USA > Minnesota > Hennepin County > Minneapolis > Personal recollections of Minnesota and its people : and early history of Minneapolis > Part 18
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The only store in the county at this time was a small one just started at Minnetonka by David Paschal Spafford. Those of us in this vicinity, as well as the settlers up the river, were obliged to patronize either the stores in St. Anthony or the sutler's store at Fort Snelling.
On the 13th of August Mr. Northrup's boarding-house on Hennepin island was burned. It was occupied by his nephew, Geo. A. Camp.
On August 20th Governor Gorman appointed Prof. E. W. Merrill, principal of the university, superintendent of com- mon schools of the territory.
Georgiana, the first-born child of John George Lennon, died at the family residence in St. Anthony. There were in the neighborhood numerous believers that the village was unhealthy for children.
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The trustees of the district-school in Minneapolis were for- tunate in securing the services of Miss Mary A. Scofield as teacher for the summer term. Miss Scofield had been em- ployed, at her home, near Rochester, New York, by Governor Slade, of Vermont, at that time at the head of an eastern organ- ization for the purpose of supplying the west with teachers. She first taught with Miss Bishop in St. Paul, as early as 1848. She was a lady of rare merit. She became the wife of Prof. A. S. Kissell, for many years state superintendent of schools in Iowa. Her literary attainments were of a very high order.
Two new ferries were established over the Mississippi river, this summer ; one up the river a few miles above Minneapolis, by William Dugas ; the other by Edward Murphy, at the foot of the rapids, the seat of the steamboat-landing on what is now known as the Bohemian Flats.
At a Whig convention held in St. Anthony, September 1st, Dr. J. H. Murphy was nominated for the council, Messrs. Reuben Ball and Chas. F. Stearns for the house of representa- tives, Ira B. Kingsley for justice, and R. H. Jefferson for con- stable. The first Whig convention ever held in Hennepin county was convened at the new hall in Minneapolis, Septem- ber 8th. The nominations were Isaac Atwater for district- attorney, Z. M. Brown for county treasurer, C. W. Christmas for county surveyor, D. M. Coolbaugh, S. A. Goodrich and S. K. Shultz for assessors ; A. N. Hoyt for county commissioner, and C. W. Farrington for road supervisor. John H. Stevens, Joel B. Bassett, A. N. Hoyt, John L. Tenny and Washington Getchell were appointed delegates to the legislative district convention to be held at Shakopee. Central committees were appointed as follows : Minnetonka precinct, Simon Stevens, Horace Webster and James Mountain ; Upper precinct, Jacob Longfellow, Amos Longfellow and Geo. W. Getchell ; Minne- apolis precinct, A. N. Hoyt, A. L. Cummings and C. C. Jenks ; St. Peters precinct (now Bloomington), William Chambers, Joseph Dean and S. A. Goodrich.
The Democratic convention was hold in St. Anthony, Sep- tember 12. Chas. F. Stimpson was nominated for the council, Daniel Stanchfield and William Dugas for the house of rep- resentatives, W. F. Brawley and James H. Brown for justices of the peace ; and J. A. West and John Beam for constables.
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OF MINNESOTA AND ITS PEOPLE.
The second regular term of the District court was convened on the 5th of September, Judge Chatfield presiding. The same officers attended the court that appeared at the first term, except A. F. Whitney, U. S. deputy marshal, and Isaac Atwater, district attorney. The grand jury was composed of E. Case, foreman, Washington Getchell, J. N. Barber, George Parks, Chas. W. Christmas, H. S. Atwood, L. P. Warren, William Chambers, H. Fletcher, Simon Stevens, John C. Bohannan, Norman Jenkins, R. B. Gibson, John W. Dorr, Joel B. Bassett, Isaac V. Draper, Alex. Moore, Norman Abbott and Wm. W. Getchell.
Petit jury : Jesse Richardson, Edmond Borden, Wm. G. Moffett, H. Burlingham, D. H. Smith, C. W. Farrington, Ezra Foster, Thos. W. Pierce, Chas. H. Brown, Jas. Smithy- man, Cyrus Hutchins, Robert Blaisdell, David Bickford, Titus Pettijohn, Simeon O'Dell, Elijah Austin, Ezra Hans- comb, J. P. Miller, Henry Whalen, John Mitchell, Wm. H. Tuttle, James Brown and Orvil Ames.
