Skimming the Cream

If you’ve wanted to make a comment on our blog, you’ve probably discovered that it’s not quite as easy as it used to be.  The comments section requires that you be signed in to leave a comment.  Signing in means having an account with WordPress.  That’s a level of complication we don’t care for, but we’ve had to tighten up commenting requirements until we can figure out how to deal with the massive quantities of spam our server gets through the comments area of our blog.  We’re hoping we can find a solution that will allow us to make our comments area more open again.  In the meantime, if you want to comment on a post, send us an email at contactstaff (at) morrisoncountyhistory (dot) org.  (Replace “at” and “dot” with the appropriate symbols and remove all spaces when using that email address.)  Let us know if you want us to publish your comment with the appropriate post and what user name you’d like to use.  As always, we won’t post your email address.

Thanks for your patience!

Last week’s Morrison County Influentials are celebrated people who were born and/or lived in Little Falls and who have had an influence on the rest of the world.

66. Louise Erdrich (b.1954). Author. Born Karen Louise Erdrich in Little Falls, Minnesota, Louise Erdrich grew up in North Dakota. Her books often contain Native American themes. Titles include Love Medicine, The Beet Queen, Tracks, The Bingo Palace and The Master Butchers Singing Club. Erdrich’s mother was Ojibway-French. Her grandparents operated a butcher shop in Little Falls.

67. Jessica Lange (b.1949). Movie Actress. Born in Cloquet, Minnesota, Jessica Lange attended St. Francis High School in Little Falls. Lange won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1995 for her movie, Blue Sky. Lange has appeared in many films throughout her career, including King Kong, Tootsie, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Cape Fear, Rob Roy, Titus and Big Fish. Lange made her Broadway debut in 1992 in the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, by American playwright, Tennessee Williams.

68. Keri Pickett (b.1959). Photographer. Keri Pickett attended school in Little Falls. Pickett’s photographs have been exhibited throughout the United States. Life and People magazines and Good Morning America have featured her work. Pickett’s book, Love in the 90’s, is filled with photographs of her grandparents. Other published works by Pickett include Saving Body and Soul: The Mission of Mary Jo Copeland and FAERIES: Visions, Voices & Pretty Dresses.

69. Duane Bobick (b.1950). Boxer. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Duane Bobick grew up in Bowlus, Minnesota, and attended three years of high school in Little Falls. Bobick started his boxing career with the Little Falls Golden Gloves boxing team. In 1971 he won the Pan American Games Heavyweight title and in 1972 he was the heavyweight Golden Gloves champion. Bobick was a member of the 1972 United States Olympic Boxing Team in Munich, Germany. Bobick currently serves as a Little Falls City Councilman.

70. Gale Gillingham (b.1944). Football player. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Gale Gillingham moved with his family to Little Falls when he was a junior in high school. In 1966, Gillingham was the first-round draft pick for the Wisconsin Green Bay Packers. He played with this team for ten years and earned two Super Bowl rings. Gillingham currently owns Goedker Realty in Little Falls.

This week’s Morrison County Influentials:

71. Vernon Pick

72. Val Kasparek

73. Alex Huddleston

74. Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota

75. Fr. Edward Ramacher

While organizing information in our township boxes into folders, I thought this would be something to share with our researchers who are not aware such a thing exists.  Oh, I’ve not finished organizing, as the museum has close to 50 townships boxes; but I marvel at some of the information that has been collected in these boxes over the years.  This accumulation happens not only by the staff at the museum doing research, but by our researchers sharing their information.  We are always seeking more to add to our collection, so If you would like to share your Morrison County information, we would be happy to accept.

Just to give you an idea of what is found in the township boxes, I am going to tell you about the Bowlus Township Box.  There is information on the history of Bowlus, but also on families that lived/live there, businesses past and present, stories, etc.  There is also a book titled “BOWLUS, A Pictorial History, One Hundred Years”. 

According to their acknowledgment page, it took Louis Titel, James Bieniek and Tim Jendro four years to accumulate the information it contains.  There are 198 pages, and I quote from their book, photographs, historical documents, old newspaper articles and miscellaneous material. Many people contributed their time, information and pictures to help make this book possible. 

