Washington County, Minnesota - Chapter 42: Physical Features - Geology - Organiza¬, 1881

Chapter 42: Physical Features - Geology - Organiza¬

This county was named in honor of President Franklin Pierce. It is situated in the western part of the state, and lies immediately south of the forty-fifth parallel of north latitude, between ninety-two and ninety-three degrees of longitude west from Greenwich, and is consequently west of the fourth principal meridian. It is triangu¬ lar in shape, the hypothenuse being formed by Lake Pepin, the Mississippi river and Lake St. Croix, which secure to tliis county one of the longest navigable water-fronts in the state. The boundaries on the north and east are St. Croix, Dunn and l'epin counties. It embraces an area of 600 square miles, or 887,000 acres, the greater part being owned by actual settlers.

This county is situated at the junction of the Mississippi river and Lake St Croix, the lake forming its western boundary, its southern border resting on the Mississippi. Along the river it presents the usual feature of valley succeeded by bluff, broken at frequent intervals by ravines, through which the streams from the interior seek communication with the great river. Toward the north and east the hills become less elevated and the valleys more extensive. This gives a di¬ versity to the scene, though less bold and grand than is found in mountainous districts, yet one strongly marked. The luxuriant sward, clothing the hill-slope to the water's edge; the steep cliff shooting up through its mural escarpments; the streams clear as crystal, now quiet, now rufiled by a temporary rapid, now forming a romantic cascade over some terrace of rocks; trees dis¬ posed in a manner to baffle the landscape garden¬ er-now crowning the height, now shading the slope; the intervening valleys giving the picture of cultivated meadows and rich pasture lands, irrigated and drained by frequent rivulet and stream, along which, and on the hillside, are seen the farm-house and village, scenes of wealth, happiness and comfort; all these and many more are features of the county. On the summit lev¬ els spread the wide prairies, abounding in flowers of gayest hue, the long undulations stretching away till sky and meadow mingle in the horizon.

Oounty Organized

The country is sufficiently level to allow of the highest grade of cultivation, perhaps two-fifths being in an active stats of agriculture. The principal part of the farming-land is in the west¬ ern half of the county, which was originally oak oi>cning8 and prairie; the eastern part being tim¬ ber land and covered by the "Big woods." This is a belt of hard wood timber that extends from the Mississippi river to Lake Superior. In the limits of Pierce county the timber is of the hard wood varieties, such as the red, white and black oaks, sugar maple and butternut, all timber of first-class grade for the manufacture of farm and other implements. There are numerous large streams distributed over the county, such as the Kinnickinnic, Rush, Trimbelle and Isabella riv¬ ers, with many smaller creeks which drain the region completely and empty into Lake St. Croix, the Chippewa and Mississippi rivers. The cur¬ rent of the streams is generally swift, and affords magnificent water-power, a resource that is used only to a small fraction of its capacity. Springs are numerous and give origin to streams in which alxnind the speckled trout, with bass, bullheads, pike, pickerel, carp and catfish in the rivers. The lover of wild game of the wood or prairie here may gratify his taste.

