Fifty Years In The Northwest Part 38

PATTEN W. DAVIS was a native of Virginia. He came to Stillwater in 1848, and soon after removed to Osceola Mills, where he lived two years. In 1853 he removed to Sunrise, and was a.s.sociated in business for two years with John A. Brown. He has held the positions of postmaster, town clerk, treasurer, county commissioner, supervisor, and a.s.sessor. In 1876 he married a Virginia lady, and returned to his native state.

JAMES F. HARVEY was born in 1820, in Pen.o.bscot county, Maine. He came West in 1847 and settled at Marine Mills. In 1854 he removed to Sunrise and located in the northeast quarter of section 14, township 36, range 21, at what was known as Goose Creek crossing. His first wife, whom he had married in Maine, died shortly after their arrival at Sunrise, leaving one daughter, Maria, wife of Leonard Clark, of Stillwater. Mr. Harvey was married in 1856 to widow Patience Knight, the mother of Mrs. Floyd S. Bates, Albert S. and Frank E., of Taylor's Falls, and Ella Medora Harvey, wife of J. A. Sh.o.r.es, of Minneapolis.

Mr. Harvey died at his home in 1864. Mrs. Harvey died at Taylor's Falls in 1871.

FLOYD S. BATES, originally from Maine, has been since 1854 a prominent lumberman on the St. Croix, living first at Sunrise, and in later years at Taylor's Falls. He owns an extensive farm in Ca.s.s county, Dakota. Of his three brothers, E. Hines resides in Taylor's Falls, and J. Herrick and Charles in Dakota Territory.

ISAAC H. WARNER was born in New York in 1830, was married in 1852 and came to Sunrise in 1854, where he followed farming and selling goods.

He has served as postmaster, justice of the peace and held other positions. He has three children. His eldest, a daughter, wife of Samuel McClure, a lumberman of Sunrise, died February, 1885. Mr.

Warner removed to Dakota in 1883.

CHARLES F. LOWE was born in 1815 in Concord, New Hampshire, received a collegiate education and came to Sunrise in 1855. He interested himself in real estate but devoted about one-half of his time to travel, of which he was pa.s.sionately fond. He made one trip around the globe, writing back interesting letters descriptive of what he had seen. He made his last annual tour in 1873, and, while sailing in a small boat in some of the waters of Florida, the boat was struck by a squall, capsized and Mr. Lowe was drowned. Mr. Lowe was a member of the Minnesota const.i.tutional convention.

WELLS FARR came from New York State to Sunrise prairie in 1854, where he has since lived in a comfortable home, a successful farmer. He has a family of four sons and two daughters. His oldest daughter is the wife of Ephraim C. Ingalls. His second daughter is the wife of Frank Dawson, of Lent. Mr. Farr died in March, 1888.

JOHN G. MOLD came to Sunrise in 1854, where he engaged in milling, hotel keeping and mercantile business. He was the proprietor of the Sunrise City mills, since burned. He died in 1873, aged fifty years, leaving a widow, two sons and two daughters.

GEORGE L. BLOOD, during his early life, was a seafaring man, spending many years upon the ocean, and visiting during this time many foreign ports, keeping a daily record of his journeyings. Mr. Blood had learned the trade of house joiner, but coming to Sunrise in 1854, attempted farming, at which he was not successful. In 1864 he removed to Taylor's Falls, where he died in 1869. His life was an exemplary one, and his death that of a Christian. His family returned to their old home in Connecticut. His two sons reside in St. Paul.

JOEL G. RYDER came from New York to the St. Croix and settled in the town of Sunrise, near the village, about the year 1855. He was energetic and able, and was called to fill many town and county offices. He was a representative in the fifteenth state legislature.

In 1860 he was married to Lizzie Perkins.

JOHN DEAN was born in 18--; was married to Mary Draper in 1860; came to Minnesota in 18--; served some time as river pilot, and settled on his farm near Sunrise City in 1860. Mr. Dean represented his district in the house of the twenty-first and twenty-second legislatures.

TAYLOR'S FALLS.

The village of Taylor's Falls was platted in 1851, a survey of lots having been made at that time by Theodore S. Parker, of Stillwater.

Additions were made from time to time as the increasing population demanded. A year before the survey a frame building was erected on what was subsequently the northwest corner of River and First streets.