This book is a good research tool as numerous family names connected to Bowlus are mentioned throughout, along with old and new photos.

I even checked it out for our family name, even though we had/have no ties to that area. At least we don’t think so, but then…you never know where your family name will “pop up”.

61. Charles A. Weyerhaeuser (1866-1930). Lumberman and businessman. Charles A. Weyerhaeuser, with his business partner Richard Drew (R. D.) Musser (see below), operated the Pine Tree Lumber Company in Little Falls, Minnesota. Charles managed the operation of the mill and dealt with personnel issues while R. D. took care of the financial side of the business. Established in 1890 with the purchase of the Little Falls Lumber Company on the east side of the Mississippi River, the Pine Tree Lumber Company quickly grew to become the second largest mill in the Northwest. Soon after it was established, a new sawmill was built on the west side of the river (the present location of Larson Boats and LeBourget Park).  This site became the company’s main base of operations.

The Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum is named in honor of Charles A. Weyerhaeuser.

62. Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser (1876-1965). Frances Maud Moon married Charles A. Weyerhaeuser on December 14, 1898. The Weyerhaeusers had two children, Sarah Maud and Carl.  Maud Moon was a talented musician and active community member. She was prominent in the organization of the Musical Art Club of Little Falls. On March 3, 1919, the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Hall was dedicated as the permanent home of the club. The hall was a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Weyerhaeuser to the community. The Weyerhaeuser family stayed in Little Falls until 1919/20 when the Pine Tree Lumber Company closed.  After the death of Charles in 1930, Maud Moon married Bruce W. Sanborn. The Sanborns had four children – Conradine, Eunice, Theodore and Bruce W., Jr.

63. Richard Drew Musser (1865-1958). Lumberman and banker.  Richard Drew (R. D.) Musser, with his business partner Charles A. Weyerhaeuser (see above), operated the Pine Tree Lumber Company in Little Falls, Minnesota. R. D. took care of the financial side of the business while Charles managed the operation of the mill and dealt with personnel issues. R. D. became president of the Pine Tree Lumber Company and its retail sales outlet firm, the Morrison County Lumber Company (formed in 1907), after the death of Charles in 1930. Influential in organizing the American National bank, R. D. served as bank president from 1928 until 1945 when he became chairman of the board of directors, a position he held until his death.  R. D. was a member of the Masonic Lodge and the Zuhrah Temple in the Shrine and served on the board of trustees for Carleton College.

64. Sarah “Sally” Walker Musser (d.1953). Born in Glens Falls, New York, Sarah “Sally” Walker married Richard Drew (R. D.) Musser on June 3, 1903. The Mussers had four children – one son, Peter, who died in infancy; an adopted daughter, Mary (Mrs. Alan Gilmore); a foster daughter, Alice (Mrs. Edward C. Davidson); and Laura Jane Musser (see below). With her husband, Sally Walker helped to build the golf course and country club in Little Falls and assisted in the formation of the Little Falls Carnegie Library. Sally served as Chairman of Child Welfare Work for Morrison County (1918), helped to organize the Civic League of Little Falls, was on the state board of education, was a member of the local Child Interest Club and was prominent in the organization of the Musical Art Club in Little Falls, serving as club president for two consecutive years (1914 and 1915).

65. Laura Jane Musser (1916-1989). Musician and philanthropist. Daughter of Richard Drew (R. D.) and Sarah Walker Musser, Laura Jane attended the Juilliard School of Music in New York, graduating with a degree in piano and composition. A patron of education and the arts, Laura Jane sponsored high school scholarship programs and served on the Little Falls school board, the State Arts Board and the Minneapolis Symphony Board. Laura Jane helped finance several beautification projects in the city of Little Falls, including renovations to the Cass Gilbert Depot and the Little Falls Carnegie Library. Laura Jane shared her love of music with the area by offering free piano lessons and by sponsoring concerts in Little Falls that were given by such internationally-known musicians as pianist Van Cliburn and opera star Marian Anderson. Laura Jane was a member of several organizations, including the Morrison County Historical Society, the Minnesota Historical Society and the International Wizard of Oz Club. She was also active in the formation of a museum for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians.

