Minneapolis City (part 41 of 80)

Air. Morrison is of a peculiarly reti¬ cent disposition. He has his chosen triends, who are warmly attached to him, but does not readily assimilate with ephemeral attachments. He is a Republican in politics, with no personal ambition for its honors or responsibili¬ ties. Like his father he is a firm sup¬ porter of the Universalist Church, at¬ tached to the old and popular Church of the Redeemer, so long under the pastoral lead of Dr. Tuttle. He is assiduousl3^ devoted to his own affairs, content to leave those of others to their own con¬ cern. A prominent member and vicepresident of the Minneapolis Club, he has been an associate of Thomas Lowr3^, of the late F. C, Pillsbur3q and of what may be classed as the second generation of Minneapolis business men, of whom he is one of the most accute and suc¬ cessful.

Clearing House Association

Until 1881 the clearings of the AlinneaiDolis banks were made at the coun¬ ters. At that time a majority of the banks organized a Clearing House Asso¬ ciation, to which all eventually acceded, and the clearings are made daily through it. H. G. Sidle is president, and Perr3" Harrison, manager. The method of clearing is similar to that practiced else¬ where. Each bank sends its checks on the other banks to the clearing house, at a given hour, and receives credit for the gross amount. When all the credits are made, the checks are distributed and each bank is charged with the aggregate against it. A balance is struck, and the debtor banks pay into the clearing house the amount of their debit balance, and the manager pa3'S to the ci'editor banks the amount due them respectively. Thus the labor of presenting each check at the counter is saved, and the business of the bank greatly simplified. The daily clear¬ ings in 1881 averaged $63,478, while in 1891 they have averaged $1,028,312.

Bank Architecture

While none of the Minneapolis banks have erected extravagant banking houses several of them are housed in their own c[uarters. The first bank to erect per¬ manent ciuarters was the State Bank. It was a two-stor3" stone building on the corner of First Street and Bridge Square. The front was dressed blue limestone, and the First Street side rock face, laid in courses. The banking room was convenient, with vault of masonry from the ground, and had burglar-proof safes with time locks. This building was occupied b}' the State Bank, and the State National, from the time of its erec¬ tion in 1863 until the merger of its busi¬ ness with the Security, in 1878, when the business was removed to the plain brick three-stor3' building erected for that bank, on the corner of Third Street and Hennepin Avenue. Its present place of business is the second floor of the Guaranty Loan building. This bank has one of the most massive vaults and thoroughly impregnable safes ever erect¬ ed hei'e.

The Ibiion National and the Citizens Bank also occupy their own buildings; and the new banking house of the Nat¬ ional Bank of Commerce, of red sand¬ stone, is one of the handsomest buildings in the city, and occupies an excellent site at the corner of Fourth Sti'eet and First Avenue South.

The Minnesota Loan and Trust Companj' own one of the finest buildings in the cit3', while the iron six-stor^' building of the Bank of Minneapolis, corner of Nicollet Avenue and Third Street, is a ver\' fine building.

The Farmers and Alechanics Savings Bank is building a beautiful and ver\' substantial building for its exclusiveuse, on Fourth Street, adjoining the Bank of Commerce building.

Panic

The month of October, 1873, was a tr^'ing period for the Minneapolis banks. The failure of Ja}', Cooke & Co. and the colla])se of the gigantic operations of the Northern Pacific Railroad Co., precipi¬ tated a panic throughout the countiw. The New York banks suspended. Eastern bank balances were for a few da\'s una¬ vailable. Credits were extended and cash reserves low. Securities of everv kind except U. S. bonds were unsaleable. Borrowers were unable to pa\' notes at maturit}'^, and customers were clamor¬ ous for accommodations. At this junc¬ ture man}' holders of bank ceitificates of deposit became alarmed and called on the banks for pav'ment. A livelv run on the First National Bank set in and con¬ tinued for two days until the cash re¬ sources of the bank were nearh' ex¬ hausted. Several meetings of bank offi¬ cers were held and the situation carefully considered. It was decided to meet the run in the bank where it had first started, where, b\' a generous use of the resources of the other banks, ever}' de¬ mand was met, and in a few hours the run ended.

Difficulties In The Early Years

The business of banking is at all times a difficult and trying profession, requir¬ ing industry, patience, firmness, caution and good judgment. In the early days of Minneapolis it was peculiarly difficult. The people of the new town had only lately come together from all parts of the country, and it was difficult to learn the antecedents, character and means of customers. Many engaged in business with limited capital, and the opportuni¬ ties for extending business made them applicants for loans which ought to have been in hand as capital. The practice of endorsement was almost un¬ known. Collaterals were not to be had. Often the banker found himself obliged to furnish means to carry on a business, and thus save a loan which could not otherwise be paid. Directories were rather nominal than real, and the whole responsibility was too often left to tlie cashier. It is wonderful that losses and failures in the business were not numer¬ ous and serious. That they were not,

Growth Of The Business

Prior to the establishment of the first chartered bank in 1862, the business consisted of little besides meagi'e deposits and selling exchange.

The State Bank of Minnesota, com¬ mencing business in 1862, was a consoli¬ dation of the business of R. J. Menden¬ hall and R. J. Baldwin, with a paid up capital of $25,000.

Trust Companies

Tlie needs of modern finanee have develo]K'd to carry on its diversified work - the trust company. It performs many of the functions of the bank, yet occupies a different field. It is concerned more with investments than with current commercial business. Its transactions are in larger sums and made with greater deliberation. It comes into use after capital has accumulated, and seeks per¬ manent investment. It acts as negotia¬ tor of securities, as trustee of estates and funds, and more often as intermediary between the capitalist and borrower. Its service as trustee of railway mort¬ gages is one of its important and typical functions. The railway company de¬ siring to raise a capital sum of money for construction, executes a mortgage upon its franchises and property to se¬ cure an issue of bonds. The trust com- ]ian\' is made trustee, receives the se¬ curity and countersigns the bonds which are issued in small denominations and sold at large. If defaidt occurs in pay¬ ment of interest, or at maturity of prin¬ cipal of the loan, the trust company fore¬ closes the mortgage and protects the bonds. In many others ways the trust company affords a convenient medium for making large financial operations. It has a capital stock to protect its un¬ dertakings, and often deposits special security with the state to guarantee them. Its management requires fidelity, skill and thorough business and legal knowledge. All trust companies do not by any means ])ursue the same line of business, but have specialties; but they are based upon similar fundamental principles.

The oldest trust company in Minne¬ apolis is the Minnesota Loan and Trust Company. It was organized in 1883 by E. A. Merrill and E. J. Phelps, who were respectively jn'esident and secretary un¬ til the resignation of Mr. Phelps during the present 3'ear (1892.) Its capital was, at the start, $200,000, but has since been increased and -now stands at $500,000 with a large surplus fund. It erected a costly and handsome building on Nicollet avenue, where it has on the main floor its business offices. The ground floor is occupied lyv safe deposit vaults of the most approved construc¬ tion, where safes and drawers are rented to customers. The u])per floors of the several stories of the fine building are fit¬ ted up for offices and are occupied for various business purposes. The compairc has been veiw successful and enjoys high credit. While it is not confined to any single line of business, it has been largely employed in negotiating and placing monej' at loan.

The Minnesota Title Insurance and Trust Company occupies a unique field. Its specialty, as its name indicates, is the guarantee of titles. It also transacts a general trust business. It was organized in 1885 with a paid up capital of $500,- 000. Its officers are Joseph W. Barnes, president. Joseph W. Mauck, secre¬ tary and Henry A. Barnes, treasurer. Daniel Pish, Esq., a lawyer of experience and ability, has charge of the legal de¬ partment.

The Minneapolis Trust Company was organized in 1888 by Samuel Hill, Esip, who is its president. Clarkson Lindley is secretary and treasurer. It has a capi¬ tal stock of $500,000. This company is largely connected with railroad loans, as the president of the Great Northern Railway Company is one of its principal stock-holders and a director, although its business is not at all limited to that line of business.

The Northwestern Guaranty Lo.'in Company is the offspring ot the fertile brain of Louis F. Menage, who is its president. It was organized in 1881.

Its capital stock is $1,250,000, with a guarantee fund of $150,000 and a large surplus. Connected with it under co¬ operating management but with separ¬ ate capital and transactions, are a build¬ ing company, a reality company, a sav¬ ings bank, and perhaps other functions. It occupies the twelve-story, red free stone building at the corner of Third street and Second avenue south, fire¬ proof in constriiction, elegant in finish and complete in all its appointments. The specialty of this company is the making of loans on real estate and ne¬ gotiating its guaranteed securities. It has agencies in various Eastern cities ; also in London.

The St. Paul and Minneapolis Trust Company is the latest born of loeal trust companies. Its organization dates from 1889. Its capital is $500,000 with $100,000 guarantee fund. A . R. McGill, ex-Governor of the State, is president, and Charles Kittleson, ex-Treasurer of Minnesota, secretary and treasurer. De¬ posits and loans are the specialty of this company. It now occupies an elegant offiee in the New York Life building, at the corner of Seeond avenue and Fifth street.

All these trust companies have boards of directors who are among the substan¬ tial and conservative citizens, and their affairs are earefully administered.

The Metropolitan Loan and Trust ComjDany was ineorparated in 1891 with a capital stock of $2,000,000. It has but recently perfected its organization and made its guarantee deposit of $250,- 000 with the state. Of the large eapital over $1,100,000 has been paid in, mak¬ ing it the largest purely trust company in the eity. S. G. Cook is president, H. C. Akeley vice-president, P. M. Wood¬ man, secretary and C. H. Maxcy, treas¬ urer. It oecupies rooms in the Lumber Exchange building and aspires to take

Eugene Adelbert Merrill. In the religious wars which devastated France in the sixteenth century, the Merle family was prominent among the sup¬ porters of the protestant jiarty. They were Huguenots, and after St. Bartholo¬ mew were forced into exile and fled to England. Here the orthography of the family name was changed to Merrill. Sir Peter Merrill was knighted in Eng¬ land. Two of hisdeseendants, John and Nathaniel Merrill, landed in the New World in 1636, and settled at Newburyport. Mass. Nathaniel was the aneestor of E. A. Merrill. This branch of the family removed to Hartford and after¬ wards to Simsbury, Conn., where Asa Merrill, the grandfather of Eugene, was born. He removed to western New York about the year 1800.