In 1851 and 1852 some streets were opened, but with considerable difficulty, on account of the trap rock, which to be removed required blasting. Bowlders that could not be removed were buried. The work of cutting a street to the upper steamboat landing was specially difficult. There were no roads to the village, and the only means of travel was by steamboat, bateaux, or birch bark canoes, until the government road was opened sometime in 1856. A post office was established in March, 1851, and a weekly mail was ordered from Stillwater. Prior to this time a semi-monthly mail had been carried between the points named. Of the office established in 1851, N. C. D.

Taylor was first postmaster. The office was in W. H. C. Folsom's store, Folsom acting as deputy postmaster. The successors of Mr.

Taylor have been, Porter E. Walker, Edward P. Wyman, Thomas Holmes, Oscar Roos, George W. Seymour, and N. M. Humphrey; not a long list for thirty-five years. The location of the office was changed with each successive inc.u.mbent. The mail carrier in 1851 was the Hon. Warren Bristol, since then four times a representative and senator from Goodhue county in the state legislature, and United States judge in Arizona. The mail service has pa.s.sed through all the gradations from a semi-monthly to a semi-daily mail. The mail has been carried in canoes or bateaux, on foot, on horseback, on steamboat and rail car. It is now carried by rail. Of the Baker & Taylor mill an account has been given elsewhere. The next mill, a grist mill, was built by N. C. D.

Taylor, W. H. C. Folsom and the Day brothers, in 1852. It was several years later remodeled and changed into a carding mill, and is now the property of Jonas Gray. Kingman Brothers built a saw mill in 1857, with a capacity of 12,000 feet per day. Several parties succeeded to the ownership and control of the mill, but, after doing good service for many years, it was abandoned. Clark Brothers built a lumber and stave mill in 1868. After ten years this mill was removed.

The first merchant was Daniel Mears, who sold goods as early as 1848.

W. H. C. Folsom opened a store in 1850; Taylor & Fox in 1852. The Chisago House was built by Thomson & Smith in 1852, on the corner of Bench and First streets. In 1870 the name was changed to Dalles House.

It has changed landlords many times, the last being Henry Kattenberg.

The Cascade House was built in 1853, on the corner of Walnut and Bench streets, by Richard Arnold. It is no longer used. The Falls House was built in 1870, on Bench street near Walnut, by Erastus Guard, and converted into a hotel in 1880, with Henry Kattenberg as proprietor, by whom it was conducted as a temperance house. It is now in charge of Eugene Fitzgerald.

The first physician was Lucius B. Smith. Susan Thomson taught the first school. The first marriage was that of Charles D. Turney and Cecilia Ring, Ansel Smith, justice of the peace, tying the knot. Wm.

Colby was the first white child born in the village. The first death was that of a three-year-old daughter of Ansel Smith, in 1852. Rev. W.

T. Boutwell preached the first sermon, in 1851. In 1852 three young Episcopal ministers, Revs. Breck, Myrick and Wilc.o.xson, alternated in holding services, but did not organize a society. Rev. Julius S.

Webber, Baptist, preached occasionally in 1852 and 1853; Rev. W.

Miner, Congregationalist, in 1856 and 1857 became the first resident minister. In April, 1859, Rev. Silas Bolles, a Methodist, organized a society, the first in the village. In June, 1859, Rev. A. M. Torbet organized a Baptist society and served as pastor four years. The society built a church in 1861 at a cost of $3,000.

In 1860 the Swedish Evangelical Lutherans built a church on the corner of Mulberry and Government streets, at a cost of $1,500. Rev. C. A.

Cedarstam was pastor in 1871-72-73, Rev. ---- Tornell the three succeeding years, and three other pastors have served since. In 1866 Rev. John G. Hall organized a Presbyterian society, and built a church in 1868, on the corner of River and Chisago streets, at a cost of $1,500. Mr. Hall served as pastor four years. The Roman Catholics erected a church on the corner of Walnut and Centre streets in 1873, at a cost of $1,000. They have as yet no settled priest or parish school.

The St. Croix Bridge Company was organized in 1854. The incorporators were W. H. C. Folsom, Patrick Fox, Joshua L. Taylor, W. S. Hungerford, Wm. Kent, Nelson McCarty, John Dobney, W. F. Colby, Orange Walker, Fred W. Lammers, and N. C. D. Taylor. The bridge was built in 1856; W.

S. Sewall, St. Paul, was the engineer. The capital stock amounted to $4,925, and was divided into 197 shares at $25 each. The bridge was rebuilt in 1870, on the same plan, and in 1884 was replaced by an iron bridge, at a cost of $6,253. The bridge has a span of 150 feet and is a light and graceful structure. It was the first bridge that spanned the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers.

