Minneapolis City (part 15 of 80)

Corcoran, Napre Orove And Plymoeth

Old settlers still tell the stor3" of the Indian scare - that of 1858 - at the time of the final battle between the Chippewas and Dakotas, in Eden Prairie and Shakopee, so often alluded to in this history. On their return, after being defeated by the Dakotas, the Chippewa war partj^ was in almost a starving condition. Therefore they killed stock, right and left, among the set¬ tlers of Plymouth, and helped them¬ selves to whatever provisions were in sight. They were fearful the Sioux would follow them, so thej^ had no time to pause bj" the wa^' side to pick strawberries or hunt partridges. For several da\'s, the little settlement in Pl^unouth was badly frightened. A committee went to St. Paul and brought out twenty stand of arms, and, for several nights, the women and children were kept together in one house, while the men stood guard and patrolled the roads. But the Chippewas kept on toward their home in the north, and the Sioux remained at Shakopee, not caring to risk their scalps hj' following up, too closelj^ their hereditary enemies.

There were religious services held at the homes of settlers, during the early pioneer da3^s, hut no record re¬ mains of them. The Catholic denom¬ ination organized a church societ3', in 1857, and, the 3^ear following, proceed¬ ed to erect the Medicine Lake Church. This has alwa3's been the leading church societ3^ in point of member¬ ship.

In 1868, a Methodist church was organized, by Kev. Charles Haskell, and a church edifice erected, on the bank of Parker's Lake. This building was burned in the fall of 1877.

On the 27th of Februar3\ 1863, a German Evangelical Lutheran Church society was organized, at the house of Herman Sandkoff, and, in 1880, this denomination built a church.

Miss Lorinda Shaw has the honor of teaching the first school in the town, during the summer of 1856; but no school house was erected until 1859, during the summer of which 3'ear, the old log school house was built on the west side of Section 14. Once having fairl3" started in the educational line, school houses multiplied rapidl3', and the town has ever since been noted for most excellent countr3^ schools.

Chapter Liv

Hennepin County, as originall}^ organized in 1852, had for its east¬ ern boundary the Mississippi River. The territor}^ composing the town of St. Anthony, was, at that time, a part of Ramsej'^ Count3\ The boundaries of Hennepin County were extended across the Mississippi River, bj' an act of the Legislature, in 1856, but the eastern boundary was not finally fixed until 1861, when it was established along the line dividing Sections 5 and 6, of Township 29, Range 23, from the north line of the last named township, south to the Mississippi River. A town organization was made May 11th, 1858. The area of the original town has been encroached upon by succes¬ sive enlargements of the boundaries of the cities of St. Anthoii}' and Min¬ neapolis, until onl}' a remnant of its original restricted limits remains. At present, the town of St. Anthon3'^ con¬ sists of Section 6, and Section 7 (ex¬ cept the southwest (piarter), of Town¬ ship 29, Range 23, having an area of eleven hundred and twent3' acres, in which a town organization is main¬ tained. Settlement was made on these lands, in 1850, by N. O. Phillips, L. C. Tinson, Lewis Stone, and his sons Jacob and Leonard, and Mr. Finch. This part of the town was separated from the City of St. Anthon3", b3^ a strip of boggy land, and was broken in surface, and covered with brush, so that it was undesirable for agriculture. Its proximit3' to the cit3^, has, however, caused it to be settled up and im¬ proved, and it contains, toda3', some of the best farms to be found in the vicinit3^

David Dolloff Moore. A true exemplitication of the old time hospitalit3', in "life down on the farm," manifests itself in ever3" da3' life, at the home of one of the earliest pio¬ neers in St. Anthony Township, well known to all the residents in that localit3', and, indeed, in the Cit3'^ of Minneapolis, as the warm and spacious residence of Mr. and Mrs. I). 1). Moore.

that would be an ornament to one of the avenues of a city, and in all prob¬ ability, will be standing when the road that now leads the traveler that way, shall be one of the streets of the City of Minneapolis; and here the frugal house wife has reared her family of children, and proven a thousand times, that "the true wife" is, indeed, a "help¬ mate," through sorrow and happiness, adversit3^ and prosperity.

Mr. Moore was born at Sanbornton, New Hampshire, August 11th, 1814. His parents were John and Mary (Fulington) Moore, who were also natives of New Hampshire.

Mr. Moore received his education at Franklin, New Hampshire, and passed the intervening time, until 1855, in farming and lumbering. Coming to Minneapolis, in the spring ot 1855, he settled at St. Anthony, where he re¬ sided for two years, during which time, he gave his undivided attention to the lumber business. In 1855, he purchased one hundred sixty acres of farming land in St. Anthony Town¬ ship, but did not take up his residence there until 1857, and, from that time until the present, he has been activel3^ engaged in farming. He has added several tracts of land to his first pur¬ chase, since he moved to his present location. In 1873, Mr. Moore built his present fine brick house, which is large and commodious, and is heated by steam throughout.

Aside from the two hundred eighty acres, which he owns at his present home, he has, together with his two sons, a large and beautiful farm of over four hundred acres, in Dakota County, near Farmington, Minnesota.

Mr. Moore was married, in 1841, to Mary J. Robinson, who was born in New Hamphire, May 20th, 1813. Her parents were Nathanal A. and Mary (Smith) Robinson. Six children have blessed this union, as follows: Henry Lee, resides in Minneapolis; Augustus A., and Gustavus G., twins, the former, on a farm, and the latter, in the city; Nathan M., farmer; George C., resides in Minneapolis; Mary B. (Mrs. J. C. Henning), of St. Anthony Park.

As a business man, Mr. Moore has been very successful. He united with the Christian Church, when about twenty-five years of age, and is a member of the State Grange, and has been elected to nearly all the offices within the gift of the township. He has, for some years, affiliated with the Prohibition part3^.

The organization of this town was on the same day with that of the town of St. Anthony, Ma3" 11th, 1858. It in¬ cluded all the territory' l^'ing between the line separating Ranges 21 and 22, west of the 5th principal meredian, and the Mississippi River. Its north¬ ern bonndarj' ran from the southwest corner of Section 7, Town 117, Range 21, east, to the river. In 1860, two tiers of sections were taken from the north, and made a part of Cr^^stal Lake. In 1867, the two northern tiers of sections and the territorj' Ijdng north of Min¬ nehaha Creek, below Rice Lake, were taken from Richfield, and added to Minneapolis; the town as thus estab¬ lished, was bounded north b3" Cr3'stal Lake; east, b3^ the Mississippi River; south, by Richfield; and, west, b3' Minnetonka and PLunouth.

The incorporation of the cit3' of Minneapolis, in 1872, and the succes¬ sive enlargements of its area, take awa3' more than one-half of the orig¬ inal area of the town, leaving its east¬ ern boundar3' a short distance west of Lake Calhoun. In this reduced limits, a town organization was continued, until the establishment of the villages of Golden \"alle3', and St. Louis Park, absorbed its remaining territor3'. The histor3' of that part of the town l3dng east of the lakes, is included in the cit3' of Minneapolis. The territor3' west of the lakes was slow in settle¬ ment. It was brush land, considerabl3' broken in surface, and not as at¬ tractive to settlers as the prairie por¬ tion of the count3", or the timber region, l3'ing within the big woods. Nevertheless, some earl3' farms were opened in the western part of the tt)wn. Among the settlers of 1857, was John Berr3', on the west side of Cedar Lake; T. W. Pierce, on Section 5, west of Lake Calhoun; a little later, the Hallorans, William 133'rnes, Thos. Gaffne3^ Peter Curl3-, Frank and John I)o3de, and John and David Bracken, made settlements in the northwester^' parts of the town.

In the west, H. H. Hopkins, George M. Burns, F. H. Warneke, and John Hannon, made claims. From the time the cities of St. Anthoin' and Minne¬ apolis began to assume importance, and furnish a market for produce, the town rapidl3' filled with settlers, and the best lands were soon appropriated. These have been improved, and have risen in value, and, to-da3', constitute some of the best farms in the countr3'.

The soil is a heav3'dark loam, in the south and southeast, and in the north¬ west it is lighter, with a mixture of sand3' knolls and cla3'. This township was noted for the beaut3' of its lakes, which were found in nearl3' ever3' por¬ tion of its territor3'. A group of picturesque lakes, so 1110113' of which appear in Minnesota, 103' in its central and southern part. All of these are now within the cit3' limits of Minne¬ apolis. The largest of these, Lake Mendosa, was fornierl3- known as Lake

Calhoun, named in honor of John C. Calhoun, at the time Fort Snelling was first occupied. This lake, which is nearly round, has a circumference of over three miles. Its waters are clear and of great depth in some por¬ tions of the lake. The sandy shores afford excellent bathing and watering places. Lake Harriet is located just south of Mendosa, and is very nearlj^ the same size and shape, but a portion of this lake was in the town of Rich¬ field. These lakes are of historic in¬ terest, for upon their shores was erected the first houses, and the first farms opened by civilians in Henne¬ pin County. These lakes are now among the most noted in the North¬ west, Thousands of people gather upon their shores during the summer time to witness the plays of Shakes¬ peare, or listen to the strains of music from some of the most noted bands of the world. An immense amphitheatre has been erected upon the shore of Lake Harriet by the Minneapolis Street Railway Company, at great cost. This lake has a boulevard run¬ ning its entire circumference, extend¬ ing to Lake Mendosa, along the east¬ ern shore of that lake, and around Lake of the Isles, past the eastern shore of Cedar Lake, connecting with the Kenwood Boulevard, and running into the city. Lake of the Isles lies just north of Lake Mendosa, and a little to the east, while Cedar Lake is situated northwest from Mendosa. The latter lake is about one mile in length, and a half mile in width. Its shores are sandy, and on the west, stony and gravelly. Lake of the Isles, north of Lake Mendosa, and separated from it by a high gravelly beach and a narrow strip of swampy land, con¬ tains, as its name indicates, a number of small islands. It covers about one hundred and sixty acres, and has generall3^ sandy shores. Bass Lake, half a mile west of Lake Mendosa, has an area of about eight}^ acres, and shores similar to those of Cedar Lake. In the southeastern part of the town, is Rice Lake, through which flows Min¬ nehaha Creek. In the northern part, is Keegan Lake, on Section 20, Sweeney and Twin Lakes, on Sections 18 and 19, and Keller's Lake on Section 32. On Section 12, near the west line of the town, is Lake Hannan, and in the central part, are Lakes Held and Hallai'on, on Section 30. These and other small lakes, are more or less marsh3^ All the lakes mentioned, like others in the country, were well stocked with fish, when the county was first settled, and some of them still afford good fishing. The waters of Bass Lake flow southeaster! \-, through a small creek into Mendosa. The outlet of Mendosa is on the south, and connects it with Lake Harriet, from whence a small creek conveys the united waters into Minnehaha Creek, near the Rich¬ field mills. Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles have no visible outlets pro¬ vided by nature, but in 1893 the Park Board connected Lake of the Isles with Lake Mendosa, by a narrow canal.