E. A. Merrill was born at B3won, Genessee County, New York, August 26, 1847. His father was Daniel P. Merrill, who was married to Jeanette Pollay, a descendant of a French family. Daniel P. Merrill was a farmer, cultivating the rich lands of the garden county of the empire state. When his son, Eugene, was ten years of age, he removed to Geneseo, Ill., where the son was brought up. He was sent to the graded school of that place, and at the age of twenty" was prepared to enter college. After teaching school a short time he entei'ed Hillsdale College, Michigan, where he completed a full course of four years of study, and graduated in 1872 with the degree of B. S. He received the degree of M. S. in course, and in 1888 his attain¬ ments in literature were recognized b3^ his alma mater in conferring upon him the honorary degree of A. M.

his return entered the law office of E. L. and AI. B. Koon at Hillsdale, Michigan, for the study of law. He was admitted to the bar in 1874, was appointed Master in Chancery, and after a brief term of practice as an assistant in the office of the Alessrs. Koon, came to Min¬ neapolis.

The bar of Alinneapolis, in 1875, lacked the numbers which it has since at¬ tained, but had alread}^ received acces¬ sions from among the enterprising mem¬ bers of the profession which made it ecjual in attainment and brillianc3' of its members to anj'thing which it has since reached. Mr. Alerrill entered the arena of legal practice in partnership with Judge Charles H. Woods. The associa¬ tion continued for three j'ears, until the arrival of Judge M. B. Koon, when the firm of Koon & Merrill was formed. Two \'^ears later Mr. Arthur AI. Keith was admitted, and the firm became Koon, Alerrill & Keith. Their business was large and profitable, becoming one of the most prominent in the cit}'. Air. Alerrill retired from the firm and from the practice of the law January' 1, 1883, when he joined with Air. E. J. Phelps in organizing a financial institution - the Alinnesota Loan and Trust Compan\' - which has become one of the solid and l)ermanent institutions of the state. Air. Alerrill was appointed president of the compan3', a position which he has since held. He is not president in name onl3', but has personalh' engaged in the con¬ duct of the large business of thecompan3\ In addition to this financial trust Air. Alerrill is a director of the Alinnesota Title Insurance compan3\

The scholarlv and administrative abilit3' of Air. Alerrill was recognized several years ago by his election as trustceot Hillsdale College, where he received his higher education. He is also trustee of Parker College at Winnebago Cit3',

Alinn., an institution largeh- founded bv L. D. Parker, of AIinneai)olis, a personal friend. It is a representative of the I'ree Baptist denomination. He is a member of the Alinneapolis Club and quite ])rominent in the social life of the cit3'.

Air. Alerrill married Sept. IG, 187(), Aliss Addie AI. Keith, of Alinneapolis. The3' have four children : Burdett, aged fourteen; AIa3', eleven; Keith, five, and Eleanor, one. Their fine residence is at the corner of Second avenue and Twentvsecond street, opposite the mansion of the Washbnnis.

Edmund Joseph Phelps. Among the more recent settlers in Alinneapolis, few have gained a more stable standing among the financial and business circles of the city than E. J. Phelps. A man¬ ager of one of the most substantial moneved corporations of the cit3q activel v engaged in forwarding manvifacturing and business enterprises, a leader in organizing whatever movement designed to extend its trade and importance ma3' be undertaken, he is a potent force in the rapidly expanding activities of the cit3'.

He was born at Brecksville, Cu3'ahoga Count3q Ohio, Januaiw 17, 1845. His father, Joseph E. Phelps, had emi¬ grated to Ohio from Northampton, Alass., where he was descended from a respectable and sturd3' line of New Eng¬ land ancestr3'. His mother, Ursula (Wright) Pheli)s,a woman of much force of character and keen perce])tions, was from the adjoining town of Easthampton. The familv lived on a farm, and the son was trained in bo3'hood to farm life and labor, with access to the common schools of the vicinit3'. Aspiring to a better education, he attended the preparatoiw de])artment of Baldwin Univer¬ sity, at Berea, atul of Oberlin College, and at the age of eighteen recruited his means by teaching school, continuing in

After leaving school he was offered a position as teacher in the Northwestern Business College at Aurora, Ill., and spent two or three years in teaching in that city and vicinity. This led to an en¬ gagement as teacher of penmanship in the public schools at Aurora, and to em¬ ployment in the banking house of Volintine & Williams, at that place, where, as clerk, he assisted in all depart¬ ments of the business. Here was his apprenticeship in the practical business of banking, which has developed in his later home to the conduct of one of the great financial institutions of the city. After a year or so in the bank he joined with his employer in the furnitru'e business under the style of E. J. Phelps & Co., and not long after was compelled to take personal conduct of the business. He remained in this business for about eight years, when he sold his interest and came to Minneapolis, arriving here in April, 1878. Having bought out the established furniture business of J. B. Hanson, and making the acquaintance ofMr. J. S. Bradstreet, who was already engaged in fine house furnishing, they associated in the business, under the style of Phelps & Bradstreet. Thus commenced a line of manufactui'e and trade which grew to large proportions, and during five years became the lead¬ ing house in decorative and artistic house furnishing, not alone in the city, but in the entire Northwest. In 1883 Mr. Phelps .retired from the furni¬ ture business, and with E. A. Merrill organized the Minnesota Loan and Trust Company. The capital stock at the outset was $200,000, but has been successive!}' enlarged, as the increasingbusiness demanded, to $300,000, and finally to $500,000. Mr. Phelps was made secretary and treasurer of the in¬ stitution. The fine fire-proof office build¬ ing known as the Trust Company build¬ ing, with its safe deposit vaults, was erected on Nicollet Avenue, and the new organization entered upon a large and profitable business. It was a pioneer in that line of finance in the Northwest, and its success, under able management, has led to the establishment of sevei'al other like institutions.

Air. Phelps' tastes and inclinations have led him to avoid political prefer¬ ment. His activity has been expended in building up business enterprises, es¬ teeming these to be the true basis of the city's prosperity. He became a member of the Board of Trade in 1879, and was its president in 1884and 1885, and since that time has continued an active di¬ rector. He was prominent in the forma¬ tion of the Minneapolis Business Union, and now serving as vice president. This body has done much to induce manufac¬ turing and jobbing enterprises to estal)- lish themselves in the city. He has been and still is connected with some of these, giving personal attention to their man¬ agement. Thus he is a director in the Minneapolis Threshing Alachine Co., in the Brown & Haywood Glass Company, in the Northwestern Elevator Company, and in the Aloore Carving Machine Com¬ pany, of which he is treasurer. He is also an active director in the National Bank of Commerce.

After the bountiful harvest of 1891 had been safely gathered, in which Min¬ nesota and the Dakotas, tributary to the business of Alinneapolis, had garnered one hundred and fifty million bushels of the best wheat in the world, with a cor¬ responding yield of other grains and farm products. Air. Phelps suggested the idea in the Business Union of holding a grand harvest festival in Alinneapolis, as a fitting acknowledgement of the

Ijounty of providence, and expressive of general jo^^ The suggestion was cordi¬ ally received as a happy one, and all classes of the community, especially the trading and manufacturing interests, en¬ tered with enthusiasm into preparations forthe event. The alacrity and zeal with which it was carried on is paralleled onl3' 1)3" the great National Fete of Confedera¬ tion, at Paris in 1790. Mr. Phelps was made treasurer of the fund liberalh' con¬ tributed by citizens, and was prominent in arrangements for carr3"ing it out. The preiiarations occupied less than two weeks, but the festival was grand and unique. The cit3" was gaih' decorated ; arches spanned some of the streets ; a long stretch of Tenth Street was fes¬ tooned with flour barrels, sacks of flour and sheaves of golden grain. Balconies were erected for tens of thousands of spectators; and when the appointed day arrived a procession moved through the streets, representing nearly every trade and avocation in which the people of the cit3' were engaged - many of them in active operation, until the spectators were weary with gazing at the disphu". At a rapid march the procession was four hours in passing a given point, and embraced more than one thousand separ¬ ate displavs.

When the United States census of 1890 was taken, and the fairness of the census was challenged by citizens of St. Paul, and a re-enumeration was ordered, he was one of those chosen to represent the citizens, and was sworn as an enumer¬ ator, and gave weeks of laborious atten¬ tion to all the complex details of the work, also acting as treasurer of the census fund.

In March of the present 3'ear Mr. Phelps received an appointment from the Governor of the state as one of the com¬ missioners to oversee the deliver3' and distribution of the steamship Missouri's load of flour contributed 1)3' the millers of the United States for the relief of the famine-stricken peasants of Russia. This position he accepted, and visited, with the other commisvsioners, the cities of St. I'etersburg, Moscow and the port of Libau, where the cargo was received, and whence it was forwarded to the famine stricken district for distribu¬ tion.

These incidents are mentioned, not as of lasting importance in themselves, but as they illustrate the character of a man whose public spirit, resources and readi¬ ness seize every occasion to advance the interests, and build up the cit3' of his home. It is to the enthusiasm and in¬ defatigable devotion of such men that Minneapolis largeh' owes her phenome¬ nal growth and prominent position among the enterprising cities of the countr3'.

Mr. Phelps married Miss Louisa A. Richardson, of Aurora, Ill., September 16, 1874. She is a daughter of Chaides R. and Ruth (Shepard) Richardson, of Salem, Mass. His famil3' consists of a daughter, Ruth, and two sons, Richard¬ son, and Edmund J. Jr. Two children have died in infancv.

His residence is a tasteful dwelling, which he built in 1884 at the corner of Park Avenue and Twent3'-fourth Street. Park Avenue, now paved with asphalt, one hundred feet wide, and the finest residence street of the city, was at that time onh^ coming into prominence. Its selection as a place of permanent resi¬ dence was evidence of the sngacitv which has ])laccd Mr. Phelps in the front ranks of our ])rosperotis citizens.

