Part 37 (1/2)

RUSH CITY

In 1868, at the completion of the St Paul & Duluth railroad, a depot was built and a station established at the crossing of Rush river, around which rapidly grew up the village of Rush City It was surveyed and platted by Benjamin W Brunson, surveyor, in January, 1870, in the northeast quarter of section 21, townshi+p 37, range 26 The Western Land association, L Mendenhall, agent, was proprietor Tho in 1857 pre-ee A the improvements in 1869 was a steam saw mill, built by Taylor & Co This mill was burned in 1879, at a loss of 13,000 Rush City was incorporated in 1874

Frank H Pratt was president of the first village council Rush City has now a coe bank, one elevator, one foundry, a good school house, built at a cost of 3,000; a good graded school, under the supervision of Prof V D Eddy; a lodge of Ancient Order United Workmen (No 42), a board of trade, a Woman's Christian Tee, a post of the Grand Aranization (Jasper Lodge) The following denominations have churches and societies: Catholic, Episcopalian, Gerelical The Catholics are building a church at a cost of 10,000

THOMAS FLYNN was born in county Mayo, Ireland, 1828 He came to America in 1831, and lived in Canada East until 1857; when he located in Minnesota, pre-e the northeast quarter of section 21, townshi+p 37, range 21 His fare of Rush City in 1868, and in 1869 he built the first frame house in its li each of his wives by death He has two sons living, James H and Frank A

PATRICK H FLYNN was born in county Mayo, Ireland, in 1829; came to A to Minnesota pre-empted the northwest quarter of section 21 He was aret Kelly, of Illinois They have two sons and two daughters living Mr Flynn, in 1880, erected the Globe Hotel in Rush City, where he now resides

RUFUS CROCKER was the second settler in Rush Seba He was the first justice of the peace and held other offices Mr Crocker was married to Miss Mercy Hewson, of Isanti county He is now a citizen of Rock Creek

FRANK H PRATT was born in Skowhegan, Maine, in 1836 His father, Henry P Pratt, a veteran editor, who had served twenty years on the Kennebec _Journal_, and later was connected with the Soan _People's Press_, came to St Paul in 1854 with his family, and was associated with John P Owens as assistant editor of the St Paul _Minnesotian_ On Sunday, May 6, 1855, Mr

Pratt went on board the steamer Royal Arch, which had landed at the St Paul levee thatand dead of cholera Thirteen had already died on the boat Mr

Pratt, Sr, went on board to alleviate the sufferings of the sick and dying, and in consequence, within two days, himself sickened and died

The writer and his faers on the Royal Arch, and witnesses to these scenes of suffering and death and Mr Pratt's heroic self-devotion After his father's death Frank continued in the office of the _Minnesotian_ as printer He worked also in the offices of the St Paul and St Peter _Tribune_ and the Prescott _Transcript_

In 1858-59 he served as local editor and foreman in the _Transcript_ office In 1860 he removed to Taylor's Falls, and established the Taylor's Falls _Reporter_, the first newspaper published in Chisago county In 1862 he enlisted in Company C of the Seventh Minnesota Volunteer Infantry; was coned his office in the latter part of 1864, having been promoted to the captaincy of Coed in mercantile pursuits In 1872 he removed to Rush City, continued in mercantile business, and took an active part in all enterprises looking to the welfare of the city He built a store, elevator and a fine residence, which was burned in 1881 Mr

Pratt represented his district in the sixteenth legislature He was married to Helen A Bossout, at St Paul, in 1858 They have one son, Fred, and three daughters Mr Pratt moved to St Paul in 1882, where he died, March 25, 1884 Fred, his son, succeeds hihter of Jonathan Chase, of East Minneapolis

VOLORO D EDDY was born in Java, Wyo county, New York, Sept 7, 1840; received a common school education supplemented by two years'

attendance at Griffith Institute, Springfield, New York; gave up his school to enlist in his country's service, as a ers” (the Forty-fourth New York Volunteers) The regi 8, 1861

He served in this regiment until June 5, 1864, when he was taken prisoner at Old Church, Virginia He endured the horrors of prison life until Feb 26, 1865, and was discharged from service May 20, 1865 In 1868 he ca, which he has ht continuously since 1869 He has been county superintendent of schools for twelve years, during which time he has resided at Rush City Mr Eddy was married to Frances Cowley, at Taylor's Falls, Sept 30, 1868 Mrs Eddy died June, 1881 He was married to Anna R Olmstead, July 25, 1883, at Arcadia, New York

FERDINAND SWEEDORFF CHRISTIANSON was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, April 18, 1837; came to the United States in 1866, to Minnesota in 1868, and to Chisago county in 1870 He was , Minnesota, Dec 12, 1869 He represented Chisago county in the legislature of 1878 He was assistant secretary of state from 1880 to 1882 In 1882 he established the Rush City Bank In 1883 he was appointed member of the state board of equalization, and in 1885 was one of the co a location for the Third Hospital for the Insane

SHAFER

Coe 19, excepting the plat of Taylor's Falls, and fractional sections in the northeast corner of the townshi+p It was at first heavily timbered with hardwood, interspersed with ood

Lawrence and Dry creeks drain the greater part of the townshi+p It is noell settled, and has many fine far of Peter Wyckland, Andros Anderson, Eric Byland, Tuver Walanized first as Taylor's Falls, but the naed to Shafer in 1873 John G

Peterson, John Nelson and John Carlson were the first supervisors The first school was taught by Ella Wyckoff, in the Marshall district, in 1859 The first e was that of Peter Abear to Kittie Wickland

The branch St Paul & Duluth railroad passes through the southern part of this townshi+p The townshi+p contributed to this road 3,000 in bonds A railroad station in the southwest quarter of section 32 bears the naether with the name of the townshi+p, from

JACOB SHAFER, who, as early as 1847, cut hay in sections 4 and 5 He seems to have been in no sense worthy of the honor conferred upon him, as he was but a transient inhabitant, and disappeared in 1849 No one knows of his subsequent career The honor ought to have been given to some of the hardy Swedes, ere the first real pioneers, and the first to make substantial improvements

PETER WICKLAND came from Sweden in 1853, and settled in the northeast quarter of section 26 He moved to Anoka in 1860, and was drowned in Rum river in 1880 His son Peter is a prominent merchant in Anoka

TUVER WALMARSON was born in Sweden in 1812 He was a member of the Swedish colony of 1853, settled in the northwest quarter of section 26 Mr and Mrs Walmarson reared a fine family of children Nelson Tuver Walality of both parents By hard work and close attention to business the family has prospered abundantly

ANDROS ANDERSON came also from Sweden in 1853 and settled in the east half of the northeast quarter of section 34 Mr Anderson moved to Taylor's Falls in 1859 and died there in 1873 He left but one child, the wife of Daniel Fredine, of Shafer Mr Anderson was a born humorist and fond of practical jokes On one occasion his ready as exercised at the expense of athe house in which he lived his own, in the absence of the ee, E W

Holman, told him that he had stolen the house and must replace it

Anderson told Holman to take the house and replace it hi with it he would have him sent to the penitentiary Mr Holman did not see his way clear and the house was not disturbed