The principal creeks of the town¬ ship are Bassett's and Minnehaha. The latter rises in Lake Minnetonka, and, entering the town on the west, flows across the southwest corner into the town of Richfield, and thence through Rice Lake, from which point to its junction with the Mississippi River, it forms the boundary of the township. Bassett's Creek enters the township from the west, and flows in an easterly direction across it and the city, and empties into the Mississippi River, just within the limits of the original niilitar}' reservation. The first person who lived within the limits of this township, is said to have been Joseph R. Brown, a dis¬ charged soldier, who, by tolerance of the commanding officer, at Fort Snelling, dwelt near Minnehaha Falls, within the reservation. Major Talia¬ ferro, in 1829, opened a farm on the shores of Lake Calhoun, for the bene¬ fit of the Sioux Indians, and as Minne¬ haha was called Brown's Falls, after General Jacob Brown, and Lake Cal¬ houn was named after a late secretary of war, he called the settlement Eatonville, after the Hon. John H. Eaton, of Tennessee, Secretary of War, under President Jackson, from 1829 to 1831. The first farmer of the establishment was Philander Prescott. In 1834, the Pond brothers arriv'ed, and were the first civilians to erect a dwelling in the county. Eatonville grew to quite a village, but upon the removal of the Dakotas, to the banks of the Minne¬ sota, in 1843, the improvements at Lakes Calhoun and Harriet, were abandoned. From that date, until 1849, we can learn of no settlements on the west side of the river. In the spring of that year. Philander Pres¬ cott made a claim on the east side of what is now Minnehaha Avenue. This claim, being on the military reservation, he \cas not allowed to remain, and it was occupied by Frank¬ lin Steele, who had permission from the Secretary of War, for such occu¬ pation. Prescott then located a claim adjoining Steele on the west, but did not take possession of it until after the reservation came into market. His home was in the town of Rich¬ field, until his death. He was born in Ontario County, New York, in 1801. In 1819, he visited a brother at Detroit, Michigan, and, while there, engaged as clerk, with Mr. Devotion, a sutler, for a trip up the Mississippi. In the latter part of the year 1819, he arrived at the cantonment of Fort St.Aiithoii}', now Fort Snelling, then in command of Colonel Leavenworth. In the win¬ ter of 1824-5, he was trading near the fort. The Indians stole some of his goods, part of which were restored; in settlement of his claim for those not restored, the chief gave him his daughter in marriage. For three years he was with the Columbia Fur Com¬ pany, and in 1830, was appointed In¬ dian farmer, at Lake Calhoun. He was temporarily engaged as interpre¬ ter, at the Redwood Agency, when the outbreak occurred, and was killed, by the Indians, in August, 1862. His wife and a daughter were taken prisoners, but effected their escape through the aid of friendly Indians, and returned to their home at Minnehaha.

In the winter of 1849, Charles Mousseaux, by permission of the military authorities, at Fort Snelling, made a claim on the eastern shore of Lake Calhoun, and built his shanty on the site of the old mission, where the Ponds resided, now occupied by the pavilion. He remained on this claim, until the fall of 1857, when he moved to the city of Minneapolis, where he resided, until the fall of 1880. He was born in Montreal, Canada, in 1806. He was employed by the American Fur Company, as voyageiir, and, in that capacity, arrived at Fort Snelling, in 1829. After about a week, he went to Lac qui Parle, where he remained about a 3'ear. He then returned to Fort Snelling, and thence to Prairie du Chien. He was a carpenter and house painter, and engaged in those trades for several j'cars. In 1830, he assisted in the improvements then being made at the Fort. He also built

Shortly after Mousseaux, came Rev. E. G. Gear, chaplain at Fort Snelling, and made a claim east of Lake Cal¬ houn, by permission of the military authorities. He never lived on the claim, but employed Edmund Brissett to hold it until such time as he could enter it. When that time arrived, a contest arose between them as to the ownership of the claim. Mr. Gear, with the aid of Judge Black and Hon. H. M. Rice, got a bill through Con¬ gress, allowing him to enter the land at government price. He paid Mrs. Brissett two hundred dollars to leave the claim. Brissett and family then moved to Plymouth. Mr. Gear re¬ mained at Fort Snelling until 1860, when he moved to Fort Ripley, where he remained until 1868, then returned to Minneapolis. In 1870, he sold his claim, and it is now part of the "L3mdale Farm." He died in October, 1873, and was buried in Lakewood Ceme¬ tery.

The next claimant was David Gor¬ ham, who located on the eastern side of Lake of the Isles. It embraced the southwest quarter of Section 33. He sold his claim to R. P. Russell, who bought it for his brother, L. K. Russell. The latter, in 1852, placed a tenant on it, for a time, and it finally became the property of R. P. Russell.

In April, 1851, John Berry made a claim on the west side of Cedar Lake, on Section 31, and raised the first crop on the west side. He lived on his claim until 1867.

During the winter of 1851-2, rumors of the proposed reduction of the mili¬ tary reservation caused considerable excitement among the residents of St. Anthony, and the new arrivals from the East in search of locations.

Early in the spring of 1852, claimstaking began, and, in a short time, nearL^ every desirable location, south of the city, and within the boundaries of the town, was claimed. Claim shanties were erected on nearly all of them, and some had a small piece of land plowed. But the land, not being subject to entry, they were trespassers, and soldiers were sent out from the Fort to drive them away. It was a common occurrence for a squatter to leave his place with everything all right, and returning, after an absence of one day, to find his shanty a wreck, and any other improvements he might have made, destroyed. "Claim jump¬ ing" was also greatly in vogue, for a time, but the older settlers, who held the prior right to the claims, organized themselves into a society, known as the "Equal Right and Impartial Pro¬ tection Claim Association, of Henne¬ pin County, M. T." The object of this association was to protect each actual settler in his right to a claim, and the "jumper" fared badly who fell into the hands of this league. A commit¬ tee, consisting of members of the organization, was appointed, whose duty it was to decide questions in re¬ gard to the ownership of claims, aris¬ ing between members of the associa¬ tion. A decision, once made, it was not well for the defeated party to try and gain his end, by force or strategy. A few, having permission from the officers of the Fort to remain, held their claims easily; but the many were obliged to wait until the restriction to settlement was removed by the gov¬ ernment. In fact, all who had claims, and were living on them, previous to the release, did so by the permission of the authorities at the Fort, or of the War Department. When the reduc¬ tion of the reservation took place, in the spring of 1853, the rush for claims was so great that it is impossible to name the settlers of that year, in the order of their arrival. Claims were made simultaneousl}', west and south¬ west of Minneapolis, but it was not until a later period that the more re¬ mote portions of the township were settled.

Atnong those who settled in 1852, were, T. W. Peirce, who bought his claim of a Mr. Lowell, in October, of that year. He effected a settlement with the government by which he was allowed to remain. His house, on Section 5, west of Lake Calhoun, was the only one to be seen, at that time, between Berry's, west of him, and that of J. H. Stevens, then located near the present steel arch bridge. F. X. Cripeau made his claim at a very early date, and entered it as soon as the land came into market. This was on Section 16. Robert Blaisdell, and son Robert, made claims in 1852. J. T. Blaisdell located on the northeast c^uarter of Section 34. Others who located in that year, were, George Parks, Gordon Jackins, Edgar Folsom, Nathan Roberts, Simon Odell, and Titus Pettijohn. Eli Pettijohn had a claim near the Fort Snelling Road, but never lived on it. Charles Brown took a claim, through the aid of Captain John Rollins, in section 1, and Frank Rollins had a claim near bv. Benjamin Parker located where Kennedy Brothers' Furniture Factory now stands, and William Richardson, on Sections 10 and 11. He afterward removed to Meeker County, where, several years ago, he shot his wife, but not fatally, and then shot himself, with fatal effect. Sweet W. Case located a claim in 1852, and a widow lad^^ Mrs. Sayer, made a claim shortly after. Deacmi John S. Mann located

Chandler Hutchins made a claim on Section 3, on what is now the west side of Chicago Avenue. C. C. Gar¬ vey located his claim on Section 10.

In 1852, Charles Gilpatrick, who is still living on a part of the original claim, made a selection of eighty acres, in what is now Section 35. During the summer of 1853, he broke one hundred forty acres of land, for himself and others; this was the first large amount of breaking by one in¬ dividual. In 1853, Martin Layman bought the claim taken b3^ Hanscom, and it is stated that he and Mr. Gil¬ patrick, raised, in 1854, the largest crops in the township. Ard Godfre3^ who had resided in St. Anthony, since 1819, made his claim in 1853, on Min¬ nehaha Creek. During the year, he built a saw mill, the first in the town¬ ship, which he operated for a number of years. It was destroyed by fire, in 1863. Rev. J. Cressy made, late in the fall of 1852, a claim of the northwest quarter of Section 10, southeast of Lake Calhoun, and after holdinof it two years, sold to one Perkins, and went to Hastings, near where he made another claim. The original claim is now the farm of H. Van Nest.

W. G. Moffett came to Fort Snelling in 1819, and, in 1852, made a claim on Section 7, near Minnehaha Falls. His oldest son, W. R. Moffett, came in 1852, and located his claim on Section 7.