This sketch of a practical life seems to make business pursuits the most prominent feature of its career. It is in that view that it constitutes a type of Western American life. At the same time it should be remarked that its subject is one of the most genial of men. His social qualities, his exemplary influence, are more private virtues which embellish and enrich his domestic life.

Daniel Bassett. The rugged agricul¬ tural town of Wolfboro, Carroll county, in the eastern part of New Hampshire, is the native place of the Bassett brothers. Their father, Daniel Bassett, senior, was a farmer, attached to the religious sect of Friends, in which simple and strict faith he trained up his famih'. The family traces its history" through Rev^olutionary and Colonial times to the French Huguenots. Daniel Bassett was born in 1819, having three brothers and one sister, all of whom, with theirfather, at one time or another became residents of Minneapolis. Here Daniel Bassett, senior, died Ma^^ 27, 1861.

Daniel Bassett continued to live in New Hampshire until 1855, when he re¬ moved to this, his future home, where his brother, Joel B., had settled four years before.

He had married while in New Hamp¬ shire, Miss Jane Canney, a sister of Joseph H. Canney, whose wdfe was a sister of Mr. Bassett. Their two chil¬ dren were born in New Hampshire, but were educated in the schools of Minne¬ apolis. One of them became the wife of Mr. F. B. Hill, and removed to Chicago, while the other married Mr. Tyson Mowiw, and settled in Texas, but has recently removed to this cit}'.

While he continued to reside in New Hampshire, Mr. Bassett remained upon the farm where he was brought up, but engaged in other business of a financial nature. Mr. Bassett, soon after his settlement in Minneapolis, engaged in the lumber business, in connection wdth his brother, cutting logs in the pineries of the Rum river and driving them to the Falls of St. Anthony. This occupa¬ tion, however, was soon discontinued. Having accumulated some means before coming here, and having connection with a bank in his native town, he loaned some money and made investments in real estate. He was of a less ardent temper than his brother Joel, and con¬ tented himself with a more quiet life. He was prudent and judicious in his operations, and while industrious and public spirited did not aspire to become a leader in enterprise, nor to take the hazards of extensive undertakings. He pursued a calm and methodical manner of life, enjoying his home, interesting himself in the current affairs of the growing communit3q co-operating with his neighboi's in their labor for the social and moral welfare of the place, but pre¬ serving a placidity of spirit and ecpianimit\' of temper which enabled him to enjoy that "golden mean,'' so rare in the life of aA'oung and ambitious community.

His prudence and good judgment admirably qualified him for the discharge of public trusts, and he was soon called upon to share in the burden of adminis¬ tration . At the first organization of town¬ ship government, in the spring of 1858, he was elected upon the Board of Super¬ visors, with R. P. Russell as chairman, and D. B. Richai'dson, Edward Murph\' and Isaac I. Lewis as colleagues. He was continued in this position at the succeeding election and for several years. His nameis found in the list of acommittee appointed in 1861, to raise funds for the relief of the people of Kansas who were suffering from the combined effects of political turmoil and the failure of crops.

Jii the War of the Rebellion Air. Bas¬ sett was a])pointed by Gen.W. S. Haneock PnrveA'or of the Seeoud Army Corps, in which responsible and honorable position he served for three 3'ears. During this time the families of the General and his subordinate were intimate, living to¬ gether much of the time. After his return to Minneapolis he was ajjpointed post¬ master, but did not hold the office long, being unwilling to lend himself to the turbulent schemes of President Johnson.

Mr. Bassett has always affiliated with the Repvdjlican part^' in political princi¬ ples, and most of the time in political action. He has repeatedly been chosen to represent the city in the State Legisla¬ ture, and in other important trusts. He was a member of the House of Repre¬ sentatives of the 17th and 18th State Legislatures, where he served on the Public Land Committee, and acquit¬ ted himself to the satisfaction of all parties of his constituenc}'.

At the organization of the park com¬ mission in 1883, he was appointed one of the board of park commissioners, and continued to hold the position until recenth'. He served on the finance com¬ mittee and on the committee on improve¬ ments, and was often appointed on special committees to select new sites for park improvements. Mr. Bassett entered into this work, whicli has doneso much to render the city beautiful and salubrious, with much devotion. He was prompt and constant in his attendance upon the meetings of the l)oard, and spent much time besides in consultation and superintendence. He was a strict guardian of the finances, and while he continued in charge, no useless or waste¬ ful expenditure of the public monew was allowed.

For many vears Mr. Bassett has been a member of the State Board of F([ualization of Taxes, a position under execu¬ tive appointment, where his accurate knowledge and careful scmtin\- have been of great service in distributing with fairness the burdens of taxation.

For several 3'ears prior to 1880, Mr. Bassett was vice-president of the Mer¬ chants' National Bank of Alinneapolis. At that time Air. J. AI. Williams, now of the Securit}' Bank, was cashier. The bank held a ver\' creditable position among 'the banks of the cit}-, and was managed with prudence and success un¬ til it retired from business in voluntaiw liquidation. He is at the jjresent time one of the executive committee of the Alinneapolis Trust Compatnq where his conservative views and good judgment make him a most important officer.

For main' \'ears Air. Bassett occupied for a residence a pleasant home on Nicol¬ let street. When the enlarging business of that street encroched upon the seclusion of its homes he purchased a fine propert v on the Hennepin boulevard, beA'ond Twenty -fourth street, where he has latelv erected a fine brick mansion.

It has been Air. Bassett's custom for maiu' 3'ears to pass the winter months, with his famih', in travel or temporary residence in southern or Pacific coast resorts.

His quiet and regular course of life, free from the harassing cares of actiye business and the vexations of ambition, has enaliled him to preserve good health to a period be3'ond the allotted life of man. His erect form and elastic step, al¬ though bearing a crown whitened with the ripeness of age, belong rather to the man of fift3' than to one who has passed his seventieth birtluhu'.

By James T. Wyman

Minneapolis is jjre-eminentlv a man¬ ufacturing citj". While her citizens are proud of her advantageous location, the salubrity of her climate, the soundness other financial institutions, and the gen¬ eral growth and prosperity of all her business interests ; yet they all realize that her manufactures have contributed more to her material advancement than all other interests combined.

The earh' settlers of Minnesota saw at a glance the great possibilities for manufacture in controlling the mighty torrent flowing over the Falls of St. An¬ thony, and it did not require an over sanguine man to predict that the utiliza¬ tion of that magnificent water power would cause a great city to grow up, whose pulsing life, and teeming streets, and ritsh of trade would be the pride of her citizens, the wonder of her friends and the env3' of her rivals. All these we have, and the generation which has ac¬ complished this sifiendid achievement has not entirely passed away.

To the keen foresight of her active business men, Minneapolis is indebted that her manufactures are appropriate to her location and the natural condi¬ tions by which she is surrounded, while man\'- cities have fallen into the error of encouraging all man'ufactui'es without regard to natural conditions or appro¬ priateness of location. In many such instances, b3' reason of the distance of the raw material used from the point of manufacture, or the distance of the mar¬ ket for the manufactured product, the manufacturer has found insurmountable obstacles to success standing in his wa3q and consequent financial ruin following, with resulting stagnation to the busi¬ ness interests of the cit3" so unfortunateh' connected ; but from the beginning Min¬ neapolis has been fortunate in these par¬ ticulars. Her business men have encour¬ aged only such manufactures as consume the raw material of field and forest immediatel3" tributary to her, and such other manufactures as her tributar3' market requires, and the importation of raw material does not prevent.

Fortunately for Minneapolis, the raw material at hand enables her manufac¬ turers to supply the greater material needs of mankind ; hence there is almost unlimited possibilities to her growth in manufactures, as shehas millions around her to feed, and clothe, and house. They need her flour, lumber, building

It Avas very largely New England energy and enterprise which put life into the manufacturing industries of Minne¬ apolis at an early day, and it will be well to mention here, the names of a few of the early manufacturers coming from that section.

From Maine came, Ard. Godfrey, Ca¬ leb D. Dorr, S. W. Faimham, C. C. and \V. D. Washburn, Capt. John Rollins, John Dudley, E. Broad, Charles F. Stimpson, Orrin Rogers, Loren Fletcher, C.M. Loring, Geo. A. Brackett, Paris Gibson, Charles Scott, D. Alorrison, Clinton Alorrison, H. F. Brown, Geo. W. Crocker, Leonard Da^' and his sons, J. W., L. D. and W. H. H. Day, John DeLaittre, John Crosb}', Jonathan Chase, S. D. Todd, J. M. Robinson, Loring and James A. Lovejoy, R. P. f^pton and O. A. Pray. From New Hampshire came Ex-Gov. John S. Pillsbury, followed in later years by his brother. Geo. A., and his nephews, Chas. A. and F. C. Pillsbur3'' ; J. B. Bassett, Wnf. W. and John W. Eastman, L. G. and J. C. Johnson, and Chaides C. Secombe. From Vermont came Capt. John Martin, R. P. Russell, Harmon Alartin and 1). R. Barber. From Alassachusetts, David Lewis and Arnold W. Taylor; from Rhode Island, E. W. Cutter and H. AI. Carpenter; from Connecticutt, H. T. Welles and J. G. Smith.

These men were among the leading manufacturers of Alinneapolis in the early da\^s, and manj' of them are still in the front rank. Residents of other states have become citizens of Alinneap¬ olis, and have taken up and carried on the work begun b\" New England men, and are not one whit behind them in energy, enterprise and loyalt\' to our cit3'; but in priorit3' of establishment of manufactures, and in prominence in con¬

It was the immense water power ])rovided by the Falls of St. Anthotu' which made manufactures possible, but that power must first be harnessed and aj)- plied ; and with that end in view those earh' settlers proceeded to work. A brief histor3' of the result of their labors will be in order.