The grand jury returned several indictments, none of which, except one against Peter Poncin, for rape, were of a serious character. They presented Governor Gorman and General Fletcher, the Winnebago agent, for aiding the Win- nebagoes in leaving their reservation and committing depre- dations on the whites. On the arrest and trial of the persons indicted, some half-dozen of them, mostly for violating the liquor law, all were cleared by the petit jury. There were no civil cases on the calendar.
At a meeting of the citizens residing in township 28 of range 24, held the first of the month, it was unanimously voted to call the town Richland, and it has been known as such since, and will probably continue to bear that name.
A meeting of the Democrats of this legislative district was held at Shakopee, on the 3d of September. They nominated Joseph R. Brown, who was then living at Mendota, for the council, and Dr. H. Fletcher, of Minneapolis, and Wm. H. Nobles, of Scott county, for the house. The same party made the following nominations for Hennepin county : For county commissioner, J. A. Dunsmore ; county attorney, D. M. Hanson ; assessors, B. E. Messer and T. W. Pierce ; consta- bles A. Harmon and Titus Pettijohn.
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The new Methodist church was dedicated on the 4th. It was one of the finest church edifices in the territory. Rev. M. Sorin conducted the services on the occasion.
Since the nominations by the Democrats in St. Anthony the nominees of the Whig convention became satisfied that a new deal should be made in the selection of the candidates ; con- sequently, at a meeting held before the election, Dr. Murphy withdrew as a candidate for the council, and moved that Chas. T. Stearns be the candidate in his stead. The motion was adopted. The candidates for the house also withdrew, and Henry S. Plummer was selected to run. It was decided to make no nomination for the second candidate. In conse- quence of the disaffection in the Democratic party in regard to their nominees, it was decided that the Whigs would sup- port for that office the nominee of the disaffected democrats. The latter selected Cephas Gardner. This ticket was elected.
During the summer and fall of 1853 a treaty had been made with the Winnebago Indians, the ratification of which would have seriously injured this section of the state. That nation agreed to surrender all their rights in the Long Prairie coun- try for the territory herein described : Beginning at the mouth of Crow river, thence running up the Mississippi to the mouth of Clearwater river, thence running up said river to its source, thence on a line running due west until it intersects the north fork of Crow river, thence to the place of beginning. A reservation was made for the right of way for the Pacific railroad, also of seventy-two sections for the use of the Stockbridge Indians, provided they wished to locate near the mouth of Crow river. This treaty, as it should have been, was strenuously opposed by the citizens of both Minne- apolis and St. Anthony. It required hard work on our part to defeat it, but we succeeded in doing so ; and after so long a time since the event, we can not be too thankful that our efforts were successful ; had they not been, a large part of what is now Wright county would have been the very light and life of the Winnebago nation. There would have been no Dayton, Monticello, Clearwater, Otsego, Watertown, Del- ano, Rockford, or Buffalo, and it is doubtful if Minneapolis or St. Paul would have been nearly as large to-day in popu- lation, had that treaty been ratified by the whites.
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OF MINNESOTA AND ITS PEOPLE.
The improvements made in St. Anthony this season were satisfactory. Mr. Cloutier erected a large house near the Catholic church. A large addition to the St. Charles was completed by the then landlord of that hotel, Captain J. B. Gilbert. Mr. Ball built a fine block above Dorman's. Wil- son's improvements, corner of Main and Rollins streets, were an ornament to the village. Ed Lippincott finished his blacksmith shop opposite the mill ; Stearns, Manseur & Dickey built a large furniture manufacturing establishment ; King finished his block for stores and offices ; Geo. A. Brott completed his dwelling on the cliff, which was the finest one in the territory ; and Cheever commenced his observatory which attracted so much attention in the early days. Innu- merable improvements were made on the back streets.
During the year considerable sickness prevailed in the village. It was mostly confined to young children. Among the fatal cases were the only child of Rev. Charles Secombe, a lovely little boy of some six months ; and on the 19th of March Judge and Mrs. Atwater's pleasant home was made a house of mourning by the loss of their only child Caroline, a beautiful little girl of fifteen months. The child of Isaac I. Lewis, little Henry Jay, died on the 9th of September. Dec. 4 Col. Alvaren Allen's fireside was called to greatly lament the death of their only little daughter, Ella Ophelia, at the age of twenty-three months. Those two little girls were the first-born in each family. Several other families were afflicted in like manner, including those of Dr. Murphy, J. G. Lennon and Mr: Orth.