The western and northern portions of the township were not permanently settled, until a later period. Although not included in the militarj" reserva¬ tion, land in that part of the town was not considered so desirable, and the rush for locations was not so great. Among the first were the Hallaron brothers, William Byrnes, Thomas

Gaffney, Peter Curley, John Green, Frank and John Doyle, and John and Daniel Brackins, the latter with their parents. The Hallarons were from Cortland County, New York, and set¬ tled in the western part of the town. The first of these, was Patrick, who came in the fall of 1852. He died from injuries received by the kick of a horse, in 1877. The southwest part of the town was settled in 1854, by H. H. Hopkins, George M. Burns, and F. H. Warneke. John Hannon and sons, settled in the west part of the town¬ ship, in 1855. From the time the reser¬ vation was thrown open to settlers, the growth of the township was rapid; more substantial farm houses and their necessary adjuncts, barns and granaries, took the place of the hastily constructed "claim shanties," which had served their purpose, and were no longer needed. The proximity to St. Anthony, and, later, to Minneapolis, the only markets, made locations in this township, and Richfield, on the south, eagerly sought for, and specu¬ lation in claims was rife, fabulous sums being asked for the more desir¬ able.

The first meeting for the organiza¬ tion of the township, and the election of officers was held. May 11th, 1858. The first officers elected were: Super¬ visors, R. P. Russell, Chairman; G. D. Richardson, Daniel Bassett, Bdward Murphy, I. I. Lewis; Clerk, George H. Hamilton; Assessor, L. F. Cook; Col¬ lector, L. W. Rhine; Overseer of Poor, Washington Getchell; Justices, George E. Huy and Henry Hill; Constables, C. C. Beekman and A. P. Hoover; Overseer of Roads, A. B. Kingsbury. At a special election, October 2d, 1858, Daniel Bassett, G. D. Richardson, Cyrus Aldrich, and M. S. Hoblitt, were elected to seats on the Board of County

Commissioners. Following is given a list of the chairmen of the Board of Town Supervisors, in the order in which they served: For 1859, Cyrus Aldrich; 1860, Daniel Bassett; 1861, Collins Hamer; 1862 to 1866, inclusive, S. H. Mattison; 1866 to 1873, inclusive, Benjamin Parker; 1874 to 1876, inclu¬ sive, E. Groesbeck; 1877 to 1880, inclu¬ sive, R. P. Russell. The other officers for 1880, were: Supervisors, U. P. Wil¬ son and C. L. Larpenteur; Clerk, A. D. Libbey; Treasurer, J. T. Grimes; Jus¬ tices, A. S. Adams and E. Yost; Con¬ stable, William Somers. The bounda¬ ries of the township, as established by the Board of County Commission¬ ers, April 10th, 1858, were as follows: "Beginning at a point on the Missis¬ sippi River, at the south line of Sec¬ tion 12, Township 118, north, of Range 21, west of the fifth principal meridian; thence west to the southwest corner of Section 7; thence south, to the southwest corner of Section 7, Town¬ ship 117, north, of Range 21, west of the fifth principal meridian; thence east to the Mississippi River; thence up said river to the place of begin¬ ning." July 8th, 1858, one tier of sec¬ tions, on the north, was taken to form part of the town of Farmersville. This town, however, was never organ¬ ized, and the boundaries of Minne¬ apolis remained as originally estab¬ lished, until 1860, when two tiers of sections on the north were made a part of Crystal Lake Township.

No more changes in boundaries occurred until 1867, when the two northern tiers of sections of the town of Richfield, and that portion l3dng north of Minnehaha Creek, below Rice Lake (then called Eagle Lake), were added to Minneapolis. The legisla¬ tive bill providing for this change of boundary, was approved March 7th,

1867. An effort was made in the spring of 1868, to restore this terri¬ tory to Kichfield; but, at the annual town meeting in Minneapolis, only one vote was cast in favor of the meas¬ ure. A bill, approved February 6th, 1867, in which was defined the bounda¬ ries of the citj^ of Minneapolis, gave to the territory embraced in the town¬ ship outside the cit3", the name of Brighton. This name did not suit the people at all, and the bill above men¬ tioned, as annexing the portion of Richfield, restored the name, Minne¬ apolis.

St. Louis Park

Early History. It seems difficult to determine who was the "first set¬ tler," in the territory now called St. Louis Park, but then known as the town of Minneapolis. William and Mary Ann Laycock, left England, in 1850, and came to America, and settled in the township, in the fall of 1853, on which is called the Laycock farm, about a mile north of St. Louis Park station. When they first came, there were living near their homestead, two bachelors, also from England, who had been there for some time, trading with the Indians. Their names were Edward and Thomas Self. The In¬ dians often lodged with these traders, sleeping on the log cabin floor. These two Englishmen may, possibly, be the very first white settlers, in the terri¬ tory. George Drew, and family, locat¬ ed on their farm, June 15, 1854. Their house was situated near the banks of Minnehaha Creek, south of the Excel¬ sior Road, in the heart of what is now called "Wildwood." William H., and Mary E. Lauderdale took possession of their homestead, north of Bass Lake, and adjoining Christopher Hanke's farm, March 20th, 1855, with the thermometer at 40 degrees below zero! Mrs. Lauderdale's grandfather. Colonel John Sloan, was Secretary of the Treasury, under Millard Fillmore.

nected with the history of the Park, ever since. June 19th, 1857, was the date of the arrival of Christopher Hanke, and family, who settled on the homestead, now known as the Hanke farm, just south of Bass Lake, on the Excelsior Road. Martin Van Buren and Harriet Pratt followed, in the spring of 1858, and made their home on the Pratt farm, with their residence on the Excelsior Road, where it still stands. Albert Harrison Baston, and his wife, Elizabeth, with their famil}'' of small children, moved into the township. May 16th, 1860, and bought a tract of land adjacent to the Pratt farm, on the west. After the death of Mr. Baston, his wife, finally, parcelled out the land among the four children, Hon. J. J. Baston, Charles F. Baston, Mrs. Charles Rixon, and Mrs. C. B. Waddell. The Goodrich farm, north of Drew's, occupied by the family of Dr. Goodrich, and the Tilleny farm, adjoining Hanke's, belonging to Joseph Tilleny, were among the early settlements, but the dates are not available. The Lobdell place, the George Goodrich farm, the Scott home¬ stead, the Falvey property, and others, for part of the territory, and they would, doubtless, furnish an interest¬ ing history, if the records were acces¬ sible.

The first authentic marriage in the township, is that of Martin Van Buren Pratt, and Harriet Hawkes, which occurred May 15th, 1858. And it is probable that Chesle^'' Hamilton was the first white child born in the terri¬ tory, the date being November 24tb, 1857. No other date, which we can find, shows a priority of claim. The weight of evidence seems to indicate that Polly Pratt, the wife of Job Pratt, was the first to be taken to her long home. She died, in 1856, or 1857. There are other claims put forth as to the first marriage, birth and death, but they are supported by no dates, so far as we can ascertain, and are mere conjectures.

The first school house in the district was built in the fall of 1859, on the northeast corner of Excelsior and Pleasant Avenues. This was burned to the ground, in 1866, and was suc¬ ceeded by the white school house, which stood on the same corner, and, for about twenty-seven j^ears, was one of the landmarks of the township, and of the Park, until the time of its removal, beyond the marsh, about a year ago. George Craft taught the first school, within the district, and began work in 1859. John Ludlum, George Drew, and Job Pratt, were the earliest school directors. The district was seven miles square, and some of the children walked three or four miles to reach the school. It was known far and wide as the "Pratt dis¬ trict," and this name has clung to it until recent times.

Religious History. Occasional ser¬ vices were held in the Pratt school house, during the earlier years, but no well-defined and permanent effort was made until the year 1870, when a Mr. Hartwell, of Minneapolis, suggested to Rev. H. A. Stimson, D. I)., pastor of Plymouth Church, that his neighbor¬ hood, being devoid of religious ser¬ vices, offered a fine field for mission¬ ary work. Dr. Stimson preached once a month, and Mr. Hartwell read ser¬ mons on the remaining Sundays. These services were held in the after¬ noon. A Sunda}^ school was soon organized, with Mr. Conant, of Ply¬ mouth Church, in charge. Mr. Tucker was his successor. After several ex¬ periments, Mr. Edward Clarke, of Minneapolis, took hold of the work, and continued it till his death, when Mr. J. S. Bradstreet carried on the work. In November, 1875, Mr. George B. Shepherd became superintendent, and, with great faithfulness and suc¬ cess, conducted the school until Feb¬ ruary, 1883.

In 1878, a chapel was built, and dur¬ ing the late summer, the Sunda}^ school was transferred into this build¬ ing, which, in honor of Mr. Clarke, was called "Clarke chapel." The site was given by Mrs. Margaret Scott. The first regular preaching was by Rev. B. F. Shuart, beginning in the spring of 1881, and continued for the space of one 3^ear. On Wednesday', March 14th, 1883, a council convened at the chapel, and, at that time, the "Union Congregational Church, of Minneapolis," was formally' organized, and Clarke chapel, was, henceforth. Union church. There were seventeen charter members; eight, coming by letter, from Pl^unouth church, Mitineapolis; three from other churches, and six on confession of faith. Rev. H. F. Tjder took charge, in April, 1883, and, in the spring of 1884, he was succeed¬ ed bj^ Rev. George A. Hood, who left in the summer of 1886. The Rev. William M. Jones, Ph. 1)., commenced work, December 1st, 1886; was in¬ stalled, Ma^' 17th, 1887, and closed his pastorate, October 25th, 1891. The Rev. J. W. Ferner assumed charge, January' 1st, 1892, and left in Novem her, 1893.

During Rev. George A. Hood's pas¬ torate, the parsonage, one of the finest in the State, was built, and was first occupied, in December, 1886, by his successor. The land on which it stands, was donated by Christopher Hanke, and C. G. Goodrich, each giving one acre. The entire church property is valued at $8,000, In the summer of 1893, the old church building was torn d .wn, and the foundations of a new edifice were laid on another site, across the street from the Lincoln school. Union church was the only religious organization in the place, for years, and it did a great and good work among the people. In 1893, the M. E. Church erected a building, with the Rev. Mr. Kerfoot, as pastor, and this was followed, later on, by a Presby¬ terian church, beyond the marsh. These are the only regular religious organizations in the village, at this writing, although there have been other occasional attempts at holding Sunda}^ schools, etc., in the past two or three years.