66. Louise Erdrich

67. Jessica Lange

68. Keri Pickett

69. Duane Bobick

70. Gale Gillingham

Happy Anniversary to Skimming the Cream!  It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since Mary created our wonderful blog.  Designed as a newsfeed to provide up-to-date information from the Morrison County Historical Society and the Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum, Skimming the Cream was first introduced to the online public on Thursday, 9 August 2007.  Judging by the number of hits shown in the web statistics for the site, the blog has been a great success.  So far there have been well over 42,000 unique visitors to the site.  Talk about a nice way to increase visitorship to the museum.  Thank you to  everyone for making Skimming the Cream such a successful venture.

Well, here it is.  The end of my week and the very end of my day and I haven’t yet posted to the blog.  It’s been quite busy here the last few weeks, with researchers making good use of our museum.  I’m going to try to make my description of last week’s Influentials brief so that I can head home at a reasonable time.

56.  Alexander Duncan McRae (1874-1946) - If you remember correctly, this man was a bit of a carry-over from last week.  He was involved with the same major business deals, including the massive Canadian real estate purchase and the Little Falls Granite Company, as his cousins, Andrew D. Davidson and Alexander Rae Davidson.  While as a young man he made his home in Minnesota, he eventually returned to Canada, the country of his birthplace, and continued with his business dealings.  He served as a Senator in the Senate of Canada for approximately 15 years.  Betty O’Keefe and Ian Macdonald have written a biography of Alexander called “Merchant Prince:  The Story of Alexander Duncan McRae,” a copy of which is in the MCHS collections.

57.  Dr. G.M.A. Fortier III (1936-1998) - By now you’ve got to be wondering how many Dr. G.M.A. Fortiers are going to make this list.  There is one more Dr. Fortier following this one, plus a G.M.A. Fortier V, who just did quite well on the golf course, but we’ll leave them for a future list.  Dr. G.M.A. Fortier III, like his father and grandfather, was a physician and surgeon.  He expanded the Little Falls clinic and recruited medical specialists to the area.  In addition, he developed a surgical outreach program for smaller communities in central Minnesota.  Dr. Fortier III was also an airplane pilot and Chairman of the Morrison County Airport Commission for over 20 years, working to improve the facility.  He died on June 1, 1998, when the plane he was flying crashed near the Morrison County Airport.

58.  Charles A. Fortier (1901-1976) - Judge.  Charles Fortier became an attorney in 1927.  In 1928, he served one term as mayor of Little Falls.  From 1931 to 1951, he served as the City Attorney.  In 1957, he was appointed probate judge and then was elected to the office in 1960 and 1966.  He retired as probate and juvenile judge in 1971.

59.  Moses Lafond (1836-1905) - Moses Lafond was one of the early settlers to Morrison County, arriving in Little Falls in 1856.  He owned a number of businesses, including a butcher shop, mercantile business, and saw mill.  In 1874, he was a member of the State Legislature.

60.  Colonel Raymond A. Rossberg (d. 1975 at age 82) - Colonel Rossberg served as the first commander of Camp Ripley while it was being constructed in 1930.  He served in this position until 1959. Under his direction, Camp Ripley grew in size from an area 16 miles around (12,000 acres) to one with a circumference of 54 miles (45,000 acres).

How’d I do in keeping things short?  As for next week’s names, they may well be ones that you recognize.  We also have to admit that we have a bit of a bias toward putting them on the list.  Here goes:

61.  Charles A. Weyerhaeuser

62.  Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser

63.  Richard Drew Musser

64.  Sally Walker Musser

65.  Laura Jane Musser

Yesterday, I attended a meeting of the Little Falls Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC).  Part of the meeting (and the reason I was there) was devoted to presenting a plaque to Mary Anderson for her Century Home.  The Century Home program has been in place in the city for a few years, with approximately 20 homes now on the list.  Applications are taken every year.  If you have a home in Little Falls, MN, that is at least 100 years old and is still close to its original form, it may be eligible for the program.  Contact Little Falls City Hall for more information - 320-616-5500.

