Stillwater, Minnesota By Donald

A History of the Greeley Residential Area Stillwater, Minnesota

By Donald Empson

Fir~ar~ced by a grarlt frorr~ the CT.S. Deportn~er~t of t l ~ e Ir~terior Adrr~irtistered by the Mi~tr~eso ta Flistorical Society

And The tieritage Preseruotior~ Corr~nlissior~ of the

City of Still~uater

A History of the Greeley Residential Area STILLWATER, M I ~ % ~ O T A

PREPARED 81-

DONALD EMPSON EMPSON ARCHIVES

P.O. Box 791 STILLWATER, MN 55082

(612) 351-0172

fi~~anced bj a G m ~ t horn the US. Department o f the Inlenbr Arlrmristered by thc M~rmcso~a Ilistoric-JSu~~Cr~y

And The Heritage Presem~on Comss ion o f the

Ciry of St~iIwaler

MEMBERS OF THE STILLWATER HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION

JEFF JOHNSON 309 S. F I ~ H STREET STILLWATER

ROBERT KIMBREL (CHAIR) 724 N. OAK STREET STILLWATER

BRENT PETERSON 502 W. CHURCHILL STREET STILLWATER

ROGER TOMTEN 7 18 S. FIRH STREET STILLWATER

J A Y MICHELS 118 % N. MAIN STREET STILLWATER

HOWARD LIEBERW 914 S. GREELEY STREET STILLWATER

KATHERINE B. FRANCIS 9190 ST. CROIX TRAIL N. STILLWATER

Of The Past

This small simple house a t 224 N. :.,%

Martha Street is tj-pical of what -., many of the homes in this

neighborhood looked like around the turn of the century.

This section of Limestone curbing in borlt of 218 N. Martha Street has been raised to its original height and conveys a sense of the original streetscape. Details like this are important in preserving Stillwater's sense of the past.

Reminders

T h s is a log cabin playhouse a t 2.13 N. Harriet Street. According to Alice (Kolliner) Coluuibo who grew up in the house a t 415 W. Xlulberry Street, t h s playhouse was constr~lcted in the 1890's by Louis Bergeron (1220 K. Broadway Street) who built it for h s daughters after being inspired by a 4 t h of July play and poem about Abraham Lincoln. .\fter the turn of the century, Alice's mother, who was related to the Bergeon family, remembering her childhood days in

the playhouse, purchased it and had it moved to the yard at 415 W. Mulberry Street. When the KoUlners sold that house, they had it moved to i ts present location.

This is the cornerstone of what was known as the German School a t 516 W. Myrtle Street. It was built in 1894 by Adolph Sprich of Stillwater a t a cost of $3,080. The architects were Buech & Jacobson of St. Paul. Use of the building as a school was hscontinued during the anti-German sentiment of World War I.

History of the Greeley Neighborhood

Table of Contents

............................................... Introduction ..Page 2

..................................................... Research .Page 4

........................ Part I: Hurrah For Stillwater Page 6

........................... Part 11: X Goosling Dwelling Page 23

................................ Part 111: Porch Pleasures Page 39

....................................... Recommendations Page 47

................................................. Bibliography Page 51

.................. Appendu A: Chronological Listing Page 54

EIistory of the Greeley Neighborhood

INTRODUCTION

Between December 1, 1996, and June 1, 1997, Empson Archives conducted a National Register survey of the Greeley HPPA residential area of Stillwater, Washington County, Minnesota. The project area lay entirely within the Southwest Quarter of Section 28, Township 30, Range 20.

Included within the survey area are all twelve blocks of Greeley & Slaughter's Addition to Stdlwater; all twelve blocks of Thompson, Parker and Mower's Second Addition to Stillwater; all of Thorne's Addition; Block One of Webster's Addition to Stillwater; Block One of Bernheimer's Addition to Stillwater; Blocks Three, Four, and Seven of Fullerton's Addition; a part of Auditor's Plat #2; and some unplatted land.

The ohjective of the study was to conduct a11 intensive historical survey of the Greeley residential neighborhood bounded by, or on a Line with, Center Street on the West; Holcombe Street on the East; Olive Street on the South; and Mulberry Street on the North. There are 242 structures within this survey area covering roughly 100 acres.

The work was conducted between December l a t , 1996 and June Is t , 1997 by Donald Empson; Kathleen Vadnais; and Mat Hollinshead who took the photographs.

Donald Empson was the principal investigator.

Many residents of the survey area contributed to the research for this project by answering questions about their homes and the neighborhood. I have acknowledged these individuals in the text and on the Inventory Forms regarding their particular homes.

Especial thanks to Brent T. Peterson, a fellow historian, and a Commissioner on the Stillwater Historic Preservation Commission, for his corrections to this manuscript, and for his bringing some historic house photoeaphs to my attention. Also many thanks to Sue Fitzgerald, coordinator to the Stdlwater Historic Preservation Commission, for her efforts in expediting the work of this survey.

This effort is part of the on-going program of the Minnesota Historical Society's State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) which began after passage of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. The SHPO administers the National Register of Historic Places program in Minnesota. In the early years of

3 History of the Greeley Neighborhood

t h s program, the SHPO concentrated on basic inventories of the 87 counties in Minnesota on a county-by-county basis.

Stillwater established a Heritage Preservation Commission in 1973 and, in conjunction with a federal grant from the Minnesota SHPO, contracted for is first I'iational Register survey of the downtown commercial area in 1988. This study led to the placing of Stillwater's downtown commercial area on the National Register in 1991.

In 1992-3, the Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) received a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant and sponsored a study of historic contexts in the city, conducted by Robert C. Vogel and Associates.

The final report, "Stillwater Historic Contexts: A Comprehensive Planning Approach," was completed in July 1993. The Stillwater HPC has dvided the city's neighborhoods into Historic Preservation Planning Areas (HPPAs) and intends to proceed with systematic surveys of all Stillwater neighborhoods over the next decade. The current report summarizes the results of the third HPPA to be systemically surveyed.

The two previous surveys were of the North Hill (Original Town) and the South W (Original Town).


RESFARCH

The project area lay entirely within the Southwest Quarter of Section 28, Townshp 30, Range 20. Included within the survey area are all twelve blocks of Greeley & Slaughter's Addition to Stlllwater; all twelve blocks of Thompson, Parker and Mower's Second Addition to Stillwater; all of Thorne's Addition; Block One of Wehster's Addition to Stillwater; Block One of Bernheimer's Adhtion to Stillwater; Blocks Three, Four, and Seven of Fullerton's Addtion; a part of Auditor's Plat 772; and some unplatted land.

\Ve have done a thorough study of the area, despite the considerable time and money constraints. We have used the yearly t a x assessor's records collected in the State Archives and available on microfilm, 1861-1900, a t the Stillwater Public Library--a gdt of hvertown Restoration These records were generated much the same way they are today. Every year the tax assessor viewed all the properties in the city and made an estimate of the market value of the land and the improvements. By following a property through the years, it is usually possible to determine when the value jumped from that of a lot only to that of a lot with a building on it. This record also contains the name of the property owner through the years. While this kind of research is tedious in the extreme, it gave us accurate information that can be found in no other way.

(The two previous surveys have used the date of the building found on the assessment card a t the tax assessor's office. Before the turn of the century, these dates are notoriously inaccurate, a n adrmssion readily made by the tax assessor's office itself.)

Rivertown Restoration recently paid to have the Stillwater bui lding pe rmi t applicat ions, 1886-1940, microfilmed. They, along with an index compiled by Kay Thueson, are available a t the Stillwater Public Library. The applicatiorls give the date of building, the size of the structure, name of the owner, sometimes the name of the builder and architect, and other incidental information. There are also applications for repairs and remodeling. This information was invaluable and essential for this study.

There are useful records avadable in the Water Department , t h e Fire Depar tment , and the Pub l i c Works Depar tment and in the Minutes of t h e St i l lwater City Council that have never been used before. The S a n b o r n I n s u r a n c e M a p s were of of Limited value because only the 1924 edition has much residential area pertinent to this survey. There are a number of


unpublished manuscripts and some published reminiscences wtuch contained useful information, but since they are often inaccurate, we only quoted them when we could verlfy their information from another source. In general, we used only original sources for our research.

For visual aids, there are two Bird's Eye View Maps of Stillwater drawn in 1869, and again in 1879. With their accurate representations of each house and buildtng, these were extremely useful, and we reproduced sections of the 1879 map in the text of this report.

We talked t o t h e residents of the area in cases where we had some uncertainties; when convenient we obtained copies of Property Abstracts. We also used the land records at the office of the Recorder of Deeds.

We also used the Stillwater City Directories; consulted the local newspapers on microfilm at the Stillwater Public Library, and pursued other research materials that were useful.


PART I

HURRAH FOR STILLWATER

I n 1838 Martin Van Buren was President of the United States; The Declaration of Independence was 62 years old; and James J. Hdl was born in Ontario, Canada. In the St. Croix Valley, the steamboat, Palniyra, freshly arrived from St. Louis, was anchored below the FaUs of the St. Croix. On the bluffs above, startled Indians, unaccustomed to such an apparition, were struggling to roU rocks down upon the steamboat. This was the first American settlement in the St. Croix Valley.'

In 1840, Joseph R. Brown, a fur trader and skillful politician, established the county seat of the newly formed St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory, at his town site, Dahkotah, at the head of Lake St. Croix. Brown made plans to erect a county courthouse in Dahkotah a little south of today's intersection of Highways 96 and 95.

Two years later, a carpenter. Jacob Fisher, was finishing the front of a store in St. Louis, Missouri, when h s employer introduced h m to a Mr. Hungerford who promptly hired him to come to the Falls of the St. Croix and work at his lumber mill. lJpon arriving at the Falls, the outspoken Fisher found he could not comply with the terms of his contract, and that winter found him working on the county courthouse at Joseph R. Brown's Dahkotah. The following spring of 1843, Fisher made a land claim for the site of a sawmill that would be powered with water drained from a lake on the bluff above. Fisher's sawmdl, constructed in 1844, was the beginning of S t i l l ~ a t e r . ~

One of the proprietors of this first saw mill was a 26-year-old Maine lumberman by the name of Elam Greeley.

'lames Taylor Dunn The Sf Croix: Midwest Border River. Holt, Rinehan and Winston. New York Page 68 ? B A A Register ofDeeds. St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory Page 1-3. 3 K o ~ h Star Publishing Company H ~ s f o v of Washmaon Countv and the St Croix Valley Mmeapohs, 1881 Pape 598.499

History of ihe Greeley Neighborhood

THE AREA OF THIS SURVEY

T he area of this historic survey lies entirely within the 160 acres of the Southwest Quarter of Section 28, Township 30, Range 20. The north

boundary of this quarter section is on a line with hfulberry Street; the west line of the quarter section--which is also the west line of Section 28--lies along the line of Center Street. The south line of the quarter section is along Willard Street, and the east line of the quarter section is along Holcombe Street. (See Map 1) The survey area has the same north, west and east boundaries, but the southern boundary is Olive Street. The survey area is approximately 100 acres, and contains 242 houses.

Map 1. Survey area a s s part of the SW % Sec. 28

On an overcast day in November, 1847, John Dunn, working for the United States Surveyor General's Office out of Dubuque, Iowa, walked and measured the h e between Section 28 and Section 29, in Township 30, h n g e 20, of the Fourth Principal Meridan. As he strolled along, he made notes of the countryside: "land rollir~g, 2d rate tirnber,"and "scatterir~g W & B Oak." But his most sigmiicant note came 665 feet north of the Section corner: "Road to St. Paul West." Thls is the first recorded mention of our historic survey area.

Before any of this land purchased from the Indans nine years earlier could be sold, it had to be surveyed. It was John Dunn's job to establish the Section lines


for the United States Government Survey. He located the Section corner slightly south of (today's) Willard and Center streets; the Section line where he walked and made his notes ran north along the course of (today's) Center Street."

This road Dunn noted was one of a very few roads authorized by St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory. Although it already existed as an informal path between St. Paul and Stillwater (crossing today's Center Street just slightly south of today's Oak Street), the County ordered the road surveyed in April of 1847 -- two years before the creation of the Minnesota Territory. The road began in what is today downtown Stillwater "conin~encing at an Oak Tree near the foot of the hill OIL

the South side of a Spring branch rur~ning w a r the dwelling of John E. Mower" and wandered southwest toward St. Paul to end "in front of the premises of L. Roberts" in St. Paul's landing.5 John E. Mower's house was on Second Street south of Myrtle (See Map 2.)

Road crosses Section Lioe (Center Stred today) just bortb of Lily Lakr 1847 ~ a p .

