Part 5 (1/2)
Everything was ready The ball opened with three ”French fours,” or two over They danced a French two, the s, played by a half-breed from St Croix Falls He played but one tune and called it, ”Off she goes to Mirah, but e danced a cotillion or hornpipe there was a great deal of rolling around instead of dancing We often called for a new tune ”Oh, yes, gentleot hioes” He worked hard to please the company and the sweat rolled down his s from the eaves of a saw mill; but all this would not do; it was the saoes” There were twenty-four couples at the ball The ladies brought with the froht passed ic incident The fiddler becaoes to Miraered off to that locality hi up, about five o'clock in theThe fourteen babies had been laid to sleep on a bed, but soed their wraps, so that the athered and took ho, and this deponent saith not that the snarl has ever been untangled and the babies restored to their rightful mothers
With the year 1848 a new era dawned upon Stillwater and the valley of the St Croix Great changes had taken place in the little town There were s had been erected and the streets were e route had been established to St Paul, on which stages ran regularly This was the first stage route in Minnesota
The correction lines of the government survey had been run in 1846-7, chiefly in the latter year Townshi+p, range and section lines were run in 1847, and in the early part of 1848 Prior to this claims had been al survey The creation of the new state of Wisconsin and the prospective organization of Minnesota Territory, the developovernration Stillwater profited largely by this i an objective point Population increased The village was regularly surveyed and platted in the fall of 1848, Harvey Wilson, surveyor Stillwater, although it never aspired to be the future capital of the Territory, became a headquarters for political characters and a place for public s for the discussions of territorial and other public questions It was convenient of access, and contained up to that tireater population than was to be found in St Paul, and it seemed likely to become the commercial metropolis of the Territory
FOOTNOTES:
[A] For the facts in this history I am indebted to John McKusick, Jacob Fisher, Elias McKean, and Elam Greely
CHAPTER III
BIOGRAPHIES
JOSEPH RENSHAW BROWN, one of the best known of the pioneers, ca's addition, in 1839 For items in his history I am personally indebted to hih, apprenticed to a printer On account of ill treatment he ran away and enlisted in the United States ar as a drummer boy He came with the army to the Northwest Territory in 1819 After enlistment he made his first home at Gray Cloud on the Mississippi, where he married a half-breed wohter of Robert dickson, Indian trader and friend of the English in 1812 He learned and spoke the Chippewa and Sioux languages fluently In 1839 he founded the town of Dakotah, at the head of Lake St Croix, and erected soh his influence, in part, St Croix county was organized, and the county seat located in Dakotah
He built here a two story log court house, which, the county failing to pay for, was left upon his hands He kept a trading station, was clerk of the county court and county commissioner He filled several offices of trust and was by far the most important and universally serviceable man in the new county of St Croix In 1843 he left Dakotah, and returning to Gray Cloud, continued his Indian trade at that point and further west by means of branch houses He was a islature two sessions at Madison He returned to Stillwater in 1848, left again in 1849, and in 1850 removed to St Paul, where, in 1852, he purchased of Mr Goodhue the _Pioneer_, then the leading Democratic paper of the Territory Mr
Broas chief clerk in the Minnesota territorial legislature during the sessions of 1849, 1850 and 1851 In 1854 and 1855 he was a member of the territorial council In 1857 he was aof the constitutional convention During his residence in St
Paul he was interested in building up the town of Henderson, to which place he ran a stage line from St Paul About this tion, calculated to traverse the western plains and drag after it trains of cars
Financial and other difficulties prevented the con, which, however, he never entirely abandoned during the remainder of his life In fact he went East in 1870 expressly to get his invention perfected, but from this journey he never returned He died somewhat suddenly in New York in that year
Mr Broas a man of iron will and muscular frame He owed but little to schools, but was a close observer of enial companion and true friend, and a enerous nature He was public spirited, far seeing and far reaching in his plans He believed in the great Northwest He predicted its future greatness as a wheat growing and agricultural country, and, as far back as 1839, predicted that a great city would rise at the head of Lake St Croix or at the Falls of St Anthony Yet so little schooled was he in the wisdom of the speculator that he sold the property in St Paul non as Kittson's addition, and worth several millions of dollars, for one hundred and fifty dollars, and a lot on Third street, now valued at 25,000, for a box of cigars