The surface of Pierce is about three hundred feet above Lake Michigan. It belongs to the lower Silurian age, the lower magnesian lime-stone being the characteristic, nt points overlaid by the upper sand-stone, both of which project from the hills and mounds. There is also an occasional layer of shell sand-stone covering the higher elevations. The soil, derived from the decompostion of three formations, is always of excellent quality, rich in organic matter, as well as in salts. This gives a rapid growth to plants, and a durability that en¬ ables it to withstand a long succession of crops. I Pierce county was formed from St. Croix by an act of the legislature approved March 14th, 1863, and organized with full powers. By the same act, the county seat was located at the vil¬ lage of PrescotQwith liberty to change the same to any other point at any general election. The same act called for an election of county officers in November of the same year, and made the town board of Prescott the county board of su¬ pervisors, which lK>ard was formed of Osborn Stralil, jus chairman of the board; Silas Wright and Sylvester Moore, supervisors. On motion, II. Teachout was appointed clerk, pro tem. The first meeting was held at the home of S. Moore, November 16th, 1853. The following persons were appointed as judges of election: J. R. Freeman and J. Ilewitt, and O. T. Maxon, justice of the peace. One hundred and ten votes were cast, the majority of which elected N. S. Dunbar, sheriff; J. II. Freeman, treasurer; S. It. Gunn, clerk of the court; Ilenry Teachout, clerk of the board; J. Olive, coroner; P. V. Wise, district at¬ torney; J. E. True, surveyor. At the first meet¬ ing of the county board held November 16th 1863, three county superintendents of the poor were appointed; R. G. Thompson, Jonathan Bailey and J. R. Freeman. At the same meeting a tax of fifteen mills on the taxable property of the county was voted for the current expenses of the county. At the same meeting, a license was granted to Lovejoy and Tell, to run a ferry across the mouth of the St. Croix river between Pres¬ cott and Point Douglas, said parties required to give bonds to the county for a faithful fulfill¬ ing of the law in such cases required. The fol¬ lowing are the rates allowed to lie charged as fer¬ riage; foot-men, five cents; man and horse, twentyfive cents: ox, cow, or mule, fifteen cents each; two horses and wagon or carriage, fifty cents; one pair of oxen and wagon, fifty cents; one horse and buggy, thirty-five cents. At a special meet¬ ing called at the house of O. Stralil, January 18th, 1854, J. M. Whipple was app&nted to the office of register of deeds, the vote being a tie at the regular election. It was voted to allow said Whipple the usual fee, as regulated by law, for transcribing the records of St. Croix county to the records of Pierce county. It was voted to allow P. V. Wise $40 per annum, as district at¬ torney. It was voted to form the following new towns. The town of Greenwood with the following boundaries: Commencing at the range line between 17 and 18, where said line crosses the township line, between townships 27 and 28, run¬ ning south on said line to the south-east coiner of said section, running between sections 12 and 13 of township 26, range 18; thence due east on the same line between said sections 12 and 13 in said township to the section line running north and south between sections 9 and 10 of township 26, range 19; thence due north through the centre of townships 26 nml 27, of range 19, to the town¬ ship line between townships 27 and 28, of range 19, thence due east on said township line to the place of beginning; the first town meeting to be held at the house of Col. Stone, near the source of Hock Branch.

On motion, it was voted to form a new town, with the following boundaries: Commencing at a point where the range line, running between ranges 14 and 15, crosses the township line be¬ tween townships 27 and 28, south on said range line to the township line between townships 27 and 28; thence west on said township line to the range line between ranges 18 and 19; thence north on said range line to said line between townships 27 and 28; thence on said township line to place of beginning; said town to be known as Martell; the first election to be held at the house of Amos Bonesteel; the remaining part of Peirce county to be known as the town of Prescott.

The following is an aggregate valuation of real and personal property, as taken from the asses¬ sor's list of November 16th, 1858: Real estate, $24,452; personal property, $3,616; total, $28,068, as certified to by P. V. Wise, deputy clerk.

That year, at the November election, W. J. Copp was chosen circuit judge, and received in Pierce county ninety-six votes. Same fall, Mason Stone was elected county judge.

The place of holding the county court at this time was somewhat varied, using whatever hall or empty room they could secure, the jail being the only county building then erected.

At a meeting of the board of county supervi¬ sors, called March 2d, 1855, a petition was pre¬ sented asking for the formation of a new town, with the following boundaries: Townships 24, 25 and 26, range 15, and fractional township 24 of range 16, and townships 25 and 26 of range 16, and fractional township 24 of range 17, and town¬ ships 25 and 26, range 17; said town to be known as the town of Isabella; first election to be held at the house of Abner Brown. At the same meeting a petition was presented for a new towu, with the following boundaries: Township 26, range 18; to be known as -the town of Trimbelle; first election to be held at the house of F. Otis.

At a meeting of the board held at Concert hall, Prescott, November 26th, 1856, a petition was presented asking for a new town with the following boundaries: All that part of Pierce county lying within the boundaries of fractional township 25, range 19, and township 25, range 18. and fractional township 24, range 18, bo, and is hereby, set off from the town of Prescott, and en¬ titled the town of Diamond Bluff; the first elec¬ tion to be held in the village of Diamond Bluff, at the house of Daniel Comstock.