On the 18th of September the Hennepin county Bible society was organized through an agent of the Ameri- can Bible society. The officers elected for the year were Dr. A. E. Ames, president ; Rev. Mr. Harris, vice-president ; treasurer, Dr. H. Fletcher ; secretary, Miss Mary A. Scofield ; executive committee, A. Harmon, D. M. Hanson and J. N. Barber ; local agents, Philander Prescott, William Finch, Rev. G. H. Pond, Rev. Charles Galpin, Rev. A. C. Godfrey, Deacon Mann, B. E. Messer, Rev. J. W. Dow, A. Harmon, Mrs. Joseph Dean, Miss Mary E. Miller, Miss Marian H. Coolbaugh, Miss Stough and Miss Moffett. This was the first organization of a kindred character in Hennepin county.
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In pursuance of previous notice the first meeting of the Hennepin county Agricultural society, incorporated by an act of the legislature, approved February 28th, 1853, was held in the court house, September 7th. Dr. Ames called the meeting to order. He was elected president, and Joseph H. Canney was chosen secretary. The meeting was addressed by E. L. Hall, John W. North, Isaac Atwater, Judge Chat- field, Captain Dodge, and others. Isaac Atwater, John H. Stevens, J. N. Barber, and R. B. Gibson, were appointed a committee to draft a constitution and by-laws. On the adop- tion of the constitution and by-laws, as reported by the com- mittee, the following officers were elected for the ensuing year : President, Rev. J. W. Dorr ; treasurer, E. Case ; sec- retary, J. H. Canney ; executive committee, J. H. Stevens, N. C. Stoddard, William Chambers, W. W. Getchell and Stephen Hall. It was decided to hold an agricultural fair in Minneapolis on the third Tuesday in October, 1853, and that the ladies be requested to send specimens of their industrial products. The following gentlemen were appointed a com- mittee on analysis of the soil : Dr. A. E. Ames, J. H. Stevens and Charles Hoag.
THE BEGINNING OF THE MINNESOTA AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
At the meeting above mentioned, N. E. Stoddard offered the following resolution, which was unanimously adopted : Resolved, That this society deems it expedient that there should be a convention held at St. Paul on the first Wednes- day of January next, to form a territorial agricultural society. and that delegates be now appointed to attend said convention ; and that other agricultural societies in the territory are respectfully requested to send delegates to said convention. Messrs. Stoddard, A. N. Hoyt and William Chambers were appointed said delegates.
Up to this time there had been no work laid out on the Minnetonka road. For that matter, there was no road, aside from a path through the brush-lands, which was almost impassable. The citizens of both sides of the river were called upon, and they subscribed sufficient money to make a good road to the lake. O. E. Garrison was called upon to superintend the work.
At a meeting of the stockholders of the Mississippi Bridge
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OF MINNESOTA AND ITS PEOPLE.
company, on the 24th, the following gentlemen were appointed officers for the ensuing year : Hon. John Rollins, president ; S. M. Tracy, secretary and treasurer ; Charles King, J. W. North, Shelton Hollister, R. P. Russell, Francis Morrison and S. K. Shultz, directors.
In consequence of the great influx of children into St. Anthony during the summer, when the fall and winter schools were opened it was found that there was not sufficient school- room for them. A number of private schools were opened. The Sisters made use of a large room in the upper town for school purposes. Rev. Mr. Chamberlain and his wife, who was a daughter of Bishop Chase, opened a seminary for young ladies, and Mrs. Z. E. B. Nash commenced a select-school, which became very popular. With these select-schools in addition to the preparatory department of the state university and the two district-schools, the majority of the children were accommodated. The services of Charles Hoag were secured for the principal school building in St. Anthony, while those of Mr. Clarke, an experienced teacher from Ohio, were secured for the Minneapolis school. Mr. Clarke was the first male teacher in the Minneapolis schools.
The Northampton farmers, so-called, belonging to the Excelsior colony, were wonderfully pleased with the product- iveness of the soil. Arba Cleveland planted two potatoes, from which he raised a bushel and a half of good merchant- able potatoes. The members of the colony seemed thoroughly impressed with the fertility of the section of country they had selected for their homes. The average to the acre of spring wheat was thirty bushels. These were the days that farmers made money ; more so than since that time ; probably more so than they will in the future.
A German colony arrived from the old country and settled on a lake some three miles west of Mr. Cleveland's place. Sheriff Brown named the lake Bavaria. The colony was headed by Joseph Kessler.
Ard Godfrey finished his mill at the mouth of Little Falls creek, the building of which received his constant attention for a year. He commenced sawing on the first of October. He decided to build a flour-mill.
