USA > Minnesota > Hennepin County > Minneapolis > Personal recollections of Minnesota and its people : and early history of Minneapolis > Part 28
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Misfortunes still attended some of the enterprises of the twin cities. The upper and lower bridges were destroyed by the high water on June 3d. There was only one hour's dif- ference in their destruction ; the one at 8 p. m., and the
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other at 9 p. m. Besides the loss in the bridges, the high water in the river seriously damaged the mills and booms. It was claimed that the river was the highest ever known at the Falls.
Meetings were held in both cities in regard to the railroads. Judge Meeker, Judge David Morgan, and others, participated in them.
Dr. Chas. W. Borup, a pioneer, and a prominent business man, died in St. Paul May 6th.
Messrs. Chase and C. C. Secombe commenced the erection of a paper-mill in St. Anthony this season, the first in the state. It was completed during the year, and the enterprise proved a successful one.
The water in the northwestern rivers was unusually high this summer. The steamer Anson Northrup went through Big Stone Lake and Lake Traverse to the Red river of the north. The Hudsen Bay company, and J. C. Burbank of St. Paul, purchased the boat. This was the beginning of a large trade by steamers on the Red river of the north.
Rev. Dr. Horace Bushnell, the distinguished New England divine, arrived in St. Anthony in August, and remained in the vicinity for many months.
Politics ruled supreme in Minnesota from August to October, in consequence of it being the occasion of the second state election.
There being no woolen mills in Minnesota, Messrs. Chas. Hoag and John P. Plummer were obliged to send their wool crop to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a distance of over four hundred miles, to be made into cloth.
A mechanics' institute was organized in St. Anthony Sept. 8, with Messrs. M. W. Getchell, H. W. Gould, Dr. J. H. Murphy, John B. Gilfillan, and H. B. Taylor, as officers.
D. B. Dorman, a leading banker, was accidentally shot while on a hunting expedition. The wounds were of such a severe character that they disabled him for life. He died many years since.
The state was full of imported orators. Speeches from the stump were of an every-day occurrence. Among those of a national reputation who canvassed the state were Senator John P. Hale of New Hampshire, Speaker Grow of Pennsylvania,
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Frank Blair of Missouri, Governor Willard of Indiana, and many others.
The state fair was held jointly with the Hennepin county fair, in Minneapolis, October 5, 6 and 7. Judge M. Sher- burne delivered the annual address. The officers elected for 1860 were Chas. Hoag, president ; A. Jackson Bell, secretary.
Dr. C. L. Anderson, who accompanied Hon. W. H. Noble into the Rocky mountains as geologist, returned from the expedition. Dr. Anderson reported important discoveries of mineral wealth in the Rocky mountains. This was before the days of very much mining in what is now Montana and Idaho.
On the 8th of October six persons were drowned in Minne- tonka, among whom were Martin B. Stone and wife and two children.
At the annual fall election this year Col. Cyrus Aldrich of Minneapolis was elected to congress, while L. Bostwick of St. Anthony was elected judge of probate of Hennepin county. The other county officers chosen were Joseph Dean, treasurer; Harlow A. Gale, auditor ; General Bartholomew of Richfield, and Jesse Bishop of Minneapolis, senators ; J. P. Abraham, H. E. Mann, A. C. Austin, and Irvin Shrewsbury, members of the house of representatives. In St. Anthony David Heaton was elected senator, and D. A. Secombe and Geo. P. Baldwin, members of the house. Chas. E. Vanderburgh was elected judge of the district court. He has been continu- ously on the bench, district and supreme, ever since.
November 1st W. A. Croffut sold his half of the Evening News to Uriah Thomas. He returned to New England and commenced the publication of another paper.
November 2d H. H. Hopkins started down the river from Murphy's landing with a large flat-boat loaded to the guards with Minnesota products, which he sold at good rates in the southern markets. This was the first venture of the kind from Minnesota. It proved a profitable one.
