Wright County, Minnesota - Chapter 6: First Settlement, 1915

Civilization Approaches Wright County - Frenchmen Winter on Wright County Islands in 1805-06 - Settlements in Adjacent Counties - Edmund Brissett Establishes Trading Post in Wright County - His Historic Trail to Lake Pulaski - Otsego and Monticello Settled - Early Census - Original Assessment RoU - Early Marriages.

Civilization and settlement gradually approached Wright county as the pioneers and fur traders began to scatter to the north and northwest of Ft. Snelling.

As early as 1797, two traders, James Perlier (also written Paulier and Perlier) wintered on the Mississippi river somewhere below the present site of Sauk Rapids.

In 1806, Col. Robert Dickson seems to have had a trading post below the present site of Sauk Rapids. Below him, probably on one of the islands adjoining what is now Wright county, Perlier had an establishment in the winter of 180.5-06, and there Perlier 's brother and Veau spent the season.

In 1819 Ft. Snelling was established at Mendota. May 10, 1823, the "Virginia," the first steamboat to reach Minnesota, arrived at Ft. Snelling. In time, settlements sprang up which have resulted in St. Paul and Minneapolis, and civilization began to approach still nearer to Wright county.

On the western side of the Mississippi, adventurous souls began to take scattered squatter claims in Hennepin county outside of the hamlet at St. Anthony (now a part of Minneapolis).

On the eastern side, in 1846, two brothers, Peter and Francis Partoille, started a trading post in Anoka county, at the mouth of the Rum river. In 1848 they sold out to Anthony Roberts. Quite a colony arrived in Anoka county in 1850 and settled in what is now Ramsey township.

Bottineau built a tnuling post bctwet'ii Orono and EUc rivt'r. In 1850 he ereeted the Elk River House, a small tavern. Big Lake township was settled in 1S48 by James, Eli and Newell Houghton, from Vermont. Joseph Brown settled in the same township in 1849. At an unknown date, probably in the late forties, Nathan Myriek and J. Davis had a trading post in what is now Clear Lake township, on the east side of the river, a mile below what afterward became the Clearwater ferry. In the same in 1848. It was near what is jiopularly known as the "Big Bend" in the Mississippi. John II. Stevenson and John Townsend located in the same township in 1850.

Settlements were also made f>irther north, on both sides of the Mississippi, especially about the mouth of the Watab river and at Sauk Rapids.

The first white man to establish himself in what is now Wright county was Edmund Brissett. Brissett was a Canadian who came to Ft. Snelling in 1832 and engaged in carpenter work and interior woodwork. It was in 1839 that Brissett gave to a part of what is now St. Paul the name of "Pig's Eye," by which it was so long known. In time, Brissett became a fur trader. His principal post was near Lake Harriet, in Hennepin county. When the Winnebagoes began to occupy parts of what is now Wright county, Brissett opened a trading post at the west end of Lake Pulaski, in 1850. It is possible that he had also traded here the previous year. In 1851 he and his associates cut a road through the timber from Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun to the present site of Buffalo, and from thence a trail to the west end of Lake Pulaski. After leaving Lake Calhoun the road passed along the west shores of Medicine lake, Independence lake, and Lake Sarah, crossing Crow river at Rockford, then passing north of the present Rockford and Buffalo road, and crossing the creek between the marsh and the lake. It was a crooked narrow track, but the traders used it extensively. The early settlers found this road of much service. The Brissett post was abandoned in 1855 when the Winnebagoes were removed to a reservation on the Blue Earth river.

In 1850 or 1851 Samuel E. Carrick established a trading post on the Mississippi within the limits of Wright county. It was located in Otsego township, on what is still known as Carrick 's prairie. In 1852 Carrick located on a claim at the same point. This was the first farm opened in Wright county. After living on tlie place some ten years Carrick enlisted in the Fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. He was captured in the advance on Atlanta, was kept during the winter in the Confederate prison on Belle island, and died at Andersonville in May, 1864.

John McDonald settled on section 17, Otsego townsliip, on the site where the hamlet of Otsego was afterward located, July 31, 1852. McDonald was born in Maine, assisted in building the dam at St. Anthony (now a part of Minneapolis) in 1847 ; spent a short time in the lumber regions of the Rum and Swan rivers, then went to what is now Hudson, Wis. ; returned to St. Anthony in 1849 ; assisted in erecting two mills there ; was joined by his family : spent the winter of 1849-50 at what is now Little Falls, Minn.; then went back to Minneapolis; and in 1852 came to Otsego township. He was a member of the first board of county commissioners in 1855.

David MePhersoD also settled in Otsego township July 31, 1852. McPherson's residence here was brief. The reputed wealth of the Pike's Peak gold fields induced his emigration thither, frojn which locality he afterwards removed to Wisconsin.