I decided to try making research notes on last week’s Morrison County Influentials before attempting to write this week’s blog post.  As I conduct research on the Influentials I’m familiar with, inevitably, I run across other potential Influentials.  I have a feeling we’re going to get to 150 and still have a list of people left who deserve to be on the list.  If you have an argument with any of our Influentials, please do leave a comment - or add someone you think should make the list.

Last week’s Influentials:

51. Dr. G. M. A. Fortier II (1903-1988) - Physician and surgeon.  Named for his father, Dr. George Marie Alma Fortier I.  Started practicing medicine in 1929, practiced medicine for 45 years, 41 of which were spent in Little Falls, MN.  He had the Little Falls Clinic built in 1945 and practiced medicine there until he retired in 1974.  Was a past director of the Chamber of Commerce and also helped to organize Winter Wonderland.

52.  Charles Edward Vasaly (1869-1935) - State Prison Superintendent.  Born at Old Fort Ripley in Morrison County, Charles was the son of Louis and Frances Vasaly.  He learned the printing trade as a young man, working at a publishing house in Chicago from 1891 to 1894, when he returned to Little Falls to work as a reporter for the Little Falls Transcript.  He and his brothers, Stephen and Peter, purchased the Little Falls Herald in 1895 and Charles became the paper’s editor.  He served for 7 terms as Mayor of Little Falls.  Was president of the Commercial Club.  In 1909, the governor of Minnesota appointed him to the Board of Control and became the first person to be reappointed to the office.  He became chairman of the Board of Parole and then was apponted to the position of superintendent of the St. Cloud Reformatory in 1920.  He served in this position until 1933, working to refore inhumane prison practices.

53.  Henry Adelbert (H. A.) Rider (1851-1931) - Born in Massachusetts; came west in 1878 and had a long career in the railroad.  He worked for several railroad companies, including the Northern Pacific and the Soo Line, the latter of which originally brought him to Little Falls in 1886.  Although he hadn’t been educated as an engineer, he had a mind for it and learned while on the job, engineering bridges, terminals and round houses, and surveying railroad lines.  In 1894 he was elected Sheriff of Morrison County and served in this capacity until 1901.  He was elected to three terms in the State House of Representatives (1893, 1903, 1905).  Morrison County was part of his district.  In 1905 Rider was appointed U. S. Deputy Marshall and served until 1910.  At that time, he resigned to take the position of Executive Agent of the State Game and Fish Commission, to which he was appointed by the state governor.  In 1929, Rider wrote a brief history of Little Falls, MN, that appeared in the Little Falls Daily Transcript (March 16, 1929).

54.  Colonel Andrew D. Davidson (1853-1916) - Born in Canada, came to Minnesota in 1877 and Little Falls in c. 1893.  He lived in Little Falls for approximately 10 years and served one term as mayor of the city.  With his brothers, Alexander Rae Davidson and William Davidson, he founded the First National Bank in Little Falls in 1889.  Prior to this, he and his brothers had opened the Bank of Little Falls in 1887 in the Trebby building.  Andrew Davidson served as president of the First National Bank.  He was a partner in the Davidson & McRae real estate firm and a general agent for the land department of the Canadian Northern Railroad.  He gained the title “Colonel” from a Minnesota governor “for services rendered to his community and the state of Minnesota.” (pg. 18, Merchant Prince: The Story of Alexander Duncan McRae by Betty O’Keefe & Ian Macdonald, 2001)  Andrew’s story is much bigger than this and entwined with that of his brother . . . .

55.  Alexander Rae Davidson (1855-1922) - Born in Canada.  Alexander and Andrew were the sons of William and Christina (McRae) Davidson.  Alexander first worked with the railroad (as did Andrew) as a station agent.  He established the Bank of Little Falls in 1887 with his brothers, and then First National Bank in 1889.  He was cashier of First National Bank until around 1907, then became president of the bank.  Alexander was also president of many other banks around Minnesota.  Locally, he helped organize Farmers and Merchants State Bank of Pierz, Randall State Bank, and Farmers and Merchants State Bank of Royalton and served as president of the first two.  He and his brother Andrew, along with their cousin Alexander Duncan McRae, purchased the Little Falls Granite Company.