Mr. Collins Hamer, the Hennepin county official, had in November a serious adventure with a bear in Carver county.
On the 17th of the month Rev. D. B. Knickerbacker was made rector of the church of Gethsemane, by Bishop Whip- ple. Rev. H. M. Nichols was called to the pastorate of the Plymouth church at about the same time-Rev. Norman Mc-
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Leod, the first pastor, having accepted a call in Wisconsin.
J. M. Brewer, a prominent business man, died in St. Anthony November 30. He was a son of Dr. Luther M. Brewer of Wilbraham, Massachusetts.
November 24th Chas. M. Cushman was married by .Rev. Mr. Nichols to Miss Em. S. Clarke.
The Minnesota Beacon, a temperance and agricultural paper, made its appearance the 1st of December, Messrs. Hyde & Williams, proprietors and editors. During December there was quite a perceptible improvement in money matters. A good crop had been raised in Minnesota. The merchants were more prosperous in the two cities. In St. Anthony such business men as Josiah H. Chase, H. M. Carpenter, Thos. F. Andrews, and John S. Pillsbury, introduced large stocks of goods, and many Minneapolis merchants, includ- ing P. H. and Anthony Kelly, so well known, followed in the footsteps of their friends in St. Anthony. The medical fraternity were fortunate in the latter city by the addition of Dr. S. F. Rankin to their number. Minneapolis also received valuable citizens in the persons of the three Harrison brothers and their families and friends who accompanied them. There were others who came to the Falls this year, including Hon. O. C. Merriman, and Wm. E. Jones, who have proved to be among the best in the land. On the whole a slight increase in the population was observable ; perhaps sufficient to make good the decrease caused by those who emigrated on account of the hard times the previous year.
The vote was 3,130 cast in Hennepin county at the fall election, of which St. Anthony polled 981, Minneapolis 852, and the county outside of the cities 1,297.
Captain Merriman and Wm. E. Jones, two of the new arrivals, became largely interested in lumber. Both were called to high municipal and other offices, which they filled with satisfaction to their constituents. Captain Jonathan Chase, who preceded Messrs. Merriman and Jones to the county, also became an extensive lumberman, and has repeatedly held high positions with honor and fidelity to his trusts.
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CHAPTER XLII.
A MOVEMENT TO UNITE ST. ANTHONY AND MINNEAPOLIS.
Early in the year 1860 there was a very general movement by residents on both sides of the river towards uniting the two cities under one municipal government. The question was whether a first-class city should exist at the Falls, or two rival towns. At a public meeting held in the court-house with Col. Wm. M. Kimball in the chair, and Mayor R. R. Graves of St. Anthony, secretary, Mr. Cornell offered a series of res- olutions in favor of a single, simple, inexpensive town-gov- ernment. Dr. Chute thought that not only the two cities should be united, but he had a plan to organize a new county to consist of only the united city ; having only one set of officers to perform all the duties of city and county. Mr. Hoag offered a resolution declaring that the name of the city when united should be Minneapolis. This, he said, would secure votes in favor of the union from those who were now opposed to it. Mr. Murphy hoped the consideration of the name would be postponed until it was decided whether it would be for the interests of the people to have a union. Mr. Hoag replying to Mr. Murphy's remarks contended that Min- neapolis, under her name, had grown twice as fast as St. Anthony. It was the county-seat, and to retain the name would require no changes in the papers already recorded. In common with nine-tenths of the people he preferred the name ; first for euphony ; second, because St. Anthony has no significance ; and third, because Minneapolis is named twice throughout the world, where St. Anthony is named once. Minnesota contains more saints, in name, than any other state