By the time our survey area was platted in 1856, the St. Paul Road followed more or less what is today the course of Olive Street. Maps up through the turn of the

-----

U S . Government Suwey, T 30, R20 Field notes, paze 27. Register of Deeds, St. Croix County, W~sconsin Territory. Page 90. The field notes arc included

'W H C. Folsorn Fifw Years in the Northwest. Pioneer Press Company, 1888. Page 33.


century indicate the west part of Olive Street a s the St. Paul Road,'and it was used a s a standard address for homes in this area.

MOB LAW

Residence Torn Dou~n

OIL Saturday evening last, about I0 o'clock, a dwelling house belongillg to Perry McLaughlin, was den~olished by a crowd of ir~dignar~t citizens-nuntbering between twenty-five and fifty persons. The house was located m a r the St. Paul road, about one mile from the city.

The cause for this high-handed act was the alleged fact that Perry had leased the place to a strange lady who intended to organize there a disreputable house. And the neighbors rwt wishing to await the slow process of law for its abatement took the matter into their own hands and leveled the establishment to the ground. The occupant, or occupants had received warni~lg and very wisely evacuated the premises.

Several shots were exhanged between Perry and the rioters--one of which, it is said, took effect upon one of the mob.

Several missiles were thrown into the windows of McLaughlinS reside~tce, near by, one of which, Perry avers, just missed the head of one of his little children.

Perry says that he met the crowd at the door, and refused then1 adn~ittalzce, assuring them that there was IW one inside, and offering to allow one or t u ~ o of their number togo in arrd search the interior, but this did not seem to satisfy the boys, and they proceeded to tear down the building.

One d a r i ~ ~ g irrdiuidual ascended to the roof, cut a hole through and fa.stel~ed a long line near the ridge, and the~r after cuttir~g away the supports around the base, they all seized hold of the line, and dowrr carrle the buildil~g. The crowd then, after giving one wild, victoriotas yell, departed their seueral ways.

The house was a small one story building ualued at about two hundred dollars.

A n L, or kitchen part, recently erected, was partially demolished, but rwt entirely torn down.

As the participants in the affair are rwt krwwn+t least to the public-we are able to give only one side of the story, namely, Perry's

'For example Sectional Map of Slidlwaler Mim. from Accurate Surveys by Mvron She~ard. (18781 There is a COPY of ihs map hanging in the Washington County Kccorde?s Office.


version; but as a legal ir~uestigatior~ will probably be had, we shall be able to give both sides of the story."

Perry McLaughhn, a shoemaker, lived at what is today 125 South Owens Street.

Before Myrtle Street was graded in the late 1860Js, and T k d Street opened to the South Hill in 1870, t h s St. Paul Road was the main thoroughfare between downtown Stillwater and our survey area.

One of ou r recommendations is that , with t h e approval of the residents, t he name of Olive Street , west of t he original city plat (Fifth Street) be changed back t o the St. Paul Road. This would commemorate one of the very few roads preceding Minnesota as a Territory.3

We should also point out that in the earliest days of the city, before Olive Street (the St. Paul Road) was graded and improved, the actual road--including the route the stagecoaches took--was down the ravine east of Greeley Street and just to the north of Olive Street. This ravine, which was called at various locations, the St. Paul Ravine, Olive Street Ravine, or Myrtle Street Ravine was used as a roadway. The ravine runs on the north side of Olive Street to Holcombe Street where it continues due south, crossing to the south side of Olive Street.l"ne of these names was used as late as 1886, when the city, in an agreement with Hannah Greeley regarding her lot on the southeast corner of Myrtle and Greeley Streets, requested access to construct a '"well hole' (so called) of a culvert in the ravir~e known as 'St. Paul Rauir~e."'"

T h s survey is not the first document to call attention to the signJJicance of this ravine. The Plan of Stillwater published in 1918 made this suggeshon:

Snlhrarer Gazette. October 29, 1872. 9Giover Singley TracineMinnesota's Old Government Roads Minnesota Winorical Society 1974. Map opposite

paxe 1 l o Emma Glaser, "How Stillwater Came to Be." Page 204 Mimesola HisQry24: 195-206 (September 1943)

Unpublirhed manuscript by Paul Caplad, Stillwater, April, 1944. Page 6. ' ' H Bonds 296

' 2 i e ranilie beginrlirlg at the corrcer o f Sixth Street and Myrtle Street arLd leadir~g up to the corrier of Greeley or~d Olive Streets, comprisirig the old St. Paul stage road, could feasibly be restored to its former character as an easy grade road by layirig out a drive at the botton~ of the ravine crossing urider U'illiani Street through a subway and leading to theplaza ori Greeley and Olive Streets." ' 2

It is o u r r ecommenda t ion t h a t the his tor ica l significance of t h i s r av ine be recognized in s o m e way.

T here were two men who purchased the 160 acres of the Southwest Quarter of Section 28 from the IJnited States Government when the

land was first put up for sale in 1849. Dr. Andrew Randall of Cincimati bought the 80 acres in the SE 1/413 and the N E 114'"hde Sullivan L. Thayer bought the remaining 80 acres, the W l / Z 1 5 .

I Dr. h d n w Randall

Map 3. The fint owners o f SW I/. Sec. 28.

Andrew Randall makes a n interesting story, and because his name appears on many of the property abstracts for this area, it is worth t e h n g here. Randall first came to this area in the mid-1840's a s an employee of the Geological Corps

Plan of Stiilwa~er Prepared under rhe direction of The Park Board, MCMXVlll Morel & Nichols, Landscape Architects & Engineers, Mimeapolis. Mimesola.

"I l Deeds 545

I8 Deeds 46 IS I4 Deeds 43

History of the Greeley Neighborl~ood

ualw, i r~ the nert two years, as it has done in the two just passed." Mr. Dodge has already beer1 offered $500 aduance on what he gave. Our faith in Stillwater is unbounded.z*

On another occasion, the editor struck back at any who might doubt the future.

'Zess than two years ago they sneered a1 Stillwater's being anything outside the Basin. or Origircal Limits [of the city]. Lots [outside of downtown] which, when we located there [two years ago] could be had for $25 cannot now be purchased for less than a hundred dollars. Lots ... have bee11 enhanced in ualue four-fold within thepast two years, and the way we read the signs of the times, they lack much of having reached their maximum.23

A nticipating quick profits in the land, Stillwater entrepreneurs did what others throughout the settled portions of Minnesota Territory were

doing: they platted Adhtions. The trick was, they reasoned, buy the land by the acre and sell it by the foot.

"STILLWATER FOREVER Another Addition to Stillwater

Additior~s to Stillwater are all the rage now. Within a few days past, Jocob Maerty has sold to Joshua B. Carter ard Gov. Ramsey, 140 acres of land lying west of Stillwater and adjoining Holcombe's Addition, for $7000. If is SOOIL to be surveyed into town lots.

We rejoice to see this mouement. There are rww three heavy St. Paul capitalists and speculators deeply

interested irr Stillwater; vir R. F. Slaughter, Col H MrKenty, and Gov. Ramsey. We are glad to know that St. Paul speculators are uitally interested here, because it argues that they now see what we saw nearly three years ago; that is, that Stillwater is destined irrevitably to be a great place. They now see that Stillwater is not a 'one-horse towrr, chucked down among the hills in. the sand.' They now see that Stillwater has unrivaled advantages--that she has much capital--that a Rail-Road is to come hereprobably before one runs to St.

22 3. CroIx Urnorr, August 6. 1856 23 SI. Crorx Ur~ion, December 5 , 1856.

History o f the Greeley Neighborhood

Paul, and that Stillwater is rapidly aduar~cing iir all that cotltributes to material prosperity and greatness."24

HURRAH FOR STILL WATER"

In July and August of 1856, there were seven additions made to the city of Stillwater, more in that year than any time before or since. Of these seven, two

additions encompass much of our survey bmU.s area: Greeley and Slaughter's Addition

and Thompson, Parker, and Mower's

Cnc1ey C SI."@,*.'. Add'll Second Adhtion.

IS bl& I W.ll3.m SL

Thornpan. Pmrk- A M o - m ?a,d Add'.

H k t e S ~

The 12 square blocks of Greeley & - rn Slaughter's Addition were platted in t July of 1856 by Hannah P. Greeley.25 1 $ The name of Slaughter refers to Robert

F. Slaughter, a St. Paul investor who dealt extensively in Stillwater real estate.

I t is very interesting to see how the price of land w i t h n our survey area increased in one dramatic seven-year

period. In 1849, Wdiam Cove bought this 40 acre parcel for $1.25 a n acre.26 Three months later, Cove sold it to Sylvanus Trask for $1.50 an acre.2' After holdmg it for three years, Trask sold this same 40 acres to Samuel Burkleo for $5.00 a n acre.28

Four years later, in 1856, Greeley purchased the tract for 230 acres of pine lands and $1,000 in cash29 and platted i t into 154 lots while reserving one square block for h s own residence. Greeley immediately sold over 50 of his lots to Robert F. Slaughter a t about $60 a lot.30 There were approximately 4.2 lots per acre, so Slaughter's price was about $252 a n acre. Slaughter, truly a consummate real estate salesman, sold almost all these lots, plus many more from h s other additions, within a matter of days. On August 81h, 1856, he sold Hiram Bangs of

2JSf Croix Onion. December 12, 1856 2'A Plats 72 in the Waslungon County Recorder's Office l6 B Deeds 43 l7 B Deeds l I0

D Deeds 92 29 Sf Crorx Ufiror,, July 1 1 , 1856 'O 6 Deeds 226


St. Paul eight lots for $G00;3' on August 9'h, he sold four lots to Mary Devereux of Evansville, Indiana, for $280;3' within the next four days, he sold James Hand of Philadelphia three lots for $225.33 Westly Hunt of Trenton, N.J. bought 17 lots for $1275;3J Samuel Walker of St. Paul purchased 17 lots for $1200;35 and Ann Smith of St. Paul bought one lot for $100.36 With these prices per lot, (at 4.2 lots per acre) the price per acre had escalated to $378 per acre-an astounding increase over the $1.00 per acre paid only seven years earlier by Sullivan Thayer. Of course, all these latest buyers were themselves speculators; they were anticipating the same kind of profits realized by the previous owners. It is very unlikely that any of these speculators actually intended to live on this Stillwater property.

Levi E. Thompson. Theodore E. Parker, and William H. Mower combined to plat the 12 square blocks of Thompson, Parker, & Mower's Second Addit i~n.~' Levi Thompson and Parker were Stillwater law partners; William Mower was listed as a merchant in the 1857 Census. All three were young men in their 20's. The three partners paid Andrew Randall (who was stlll in California) $2,550 for the 23 acres included within their addition, plus another 8 acres located elsewhere-- approximately $82 an acre. 38 Randall had purchased the land on a military land warrant seven years earlier for less than $1.00 an acre. Lots in this addition was expected to sell for around $100 apiece.

Blocks 3, 4, & 7 of Fullerton's Additi0n,3~ also platted in July of 1856, was the creation of Thomas M. Fullerton, a Stillwater resident who once worked for the Land Office, but later served as a minister. His prominent house can be seen on the 1870 Bird's Eye View of StiLlwater a t the end of Willard Street on Block 1 of hls Addition.

Besides these &st plats, there were several smaller plats made later. In 1853, William Thorne, a Stillwater businessman, reconiigured a part of Thompson, Parker & Mower's Second Addition into Thorne's Addition40 In May of 1869, the Webster brothers of Stillwater, Mortimer and Wdliam, platted Webster's Addition.4' of which Block 1 is within the survey area. Louis Bernheimer of New York City platted land his father, Isaac, had purchased before the Civil War into Bernheimer's

I ' G Deeds 2 I0 G Deeds 210 G Deeds 211 G Deeds 212

I5GDeeds213 I6 G Deeds 200 I'A Plats 79

F Deeds 99 3yA Plats 71 JUA Plats 90

Plats 176


Addition42 in July of 1886. Block 1 is within the survey area. Block 22 of Sabin's Addtion platted in 1882a lies in the northeast corner of this survey area. There are also four houses wi thn Auditor's Plat #2, and five houses on the northeast and northwest corner of Olive and Greeley Streets that sit on unplatted land.