Franklin Steele owned the east side water power, he having acquired the adjacent land in 1845, partK' Iw pre¬ emption and parth' b3' purchase. On Juh' 19th, 1847, he sold an interest in the entire propert3' to Robert Rantoul . and Caleb Cushing, but Air. Steele soon came into ownership of the prox3ert3' again, and in October, 1847, he com¬ menced to build a dam across the east channel of the river. He emplo3'ed Air. Ard Godfre3' to suxjerintend the work, Caleb D. Dorr being among his assistants. The3' procured slabs from the old govern¬ ment mill on the west side with which to construct a temporarv coffer-dam. Thew then denuded the lower end of Nicollet island of its heav3' growth of rock majjle and elm timber to build the f)crmanent dam with. This was the first dam built at the Falls of St. Anthoinq and answered the xiur^jose for several years. It extended across the east chan¬ nel to the iqqDer end of Henneinn island, and thence north to the south end of Nicollet island, being triangidar in shape and creating a mill pond which was suj)- jdied with water flowing around the north end of Nicollet island into the east channel. In the winter of 1851 the dam was raised two feet in height, in order to increase the head of water and give more i)ower.

step, still walks the streets, and dwells near the spot where forty years ago he began the first improvement in the line of utilizing the water power of the Falls of St. Anthony for the use of civilized man. He was born in Orono, on the Penobscot river, in Maine, on the 18th of Januarr^ 1813. There he had grown to manhood among the saw mills and lumbering outfits, and had taken up the trade of millwright, which his father followed. At the age of eighteen he had built a sawmill. He had married Miss Harriet Newel Burr in 1838 and already had a j^oung family, when Franklin Steele engaged him to come to St. Anthony Falls to superintend the build¬ ing of a dam and the erection of ;saw'' mills. Accordingly, with his wife and young children, he arrived at the scene of his labor in the spring of 1847.

After making a home he engaged men, felled trees on the adjacent island, and proceeded with the w^ork wdiich he was engaged to do, w^hich occupied tw'o years. " The saw^ mill," says Col. Stevens, " w^as a great convenience to the New Canadci people, as well as to the new comers in both St. Paid and St. Anthony. Previoush', the lumber for building had to be hewn out of tamarac and hardwood, or hauled over land from St. Croix county."

At the conclusion of the w'ork, Mr. Godfrey was under the necessit}" of tak¬ ing a share in the property for his wages, and acquired a one-tw^entieth interest. He spent five years in connection wdth the mills and in the lumber business at the Falls. He had established the first permanent home in St. Anthony, w'hich sheltered many of the pioneers on their arrival. Here, on the 30th day of May, 1849, was born a daughter, Hanfiet R. Godfrey, the first wdiite child born in the precincts of Minneapolis.

established at St. Anthonjq of which Mr. Godfrey was appointed postmaster. He had for a deputy Joseph Me Alpine, though the duties were not exacting. A weekly mail from St. Paul supplied the office. On the fourteenth of Februaiw, 1851, Cataract Lodge, N. D. was organ¬ ized in Air. Godfrey's parlor, he being made its treasurer.

At this time there was no premonition of a settlement on the west side of the river. The whole west side, from Fort Snelling to Bassett's creek, was covered by the military reservation. Mr. Godfrey" procured one of the officers at the Foi'tto make a claim for him, and with the whole I'eservation to choose from, selected the wooded point lying between the Alississippi river and Brown's creek, as Minnehaha was then called. Prob¬ ably the instinct of a dam and mill build¬ ing, led him to select a location where running water could be made available to drive machinery. The title to this land was in due time obtained, and here Mr. Godfrey made his home, except for short jieriods, when for the sake of access to the schools for his children, he resided in Minneapolis. In 1853, he raised a dam in the creek, a little distance above its mouth, and built a saw mill, and later added buhr-stones for grinding grain. These mills were long since burned, and onlj" the ruins of the dam mark its sight. After the mill was com¬ pleted, Mr. Godfrey built a levee at the point of junction of the creek with the river, at which steamboats made a land¬ ing, the I'iver men calling it Godfrej^'s point.

He continued to reside here content¬ edly- while the west side of the river at Minneapolis was filling up with settlers, and lands, among which he might have had his choice, were being platted into village and city lots. In 1862, a pecu¬ niary obligation, resting as a lien upon his home, was likely to be foreclosed. Money was not easily procured, and the necessity of the case urged him to un¬ wonted exertion. Learning that he could get a conti'act to build a mill in far off Idaho, he procured a pair of tough, but refractory native horses, and hitching them to a wagon, supplied with a camp¬ ing outfit, grain and provisions, he reso¬ lutely set out on the long and tiresome journey over the trackless prairies, across unbridged rivers, and over the moun¬ tains. Hostile Indians hovering along the route, added to the danger of the trip. But it was successfully made, the mill was built, and returning the next year, he redeemed his home.

The Soldiers' Home was located upon Mr. Godfrey's homestead. The citizens of Minneapolis purchased fifty acres of the farm, comprising the most pictur¬ esque part, and tendered the site, which was accepted. The pricepaid was $1,000 ])cr acre. Opposite are the grounds of tfte Minnehaha pai'k, a part of the park SA'Stem of Minneapolis. On both sides of the creek, landscape art has transformed the naturalh'- picturesque surroundings to pleasure grounds more charming than an3' to be found in all the region. Mr. Godfrey removed to Minneapolis, where in a pleasant home on Chicago avenue, near the residence of his only son, Abner C. Godfrey, with the wife of his youth, and three of his surviving daughters, he is passing the yeai's of a serene and con¬ tented old age.

Mr. Steele continued to own and con¬ trol the eastside waterpoweruntil 1855, when he sold a one-half interest in it to Davis, Sanford & Gebhardt, of New York Cit}', and one-eighth to Richard Chute and John S. Prince, he retaining three-eights himself. The new proprie¬ tors immediately^ commenced to build the dam now in use (and known as the St.

Anthony Falls Water Power Company's dam) to control the water belonging to that water power, the old dam not being sufficient. Thev commenced at the upper end of Hennepin island and built diag¬ onally^ across to the centre of the west channel of the river, and when the Min¬ neapolis Mill Company^ built the westerly^ half the two dams met in the center of the west channel forming a dam shaped like the letter A, with the point up river and dividing the main river so that half the water flowed between Nicollet and Hennepin islands into the East Side Com¬ pany's millpond, as soon as that part of the old Steele dam extending from Hen¬ nepin to Nicollet islands was removed, which was done at once. They' com¬ menced the dam in 1856, and completed it in the spring of 1857, having on Feb. 26, 1856, secured a charter from the Legisla¬ ture organizing the St. Anthony Water Power Company, representing $640,000 of capital stock, with Richard Chute as agent. The stock of this company' changed hands until in later years it was very largely owned by Richard Chute and his brother. Dr. S. H. Chute. They continued to own and control it through all the stagnation caused by' the money' stringency of 1857-8, and which was continued by the commencement of the War of the Rebellion.

Richard Chute. Most Americans, especially in the West, have so littlepride of ancestry, that they are unable to trace their descent beyond two or three gener¬ ations. While the chief value of life is in doing well, it is nevertheless a subject of no little honor and pride to be well born. Mr. Chute is able to identify his an¬ cestor of the thirteenth century', in the person of Alexander Chute, who lived in Taunton, England, in 1268. The family is doubtless of Norman ori¬ gin, and in England would claim I'ank with those whocamein withtheConqueror. His father was James Chute, and mother, Martha Hewes, descended from Capt. Roger Clapp, who in 1664 com¬ manded the "Castle," now Fort Indepenence in Boston Harbor. He was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, Sept. 23d., 1820, where his father taught a private school, but having entered the ministry of the Presbyterian Church, removed to Colum¬ bus, Ohio, and afterwards, in 1831, to Fort Wayne, Ind., where his mother died before he was thirteen yeai's old, and his father when he was fifteen, leaving him the oldest of the family. All his early education he received from his parents. Here at the age of twelve 3"ears, Richard entered the store of S. & H. Hanna & Co. and continued with various firms until 1841 , when he engaged as clerk with W. G. & G. W. Ewing, who were large bu3^- ers of furs and skins, dealing not only with the whites but with various Indian tribes also.

In the conduct of this business he was sent by his employers in 1844 to estab¬ lish and build a post at Good Road's vil¬ lage eight miles above Fort Snelling on the Minnesota river. This year he visit¬ ed the Falls of St. Anthony, then almost in a state of nature, which so impressed him, that standing on their brink he took off his hat and making them a bow, exclaimed, "Here is the site of a might3^ city," probably unconscious that the Chute of Ohio had been predestinated to associate his life with the Chute de St. Antoine. The next year he became a partner of the Ewings under the firm name of Ewing, Chute & Co., and a few years later was interested in the fur bus¬ iness with P. Choteau, Jr., & Co.

Though a trader with the Indians, he was not regardless of their welfare, but took a deep interest in their civilization and aided them in several negotiations with the government. He was present in 1842 at Agenc3^ City, Iowa, at the making of the treaty with the Sac and Fox Tribe; and in 1846 was present in Washington with the Winnebagoes, when they sold the "Neutral Ground" in Iowa; and in 1851 at Travers des Sioux and Mendota when the Sioux concluded the treaties which opened Minnesota to settlement. On the latter occasion he was accompanied by his wife.

The Indian question has, from the set¬ tlement of the country, presented, not alone to the Indian office, but to the philanthropist, a perplexing problem. Ceding their lands in exchange for pa3'- ments, annuities, schools and teachers, the tribes have been gathered in reserva¬ tions, whei'e with restricted facilities for the chase, they have had little opportun¬ ity to acquire the arts of civilization and have wasted their lives in idleness and too often in vice. A better plan seems to have been hit upon, whereby the Indian surrendering his tribal lands and dis¬ solving his tribal relations receives land in severalty and becomes a citizen. It is a subject of satisfaction to Mr. Chute and should entitle him to be remembered with gratitude, that he inaugurated this better system. His work was done in connection with the legislature, state and national, of 1851, that resulted in the government making treaties by which in 1855 the Ottawas and Chippewas of Michigan exchanged their tribal lands west of the Mississippi for lands in sever¬ alty in Michigan, dissolving their tribal relations and becoming citizens of that state. The service was not official, but altogether voluntary and personal, and prompted solely by his interest in the welfare of the Indians.