The citizens of Minneapolis decided, early in October, to
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engage B. E. Messer to teach a singing-school during the winter. The following is a list of subscriptions to pay the teacher : John H. Stevens five dollars, Thomas Chambers five dollars, A. N. Hoyt five dollars, E. S. Smith five dollars, John S. Cooper five dollars, Edwin Hedderly three dollars, William Dickie three dollars, Calvin A. Tuttle three dollars, Geo. E. Huy three dollars, George Park two dollars and a half, S. S. Crowell two dollars, William Goodwin two dollars, Daniel Scott two dollars, George Davis two dollars, Gilbert Hanson two dollars, W. G. Murphy one dollar and a half, Chas. W. Monson one dollar and a half. Simeon K. Odell and several others signed all the way from fifty cents to a dollar, making in all a sufficient amount for a continuance of the school all winter. This was the first singing-school in Hennepin county. Minneapolis had now not only a good teacher in the district- school, but a good one in the singing-school. The only school ever held out of Minneapolis proper, up to this time, in the county, except a garrison school at Fort Snelling, was an Indian school at the Lake Harriet mission as early as 1836, taught by Rev. S. W. Pond.
In consequence of the increasing practice in his profession, .Dr. Murphy found that he could not well accept the nomina- tion of the Whigs of St. Anthony for the council. A new con- vention was held, when Hon. C. F. Stearns was nominated in his stead. Henry S. Plummer was nominated for the house in Mr. Stearns' place. This ticket was elected, with Cephas Gardner as Mr. Plummer's colleague in the house. Dr. Kingsley and Lardner Bostwick were elected city justices. Maj. A. M. Fridley, of St. Anthony, was elected sheriff of Ramsey county. In the sixth council district, to which Hen- nepin county was attached, the candidates for the council were Joseph R. Brown, democrat, and S. F. Cook, whig, both of Dakota county ; for the house, Wm. H. Nobles, of Scott county, and Dr. H. Fletcher of Hennepin county, democrats ; and John H. Stevens, whig. The democrats were elected, as were the candidates on the democratic ticket for the county offices in Hennepin county, with the exception of Washington Getchell for county commissioner.
The survey for the bridge over the river was completed, and the estimate made to the stockholders. Mr. Newton, the
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OF MINNESOTA AND ITS PEOPLE.
first engineer of the bridge, came near being drowned while engaged in the survey, and lost a valuable level and tripod which sank to the bottom of the river.
Thomas Chambers and Edwin Hedderly formed a copart- nership and opened a first-class store in the lower room of the court-house, near the ferry. A few weeks afterward, on November 25th, Joseph LeDuc and A. King started another first-class store, near the lower ferry, on the Minneapolis side of the river. At last the citizens on the west side at the Falls could buy their tea and coffee and other necessary goods, at home.
There was a great scarcity of working oxen for the pineries this fall. They frequently sold for one hundred and thirty up to one hundred and forty dollars per yoke, which was almost double the price they had been worth previous years. There were no horses used to haul logs in the pineries.
The Winnebagoes were secretly leaving their reservation at Long Prairie to spend the winter down among the graves of their fathers in Iowa and Wisconsin ; and while making the portage around the Falls committed numerous depreda- tions on the stock of the settlers in this vicinity. Mr. Hed- derly and A. N. Hoyt were the principal sufferers. Every effort was made to punish the Indians for the depredations they committed, but they escaped in their boats and were never punished.
The Rev. F. Nutting, of the Northampton colony, died on the 17th of December. This was the first death among those who came west under the Excelsior auspices. He was a man of great worth. He left his eastern home in consequence of lung difficulties. After a residence of over a year in the ter- ritory he had seemingly fully recovered his health. He had some business in the east which made it necessary to return there. Immediately on his arrival he contracted a severe cold, which settled on his lungs. He at once returned to Minnesota, but only lived a few days after reaching his home in St. Anthony. His physician said that if he had not made a visit to the east his life would probably have been pro- longed many years in this climate.
CHAPTER XXX.
FIRST SURVEY FOR THE NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD.