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in the Union. Mr. Bradley told the story of Polly Jones, and thought we had better wait for the wedding before we cried about the name. Deacon Harmon had yet to learn what Min- neapolis is to gain by the union. In reference to the name to be given to the united city, Mr. Cornell said that he did not like either St. Anthony or Minneapolis. They were too long for convenience. Rev. Dr. Horace Bushnell had been invited to be present at the meeting, and he said he never declined an invitation to a wedding. The first thing that struck him with surprise on coming here was the rivalry and jealousy by which these two cities were nullifying their influence. Just as a family, if John and James are always quarrelling, the family influence is gone. With the two towns made into one, there would be twenty times more influence. The present policy is a killing one. Make a park of Nicollet island after the union. If a new name is to be selected, he would suggest Minneaut, or Minneanton. If neither of these suited, try Minneanthony. Hon. E. M. Wilson was in favor of the union of the two cities at some future time-but not now. Possibly the postoffice would have to be on Nicollet island. When the toll on the suspension-bridge was abolished, then would be the proper time to agitate the movement. Dr. Boutillier said the citizens of St. Anthony had been forced to an annexation to Hennepin county ; now they were in favor of an annexation of the two towns. After further consultation, a committee on names was selected, consisting of Charles Hoag, Dr. A. E. Ames, E. M. Wilson, R. J. Baldwin, Edward Murphy, Nath. Kellogg, R. W. Cummings, A. Blakeman, Dr. Boutillier, end Dr. H. Bushnell. A committee to draft a charter was also appointed. Messrs. F. R. E. Cornell, R. J. Baldwin, E. B. Ames, H. B. Hancock, Henry T. Welles, John Rollins, Henry Hetchman, N. H. Hemiup, and E. A. Raymond, were appointed members of it; when the meeting adjourned for two days. During the adjournment the excitement became great ; sev- eral meetings were held, and unquestionably the movement would have been successful could an agreement have been made in regard to the name of the to be consolidated city. The citizens of St. Anthony insisted on St. Anthony, and those on the west side of the river wanted Minneapolis ; hence after a good deal of work, excitement and bad-blood,
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the movement failed, simply because neither side would yield the name of its favorite city.
Edwin Clarke, one of the proprietors of the Evening News, was married New Years day to Miss Ellen F. Rowe.
It was extremely sickly at the commencement of the New Year. There were many cases of malignant typhoid fever. Rev. Mr. Hyde, Harlow A. Gale, Hon. J. P. Abraham, and many others, suffered from the disease.
A new board of regents was appointed by Governor Ramsey, consisting of John M. Berry of Rice county, Jared Benson of Anoka, E. O. Hamlin of Benton, Col. Wm. M. Kimball and Uriah Thomas of Hennepin.
Rev. A. D. Sanborn, of Dodge county, was called to the Free-Will Baptist church in Minneapolis. Business was unusually dull during the winter. Merchants, bankers, me- chanics, professional as well as laboring men, were greatly discouraged. A law passed the legislature reorganizing the Minnesota agricultural society. On the fifth of March an election was held in St. Paul for the officers of the society, which resulted in the choice of the old officers, viz .: Charles Hoag for president, J. H. Baker of Blue Earth for secretary, and J. W. Selby of Ramsey for treasurer.
Early in the spring J. B. Bassett & Co. purchased the pail and tub factory from Messrs. Harmon & Eaton, in Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis Atheneum was incorporated by law April 2d. The first officers were E. S. Jones, president ; Thomas Hale Williams, librarian and secretary ; the other officers were David Morgan, Wm. F. Russell, J. S. Young, and Col. Aldrich. At that time the library contained only three hun- dred volumes
At the spring election in St. Anthony R. P. Graves was elected mayor, and John B. Gilfillan, city attorney ; D. Edwards, assessor ; John Babcock, treasurer ; Solon Arm- strong and John Henry, trustees. This was Mr. Gilfillan's first office of moment. Through subsequent years, by his talent, honesty and faithful service, he was honored with many high trusts, and was elected to congress.