-sI It is interesting to note that none of these plats incorporated any

Fuli.M.. ku. public or park land. It appears that the rk.-c4. A&-S

proprietors wanted to achieve the maximum I i

E I 1

profit from their - - . m a !B6 investment. An understanding "...A. %

web,". . Addb of these plats is crucial to a thorough investigation of the land itself and the structures

rnkks . that have been built upon it. Then, as now, people often identified themselves, and were

identfied by the subhvision within whlch they lived. The old newspapers would report a k e in Greeley's Addition, or an assault in Holcombe's Addition, just as today the newspapers report a robbery in Oak Glen or a rash of vandalism in Croinvood

S treets are almost always named by the developers of the property who must lay out the streets to provide access to their lots.. They are named,

usually, for the developer, his wife, his children, or a business partner. A number of streets were hs t named by the developers within our survey area and then, a t a later date, the street names were extended throughout the city.44

Center S t r ee t is so named because it is the center line between Section 28 and Section 29. North Street is so called because it is the north side of the plat of Thorne's Adhtion.

"B Plats 3 1

"'B Plats IS ""Ord~nance No 54 -Charter and Ord~nances of the Ctty of S~~llwater Compiled by C F Gregory. C ~ t y Attorney

Sllllwater Lumberman Steam Pnnltng Co, 1881


William Street was named by and for William H. Mower, one of the developers of Thompson, Parker and Mower's Second Addition in which this street name &st appears. He was born in Maine about 1828, and came to Stillwater in the 1850's to join his brothers, Martin and John Mower (for whom Mower County is named). He was active in the affairs of the but he moved to Bayi5eld, Wisconsin, in the 1860's, and died there August lgth, 1870.46

H a r r i e t Street was named by and for the wife of William H. Mower. She was born in Massachusetts about 1826, came to Stillwater with her husband, and accompanied him to Bayfield, Wisconsin, where she died August 12, 1873.4i

Greeley Street was named as part of the Greeley and Slaughter Addition. It was named by and for Elam and Hannah Greeley, the developers of that ad l t ion . Elam and his wife were true pioneers of Stillwater, and if any name is to be associated with the history of this survey area, i t should be their name.

Elam Greeley was born in New Hampshire in 1818, but moved, as a child, to Sebec Lake in Maine. In 1840, a t the age of 22, he relocated to the new lumbermill settlement of St. Croix Falls. After working there for three years, he came to Stillwater where he held and improved the claim of the Stillwater Lumber Company while a partner, John McKusick, traveled to St. Louis to obtain the necessary equipment and supplies to furnish the water-powered lumber mill which began working in April of 1844.48 In December of that same year, he sold his share of the Lumber Company to John McKusick for an amount in excess of $2,500.49 With this money, he invested in downtown Stillwater, building with Edward Blake a store, boarding house, blacksmith shop, and livery stable.jO In 1850, he married Hannah Pope Hinman with whom he had five children. Until his death on September 14, 1883, Greeley worked primarily in the lumber business although he d ~ d serve in elected office during the Territorial period. Hannah resided in the family home until her death in 1906. The Stillwater Gazette rhapsodized in her obituary: "She ... seerned ever to rrloue i r ~ a brightr~ess of her own, making arul leauiug behirul her the afterglow of a rich and sunny rrature.'"'

M a r t h a Street was named for Martha G. Thompson, the wife of Levi E. Thompson, one of the developers of Thompson, Parker and Mower's Second Addition. She was born in Maine about 1837, accompanied her husband to Stillwater in the early 1850's, and died an unremarked death in Stillwater

'j Augustus B. Easton. Histow of the St. Croix Valley H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Co. Chicago, 1909. Page 24. Wahington County Probate Court File #686.

" b i d '' W H. C. Folsom. Fiftv Years in the Northwest. Pioneer Press Company, 1888. Page 57. ' 9 B- Regster of Deeds Office, St. Croix County. Page 64. 'O bid Page 58 5 ' Sf~lhorer Uaib Ga-r.11~. August 24, 1906


November 8, 1909, leaving two daughter^.^^ She was the daughter of Albert Harris, a Stillwater carpenter.

E v e r e t t S t r e e t is derived from the middle name of Levi E. Thompson, one of the partners in the development of Thompson, Parker and Mower's Second Addition.

R ice S t r e e t was probably named for Sarah Rice, the wife of Hollis Murdock, a local attorney who was very active in real estate, and platted a couple of additions of his own. He was witness to the plat of Greeley & Slaughter's Addition.

John P. Owens (Owens St ree t ) was a resident of St. Paul and editor of the first newspaper in Minnesota. He had close connections with several Stillwater speculators, and, a s we have seen, was a partner to Andrew Randall, the first man to own property in this area.53 Owens was born in Ohio in 1818, attended college in Cincinnati, and served a s a Quartermaster in the Civil War. He was very active in Whig and Republican politics and wrote a "Political History of Minnesota."54

Ramsey S t r e e t was named for Governor Alexander Ramsey, Minnesota's first Governor. The name was given, not to honor him, but because he had a financial stake in the property. Ramsey was a n enthusiastic land speculator. Some of his contemporaries thought this enthusiasm was a guiding force in his treaty negotiations with the I n h a n s regarding their lands.

On the twenty-fourth of August, 1857, the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company of New York failed; its crechtors were forced to default, and a calamitous chain of events began. Within two months, almost everybody in Minnesota was in debt; the Territory was literally emptied of cash. City lots became virtually worthless. Those who were formerly wealthy found themselves bankrupt. Stlllwater boosters were in despair, and the city was never to fully recover i ts boundless optimism after this depression of 1857.

j1 Washington County Probate File #3245 "I Fletcher Wiiams. AWstorv o f the C~rv of St. Paul t o m . [repmt] Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1983. See index for several entries on Owens. jr T hl. Newson. Pen Pictures of Sr Paul. Minnesota and Biogra~hical Sketches o f Old Settlers. by the Author, St. Paul, 1886. Page 116.


Writing of St. Paul, Thomas Newson described what was also true of Stillwater:

'And then came the terribly hard times. With ILO nrorcey, no values, no property, no business, little or rw emigratior~, r~o banks, or bar~ks with empty vaults, no courage, no hope, notes due, nrortgages foreclosed, men heavily i r ~ debt, land depreciated from fifty to severLty- five per cent, rw trade, indeed with nothing to trade, no four~dation to build or^, no orLe can inragine the fiightfil condition of affairs i n St. Paul i n the latter part of the year I857 but he who passed through it ~11 . . . ' 5~

At the funeral of the Stillwater developer and lawyer, Levi Thompson, i t was remarked that: "But with the [Civil] war his practice, like that of other attorneys i r~ the northwest, werlt topieces, while his fortune had been wrecked in the great panic of 1857.''56

The Stillwater Democrat, on January 1, 1859 editoriahzed:

"A Happy New Year to our FrierLds and Patrons. Eighteer~ hurulred arLd fifty eight, with its panics and monetary cor~vulsior~s, its depression of trade and depreciation i r ~ value of all ar~d every kind of purchaseable and ponderablegoods arLd estates, has, thar~k goodr~ess, departed for ever... "

Some in Stillwater fared better than others. Thanks to Robert Slaughter, Greeley had sold most of his lots, and their loss in value was borne by other investors-many of them out of state.

Levi Thompson, Theodore Parker, and William Mower were not so lucky. Unable to sell most of their lots at an asking price of about $100 apiece before the crash began, they were forced to dispose of most of their property in 1858, including 10 lots in their First Addition, 40 lots in their Second Addition, 40 acres of land in Section 15, two city lots, and other assorted property to St. Paul resident A.T.C. Pierson for $2,500.57 58 Parker and Mower moved from Stillwater soon after, but Levi Thompson remained in Stillwater until his death in 1887.

" h d , Page 698 56Slrlhvorrr Mrc~engrr, November 12, 1887 57 K Deeds 328

58 T M Newson Pen P~ctures of St Paul. M l ~ e s o t a and B~orrraoh~cal Sketches of Old Settlers Pubhshed by the Author, St Paul, 1886 Page 352


F our years later, in 1861, a t the beginning of the Civil War, when we have the h s t detailed tax assessor's records of the survey area, we find

a discouraging picture indeed. The largest property owner, by far, is the State of Minnesota. Almost half of all the lots in the survey area have been tax forfeited- returned to the state because their purchasers did not pay the property tax. The speculators had quickly realized there was no point in paying the taxes on worthless lots. Lots tha t had been s e b n g for $90 to $100 four years earlier were now valued (but still unsold!) a t prices rangmg from $5 to $40 per lot. A. T. C. Pierson still retained his 40 lots in Thompson, Parker and Mower's Second Addition, and Hannah Greeley still controlled the family homestead on Block 9 of her addltion a s well as the 14 lots on Block 7. That consummate real estate salesman, Robert Slaughter, was listed as the owner of only one lot!

In the whole area, there were only two residences. On Block 9 of h s addition (the southwest corner of Myrtle and Greeley Streets), Elam Greeley had built his house in the boom year of 1856. The St. Croix Uniorl, recorded that: 'EEIII Greeley's dwelling house is progressing rapidly, and it looks well. It is the f irst brick building ever built in Stillwater."59 The tax assessor in 1861 valued the house a t $3,00&indicating that i t was in fact the "commodious or& valuable dwelling touted in a previous newspaper article.60 This house was painted by Stillwater artist, J o Lutz Rollins in the 1940's and the painting now hangs in the fiction stack area of the Stillwater Public Library (#5). The Greeley family lived in the house a t 103 S. Greeley well past the turn of the century.

The second house in the area which, fortunately, remains to this day is on the northwest corner of Myrtle and Martha Streets. In October of 1856, Elisha Brown, a carpenter, contracted with Elam Greeley to buy four lots in Thompson, Parker, and Mower's Second Addition.6' He promised to (and did) pay $514 in August of 1859 plus 20% interest for those four lots.62 On this property, he erected a one and a half story gable end house-probably four rooms-which the tax assessor in 1861 valued a t $200. Brown lived in this house at 604 Myrtle Street for ????years. I t is interesting to note that in 1866, nine years after the Crash, Brown purchased four tax-forfeit lots on this same block from the State of Minnesota for $107.49.63

59 Sl. Crorx Unron, September 12, 1856 Sl Crorx Unrofr. July I I . 1856 G Deeds 268

'* 1 Deeds 407, C Bonds 18 '' Q Deeds 674


Even then, we have frequently been compelled to resort to estin~ates ulhich, ~ I L al l cases, a re the most careful o b t a i ~ l a b l e . ' ~ ~

Within our survey area, there were 31 houses built in the 1870's; almost half of that number, 14, were built in 1873. In general, the homes constructed in the survey area during the 1870's were substantial homes; most were 1-112 to 2 stories in height; most had somewhere between four and eight rooms. These were certainly not lavish homes; they had little architectural style, but they were probably considered quite comfortable. In the following two decades, many more homes were built, but the quality and size of many of those houses was, in general, less than these 1870's homes.

I t was in the 1870's that the real development of this survey area began. Early growth was along Olive Street when two of the three partners in the house painting firm of Smith, Wright and Mosier budt their houses on adjoining blocks in 1871. Addison Wright built his residence a t 518 W. Olive a t a price given by the newspaper a s $800, while his partner, Bryan Mosier, constructed a somewhat lesser dwelling a t a price given a s $600 in the newspaper." W e the editor of the Gazette was intent upon emphasizing the value of all the improvements made that year in the city, the tax assessor, in his first yearly assessment of these same two properties, put their value a t $450 and $400 respectively; a figure that included both lot and house.63 These were, however, the first substantial houses along Olive Street--the old St . Paul Road.

Thomas Roney, a carpenter, and one of Stillwater's most prolitic home budders of the lgth Century, constructed a house a t 626 Olive Street in the early 1870's. In i ts first year, 1870, the house was assessed a t $250. Roney, (obviously plying his trade) added to the house to the extent that i ts assessed value five years later was $1,560, indicating a large two-story house, probably with three or four bedrooms. (This house has since been replaced with a newer house built in 1960)

Theodore Peterson constructed a dwehng a t 504 W. Olive Street i n 1871 a t an assessed value of $300. Peterson later sold this house to John H. Holen, a retad grocer and one of the few merchants living in the area. Close by, George Evans, a baggage master for the Lake Superior and Minneapolis radroad, built a large $840 house a t 510 W. Olive Street in 1873. (This house was subsequently demolished to

67 Slilh~aler Gazette, November 14. 187 1 68 lhid 69 Washington County Tax Assessors Records, Microfilm Roll, S k ? 5, Roll 2


make room for a new structure i n 19.08.) George and Bridget Moore (he was a lumberman) built their $300 d r v e h g at 1018 W . Olive the same year.

By 1875, the east end o f Olive Street was well settled. Because Olive Street was a main thoroughfare, it is to be expected that it would be one o f the &st areas settled, following a pattern o f residential development i n Stillwater.