With the Davidson family’s background in the railroad, banking and land deals, and ties to Canada, by 1903, they were involved in negotiations to purchase a huge amount of land in Canada for colonization purposes.  In May of that year, it was announced that the Davidsons (with their cousin Alexander D. McRae) had been given the entire land grant of the Canadian Northern Railroad, which consisted of 23,000,000 acres in central and northern Canada.  At that point, it had been the largest private land deal ever made in North America.  (LFDT, May 11, 1903)  The Davidsons and McRae then proceeded to develop that land and get settlers to take up residence there.

Because Alexander Duncan McRae was part of that enormous deal and thoroughly mixed up in the Davidsons’ affairs in Morrison County, he is going to be #56 on our list, which continues thusly . . . .

56.  Alexander Duncan McRae

57.  Dr. G. M. A. Fortier III

58.  Charles A. Fortier

59.  Moses LaFond

60.  Colonel Raymond A. Rossberg

The end of the month sneaks up on me so quickly that I can hardly keep track of it.  Already, it is the end of July and time to search our map drawers for an August Map of the Month.  So many to choose from . . . .

I settled on a Morrison County highway map from 1936.  It was produced by the State of Minnesota.  The map features a distinctive 1930s-style font.  The print within the map itself is tiny.  You practically have to put your nose upon it to read it, but what’s exciting is that it shows cemeteries, schools and churches, along with gravel pits, town halls, mines and quarries, and, if you really look closely, lines of telephone poles.  If you’re willing to take the time, this map will show you features that aren’t typical of most highway maps.

We’ve been so text heavy with our blog posts lately that I thought it was time to reward you with a few photos.  These were taken in Little Falls on July 12, 2008, the day after a wicked storm struck Morrison County.  The winds were strong enough to snap and uproot trees, which they did with a vengeance.  Pine Grove Park was especially hard hit.  The west side of Little Falls lost all power after the storm on the evening of the 11th.  The storm hit between 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., which wasn’t a lot of time for the amount of damage that occurred.   Without further adieu . . .

Tree uprooted, west side of Little Falls, MN, July 12, 2008

Tree uprooted, west side of Little Falls, MN, July 12, 2008

Snapped trees in Pine Grove Park, Little Falls, MN, July 12, 2008

A mess of branches, Pine Grove Park, Little Falls, MN, July 12, 2008

Snapped tree on park shelter, Pine Grove Park, Little Falls, MN, July 2008

Snapped tree at Lindbergh School, Little Falls, MN, July 12, 2008

Last week’s Morrison County Influentials:

46.  Alfred Tanner (1840-1912) - Little Falls businessman.  Alfred Tanner came to Little Falls, Minnesota, in 1857 and established a mercantile business.  In 1868, Tanner switched to farming and five years later entered the hotel business, operating the Northern Hotel in Little Falls.  When he returned to the mercantile business in 1881 Tanner also started the Little Falls Milling Company on the west side of the Missippippi River.  Six years later he built a general merchandise house, known as the Tanner Block, in downtown Little Falls.  Tanner served as mayor of Little Falls in 1897 and was a Morrison County commissioner and postmaster.

47.  Dr. G. M. A. Fortier I (1857-1926) - Physician and surgeon.  George Marie Alma Fortier I came to Little Falls in 1881and set up his medical practice.  Fortier served in various public offices in Morrison County.  He was elected twice to the Little Falls City Council (1887 and 1889), was elected mayor of Little Falls in 1914, served as the city physician and was a member of the Board of Health.  Fortier also served as a United States pension examiner and a United States marine examiner.

