Part 16 (1/2)

The St Croix Valley Bank was organized in 1855 It was a bank of issue, payable at Gordon, Wisconsin It closed in 1857 The Hudson City Bank, organized Sept 10, 1856, went into operation under the general law of Wisconsin, capital stock 25,000, secured by Michigan and Missouri state stocks J O Henning was president and M S

Gibson, cashi+er It soon closed The Farmers and Mechanics Bank, a state bank, went into operation in 1857 and closed the following year The Hudson First National Bank was organized in 1863, with a capital of 50,000 The first officers were John Comstock, president; Alfred J Goss, cashi+er The officers in 1888 are John Comstock, president; A E Jefferson, cashi+er The surplus fund is 53,000 The directors are H A Taylor, H L Hu, A T Goss, and W H Crowe The Hudson Savings Bank was organized in 1870, with a capital stock of 50,000 Alfred Goss, president; A J Goss, cashi+er Alfred Goss died in 187--, but the bank is in successful operation, the son still retaining his father's name as head of the firm

THE OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES HOSPITAL

[Illustration: OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES HOSPITAL]

The beautiful private hospital which takes the name of America's popular poet, Oliver Wendell Holmes, was opened June 7, 1887 The credit of this hospital sche D

Wiltrout, of Hudson, who for so the plans The owners are Dr Wiltrout and the Johnston Brothers, of Boardman The site is upon a beautiful wooded slope of Willow river, about aLake Mallalieu, an expanse of the river, and a broad sweep of the St Croix with its undulating banks, cohtful and extensive views

The building is lighted by the Mather self regulating, incandescent systeine and boilers are located in a fireproof brick structure, so with the hospital by an underground passageway The hospital is under the direction of the following board: President, A

J Goss; first vice president, John Comstock; second vice president, John E Glover; secretary, Thohes; treasurer, Rev M Benson

WATER WORKS

The Hudson water works, supplied from Lake St Croix, are situated upon Liberty Hill, in the rear of the southern part of the city They are owned by W S Evans The hill is two hundred and seventeen feet above the lake, and co country The summit is easily accessible The city is also well supplied ater from artesian wells, which were sunk to a depth of five hundred feet, and afford a flow of two hundred gallons per minute

HOTELS

The principal hotels are the Chapin House, first built in 1867, but twice destroyed by fire The last structure was erected in 1879, by H

A Taylor The Tracy House was built in 1867, the Seely House in 1873, the Commercial Hotel in 1875, and the Central House in 1876

THE GREAT FIRE

May 19, 1866, Hudson city was visited with a destructive conflagration Sixty-four business houses and twenty-five residences were destroyed It was probably the result of accident or carelessness It commenced in the rear of H A Taylor's furniture roo office, and spread with such rapidity that it ith the greatest difficulty that merchants and others were able to save their valuable papers The wind blew a gale and the flaht in every direction The fire occurred fortunately in the daytihtful loss of life

As it was, there were many narrow escapes The total losses from this fire were 325,000, on which there was but 75,000 insurance A destructive fire occurred in 1872, destroying the Chapin Hall House, valued at 50,000, and other property to the value of 35,000, on which there was but 15,000 insurance During the sa 30,000 bushels of wheat and the furniture of the Chapin Hall House, which had been saved from the previous fire

The loss was estimated at 60,000 with 16,355 insurance

SOCIAL AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS

St Croix Lodge, A F and A M, founded 1855; Colfax Lodge, No 85, I O O F, founded 1856; Hudson City Lodge, No 486, I O G T, founded 1867; Ladies' Library association, founded 1868; St Croix R

A Chapter, founded 1874; Y M C A, founded 1875; Nash Lodge, I O

G T, founded 1877; Temple of Honor, founded 1877; St Croix Coe, A O U W, founded 1880; Equitable Union, founded 1880 In addition to the foregoing there is a volunteer fire company, a boat club, an old settlers' club, a bible society, a building and loan association, and a cemetery association

BIOGRAPHICAL

LOUIS MassEY ca-lived French-Canadian fae of one hundred and seven and his e of ninety-nine years

He was born in Canada, near Montreal, in 1788 In 1805 he left home to enter the service of the British fur traders at Detroit In his eventful life he had h many perils

He was once arrested with his employer by the American authorities and once made prisoner by the Indians In 1812 he entered the employ of the notorious Col dickson, and, while with him, made a trip from Detroit by way of Mackinaw, Green Bay, Fox and Wisconsin rivers to Prairie du Chien in a birch canoe He made two trips in mackinaw boats from Prairie du Chien to New Orleans and return In one trip he was fourhis way froe in a birch canoe froian bay, Lake Huron, St Marie's river and Lake Superior to Fond du Lac, at the mouth of St Louis river, via Sandy lake and the Mississippi river to Lake Winnibagoshi+sh, and another from Fond du Lac to Brule river, across to St Croix river, thence to the Mississippi, and by way of St Peter's river to Lake Traverse by canoe In 1818 he entered the service of the American Fur Company, and lived at Fond du Lac, the headquarters of the company, for ten years There he was married to a sister of Peter Bouchea In 1828 he settled on the reservation near Fort Snelling, where he was held in such estimation that, on the expulsion of the settlers, the officers of the Fort assisted him in his removal to Willow River, whither he caroo soon followed them These four were the first settlers in Hudson Mr Massey lived at his old home with a son-in-law, Richard Picard, until his death, Oct 14, 1887 His only child living is Mrs Picard

PETER BOUCHEA was born at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, about 1815 He spent his early life in the neighborhood of Lake Superior, was hter of ---- Bruce, and came to the mouth of Willow river in 1838 Mr Bouchea had been educated for the Catholic priesthood He was a truthful, intelligent, reliable man and filled so adventures and was once wounded by Indians and cared for by Gov Cass, of Michigan, at Detroit and Fort Gratiot He died in 1875, at Fort Edward, on the north shore of Lake Superior

WILLIAM STREETS ca reservation He was frozen to death in the winter of 1851

CAPT JOHN B PAGE came from Piscataquis county, Maine, to the St

Croix valley in 1844, and engaged for awhile in cutting pine logs on Willow river While rafting on the Mississippi he met, and after a brief courtshi+p married, a woman who returned with hie had some reputation as a (Thomsonian) physician They ail was the first white child of Ae Bailey, and their sons, George W and David, were for a long tie died Feb 11, 1865