The hfccomb house or 206 S William SL 'O

Speaking o f this area o f Stillwater i n the 18703s, Paul Caplazi writes: "Greeley's house] O I L the south east comer of Myrtle arLd Greeley-McConlb's bouse] in the r~ortheast corner of Olive ar~d Greeley ... and a feu1 other houses on Olive west of Ower~ were a.bout a,ll there were i n that part of Stillwater in the seventies. At that tirrte Olive St. west of Greeley and Myrtle east of Greeley down through the r a u i r ~ to dowr~ tour11 was called the St. Pau.1 road." At another part of his reminiscence, he writes: 'T lere was a srrrall circus in ... McContb's Field about the Southwest corrLer of Olive ar~d Greeley street^.'^'

The other main street in the survey area is Myrtle Street which was, until the 1880's, named Spring Street west o f the downtown.

As platted. hlyrtle Street went west from downtown rising up a sheer bluE in the area where it is intersected by Harriet Street. Grading a roadway through this hds ide was a major public works project begun i n the 1850's, and a useful roadway

70 Detail horn the 1879 Buds Eye View of Stillwater by Albert Ruger. The house is no longer there. 7 1 Paul Caplazi Unpublished Manuscript, 1944 Stillwater Public Library.

25

26 History of the Creeley Neighborhood

was not finished until the late 1860's. At that time, i t became a main thoroughfare west, and houses were first constructed.

Besides the Elisha Brown house constructed before the Civil War, the iirst of these '70's houses along Myrtle Street was a t 617 W. Myrtle, a $300 dwelling built by William Long, a lumberman. The same year, 1872, Alexander Simpson, a carpenter, erected his $600 home a t 820 W. Myrtle. Next year, 603 W. Myrtle went up for $475 under the direction of John Kain, a lumberman who lived there for the 20 years.

J.C. Gardner, a man of considerable wealth despite (or because of) h s job as a prison guard, built a $1,500 home a t 618 W. Myrtle. In the 1874 tax returns, Gardner is listed as possessing $2,000 in personal property-making him one of the wealthier men in Stillwater. T h s expensive house was later purchased by George H. Sullivan, an attorney, and is one of the only houses in the survey area which was not built and occupied by a blue collar worker.

The following year, 1874, August Lilljegren, a rafter (manned the rafts of lumber floated down the river) built 517 Ur. hlyrtle for $300. Like many others in the area, Lilljegren lived in this house for decades.

The first two houses on Everett Street were built in 1873: 231 N. Everett, which today remains a s a very attractive Gothic house, was constructed by Malinda Roney who remained in that same home for close to 50 years. A block south, 126 N. Everett Street was the dwehng of John Olson and first assessed a t a value of S360.

H o h s R. Murdock, a prominent Stdlwater attorney and judge, built the &st of several "investment' rental houses w i t h n the area. He constructed 219 N. Everett in 1876 a t a cost of $700.

The following year, 116 and 202 N. Everett Street were erected by James Fitzgerald and Charles J Peterson, at a cost of $200 and $250 respectively. Within two years, Fitzgerald, a horseshoer, had built another house on the other side of the block, a t 115 N. William Street.

On Harriet Street near its intersection with Myrtle, Gust Johnson, a carpenter, built 102 S. Harriet Street, and Andrew and John Olson, harnessmakers, constructed their dwelling a t 105 S. Harriet Street on the edge of the ravine. In the ravine itself, Frank Peterson, a carpenter, erected a small home a t 112 S. Harriet Street, while a t the top of the bluff overlooking downtown, David Swain, a

2 7 History of the Greeley Neighborhood

machinist and builder of steam engines, completed his residence a t 116 N. Harriet Street. Swain was one of the most afnuent residents of the area. In 1884, his personal property was Listed a t $4,375, and in 1894, he was the proud owner of three watches or clocks, one piano worth $100, household furniture valued a t $80, andsilverware assessed at $40.

Near the top of the ravine, near its eastern end, Joseph Weinschenk and Warner Hanitsch, the latter a shoemaker, built houses side by side a t 128 and 132 S. Holcombe Street.

WILLIAhl STREET

In 1873, near the intersection with Mulberry Street, Lucia Ah1 constructed her $1,200 boarding house a t 235 N. William. She not only owned the boarding house; she owned all of Block 4 in Thompson, Parkers and Mowers P d Addition, and it was not until after the turn of the century that the block was sold for budding lots. Lucia was also a person of some wealth; in the 1874 personal property tax records, her worth is assessed a t $436. In the late 1880's, the building was sold to Amanda Moffatt who continued it a s a boarding house. In 1910, it was severely damaged by fire, and today it has been replaced with a newer structure.

To the south, a t 123 N. WilLiam Street, Andrew Nyberg, a mason, built the first of his several houses in the immediate neighborhood. It appears this home was built a s a rental property in 1876. The following year, Andrew Anderson, one of many Scandinavians in the neighborhood, erected a $450 residence a t 230 N. William Street. Two years later, James P. Fitzgerald erected a $500 home a t 115 X. WilLiam Street.

On Greeley Street, George Borrowman, a harnessmaker with two downtown business locations, began the construction of hls long-term residence a t 202 N. Greeley Street. The first 1879 tax assessment was $150; by 1882, the lot and house were assessed a t $600. Five years later, a 12-foot-by-14-foot kitchen was added to the existing 18-foot-by-26-foot, 1-112 story home. The cost of the new kitchen was S200. This was a modest house for a successful businessman; Borrowman's personal property was listed a t $610 in 1884.

John Kelly, a lumberman, constructed his family homestead a t 121 N. Greeley in 1871. I t has the honor of being the oldest remaining house on Greeley


Street-at least within t h s survey area. His neighbor, Thomas Carroll, a millwright, built an adjoining house at 117 N. Greeley five years later. Kelly and Carroll remained neighbors for more than 20 years.

Other homes built in the area in the 1870's remain a t 114 and 115 S. Martha Street, 121 S. Owens Street, and 118 S. Sherburne Street.

Paul Caplazi, in his manuscript, notes the residents of the area: "The early resider~ts of the west hill iwrth of Myrtle was D.M. Swain [ l l 6 N. Harriet], Jim Fitzgerald [I15 N. William], August Nyberg [I20 N. William], Duncan [Malcolm Duncan, 216 N. Wdham], Pat Sullivan [Robert Sullivan, 218 N. Everett], Geo. Borrowman [202 N. Greeley], Geo Munkel. [I06 N. Owens.]'*

The Bird's Eye View map of the north part of the survey area gives a detailed and accurate picture at the beginning of the 1880's boom years. It is easy to hstinguish some of the houses remaining today, notably: 517, 603, 617, 618, 804?, and 820 W. Myrtle (Spring) Street; 116 N. Hamet; and 231 N. Everett (before the wing was added). Also pictured, but no longer standing, is the large boarhng house

'* Paul Caplazi Unpulbished ma nu scrip^, 1944 Page [9]

28


of Lucia Ah1 on the southeast corner of William and Everett Streets (235 N. William Street)

Bird's Eye View of urea, 1879. Soulh p M of survey area (.Tee inside back cover for map deioils)

The Bird's Eye View of the southern part of the survey area (above) gives a detailed view of this area at the beginning of the 1880's boom years. Houses on this map that can still be readily distinguished are a t 616 W. Olive Street and 109 S. Owens Street. You can see on the southeast corner of Myrtle (Spring) Street and Greeley Street, the Elam Greeley home at 103 S. Greeley and across Greeley, a second large home at 104 S. Greeley. Both houses no longer exist.


BUILDING BOOM, THE 1880's AND 1890'5

At the beginning of this decade, Stillwater was a town m e d with industry and trade. One company alone, Seymour, Sabin & Co. on the north end of town employed over 670 men for an annual production totaling over $1,000,000. The lumber industry employed almost 2,000 men. There were two railroads, two breweries, three wagon and carriage manufacturers, and three flour mills.73 There were 15 grocery stores, 10 hotels, 4 house and sign painters, 3 millinery shops, 6 physicians, and at least 23 ~aloons.~d

Paul Caplazi wrote in his 1944 manuscript: "The eighties were happy days for Stillwater. It was a tinze between the Civil War and the Sparzish American Wor, there were no wars, no strikes, no unenzploynient, rzo trouble of any kind, everybody was working and happy.75

In the 1880's, there were 87 houses built in our survey area, about 113 of the total number of homes. The greatest number of homes, 27, were built in 1881; there were 21 homes built in 1883. (Interestingly enough, the second year of greatest home building was 1950 when 26 new houses were built in the survey area.) This building boom was not unique to Stillwater. In his book on St. Paul in the 1880's. Frank C. Bliss writes:

"Sirzce 1880, there has been a corzstarzt, cor~tinued rise irz the value of real estate, i n every part of the city .... It appeared like orze corit irzuo~~, legitinlate boom, from the beginning to the close of the year, and was the product of horzest, bor~a-fide trorzsactiorzs between the dealers ar~d owners ofproperty and the niiddle classes and others, who purchased niairzly to inzproue the property irz erectirzg blocks a r d stores arzd dwellings to rent to others, or for their owri use. The wild, reckless spirit o f speculations which was exhibited i n 1857, arLd which appeared to be a mania that affected all classes frorn the highest to the lowest, is not the spirit of to-day. The courztry arourid was rzot theri developed arzd built up; the city was yourzg and irz its infar~cy; ar~d the numerous railroads r~oul rur~rzir~g from thzs great trade centre, arid carryirzg our rriercharzdise and products to thousarzds of towris arzd villages, arzd bringing iri custorrlers by the hurzdreds, were not then built. There was rzo four~datiorz laid-no good basis for such a rise irz oalues, arzd consequently the bubble burst.'76

73 Srilhaler Lumbermoll, December 20, 1878 74 Proyor & Co's Stillwater City Directow 1876-77, Stillwater, 1876 7' Paul Caplad Unpublished Manuscript, 1944 Page [I71 76 Frank C Bliss St Paul. Its Past and Present F C. Bliss Publishing Co , S I Paul. hlim 1888. page 101-102


Bliss goes on to point out that in 1883, one of the years of greatest buildlng in Stillwater, St. Paul was third on the list of the most new buildings in the U.S. surpassed only by New York and Chicago." The reasons for t h s spurt in b u i l h g are many, and beyond the scope of this survey. They include better wages for the working man, the establishment of buildlng and loan societies to finance houses, a n abundance of relatively inexpensive building materials, and a general prosperity. I t could also be said that in the 1880's, a moderate home was more affordable than a similar house would be today. It is also worth noting that a house then was little more than a shell with a stove. There were no appliances, no plumbing, no electric wiring, no insulation, no floor coverings, and no furnace.

In the 1880's in our survey area, there were a number of "investment" houses built for rental. John McKusick, a pioneer of the city and one of its wealthiest men, built two such houses a t 122 N. Harriet, and 121 N. Martha, both in 1880.

J .H. Townshend, owner of the J.H. Townshend Roller Mills, built ten houses between 1880 and 1885 with values ranging from $100 to $700. Within ten years, all of these houses had been sold, several of them to mdwrights. The houses were: 213, 214, and 225 N. Greeley Street; 817, and 905 W. Mulberry Street; 104, 106, and 221 N. Owens Street; and 104 and 114 N. Sherburne Street. Townshend himself lived a t the Sawyer House, Stillwater's premiere hotel. In 1884, his personal property was valued a t only $350, but his business property had the substantial assessment of $6,825.

There were other individuals building an occasional house on speculation. John Palm, a carpenter, built 201 N. Martha Street in 1881; Royal1 Orff built a large house a t 122 S. Greeley Street in which he never lived.; E.G. Butts, a Stillwater attorney, built the houses a t 106 S. Sherburne Street and 122 N. Sherburne Street. Butts had many lots in the area, but he built few houses. Charles N';. Nelson, a Stillwater bank president, owned many of the lots in the survey area, having lived briefly a t 820 W. Myrtle, but he did not build any houses.

77 Ibid. Page 115.


The Best Flour In the World

is nade at Stillwater, a

Florence Mill Co. -.

. --~-~.-A .. ..

SILVER MEDAL MEDAL

WORLD'S F A m NEW EUOLAND

CHICAOO.. . FAIR. . . .

- - . ... - - .

TBWNSHEND'S

BUTTERFLY Insist on having this Brand of Flour,

Townshend's Butterfly.

J.H. Townshend inveded in a number of renlal/speculdon houses in the survry area

History of ihe Greeley Neighborhood

In the 1880's and 90s, most of the homes in our survey area were built. Many of the building contractors who built those homes lived nlthin the area. From the relatively few houses that are documented, we have to infer that the following men were the leading builders in our survey area.