48. Edward Morey (1909-1987) - Founder of the Morey Fish Company in Motley, Minnesota.  The Morey Fish Company, a wholesale and retail operation, began in 1938 when Edward Morey smoked his first fish in a homemade smoke house on a farm near Motley.  A wholesale and retail operation, the company shipped its products throughout the continental United States.  In 1979 the company was sold to Multi-Foods.

49. Barney Burton (1867-1942) - Little Falls businessman.  At the age of nineteen, Barney Burton moved the clothing business he had established with his brother in St. Cloud, Minnesota, to Little Falls.  After their partnership was dissolved in 1891, Burton’s business grew to be one of the largest clothing firms in central Minnesota with branches in Brainerd, Bemidji, International Falls, Pierz and Pine River.  In 1920, Burton sold his business and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he established a wholesale business.  Two years later he returned to Little Falls and once again entered the clothing business.  Burton was also a pioneer in the automobile business in Morrison County.  Orignally an agent for Nash, Burton also sold for Chevrolet and Oldsmobile.

50. Clarence Johnston (1859-1936) - American architect who designed the Weyerhaeuser and Musser homes in Little Falls.  Other buildings designed by Johnston include several on the various University of Minnesota campuses (St. Paul, Minneapolis, Morris and Duluth), the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, the Glensheen Historic Estate in Duluth, and the St. Paul Central High School.    Johnston held the title of Minnesota State Architect for thirty years and was the favored architect for the upper-class of St. Paul, Minnesota.  According to Paul Clifford Larson in his book, Minnesota Architect:  The Life and Work of Clarence H. Johnston, forty-two of his designs line Summit Avenue in St. Paul.

Next week’s Influentials:

51. Dr. G. M. A. Fortier II

52. Charles Vasaly

53. Henry Adelbert (H. A.) Rider

54. Colonel Andrew D. Davidson

55. Alexander Rae Davidson

The Influentials from last week:

41. Wheaton M. Fuller (1862-1908) - This was the freebie from last week because I mentioned some of his accomplishments in the description for his wife Clara. To recap for those of you just tuning in: Wheaton Fuller purchased the Little Falls Transcript at the age of 19 (c. 1881) and ran it for 27 years (until his death). “In 1892 he organized the Transcript Publishing company and began publication of the Daily Transcript.” (LFDT, Oct. 31, 1908) Prior to this, the Transcript had been a weekly publication. In addition to his work with the newspaper, Wheaton “served one term in the lower house of the state legislature and one term in the state senate.” ((LFDT, Oct. 31, 1908). He died at the age of 46, at which time his wife took over the operation of the newspaper.

42. Major Ashley Cutler Morrill (1830-1904) - Ashley Morrill came to Morrison County in 1861 to work as a clerk for Ojibwe Indian Agent Major Lucius Walker. After Walker committed suicide a year later, Morrill was appointed to take his place. It was with this position that he was given the title “Major.” After serving a term as Indian Agent, Morrill moved to Minneapolis and worked in the lumber industry. While in Minneapolis, he served a term in the State Legislature as a senator for the 25th District (not the Morrison County area). Even though he was not in the area for a number of years, he still maintained business interests in Morrison County, specifically in the Little Falls Manufacturing Company, in which he had acquired most of the stock issued by the company. He and his second wife (his first wife had died while the couple was in Minneapolis) decided to move back to Morrison County. The move had been made at the urging of Morrill’s second wife, who had been the widow of Arthur Garden, a friend of Morrill from his Indian Agent days. Morrill and his wife built a large and magnificent home at the confluence of the Little Elk and Mississippi Rivers. This home burned in 1894 and was replaced by another magnificent home. Morrill constructed a flour mill at his Little Elk site. It was later purchased by Alfred Tanner and moved into Little Falls. Major Morrill donated a piece of property in Little Falls to the Franciscan Sisters so they could build their convent. Some of this land includes that upon which St. Gabriel’s Hospital and St. Otto’s Home now sit. (Sources: LFDT, May 6, 1904, LFDT, April 5, 1894, other documents in MCHS Morrill Family File)