The Incorporated Village. The village of St. Louis Park was duly in¬ corporated, October 4th, 1886. An election was held, December 6th, 1886, and a full board of officers was chosen, who were formally induced into office, December 10th, 1886. Their names were as follows: President of the Council, Joseph Hamilton; Trustees, H. C. Butler, O. K. Earle, George E. Goodrich; Treasurer, J. J. Baston; Re¬ corder, Charles H. Hanke; Justices of the Peace, C. R. Newcome, and Peter Schussler; Constables, J. W. Bushaw, and Patrick Larkin.

The village is about two and a-half by four miles. It is bounded on the north, by the village of Golden Valley; on the east, b}^ the west line of the city of Minneapolis; on the south, by

The occasion of the incorporation of the village, was the acquisition of the greater parts of its area by the St. Louis Park Land and Improvement Company, whose comprehensive plans, backed by the use of almost unlimited capital, contemplated the creation of a great manufacturing suburb of Minneapolis. It is admir¬ ably adapted for such uses. Its sur¬ face, generally level, is only broken by gentle undulations, which give good drainage. It is well watered, by small lakes, and running streams, of which Minnehaha Creek is the largest.

The St. Louis Park Land and Im¬ provement Company, with C. G. Good¬ rich, as president, and H. C. Truesdale, as secretary, took the initiative in the starting and building up of the vil¬ lage, in 1886. To Joseph Hamilton and O. K. Earle, both property owners, and residents, in the village, must be given a large place in the work of forming and carrying out the plans in connection with this enterprising pro¬ ject.

Some three years later, a syndicate of Minneapolis capitalists, organized by T. B. Walker, and joined by several other very prominent business men, among whom Mr. C. G. Goodrich was the most active, together with Mr. H. F. Brown, and others, formed what was known as the Minneapolis Land and Investment Compan3''.

This syndicate, with a very laige capital, purchased nearly the entire land embraced in the original village and township of St. Louis Park, amounting to some two thousand (2,000) acres, and, after re-arranging tlie plat of the old town, expended large sums of monej'^ in grading streets, building side walks, brick blocks of stores, and a great number of bouses, also building and equipping one of the most complete and best etiuipped electric lines communicating with the city of Minneapolis.

On June 4th, 1892, this com[)any placed on record the largest plat ever recorded in the State of Minnesota. The surveying and platting of this new city required two 3'ears of con¬ stant work, with a large force of en¬ gineers. The whole work was done under the entire supervision and man¬ agement of T. B. Walker, and that same business sagacit3' and close attention to details, that had made him one of the most successful busi¬ ness men of this entire Northwest, is manifested in ever3^ department of the business of this great enterprise. This, coupled with all the capital necessar3", or rec[uired, insured to St. Louis I^ark an addition of large popu¬ lation, wealth, and industrial enter¬ prises.

The magnitude of the plans adopted by this compan3" can be judged some¬ what b3" the work done. Within two 3'ears, from the commencement of work, there was in successful opera¬ tion man3' large manufacturing enter¬ prises, giving emplo3'ment to hun¬ dreds of people, and capable of stistaining a population of over live thousand. Among the most promin¬ ent and successful enterprises, is the Monitor Manufacturing Com pa 113-, giving eniplo3mient to three hundred (300) men; the Ksterly Harvester Com¬ pany, emplo3'ing over live hundred (500) men; the Thompson Wagon Compan3', emplo3dng two hundred (200) men; the Jarless Spring Carriage Compan3^, employing one hundred (100) men; the Wallis Buggy Compan3% employing one hundred (100) men; the Shaft-Fierce Shoe Compan3^ employing fifty (50) men; the Minne¬ apolis Specialt3" Manufacturing Compan3^ emplo3dng fift3' (50) men; the Minneapolis Malleable Iron Conipan3% eniplo3dng one hundred and fifty (150) men; and the Mintieapolis Chair Manufacturing Company, eniplo3nng one hundred (100) men.

The Minneapolis and St. Louis Rail¬ way, and the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railwa3% runnijig through the center of the town site, with depots and freight houses, and extensive side tracks, connecting with all the manu¬ factories, and the Great Northern Railway, running through just to the north of the laid-out town site, furnish abundant and unusual railwa3" facili¬ ties for the development of this, the most important of the suburban addi¬ tions to the cit3". It seems destined to cut a large figure in the future growth and development of Minneapolis, and constitutes one of the most hopeful features in making Minneapolis the leading manufacturing and commer¬ cial city of the Northwest.

The postal facilities of the village are ver3' fine, with morning and after¬ noon departure and delivery of mails. Formerl3% the j)ost office was called Elmwood, which, in due time, was changed to St. Louis Park. The first appointed postmaster was O. K. Earle, but the first to do permanent service, was Joseph Hamilton, who, filial^', reliiuiuished the post to the present in¬ cumbent, James T. Davis. The first mail came to Elm wood, October 20th, 1887. St. Louis Park is well supplied with hotels, stores, doctors, druggists, barbers, etc., as well as other indis- pensables of modern civilization. It is very magnificently located. The land lies high and dry, the climate is of the healthiest, the people are kind and pleasant, and it is a very desirable place of residence.

The first child born in the newly itrcorporated village, was Horace Leonard, son of Mayor Joseph Hamilton, and he made his advent into the world, October 26th, 1886. The first recorded death is that of Mrs. Ann Pratt, who passed away, October 16th, 1886', in the seventy-second 3^ear of her age. The earliest wedding, was that of Chesley Hamilton, and Re¬ becca Hunter, which took place at Union church, October 17th, 1888.

There are, perhaps, two hundred and fifty children, of school age, in the village, and, for their education, three schools are maintained,' with six teachers, in the different depart¬ ments. In the year 1889, the educa¬ tional facilities were greatly improved, by the erection of the new Lincoln school, at the total cost of $8,500. This school was opened Monday, January 6th, 1890, with James T. Davis, as principal, and Marj' C. Bates, as prim¬ ary teacher. Since then, the corps of teachers has been increased, the courses of study have been extended, and the school has been thoroughly graded, offering to the children of the village excellent opportunities for obtaining a thorough common school education, without leaving home. The schools are maintained by levying a tax of SIX and one-half mills on a property valuation of nearly a million and one-half dollars.

In 1887, the village was organized into an independent school district, with a board of education, and a board of examiners, of its own, having full power to examine teachers, and to issue certificates to the same, inde¬ pendently of the County Superintend¬ ent of schools. The present board is as follows: President, D. J. Falvey; Secretary, Charles Rixon; Treasurer, Chesley Hamilton; Charles H. Hanke, H. C. Parlin, and J. B. Stiles.

The Lincoln school, which serves the double purpose of school house and town hall, is situated south of the railroad track, near the center of the village. The old "Pratt school," built in 1866, on the corner of Excelsior and Pleasant Avenues, is now located be¬ yond "the marsh," west of the factory district; and the "North school," erected in 1885, in the Falvej^ district, is near the northern boundary of the village.

The region now embraced within the limits of St. Louis Park, was, while a part of the town of Minne¬ apolis, an almost acadiaii spot. Here were established some of the pioneer farms of the country. Among the early land owners, and resident farm¬ ers, were, H. H. Hopkins, Christopher Hanke, R. L., and S. Pratt, L. Tillany, and J. B. Clough, whose well cultivat¬ ed fields, sleek cattle, and high bred horses, bespoke the industry, intelli¬ gence and taste, of the cultivators.

Their picturesque fields were first invaded by the iron track, and the song of the birds, and hum of bees, silenced by the hiss and clatter of the locomotive, and the peals of the mon¬ ster, the factor}^ with its grime and clamor, and the quiet arcadia gave place to the manufactory.

Joseph Hamilton. Probably the most prominent character in the building up of St. Louis Park, is Joseph Hamilton. He was a pioneer of the pioneers; he laid the solid foundation, and his hand has placed

He was born in Dexter, Maine, July, 1836. His parents were Robert and Mary (Semple) Hamilton, who were natives of Ireland. His parents, on coming to America, settled upon a farm, in Maine, where thej' resided, until their death. His father lived to the age of sixty years, and his mother died at the age of seventy-eight years.

The subject of these lines received his education at the common schools in Dexter, Maine, and at the age of eighteen, embarked as clerk in a gen¬ eral store and post office. Two and one-half years of this kind of life, in the East, was enough for the ambi¬ tious youth, and May, 1855, found him located upon a farm of one hundred sixty acres, in Minneapolis Township (now St. Louis Park), which he had purchased. Here he continued to till the soil, until 1890, when he sold his farm, to good advantage, to the Minne¬ apolis Land and Investment Com¬ pany.

Prior to this time, he had, in 1888, opened a general store, about a mile from his farm, and was appointed postmaster, which position he held, until 1891, when he sold his stock. After selling his farm and s<ore, Mr. Hamilton began the erection of build¬ ings, in the Park. An elegant block of red brick stores, bears the name of the "Hamilton Block." He also erect¬ ed about sixteen dwelling houses, for himself, and has helped a great many others to build.

In the fall of 1890, Mr. Hamilton erected the finest residence in the l^ark, which is finely finished in hard wood. He was elected President of the Village Council, at the organiza¬ tion of the town, and has held that position ever since. He was the pro¬ moter of the organization of the three separate school districts into one inde¬ pendent district. He is a member of the L^nion Congregational Church, the Patrons of Husbandry, the Good Templars, and the Patriotic Order Sons of America. Mr. Hamilton was first married, in March, 1858, to Oliva Pratt, daughter of Job and Mary Pratt, who was born at Clinton, Maine. One child, Chesley Hamilton, blessed this union, who is now married; has three children, and resides at the Park. Mrs. Hamilton died, in April, 1864, and he was again married, in May, 1866, to Eliza A. Moore, daughter of Charles and Ann Moore. By this wife, he has three children: Minnie E. (Mrs. Louis W. Fuller), now residing at the Park; Alva S., died in 1880, and Charles H., now engaged in the boot and shoe business, in the "Hamilton Block." This wife died, January 6th, 1878. Mr. Hamilton was again married, to a sis¬ ter of his late wife, Sarah F. Moore, on Thanksgiving day, 1883. By this union there are three children: Alice M., age nine years; Horace L., age seven j'ears; and Pearl I., age six years.