One of Stillwater's leading home builders of this era was Thomas Roney whom, we have seen, lived a t 626 6. Olive Street. Among other houses, Roney made additions to 1" 1. Greeley Street, 116 S. Sherburne Street and 106 N. Owens Street.'8 He probably also built the home of hlalinda Roney a t 231 N. Everett Street. Thomas Roney was born in 1826 and came to Stillwater in 1866. He &ed in January of 1908.79

Lenerhead and signafure of .Stilhuder contmnctor. Thnmm Roney so

"City of Stillwater Buildiny Permit # 's 173 ,183 and 895 j9 Obiruary, Sf,lh*orer Weekly Ga-enc, January 22, 1908 Y"Washngton County Probare Coun File #66

BAIRD & JOHNSON

CORNER OF

2d and Myrtle Sts.

PLANS AND ESTIMATES FURNISHED ON APPLICATION.

All Kinds of Cablnet Work and Repalring Promptly At-

tended to.

Alfred L Johnson was one the builden who lived ~d worked in rhe area

Thomas Roney's son, George Roney, was also working and living in the survey area. He resided for a time a t 1013 W. Myrtle Street a t which time he made a substantial addition to tha t house. He also built a barn for fellow businessman and brother-in-law, George Munkel, a t 106 N. Owens Street.6' Perhaps more significantly, he worked a s a carpenter for the Stillwater Manufacturing Company w h c h , a s we s h d see, built a number of homes in the area.s2

Alfred L. Johnson was another local builder and contractor. He built 126 N. Martha Street a s well a s 210 N. Martha Street where he was residing in 1892.83 That same year he is als+like fellow resident George Roney-- listed working a s a carpenter for Stillwater Manufacturing Company which built many of the homes in Stdlwater. A year later, in 1893, he built the house a t 424 W. Myrtle Street where

81 Ciry o f Stillwater Building Permit # 's 629 aid 387A Stillwater City Directory for 1892 Stdlwater City Directory for 1892


he lived for several years.84 It was at this time he was in business with John T. Baird of Houlton, Wisconsin.

Edward Olson, another contractor and builder within our survey area, built 1011 W. Myrtle Street in 1881; a home he lived in for several years. He also built 108 S. Owens Street in 1883, 814 W. Olive Street in 1888, and he made a substantial addition to 210 N. Everett Street.&

R.G. Blanchard built a home at 121 S. Owens and made an addition to 919 R:. Myrtle Street.% Eugene Olliver, a contractor, built and lived at 917 W. Myrtle Street and Alex Simpson, another contractor, built and lived at 820 Myrtle Street.

In going through the list of houses in Appendix B, and noting the number of carpenters who were the first occupants of their homes, we can only speculate that many of these carpenters either built or helped build their own homes. Unfortunately, most of the houses do not have a documented builder; the building permits did not begin until 1886a f t e r many of the homes were built.

Perhaps the most proldic builder of homes in the 1880's and '90's was the Stillwater Manufacturing Company under the leadership of Sven Berglund. Besides George Roney and A&ed L. Johnson, other carpenters in our survey area who worked for Berglund include: Otto Celeen (214 N. Greeley Street), Gustaf Swanson (207 N. Martha Street), Adam Johnson (209 N. Martha Street), David Lagerstedt (210 N. Martha Street), Sven Magnuson (202 N. Martha Street), Martin hlartinson (618 W. Rice Street), Louis Werme (214 N. Wiham Street), and Frank Lund (804 W. Olive Street).

Houses that the Stillwater Manufacturing Company either built, or made adhtions to, include 202 N. Greeley Street, 504 W. Olive Street, 612 W. Rice Street, 810 W. Olive Street, 236 N. Wiham Street, and one house no longer standmg.87 In these days of corporate incentives it is of some interest that the Stillwater Manufacturing Company was given a bonus of $5,000 by the people of Stillwater on conhtion that it should start a plant employing at least 60 men. It began by actually employing 120 men.88

City of Srillwater Building Permit #740~ Ibid, f i ' s 329 and 338 Ibid # 19 1

'' h id #'s 19;. 786, 721, 283, 441. and 819 " Sl~ lh~a lrr Gcellr. lanuary 24, 1908.


L. SAKGENT. 5. BBRGLUND.

The Stillvater Mfg. Go, STILLWATER, MINN.

SASH, DOORS, BLIIDS, MOULDIHGS, ETG, BUPERIOB FACILJTIES FOR PUODUCING ALL KINDS O F

HOUSE PIMBEINQ MATERIAL.

Pioe Interior Finish in All Kinds of Bloods a Specialty.

&TIM ATE8 FUBNIY HED PROMPTLY ON APPLICATION.

The Stilhuater hfanufacluring Company built many of the homes in our sunfey area

THE BUSINESSMEN

This was very much a neighborhood of blue collar workers. Unlike, however, the North HiLl or the South Hill, very few independent businessmen or business owners lived in this area.


George Munkel, a butcher, had a long-term residence a t 106 K. Owens Street.

GEO. E. MUNKEL & CO., -DCILLII. In-

Fresh @ Smoked Meats , POULTRY AND GAME IN THEIR SEASON.

700 W. Llnden Street, - Stillwater, Mlnn.

Charles N. Nelson, President of the First National Bank, lived briefly a t 820 W. Myrtle Street. Frank Ewing, a n attorney, lived a t 112 N. Greeley Street, and George Sullivan, another attorney, lived for a time a t 618 W. Myrtle Street. George Borrowman, a harnessmaker with two stores downtown, Lived a t 202 N. Greeley Street.

Two barbers lived in the area: Luke Doyle a t 211 N. Greeley and Bartholomew McSweeney a t 136 S. Holcombe Street. Besides his house, the 1894 tax return of Luke Doyle Lists his personal property a t $225, and notes that he owned one sewing machine, one clock or watch, $35 worth of household furniture, and $175 worth of furniture in his barber shop.

Bryan Mosier a t 616 W. Olive Street began in the neighborhood a s a house painter, but by the end of his career, he was in the retail business downtown. Edward Barrett, a resident a t 225 N. Martha Street, was also in the retail business; he operated the Eagle House Saloon a t 508 W. Myrtle Street-a neighborhood establishment.

Charles Erickson who resided for a time a t 118 N. Greeley was also in the saloon business; h s was a t 208 S. Main Street. Anton Swanson, who built his home a t 810 W. Olive, was also in the retail trade; he was a travel agent.


J. 0. HOLEN & CO.,

Grand Open Boose Block, STILLRATER, MINN. --- -~

1. 0. Holen lived a1 504 IC: Olive Sbed.


Part I11

Porch Pleasures

After 1900 the neighborhood remained pretty static until the 1950's when it enjoyed a second building boom.

There were very few non-residential structures within this survey area. Of the few that did exist, the most prominent and long lived is the grocery store, now called Len's Family Foods, a t 101 N. Owens Street at the corner of Myrtle and Owens Streets. Built in 1900 by James P. Hanson a s a two-story structure, with a grocery store on the main floor, and residential quarters above, this building has served its original purpose for 97 years. I t is probably one of the few, if not the only commercial building, tha t is still used for the same purpose it was built. Hanson, who had a general store on South Second Street, and lived in Dutchtown, owned the property and constructed this building, but he did not operate the store. Instead, its h s t operator was Eugene J. Mellin, a former hostler, who resided on the second floor of the building.89

By 1910, the store was in the possession of Ernest Carlson who, a few years later, purchased the house a t 212 S. Greeley Street. Carlson, and later his assistant, Oscar Olson, ran this neighborhood grocery store and meat market for decades. It was known in the area a s the "Carlson-Olson store."90

Behmd this grocery store is a public lot which was purchased by the Stillwater Water Department in 1898. Once the site of a water tower, today it is a mini-park with i ts picnic tables and park benches.

The other grocery store in the area which remains today is the River Valley Coop a t 215 N. William Street. Over the years, i t has had various incarnations. Several of the older residents remember it a s part bait shop and part grocery store under the ownership of Percy Sherrod. In 1965, i t is listed in the Stillwater City Directory a s Deno's Super Market, a name recalled by some.

89 Stillwater City Directories for 1898 and 1902. " Jerome W. Larson. Sfilhuarer Rejlecriotu and Lincolrr Schml Dqs: Memories o/gmwing up irr Stilhuater. M~mresora. Unpublished manuscript. 1992? Page 140 Several residents of the neighborhood who had grown up there menrioned the Carlson-Olson store as the one that delivered groceries to their houses~

40 History of the Greeley Neighborhood.

In his manuscript, Jerome Larson mentions other stores in the area. The Seven Corner Grocery operated by John Lustig was at 920 W. Olive Street i n a building used today by Nelson's Drive Inn Dairy Store. 91 Joseph Eichten had a grocery, confectionery, and later a shoe store at 628 W . Olive Street in a building that is no longer there. There was apparently a small confectionary on Myrtle Street near the top of the hill operated by George Ryding who lived at 218 N . Martha Street, but I have been unable to find a city directory listing for it.92

The third neighborhood institution remaining from the turn of the century is what is commonly referred to as "The German School" at 516 W. Myrtle Street. I t was built, as confirmed by the cornerstone on the southwest corner of the building, in 1894. Adolph Sprich who was listed as living at 1006 South Seventh Street, Stillwater, was the contractor. (Three local contractors with whom we are familiar: Baird & Johnson, Sven Berglund, and William Bieging also bid on the building.)g3 The archtects were Buech & Jacobson of St. Paul. The organization paying for the builhng was St. Paul's German Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the purpose of the structure was "for a School an Residence." The bottom floor of the building served as a school and the teachers lived upstairs.

Jerome Larson, who lived i n the neighborhood describes the demise of the school:

'Yust a block away from our home was a large two story frame building used as a school house operated by a German Lutheran Church. During my days, however, the second floor had been converted to apartrrrents and the first floor was used for school class rooms only O I L Saturday morrrir~gs and during public school sumrrter vacatior~ periods. The German language was taught and perhaps sorrle other subject related to that ethnic group. Well, children by nature are blunt a d ofterr basically cruel to their peers whenever there is a chance to gain advar~tage or to shoui superiority. As the United State became ir~volved i n World War I activity with Germany as the adversary, there were strong feelings becornirrg evident against anything Germarr and such feelings somehow were conveyed to children even though our parerrts did not express such attitudes overtly. Now we taunted those children of Germarr ba~kgrour~d errdlessly as they walked to and forrrr that school, callirrg them names and belittling them. Irrsidious

91 Telephone inteMew with Wade Nelson of Stillwater, son of Walter Nelson, the proprietor of this store for many years. According to Wade, the store gradually evolved From groceries and ice cream to a store specializing in dairy products 9' Jerome W Larson, ibid. Pages 141.61; Stillwater City Directories 93 SlilhV~ler Messenger. July 14, 1894, as quoted in Cornerstones; 5 Years at St Paul 1-utheran Church

Stillwater Mimesota . page 16 --


pressures were built up ard as a result many things allied to German culture took to the closet and the Gernaar~ school program ended.'gi

One neighbor living across the street recalls that his sister rented an apartment on the second floor o f the building in the 1930's. At that t ime, he remembers that the first floor remained as classrooms although it had not been used for that purpose for some time.95 Th i s reason for the demise of t he school i s also recounted in a history o f St . Paul's Church which also contains t he copy of an early photograph of t he building.96

T h e other institution in the survey area i s a much more recent one, the First United Methodist Church at 813 W. Myrtle Street. Because the building of t h s church involved the destruction of what was the most historic landmark in the area, Elam Greeley's house, the first brick house in Stillwater, I a m going to quote from the history o f th is church.

' I n the winter of 1952, the Board alas faced with a major decisior~. The improvemer~ts a i d repairs of the church and parsonages continued, but it was now apparent that the William Street house would need considerably more work done O I L it. At this same time it was also learned that the old Creeley home was for sale. This property, consisting of hal f the block O I L the south side of Myrtle Street between William and Creeley Streets, hod not been occupied for several years. The large two-story brick house was all that remained of what had once been one of the more luxurious mansions in Stillwater. The owrLer rww wished to dispose of it and the askingprice was $6,000, with a n earnest rnoney payment of $200. The possible purchase of this old homestead was thoroughly discussed at the Quarterly Coraferer~ce of Feb. 5, 1952. It was agreed that the property was worth the price asked and was a very suitable location for a church sometinae i n the future ...

Plans were quickly made to build a new parsonage. The old Greeley home had a three-room franae section O I L one side. The parsonage ora William Street was sold ard the Woodwards moved into these three roonls while the men of the church proceeded to tear down the rest of the house. Bricks were removed, cleaned and sold; a local wrecking coratractor purchased all the useable lumber; the stone wall along Myrtle Street was taken down to be used later at the new parsonage ... A corlsecration service and opera house was held on ~Vov . 30, 1952 for this first new building on the property so recently acquired.

