Albertville City

Albertville City

Albertville, formerly called St. Michael Station or St. Michael's Station, is an enterprising business center, and an excellent trading point for a good farming district. The village is ineorporated, connected with the outside world by both telephone and telegraph and has excellent schools. Its business men are up and doing, carry large, well selected stocks and are making a bid for patronage in the way of prices that is felt in all sections. Albertville has about 450 inhabitants and is surrounded with as desirable farm lands as are to be found in this great state. It is located on the Great Northern railroad, fifteen miles northeast of Buffalo, the county seat. Lately the city has built cement walks on her principal streets which add much to her appearance. Large quantities of grain, live stock, potatoes, butter and eggs are shipped from here every year.

Albertville has a Catholic church, a bank, two hotels, a grain elevator and a flour mill. A brief business directory follows: John P. Bull, postmaster; Cargill Elevator Co., P. F. Heckelmann, agent; Arnold Dick, confectionery; G. H. Durant, saloon; Jacob H. Dick, flour mill; Eastern Minnesota Lumber Co., Edward Duerr, manager; J. P. Bull, general store ; German-American State Bank, J, S. Nealey, president; I. H. Vonderhaar, cashier; J. H. Herman, hotel; Joseph Jacob, blacksmith ; Leonard Kasper, meats; John Otten, harness; Emil Stolkey, express agent.

For a time, there was another village named St. Michael's Station, and also called Hamburg, located one-half mile northwest of what is now Albertville, in Otsego township.

Franklin forms the southeast corner of Wright counts, and embraces township 118, range 25, and that part of township 119, ranges 24 and 25, lying west of the South fork and south of the North fork of the Crow river. The town is bounded on the north by Rockford, from which it is divided by the north branch of the Crow river; on the west by Marysville and Woodland; on the south by Carver county and on the east by Hennepin county. The town has an area of about forty-six square miles, and was originally covered with timber interspersed with natural meadows. The surface is nneven, but not very much broken or hilly, and is well watered. The soil is a rich and deep dark loam.

The North fork of Crow river forms the northern boundary line, while the South fork enters from the south in section thirty. four, flows in a northerly course, varying to the east, forming the eastern boundary near the northeast corner, and uniting with the North fork about two miles above the village of Rockford. The principal lakes are, Fountain, in the western part, reaching into the town of Woodland, Cedar, in the central part, and Rice, in the southeastern part, extending a short distance into Carver county,

The Crow river from prehistoric times was a favorite hunting and fishing route for the Sioux indians, but no traces of permanent villages have been found. Several years after the town was settled bands of Sioux trapped and hunted along the river, and each winter camped in the town of Franklin, To some extent the pioneers associated and traded with them in a friendly manner. In the early fifties the Winnebagoes were here. At the forks of the Crow river in section 30, they left several houses and probably had quite a village there. At the mouth of Pioneer ereek in section 26, they left many houses and huts, and a stockade, probably used as a storehouse, 30 feet long and 20 feet wide, built of split timber, six or eight feet high.

James P, Lyle, a native of Nova Scotia, seleeted the first claim in the township. He traveled through this region prospecting and marked out a claim in section 12, June 15, 1855, a part of the claim being within the present village limits of Delano. A short time later he brought his family and became a permanent resident. James B. White, John E. Ellis, James and Samuel Padden also from Nova Seotia, came at the same time and selected claims in the same Vicinity. John E. Ellis took the northeast quarter of section 11, upon which the main part of Delano is now located. In 1868 he sold his claim to Breed, Atwater & Payte, who that year platted and laid out the townsite of Crow River, a name which was later changed to Delano in honor of F, R. Delano, a railroad official. James B, White ecan- tinued to reside in section 14. It is interesting to note that White and Ellis built a claim shanty on the line between their claims, and oceupied it jointly. In this building November 1, 1858, Mr. Ellis taught a subseription school, the first school in the township. James Patten sold his claim in 1867 to W. G., Cooper, and engaged in the hunber trade in Minneapolis. Samuel Patten was killed June 18, 1873, by the accidental falling of a barn frame which he was taking down for James Quinn.