He has always been an hororable, upright man, ever striving for the up¬ building, and the welfare and advance¬ ment of the community, in which he has lived, and has always taken a de¬ cided stand in favor of temperance, in every form, both in theory', and in practice.

education, and grew to manhood upon a farm. At the age of twenty-four years, he sailed for America, where he worked, for a time, upoia a farm, in the State of New York, and also at the same work, in West Virginia. Re¬ turning to New York, he was married to Hanora Guinney, November 7th, 1854, at Syracuse. From here he re¬ moved to Hennepin County, Minne¬ sota, in the fall of 1854. He resided in the city for about one year, and moved to his farm, settling upon Section 8, of Minneapolis Township, where he re¬ sided until his death, February 10th, 1884. Mr. Falvey was a Democrat, in politics, a member of the Roman Catholic Church, and served upon the school board, and as Justice of the Peace. Mr. Falvey reared a large family of eleven children, as follows; Julia A., Daniel J., John G., Bridget E., Mary H., William, Jerry D., Francis J., Peter T., Nora F., and Hugh. Of these, John G., and Hugh are de¬ ceased.

Daniel J. Falvey was born February 24th, 1857, in Minneapolis Township, Hennepin County. His parents were Jeremiah and Hanora (Guinne}^) Fal¬ vey, given in the preceding sketch. Since the death of their father, he and his brother William, have managed the homestead farm, the latter remain¬ ing at home most of the time. He receiviid his education at the common schools, in Minneapolis Township, and, at the age of twenty-one years, he was elected roadmaster, and has fol¬ lowed the business of road grading since, working for the village, neigh¬ boring towns, and County Commis¬ sioners. For the past ten years (1883 to 1893), Mr. Falvey has devoted most of his time to his grading business, working a considerable portion of the time for the Minneapolis Land and

Mr. Falvey has served as President of the Village Board of Education, since the organization of the inde¬ pendent school district, and was also School Trustee before the village organization.

He has always voted with the Democratic party. His whole life has been one of industry and activity; always temperate in his habits, and a thorough go-a-head business man. While he owes some of his success to St. Louis Park, yet the village is also indebted to him for many of its ad¬ vanced improvements.

Not only has Mr. Falvey always abstained from liquor himself, but he has ever espoused the cause of tem¬ perance, in all political issues, and done all in his power to promote and sustain the village in which he lives, against any intrusion of the liquor traffic.

William Laycock. Many nations are represented among the sturdy pioneers of Hennepin County. One of the earliest of these settlers from a foreign country, was William Laycock, a thorough Englishman, by birth and education. He was born in Yorkshire, England, May 21st, 1808, in a little village, called St. John. His father and mother were both English.

Mr. Laycock, senior, was a farmer, and was also extensively engaged in the malting business. William re¬ mained at the homestead, in his father's employ, until he was thirtysix years of age, when his father failed in business. After this event, William worked exchisiv^ely at farming. On November 24th, 1848, Mr. La3^cock was married to Miss Mary Ann Rye. They remained in Yorkshire a little over a year after their marriage, but farm wages were so low at that time, owing to the number of Irish laborers who came to England, for work, that he decided to leave his jmung wife, for a time, and seek a home in America. He sailed from England, December 26th, 1849, but was not many da3"s out, when the ship, being caught in a gale of wind, col¬ lided with a China merchantman, and was so badly disabled that they were obliged to return to Liverpool, for re¬ pairs. At the end of ten days, they sailed again. Mr. Laycock might have spent the time of waiting with his wife, but he feared that if she knew the danger he had passed through, she would not dare cross the ocean alone, should he send for her, later. His voyage was a rough and danger¬ ous one. They were nine weeks mak¬ ing the passage, bringing it near the middle of March, 1850, when they landed in America.

The first employment that Mr. Laycock found, was at Westfarmes, near New York City. While digging sand from a deep sand pit, the earth gave way above him, and he was very badly hurt, by the falling of sand and rocks. He never fully recovered from the in¬ juries received, at that time, and, after thirty years of suffering, they were the cause of his death.

Mrs. La3'cock joined her husband, witbin the 3^ear, arriving in Paw¬ tucket, R. I., in November, 1850, where they remained about three 3'ears. But, like man3^ others, in those days, they took the "Western fever," ami came to St. Anthon3', in the fall of 1853. Mr. and Mrs. La3"cock spent the winter of 1853-4, in a log cabin, built by Franklin Steele, the first log cabin in Hennepin County. In March, 1854, they moved into their pre-emption shanty, on land Mr. Laycock had taken up, the year before, in what is now St. Louis Park. In that same shanty, on the 2d day of January, 1858, their only child, Emma Tyler Laycock (Mrs. O. K. Earle), was born.

Mr. Laycock was never a politician. He voted for Buchanan, at the time of his election, but after that, was identi¬ fied with the Republican party. He had several severe attacks of illness, and was obliged to use one, and some times two crutches, for more than twenty years, before his death. These troubles resulted from the injuries received at Westfarmes. He was am¬ bitious, and hard working, but his physical infirmities made farming difficult for Mr. Laycock, and he was often, in those early days, indebted to the kindness of his neighbors, for timely help, in harvesting a crop, or caring for stock, when he was unable to do so himself.

In the winter of 1882, his limb grew so much worse, that he was taken to the College Hospital, where an opera¬ tion was performed, but it was too late. Blood poisoning ensued, and, after remaining in the hospital eleven weeks, Mr. La3XOck died, April 15th, 1882.

He was a member of the Episcopal church, a kind husband and father, and was brave and patient, through all his sufferings. His burial services were conducted by Rev. David Knicker¬ bocker.

JMakti.v Y. Pk'.\tt. As a pioneer, soldier, and farmer, of Hennepin Count3% Martin \'. ITatt left an excel¬ lent record. He was born, November

10th, 1833, at Clinton, Maine, where he lived until seventeen years of age. In the spring of 1850, he came West, with his parents, who settled in Ramsey County, in the midway district, be¬ tween Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Mr. Pratt was married, on March 14th, 1858, to Harriet Hawkes, who came to Hennepin County, when a mere child. They lived, for a time, on a farm in Richfield, but sold out, and went to Colorado, in the spring of 1860. The outlook there at that time, was not promising, however, and, in the fall of the same year, they re¬ turned, settling in that part of the town of Richfield, which, later, be¬ came St. Louis Park.

call for men, when the rebellion broke out, joining the army, in the fall of 1861. He was a rhember of Brackett's battalion, and was mustered out, after three years of hard service, October 28th, 1864. On his return home, he settled down to farming, and garden¬ ing, on his place, in Richfield, now St. Louis Park, where he lived, until the time of his death, March 19th, 1891.

Mr. Pratt was a member of the Grand Army, of the Republic, and be¬ longed also to the Patriotic Order Sons of America. He was a Republi¬ can, in politics.

The village of Ediiia was taken from the west part of the original town of Kichfield, Its incorporation dates from December 18th, 1888. Its east line is a continuation of the easterly line of the villages of Crystal, Golden \''alle3^, and St. Louis Park. Its boundaries are, north, St. Louis Park; east, Richfield; south, Bloomington; and west, Eden Prairie and Minne¬ tonka. The area is 9,874 acres. The population, at the time of its organi¬ zation, was 485, and is about the same at the present time. It is an agricul¬ tural village ; the only settlement at the crossing of the Minnehaha Creek, where is the post office, a mill, and a store, and proudly aspires to the dig¬ nity of a trading town. A general description of the territory", with an account of the early settlement, as a part of the original town of Richfield,

The name Edina, was first given to the flouring mill, owned by Mr. Craik, on Minnehaha Creek, and very naturall^^ was transferred to the village. Though similar in orthography to the name of the first earthly Paradise, it was probably suggested by the Scot¬ tish associations of Mr. Craik, in his boyhood home.

Minnehaha Creek crosses the north¬ easterly^ corner of the village, and Nine Mile Creek, its southwesterly corner. It has several small lakes, and a generally level, but greatly di¬ versified surface. There are many groves of oak, with ample meadows. The numerous farms are well culti¬ vated, and are occupied by intelligent people, who appreciate education, and surround themselves with the acces¬ sories of a highly refined society^.

Bloomington, the southern township of the county, is bounded by Richfield, on the north; and Eden Prairie, on the west; while on the south and east, the Minnesota River makes a grace¬ ful boundary. The township is divided into two nearly equal portions, by the Nine Mile Creek, which runs in a southeasterly direction, from a few miles east of the western boundary, to the river on the south. The wooded bluffs of the two streams are broken by many brooks of clear, cold water, fed from springs. These add much to the beauty of the scenery, and are of great value to those farms which are devoted to stock raising. There are some small lakes; "Bush" Lake, in the northwestern part of the township, is the largest, and is admired for its beauty, and valued for fish and game.

It was the feud of many generations, between Sioux and Chippewas, with its brutal murders, and diabolical bar¬ barities, that made the Re-ya-ta-tonwan (prairie dwellers), dissatisfied with their old home, near Lakes Har¬ riet and Calhoun. They wanted the Minnesota River between them and their enemies, at the time of the year when "the snow did not show the foot¬ print of the enemy." The officers of the government, in charge of them, thought best to grant their request. No suitable place for the buildings was found on the south side of the river, and, in the spring of 1843, the first house was built in Bloomington,

Peter Quinn, farmer for another band, built the same year, and, soon after, buildings were prepared for the blacksmith, employed by the govern¬ ment, with different occupants, whose names are not recorded in Blooming¬ ton, until Victor Chatell filled the place, about the year 1847.

