Part 23 (1/2)
Isabelle consists of the two upper tiers of section 7, townshi+p 24, range 17, the lower tier being much broken in outline by Lake Pepin on the south It contains also fractions of sections in the third tier
Bay City, on the shore of the lake, is the postal town It was organized in 1855 In 1869 it was annexed to Hartland, but in 1871 it was re-established The first chairham The election was held at the house of Abner Brown Charles R Tyler and Lorenzo D Philips settled here in 1854, and built a saw e of Bay City Saratoga plat was laid out upon this ground in 1856, by A C Morton A J Dexter was the original claimant of the land Mr Morton purchased the land which covered a part of Bay City froovernment A surveyor named Markle was employed by Morton to run the lines, which Mr Dexter considered an intrusion upon his rights, and he shot Markle Dexter was tried before Judge S S N Fuller, in 1855, was convicted, and sentenced to prison for life After a few years he was pardoned by Gov Barstow
MAIDEN ROCK
Maiden Rock occupies the four upper tiers of sections of townshi+p 24, ranges 15 and 16, except such portions on the southwestern corner as are cut off by Lake Pepin It contains about forty sections The toas organized under the naes are Maiden Rock, on the lake shore, section 15, range 15, and Warren, also on the lake shore, section 7, range 15 The site of Maiden Rock village was purchased froovernment in 1853, by Albert Harris and J D Trumbull In 1855 they erected the first house, and in 1856 built a saw and shi+ngle e in 1857, and christened it Maiden Rock, from the celebrated rock of that na the first settlers in the village were J H Steel, J D Brown, John Foster, and Joseph B Hull
The first hotel was run by G R Barton, in a house built by J D
Trued and is now the Lake View House The first er, in 1857; the first birth was that of Ida Trumbull, in 1858, and the first death that of Williaht by Lottie Isabel, of Batavia, Illinois The first sermon was preached by Rev James Gurley, a Methodist preacher from North Pepin
A post office was established in 1856, of which J D Trumbull was postmaster The receipts the first year were eleven dollars, the expenses, fifty dollars, paid by the postmaster The town of Maiden Rock has six school houses, one saw and one grist mill
CHRISTOPHER L TAYLOR was born in Oneida county, New York, in 1829; cao at an early day, and to Maiden Rock in 1868, where he engaged in ht years, and as islature in 1876 He removed to St Paul in 1880, where he still resides He is a dealer in real estate
MARTELL
Martell occupies townshi+p 27, range 17 Joseph Martell, John Dee, Louis Lepau and Xerxes Jock, Frenchmen, were the first settlers They located here in 1847, and remained till 1860, when they moved further west, allured by the attractions of frontier life Martell was organized in 1854, with the following supervisors: Amos Bonesteel, chairht in 1857, by W Bewel Martell is the postal village The first postelical Lutheran churches in the town, built at a cost of 3,500 and 5,000 There is also a good town hall, valued at 600 The Martell Mutual Insurance Company is in successful operation
OAK GROVE
Oak Grove includes townshi+p 26, range 19 (with the exception of section 31 and parts of 30 and 32), and six sections of range 20, in all about forty sections It is drained by Big river It was set off frohton was the first chair river; Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist church buildings; that of the Catholic cost 4,000, and has a school attached There are seven school houses Big River is the postal village John Berry was first post brothers, the Harnsberger brothers, the Cornelius brothers, Rice, Schaser, McMurphy, Rissue, and the Miner brothers
LEWIS M HARNSBERGER was born in Kentucky, April 18, 1822, and moved with his parents to Illinois, where he lived nine years He came to Prescott in 1846, and pre-empted a farm in Oak Grove, where he has since continuously resided He has filled many public positions creditably He was married to Annie Jeffreys, of Illinois, in 1860
Their sons are Ephraim, Lewis and John
PRESCOTT CITY
Is beautifully located at the junction of the St Croix and Mississippi rivers The business portion of the city is on a terrace at the base of the bluff, and between it and the river and lake The public buildings, churches, school house and residences are chiefly on the upper terrace, or bluff, and command an extensive view of the valley of the two rivers, the whole fores of the position are by no s Prescott, from its position at the junction of the two rivers, was early recognized as an iht and re-eers The St
Croix, which comes in from the north, rises within a fewa course of two hundred miles, empties its waters into Lake St Croix, twenty-four able at all times to Stillwater and to Taylor's Falls at the Dalles The Mississippi coable to St Paul, a distance of thirty miles The two channels at the junction are each about 1,000 feet wide, with an average depth of fifteen feet, and the banks slope to the water's edge, or stand in so a natural quay along the entire front of the city The quay, or landing, is semicircular in shape, the upper terrace, or bench, about one hundred feet in height, is likewise se toward the river and lake The crest of the terrace is worn down by the rains into ravines, leaving rounded points, or promontories, on the summit of which the ancient mound builders have left traces of their peculiar art The first settlement of Prescott was made by Philander Prescott, Col
Thompson, Dr E arent for the others,three years to hold it, when it was left in the care of Joseph Mosier until 1851
In 1837 seven acres were broken and fenced, constituting the entire landed improvements within the present bounds of Pierce county In 1849 one hundred and fifty acres were improved Geo Schaser and H
Doe were the first resident far post for Indian supplies was kept by persons holding the claim W S
Lockwood opened a store in 1842, and other improvements were made As the army officers were called to other fields of labor, Mr Prescott soon found hi their interests, and in 1849, when the lands had been surveyed by the government, he entered sixty-one acres In 1853 Dr O
T Maxon and W J Copp purchased a greater part of the town site and surveyed and platted it as the city of Prescott A charter was obtained in 1857 A post office had been established here in 1840, called the ”Mouth of St Croix,” but it was relas The post office was re-established at Prescott in 1852 Dr O T Maxon was first postmaster The number of persons who came that year to Prescott is estimated at about one hundred and fifty[D] Mr Schaser platted an addition to the city of sixty-one acres in 1855 When the city received its charter the following officers were elected: Mayor, J R Freeman; aldermen, First ward, N S Dunbar, Thomas dickerson and Seth Ticknor; Second ward, Hilton Doe, George W Oakley, N A Miller; president of the council, Seth Ticknor; justices of the peace, I T Foster, O Edwards; city attorney, P V Wise; city surveyor, Wm Howes; superintendent of schools, Thomas dickerson
Wm Schaser built the first frame house, and Mrs Whter Eliza was the first white child born in the new settlehter of Mr Rice, April 24, 1848 The first death was that of W S Lockwood, in 1847
When the county of Pierce was organized Prescott was designated as the county seat, and so remained until 1862, when, by popular election, Ellsworth was chosen
In 1856 Messrs Silverthorn & Dudley started a saw mill, which they operated until 1861, when Mr Dudley purchased his partner's interest, and erected a flouring and saw e manufactory was established by F Menicke, in 1862, the Prescott brewery in 1866, by N P Husting, and the PrescottThe City Bank of Prescott was organized in 1858, Charles Miller, president; W P Westfall, cashi+er; capital stock, 50,000 It closed in 1862 The National Bank was established in 1877, by W S Miller The first school in Pierce county was taught by a missionary named Denton, at Prescott, in 1843
In 1851 Miss Oliver taught a private school In 1853 the first district school was established The school board were: Directors, M
Craig, George W McMurphy; treasurer, N S Dunbar; clerk, Dr O T