Part 49 (1/2)

Vincent de Paul Conference, organized October, 1870; St Joseph Benevolent Society, organized Noveton County Bible Society, organized in 1851; Northwestern Benefit Society, No 1, organized in 1879; Subordinate Union Penn Equitable association, No 165, organized in 1880; Stillwater City Hospital, organized March, 1880; Stillwater Mannerchoir, organized in 1875; the Stillwater Turnverein, organized in 1859; G A R, Stillwater Post, No 13, organized March, 1868

CEMETERIES

The first burial ground was selected in 1846 Ten years later, by a survey of the city, these grounds were included in what is non as block 3 These grounds were used until the organization of the Fairview Cemetery association in 1867, when the bodies were reround in South Stillwater Fairview ceround and is adorned with shrubbery and made attractive by the hand of art Its location is within the city limits, near the corner of Orleans and Fourth streets

WAshi+NGTON COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY

An atteanization in 1856, but it proved preanized in February, 1871, at Cottage Grove, and incorporated the same year The first board of officers consisted of J W Furber, president; J S Norris, vice president; T Elwell, secretary, and Jarounds were established near Stillwater, under the joint control of the Agricultural Society and the Driving Park association In 1875 the fair grounds were established at Lake Elmo But one fair had been held there when a cyclone struck the grounds and swept away all the ierounds near Stillwater

MINNESOTA STATE PRISON

At the organization of Minnesota Territory Congress appropriated 5,000 for a territorial prison The legislature expended thea prison at Stillwater The site was located by a co of John McKusick, E A C Hatch and Lewis Robert The commission was also authorized to locate the Territorial University and select a site in St Paul for the capitol Their task was not co year Their selection of a location for the university and of a site for the capitol were satisfactory, but it was generally conceded that the site for the prison was badly chosen

The ground, nine acres, was h bluffs However, it was convenient to the lake and stea water

In 1851 Jesse Taylor, F R Delano, Martin Mower, J E McKusick, and Jacob Fisher entered into contract with the commissioners, under the fir of the prison building, to be inclosed with a stone wall The dih In 1853 an addition was built, and Francis R Delano was appointed warden Until 1858 the expenditure of the publicand other expenses was under the control of the warden Under state rule the warden was relieved of this burden of responsibility The legislature had provided that prisoners ht be received in the penitentiary not yet convicted of crime, on condition that their board should be defrayed by the counties from which they were sent When this expense was not promptly met by the counties the prisoners thus held were set at liberty The Washi+ngton county grand jury investigated the islature, which effected a change in the laws regarding such cos were added to the prison, walls were built, shops and other accessories added from year to year, and appropriations were made from time to ti the building Outside companies were permitted to build shops and ht avail the are the wardens who have served since the prison was built: Territorial, F R Delano; state government: Francis O J

S 4, 1858; John S

Proctor, Jan 1, 1860; Joshua L Taylor, Feb 16, 1868; A C Webber, March 16, 1870; Henry A Jack 3, 1874; H G Stordock, 1887

The following table shows the number of convicts each year up to the present time:

1853 0 1854 2 1855 8 1856 1 1857 0 1858 2 1839 5 1860 16 1861 12 1862 7 1963 8 1864 7 1865 11 1866 29 1867 36 1868 31 1869 47 1870 39 1871 60 1872 59 1873 64 1875 93 1876 90 1877 145 1878 218 1879 254 1880 254 1881 247 1882 279 1883 301 1884 356 1885 395 1886, Mar 31 416

The prison on the whole has been well and hued There have been occasional outbreaks, easily suppressed, or cases of individual insubordination, two or three with fatal results to the insubordinates

The prison buildings have been several ti and disastrous fires The most serious were in 1884 The first occurred January 8th, by which the large workshop and machinery owned by the State and the Northwestern Car Company were destroyed The second occurred January 26th, and destroyed thethe cells, froreatest difficulty One perished of suffocation On this occasion guards, prison officials and sohest commendation The convicts on the whole behaved well Mr Reid, the warden of the prison, behaved with great coolness and decision, and so averted what ht have been a fearful disaster

FIRES

Stillwater has suffered occasionally fro house, in 1846 The Northrup hotel was burned in 1847 In 1866 a fire occurred on the west side of Main street, between Myrtle and Chestnut, in which twelve buildings were burned, principally frame structures In 1872 the Lake House and four adjacent buildings were burned The Schulenburg reat fires occurred in the penitentiary in 1884 The Episcopal church building and the mills of Hersey & Bean were burned in 1887 Nu to the efficiency of the fire companies they were easily suppressed

BONDS AND INDEBTEDNESS

Up to 1886 the bonded indebtedness of the city has aggregated the sum of 345,000 The bonds were issued at various tie, city buildings, water works and current funds The interest on these bonds has always been promptly met, and the expenditures for improvements have been more than repaid to the taxpayers by the increased valuation of property within the city limits

ISSAC STAPLES, son of Rev Winslow Staples, was born in Topshaht his time of his father for three hundred and sixty dollars He found e for two years, when he engaged in selling goods at Old Town, but soon after went into the lu business with SF Hersey In 1849 Mr Staples was appointed agent for the Penobscot Indians living at Old Toelve or, on the Penobscot In October, 1853, Mr Staples ca pine lands, and located at Stillwater,his family here in 1854 Mr Staples represented a wealthy company, composed of himself, S F Hersey and some Massachusetts men, who furnished all the money needed to buy pine land or h the agency of Mr Staples, purchased ie saw mill in Stillwater, and dealt in any and all branches of business considered reave to the city new life Mr Staples was indefatigable in his labors, full of vigor and in priood Backed up by a successful lu experience in Maine, and with money sufficient to ressive and prosperous In after years Messrs Staples & Hersey purchased the entire interest of the fired to Hersey & Staples and Hersey, Staples & Bean, and finally a division of property was agreed upon

Since the division Mr Staples has been just as extensively engaged in the na business as at any period in his past life

In 1887 Mr Staples purchased the property of the Cushi+ng Company, located at St Croix and Taylor's Falls, for 50,000 This property has long been in litigation and consequently has been unimproved The advent of Mr Staples, as proprietor, opens a new era in the history of the two villages at the head of navigation on the St Croix

In addition to his lued in far on an extensive scale

He owns one farm of six hundred and forty acres within the limits of Stillwater This farm is well stocked and supplied with stores, barns, shops and other buildings It is used as a stork far camps

Mr Staples has another farm located on the line of the Minneapolis, Soo & Atlantic railway, eleven miles northwest of Stillwater, known as the Maple Island farm, which contains 1,400 acres of land, inclosed and supplied with barns, fars There are fine wells and lakes and so mill on this farm

Mr Staples has a third far 2,000 acres of land, well under cultivation Ann river flows through this fars into Fish lake The far camps These three farms are valued at 250,000