At that time, the land on the east side of the Mississippi river at the Falls of St. Anthon3', controlling the water power, was the propert3' of Franklin Steele of Fort Snelling, Thomas E. Davis, John F. Sanford and Frederick C. Gebhard, of New York. Mr. Chute in con¬ nection with Mr. John S. Prince, of St. Paul, purchased ofMr. Steele a one-eighth interest in the propert3\ In 1856 the St. Anthon3' Falls Water Power Compan3' was incorporated and the propert3' vest¬ ed in it, and Air. Chute became agent of the company and manager of the prop¬ erty, continuing in that capacit3' until 1868 when he became president of the compan3", and continuing such until the sale of the property in 1880 to Jas. J. Hill of St. Paul and Alessrs Stephens and Angus of Alontreal. These twent3'-five years were 3'ears of activity, of liberal expenditure, with hope long deferred, but finalW crowned with the success which Mr. Chute's prophetic eye had forseen, and his unflagging perseverance and tenacit3" had conspired to produce. Adam was built, saw-mills erected, flumes ex¬ cavated, mills and factories located, and with similar improvements on the west side of the Falls 1)3^ the Alinneapolis Mill Compan3', the jjroperty became the cen¬ ter of an active communit3' and the nu¬ cleus and heart of a great cit3v

During these 3'ears Air. Chute activel3' engaged in whatever seemed to promise to benefit the communit3' and build it up, not onl3' in material prosperit3H)ut in re¬ ligious life, in education, and in attract¬ iveness and beaut3" as a ])lace of resi¬ dence.

In the summer of 1856 with R. P. Up¬ ton and Edward Alurphy he expenned the sum of $7,600, which had been raised Iw the people at the Falls, in clearing out the channel of the Alississippi I'iver from the Alinneapolis steam boat landing to Fort Snelling, with such benefit to the navigation that the following 3'earthere were fift3"-two steam boat arrivals at the Falls.

In November, 1856, he was requested by Henr3" AI. Rice, then territorial dele¬ gate to congress to repair to Washing¬ ton and aid in securing the passage of a railroad land grant bill. He was joined in December b3' H. T. Welles, and a bill after a prolonged legislative contest was passed on the last da3^of the session that resulted in building 1,400 miles of rail¬ road in the state.

In the distribution of the lands by the legislature. Air. Chute was made a charter director in several of the railroad companies and spent much time in pro¬ moting them , especialh' the present Great Northern S3'stem. He also united with other enterprising citizens in organizing a Union Board of Trade in which he was for maiw 3^ears a director and for two 3'ears its president.

In this service, he introduced the S3"stem of boulevarding the streets, which has added so much beaut3" to Alinneapo¬ lis, and the S3'Stem of numerical streets and houses b3" which their location is so readily comprehended.

It was in 1858 that he purchased 3,- 300 shade trees and had them set out along the street lines and out into unin¬ habited stretches of prairie. Thestateh' cottonwoods that lift their leaf3' branches in long lines over the streets of the East side are survivors of this earh' planting and seem, as the wind stirs their foliage to murmur in gentle tones their recogni¬ tion of the kindh' act.

Upon the opening of the land office in Alinneapolis, Air. Chute in company with Air. H. G. O. Alorrison entered fif¬ teen hundred acres of land. In 1862 he was appointed by Governor Ramsey special quarter master for a detachment of troops ordered to Fort Ripley, and while there was appointed assistant quai'ter master of the state with the rank of lieutenant colonel. From 1863 to the close of the war of the Rebellion, he was United States provost marshal for Hen¬ nepin County.

In 1865 he formed a business partner¬ ship with his brother. Dr. Samuel H. Chute, which still continues. Intimate business I'elations between them and Mr. Frederick Butterfield, of New York, proved mutually pleasant and profit¬ able.

For many years citizens observing the slow but incessant recession of the falls had become apprehensive of their stabil¬ ity. The Water Power companies, with aid from the two municipalities, had con¬ structed an apron of cribbed logs and rock at a cost of over one hundred thou¬ sand dollars. A well intended but dan¬ gerous attempt to construct a hydraulic tunnel through the islands, had made a breach through which the water of the Mississippi poured in a torrent threaten¬ ing to sweep the entire ledge of rock constituting the baiTier away. The sit¬ uation was alarming, threatening to obliterate the water power of the falls as well as to destroy the navigable stretch of the river above them.

Mr. Chute went to Washington and appealed to Congress for aid. A bill granting one hundred thousand acres of land to aid in the work of preserving the falls was introduced but failed to jDass by one vote. The following year he again failed in his effort to pass the bill, but in the spring of 1870 he had better success for a cash appropriation of $50,- 000 was made and a United States en¬ gineer was appointed to take charge of the work. Subsequent appropriations were made by Congress which with the aid of municipal subscriptions, with those of the Water Power companies and individuals, furnished the means for building a substantial concrete dyke under the river bed, from bank to bank, which has effectually stayed the threat¬ ened devastation and made the falls per¬ manent and secure.

The municipal union of St. Anthony and Minneapolis, unpopular with the majority of citizens, tenacious of their favorite names, was urged with so much zeal and judgment by a few leading citiizens of St. Anthony, prominent among whom was Mr. Chute, that all scruples were overcome and the union was hap¬ pily effected in 1872.

In 1876, Mr. Chute was appointed Regent of the University, and acted as its treasurer for several years, resigning in 1882, in consequence of his health which made it necessary to seek a less rigorous climate. Since that time he has spent much time in the southern states, where he has taken great interest in, and been a close student of the colored race and poor white problems.

Tall in stature, spare in build, with fair complexion and prominent piercing eye, Mr. Chute has always been an at¬ tractive figure upon the streets of Alinneapolis. His energy of character in¬ spires activity, and his enthusiasm in whatever he has undertaken, has never failed to bring success. Originally an old line Whig, he was one of the twenty who in 1855 organized the Republican party in Minnesota, at the memorable meeting at the Methodist church in St. Anthony, at which Gov. Wm. R. Mar- shall presided. His eeclesiastical connec¬ tion is with the Presbyterians, having been an elder in the Andrew Presbyterian church. He is a pronounced temperance man in theory and practice ; takes great interest in public affairs, inventions and advanced thoughts; believes in female suffrage, with an educational qualifica¬ tion for both sexes; and a thorough change in the naturalization laws. To quote his own words on a recent occa¬ sion, "he manages to keep about twenty years ahead of the times, taking for his motto, " Let us have Peace,'' but always striving to bring victory ovit of defeat.''

The development of the property', however, was a heavy load for the com¬ pany' to carry ; but men of wonderful tenacity" were hold of the enterprise and would not let go when others would have surrendered and given up the strug¬ gle. There was good pros])ect of their labor and waiting being well repaid, when an event occurred which cast a gloom over both cities at the falls and came near irreparably injuring the water power.

In 1865, Mr. W. W. Eastman pur¬ chased Nicollet island of H.L. Dousman, of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, for $24,- 000. By that purchase he obtained cer¬ tain water rights, in which the St. Anthon\" Falls Water Power Company' acquiesced, entitling him to bmld a tun¬ nel from the south end of Hennepin island, extcndingunder that island to the south end of Nicollet Island. A. H. Wilder and others became associated with him in the ownership of the south end of Nicollet island, and in 1867 a tunnel was commeneed below Hennepin island and carried along successfully until it had reached the south end of Nicollet island, when the spring floods of 1869 broke through the bed rock of the river, on the westerly side of Nicollet island, and into the mouth of the tunnel and washing the soft sand stone undermined the bed¬ rock and threatened untold damage to the Falls of St. Anthon\\

At the mouth of the tunnel, near the south end of Hennei)in island, there were several mills whose foundations were built upon the bed-rock of the river. The water from this tunnel flowing under the bed-rock and washing out the soft sand stone let the bed-rock down and of course the mills with it, and they fell into the river and drifted away with the floods. The mills destroyed in this way were Elijah Moulton's planing mill, Kasube & Co.'s grist mill, containing three runs of stone, and also one-third of the Island Flour mill, that part contain¬ ing the elevator, the proprietors having moved the wheat in anticipation of the washout. The water power compain^ did all it could to retrieve the disaster; both cities turned out en masse to stop the break. Thousands of loads of stone and gravel and brush were thrown into the open mouth of the tunnel, onl^' to be washed away as so much chaff. But at last, after building a coffer-dam around the tunnel's mouth, the break was stop¬ ped, much to the relief of the real estate owners on both sides of the river, who were fearful lest the Falls of St. Anthony would retreat up river, as they had receeded in ages past from the confluence of the Minnesota and the Mississii)])i to their present location; but in 1869, just as the}" were (|uieting down in the hoi)e that the Falls were seeure, the center of the St. Anthony Falls Water Power Com¬ pany's mill pond, for a space of fifty feet squai'e, dropped ten feet into the space washed out beneath it by the former flood, and into this crater the east side branch of the Mississippi river poured and eontinued its devastating work. With the fall of the river bed the hopes of the citizens fell also, and real estate went down with the rest. But Ur. S. H. Chute formulated a plan by whieh the danger was soon repaired by building a cotfer-dam around the break, and plaeing an apron over it made of 8x8 timbers bolted together and ealked water tight ; and when the eoffer-dam was taken out the river flowed ealml3^ over the apron as if the entire spaee was solid roek. But the relief was only temporary, as the water broke through into the tunnel in other plaees, and the government was at last ealled to the aid of the water power eompany and the young eities at the Falls, and under the direction of competent engineers, ehiefly that of United States engineer. Col. Farquhar, the breaks were repaired, a retaining wall built under the bed-rock across the river from bank to bank, and extending into the banks for fifty feet on either side, the wall being six feet thiek at the bot¬ tom, four feet at the top, and forty feet high. Thus with secure anchorage and firm foundations theFallsof St.Anthonj^ remain as they were eompleted by the government, and probably will eontinue to stand to the admiration and profit of generations yet unborn. Toward the expense of this great work the United States government contributed $550,000 and Minneapolis and her citizens $335,- 000.