The officers elected in Minneapolis were Daniel Bassett, B. F. Baker, and M. S. Hoblitt, supervisors ; Cyrus Beede, treasurer ; Cyrus Snow, town-clerk ; Collins Hamer, assessor;
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J. C. Williams and J. F. Bradley, city justices ; the other officers were J. M. Anderson, David Morgan, Joseph LeDuc, and E. S. Jones.
April 5th the Congregational church building was burned. It was the work of an incendiary. There was much excite- ment in regard to its destruction. On the following day the people met in mass convention, with Dr. Levi Butler in the chair, to devise measures for the discovery and punishment of the parties who set fire to the building.
John S. Pillsbury, Dr. J. H. Murphy, O. T. Swett, C. Crawford, William Lochran, Richard Fewer, Henry Hetch- man, and E. W. Cutter, were the members of the new board of aldermen in St. Anthony, though some of them had previ- ously held seats in the board. This was the real commence- ment of the official life of Mr. Pillsbury. He served his apprenticeship in official duties as an alderman in the ancient town of St. Anthony, and eventually held for several terms the highest office in the gift of the people of Minnesota. It is unnecessary to say that he made a good alderman. Mr. Lochran, who has so faithfully served the people in many high trusts, also commenced his official life as an alderman in St. Anthony. He was a good member of the board. For that matter, all the other members were good ones. Ex- mayor W W. Wales was the city clerk for that year.
The new board of regents of the University met in St. Paul April 5th and organized by the election of Gov. Alex. Ramsey as president, Col. W. M. Kimball as treasurer, and Uriah Thomas as secretary.
A. A. Clement leased the Nicollet house this spring.
Messrs. Robert W. Cummings, Dr. H. Fletcher, William Finch, Dennis Schmitz, and J. B. Hinckley, were elected county commissioners under the new law, at a special election in April, for Hennepin county.
Hon. U. S. Willey, a leading lawyer and member of the house of representatives in this state, died at Forest city. Colonel Willey had formerly resided in Minneapolis.
During the recent session of the legislature a law was enacted in relation to educational matters of the city, giving power to the board that had not been previously given to the trustees of the district-school. At the first election held in
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May of this year, Orrin Curtis was elected president of the board ; C. Crawford, secretary ; and Dr. S. F. Rankin, treas- urer. Great progress was made in the education of the chil- dren under this organization. Prof. Chase was elected a member of the corps of teachers of the union schools in Minneapolis this spring.
June Ist Wm. S. Chapman was appointed deputy U. S. marshal for Hennepin county, in which capacity he was to take the census of Hennepin county.
On the 10th of June the whole row of buildings from First street to Second street was destroyed by fire. This was the most extensive fire that had ever occurred in the state .. The sufferers were Martin Ferrant, W. R. Johnson, L. Ford, H. D. Wheelock, D. Y. Jones & Co., J. Miller, John I. Black, C. B. Sanborn, Amos Clarke, Dr. A. L. Bausman, C. S. Webster, Isaac B. Edwards, Hopper & Gould, Curtis H. Pettit, John Lee, L. H. Williams, J. H. Thompson, Samuel Hidden, Vrooman & Crocker, Dr. Wm. H. Leonard & Co., B. F. Baker, John E. Bell & Co., Wheeler & Nutting, Gale & King, and Thomas Hale Williams.
July 1st Geo. Galpin's new boat steamed from Excelsior to Wayzata. This was the first steamboat navigation on Lake Minnetonka.
On the 4th day of July an accident occurred at Lake Cal- houn, which carried sorrow and mourning to almost the entire community at the Falls. The pastor of the Congregational church, Rev. H. M. Nichols, his wife, and son aged twelve years ; his brother-in-law, Hon. Arba Cleveland, and his two children aged eleven and thirteen years, were drowned in the lake. Mr. Nichols was one of the most pleasing speakers of the day, and greatly respected by all classes.
On the 8th, Frank, only son of O. C. Merriman, died in St. Anthony.