The Chisago County Bank was organized in 1858, under the state banking law; capital stock, $25,000; Levi W. Folsom, president; S. C. Gould, cashier. It was closed in 1859.

The Taylor's Falls Copper Mining Company was organized Dec. 15, 1874; W. H. C. Folsom, president; George W. Seymour, secretary; L. W.

Folsom, treasurer; D. A. Caneday, mining agent. The operations of this company extended to sinking a shaft to a depth of one hundred and thirty feet.

The Kahbakong Cemetery a.s.sociation was organized in 1853. The first board of officers were W. H. C. Folsom, president; Joshua L. Taylor, secretary. The cemetery is located a mile and a half from the village and contains fifteen acres of ground beautifully located.

Zion Lodge, No. 55, A. F. &. A. M., was organized March 3, 1866.

Sherman Post, No. 6, G. A. R., was organized in July, 1882, Caspar Hauser, commander. Taylor's Falls Library a.s.sociation was organized Oct. 8, 1871, E. D. Whiting, president; J. A. McGowan, secretary.

Within two years the library numbered 1,000 volumes and since that time the number has been increased to 1,500.

In 1858 the village of Taylor's Falls was regularly incorporated with the following board of officers: Trustees, Patrick Fox, president; W.

H. C. Folsom, E. D. Whiting, L. W. Folsom; recorder, H. H. Newbury; treasurer, Wm. Comer.

AN INDIAN DANCE.

The last Indian dance in Taylor's Falls was given by a party of Chippewas in 1856. They had come down the St. Croix in birch canoes with furs and cranberries to exchange with Samuels in St. Croix village for "scootawabo," or whisky. They remained about a week, drinking and carousing in their peculiar style. One Sabbath, and when, for a wonder, they were quite sober, they visited Taylor's Falls and gave a series of grotesque and laughable dances in the street, opposite Folsom's store, after which they called for presents as tokens of friendship and appreciation, kindly and gravely shook hands and recrossed the river.

"Thus departed Hiawatha."

CHAPTER XIII.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

JESSE TAYLOR, the first permanent settler of Taylor's Falls, came to the Falls in 1838, as narrated in the general history of the village.

Nothing is known of his life before coming to the Falls, except that he was originally from Kentucky, and lived at Fort Snelling, where he was employed as a stonemason. By the death of his a.s.sociate, B. F.

Baker, he came into possession of the mill property and its belongings. This he sold to Joshua L. Taylor in 1846, and removed to Stillwater, where he took a contract for stone work on the prison walls. His name appears as a member of the house from Stillwater in the territorial legislature for 1851 and 1852. He was married in 1844 to Abigail, daughter of widow Edwards, of Stillwater. He left Stillwater in 1853.

JOSHUA L. TAYLOR was born in Sanbornton, New Hampshire, in 1816. In 1836 he removed to Alton, Illinois, where he lived until 1840, when he came to Taylor's Falls in the employ of the St. Croix Falls Lumber Company. In 1846 he purchased the property of Jesse Taylor. He engaged in logging until 1849, meanwhile pre-empting portions of the site of Taylor's Falls. In the fall of 1849 he went to California, and was fairly successful in his mining ventures. He returned to Taylor's Falls in 1852, where he has since resided. He was married in October, 1856, at Skowhegan, Maine, to Clarinda Wyman. Mrs. Taylor died May 4, 1860, leaving no children. Mr. Taylor built a fine residence in 1856, on block 1, River street, Taylor's Falls, commanding a beautiful view of the river. Mrs. Gilmore, a sister of Mr. Taylor, and her daughter Mary, lived with him many years. Mrs. Gilmore died in 1868. Mary Gilmore was married to D. G. Sampson in 1881 and now lives in Ashland.

Mr. Taylor had many opportunities of entering public life, but, with a solitary exception, declined them. At the organization of the territory of Minnesota, in 1849, he was appointed United States marshal, but declined. He was afterward appointed warden of the penitentiary at Stillwater, and served two years.