On April 15, 1880, Chute brothers sold the stoek of the St. Anthony B'alls Water Power Company to James J. Hill and his assoeiates in the Great Northern railway for $425,000. Mr. Hill eon¬ tinued to manage and eontrol the com¬ pany until it was merged into the Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Alill Company, as part of the properties eontrolled by the

English sjmdieate. While Mr. Hill man¬ aged the eompany the offieers were as follows: R.B. Angus, president; Edward Saw^'er, seeretary and treasurer, with R, B. Angus, Edward Sawyer and James J. Hill as direetors.

The Minneapolis Mill Company, which company until a very reeent date, eontrolled the entire water power on the west side of the river, was ehartered February 27th, 1856. The organization was as follows : Robert Smith, president ; Geo. E. Hu\^ seeretarj'; D. Morrison, treasurer, with Robert Smith, D. Morri¬ son, G. K. Swift, Geo. E. Huy, R. P. Rus¬ sell, Dr. J. S. Elliot and J. S. Newton as direetors.

The mill company's dam across the Mississippi river, connecting in the center of the west channel with the St. Anthony Falls Water Power Company's dam, was begun in the summer of 1856 and com¬ pleted in 1857. Immediately after com¬ pleting the dam, the mill company pro¬ ceeded to construct a canal along the river bank, in order to utilize its valu¬ able mill sites. Beginning at the shore end of the dam, the canal was built along B'irst street 300 feet, to Cataract street, now Sixth avenue south. In 1866 the canal was extended 500 feet, and com¬ pleted in December of that year, at a cost of $35,000. In 1866 it became evident that something must be done to protect the falls, as the water constantly under¬ mined the bedrock under the river, caus¬ ing it to fall, and break off in pieces, and as a result of this process, the falls were gradually receeding, having receeded about five hundred feet since the govern¬ ment mill was built in 1822.

The following article published in the Minneapolis and St. Anthony State Atlas in 1866 will explain the situation as viewed b\' the citizens at the Falls: The article was entitled,

Old St. Anthony Falls Again

Yesterday, it behi" regular in the operations of Nature, and his time having come, old St..\nthony lost a huge piece oft' from one of his falls. All have noticed how even the rock was broken oft' just be¬ low the bridge to the saw mills, and how beautilidly the water poured over it. In the morning, without notice, a huge piece of the limestone, at least 50 feet long and 20 broad and 6 feet thick, fell suddenly away from its old bed, and striking upon the hard rocks below, broke into massive fragments. A heavy jar of the solid earth, a dull splash, and the grinding noise attendingthe break¬ ing of heavy substances followed the fall. Morri¬ son's lumber office was situated just over the fall¬ ing stone. It rests on si.x posts. The rock fell en¬ tirely away from under the two outermost end posts, and broke off within about a foot of the two middle ones. Had it broken oft' about a foot further in, the office would have gone end over end into the abyss. As it is, it projects over its two posts in air, and has been deserted by its tenants, who have moved up town. The sluices beyond the office are somewhat damaged. An inspection was made of the state of these rocks l ist summer dur¬ ing low water. They were found to be undermined and a fine loose sand scattered in the crevices. The balance of the rock attached to the Minneapolis bank will in all probability come away soon, and the bridge with it, and at some future day more will follow, and ])erhaps involve the whole of the mill structure in ruins.

The Minneapolis Mill Company eoneluded to place an apron made of heavy timbers over the falls to protect the bed¬ rock from the wear of the water and ice. This work was completed in 1867 and it has accomplished all its most sanguine advocates anticipated. During the con¬ struction of these improvements, and for manj^ yctirs thereafter the following di¬ rectors were managing the company's business: C. C. Washburn, D. Morrison, W. D. Washburn, Robert Smith and R. J. Baldwin. The board was officered as follows: C. C. Washburn, president; R. J. Baldwin, treasurer, H. B. Hancock, secretary and agent.

and was owned and maiuiged by them until the fall of 1889, when it passed in¬ to the hands of the Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mill Company, with the Pillsbury and W. D. Washburn mills and the St. Anthony Falls Water Power Company's properties.

The first utilization of the water power furnished by the Falls of St. An¬ thony was by the United States govern¬ ment in the old government mill, built on the west side of the river near the foot of Sev'enth avenue south in the year of 1822; the land it stood vijjon belonging to the Fort Snelling military reserva¬ tion, the work of bitilding the mill being under the supervision of Lieut. J. B. F. Russell, acting quartermaster of the reg¬ ular arm}'.

The manufactures of Minneapolis can¬ not be said to date their commencement from the building of that mill, as there was no St. Anthony or Minneapolis for many y'ears thereafter; but it will per¬ haps be well to give a history of that mill at this point, as being the first structure ever built by white men at the Falls of St. Anthony, and prophetically embodying in the pLirpose of its con¬ struction the twin industries of flour and lumber which have since become the great staples of manufacture in Alinneapolis. The government forces stationed at Fort Snelling being far from civiliza¬ tion, and having to depend u])on freight¬ ing the most of their supplies down the Ohio and up the Mississippi, the com¬ mandant decided to use the resources near at hand and build a small mill to grind the grain and feed required at the fort. So in 1822 he proceeded to build what was called the government mill at the Falls of St. .\nthony. The mill was built of stone and located at the brink of the falls, which was then about oppo¬ site Seventh avenue south, the constant undermining of the bed rock over which the river flow^ed and its consequent breaking off having caused the recession of the falls to the present location. The mill as oi'iginally built was about twenty feet square and two stories high, and was completed that 3^ear, together with a small log house for the occupancy of the miller. The machinery arrived at Fort Snelling by steamboat the follow¬ ing year, and consisted of one run of buhrs, with the necessary shafting. After being fitted up, the mill was run b^" the authorities at the fort as needed, until 1830, when they concluded to put in a saw to cut lumber necessary in the con¬ struction of some buildings. A frame building about double the size of the original structure was built nearly ad¬ joining and west on the river bank, and in it was placed an old fashioned up and dowm saw for sawing lumber. The water to run the mills was taken directly from the brink of the falls to a wooden flume, there being no dam. The government authorities continued to run the grist mill in a desultory way until 1849, when the property was purchased by Robert Smith, of Illinois, for $750.00. He rent¬ ed it to Calvin Tuttle, who operated the grist mill from time to time until 1855, when Leonard Da^^ remodeled the frame addition somewhat, and operated it as a saw mill, and that part containing the grist mill was torn down. After Mr. Day had operated the mill two years, it was sold to Mr. Ferrant in 1857, and he refitted and operated it as a grist mill until 1862, when he sold it to Perkins & Crocker, who named it the City Mill. In 1866 they sold the mill to J. C. Berry & Co., who changed it to a merchant mill and operated it until 1875, when they sold it to Solon Armstrong & Co., who operated it until 1879, when it was torn down to make way for the North¬ western Flouring Mill. But few Minne¬ apolis citizens knew of its ancient origin, as that was hidden benccith its dignified title of the City Mill ; but the old timbers of which it was construct¬ ed were familiar to the few earlier settlei's.

It is to the credit of the East Side, or wdiat was once known as St. Anthony, that in that section of Minneapolis the foundations of our manufactures were really laid. The West Side was not yet open to settlement, wdien the hardy sons of Maine, leaving their native pine woods, commenced to cut logs on the Mississippi and Rum rivers, and float them down to the Falls of St. Anthony, and thus of necessity the manufacture of lumber became our pioneer industry. Nature had done all the preliminary work. The almost unlimited pineforests made naturally tributary by the flowing river to bear their products to awaiting market, the Falls of St. Anthony provid¬ ing tremendous water power, the beau¬ tiful prairie lying beyond all ready for the plow, all pointed to the immediate vicinity of the falls, as the location for a great manufacturing city; and the new comer from the east immediately^ took hold of the work of building it, with a vim and enthusiasm, born of the splendid climatic conditions so favorable to this growing northwest, as well as the sturdy stock from which these pioneers had de¬ scended.

In 1847, immediately after commenc¬ ing to build his dam, Franklin Steele as¬ sociated wdth him Mr. Ard Godfrey un¬ der the firm name of Steele & Godfrey, at that time the firm being called the St Anthony Mill Company, but they did not incorporate; Mr. Godfrey's interest being one-twentieth of the whole prop¬ erty. Mr. Godfrey was a practical mill¬ wright from Maine, and he proceeded to build a saw mill on the river bank, at the foot of First avenue southeast, at the shore end of the new dam. In the spring of 1848 both saw mill and dam were eompleted,^reatl3" to the delight of Mes¬ srs Steele & Godfrey, as well as the little community' now beginning to gather at the falls. The mill had two up and down saws and a lath saw. This machinery was shipped from Bangor, Maine, b\' Mr. Godfrey. The capacity of the mill was about 15,000 feet per da^'.

This was the first real saw mill ever built at the falls, the arrangement for sawing logs in the old government mill on the west side being hardly entitled to that dignit}'; and it was the beginning of manufacturing in Minneapolis and St. Anthony as well; the manufacture of lumber being our greatest industry in the number of men emplo3"ed, even to the present da3'.

In the fall of 1848 Steele & Godfre3" added to their mill, putting in two more saws thus doubling its capacity, the row along the dam realh" being a series of mills. In 1849 Mr. Steele sold a half in¬ terest in the mills to Arnold W. Taylor, of Boston. In 1850 Mr. Godfrey retired from his partnership with Mr. Steele, and in that 3'ear Mr. Ta3dor, the new partner, proceeded to build another saw mill at the west end of the dam, and detatched from those already built, but be¬ ing a part of the plant , and consisting of four up and down saws and a lath mill. In 1851 Mr. Godfrey, who had become associated with C. W. Borup, under the name of Borup & Godfrey, rented four saws in the row of mills and run them for one year. S. W. Farnham, Caleb D. Dorr, Chas. Stimpson and others rented the different sections at various times, and man3'^ lumbermen who afterward be¬ came prominent received their first prof¬ its from these mills. H. T. Welles stocked the mills from 1852 to the spring of 1855. Isaac E. Lane, J. M. Lane, Sam¬ uel Estes and others operated the mills for Mr. Welles. In 1855 Loren Lovejo3', the father of James A. and Stephen Lovejo3', rented two of the mills, and in that 3'ear two gangs were added 1)3' the water power compan3'. Mr. Lovejoy sawed the logs of D. Morrison &Co. until 1857. J. B. Bassett, S. W. Farn¬ ham, Samuel Stanchfield, Capt. John Martin, Butler & Walker, W. E. Jones, Capt. Jonathan Chase, Chute Broth¬ ers, J. S. Pillsbur3' & Co., Capt. John Rollins, J. Dean & Co., Leonard Da3', Todd, Gorton & Co., Tuttle & Lane, F. G. Ma3'0 and Ma3^o & Clark stocked the mills and operated them 1)3' the thousand until 1870, when the entire row was dcstro3'ed by fire, also involving the de¬ struction of the old Steele dam across the east channel of the river, it being built mostly of timber.