Martin McLeod had built a house, in 1849, and Joseph Dean, in 1852, the former, on the Minnesota Bluff, at what is now the Lyndale Road, and the latter, at the place now called Bloomington Ferry, where the small log house still stands (1894).

Settlers came in fast, in 1853 and '54. Above the creek, W^illiam Chambers, Edwin and Orville Ames (father and son), Martin and Henry Whalon, Augustine and Allen Goodrich, Reu¬ ben Gibson, John Bailiff, A. P. Thomp¬ son, Thomas and Festus Bagley, E. B. Stanley, Jehu Miller, Joseph Girard; while on the lower prairie, the St. Martin brothers, Joseph Harrison, J. D. Scofield, Robert, Joseph, and Wil¬ liam Chadwick, James and Sylvester Dean, Thomas, William, John and Robert Oxborrough, George Cook, J. Mahoney, Davis Newel, and James Brown, were among those who came to make it home.

To Wnship Hts Tor Y.

They were honest, hard-working men, some with families, and some 3'oung men, but all came to sta}", and 3'et, less than forty j^ears finds many of the families gone, so entirely", that not even a white stone in the cemeterj'^ recalls the name. I think that there are less than twenty of those who received their land title from the government, whose land is now in possession of their families. The township has never been without a school, or religious worship, since the first white man built his house there, in 1843.

A school for his own children, and several others, as would attend, either white or Indians, was kept by some member of Mr. Pond's famil^^, until the school districts being organized, rendered it unnecessary^.

The records tells us the first district school was kept in 1855, and the first school house finished in 1859. This is the district above the creek.

There are now four good school houses in Bloomington, with an en¬ rollment of more than 190 scholars, and school held for eight to ten months in each district, for the y^ear ending July 1, 1892, at an expense of more than $2,000.

It had been the custom of Rev. G. H. Pond's home, to hold religious ser¬ vices on the Sabbath, in the Dakota language. As the Indians left, and white people settled near by', the cus¬ tom was varied, by his asking per¬ mission to hold services in dwellinofs, that were central, on the Sabbath. Such requests, were, I think, alway's granted, and Sabbath services were held once in two weeks, at different homes. In the spring. Rev. Norman McLeod, a brother of Mr. Martin Mc¬ Leod, suggested, "you should have a chapel here." It had, doubtless, been thought of before, but Mr. Martin Mc¬ Leod donated four acres of land, to be used for a church, and burying ground, and the work of building was begun. The church was dedicated in January', 1856, free from debt. The graveyard had, before that, been needed, and, in those early day's, the dead were brought from Eden Prairie, and Rich¬ field, as well as from Eagle Creek, in Scott County, to be laid away here, from which I infer this to be one of the oldest cemeteries in the rural districts of the country'. A Presbyter¬ ian church had been organized in the fall of '55. Two of the original mem¬ bers are now members of the church, four others are living, but most are "sleeping."

Mr. Pond preached to the church until he resigned, in 1874. The pulpit was filled by different ministers until the fall of 1881, when Rev. A. J. Stead was called to the pastorate, which office he still fills (1893).

The site of the church was found to be inconvenient for the members of the church and congregation who lived above the creek, and, in the spring of 1864, land was purchased near the center of the town, and the church moved to that place, where it still stands. It was enlarged soon after and a parsonage built near it, in the summer of 1875. Soon after mov¬ ing the church, the piece of ground on which the church had been built was donated to the town for a ceme¬ tery. No great expense has ever been bestowed upon it, but some care and small expenditures of money' have added to its beauty', and it is to Bloom¬ ington "the city of the beloved dead." less power. One of its important works, as seen by outsiders, was form¬ ing a stock company and building a hall, which, from March, 1876, until November, 1892, was used for public gatherings and all "town meetings."

The Grange has, for a number of years, held a township fair, at which special attention was paid to the work of the children by offering special pre¬ miums to them for their work.

The records show that the first town meeting was held in May, 1858, when twenty-five votes were cast. Party spirit has never shown itself very strongly in Bloomington, Of the two "old parties" the Republican is the stronger, although the Alliance and the Prohibition parties have some¬ times won a goodly number of votes.

We are not ashamed of our war record. In the spring of 1861 only sixty-two voters were enrolled, but be¬ fore the close of the war forty-four had gone to fight or die for our country. Of the forty-four I think thirteen died during the service, some in bat¬ tle, some in prison, and some in camp. Of those who returned some were weakened by exposure and disease and have been laid away in the grave¬ yard. It is not strange that there was, in the hearts of the people, a desire to have some lasting remembrance of our soldier dead. Which desire re¬ sulted in a monument, of white bronze, erected in 1890, and unveiled Memorial Day of that year.

Of the public improvements we can¬ not make much boast. A ferry was started by Joseph Dean and Wm. Chambers, in the year 1854, where the St. Paul and Shakopee road crosses the Minnesota River. It was kept by different parties until the bridge, built at that point by the people of Henne¬ pin and Scott Counties, in the year 1888, rendered it unnecessary. There is also a bridge across the Minnesota, known as Cedar Avenue bridge, con¬ necting with Dakota County.

In the spring of 1892, the "Grange Hall" was found too small to accom¬ modate the voters and it was decided to build a town hall, which was ready for use in November, of that year, at which time there were 257 voters en¬ rolled.

F1.0RENTIN Gilbert Standish. A direct descendant of Miles Standish, of Puritan fame, Florentin Gilbert Standish comes from illustrious an¬ cestry. He was born at Benson, Rut¬ land County, Vermont, July 10, 1834. When two years of age his parents moved to New York State, where he lived until about 14 years old. In 1848, the family again moved, this time coming west, settling in Illinois, about 25 miles from Chicago. Mr. Standish worked there on a farm until he was 22 years old. It was a part of his duties to haul grain to Chicago, and many a load of wheat he disposed of while that western metropolis was still a swampy pioneer city.

In the summer of 1856, with an emi¬ grant wagon and in company with his brother, he came to Minnesota, reach¬ ing Bloomington in July, after having been two weeks on the road. From Bloomington he went to Rockford, Wright County, where he remained one year, when he sold out there and returned to the town where he has since lived. Mr. Standish was drafted into the army, in 1862, and furnished a substitute. During the Sioux out¬ break, in the same year, he was one of the volunteer company that marched to Fort Ridgely in aid of the terrified settlers. In 1863, on Christmas day, he was married to Miss Celia Harri¬ son, who had come into the State, from Canada, when 12 years old. He settled on his present farm, in Bloomington, in 1868, where he has reared a family of four children, two boys and two girls.

Mr. Standish, though never partici¬ pating much in political affairs, always performed his duties as a voter, acting always with the Repub¬ lican party. He is of a quiet, domes¬ tic disposition, and "sticks to his farm and home."

Edward Robert Pond. As a son of Gideon H. Pond, the Indian mis¬ sionary, Edward Robert Pond has had an extensive experience in pioneer life. He first saw the light of day in an Indian village on the banks of Lake Harriet in 1810, having been born on tlie 17th of March in that year. White children were few and far between in Hennepin County in those da^'s, and so his earliest playmates were principally youthful Sioux. He learned to speak the Dakota language like a native, an accomplishment very much to his advantage in later years, when he engaged as a teacher among the Indians. He was educated at home and in Minneapolis. In 1863, he went to Dakota, acting as Indian teacher at the Crow Creek agency, where he remained for eight years. While engaged in this work he pub¬ lished a Dakota dictionary, for school use, and instructed the savage children, both orally and from books, in their own language. He had a small hand press from which he published pamphlets. New Years' greetings, and 'with which he did the various kinds

Mr. Pond was married to Mary Frances Hopkins, July 28th, 1864, in Bloomington. They have seven chil¬ dren living, four daughters and three sons. In 1871, he moved with his family on the farm, where they now re¬ side, and on which he has uninterrupt¬ edly followed the calling of a farmer.

William Howard Wright. A wor¬ thy son of worthy pioneers, William Howard Wright has been one of the most enterprising and successful farmers of Bloomington. He was born. May 28, 1859, in the town where he now lives (1892). His parents came to Bloomington, from Maine, in Sep¬ tember, 1856, and remained there for a short time. They next moved to Meeker County, Minnesota, but re¬ turned to Bloomington, at the end of a year, where the family has since re¬ sided.

Samuel J. Findley. This early pioneer was born at Prairie du Chien, in 1816, and came to Fort Snelling while quite a j^oung man. Pie worked for Franklin Steele several years, as clerk and book-keeper, in the latter's store, at the fort. He took sev'eral claims, in the neighborhood of St. Anthon3L but onlj^ retained them for a short time, selling out to Mr. Steele, and others. He was connected, in various ways, with several of the early transfers of real estate, the most im¬ portant of which was the sale to Pierre Bottineau, of 160 acres of land, near the Mississippi River, on the east side, between what are now Third and Fourth Avenues, of Northeast Min¬ neapolis. The consideration was $150.

Mr. Findley was married to Mar¬ garet Quinn, a daughter of Peter and Louisa Quinn, in 1846. For a number of years thereafter, he kept the ferry, and lived in a house on the east bank of the river, near the new bridge, at the fort. This house has been one of the landmarks of the early times.

The only survivor of these children, at the time of this writing (1892), is Mrs. A. B. Scofield, of Bloomington. With her lives her grandmother, Louisa Quinn, now 93 years of age, and the oldest living pioneer of Hen¬ nepin County. 'At this great age, and after the many hardships of her early life, she still retains her faculties re¬ markably well preserved.

Martin McLeod. The early settlers of Hennepin County were nearly all men of marked individuality. One of the most interesting characters among these sturdy pioneers, was Martin McLeod, who reached Fort Snelling, in the early spring of 1837, after a perilous journey across countr}'-, from a Red River settlement, during which he nearly perished in a "blizzard." He set out from the latter place in a company of four, but he and his guide, Pierre Bottineau, only, reached their destination alive. The other two died on the way.

was a bright, precocious lad, and was given a liberal education, being a grad¬ uate of the college in his native city. He was engaged as book-keeper for a wholesale house, in Montreal, for a number of years. But there was a vein of romance in his make-up. As a youth, he yearned for adventure, and this sedentary life was not wholly to his taste. So when, at Buffalo, New York, in 1836, he met General Dickin¬ son, a British officer, who was organ¬ izing a party of young men to explore the West, he joined the expedition at once. They set out, in the fall of 1836, and, in December, reached their des¬ tination, a trading post and settlement, in Lord Selkirk's Territory, on the Red River, after a long series of hardships, in which they narrowly escaped death, from cold and starvation. Here the expedition was abandoned, and j^oung McLeod was thus thrown upon his own resources, in the middle of an unusually severe winter, thousands of miles from home, in an unknown country, full of savages.