On the 8th of April, 1853, Major Isaac I. Stevens, of the . United States army, was assigned by the war department to the duty of exploring a route for the Pacific railroad from St. . Paul via St. Anthony to the Pacific coast. He had previously been appointed governor of the territory of Washington. He arrived at St. Paul on the 27th of May, but the officers and soldiers of the command that was to accompany him had arrived several days previously, and had encamped on the banks of Lake Amelia, near this village. The encampment extended to Diamond Lake. At this point all the plans were completed for the survey of the route for the proposed rail- road. All the government mules, the horses belonging to the dragoons, and to the officers, were thoroughly tested with regard to the probability of their capacity for making the long journey. The numerous wagons were thoroughly over- hauled and examined. Some of these wagons had seen service in the Mexican and Florida war. The country was thoroughly canvassed for teamsters, wagon-masters, and men to serve in various capacities. Governor Stevens offered such high wages that there was danger of a large majority of our young men ยท around the Falls, including those engaged in the pineries, going with him to the Pacific. Among those who accompa- nied him were W. W. Bixby, Henry Berry, and several others. Pierre Bottineau went with him as a guide. He also hired Henry Belland as a guide for Lieut. Cuvier Grover, who was to explore a more northerly route than that which Governor
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OF MINNESOTA AND ITS PEOPLE.
Stevens was to traverse. Many of the persons in civil life whose services had been secured by Governor Stevens to accompany him subsequently became known throughout the Union. Among them were Messrs. Lander, Tinkham, Osgood, Kendall, and Stanley. Governor Stevens broke camp on Monday, the 6th of June. Captain Tapper had two busy days in ferrying them over the river. What seems a little strange at this late day is, that none of those persons from the Falls, who went with Governor Stevens on that memorable jour- ney, ever returned to live here.
Edward Patch, G. B. Dutton, Z. M. Brown, E. B. Randall and Robert W. Cummings were appointed trustees of the John G. Potts Lodge No. 3 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of the town of St. Anthony Falls, in pursuance of an act of incorporation passed by the legislature, approved February 27th, 1852. This was the first Lodge of Odd Fel- lows ever organized at the Falls of St. Anthony.
The Library Association of St. Anthony commenced early in the Fall to secure proper persons to lecture during the winter of 1853 and '54. This Association, in the early days of St. Anthony, was a source of great benefit to the citizens of that village, morally and intellectually. In looking back to that period, at this time, the good results that flowed from that institution seem to have been the commencement of the real tendency of the citizens, which has ever distinguished them, to a high order of mental development. The Associa- tion was incorporated .as early as November 1st, 1849, by an act of the territorial legislature. The incorporators were J. J. Carleton, R. P. Russell, Ira Barrows, Eli F. Lewis and Sumner W. Farnham.
It was intended by the farmers of Hennepin county to hold an agricultural fair in Minneapolis this fall, but the executive committee considered it better to postpone that event until the fall of 1854. The agricultural society was incorporated by an act of the legislature, approved February 20, 1853. The persons named in the act of incorporation were E. Case, Joel B. Bassett, Alexander Moore, Warren Bristol, H. Fletcher, A. E. Ames, John H. Stevens, P. Prescott, Joseph Dean and John S. Mann. It was determined by the execu- tive committee, in pursuance of the resolution by Mr. Stod-
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dard, passed at the first meeting of the society in September, to take immediate steps to organize a territorial agricultural society. After a correspondence with leading agriculturists in the state, the following notice appeared in the several newspapers published in the territory, under date of Decem- ber 17th :
TERRITORIAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
" Conference having been had among the friends of agri- " cultural improvement in different parts of the territory, and " a general desire having been expressed for the formation of "a territorial society, the undersigned, delegates from the "agricultural societies of Hennepin, Ramsey, and Benton "counties, have deemed it expedient to call a convention for " that purpose, to be held in St. Paul, on Monday, the 4th "of January next, at 2 o'clock p. m., at the capital. The dif- "ferent counties interested in this measure are respectfully " and earnestly solicited to send delegates to the convention, " that the whole territory may be represented in this desirable "object. In addition to the business of the formation of the " society, an address before the convention may be expected, "of which due notice may be given. Signed : John H. "Stevens, chairman executive committee of the Hennepin "county agricultural society ; A. E. Ames, A. N. Hoyt, N. E. " Stoddard, of the Hennepin county agricultural society ; W. "W. Wales, Ramsey county agricultural society ; O. H. "Kelly, Benton county agricultural society."
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MINNESOTA AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY ORGANIZED,
For the purpose of completing the history of the organiza- tion of the Minnesota state agricultural society, of which there has been so much controversy in the state, and so many inaccurate statements, from time to time, this article is extended into a record of events in relation thereto that occurred in the early part of 1854.
At the territorial convention held in the hall of the house of representatives, at St. Paul, January 4th, 1854, Hon. A. E. Ames, of Hennepin, called the meeting to order, and stated the object of the convention. On motion of Hon. R. M. Richardson, of Benton, Captain William Holcombe, of Wash- ington, was called to the chair, and John H. Stevens of Hen- nepin, and W. H. Moore, of Washington, were appointed
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