As early as 1851 it became evident that some concerted action must be taken to control the handling of logs coming down the Mississippi river to St. Anthon3'. The logs of the different own¬ ers necessarih' became mixed in driving, causing unpleasant disputes, and thereb3' necessitating considerable expense and trouble to separate the logs. To miti¬ gate these difficulties, the Alississippi Boom Company was organized Februard 3d, 1851. The charter was secured by Franklin Steele, J. R. Brown and Daniel Stanchfield. At the same time the St. Anthony Boom Compan3' was organized 1)3' W. Getchell, Franklin Steele, J. G. Lemon, S. W. Farnham, Ard. Godfre3' and Joseph Libbe3'. These two com¬ panies handled the logs until the close of the sawing season of 1856. On Decem¬ ber 20th, 1856, the Mississippi & Rum River Boom Company was oi'ganized and on March 21st, 1857, it secured a charter, with a capital of $15,000, and this com])an3' absorbed the Mississippi Boom CompaiU' and the St. Anthonv Boom Company. The first officers were as follows: John S. Prince, president;

J. W. Buckraore, vice-president; J. A. Lovejoy, secretary, and S. W. Farnham, treasurer. Ever since the organization of the Mississippi & Rum River Boom Company, it has handled all the logs on the Mississippi River and its tributaries coming to Minneapolis. S. D.Todd was elected the first boom master. Geo. Miliken, Caleb D. Doi'r, W. E. Johnson and Samuel Simpson have since filled that office, and Mr. Simpson is the present incumbent. There had been but few changes in the management of the boom company up to 1888, when the present management came into office as follows : J. B. Bassett, president; E. C. Whitney, vice-president and treasurer; Samuel Hill, secretary ; Samuel vSimpson, boom master. This eompany has rendered in¬ valuable aid to the lumbermen of Minne¬ apolis. It eontrols and handles the logs after they reach what is called "boom limits," which limits extend up river about one hundred miles above Minne¬ apolis. From "the limits" it drives the logs to the Minneapolis boom, .sorts them aeeording to the different marks and turns them to the mills where they belong. The charge to the lumbermen for this work varies somewhat aeeord¬ ing to the favorableness of the season ; but averages about twenty cents per thousand feet.

In 1854 D. W. Marr built a steam saw mill between Orth's brewery and the bank of the river in Northeast Min¬ neapolis. He run the mill until 1857, when the financial panic of that year compelled him to sell it to John Orth, who in turn run the mill until 1859, when it was burned.

In 1855 Lovejoy Bros, built a shingle mill on what was called Cataract Island, a small, rocky island located just below the falls and southwest of the lower end of Hennepin Island. The onl3^ connec¬ tion between Cataraet Island and Hen¬ nepin Island was b3^ a walk or driveway ' made of slabs and bloeks from the shin¬ gle mill; so temporaril3', in times of drought the island was connected with Henne]3in Island ; but in times of flood this improvised walk or driveway was washed out, and Cataraet Island was not connected with Hennepin Island. Messrs. Lovejo3^ Bros, run their mill until 1860, when the I'oek upon which the mill stood was undermined b3'' the water, and the mill toppled over into the Mississippi River and was washed down stream towards the gulf, and the island soon suffered the same fate. This was the inevitable result of the recession of the Falls of St. Anthony, and the in¬ ability of the soft sandstone to resist the encroachments of the water, until now Cataraet Island is no more to be seen, and none but the few old residents of Minneapolis know that it ever existed.

In 1856 Mr. S. W. Farnham bought the water rights on the west side of Hen¬ nepin Island and constructed a sawmill. He operated the mill until 1860, when James A. Lovejoy became his partner, under the style of Farnham & Lovejoy. In 1875 the mill burned, but was imme¬ diately rebuilt and at that time was one of the finest saw mills on the Falls of St. Anthon3", and for many years the firm of Farnham & Lovejoy did a very large lumber business. In 1882 Mr. James J. Hill and his associates bought the mill and the water rights of Messrs. Farnham & Lovejoy, and the mill was dismantled. This purehase gave Mr. Hill entire control of the water power on the east side of the river, he having purchased the St. Anthony Falls Water Power Company's property two years previous. With the sale of their mill, Messrs. Farnham & Lovejoy had their logs sawed by the thousand until 1885, when Mr. Lovejoy died and the firm went out of business.

The first saw mill built on the west side of the river, exeepting of course, the old government mill, was built b}' Pom¬ eroy, Bates & Co., in 1856, on the land now occupied by the Omaha railroad tracks, at the junction of Bassett's creek and the Mississippi river. The firm was composed of John L. Pomeroy, E. L. Bates, Geo. Elsworth and J. B. Bassett. This mill was destroyed by fire in 1859.

In 1858 (the mill company's dam having been completed the year before), Gilpatrick & Hammons commenced to build the Pioneer mill, the first saw mill on the mill company's dam. The mill was located at the outer end of the dam. In the fall of that year, J. B. Bassett (hav¬ ing withdrawn from the firm of Pome¬ roy, Bates & Co.) bought the Pioneer mill and completed it. Mr. Gilpatrick had a small pail and tub factory on the east side of the river, and this was moved over and put in the second story of the Pioneer mill. The pail and tub factory was equipped with one lathe, and run for two years, until 1860, when Mr. Bassett built a building immediateh' across the platform, south Irom the Pio¬ neer mill, and the pail and tub factoiw was moved into that building, and ran until 1869, when the building was under¬ mined by the spring flood of that year, and falling into the river went down stream. Messrs. Bassett & Gilpatrick operated the Pioneer mill until 1862, when Richard Price, of Philadelphia, became a partner, and the firm name was changed to J. B. Bassett & Co. Mr. Price died in 1869 and the business was continued by the surviving ])artners. In 1869, Bassett & Co. sold the Pioneer mill to Bidl & Hai'rison, who operated it for one year, when the_v sold it to Eastman,' Bovey &; Co.

After St. Bartholomew, some of its mem¬ bers passed to the British islands, whence theyjoined theemigration which brought exiles from religious intolerance and ])ersecution to the American colonies. The town records of Lynn, Mass., show the name among the citizens of that town as early as 1640, and the family records in¬ dicate that they remained there some years after thecloseof the Revolutionary war, whence they removed to New Hampshire.

In the early part of the j^resent eentuiw Daniel Bassett, Sr., was a resident of Wolfboro, Stafford County, N. H. He cultivated afarm, and having been raised with religious principles promulgated bv George Fox, he cultivated the gift within him, as the spirit gave him utterance, in the earnest but simple worship of the So¬ ciety of Friends. He was uncompromis¬ ing in his religious and political opinions. He was an earh' anti-slavery man, manumittmg by a formal deed a slave that the laws of his state' allowed him to hold as a chattel. In politics he was a Feder¬ alist, firmH supporting the Adams, and when the Whig part\'took the sucession, followed the fortunes and teachings of Clay and Webster, vmtil it in turn was merged into the Republican organiza¬ tion.

The state of New Hampshire was Democratic from its organization until the 3'ear 1850. Franklin Pierce and John G. Atherton had full control of the Dem¬ ocratic ])art\' in the state, and distrib¬ uted the federal and state patronage among their supporters. The question of slaveiw entered largely into political dis¬ cussions. When John P. Hale, Mason W. Tappanand Daniel Bassett, Jr., with their associates, undertook to wrest the state from the Democratic partv, and succeed¬ ed in electing a Republican governor and sent John P. Hale to the United States Senate, no man in the state did more to

His early life was laborious, and fru¬ gal, being passed upon the rugged farm, which he assisted his father and brothers to cultivate. His scholastic advantages were such as the country school afforded, and an academy located in the village adjacent to the farm, which he attended about two years. He was endowed with a mind eager for the acquisition of knowledge, and with a keen perception of facts and occurrences passing before him, so that by reading and observation he acquired a general education in prac¬ tical things. Throughout his busy life he has been an omniverous reader of the news of the day, of periodical literature, and of books of science, history, and the practical arts. He has at his home one of the most extensive and valuable private libraries to'be found in the city, where he spends much of his leisure time.

As was customary with New England boys, young Bassett, remained at home, assisting his father in the labor of the farm until he reached his majoritJ^ He then went to the state of Maine and en¬ gaged in lumbering, working in the pin¬ eries, on the rivers, and in the mills for twelve yeai's. During this time he was united in marriage with Miss Carpenter, who has been his life companion until one year ago, when she passed away. The only child of the marriage is W. L. Bassett, who was born and received his training and education in Minneapolis. He graduated with much eclat at the Minnesota State University, and after spending one year at Ann Arbor in the University of Michigan, in the law de¬ partment, he engaged with his father in the management of the extensive lumber business of J. B. Bassett & Co.

Mr. Bassett arrived in St. Anthony in 1850, at about the same time as Isaac Atwater, Edward Murphy, Allen Har¬ mon, C. W. Christmas, J. P. Wilson, Jos¬ eph Dean, Thomas Chambers, George W. Chowen and W. W. Wales, all pioneers, whose names are spoken with reverance by all the old residents of the city.

