Middleville Township

Middleville Township

Middleville embraces Congressional township 119, range 27. It is situated in the southwest part of the county, six miles from the southern and western boundary lines. It is bounded on the north by Albion, on the east by Marysville, on the south by Victor and on the west by Cokato. Aside from the natural meadows, the township was originally all timber land, covered with oak, linden and a large quantity of bird maple. The surface is generally rolling and much less broken than that of most of the other townships which lay in the Big Woods. The soil is a rich dark loam with elay subsoil. The town is well watered by the north fork of the Crow river, and by a number of ereeks which are the outlets of Jakes in other townships, notably in Albion and French Lake.

Howard lake, one of the finest bodies of water in the county, covers about 800 acres, and lies nearly all in this town. It is named from Sir John Howard, the English philanthropist. There are also many smaller lakes in the township.

Early in the spring of 1856, Irvin Shrewsbury, from Independence, Hennepin county, and Abraham Adams, a surveyor from Shakopee, also in this state, made claims on the south side of the lake near the present village of Howard Lake, partly laid out a townsite, and named the lake.

The first actual settler was George Reinmuth. Reinmuth was born in Germany, settled in Pittsburg, in 1852, came to St. Paul early in 1856, and on May 7, of the same spring, made a claim in section 27, on the north shore of Howard lake. Shortly afterward he brought his family. They endured all the hardships of pioneer life, Without a team of any kind, with no farm tools but an axe and a hoe, they wrought for themselves a farm and a home in the wilderness. With Reinmuth came August Enke, a carpenter, who settled on section 28, adjoining the Reinmuth claim, He did not bring his family until the next year.

John L. King, from West Virginia, arrived May 17, 1857, and tock a claim in section 35, Later he moved to section 34, and developed a fine farm on the shores of Howard lake. He was the chairman of the first board of town supervisors, and as such sat as a member of the first board of county supervisors.

Henry Boam was born in Ohio and came to Minnesota in 1854. Later he was engaged as an assistant with the surveying party that laid out the subdivisions of several townships in this locality. In running the lines he discovered a small prairie on the bank of Crow river, in the northwest quarter of section 10, where he determined that some time in the future he would settle, Accordingly in June, 1857, he took up his residence there. His surveying experience made him an especially useful member of the community, and he spent the first few years here in fishing, hunting and showing claims to neweomers. Later he became a prosperous farmer.

In the spring of 1858 there were a number of new settlers, Jacob Sheppard came in the spring and located on section 28. John L. Barth, A. E. Cochran, Joseph Borell and Andrew Doerfler setiled here about the same time. W, P. [lolbrook settled on the site where the village of Smith Lake was afterward located. In

When the county commissioners created the townships in April, 1858, the towns that are now Middleville, Cokate, Stockholm and Victor were included in one organization and were named Middleville by M. V. Cochran, from his old home in Virginia. The first election was held at the home of M. V. Cochran, May 11, 1858, and the following officers chosen: Supervisors, John L. King (ehairman), Jason Lobdel and Edwin Brewster; clerk, M. V. Cochran; treasurer, George Doerfler; assessor, A. J. Gardner; justice of the peace, A. E. Cochran; constable, Timothy Lowell.

The first school was taught by Mrs. Lavina Cochran, commeneed in May, 1860, in school district 45, then comprising the present towns of Victor and Middleville. A small log schoolhouse was erected on the bank of Howard lake.

Lavina C. Reinmuth was born July 20, 1858, daughter of George Reinmuth. Emma Enke, daughter of August Enke, was born May 29, 1859. Gustav Reinmuth, son of George Reinmuth, died April 12, 1861. The first men in town to be married were Joseph Sheppard and John Leonard Barth. In November, 1857, they went to St. Paul for the express purpose of finding life partners, were married and returned to Middleville, all in the course of two or three days.

Many of the first settlers left during the hard times of 1859, but soon came the advent of the ginseng buyers, and the pioneers secured a good start in life with the money earned from gathering the roots.