9' Jerome Larsoq lbid Page 108. 9' Roben C Johnso& 604 W. Myrtle Street, i n t e ~ e w May, 1997. %C=ones; 125 Years at St. Paul Lutheran Church Srillwater. h e s o t a . Valley History Press. 1996.

Page 65


The firm1 cost was ol~ly $15,793.89, considerable under the origirml e~tirnate.~'

There were four contractors who did most of the buildmg in the survey area between 1900 and 1940.

William Bieging, a carpenter and contractor who lived at 808 W. Oak Street, built and repaired homes throughout the city. Within our survey area, he built new houses at 510 W. OLive (1908), 415 W. Mulberry (1906), and 212 S. Greeley (1904). He made repairs to 122 S. Greeley (1891) and built a stable at 616 W. Olive in 1892.

His son, Emil Bieging, who lived a t 505 S. Martha Street, made repairs to homes at 504 W. Olive (1938, 1942), 225 N. Martha (1924), 415 N. Mulberry (1928), and 233 N. Sherburne (1934). In addition he built a garage at 510 W. Olive (1915), and added porches to residences a t 220 N. Greeley (1928), 228 N. Martha (1913), 810 W. Olive (1915), 228 N. Everett (1925), and 109 S. Owens Street (1919).

Frank Linner, a carpenter and contractor, lived a t 709 W. Hickory, and had a business address at 312 South Second Street. He also was busy throughout the city, but within our survey area, he made repairs to 504 W. Olive (1922), 118 N. Greeley (1920), 116 N. Harriet (1930), 201 N. Martha (1923, 1928), 209 N. Martha (1923, 1925), 415 W. Mulberry (1928), 603 W. Myrtle (1924), 617 W. Myrtle (1913), 804 W. Myrtle (1920), 808 W. Myrtle (1920), 810 W. Olive (1925), 121 N. Owens (1928), 221 N. Owens (1924), 231 N. Everett (1920), 619 W. Rice (1920). In addition, he put porches on homes at 616 W. Olive (1901) and 115 N. William (1915). He built the house at 230 N. Owens in 1898, and made a large addition to 618 W. Myrtle Street in 1924.

His son, Laurence Linner, carried on the family business, and made repairs to a number of residences in the 1930's and '40's.

The other contractor of some note during this period was the O.H. Olsen Construction Company wluch budt the home at 724 W. Olive in 1928; a second home at 216 S. Owens in 1944, and the commercial building for the Sanitary Dairy a t 110 S. Greeley Street in 1924.

97 Wendell G Bcardsley And It Come To Pass: A Hislo'y o j the The First U~rited Methodrst Church Stiltwater, hf~~iiiesora. 1841-1984 Patriot Printers, Robbinsdale. Mimeso% November 1985. Page 76-77.

42

TUE LARION FAM\LY HOME 101 N. MARTUA ST.

OlilGlSlAL C O l T A G E AT 201 N. M4RTUA ST.


From a study o f the building permits, it is apparent that the period between 1900 and 1940 was concerned with the enlarging and remodeling of the houses built in the 1870's and 1880's. Porches and bathrooms were added; basements were dug under the homes; roofs were raised for a second story. After looking at the original specifications or price o f the original house, and then looking at the residence today, it is sometimes difficult to believe they are the same house. But the extent of the alterations that sometimes took place can be seen in the illustration on the preceding page from Jerome Larson's book regarding his boyhood home.

J erome Larson writes i n his unpublished manuscript about growing up in this neighborhood i n the 1920'6, and anyone interested in this area or the

Stillwater of that era as seen through the eyes of a growing boy should read Larson's book. I t is entitled Stillwater Reflections ar~d Lincolr~ School Days; Memories of Growing Up i r ~ Stillwater by Jerome W. Larson. The bound manuscript is available in the Reference Room of the Stillwater Public Library.

I t i s not within the scope of this survey to reprint Larson's manuscript, nor does it make sense to quote large portions of i t . But I would like to quote a few passages from it which give a sense of the physical geography of the neighborhood.

'W'her~ever we kids heard the fire bell and were i r~ the vicit~ity we'd hightail it to the bluff at the foot of Rice Street. There we had a par~oramic view of a large part of the downtowrz section of the city and parts of the North arzd South Hill areas. Ofien we could see the smoke front the fire arzd nsany tinies we raced down the bluff to go to the scene. '98

'Xt the north end of our block [Martha Street between Rice a i~d Mulberry] there were two or three empty lots that sloped away from the street and these were used as a neighborhood dumping spot for ashes and other dry rubbish."99

Before the m w bathhouse [at Lily Lake] was built there was no drinking water near the area and we'd get plenty thirsty after

98 Page 127 99 Page 60


swimn~ir~g and playing i n the hot sun arul so the horse watering trough at Greeley and Ramsey Streets was a welcome oasis O I L our way home. "100

'2 fire signal system covered most o f the city [before telephones were common] during my boyhood days and there was a small red painted iron box n~ounted on the street light pole diagorlally across the ir~tersection from our house. To report a fire a small glass panel O I L the front of the box had to be broken, than a n erposed lever depressed."jOl

'The old Greeley house that stood on the property now occupied by the Methodist Church building at Myrtle and Greeley Streets was a n excellent exan~ple o f Georgian Color~ial Style [actually, having been exter~sively remodeled irs the 1890's, it was what today we would call a Queen Anne style] It was o f hard burned brick, deep red i r ~ color, two stories, well proportioned and i n good scale. An open front porch covered the entire front, facing west, the roonls were generally spacious with high ceilings and tall windows. A great number of oaks and some pines stood O I L the grounds providing an ideal setting for the house and this protection along with the high ceilings and thick masonry walls contributed to comfortable living conditiorzs i n warm weather ...I0?

The Rauter Bai ter] house [I15 N. Harriet] located next door to Swain's place 1116 N. Harriet] O I L Harriet Street was exquisitely designed and constructed with delicate architectural lines, lacy fretwork o n rake boards, truncated turret, topped with a low ornanzer~tal iron railing at one corner of the house."l03

In ending, perhaps we might quote I.arson on the joys of the front porch that was so prevalent i n this older area of the city.

I" Page 5 1

'" Page 126 Page 133

lo' Page 133


Long before the modern day distractions o f radio, televisio~~, movie theatres and the automobile, A n ~ e r i c a ~ ~ families made great use o f their porches. Neighbors arid other friends gathered there for euenings of conversation often carried O I L to the rhythm of rocking chairs. Sometimes treats o f ice cream, home made cookies, cake, lemonude, root beer (also home made) niight be served. Perhaps the sound of music from a piano with voices of younger people i n the parlor came wafting out as they sang and played the old time favorites or popular songs of the day. Mar~y homes had screened-ir~porches niakir~g it possible to sit there free from pesky mosquitoes and then a lamp light could be used for paper readir~g or a game of cards. Mah-jong was a popular game then and sometinies the clicking of the ivory pieces was audible. O n rainy days porches provided havens for youiigsters aiid they sheltered sweethearts using the cozy "comfort" of the stiff wood porch swing. ''101

lo' Page 134


The following recommendations are made by the research team as a result of our study and observation of the survey area.

Before Myrtle Street was graded in the late 1860's, and Third Street opened to the South Hill in 1870, the St. Paul Road (West Olive Street) was the main thoroughfare between downtown Shllwater and our survey area.

1.) One of our recommendations is that , with the approval of the residents, the name of Olive Street, west of the original city plat (Fifth Street) be changed back t o the St. Paul Road. This would commemorate one of t he very few roads preceding Minnesota as a Territory.'05

In the earliest days of the city, before Olive Street (the St. Paul Road) was graded and improved, the actual road--including the route the stagecoaches took-- was down the ravine east of Greeley Street and just to the north of Olive Street. This ravine was called at various locations, the St. Psul Ravine, Olive Street Ravine, or Myrtle Street Ravine. The ravine runs on the north side of Olive Street to Holcombe Street where it continues due south, crossing to the south side of Olive Street.'E One of these names was used as late a s 1886, when the city, in an agreement with Hannah Greeley regarding her lot on the southeast corner of Myrtle and Greeley Streets, requested access to construct a "well hole'(so called) of a culvert in the ravine krmwn as "St. Paul Ravir~e."'O~

This survey is not the &st document to call attention to the significance of this ravine. The Plan of Stillwater published in 1918 made this suggestion:

'The rauine beginning at the corner of Sixth Street and Myrtle Street and leading up to the corner of Greeley and Olive Streets, comprising the old St. Paul

105Grover Singley Tracing Minnesota's Old Government RoadsMinnesota Historical Society. 1974. Map opposite page 1

'" Emma Glaser, "How Stillwater Came to Be," Page 204 Mbnesota Histofi24: 195-206 (September 1943) Unpublished rnanumpt by Paul Caplazi. Stillwater, April, 1944 Page 6 .

lo' H Bonds 296


stage road, could feasibly be restored to its fornler character as on easy grade road by layii~g out a drive at the bottom of the ravirle crossing u r ~ d ~ r Urilliam Street through a subway and leading to the plaza on Greeley arLd Oliue street^."'^^

2.) It i s our recommendation tha t the historical significance of th i s ravine be recognized in some way.

Several streets within the area, includmg Martha Street, Everett Street, and parts of Olive Street still retain their old limestone curbs. Most of these curbs have sunk into the ground and are barely discernable. However, homeowners, Ron and Judy Gulden, have raised and restored the handsome line of limestone curb in front of their house at 218 N. Martha Street.

3.) I t is o u r recommendation tha t the Heritage Preservation Commission bring the historic and aesthetic importance of limestone curbs t o t he at tention of t he Stillwater City Council and the Stillwater City Engineer with a view to preserving them in future street resurfacing. They a r e a n important par t of t he historic streetscape.

Doing this survey, and looking closely at the houses in the survey area was, frankly, discouraging. Most of the houses within the survey area, and indeed many in Stdlwater, have lost some or all of their original look. Seeing a lovely old window bay with its windows removed and turned into a walk-in closet is dismaying. It is not only that most of these homes have lost their integrity, but, with their original elements altered or removed, they are simply hsfigured hsproportionate buildings. Newer windows that are of a different size or placement from the original are the most common change; the use of aluminum or vinyl siding to cover what decorative elements may have existed is the second most common change.

There should be some way to designate those homes which have retained most of their original integrity at least in outward appearance. There are other homes that new owners have restored, or tried to restore, close to their original appearance. We think it is important that these houses be publicly recognized, and that the present residents-and future residents-be made aware they have one of the smal l number of an ever-diminishing number of homes retaining their historic appearance.

lob &of Stillwater Prepared under the direction ofThe Park Board, MCMXVIII. Morel & Nichols, Landscape Architeas & Engineers, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

48


Homes within the survey area that fall into this category are:

John Olson 126 N. Everett Street John O'Donnell 210 N. Everett Street Leo & Pearl Roloff 218 N. Everett Street

222 N. Everett Street Sven Hallen 228 N. Everett Street MaLinda Roney 231 N. Everett Street H. M. Hughes 106 N. Greeley Street Douglas Greeley 126 N. Greeley Street

213 N. Greeley Street Ernest Carlson 212 S. Greeley Street

121 N. Martha Street Harrison D. Lotz 125 N. Martha Street Alfred Johnson 126 N. Martha Street Charles Wiham Larson 201 N. Martha Street Sven Magnuson 202 N. Martha Street Gustav Nordstrom 207 N. Martha Street Adam Johnson 209 N. Martha Street Charles Swanberg 215 N. Martha Street Adolph Degler 219 N. Martha Street ErickIAnnie Olson 224 N. Martha Street Emily Swanson 228 N. Martha Street Matilda Larson 232 N. Martha Street Frank Peterson 238 N. Martha Street J. C. Gardner 618 W. Myrtle Street Herman Pretzell 510 W. Olive Street

724 W. Olive Street Frank J . Lund 804 W. Olive Street Andrew Holmes 814 W. Olive Street Oscar Johnson 818 W. Olive Street James Nelson 908 W. Olive Street Peter Peterson 115 N. Owens Street Harry Lueck 116 N. Owens Street Frank Olson 230 N. Owens Street R. G. Blanchard 121 S. Owens Street Martin Dick 612 W. Rice Street Martin Martinson 618 W. a c e Street John Wallin 619 W. a c e Street FerdinandIAugusta Knoll 106 N. Sherburne Street

113 N. Shcrburnc Street Gustava Ledln 119 N. Sherburne Street Gullov Hanson 212 N. Sherburne Street Thomas Shattuck 118 S. Sherburne Street Andrew Nyberg 120 N. W f i a m Street


Andrew Nyberg 123 N. Wdham Street 1876 Andrew Nyberg 124 N. William Street 1885 George Glendening 228 N. William Street 1886

The houses listed above are the houses which retain a fair resemblance to their original appearance when they were built. They are representative of the architecture of their period. In the streetscape, they evoke a vision of the past; they provide continuity to the neighborhood; they give a sense of history to Stillwater. Less than 20 per-cent of the houses we surveyed are upon this List, which means that the vast number of houses I surveyed had been altered considerably; that they no longer looked like the past.

