Rapidan, Minnesota

The first claim in this town was located by Basil Moreland on Section 7 in March, 1854. A month later Oliver J. Roe made a claim in the same neighborhood. In August, Williston K. Greenwood, also, took a claim in Section 7. The same month Isaac Andrus and his son, Truman F. Andrus, located with their families on Sections 11 and 13 on the Maple. In October, Cornelius YanNice claimed in Section 21 and moved thereto with his family. Wm. P. Coffin and Joel Cloud, early in the spring of 1855, located on Section 5. But all of these settlers had to abandon their homes in a year or so as the town "n'as included in the Winnebago Reser^-ation. White settlers, were thereafter barred until the removal of the Indians in 1863. The fall of 1863 and the spring of 18G4 saw the beginning of white settlements again in the town. Among the first settlers were: Gottfried and Jacob Sanger, who located there in 1863, J. D. Hooser,

Passage source: History of Blue Earth County and Biographies of Its Leading Citizens, published 1901.

Eiley Stratton took possession of the log cabin, wliich Isaac Andrus had built and which during the Winnebago occupation had been used by the chief, Big Bear. The town was first named "DeSoto" by the County Board in yVpril, 1858. In July, 1864, C. P. Cook started a town site in Section 6, on the Blue Earth, which he called "Rapidan"" after the place he had come from in the east. March 2, 1865, a bill was passed by the State Ijegislature changing the name of the town to "Eapidan" at the suggestion of Mr. Cook.

Passage source: History of Blue Earth County and Biographies of Its Leading Citizens, published 1901.

In the summer of 1865, John Morrow purchased 120 acres of land near the mouth of Maple River, whereon he erected kilns and engaged in the manufacture of lime for two or three years. He also opened stone quarries on the same land. During the winter of 1866-7 S. Kenworthy and Co., erected a large flour mill, 30x40 and four stories high, at the foot of the Blue Earth River rapids. The mill had two runs of buhrs four feet across. It was afterwards much enlarged, and for many years was famous as one of the principal custom mills of the county. The site is still occupied by the Rogers Roller Mill. During the winter of 1866- 7 Geo. Heaton and Richard Rew built a saw mill on the Blue Earth in Section 31, to which in a year or two they added a flour mill and named it the "Union Mill." The same winter Lucius Dyer put up a saw mill on the Maple in Section 35, to which he added later a grist mill. This mill later passed into the hands of Geo. Gerlich, then to Jesse 0. Mericle. In 1884, Henry Dyer built a new saw mill on the Maple. In vVugust 1867, Silas Kenworthy, J. W. Mendenhall, James B. Swan and James A. Wiswell, laid out a town called "Rapids" on land adjoining the Rapidan Mill. In December, 1865, PafE and Reynolds opened a store at this place. Nothing further came of this townsite. About 1867, a postofEice was established in Sec. 35 with J jucius Dyer as postmaster called "Maple River." It was on a newly established mail route between Wilton and Garden City. In October, 1869 "The (.astle Garden" postoffice was created in charge of Dr. N. Bixby, who lived on Section 15, As. there was no mail route, Dr. Bixby had to carry the mail from Mankato for the office. J. W. Derby succeeded Dr. Bixby as postmaster but tlie office was discontinued in March, 1875. In January, 187 G, a new postoffice was established at the house of Olof Olson called "Rapidan" on the Milwaukee Railway near where the present station is situated. In October, 1880, Mr. Olson opened a store at the present site of Rapidan station, which he conducted until August, 1887, when he was succeeded by W. 0. Dustin & Co. April 1, 1888, Olaf Olson was succeeded as postmaster by Noah Webster, who also, had become the owner of the store at Eapidan Station. He died in November, 1891, and \\as succeeded by h's son, Wm. Webster. March 1, 1895, Wm. T. Just became storekeeper and postmaster, and in 1907, Daniel E. and Wm. A. Bosin became his successors in business and Daniel E. Bosin was made postmaster. A lumber yard and blacksmith shop are also, main- tained at the same place. An ek-vator was erected, and in 1897 a co-operative creamer}' was built. In 1900, a Woodman Hall was built, and a passenger depot put up in the fall of 1906. Theee buildings, with a church and number cf residences, make now of Eapidan Station, a sjnall village.

Passage source: History of Blue Earth County and Biographies of Its Leading Citizens, published 1901.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Rapidan Township - it names this place 1 more 1 time.