PAUL CARLI--Mr Carli was of German and Italian descent He was born in Italy, July 25, 1805 His father was a o, in 1834, to a sister of Joseph R Brown, and moved in 1841 to the outlet of Bolles creek, on the west side of Lake St Croix, to a place near the site of Afton In 1846 he was accidentally drowned in the lake, within sight of his dwelling His children, Joseph R and Maria, are residents of Stillwater
CHRISTOPHER CARLI, brother of Paul, was born at Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany, Dec 7, 1811 The youth of Christopher was devoted to study
He was educated at Heidelberg University, and studied medicine He ca he located in Buffalo, where he practiced medicine three years, and returned to Europe where he re to Ao, a year in New Orleans and another year in Chicago
He came to Dakotah, St Croix valley, May 24, 1841 March 12, 1847, he was married to theof Paul Carli, Joseph R Brown officiating asphysician north of Prairie du Chien His hoanization of Stillwater
He opened his first office on the west side of Lower Main street, block 28 His practice extended from Lake Pepin to Lake Superior and from Menomonie Mills, Wisconsin, to the Mississippi river His mode of travel was by birch canoe, on horseback, on skates and on foot He was a member of the first city council in Stillwater and has been city and county physician He opened the first bank in Stillwater when fractional currency was in de scrip was all redeemed Two children, Christopher and Socrates N, are married and residents of Stillwater Dr Carli died Nov 6, 1887
LYDIA ANN CARLI--Mrs Carli has passed throughscenes, and is one of the first female settlers in the St Croix valley A fluent and interesting talker, her recitals of early incidents and adventures are heart enlivening Lydia Ann Broas born in Lancaster, Penn, March 18, 1818 In 1834 she cao, where in 1839 she was married to Paul Carli She cae was surrounded by Indians and there was no white woman nearer than Marine, twelve miles distant In 1844 the Carlis removed to the mouth of Bolles creek, near Afton, on Lake St Croix, where they built the a picturesque view of the lake and the adjacent prairies and hills It was a lone tenement,lost her husband as before narrated, in 1847 was married to his brother, Dr Christopher Carli
[Illustration: James S Anderson]
PHINEAS LAWRENCE--But little is known of the early life of Mr
Lawrence He had been a river pilot He was the first sheriff elected in the St Croix valley, or northwest of Prairie du Chien He was elected and qualified in 1841 On serving the first and only summons he was ever called upon to serve, he approached the party su up to view the docuh sheriff of St Croix county, in the name of the United States and of the Immaculate God, command you to surrender” He was a robust, fleshy, cheerful man, and felt in all their force the responsibilities of the position in which he was placed His nao county, where he once logged He died in Stillwater in 1847
JACOB FISHER--Jacob Fisher, aa skilled mechanic found employment at once on the old mill at the Falls Hein Stillwater The building framed was the mill of which mention has been made This establishes his claim to priority as the first white man who made a movement toward the settlement of Stillwater Others were before hi's addition Mr Fisher is a plain, frank, outspokenhis hearers understand exactly what he means He was born in Canada in 1813, and still resides in Stillwater
He has a wife and one son in California
JAMES S ANDERSON was born at Marshalltown, West Virginia, on the fourth of February, 1826 When he elve years old his parents reht years
He came to Stillwater in 1846, where he has since resided In 1852 he was married to Miss Harriet T McDonald, at St Louis, by who--Robert M Anderson, prominently known in lumber circles, and Misses Sibella S and Ella P
Anderson Upon Mr Anderson's arrival at Stillwater, he engaged in the employ of Elias McKean, then a proton county In 1869 Mr Anderson formed a partnershi+p with William McKusick, John A Nelson and Alexander Johnson, under the firm name of McKusick, Anderson & Co, which fire saw o Mr McKusick retired from the firm, since which time the firm has been J S
Anderson & Co In 1874 Mr Anderson beca firm known as Anderson & O'Brien, of which the other members were the well known lumbermen J S and John O'Brien In connection with his other business interests Mr Anderson was a heavy owner of pine lands, and a stockholder and director in the Lumberman's National Bank There were two other well known lumber firms of ancient date hich he was connected, and these were McCoanized in 1850, and also Delano, McKusick & Co, organized in 1857 Froer alone Mr Anderson died May 8, 1885 His death resulted froht in the belting of a shaft revolving at a rapid rate His body was frightfully , under the circu his will and arranging his business ht have done on an ordinary occasion