At a meeting of the board of Pierce county, held at the clerk's office March 3d, 1857, jielitions were presented asking for the establishing of a new town, with the following l>oundaries: Com¬ mencing at the north-east comer of section 3, town 27, range 19; thence running on the line of said township to the centre of Lake St. Croix; thence down said lake to the middle of the south¬ west line of the south-west quarter of section 3, township 20, range 20; thence following the line of the city of Prescott to the north-east corner of the city limits; thence north to the middle of the north line of the north-west quarter of section 2, township 26, range 20; thence following the line between townships 20 and 27 to the south-east comer of section 34, township 27, range 19; thence north to the place of beginning; the first election to beheld at the house of A. P. Manning, in the village of Clifton Mills; said town to be known as Clifton.

At the same meeting a petition was granted to establish a new town with the following boun¬ daries: Commencing at the north-east corner sec¬ tion 1, township 26, range 19 ; thence west on the line between townships 26 and 27 to the middle of the north line of the north-west quarter of sec¬ tion 2, township 26, range 27 ; thence south to the north-east comer of the city limits ; thence south on the east line of the city of Prescott to the mid¬ dle of the Mississippi river; thence down said river to the line between townships 25 and 26, on said town line to the south-east comer of section 36, township 26, range 19 ; thence south on the line between ranges 18 and 19 to the place of be¬ ginning; said town to be known as the town of of "Oak Grove" ; the first election to be held at the village of Pleasant Grove.

The following resolution was passed: That the above named towns of "Clifton," "Oak Grove" and "City of Prescott," shall pay their share pro rata of the indebtedness of the present town of Prescott.

At the same meeting the board voted that township 26, range 17, Pierce county, be and is hereby set off and established as the town of "Perry," and that the first election of said town be held at the house of D. II. Filkins, in said town. At a special meeting of the board of supervisors held in the city of Prescott, March 30th, 1857, it was voted to divide the town of Isa¬ bella in the following manner : beginning at the south-west corner of township 24, range 17, and running due north on the west line of township 24 and 25 across said town, that nil that part of said town of Isabella situated east of said boun¬ dary line, be and is hereby known as "Pleasant Valley ;" the first election to beheld at the house of Jeremiah Fuller. At a meeting of the county board of supervisors, called at the council hall, city of Prescott, November 14th, 1857, it was voted to form a new town from the town of Isabella, township 25, range 17, west, to be known as the town of "Hartland the first election to be held at the house of Joseph Sleeper.

At the same meeting it was voted to establish a new town with the following boundaries: All that portion of Diamond Bluff in fractional town¬ ship 24, range 18, sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 16,' 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and fractional sections 33, 34, 35 and 36, of township 25, range 18, for and the same is hereby set off into the new town of "Trenton ;" first election to be held at the store of J. Akeis. At a subse¬ quent meeting of the board held Friday, March 26th, 1858, a petition was received from the legal voters of Greenwood township, asking to have the name of the town changed to "Itiver Falls," which was granted. At the same meeting Jesse M. Southwick was appointed county treasurer in place of J. Ayers resigned, the former having held the position of deputy. The records reveal to us the facts in connection with the resigna¬ tion; the county business had been somewhat loosely kept and the county credit was very much impaired during his administration. It was evi¬ dent that he had little knowledge of the proper manner of doing public business. One early set¬ tler remarked, "The Pierce county treasury ac¬ counts were carried in the top of the treasurer's hat, subject to the four winds of heaven," and no doubt were often disarranged, so much so, that it required the labor of a committee several months to get them settled up.

At a meeting of the board, held November 18th, 1858, it was voted to setoff township 26, ranges 15 and 16, which boundary included a por¬ tion of Pleasant Valley township, into a new town to be known as "El Paso ;" first election to be held at the house of George P. Walker, in said town.

In accordance with an act of the legislature, approved March 15th, 1861, the question of the removal of the county seat from Prescott to Ells¬ worth, was submitted to the people, with the following result: nine hundred and seventythree votes were cast, of which six hundred were for removal, the remainder opposing.

At the next session of the county board, the officers went to the point designated in the act, and did business in a board shanty erected for their comfort. Soon after this, there was a meet¬ ing of the board held at the new county seat, which was the scene of a lively contest. The eastern delegation presented and contended for a bill calling for an appropriation for the erection of permanent buildings. The Prescott faction opposed it, and wished only for those of a tempo¬ rary character.