In the spring of 1856, came Luther Walter and Volney, his son, and William Lewis, all from Maine. They settled in seetion 13, near Lyle's. David White and family, Riley Starman, John and Luther Cunningham took claims on the Crow river that same year and became permanent residents. J.J. and C. A, White, James Murphy and several others settled in the south part of the township the same year, while to the north and west there were Luther, Cadwell and sons, the Crawshaw brothers, Melville Rue, John O'Connel] and others.

In the spring of 1857, many new settlers came. S, P. Spencer took a claim in section 1, and made a large clearing but afterward sold his elaim to John Sherry. The Matters, Lewis, Joseph, John, Philip and Anthony settled in seetions 2 and 10. Others who came were: William Knoble, John Seibel, Conrad Marth, George Calladine, William Ziebarth, Fred Adickes, Theodore Jaegler, and James Martin and his seven sons.

In 1855-56-57 nearly all the houses or cabins were made of rough logs with split shingles, or shakes, as they were called for roof. Ofttimes the trodden earth would serve for a floor, but some houses had a floor of split or hewn logs. Very little lumber was used, for there were no saw mills in the county and the condition of the roads to Minneapolis made it almost impossible to bring in lumber from there. Some of the settlers maintained a ernde sawing establishment at or near Lyle's place. The method of operation was to place a log on a platform, with one man in the pit under it and the other standing over it, and thus manipulating a cross-cut saw. The settlers took turns at this mill and sometimes cut as much as 200 feet a day. Many fisors, doors and partitions were made from boards obtained in this primitive way.

In 1858 roads were opened to Watertown and Rockford, and some lumber was brought by wagons from the mills that had been opened in those towns.

During 1858 and 1859 there was more travel and commerce to Watertown and Rockford by boats than by teams. The boats in general use were the Indian canoes, or dug outs, and the old settlers became quite expert in their use. During these years the settlers had rather hard times. Roads were poor, navigation with loaded dugouts was not easy, lumber and provisions were scarce, the grasshoppers had ravaged the township in 1856 and 1857, the land sale of 1859 found most of the pioneers without money to pay for their claims. But at this period eame the ginseng buyers, and as the root was plentiful in Franklin the people were soon in better circumstances.

A road was opened through the southeast part of the town from Greenwood to Watertown in 1857. A territorial road known as the Waverly road was surveyed and opened the same year to the northern part of the town. But great difficulty was experienced in traversing all of these roads. There were many ereeks and sloughs, bridges were few and poor, roads were winding and rough, and in the wet seasons sunken and overflowed. A journey to Minneapolis and return with oxen was an undertaking beset with difficulties.

The first white child born in Franklin was Ida May Patten, daughter of James and Mary Patten, August 17, 1856. The first marriage was that of Riley Sturman and Louise Murphy, December 25, 1857. The first death was that of Mary Lyle, wife of J. P. Lyle, and daughter of David White, December 1, 1858.

When the county was divided into townships in 1858, township 118, range 25, was designated as Newport. But there was a town of that name in Washington county, so on September 14, 1858, on a petition of a majority of the voters in the town, the commissioners changed the name to Franklin. The first town meeting was held at the home of David White, May 11, 1858, and the following officers elected: Supervisors, C. A. Wright (chairman), William McKinley and Fred Adicks; town clerk, J. J. Wright; assessor, J. B, White; treasurer and collector, J. P. Lyle; justice of the peace, Samuel Sturman; constable, Philip Martin; overseer of the poor, David White.

At the session of the legislature of 1865 an act was passed subject to the approval of the voters of the two towns, making the North fork of the Crow river the boundary line between Roekford and Franklin, all that part of township 118, range 25, lying south of that fork being detached from Rockford and added to Franklin. The votes of the two townships were counted together and the measure passed.