On the 22d of July Rev. Joseph R. Manton, of Quincy, Illinois, occupied the pulpit of the First Baptist church. Afterwards Mr. Manton became pastor of the church, and has continually been a resident of Hennepin county since.
On the 24th, James R. Lawrence, the district-attorney, who resided in St. Anthony, moved to Chicago.
Political clubs of every description were organized in Hen_
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nepin county this year. There was a Lincom club, a Douglas club, a Breckenridge club, a Bell club, in favor of the candi- dates for President, in almost every township. The liveliest organization at the Falls was the Wide-Awakes, which the warm winds of August incubated. Among the members were Geo. A. Brackett, John G. Williams, Harlow A. Gale, Dr. A. L. Bausman, Benj. S. Bull, F. R. E. Cornell, David C. Bell, Wm. S. King, C. H. Pettit, O. M. Laraway, J. D. Gray, Col- . lins Hamer, John E. Bell, with Samuel C. Gale for president, and J. W. Wolverton for secretary.
Loren Fletcher came to the city this summer and purchased an interest in the dry-goods store of L. F. Allen.
On the 13th of August Mrs. Dr. Fletcher, one of the pio- neer ladies of Minneapolis, died.
ABOLITION EXCITEMENT.
On the 21st great excitement was caused at the Falls, and for that matter throughout the state, in consequence of W. D. Babbitt, a Mrs. Gates, and Mrs. Gray making complaint before the district court that one Eliza O. Winston, a slave, the property of Col. R. Christmas of Issaquena, Mississippi, was restrained of her liberty by her master, at the residence of Mrs. Thornton, Lake Harriet, where the parties were tem- porarily residing. The writ was placed in the hands of the sheriff, Richard Strout, for service and that officer brought Eliza and Col. Christmas before Judge Vanderburgh. F. R. . E. Cornell appeared for the complainants. Col. Christmas made no attempt at a defense, when the court ordered the girl to be discharged from the custody of the sheriff ; after which Col. Christmas asked the girl if she would go with him, and she replied that she would. In the meantime Messrs. Babbitt, Bigelow, and others, gathered around her. Colonel Christmas asked her a second time if she would return with him to her mistress. She said she would, but not at that time, and would go out to Mrs. Thornton's the next day. She left the court-house in company with the complainants, and it is supposed made her way to Canada.
The Methodist annual conference was held this year in Red Wing. Rev. J. F. Chaffee was assigned for the year to Minneapolis, and Rev. John W. Clipper to St. Anthony.
The Wide-Awakes had done such good service in Minne-
.
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apolis, that the Republicans perfected an organization in St Anthony with D. A. Secombe, president, and H. O. Hamlin, secretary.
On the 17th of September, Senator Wm. H. Seward, Chas. Francis Adams, and General Nye, visited Minneapolis.
The state fair was held at Fort Snelling September 26, 27 and 28. The annual address was delivered by Cassius M. Clay of Kentucky. The officers were Charles Hoag, presi- dent, J. H. Baker secretary, and W. F. Wheeler superintend't.
October 10th John L. Lovejoy, a prominent citizen, died in St. Anthony, greatly regretted.
At the general election held November 6th, 1860, 2,525 votes were polled in Hennepin county, against 3,130 the previous year. The officers elected were John A. Armstrong, sheriff ; Geo. W. Chowen, register of deeds ; Harlow A. Gale, auditor ; S. H. King, surveyor ; Geo. E. H. Day, coro- ner; L. Bostwick, court-commissioner ; W. W. McNair, county-attorney ; and Rufus J. Baldwin was elected senator, and F. R. E. Cornell, and W. Hayden, members of the house. On the east side David Heaton was elected senator. St. Anthony being attached to Anoka and Isanti counties, the members of the house were from those counties. A new board of county commissioners was elected for 1861, consist- ing of Ezra Hanscombe, James Sully, A. Blakeman, J. B. Hinkley, and William Finch.