He remained with the La Fourche Red River Colony, until the end of February, 1837, when he, an Irishman, named Richard Hayes, a Polish exile, by the name of Captain J. Parj^s, and Pierre Bottineau, the guide, set out for St. Peter, in this State, a distance of about 750 miles. In this journey, the little party was overwhelmed by a "blizzard," on the 17th of March, about sixty miles from Lake Traverse, in which Hayes and Parys perished. Mr. McLeod, who had kept a diary of daily events, from the beginning of the expedition in the East, gives a very graphic description of this disaster.

He reached Fort Snelling, April 16, 1837, and, although it had been his in¬ tention to return home, via the Mis¬ sissippi River and the lakes, H. H,

Mr. McLeod settled down, and never saw his native place again. He acted as book-keeper and clerk for Siblej^ in his trading operations with the Indians, for two or three years, and, later, in company with a Mr. Baker, established fur trading posts on his own account. These posts were situ¬ ated at Big Stone Lake, Lake Traverse, Lac qui Parle, Redwood Falls, Yellow Medicine, and other places. His first attempt as a fur trader, was among the Chipj)ewas, on the St. Croix River, but these Indians were too indolent to be successful trappers, and he subse¬ quently carried on all his operations among the Sioux.

In 1840, he was married to Mary Elizabeth Ortley, a beautiful girl of Indian ancestry, on her mother's side. The ceremony took place near Fort Snelling, and was performed by Gideon H. Pond, the Indian missionary. He had six children, four daughters, and two sons.

Mr. McLeod was a representative in the Territorial Legislature, at St. Paul, during the winters of 1850 and 1851, and interested himself especiall3^ in framing the State school law, of which he was the originator. This law, modified, has been in force ever since.

He held the commission of Lieuten¬ ant-Colonel of Militia, under Governor Sibley, and occupied other minor posi¬ tions of public trust. In 1859, he sold out his fur trading posts, and engaged in the real estate business. He died, November 20th, 1860, being onlj^ a little over forty-seven years old.

Before his death, he ijurchased con¬ siderable land, in Bloomington Town¬ ship, where the family lived, and where nearly all his children were born. In his later years, he met with severe financial reverses, but the in¬ crease in the value of the land he owned has placed his children in comfortable circumstances.

Martin McLeod .was a man of re¬ fined habits of mind and body. He was a diligent reader and his chief pastime, during the lonelj^ winter months passed at the trading posts, was the perusal of his favorite authors.

Walter Scott McLeod. Walter Scott McLeod, the oldest of Martin McLeod's children, was born in Hen¬ nepin Count^L April 16, 1841, and is, therefore, one of the first native born citizens within its boundaries. At the age of eighteen, when his father died, he engaged in farming fo^- himself. He has alwa3''s been a farmer, and, by good management, and thrift, has made farming pay. Like his father, he is a great reader, and a man of intelligence and education, although his facilities for learning have been confined, exclusivel3L to the common schools. He has passed most of his life on the old homestead, in Bloomington Town¬ ship, a picturesque spot overlooking the Minnesota River, which flows along the foot of the hill on which the house is located, the meadows be3'ond, and a long stretch of countr3^ up and down the river.

Mr. McLeod has alwa3's possessed the confidence of his neighbors, whom he has served, in public matters, in various ways. He has been super-

Under Presidents Arthur and Cleve¬ land, he was disbursing agent for the Sioux Indians, the duties of which office he performed with ability, and to the eminent satisfaction of all con¬ cerned. Besides his farming opera¬

Up to the present time (1892), he has remained unmarried. He is a Demo¬ crat in politics, and has always voted that ticket. Although Mr. McLeod has spent most of his life on the old farm, he has traveled quite extensive¬ ly, but always returns with the feeling that there is no place like home.

Golden Valley

The village of Golden Valley was formed out of the northwest part of the town of Minneapolis, December 17th, 1886. Its northern and western boundaries are those of the former town, while its southern limit runs west from the upper end of Cedar Lake. Its area is 6,361 acres, and its population, at the time of its creation, was 467. The valley is that of the out¬ let of Medicine Lake, known as Bas¬ sett's Creek, which sweeps through the village in the form of an irregular letter S, entering its limits a little south of the center of its west line, and running to a contact with the center of its northern boundary. This basin, level at its base, and curving gently upward, has its deep green of natural meadow gilded with the splendor of yellow cowslips in the spring, covered with the bright glow of golden rod and sunflowers in the summer, and decked with the mellow sheen of aspens and poplars, in autumn, giving the valle}^ the rich garniture of a field carpeted with gold, hence its name.

The village is one in name only. It has no aggregation of residences, or business, but is wholly agricultural. The soil is rich, with a clay subsoil, producing the grasses in perfection, and not ixnfavorable for the growth of corn, grain and vegetables. It is a paradise for dair3nnen and gardeners. Ljdng within a few miles of the heart of the city, the milkmen are able to

The old Wayzata road passes through this valley, touching the southerly end of Medicine Lake, and constituting the chief av^enue of travel to and from the city, through the beautiful farms which border its line. Western Avenue and Nineteenth Avenue, North, connect with this road, as does also Sixth Avenue, North.

From the McNair farm, on the east, to Medicine Lake, the road runs through an undulating region, whose verdant hills, and smiling hollows, furnish sites of unwonted beauty for suburban homes, many of which are already occupied, and all of which, at no distant day, will be crowned with villas and cottages.

The trail traversed by the Indians, long before white men made their appearance in the country, on their way from Crow Kiver to Lake Minne¬ tonka, is still visible, and plainly traced through the village.

LT. R. Wilson was born in the town of Cherr^'field, on the banks of the Nawaguagus River, Washington County, Maine, in 1817. Had two brothers. Both served in the Union army in our late unpleasantness. W. W. enlisted in the First Minnesota; was in the first battle of Bull Run; was discharged for disability, came home to Minnesota, enlisted in

Hatch's Battalion, served till the close of the war. His other brother, A. C., was in the Twenty-eighth Maine, served under General Banks; died in hospital at New Orleans. His father was ,a soldier in the war of 1812. His grandfather on his moth¬ er's side served in the War of the Revolution, in a Pennsylvania regi¬ ment. His grandfather on his father's side was in a Massachusetts regiment. Mr. Wilson was in the war between the State of Maine and the British Provinces, known as the Aroostook war, in 1839. Served on the school board in his native town for ten years in succession. Was appointed, in 1853, Justice of the Peace for Washington County, Maine, for a term of seven years, by Gov. Crosby.

Came to Minnesota in 1855. Arrived at St. Anthony October 6th, same year. Worked at carpenter work until President Lincoln's call, in 1862, for "three hundred thousand more." Laid by his tools and immediately enlisted in Company B, Sixth Regiment, Min¬ nesota Infantry of Volunteers. Was in Sibley's first expedition against the Indians at the outbreak in 1862. Was in the battle of Wood Lake, and the capture of the ninety-one white women and children held prisoners by the Indians at Camp Release. Was detailed into the quartermaster's de¬ partment, and served out his full time, three years, and was honorably dis¬ charged, at the close of the war, and returned home. When the cruel war was over, he settled in Minneapolis Town, on section 31, town 118, range 21, where he has been successfully en¬ gaged in growing small fruit and gar¬ dening. He has always taken an active part in town affairs, having held offices of trust and honor many 3^ears. Elected supervisor of the town of Minneapolis for fifteen years. When the village of Golden Valley was formed, he took an active part in its organization, and was elected, unanimously, the first President of the board of council, and elected four terms following.

Having retired from active business, he is at home in Golden Valley, at peace with all of the respected com¬ munity in which he lives, at the age of seventy-five years.

Charles Moser was born in Ba¬ varia, Germany, May 4th, 1825. Mar¬ ried Margaret Kraus. She was born May 12th, 1828, in Saxon, Germany. They have two children; Amalie, born December 1st, 1847; Robert, born February 24th, 1850. He emigrated to America in the 3'ear 1852. Landed in Detroit, Michigan, Atigust 25th, 1852, remained there till 1854. From there they emigrated to Minnesota Terri¬ tory. Landed in the Territory Sep¬ tember 6th, 1854. Staid at St. Anthony till January; then he moved on to ofovernment land before it was surveyed. When it was surveyed, his claim was a part of section 28, town 118, range 21. Here they had five children born to them ; Annie, March 31st, 1856; William, March 26th, 1860; Rosela, February 1st, 1862; Os¬ car, April 24th, 1864; Delia, October 16th, 1870. Here, on the land that he settled, in 1854, he has lived, honored and respected by all of his neighbors. Being a millwright, he has worked at intervals on the mills at the falls. He helped to put the machinery in Capt. Rollins' mill, on the island, in 1854, the first mill of any note at the falls.

Creek, in an early day, to manufacture oil out of rape and flax seed, and was doing a prosperous business, when fire caught in a department that was full of drying flax fiber. Later on, he built a grist mill on the same stream, consisting of two run of stone, which served its purpose for a time, but, like all the works of our forefathers, it was destined to be supplanted by the pat¬ ent roller. And so the mill that was the pride of the valley became a thing of the past.

Charles Moser enlisted in the con¬ struction corps and went to the front in time of the rebellion, and was under fire of Hood's destructive cannon be¬ fore Nashville. In time he was at¬ tacked with malarial fever and brought so low that he was disdischarged and sent home, where he has lived to the present day, on the land that he settled while the mocca¬ sin tracks were fresh and the scalping knife of the savage was yet red with the blood of the slain.

