The Grange advance., 1873-12-10
Hastings in 1853 and In 1873.

status, talking with it's business men, and
investigating its past history and present
prospects: and while looking over this beau
tiful and busy town, where but few days
previous one firm alone had purchased 81 -
900 bushels Of wheat in one day. we could
not help thinking Of
HASTINGS IN 1865.
when we first SAW il. 1t then consisted of
store, hotel, Il very few little houses,
and great many burr oak trees. and was
generally called Hastings Landing. Our
friend, John F. Norrish, considers himself
one Of the - 'ol,les, Inhabitants - in these
parts, but he didn't run the aforesaid store,
neither did we see any thing of Dan Eyre
on the top Of !: burr oak tree looking up
location. Neither L. Z. Allen or Henry
Pringle at that time had heard the lightly
music Of the howling wolves that infested
the surrounding country, and the Gardners
then had as much idea Of going 70 Heaven
As they had Of going to Hastings. Neither
John Kennedy or Michael Conner had yet
held office in Dakota county, or even ex-
pected to, unless their scent was stronger
and keener than Is generally supposed.
The old Hastings Independent-peace to its
memory-anl to the memory of its editor
also, for his day Of glory went down with
the IndepenLnt-had not yet raised the po-
litical war whoop before election days, or
I t.,
the product Of later Matching, and its
readers and advertisers were yet in the
far East or beyond the Atlantic. But the
STAR OF EMPIRE
was rolling on, and guiding to the mighty
West thousands and tens of thousands of
brave, bold, and energetic men and wo-
Bailey, Barker, Truax, Fulton, Dr. Foster
and LeDuc were followed by North Barnes
4 Co., afterwards North & Carl Charles
Smith, IIertzell, Barney White, Michael
Marsh all in the dry goods line. Then
there were the Whalley Bros, Davis &
Gordon, afterwards 4. II. Davis, Smith &
O'AA'A1 A"'H'"AA"t ~ HSC1, All vi IHt Lev &C.
W. X. & s. Rogers, and Hunter & Mc(larcn
fed the early settlers with groceries, and
wet them down with liquors. Then came
Campbell, |an'|uzee, Belden, Eyres and
we'll we must stop somewhere, they have
been coming ever since. We must right
here correct our correspondent who says
Hoptyn11 hnrn in, 1874
come until the tall Of 1855. Henry Bailey
was the first storekeeper in the town He
was killed at the battle Of Chickamagu qua,
then holding the Office Of Lieutenant.
Pliny Stowell and H. Stowcll came in the
summer OF 1856; the latter built the first
saw mill At Hastings, being on the site now
occupied by Libby, and formerly by Cowles.
We must not forget to mention the old mis-
sionary Of the Cross,
THE REV. T. WILCOXsON
who used to preach all the way from La
Crosse to St. Paul, wherever lie could find
human beings to preach to, going from
mission to mission, afoot, in summer and in
winter, in fair weather and in foul. Mr..
Wilcoxson, with Dr. Breck and DR.. Merrick.
built the first Episcopalian Mission Church
at st. Paul. lie is still at Hastings doing
mission work for the Master, and generally
goes afoot, Notwithstanding his advanced
age. If there were place in Heaven thai
man could merit, there would be found the
Rev. L. Nilcoxson, when his count of years
are full, and his earthly pilgrimage ended
THE PIONEER PAINTER,
OF Dakota county, we believe is Charles
King, who came in 1856. but as he at first
went on to a farm at Chubb Creek. the
first actual working painter in Hasting:
was John c. Meloy, now of the firm O.
Gardner & Meloy, who has also made :
most efficient auditor of Dakota county.
THE TOWN pRoPRIEToRs OF HASTINGS
were Henry Bailey, Gen. Sibley, William
Il. LeDuc, the Allison's, and Paul Bruno
the latter Of whom pre- empt,,l one quartz,
section OF the town site and is now in the
County Poor House at Nininger. So goc:
the world The town Was named atte,
Gen. Sibley, whose full name is Henr,
Hastings Sibley. We understand that on,
Of Mr.. Allison's daughters has since mar.
ried u millionaire in Chicago by the name
Of Morgan. She ought to he happy. Mr.
LeDuc still resides at Hastings
But let us now turn to the
HASTINGS OF 1873.
which contains about 5000 Inhabitants
seven Protestant churches, two Catholic