NATHAN C. D. TAYLOR, elder brother of Joshua, was born in Sanbornton, New Hampshire, in 1810; removed to Alton, Illinois, in 1832 and was for several years in the employ of G.o.dfrey, Gilman & Co., merchants of Alton. Mr. Taylor came to St. Croix Falls in 1846. He was one of the original pre-emptors of the site of Taylor's Falls. In 1852 he engaged with Patrick Fox in the mercantile business. They carried on an extensive trade in goods and logs until 1858. The firm of Taylor & Fox erected a good store building on lot 16, block 15. He was a member of the house in the fifth and seventh territorial legislatures, and speaker of the fifth. In 1866 he was elected county treasurer of Chisago county, and thereafter to the same office continuously for ten years. Mr. Taylor never married. He died at Taylor's Falls, March 20, 1887.

THOMAS F. MORTON was born in South Carolina. He came to St. Croix Falls in 1840. In 1850 he settled on a farm adjoining Taylor's Falls, known as the Jerry Ross claim. He pre-empted the southwest quarter of section 25. In 1852 he was married to Mrs. Margaret Boyce, his second wife, mother of Silas Boyce, of Amador. He followed farming successfully a few years, and in 1862 enlisted in his country's service, as a private in Company C, Seventh Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and along with his friends Colby and Guard did n.o.ble service, partic.i.p.ating in several battles, in one of which, the battle of Nashville, he was wounded by the bursting of a sh.e.l.l. He remained with the regiment, however, until, disabled by his wound and by sickness at the siege of Spanish Fort, he was compelled to return home. He never recovered his health, but in 1867 peacefully pa.s.sed away. He was a good man, a brave soldier, and an exemplary Christian.

HENRY N. SETZER.--Mr. Setzer is a descendant of a North German family.

He was born in Montgomery county, Missouri, Oct. 6, 1825, and received his education at home, which he left at the age of fourteen years, and afterward at St. Charles College, Missouri. In 1843 Mr. Setzer came to the St. Croix valley, where he engaged in lumbering for himself and others, and devoted some time to public affairs. From 1843 to 1854 he resided alternately at Stillwater, Marine, Taylor's Falls and Chengwatana. Mr. Setzer represented the Fourth district, including Marine, Rush Lake, Rice River and Snake River precincts, in the house of the first territorial legislature, and the First district, including the counties of Washington, Itasca, Chisago, Superior and Doty, in the council of the seventh and eighth territorial legislatures. He was a member of the Democratic wing of the const.i.tutional convention in 1857. In 1857 he was appointed warden of the state prison at Stillwater, which position he held until 1860, when he was appointed register of the land office at Cambridge, Isanti county. He held this position until April,1861. Having devoted his leisure time to the study of law, and having been admitted to practice in the supreme court of Minnesota, he concluded to devote himself entirely to practice. He established a law office in Taylor's Falls with L. K. Stannard. He removed to Superior City in 1869, to Duluth in 1874, and returned to Taylor's Falls in 1877. He has served as town and county attorney in Chisago county for many years, and has an extensive practice in the higher courts.

PATRICK FOX was born in Tipperary county, Ireland, in 1819; came with his parents to America in 1823, and to Davenport, Iowa, in 1836. In 1841 he came to St. Croix Falls, where he lived three years, moving thence to Stillwater, where he engaged in logging until 1851, when he removed to Taylor's Falls and engaged in lumbering for a year, then entered into a mercantile partnership with N. C. D. Taylor. The firm closed business in 1858. Mr. Fox has been a public spirited citizen, contributing freely of his means for the improvement of the village, aiding in opening roads, building levees and bridges, and school houses, before such enterprises could be paid for out of tax revenues.

Mr. Fox represented Chisago county in the second legislature, 1860.

Mr. Fox is a good neighbor, industrious and temperate. He was married at Davenport, Iowa, to Elisabeth Riley. They have three sons and two daughters. The eldest daughter is the wife of Clarence Peaslee; the second daughter became the wife of Winfield P. Larcy, of Dakota, in 1886.

W. F. COLBY was born in Whitefield, Maine, June 12, 1818. In his early life he was a sailor. He came to St. Croix Falls in 1843. He was married to Salina De Attly in 1849, and removed to the west side of the river, where he located on the Otis farm which he had previously bought. He followed lumbering and farming and kept a lodging house for travelers. He built a good house, and the first frame barn in Chisago county. He sold his property, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres and improvements, for $8,000. In 1862 Mr. Colby enlisted in Company C, Seventh Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war as sergeant. Mr. Colby is a bluff, square, outspoken man, hearty in his manner, and somewhat sailor-like in his expressions though almost a lifetime has pa.s.sed since he trod the deck of a vessel.