On the 20th of November Hon. Martin McLeod died at his Oak Grove residence, aged 47 years.
Navigation closed this year on the 24th day of November.
On the 27th of this month the daily Atlas made its appear- ance in Minneapolis, and a few days afterward the St. Anthony evening News resumed its daily, while the Plaindealer was moved from Minneapolis to La Crescent.
The vote in the county was 605 less than the previous year. There were few additions to the population by immigration. On the other hand many persons belonging to the floating population left the county. This was in consequence of the continuation of the dreadful stringency in the money market. About all the transactions in real-estate were forced sales, in which the courts had almost complete control. Mortgage foreclosures were numerous.
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Alonzo H. Beal established this year a first-class photograph gallery.
The shrinkage in the value of property at the Falls since September, 1857, had been marvelous, but at the close of 1860 a reaction had taken place ; at least prices in real-estate had reached the bottom, and from that period a gradual increase in the price of real-estate was observable. Richard Martin, esq., the first banker in St. Anthony, having established his business in that city as early as 1854, loaned large sums of money, much of it secured on real-estate. In time he col- lected his loans. In October, 1857, Messrs. J. K. Sidle & Co. opened in Minneapolis a similar business to that of Mr. Martin in St. Anthony. This firm also loaned out large sums of money without meeting any loss in their transactions. These facts are only mentioned for the purpose of showing that the crisis from 1857 to 1860, severe as it was, did not totally destroy the business at the Falls.
As the new year approached the citizens of the two cities made the usual arrangements for lectures and lyceums for the winter months. The strictest economy was observed in all matters, to the extent of giving up many of the luxuries of life. Hard times ruled supreme.
CHAPTER XLIII.
EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-ONE.
The first day of the year was generally observed as a holiday by the people of the two cities. At the annual meeting of the board of trade Joel B. Bassett was elected president, Edward Murphy and Orrin Curtis, vice-presidents ; Owen T. Swett, O. M. Larraway, J. H. Talbot, Joseph Van Enman, and J. B. Bassett, directors. The news of the firing of the first gun on Fort Sumter, January 9th, by the South Carolina authorities, was received by telegraph on the evening of that day. The universal sentiment of all parties found expression at the Falls in " The Union must and shall be preserved !" and from that eventful evening until the close of the war, St. Anthony, Min- neapolis, and Hennepin county, as well as the whole state of Minnesota, did their whole duty.
On January 17th J. Fletcher Williams, who had been city editor of the Minnesotian, presented his valedictory to the . readers of that paper and transferred his pen to the Pioneer.
A military company was organized in Minneapolis with W. D. Washburn, captain ; H. A. Partridge, Fred Chalmers, and C. H. Woods, lieutenants.
The annual meeting of the state agricultural society was held in St. Paul, February 4th. Charles Hoag was re-elected pres- ident ; L. M. Ford, secretary ; J. W. Selby, treasurer ; exec- utive committee, Gen. Alex. Chambers, Wm. L. Ames, J. H. Baker, Jared Benson, John W. North, and John H. Stevens.
Baldwin Brown, who came to St. Anthony with his step- father, John Hingston, in 1849, and who has been one of the most useful citizens from that day to this, commenced building
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a steamboat for the upper river trade. This enterprise gave employment to many workmen during the dull times of that severe winter While the people on both sides of the river were obliged to use the utmost economy, they contributed for those who were worse off than they in this world's goods. When news was received that there was great suffering in Kansas for want of food, Dr. Murphy, J. C. McCain, David Lewis, W. Bowman, John Rollins, Richard Chute, and Dr. S. H. Chute, in St. Anthony, and E. S. Jones, Daniel Bassett, H. L. Birge, and Geo. W. Chowen, in Minneapolis, were appointed a committee to raise funds for the relief of the people of Kansas. The joint committee had the pleasure of sending over one thousand dollars to that section of the Union. This would be considered but a pittance these days, but then a thousand dollars was equal to many thousands now.
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