French Lake Township

French Lake Township

French Lake is located in the northwestern part of the county and embraces township 120, range 28. It is bounded on the north by Southside, on the east by Albion, on the south by Cokato, and on the west by Meeker county. The township was originally all timber land, broken and hilly in the west and northwest, and rolling in the south and east. The town is watered by the winding course of the north fork of the Crow river, and by numerous lakes, among the largest of which are Hutehins and French lakes.

The first actual settler in French Lake was Ernest Howard. Born in Belgium, he came to the United States in the early fifties and located in Fond du bae, Wis. In 1856 he came to Minnesota. In the meantime, in the spring of that year, a territorial road had been cut through the Big Woods aeross French Lake township from Monticello to Forest City, located in Meeker county on the Big Prairie. Over this road many pioneers traveled through French Lake looking for prairie lands to the west. Mr. Howard was one of those who started out to follow this road. Hiring a team at Monticello, he loaded his goods onto a wagon, and with his family started out for Forest City, October 10, 1856. Toward evening they reached section 15, French Lake township. The wagon there broke down, and the released horses started back to Monticello, leaving the family in the wilderness, without shelter and with very little food. The next day a snow storm set in. It was evident that the rescue party which they expected would set ont from Monticello as soon as the horses arrived there was not to materialize. So Mr. Howard built a small log cabin for temporary shelter. Still no aid eame, so the family decided to stay there for the winter and to go on in the spring. But when spring came they were attached to the neighborhood and had made up their minds to remain, A son, John Howard, was the first white child born in the township. Being almost destitute at the time of settlement, the family had hard times and were in rather straightened circumstances for several years, but the advent of the ginseng buyers enabled them to pay for their land and to establish themselves comfortably on the place where their hired horses had unceremoniously dumped them.

In the winter of 1856-57, several persons established themselves in the township. Among them was Casimir Brasseur, a native of Canada, who in March, 1857, married Genevieve Howard, daughter of Ernest Howard. This was the first marriage in the township.

In April, 1857, Andrew, Daniel and George McDonald came from Nova Scotia and settled here, Andrew took the northeast quarter and Daniel the northwest quarter of section 24, and developed two of the best farms in the township. George took a claim on the southeast quarter of seetion 13, adjoining Andrew's, In 1864 he sold this farm to Charles Chevalier, returned to Nova Scotia for an operation on his eyes, and died soon afterward. It was on a part of the original claim of George Me- Donald that the Church of St. Ignatius was afterward built.

In the spring of 1858, M. C. O'Donahue and Thomas O'Laughlin settled on section 10, They were the forerunners of an influx of sturdy Trish settlers. O'Donahue was chairman of the town and justice of the peace for many years, and for a time was county commissioner, O'Laughlin was postmaster for a time and held a number of important town offices,

John Charles, P. Girard and others, Belgians, Frenchmen and Canadians, came in 1859 and 1860. Most of the early settlers were either Belgians or Trish. Later the Scandinavians from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland began to fill up the town. Very few Americans were in the town in the early days. Among them may be mentioned: Owen Groves, Francis B. Ide

Twin Lakes, later called Portland, was laid out on the south east quarter of the south half of section 14, by Sydney Shaw, of Machias, Maine, and Henry Averill, of Louisville, Kentucky. Twin Lakes was the name which had been given to the neighboring bodies of water, and for a time the village was so designated, but when the formal plat and survey were made in the summer of 1857, the name Portland was adopted. As was eustomary with the proprietors of the early tewnsites, the promoters of Portland located on their maps churehes, hotels, schoolhouses, railroads, mills, business houses and parks, and many lots were sold. A hotel was erected and opened by James Curtis from Maine. But the erash came when the proprietors did not properly enter the land at the land office, and in 1859, Mrs, Hannah O'Laughlin from Missouri, came and took possession of the claim,

When the county commissioners created Albion, April 6, 1858, it embraced the present towns of Albion and French Lake. The first election was held May 11, 1858. On June 9, 1865, on petition of about thirty legal voters, township 120, range 28, was set off and named French Lake. The first meeting was held on July 7, 1865, at the home of Mrs. Hannah O'Laughlin on seetion 14, and the following officers were elected: Supervisors, Michael O'Shea (chairman), Patrick Kennedy and Michael O'Laughlin; town clerk, M. L. O'Laughlin; treasurer, Michael O'Laughlin; justices of the peace, M. C. O'Donahue and M. L. O'Laughlin.

The first highway laid out in the town of French Lake was the Monticello and Forest City road, in the spring of 1856. The course of this road was east and west. Later other roads were established extending north and south, The meanderings of the Crow river through twenty-five miles of the town requires many bridges. The first was built in 1873, in section 27, on the old Cokato road, It was built at a cost. of $450, of which $300 was furnished by the state and $150 by the county. The next bridge was built in 1879 on section 20, by A. D. Kingsley, at a cost of about $350, the county of Wright and the towns of Cokato and French Lake assisting. The third bridge was built in 1882, likewise by A. D. Kingsley. It cost $435, the county paying $250, and volunteer subscribers the remainder.

In the spring of 1879, A. D, Kingsley purchased from John Charles, seyenteen acres in the northwest quarter of section 22, near the bridge on the Cokata road, and erected a dam and saw: mill. Before coming here Mr. Kingsley had put in operation the mills at, Old Waverly and had sold out to C. W. Bonniwell.

Like the other towns, French Lake went through the usual vicissitudes of poverty and hard work, handicapped by the grasshopper ravages and diffieulties of travel. Like the other pioneers, the people here were greatly benefited by the ginseng trade. The town was depopulated by the Indian seares of 1862 and 1863. Some went to Monticello, bnt many went further and never returned. A few of the men remained in town during the scare of 1863, scouting from point to point, with the cabin of the Holmes brothers in Albion as general headquarters. When the settlers returned after the scare was over they found their crops ruined and their live stock strayed away.

John Howard, son of Ernest Howard, the first settler, was the first white child born in the township. The date of his birth was October 10, 1858. The first marriage was that of Casimir Brasseur and Genevieve Howard, Mareh 15, 1857. The first death was that of John Kean, January 10, 1862. He was buried in St. Michael's cemetery, Frankfort. Joseph Perron was the oldest person who ever lived in this county. He died June 9, 1879, at the alleged age of 113 years. He came from Quehee, Canada, in 1864, and was the father of eighteen children,

French Lake village is a thriving little business centre with a population of about 100 people. It is located twenty-five miles west of Buffalo, and six miles south of Annandale. It is an inland village and has a bank, a creamery, two general stores and a blacksmith shop. Not far away is a good mill,