No amicable arrangement could be secured and the meeting adjourned "sine die." The fol¬ lowing year an act was approved calling for an election to return the county seat to Prescott. The effort, however, was a failure, and the seat of government remained at Ellsworth.

Temporary buildings were used until 1869, when their present beautiful and substantial buildings were erected. The same year an appro¬ priation of $3,000 was made for the purchase of a poor farm, which is located near Ellsworth.

of suitable buildings for holding the courts of the county, also for a jail for the use of said county; the buildings to be erected on the following: the south-west quarter, section 17, or the south¬ east quarter of section 18, or the north-east quar¬ ter of section 19, or the north-west quarter of section 20, in township 20, range 17 west, on any part of said land as may be determined by the board of supervisors. The vote stood as follows: nine for and five against. At a meeting held June 11th, 1861, it was voted to add $4,500 to the sum already voted. ]At a meeting held Novem¬ ber 16th, 1801, it was voted to organize town¬ ship 25, range 15, into a new town to be known ns Union,/ the first election to be held at the house of Frank Masher. '< At a meeting of the board, held January, 18th, 1802, a petition was granted asking that the name of the town of Perry be changed to Ellsworth.

At a meeting of the board, held January 14th, 1862, it was voted to form a new town with the following boundaries: township 25, range 10 west, said town to be known as the town of Salem. A petition of the voters of the town of El Paso, asking for the formation of a new town with the following boundary : township 20, range 15, said town to be known as Rock Elm; the first election to be held at the house of J. Pickett.

At a meeting of the board held at Prescott November 10th, 1808, it was voted to form a new town with the following territory: township 27, range 15, said town to be known sis Spring Lake, the first election to be held at the house of A. M. Wilcox. A petition of the voters of the town of Martell was granted by setting off a new town with the following territory: township 27, range 16, said town to be known as Deerfield; the first election to be held at the house of Albert Martin.

At a meeting held February 1st, 1869, it was voted to vacate the town of Isabella, township 24, range 17, and attach the same to Ilartland, to be known as Hartland; first election to be held at Hodgeman's school-house. At same meeting it was voted to change the name of township 24, range 15, and township 24, range 16, known as Pleasant Valley, to Maiden Rock. At a meeting of the board held May 26th, 1869, it was voted to change the name of township 27, range 16, known as Deerfield, to Gilman. A meeting of the board

At a meeting of the board held June 19th, 1871, a canvass of the votes of the town of Hartland had been taken in regard to a division of the town. A majority were in favor of the following division: township 24 north, of range 17 west, to be set off and called Isabella.

At a special meeting of the board called June 17th, 1872, it was voted to issue bonds of the county to the amount of $5,000, for the normal school fund; said bonds payablu March 1st, 1873.

The first records of the judicial courts held at Prescott, 1854, were kept on sheets of foolscap paper fastened together with wafers, such as were used to seal letters in the days of yore. The first case before the court was as follows: ''State of Wisconsin, Pierce county; Wm. Woodruff versus Charles D. Stevens, August Loehmen and Charles Peschke. - In court of said county. In equity. On reading and filing the bill of complaint in this case on motion of S. J. It. McMillan and II. M. Lewis, solicitors for counsel J. S. Foster, it is or¬ dered that a writ of injunction be issued in the case, pursuant to the prayer of said bill upon said complaint. Some one, in his behalf, filed with the clerk of said court a bond for damages and costs in the sum of $1,700, with surety to be ap¬ proved by the clerk or judge of said court. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 22d day of May, A. D. 1854. (Signed) Wiram Knowlton, judge of the sixth judicial dis¬ trict."

The village of Ellsworth is located on the edge of- the "big woods," at about the center of Pierce county. An act of the legislature, ap¬ proved March 15, 1861, submitted to the people by vote, the question of the removal of the county seat from Prescott to Ellsworth, at the same time designating its location in case of removal. The popular vote decided the change contemplated in the act, and the court house was thus placed near the center of the county in a most beautiful lo¬ cality. The village has a population of about six hundred inhabitants; surrounded by a fine farm¬ ing country. The county buildings were erected in 1869, of brick and stone, at an expense of $30,000. There are other small villages located in different parts of the county, such as Maiden Rock, Diamond Bluff, and Trenton, on the river; and Clifton, Spring Valley, Rock Elm, El Paso, and Martell, located in their respective towns of the same name.