides there is no telling what may take place in your absence. Others may see all the advan- tages you have and get the start of you.' I re- plied : 'That is so. If I can get a boat back I will go." I started for the landing and found the 'Senator,' Captain Harris, going on her last trip. Next morning I engaged passage for my- self and a black boy, at that time twenty years old, who had bound himself to me after losing his parents at nine years of age, until he should be twenty-one. I had obtained permission from the judge of probate of Madison county, Illinois, for him to come with me.
"On landing at the mouth of the cooley, or ra- vine that leads to the lake at what is now Hud- son, with our supplies, we created quite a sensa- tion among the settlers. They had not expected another boat to land there that season, moreover, when I went ashore they appeared greatly sur- prised to see me; and when they saw my supplies -three barrels of beans, one of sugar, a sack of coffee a barrel of vinegar, one of hard-bread, and one of flour-they concluded I meant lumbering. They were much pleased to see the supplies, as these were all there were in the new town. They helped me to get them into the cellar of the first little building erected for a store, on the bank of the lake, which building was afterward occupied by Mr. Stone, the first merchant of Hudson.
"I dared not fetch all of my supplies out to the falls at once. I thought them safer at the lake.
"The first question I asked the settlers was: Have you had any new settlers in the country since I left? 'Not a man; but what have you come back for?' 'Boys, I hated to see your settlers all starve.' I got the loan of an old gray pony for a day or two, packed on our blankets, buffalo robes, axes, provisions for a few days, shouldered our rifles and said to the little crowd that then composed what is now the city of Hud- son: 'Gentlemen, if you come out our way, don't fail to call on Mr. and Mrs. Foster, at the falls of the Kinnickinnic.'
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"We arrived at the falls and selected a place to camp at what was called the middle falls, at the junction of the two streams, under the rocks that shelved over at that point. We made our house by splitting logs about ten feet long for one side, one end locked on to the side, the other against the rock, the upper end left open for fire-place and entrance. The shelving rock made half of our roof; we levelled the floor, put down a carpet of grass, fastened up hooks to hold our rifles, started a fire against the rock at the entrance of our house, and found that there was so strong a suction or draft that when the rock got heated up it threw the heat into our parlor so that it almost made an oven of it.
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