William Varner. Born at Lynchburgh, Virginia, September 9th, 1798. Nancy A. Harlan was l)orn at Frank¬ fort, Kentucky, November 19th, 1804. William Varner settling in Cincin¬ nati, Ohio, in an early day. William Harlan moving to Clinton Count}-, Ohio, where William Varner after¬ wards settled, where he married Nancy Ann Harlan, in the year 1824, where W. H. Varner was born. May 6th, 1829. Louisa Ellen Dougherty, born in Warren County, March 31st, 1833, married W. H. Varner, June 22d, 1850, and they had two children born to them; Alonzo, born January 2()th, 1852; Wilson Clark, born June 1st, 1853. He emigrated to Minnesota in 1854, where he landed, at St. An¬ thony Falls, September 12th, in the same year. Prospected around a couple of weeks, amongst the Indians, to find a claim on the unsurveyed lands. He squatted on land that proved to be a part of section 32, town 118, range 21, in December, 1854. On that claim Eva Luella Varner was born, July 22d, 1855, while the land was full of war-painted savages, ever ready to thrust their ugl}- visages in¬ to the shanty door and demand some¬ thing to eat from the frightened mother, when W. H. would be awaj^ at the Falls, as they called it then, working at his trade, which was mason and plasterer.

He plastered the first frame dwell¬ ing house built on the west side of the Father of Waters, for Col. John H. Stevens. L. T. Tabour was his part¬ ner in the construction of the old Nic¬ ollet House, Minneapolis, 1857.

In the year 1858, W. H. Varner, W. G. Jones, John B. Johnson, F. Gourne}-, F. Keller, W. Peter, F. Messerschmidt and I. Dougherty organized the first district school ever held in the terri¬ tory now comprising the village of Golden Valley, of which W. H. Varner was director for many years.

Hanna Rosella Varner was born in what is now Golden Valley Village, May 1st, 1859. William Henry Varner was born on the old homestead, De¬ cember 29th, 1860, where he now lives with his father and mother on the same land that they claimed in 1854.

John Sweeney was born in the town of Bellarond, County Monaghan, Ire¬ land, in 1796. Married Ann Dear}- in 1822, and emigrated to America, with his wife and five children, in April, 1840. Settled in the State of Maine, in August, the same 3-ear. In 1842 an¬ other child was born. Came to Min¬ nesota in the spring of 1849, and remained all summer. Returned to Maine in the fall, and returned to St. Anthon}^, Minnesota, May 20th, 1854. Made a claim on section 18, town 29, range 24, town of Minneapolis, now the village of Golden Valley, June 5th, same year. Pre-empted his claim in 1856, and farmed till the latter days of his life, when he retired from labor and sat down with his children on the old homestead, to rest, respect¬ ed by all of his neighbors, till his death, September 3d, 1883.

Edward Sweeney, son of John Sweeney, was born in Knockbellarona, County Monaghan, Ireland, August 6th, 1831. Came to Minnesota with his father, and made a claim in sec¬ tion 18, town 29, range 24, town of Minneapolis, now Golden Valley Vil¬ lage, in 1854. Pre-empted it in 1856. Sold to Peter Schide 80 acres in 1860. Married Honora Ryan in May, 1861. Built a house, in August, 1861, and moved onto the present home, and lived there ever since. Nine children were born, as follows: John, born March 8th, 1862; Margaret, born No¬ vember 15th, 1863; Robert J., born October 18th, 1865; E. J. and P. H., born June 27th, 1868; Mary A., born Oc¬ tober 15th, 1872; Daniel, born January 3d, 1875; Catharine, born January, 27th, 1877; William, born April 24th, 1881.

Honored and respected by the com¬ munity, always in the foremost rank in organizing common schools, and trusted with important offices of the same. He filled with honor the most important offices in the town of Min¬ neapolis, and when the village of Golden Valley was incorporated, he was elected as one of its worthy citi¬ zens to fill one of its most important offices, which he has filled with honor and respect to himself and community at large.

Thomas Gaffney was born in Ire¬ land, in the year 1828. Mrs. Gaffney was born in Ireland, in the year 1832. Emigrated to Minnesota, in the year 1853. Took a claim in section 5, town 118, range 21, in what was the town of Minneapolis, now Golden Valley Vil¬ lage. He was married, in the year 1857, and they had seven children born unto them, namely: William Gaffney, born December 5th, 1858; Alice, born May 3d, 1860; Maggie, born Ma3^ 7th, 1863; John, born June 4th, 1866; Daniel, born May 7th, 1868; Thomas, born August 7th, 1869; Mary, born December 5th, 1873.

He lived on his farm, raising grain and stock, till the rebellion broke out, when he took up arms in defense of his countr}^, August 15th, 1862, in the Tenth Regiment of Minnesota Volun¬ teers, and was in several battles. He was part of that living wall that stood before Hood, in his desperate struggle to enter Nashville. He stood before the enemy throughout the war, while his helpless family was exposed to an Indian massacre, without a parallel. He was honorably discharged, came home, and is now living on the same land that he squatted on, in 1853, when his only neighbor was the Indian of the forest, honored and respected b}^ all.

William G. Jones, was born in Neeham, Massachusetts, July 20th, 1818. Married Alathea Devenport, in the State of Maine, and had two chil¬ dren born to them, namely : John and Casander. Emigrated to Minne¬ sota, in the year 1852. Landed at St. Anthony Falls, September 12th, of same year, staid there three weeks, then made a squatter's claim on land before it was surveyed by the govern¬ ment. It proved to be on section 28, town 118, range 21, and on this land he lived for two years, with his little famil3^ with no other neighbors than the savage of the plains. Here he had two children born to him, Ran¬ som and Charles. Here he tilled the soil until the year 1858, when he, with W. H. Varner, J. B. Johnson, Messrs. Schmitt, Chism, Yonker, F. Keller and I. Dougherty, organized the first school district in the terri¬ tory now forming a part of Golden Valley Village, and was an officer of the district, for many j^ears.

John enlisted in the Third Regi¬ ment of Minnesota Volunteers, and was taken prisoner, at the battle of Murfreesboro, was parolled, sent North, to fight the Indians, was in the reinforcement that saved a massacre, at Birch Coolie. He fought the Indian, till he was exchanged, then he went as a target again, before the rebel guns, in the army of the Tennessee, and served till the end of the war, and was honorably discharged, came home, and is now living with his father, honored by all.

The town of Edeiu Prairie is, in ter¬ ritorial area, identical with govern¬ ment township 116, of range 22, west of the 5th principal meridian. It is bounded, north, by the town of Minne¬ tonka, east, by Richfield and Bloom¬ ington, south, by the Minnesota River, and west, by the town of Watertown, Carver County. Its area contains 19,783 acres, the entire southern tier of townships, cut by the sinuous river, being fractional. Much of this area is water or marsh. Rice and Grass Lakes, in the south, occupy the greater part of sections 31, 32, 33, and 34. An¬ derson Lake, in the east, covers about half of sections 13 and 24, the larger part of the lakes extending into the adjoining town of Bloomington. Neal Lake extends across the line dividing sections 23 and 24, and Long Lake, lies northerly and southerly, in sections 2 and 11. Several smaller lakes lie in the center and southern part of the town. Several creeks, forming the outlets of lakes and marshes, flow in¬ to the Minnesota River, the largest of which is Mill Creek, which, rising in Minnetonka, flows southerly, through the whole width of the town. The southern part of the town is an exten¬ sive prairie, covering section 35, the southwestern quarter of section 26, and nearly the whole of sections 27 and 28. To this prairie was given the name of Eden, characteristic of its beauty and fertility, and this became the name of the town. The northern and western parts of the town are rolling, and, in many parts, well tim¬ bered, especially in the west. The northern part consists of brush land, with considerable timber. The whole town is fertile, having a clay sub soil, covered with rich loam, while the prairie has an exceedingly deep and rich soil. It is a strictly agricultural town, adapted to all varieties of grain, corn, vegetables, and grass. The prairie was, in early days, the greatest producer of wheat of any part of the country, and now, under a more diver¬ sified farming, it is a large producer of farm products. It is well adapted to dairying, though too remote from large towns to make milk a productive in¬ dustry.

Settlements quickly followed the extinction of the Indian title, in 1851. The first settlers were John McKenzie, David Livingston, Alexander Gould, Hiram Abbott, Samuel Mitchell, Senior, and sons, R. Neill, and Aaron Gould, who selected their claims, in 1852. Mr. McKenzie settled near the river, and platted a village, called Hennepin, where a hotel, store, and several residences were built, and where the grain raised on the prairie was shipped, to be car¬ ried by steamboats, that plied on the Minnesota River. The building of railroads, one of which skirted the river on the south, and another crossed its central area, diverted the trade from the river, and the village did not survive.

The town was the scene of a bloody and desperate battle between the In¬ dians. It occurred, in May, 1858, when a war party of the Chij^pewas, n umberin gabouttwohundre d warriors, formed an ambush among the hills, on the north side of the ferrj', and lay in wait for a party of about sixty Sioux, who were encamped upon the south side. The Sioux crossed the ferr}^, and, charging the enemy with vigor, drove them from their hiding places, and, after several hours cf desperate fight¬ ing, remained masters of the ground. Among the slain, was the chief of the Chippewas, whose heart was cut out bj^ the Sioux chief, and his severed head carried on a pole, to the Sioux camp. The victory was celebrated by a scalp-dance, lasting several days. The battle was witnessed by several of the white settlers, but neither their persons or their property was molest¬ ed. Under the territorial regime, a semblance of civil authorit3^ was established, in the town, in 1854, bj^ the appointment of a Justice of the Peace, and Constable. The township was organized in 1858, and the first town meeting was held at the school house, on the 11th of May. Aaron Gould was chosen chairman, and Robert Anderson and William O. Col¬ lins, County Supervisors. The first school house was built in 1854. It was constructed of tamarack logs, and finished with basswood lumber. Having served as school house, church, and town hall, it was replaced, in 1873, by a larger and more modern structure.

Religious services were held, as early as 1854, by the pioneer Protes¬ tant missionarj'. Rev. Gideon H. Pond, who preached in private farm houses, or in the old log school house.