4.) We urge the Historic Preservation Commission t o note in some public way, those houses which still retain their historic appearance. Furthermore, t he public could be educated o n the methods, ways, a n d reasons of keeping-or restoring- the historic integrity of their houses. For example, t h e Commission could prepare and distribute a pamphlet similar t o t ha t one published by the Hastings Heritage Preservation Commission "Caring for Historic Houses in Hastings."

51 History of the Greelq Neighborhood

Book A, Register of Deeds, St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory.

Wendell G. Beardsley. And It Came To Pass; A History of The First United Methodist Church Stillwater, Minnesota, 1841-1984. Patriot Printers, Robbinsdale, Mimesota, November 1985.

Theodore C. Blegen. Minnesota A Historv of the State. U. of Wnnesota Press. 1963.

Frank C. Bliss. St. Paul. Its Past and present. F.C. Bliss Publishing Co., St. Paul, Minn. 1888.

Unpublished manuscript by Paul Caplazi, Stillwater, April, 1944

The Charter and Ordinances of the Citv of Stillwater. Compiled by C. P. Gregory, City Attorney. Stillwater. Lumberman Steam Printing Co, 1881.

Cornerstones: 125 Years at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Stillwater. Minnesota. Valley History Press, 01996.

James Taylor Dunn. The St. Croix: Midwest Border River. Holt, Rinehart arid Winston. New York.

Augustus B. Easton. History of the St. Croix Valley. H. C. Cooper, Jr . & Co. Chicago, 1909.

W. H. C. Folsom. Fifty Years in the Northwest. Pioneer Press Company, 1888

William Watts Folwell. A Histow of Minnesota. St. Paul, The Minnesota Kstorical Society, 1956. Vol. 1.

Emma Glaser, "How Stillwater Came to Be," Page 204, Minnesota Historv 24:195- 206 (September 1943)

Agnes Larson. History of the White Pine Industrv in Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press. 1949.

Jerome W. Larson. Stillwater Reflectioris sad Liricolr~ School Days; Mentories of growing up i r ~ Stillwater, Mir~~cesota. Unpublished manuscript, 1992?

T. M. Newson. Pen Pictures of St. Paul. Minnesota and Bioma~hical Sketches of Old Settlers. Published by the Author, St. Paul, 1886.


Xorth Star Publishing Company. Historv of Washindon Countv and the St. Croix m. Minneapolis, 1881.

The 1870 and 1879 Birds Eye Views of Stillwater by Albert Ruger. [maps] Reprinted by Empson Archives, P.O. Box 791, Stillwater, Mn 55082, 1996.

Plan of Stillwater Prepared under the direction of The Park Board, MCMXVIII. -- Morel & Nichols, Landscape Architects & Engineers, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Stillwater City Directories 1882-1965.

Pryor & Co's Stillwater City Directorv, 1876-77, Stillwater, 1876.

St. Croix Urlior~ [newspaper]

Sectional Map of the Citv of Stillwater 118781. There is a copy of this map hanging --

in the Washington County Recorder's Office.

Grover Singley. Tracing Minnesota's Old Government Roads. Minnesota Kstorical Society. 1974.

Stillu~ater Duily Gazette. [newspaper]

Stillu~aler Gazette. [newspaper]

Stillwater Messenger [newspaper]

Stillu~ater Republicar~ [newspaper]

Stillwater Lurnbernlar~ [newspaper]

U.S. Government Survey, T 30, R20. Field notes

Robert C. Vogel. Stillwater Historic Contexts: A Conlprehensive Planning Approach. Stillwater: Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission, July 1993

Washington County Probate Court Files.

Washington County Recorders Office. Books of Deeds; Books of Mortgages; Books of Bonds; Books of Plats.

Washington County Tax Assessor's Office. Builhng Records


Washington County Tax Assessor's Records, 1861-1900. On microfilm as SAM (State Archives Manuscript) Series 78, 7, 5

J. Fletcher Williams. A Historv of the City of St. Paul to 1875. [reprint] Minnesota Historical Society. 1983.


The following is a list, chronological by building date, of most of the buildings in the survey area. The building dates were found in three sources.

Before 1886, the primary source of information for a building date is the yearly Washington County tax assessor's records in which the assessor went into the neighborhood every year and transcribed a market value for each lot with its improvements. From these records, it is easy, albeit tedious, to deduce when a builhng has been added to the lot. Fortunately an almost complete set of these records are available from State Archives.

In 1886, the City of Stillwater began issuing building permits. These are very useful for establishing a building date as well as the cost of the building and its dimensions. In a few cases, the permits for remodeling wdl give a date for the original building.

After 1900, the building dates given for individual -properties at the Washington County tax assessor's office are generally accurate. The closer to the present time, the more accurate they become. These dates were particularly useful from 1946 to the present because the b d h n g permits for the City of Stillwater are not available for that period.

The occupations were generally found in the Stillwater City Directories beginning in 1876. Other sources: probate court records, deeds, and published biographies were also useful. In order t o determine the demographics of t he survey a rea in t h e 1890's, when Stillwater was a t i t s zenith, I went page by page through the 1892 a n d 1894 City Directories, copying the information for every s t reet address within t h e survey area. Thls gave a better idea of occupations for renters and boarders, as well as home owners. It also gave a better idea of the density of the area. The word "res" means the inhvidual probably was the home owner, as opposed to a boarder who might just be living there.

The cost of the buildings was taken primarily hom the Washington County tax assessor's records and the builhng permits.

The exact source of information for any particular house is given on the Inventory Forms If the reader is interested in the sources for and detailed historical information on any one house, they should send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with the house number to the author at P.O. Box 791, Stillwater, MN 55082.


Date of 1st Bldp. Address 1%' Owners name Occuuation Cost N o w

1856 103 S. Greeley Elam Greeley Pioneer Gone

1857-60 604 W. Myrtle Elisha Brown Carpenter $200 1892: Minerva McKusick (wid. Jonathan E.), res 1892: Dodd, Abial M., Real estate res

1861-64 1212 Olive Mrs. Mary Nickerson $200 1881: Daniel Kilborne Farmer

1865-69 109 S. Owens David K n g $200 1892: Frank DeMars Carpenter res 1892: Leander W. Cass Teamster res.

1865-69 125 S. Owens Perry McLaughlin Shoemaker $200 1892: Robert McLeod Lumberman re8

1871 504 W. Olive Theodore C. Peterson $300 1892: John H. Holen (J.H. Holen & Co) res,

187 1 616 W. OLive Bryan Mosier Painter $500 1892: Bryan J. Mosier. (Mosier Bros.) res

1871 128 S. Holcombe Joseph Weinschenk $300 1892: Alexander E. Sundberg Salesman res

1872 121 N. Greeley John Kelly Lumberman $175 1892: John Kelly Lumberman res. 1892: Annie G . Kelly Teacher bds

1872 617 W. Myrtle William Long Lumberman $300 1892: Charles Weherg Teamster res

1872 820 W. Myrtle Alex. Simpson Carpenter $600 1884: W. C. Reed re6

1873 126 N. Everett John Olson 1892: John WalLin 1892: Gustaf Anderson

1873 231 N. Everett Mahnda Rooriey 1892: M a h d a Rooney

1873 102 S. Harriet Gust. Johnson 1892: Frank Raiter 1892: Sarah Raiter

1873 105 S. Harriet AndrewlJohn Olson

$360 Edger, res. Laborer res.

Gothc res.

Carpenter $200 Mach. Opr res.

(wid. Gustave) res. Harnessmaker $420


1892: John Nelson 112 S. Harriet Frank Peterson

1892: Frank Peterson 132 S. Holcombe Werner Hanitsch

1892: Werner Hanitsch 114 S. Martha Gust Carlgren

1892: Charles G. Carlgren 603 W. Myrtle John Kain

1892: John T. Kain 618 W. Myrtle J.C. Gardner

1892: George H. Sulhvan 510 W. Olive George Evans

1892: Ole Moe 1018 W. Olive Bridget Moore

1892: George A. Moores 121 S. Owens K.G. Blanchard

1892: Arthur W. Underhill 118 S. Sherburne Thomas Shattuck

1892 Hans p . Olson 235 N. William Lucia Ah1

1892: Margaretta B.Wissler

517 W. Myrtle August Lilljegren 1894: August Lilljegren

"9 N. Everett H.R. Murdock 1887: Robert S u h v a n

117 N. Greeley Thomas Carroll 1892: Thomas Carroll

115 S. Martha P.M. Lindbloom 1892: Charles Larson 1892: Andrew Lindberg 1892: Andrew Stadm

123 N. Wilham Andrew R. Nyberg 1892: John Albin 1892: Samuel Register, J r .

116 N. Everett James Fitzgerald 1892: Augustin Sexton 1892: Michael Malloy

202 N. Everett Charles J. Peterson 1892: Charles Peterson

116 N. Harriet David Swain 1892: David M. Swain

Teamster Carpenter Machinist Shoemaker Shoemaker

Guard Lumberman Lumberman Guard Attorney Baggagemaster Driver

Lumberman Carpenter Teamster Laborer Driver Boar lng (wid Jacob)

Rafter Rafter

Investor

Millwright Millwright

Tailor Laborer Shoemaker Mason Laborer Laborer

Lumberman

Laborer Laborer Machine shop Captain

res. $200 res. $540 res. $150 res. $475 res. $1500 res. $700 bds. $300 res. $750 res.

$600 res. $1200 res.

$200 res.

$700 res. $420 res. $260 res. res. res. $175 res. res.

$200 res. res.

$250 res. $900 res.


230 N. Wdliam Andrew Anderson 1892: Frank Lindahl 1892: Peter J . Blad 1892: .John Anderson

202 N. Greeley George Borrowman 1892: George Borrowman 1892: Mrs. Mary Chase

115 N. William James P. Fitzgerald 1892: James P. Fitzgerald

122 N. Harriet John McKusick 1892 John TVIarty

224 N. Martha John Pudring 1892: Annie B. Olson 1892: Nels Sjoholm 1892: John Spense

121 N. hhr tha John McKusick 1892: James Jerritt

917 W. Myrtle Eugene Oliver 1892: Edward Donovan

236 N. Owens George Wissler 1887: George Wissler

112 N. Owens Harriet White 1892: Frederick A. Geswein

230 N. Owens Frank Olson 1892: Frank Olson

208 N. Everett M. McBeth 1892: Murdock hlcBeth 1892: John Hayes

110 S. Everett John Swanberg 1892: John Swanherg 1892: Mary Elmquist

122 S. Greeley Royall Orff "10 N. Greeley Peter Foss

1892: Peter F. Foss 1892: Jacob H. Ralston 1892: Adolph Johnson

214 N. Greeley J. R. Townshend 1892: Otto Celeen

225 N. Greeley J.H. Townshend 1892: Arvid Parson

202 N. Harriet WiVlam Wilson? 216 N. Harriet August Hawkinson

Laborer Laborer Laborer Laborer

Harnessmaker Harnessmaker Domestic

Horsehoer

Investor Laborer

(wid Erick) Laborer Laborer Investor Foreman Contractor Lumberman Machnist Machinist

Wagonmaker Teamster Teamster

Carpenter Carpenter Rafter Laborer Laborer Domestic Guard Packer Packer Machnist Blacksmith Investor Carpenter Investor Millwright

Shoemaker

$450 res. res. res.

$150 res. res. $500 res.

$200 res. $175 bds res. res. $400 res. $700 res. $300 res. $350 res. $200 res.

$500 res. res. $500 res.

$700 $150 res. res. (rear) $100 res. $550 res. $400 $250


1892: August H. Hawkinson 125 N. Martha Harrison Lotz

1892: Harrison D. Lotz 201 N. Martha John Palm

1892: Charles C. Anderson 207 N. Martha Gustav Nordstrom

1892 Gustav Nordstrom 1892: Gustaf Swanson

218 N. Martha John Rydmg 1892: John Ryding

219 N. Martha T. A. Deggler 1892: Charles Olson

817 W. Mulberry J.H. Townshend 1892: August Anderson

905 W. Mulberry J.R. Townshend 1892: Charles Elfstrom 1892: Peter Mattson 1892: Anna Mattson

804 W. Myrtle John Anderson 1011 W. Myrtle Edward Olson

1892: Andrew W. Peterson 118 S. Owens ??