It will be remembered that at the time of his arrival, and for about five years afterwards, the lands on the west side of the Mississippi river, now adjacent to the falls, were covered by the military reservation, and lawful settlements could not be made on them. Regarding the claim made by him. Col. Stevens says in his " Personal Recollections," "Joel B. Bassett took up a quarter section above the creek that bears his name and immediatel}" on the bank of the river. Hav¬ ing perfected his arrangements in the fall of 1851, in regard to it, at Port Snelling, he moved on to it in May, 1852, and for several years, and in fact until it became too valuable for that purpose, occupied it exclusively for farming. He was as good a farmer as he has since jiroved to be a lumberman and businessman." The truth of this commendation is evident from the fact mentioned by the same chronicler, that at the second annual fair of the Territorial Agricultural Soci¬ ety, held on the 17th of October, 1855, ''for the first time in the history of the Upper Mississippi valley the dairy was represented by a good display of cheese, the prodvict of Mrs. J. B. Bassett." This fa.rm, which really contained but 140 acres, was sold in 1856 to Messrs Brad¬ ford and Garland to be platted into town lots. The price realized was $250 per acre, an advance not excelled in any of the more recent real estate booms of the town.

ous course through the city, in a deep and rugged chasm, has long since disap¬ peared from view, its waters swallowed b}' sewers, or finding their w'ay to the river through arched masonar}", and the gorge through wdiich the^' then flowed, filled and leveled, is crossed Iw numerous railroad tracks and level streets, and is the site of elevators, warehouses, and business blocks.

While Mr. Bassett w'as cultivating his farm, he found time to pursue the occu¬ pation of earlier years, in the pineries, and on the river. Indeed he commenced the lumber business in some of its ruder forms, almost as soon as he had estab¬ lished himself in his new' home - a busi¬ ness wdiich he has continued wdth scarceU' an interruption, and at times on a gigan¬ tic scale. Pine lands, camps in the woods, drives, booms, saw' mills, planers, lumber yards, have been his occupation, and their management, to his active habit and energetic mind, a diversion.

At the first county election, held in the fall of 1852, he w'as elected probate judge of the county. The election for the first and onl\' time in the histor3' of the county' W'as unanimous, each candidate for a county office receiving seventj'-one votes, the number constituting prett\' nearly the entire population of the coun¬ ty, w'hich then did not include St. Anth- 0113'. In Februaiw of the follow'ing vear the Hennepin County Agricultural Soci¬ ety W'as incorporated by an act of the Territorial Legislature, and Judge Bas- .sett W'as made one of its incorporators.

In 1854 Judge Bassett w'as nominated 1)3' the Whigs of the count3' as their can¬ didate for member of the Territorial Council, but w'as not elected.

The follow'ing year he w'as nominated for member of theTerritorial Council. He received a majorit3' of the votes of Hen¬ nepin County, but his opponent, I). M. Hanson carried Carv'cr Count3', w'hich belonged to the council district, 1)3' a suf¬ ficient majority to overcome Judge Bas¬ sett's majority in Hennepin Count3'. Mr. Hanson died during his term of office, w'hereupon his former opponent w'as elected to a seat in the Ten-itorial Coun¬ cil. During the session of the legislature Judge Bassett, ever attentive to the needs of his constituents, obtained a charter for the Mississippi & Rum River Boom Compan3'. The company immediateh' organized and commenced the im¬ provements W'hich were so essential to the prosecution of the lumber trade. It has expended over $500,000 in improve¬ ments, emplo3's from one to two hundred men, receives the logs driven into the Alississippi river at Brainard, drives them to its booms, and delivers them to the respective owners. Of this compan3' Mr. Bassett is and for man3' 3'ears has been the president.

At the organization of a count3' gov¬ ernment Judge Bassett w'as appointed one of the county commissioners, and asisted in dividing its territor3' into towns and giving them the names the3' now' bear.

Judge Bassett w'as one of the notable band, w'ho met in St. Anthon3' in 185G and organized the Republican part3' in Minnesota. He had been an old line Whig, but his radical view's on the slaver3' question impelled him to throw him¬ self with zeal into the new' party' w'hose w'atchw'ord w'as "fteedom." Soon afterw'ards he purchased of W. A. Hotchkiss, its proprietor, the Minnesotn Democrat, and changed it to a Republican ])aper. Besides the offices already' named, Judge Bassett W'as for a number of times elected to the city' council, where his know'ledge and practical view's were of great service in organizing the ra])idly growing de¬ partments ofcitv administration.

History Of Minnfapolis

agent for the Chippewa Indians. It was conferred upon him in 1866 by President Andrew Johnson, and held for three years. During his administration of the office he brought about a treaty bet ween the Chippewas of the Mississippi and the government by which the Mille Lacs and Gull Lake reservations were ceded to the government, and thirty-six townships of land in the western part of the state were set aside for the occupancy of the Indians, to which are now being removed all the Chippewa Indians in the State. During the term he built forty houses, a saw mill, a flouring mill, broke one thousand acres of land, and removed five hundred Indians to their newhome. This land known as the White Earth reserva¬ tion is well adapted for Indian civiliza¬ tion, and is destined to become the home of all the Indian tribes in the state, where the experiment of educating and civiliz¬ ing them appears to be successful.

Though not a military office, the title of major has generally been attached to the holder of the Indian Agency, and Mr. Bassett did not escape, having been spoken of ever since he held the office as Major Bassett.

An enumeration of the most consider¬ able of the business enterprises which he conducted, or has been lai'gely interested in, will show the activity of his mind, and the practical character of his life.

As early as 1855 he built asteamsaw mill on the river bank, at the mouth of the creek. This was destroyed by fire three 3^ears later. He then built the Pio¬ neer mill on the dam of the Minneapolis Mill Company, which was operated b^'- hydralic power. In 1857 he erected the first brick block in the city. It was at the corner of First street and Sixth ave¬ nue north. In 1859 he built a pail and tub factorj', in which was manufactured all the pails, tubs, churns, wash boards and half bushel measures that were used

In 1869 the Pioneer mill was sold, and a new one built on the site of the present city water works. Subsequently the ground occupied bj^ this mill was sold to the city, and a new and larger saw mill was built on the river bank at the foot of Fifth avenue which was also operated b^' water power from the mill company's dam. This mill is still in op¬ eration, by the present firm of J. B. Bas¬ sett & Co. The firm also has a planing mill and lumber yard on Superior avenue adjacent to the tracks of the Minneapo¬ lis & St. Louis railroad.

In 1882 the Columbia Mill Co. was or¬ ganized, of which Major Bassett was the principal stockholder, and the Columbia flour mill was built. It has a daily capacit3^ of two thousand barrels of flour, and its i3roduct is among the best brands of flour sent out from the "Flour City."

Besides his own large interests in the flour manufactui'e of the city. Major Bas¬ sett is vice president of the Northwestern Consolidated Milling Company, which has a daily capacity to produce nine thousand barrels of flour.

As though these business enterprises were not sufficient to occupy his atten¬ tion, Major Bassett has been for maiw years president of the Minneapolis Lum¬ berman's Association, is an active mem¬ ber of the Board of Trade and Chamber of Commerce. He was president of the Minneapolis Eastern Railroad Company for several 3^ears,and is now president of the Minneapolis Western Railroad Com¬ pany. He has been largely instrumental in the removal of the threshing machine works from P'ond du Lac to this cit3^

In the early days Minneapolis was noted for its spirited public meetings, to discuss local measures and even public questions. In those assemblies, which

, used to remind the writer of the strenui ous and turbulent meetings of the Athen¬ ian Democrac\", the voice of Major Bas¬ set was not seldom heard. He is a forci¬ ble public speaker, not in elegant phrase, or rhetorical periods, but in strong, homely common sense, and not unfrequently pointed with jDi'etty sharp sar¬ casm. In conversation he isco])iousand ftdl of suggestive ideas, the fruit of much reading, wide observation, and a restless intellect.

Major Bassett has a strong frame, is erect and active, and bears the weight of seventy-five vears, without sensible abatement of vigor. His manner is ab¬ rupt, sometimes almost harsh, but the roughness is only the shaggy shell which surrounds a kernel of kind and sympa¬ thetic feeling. He has the sturdy princi¬ ples of the Puritan, softened by the kind¬ ly training of a Quaker ancestry, but en¬ grafted on a spirit little regardfid of conventionalites, and chafing at the dogma¬ tism of the orthodox church. His religi¬ ous views are liberal and tolerant, be¬ lieving that all the different sects are working, each in its own way, to better the condition of mankind. Though not identified with any particular church, he contributes liberally to the support of many. His creed is that broad expres¬ sion of human brotherhood, which woidd do good to all mankind without distinc¬ tion of nationality, race or color. His practice has ever been to do with his might whatever his hands ma\- find to do. His life has been one of no common activity and energy. Minneapolis is filled with monuments of his enterprise, for his hands helped to lay the foundation stones of her civil structure, and have never been idle, while the magnificent fabric of her greatness has been reared.

Leonard Day proceeded to build at once, and finished his mill in the fall of 1858, just after the mill of Bassett & Co. was completed. Air. Day operated his mill until it was bought b3'the mill compain-. These two mills occupied the dam until 1862, when in that 3^earW. K. Jones built a mill next to Leonard Da3''s. Mr. Jones sold his mill to Crooker Bros. & Lamoreaux in 1871. In 1863, Anken3q Rolfinson & Clement (afterward Anken3q Rob¬ inson & Pettit) built the fourth mill, and operated it until the mill compaiw took it off their hands. D. Morrison built the fifth mill, and operated it until 1870, when his sons, George and Clinton Mor¬ rison sxicceeded to the ownership under the firm name of Morrison Bros. In 1876 the3' sold half of it to the Eastern Rail¬ road compainq and the balanee to the mill compan3". W. D. Washburn built the sixth mill in 1865, and called it the Lincoln mill. Pi'evious to this time he had his logs sawed In' the thousand. He stocked his mill until 1873, when he sold it to Emerson Cole, and Cole & Hammond operated the mill until it was bought Iw the Minneapolis Mill Compan3'.

In issuing leases to the six mills oceupying the mill compan3''s dam, the mill company retained a proviso that when¬ ever, in its judgment, the time had arrived for the removal of the mills from the dam, it should have the privilege of purchasing them at an appraised valua¬ tion, and take possession at the end of aiu' term of five years.