During the Indian scare of 1862, the settlers all left. Some went to St. Paul and Minneapolis, while others helped to build the stockades at Greenwood and Rockford. But when the scare of 1863 came the people were braver. Though the Dustin massacre took place in Middleville, the people in 1862 who had left their homes had returned to find their property ravaged by white men worse in every way than the Indians, and consequently in 1863 many men, and even some women, remained at home to guard their property.

The first road laid out in town was the so-called Mooers' prairie road, opened to a certain extent in 1856. It ran east and west near the south line of the tewn, and was partly in Vietor. The first bridge over the Crow river in this township was built in 1869, on section 10, the county paying $100 and the people raising $300 by subseription. It was rebuilt in 1882. In 1879 a bridge was built on the southwest quarter of section 8, at Albrecht's mill. It was rebuilt in 1882. In 1880 a bridge was built on the section line between sections 8 and 9. A year or so later one was built on the southwest quarterzef section 12. In 1882 a bridge was built over the outlet of Lake Henry.

Many people came into the township in the fall of 1866 and purchased railroad land. They had little money. but expected to secure employment on the railroad. The wet weather of the spring and early summer of 1867 flooded the country and made railroad work impossible, Many of the settlers faced actual starvation. Some aid was rendered by the county, and some $300 or $400 was raised by the Quakers among their friends in St. Paul and Minneapolis. The destitution after a time was relieved, but for a few months the possibilities of a serious famine were of a serious nature.

A gristmill was built in 1879 by Herman Albrecht on Crow river in section 8. M .V. Cochran & Co. built a steam sawmill at Smith Lake in 1873. It was burned in 1875, rebuilt in 1876, and burned in 1879. It was sold in 1880 to Ilindman & Workman, who rebuilt it in 1881. In 1877 a small steam sawmill was erected at Boam's place, and was operated for two or three years.

The first division of the St. Paul & Pacific, later the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba, and now the Great Northern, was completed to Middleville in the spring of 1869, passing near the south line of the town, through sections 31, 32, 33 and 36, and this marked the real beginning of prosperity in this part of the country.

With the coming of the railroad in 1869, the opportunities for the establishment of a prosperous village were at once apparent. In 1870, J. Dunn and H. Tanner purchased a tract of land in section 36, Middleville, and section 1, Victor, and planned to lay out a town. A large store building was built and opened, and a good dwelling house was also erected. Negotiations were opened with F. R. Delano, George R. Becker and other railroad men to establish a station at or near Twelve Mile creek. The project was delayed on account of the constantly increasing price asked by Andrew Beck for his land and small sawmill on the ereek, and subsequently the failure of the firm and their establishment on the Minnesota river terminated the matter.

Albrecht's Mills, also called Albright's Mills, is located on the Crow river in this township, and contains a store, a creamery, a blacksmith shop and a mill, in addition to several residences.

Smith Lake Village

Smith Lake village is located in section 30, The claim was originally taken by Eugene Smith, who located and surveyed a railroad right-of-way in 1858 and gave his name to the lake. Mr. Smith did not perfect his title, and in 1865 the land was taken as a pre-emption elaim by W. P. Holbrook. In July, 1869, about

A station was erected in 1869. The first store was established the same year by L. W. Perkins. He sold out to L. W. Parks & Co. in 1872. In 1874 the store passed into the hands of Brooks & Co. For many years it was kept by R, M. Morgan. A drug store was kept for several years by John Bennett. The first hotel was opened in 1869 by L. W. Perkins. In 1877, R. M. Morgan erected an elevator with a capacity of 15,000 bushels. Alexander Fashant kept the hotel for a while. Elijah Doble, blacksmith and wagonmaker, kept a boarding house for a while. He was an old settler. About this time, L. Watson kept a boot and shoe store. Two prominent men in the village in the early days were James Z. Cochran and A. E. Cochran. James Z. Cochran devoted his time to stock raising, real estate and farming. A. E. Cochran arrived in July, 1857, was postmaster, officeholder and friend to the community. He helped many early settlers locate claims and assisted many impoverished ones in a financial way.