43. Jenny Lind Brown Blanchard (1873-1965) - Jenny Lind Brown was a teacher. She came to Little Falls from Pennsylvania at the behest of her brother, L.D. Brown, who owned a drugstore in Little Falls. L.D.’s first wife had died in childbirth, leaving L.D. a daughter named Gladys to raise. Jenny took on this task and then became a teacher in Little Falls. In 1906 she married Arthur Palmer Blanchard, an attorney who was partners with Charles Lindbergh, Sr. In 1909 or 1910, Jenny became the librarian at the Carnegie Library in Little Falls, a position she held until 1933. During her tenure, she expanded the library’s services, including adding a children’s room. She “served as president of the Minnesota State Library association, helped organize and was president for two years of the Lake Region library club.” (LFDT, March 1958) Jenny was also involved with the Musical Art Club, establishing the literary section of the organization and serving as president from 1918 to 1925.

44. Jonathan O. Simmons (1821-1890) - Jonathan O. Simmons is one of those names that crops up often in the early history of Morrison County. Given that, you’d think our Simmons Family File would be bursting with information on the guy, but it’s not. Complicating matters is the fact that there were several Jonathan Simmons - J. O. named one of his sons Jonathan and there was a Jonathan III. According to Nathan Richardson, J.O. Simmons moved with his family to Little Falls in 1856. The more I look through Richardson’s history, the more confused I get about J.O. and his son Jonathan. From the History of the Upper Mississippi Valley, it indicates that J.O. ran a mercantile business for two-and-a-half years after he came to Little Falls and then ran a hotel for one year. He left Little Falls, presumably with his family, in 1861, then returned in 1867 for two years. He left again for three years and returned to Little Falls. Richardson indicates that J.O. became a homeopathic physician in 1875. Simmons held several public offices, including Coroner, Justice of the Peace, Probate Judge, County Attorney, and Register of Deeds.

Here’s the confusing part. One of the Jonathan Simmons served as a senator in the Minnesota State Legislature. From what I can make out in Richardson’s history, the state senator was Jonathan Simmons (1850-1896), the son of J.O. He was elected in 1879 and would have been only 29 years old when he was senator. If this was the case, it was this Jonathan Simmons who assisted Richardson on two very large projects, establishing the Little Falls & Dakota Railroad and writing a petition on behalf of the Mille Lacs Band of Objiwe in order to assist the band in dealing with timber thieves. I can’t be entirely sure of this, since Richardson also wrote the following in his 1896 mayoral inaugural address:

“Before closing, I deem it my duty to note the death of Honorable Jonathan Simmons, who passed from time to eternity, in this city on the 4th inst. he was an old resident of Little Falls and did much to advance the material prosperity of this city. During the years of 1887 and 1888 he occupied the position of president of the village council, being the two years just prior to the change of Little Falls from a village to a city government, which position he filled in a manner that was conducive to the best interest of the town and that was creditable to himself.” (pg. 153, A Big Hearted Paleface Man)

See, it’s the “old resident” part of Richardson’s statement that has me confused. When Jonathan Simmons (the second) died in 1896, he would have been about 46 years old. Until this can be sorted out, I guess we’ll have to consider this Morrison County Influential entry as a two-for-one deal.

45. Hans Henry Gosch (1865-1933) - Who hasn’t heard of Gosch’s grocery store in Randall, Minnesota? Hans Henry (his father was Hans, as well) was one of those do-everything kind of guys. In 1901/02 he started Gosch’s grocery store - a business which continues to operate to this day, albeit in a different building from the original. According to Hans’ daughter Maryellen (Gosch) Hughes, Hans “taught himself photography, became the village (Randall) photographer.” Along with these occupations, Hans also invented a road drag, a device to smooth rough dirt roads. He had the invention patented in 1921 in Canada.

Whew! That was quite a bit of research, especially with the Jonathan Simmons confusion. Time for five more names:

46. Alfred Tanner

47. Dr. G. M. A. Fortier I

48. Edward Morey

49. Barney Burton

50. Clarence Johnston

Yesterday evening Little Falls had a bad storm, power outages due to downed trees and power lines.  However, things are back to normal at the museum and we are open, so come on in.