1892: Henry Lyons 1892: Daniel Boyne 1892: John Boyne 1892: Amos Holmes 1892: Benjamen Holmes 1892: John Hurley

215 N. Owens Wallis Schneider 1892: Aaron M. Lesher 1892: August Fosterling 1892: Edward Touet

426 W. Rice Bridget Iaren 61 1 W. Rice James Leslie

1892 James J . Leslie 1892: Joseph Leslie

619 W. Rice John Walhn 1892: George D. Bubar

106 S. Sherburne E.G. Butts 1892: Henry Cook

114 S. Sherburne Matt Lindholm 1892: Andrew Lundholm

122 S. Sherburne 77 . . 1892: John B. Pratt

214 N. Wdliam Johanna Werme

Shoemaker Cutter Cutter Carpenter Carpenter Shoemaker Shoemaker Teamster Tailor Tailor Laborer Laborer Investor Laborer Investor Blacksmith Clerk (wid John) Foreman Bldg. Contractor Painter

Laborer Cook Teamster Laborer Laborer Teamster

Laborer Butcher

Teamster Teamster Teamster

Cook Investor Laborer

Clerk

Bartender

res. $400 res. $100 res. $350 res. res. $260 res. $300 res. $600 res. $700 res. res. bds. $900 $480 res. $900 bds. bds. bds. bds. bds. bds. $425 res. res. res. $350 $250 res. res. $400 res. $600 res. $450 bds. $450 res. $200


1892: Louis Werme 1892: Adolph Lindgren

236 N. William William Johnson 1892: John Lindgren 1892: Caroline Thelander

210 N. Everett John O'DonneLl 1892: John O'Donneu 1892: Charles J . Burns

212 N. Harriet Gust Nels Johnson 215 N. Martha Charles Swanberg

1892: Charles Swanberg 225 N. Martha Edward M. Barrett 513 W. Myrtle Sarah A. Kendall

1892: Robert Kendall 125 N. Owens Margaret Rogers

1892: Robert McLeod 2 2 l N . Owens J . H. Townshend

1892: John Anderson 1118 W. Ramsey J.A. I,inder? 618 W. fice Martin Martinson

1892: Martin Martinson 620 W. Rice Ann Kelly

189'2: William Kelly 104 N. Sherburne J.H. Townshend

1892: Christian Hohlt 114 N. Sherburne J.H. Townshend

1892: Martin Lindholm 1892 William Fischer

225 N. Sherburne Lars G. Lofgren 1892: Andrew Johnson 1892: Lars G. Lofgren 1892: John Ekstrom

120 N. Wilharn Andrew P. Nyberg 1892: Andrew Nyberg

126 N. Greeley Douglas Greeley 1892: George P. Green

213 N. Greeley J.H. Townshend 1892: John A. Young

220 N. Greeley James Arcand 1892: James Arcand

208 N. Harriet John Hubert 1892: John Hubert 1892: Arvid Olson

Carpenter Laborer

Laborer (wid John A,)

Cook Cook

Mason Mason Mason Saloonkeeper

Laborer

Lumberman Investor Laborer

Cabinet maker Cabinetmaker

Laborer Investor Laborer Investor Millwright Tailor Carpenter Laborer Carpenter Laborer Mason Mason

Lumberman Machinist Investor Carpenter Laborer Laborer Laborer Laborer Laborer

res. res. $500 res. res.

$300 res. bds. $125 $125 res. $300 $1100 res. $1400 res. $150 res. $125 $500 res. $500 res. $300 res. $300 res. res. $100 res. res. bde. $750 res.

$525 res. $250 res. $100 res. $200 res.

History of the Greelqy Neighborhood

224 N. Harriet John McKinnon 1892: Edmund Flowers

126 K. Martha ALfred Johnson 1892: Lizzie Lidholm

209 N. Martha Adam Johnson 1892: Adam Johnson 1892: Jennie Linn 1892: Frank Anderson

1018 W. M-wtle George Roney 1892: Thomas P. Ramsden

622 W. Olive Thomas C. Butler 1892: Henry Muller

104 N. Owens J.H. Townshend 1892: Joseph & Robert Leslie

106 N. Owens J.H. Townshend 1892: George Munkel

120 N. Owens John Sutherland 1892: Charles Wigren 1892: Malcolm Christianson 1892: Johan G. Johanson

108 S. Owens Edward Olson 1892 : Frank Orff

1205 Rice N.N. Johnson 110 S. Sherburne Matt Hullberg 106 N. Sherburne Augusta Knoll

1892: Ferdinand C.O. Knoll 111 N. Sherburne Anton Hovden

1892: Anton E. Hovden 118 N. Sherburne Henman Raske

1892: Herman Raske 122 N. Sherburne E.G. Butts

1892: Frank Fiirst 126 N. Sherburne Peter Hullar

1892: Peter Hullar 233 N. Sherburne John H. Jullin

1892: Joseph Lamere

112 N. Greeley Frank H. Ewing 1892: Charles H. Gray 1892: Addie Freeman

118 N. Greeley Charles Lindberg 1892: Charles G. Erickson 1892 Eugene A. Jellison

919 W. Myrtle Edward Donovan

Laborer Teamster

Domestic Carpenter Carpenter Clerk Rafter Carpenter

Street Com. Collector Investor Teamsters Investor Meat Market Riverman Rafter Laborer Laborer Carpenter Machmist

Tinsmith Mason Mason Carpenter Carpenter Investor Laborer Carpenter Carpenter Plasterer Teamster

Attorney Ass't City Clerk (wid Justin A.) Saloon keeper Saloon keeper Driver Lumberman

$375 res. $600

$175 res. bds. res. $100 res. $550 res. $50 res. $450 res. $250 res. res. bds. $525 res $100 $120 $500 res. $100 res. $150 res. $250 res. $200 res. $125 res.

$1000 res. bds $850 res. res. $500

History of the Creeley Neighborhood

1892: Edward Donovan Lumberman 231 N. Sherburne John Holmblad Laborer

1892: John A. Holmblad Salesman 124 N. William Andrew P. Nyberg Mason

1892: James Teare Lineman

211 N. Greeley Luke Doyle Barber 1892: Luke Doyle Barber

136 S . Holcombe Bartholomew McSweeneyBarber 1892: Bartholomew McSweeneyBarber

602 W. Olive Thomas Walter Drayman 110 N. Sherburne William Knospe Carpenter

1892: William Knospe Carpenter 1892: Christian Johnson Laborer 1892: Martha Knospe Dressmaker

216 N. William Malcolm Duncan Lumberman 1892: Malcolm Duncan Lumberman 1892: Luther Heppenstall Peddlar

228 N. William George Clendenning Laborer 1892: George Clendenning Lumberman

210 N. Martha A&ed Johnson Carpenter 1892: David Lagerstedt Carpenter 1892: John 0. Swanson Bookkeeper

804 W. Olive Frank J . Lund Carpenter 114 S . Owens C.N. Nelson Investor 205 N. William P.M. Minogue

1892: Edward Dumas Cook

810 W. Olive Anton Swanson Travel Agt. 1892: Anton Swanson Travel Agt.

814 W. Olive Andrew Holm Cashier 1892: Andrew J. Holm Cashier 1892: Matilda Danielson Domestic

129 N. William Frank P. Ridding 1892: John n'Ionson Laborer

202 N. Martha Sven Magnuson Carpenter 1892: August Ryden Clerk

232 N. Martha Matilda Larson 1892: Charles Nelson Laborer

612 W. Rice Martin Dick Painter 238 N. Martha Frank Peterson Machinist 121 N. Owens August L. Johnson Plasterer

res. $160 res. $150 res.

$550 res. $1250 res. $200 $500 res. res. bds. $200 res. bds. $150 res.

$750 res. res. $200 $300 $600 res.

$900 Res. $1100 res.

$500 res.

res. $300 res.

History of the Creeley Neighborhood

424 W. Myrtle Alfred L. Johnson 119 N. Owens Hannah Greeley 126 N. Harriet David L. Lagerstedt

Contractor $1000 Investor $700 Lumberman $450

516 W. Myrtle German Church 110 N. William Peter Parsons

$3080 Laborer $75

228 N. Martha Emily C. Swanson 115 N. Owens Peter Nelson

114 N. Greeley Peter F. Peterson 126 N. Owens C. N. Nelson 226 N. Sherburne John Bjorklund

Yardman $400 Investor $1200 Laborer $400

102 S. Sherburne 101 N. Owens James P. Hanson Store & dwelling $750

204 N. Owens August Johnson Contractor % 1200

212 S. Greeley William Beiging

206 N. Owens August Johnson Contractor $800

415 W. Mulberry Herbert McKusick Bookkeeper $4000

119 N. Sherburne Mrs. Gustava Ledeen (wid Olaf) $1000

1127 W. Mulberry John G. Johnson

203 N. Sherburne Marcus 0 . Hanson

212 N. Sherburne Gudler Hanson

126 S. Owens John G. Johnson

228 N. Everett Swen M. Hallen Carpenter $1500

225 N. Owens George D. Hill Carpenter $1800

210 N. Owens 2nd house

702 Olive Ed & George Hill Carpenters $2600

1014 W. Ramsey John G. Johnson


818 W. Olive O.J. Johnson $7000

724 W. Olive O.H. Olsen Construction Co. $5000

904 W. Olive 908 W. Olive 116 N. Owens Harry Lueck $5000 2 n d house

113 N. Sherburne 2nd house

218 N. Everett John Pozzini (Architect designed) $3500 1114 W. Olive Louis Simon $3000

111 S. William 104 N. Everett Louis Simon

205 S. Sherburne Ernest Doe $600

218 N. Owens 216 S. Owens Wilham Weiden

213 N. Sherburne

513 W. Mulberry

503 W. Mulberry 507 W. Mulberry 517 W. Mulberry 214 N. Owens

234 N. Everett 913 W. Mulberry

109 S. Center 109 N. William 229 N. Everett

202 N. Sherburne

1118 W. Myrtle 125 S. Greeley 115 S. Sherburne


225 N. William 206 S . Greeley

226 N. Greeley 125 N. Sherburne 229 N. William 718 W. Myrtle 215 N. Harriet

117 S Sherburne 728 W. Olive

233 N. Harriet 204 N. William

1206 W. Olive 232 N. Sherburne 703 W. Myrtle 410 W. Rice 235 N. Owens 7 10 W. Olive

607 W. Myrtle 1115 W. Myrtle 1126 W. Ramsey 115 S . Center

418 W. Rice

117 N. Sherburne 626 W. Olive

1224 W. Olive 1112 W. Myrtle

1122 W. Myrtle 204 S. Sherburne

1121 W. Ramsey

2nd house

114 N. Martha


219 N. Sherburne

112 N. Harriet

104 N. Harriet

117 N. Center 226 N. Harriet

11 1 N. Center

201 N. Greeley 628 W. Olive

124 S. Sherburne 108 N. Harriet

Forgotten Addresses:

The following represents a number of addresses in the city directories that no longer exist. In some cases, they may have been addresses printed in error- addresses that never did exist. In a few cases, they may be addresses that were later changed to a present day address. But, for the most part, they represent houses that are no longer standing.

205 K. Center 1892 128 N. Everett 1892 103 S. Greeley 1892 106 S. Harriet 1892 107 S. Harriet 1892 117 S. Harriet 1892 113 S. Owens 1892 128 S. Martha 1890 216 N. Martha 1892 220 N. Martha 1892 1109 W. Mulberry 1943 506 W. Olive 1892

Charles Jackson Henry Parish Greeley House David Berstein Gustaf Sandahl John 0 . Ohlson Henry Walton Charles Lillygreen John Hultquist Peder Gaalaas Louis Haak Ole A. Moen

Laborer Laborer

Peddlar Laborer Harnessmaker

River man Manager

Clerk


626 W. Olive 1892 George McAloon Cook 2nd house 914 W. Ramsey 1892 Royal C. Orff Guard 1007 W. Ramsey 1892 Kenneth McLaggin Lumberman 1122 W. Ramsey 1892 William Schwenske Laborer 121 N. William 1890 John Albin Laborer 127 N. Wdliam 1892 John Monson Laborer 206 S. William 1890 James D. McComb & family Lumberman

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Stillwater, Minnesota By Donald