While Carriek, McDonald and McPherson were making their first improvements in Otsego township, and Brissett was maintaining his post in Buffalo township, two young men, Herbert McCrory and Frederick M. Cadwell, settled in what is now Monticello township. They came in the summer of 1852 and located near the present townsite of Monticello.

No beaten track or highway then existed between the Otsego and Monticello settlements - naught save the tortuous Indian trail winding along the margin of the river; and it was not until the spring of 1854 that a wagon road was cut between these points by Mr. McCrory and others. Five days were required to hew out this rough passage through the forest, which even then was a barely passable route.

In 1852 or 1853 Archie Downie located at the mouth of Silver creek, in what is now Silver Creek township. He was connected with the Winnebago agency at Long Prairie, and looked after the Indians when they insisted on living in Wright county. In August, 1854, he took a claim in section 15. He was one of the first board of county commissioners in 1855, and in May, 1856, sold his claim to A. G. Descent, and left the country.

All the settlers previous to February 24, 1853, except the traders who held licenses, were scpiatters. But though the treaty which relinquished the Indian rights was not in force until February 24, 1853, it had been signed August 5, 1851, and in anticipation of the day when it should be proclaimed these pioneers "squatted" on the land and thus made preparations to properly file on the claims when the land should be legally open to occupation.

In 1855 Franklin, Roekt'ord, Victor, Woodland and Chatham received their tirst settlers, and Hufi'alo and Silver Creek received their first permanent settlers.

There were 598 people in Wright county wlien the census was taken in 1855, 385 males and 213 females. In Hig Hend precinct there were forty-two males and 20 females ; in Monticello precinct there were 146 males and eighty-four females ; while in Pleasant Grove precinct there were 197 males and 10!) females.

Big Bend Precinct. (Bounded on the east by the west line of J. 0. Haven's claim, on the south by the south line of the county, on the west by the Clearwater river, on the north by the Mississippi river.) Census taken June 27 and 28, 1855, by II. W. McCrory. First is given the name of the head of the family, next the number of males in the family, next tlie number of females in the family, and lastly the total number of inmates in the family.

Pleasant Grove Precinct. (Bounded on the east by Crow river, on the south by the north fork of Crow river, on the west by the west line of L. Dimick's claim, on the north by the Mississippi river.) Census taken June 23, 25 and 27, 1855, by Hiram Nickerson. First is given thf» name of the head of the family, next the number of males in the family, next the number of females in the family and lastly the total number of inmates in the family.

Monticello Precinct. (Boinided on the east by the west line of L. Dimick 's claim, on the south by the south line of the county, on the west by the west line of J. O. Haven's claim, on the north by the Mississippi river.) Census taken June 21, 22 and 27, 18.55, by D. B. Sutton. First is given the name of the head of the family, next the number of males in the family, next the number of females in the family and lastly the total number of inmates in the family.

The meagre extent to whieli the county had been improved in 1855 is shoM'u by the original assessment roll which is still preserved. There was no real estate assessment, as the title to the land was still vested in the government. Land improvements but not the land, were taxed. Taxes were also levied on buildings, stock, and goods held for sale. In the list published below there will be found under each name and following the eiuimeration, the total assessment, the amount of the tax to be paid for county purposes and the amount of tax to be paid for school purposes :

The first marriage officially recorded with the clerk of court of Wright county was that of Herbert W. McCrory, of Monticello, and Harriet McDonald, of Clearwater. The ceremony was performed at Clearwater May 1, 1856, by Samuel Wilder, a justice of the peace, and the witnesses were William McDonald and Frederick M. Cadwell. The record was entered May 2, 1856, by F. W. Merrill, clerk of court.

Chaimcey Wilson, of Meeker county, Minnesota territory, and Eunice Caswell, of Wright county, married September 8, 1856, by Rev. Richard Walker, in the presence of William Randall and William M. Preston.

Charles W. Lambert and Matilda Cooley, married at the home of Luman Cooley, in Pleasant Grove precinct, November 26, 1856, by O. H. Kelley, a justice of the peace.

John W. Dow, of St. Cloud, and W. Elmira Oakes, of Big Bend precinct, this county, were married December 14, 1856, in the presence of John and Jane Oakes, by the Rev. E. H. Whitney.

Frederick M. Cadwell, of Clearwater, and Elizabeth McCrory, of Monticello. The ceremony was performed at tlie home of William G. McCrory, in the town of Monticello, by Tobias G. Mealey, a justice of the peace, February 11, 1857.

Frederick Barker and Kate A. Lewis, married in tlie fall of 1857, by Rev. Marcus Hicks, in the presence of H. C. Coolbaugh and Elizabeth Coolbaugh.

Moses Martin and Olive Cross, married at Monticello, November 9, 1858, by Rev. Samuel T. Sterritt, a Methodist Episcopal clergyman, in tbe presence of Joseph Eaton and Matilda Cross.