Franklin being well populated, contributed quite a number of volunteers during the early years of the Civil War, but the quota was not filled and the town was subjected to a draft. The first draft made the citizens anxious to avoid the second draft, so on February 22, 1864, with the quota still lacking seven men, a special town meeting was held at the home of Louis Kespohl to consider the payment of a bounty te encourage volunteer enlistments. C. A. Wright was chairman and E. F, Hainlin, clerk. EK, F, Hainlin and William Ziebarth were appointed a committee to go to St. Paul for the purpose of ascertaining whether all volunteers who had enlisted from Franklin had been duly ered. ited to the town. The town board acting on a vote taken at this meeting, met March 3, 1864, and resolved to issue fourteen bonds of $300 each to the aggregate amount of $4,200, ta be paid to recruits or volunteers who would enlist and thus fill Franklin's quota. About $2,100 in bonds were thus issued. But soon other officials came into power, and refused to pay the bonds. Some of the bonds passed into the hands of H. L. Gordon. He brought suit against the town and on April 7, 1870, was awarded a verdict of $2,287.75. At a meeting held November 9, 1872, it was voted to take an appeal to the Supreme court. But the appeal was never taken and the amount was paid by instalments, the last payment of $400 being authorized on April 5, 1873.

Among those who enlisted in the Civil War from this township were: Fifth Vol. Inf., Go. B, Jacob Geiger. Ninth Vol. Inf., Co, A, Cramer Swartout. Co. B, James L. Martin, John Robertson, James Robertson, Frank Sutton, Judson Welker. Hatch's Battalion, Co. A, Thomas Bernick, Jacob Houser, Louis Kunkel, Malcolm Anderson, John Patten, Theodore D. Strauch. Co. C, William Reardon, Samuel Murphy, John Wineo, John Cunningham. Mounted Rangers, Co. M, James Quinn, James Patten, John E. Ellis, Thomas Sturman, L. Cunningham, John Droddy. Co. C, Philip Matter, R. A. Streeter. Second Minn. Cavalry, Co. B, Thomas R. Sturman, 8. S. Sturman, A. J. Cates.

The Indian panie of 1862 sent most of the inhabitants of the town to Greenwood, Rockford and Minneapolis. Possibly not one person remained in the township. No attempt at a defense was made here, though the people of Franklin were active in the building of the stockades at Greenwood and Rockford. In 1863 the exodus was repeated, and during the temporary absence of the settlers the farming interests suffered considerably,

The only distillery operated in Wright county was erected in the northern part of section 34, in that part of the town which was then included in Rockford, This distillery was open from 1858 to 1862 and was owned by Jacob Dietz. In 1865 two illegal stills were started but they were short lived and operated on a small seale.

In 1872 there was a small-pox scare in this vicinity. The existence of the scourge was reported to the town board by Miner Ball, June 7, 1872, and Dr. C. B. Ames was reported a special health officer to examine into the matter. The houses of F. J. Baumann, Andreas Oehrlein and Louis Kunkel were quarantined and the roads closed. The house of F, J. Baumann was made a hospital, and Peter M. Wright appointed superintendent. New cases were reported daily, There was one death, that of F. J. Baumann, but the others who were ill all recovered. Several of the patients were but mildly afflicted, and this caused some of the cases to be diagnosed as measles. The epidemic cost the town $264, Mr. Baumann sacrificed his life as the result of being a good neighbor. Andrew Oehrlein had contracted the disease in St. Paul, had been treated there, and had brought medicine home, but the people of Franklin were not aware that he was afflicted with the plague, until Mr. Baumann, who had been called to nurse the sick man, was himself stricken down.

The first bridge over the South fork of the Crow river in Franklin township, was built in 1859, near William McKinley's, about forty rods above what afterward became the location of the so-called McKinley bridge. It was built without assistance from the town or county by voluntary work and individual subscription, and was covered with poles instead of planks, but answered its purpose admirably for six or eight years. In 1873 the McKinley bridge was rebuilt, William MeKinley and John Sherry being the principal movers and contributors. The county paid $400 and the town about $100, the remainder being supplied by voluntary work and subscriptions.

A bridge was built in the village of Delano in 1868, the village paying $150, the town proprietors about the same, and the township the remainder. In 1879 the bridge was entirely rebuilt, at a cost of $1,300, the town paying $900 and the county $4.00. In 1882 it was repaired and replanked at a cost of about $230, of which the town paid $100 and the village the remainder.