We’re nearing the 1/3 mark with our Morrison County Influentials and I have to tell you, this is no easy feat.  Sure, we have a long list of Influentials - that’s the easy part, although it won’t be so easy as we near the 100 mark.  By that time the obvious choices will have already been listed and it will become much harder to decide who should be on the list and who should not.  The really difficult part of creating this list is writing the mini-biographies we’re posting here.  Blogging is typically an on-the-fly activity, but writing biographies, even skimpy ones, takes time, especially when trying to get the facts straight.  Without further adieu, then, let’s get on with the biographies for last week’s Influentials and introduce you to five more.

36.  Isabel Flood (1859-1941) - Isabel (Cox) Flood came to Swanville, MN, in 1884.  She taught school in Swanville until 1918.  She and her husband Edwin A. Flood ran a mercantile business.   Isabel “was one of three women instrumental in bringing a Baptist minister to Swanville to conduct the first religious service held in the village.”  (LF Herald, Nov. 7, 1941)  Her greatest distinction, however, was earned through becoming the first elected female mayor in Morrison County.  She served for three terms as Swanville’s mayor.

37.  Paul Larson (1894-1983) - Boat manufacturer extraordinaire.  Larson built his first boat out of scrap lumber when he was 11.  By the time he was a teenager, he was building duck boats and fishing boats for his friends.  Eventually, he opened Larson Boats and Crestliner, two large boat manufacturing facilities in Little Falls, MN.  They are still in operation today, but under different ownership.

38.  Clara Fuller - Following the death of her husband, Wheaton M. Fuller, who had been the editor of the Little Falls Daily Transcript for 27 years, Clara became editor of the paper and president of the Transcript Publishing Company, which her husband had founded.  (Sounds like I need to add Wheaton Fuller to the list, doesn’t it?)  What we know Clara for, more so than her role with the Transcript, is for a two-volume set of books called the “History of Morrison and Todd Counties, Minnesota,” which was published in 1915.  These two volumes, one of general histories, the other of local biographies, are indespensible in providing an overall look at the history of Morrison County.

39.  Jacob Kiewel (1846-1928) - Jacob Kiewel was known for beer.  In 1893, he bought a small brewery in Little Falls from Rudolph Koch and renovated and expanded it.  The brewery was a family affair and the family also owned a brewery in Crookston, Minnesota.  Together, these businesses were incorporated under the name “Jacob Kiewel Brewing Company.”  The Little Falls brewery produced White Rose Beer and the Crookston plant made White Seal Beer.  During Prohibition, the Kiewels produced ice cream and dairy products at their breweries.  After Jacob’s death in 1928, his sons took over the business, which operated in Little Falls until 1959.

40.  Ellen Nichols - During the summer of 1855, Ellen was the first teacher in the first public school in Morrison County.   The school was located in the village of Little Falls.  Ellen and her husband C.S.K. Smith also had the distinction of being married in the first wedding ceremony known to have been held in Little Falls.  The year was 1856.

Okay - five more, with one a bit of a freebie.

41.  Wheaton M. Fuller

42.  Major Ashley Cutler Morrill

43.  Jenny Lind Brown Blanchard

44.  Jonathan O. Simmons

45.  Hans Henry Gosch

We are still in the process of switching our email address. The latest news in the saga is that mail sent to our old email address is now being forwarded to our new email address.

If you have regular contact with the Morrison County Historical Society, you’ll soon discover that we have TWO new email addresses. One of them - contactstaff@morrisoncountyhistory.org - is for use on the web. We use this one for the inevitable spiders that will crawl around and gobble it up for spam purposes. The other address (which can be formed by simply removing “contact” from our web email address) is for use on our newsletters, letterhead, and emails directly from us to you. You’ll notice that I didn’t post the full second email address here. That’s because we don’t want the spiders to get it. You can use either one for emailing us, but if you want to post our email address on the web somewhere, please use the contactstaff@morrisoncountyhistory.org.

If you’re utterly confused by my explanation of our second email address, leave a comment or send us an email and I’ll try to do a better job of explaining the situation.