The Grange advance., 1873-12-10
Hastings in 1855 and In 1873.

-~sSSoAssSAo
We spent an hour or two in the city of
Hastings last week looking up its present
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 a few days
previous one firm alone had purchased 31,-
600 bushels of wheat in one day, we could
not help thinking of -1 r-s:
HASTINGS IN 1855,
when we first saw it. 1t then consisted of
store, a hotel, 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 $. oldes, 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 E. 3. Allen or Henry
Pringle at that time had heard the nightly
music of the howl;ng wolves that infested
the surrounding country, and the Gardners
then had as much idea of going to Heaven
IS 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 Lndependent-peace to its
memory-and to the memory of its editor
also, for his day of glory went down with
the Independent-ha not yet raised the po-
litical war-whoop before election days, or
heralded the victory after. Its rooster was
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-
men; and thus, before the fall of 1855,
Bailey, Barker, Truax, Fulton, DR.. Foster
and LeDuc were followed by North Barnes
& Co., afterwards North & Carl, Charles
Smith, Hertzell, Barney White, Michael
Marsh, all in the dry goods line. Then
there were the Whalley Bros, Davis &
Gordon, afterwards 7. H. Davis, Smith &
Calitf, Loveland & Yager, all on the Levee.
w. K. & S. Rogers, and Hunter s. McClaren
fed the early settlers with groceries, and
wet them down with liquors. Then came
Campbell, Vanduzee, Belden, Eyres and
we'll we must stop somewhere, they have
been coming ever since. We must right
here correct our correspondent who says
Hertzell was here in 1854. He did not
come until the fall of 1855. Henry Bailey
was the first storekeeper in the town. He
was killed at the battle of Chickamagua,
then holding the Office of Lieutenant.
summer Of 1855; 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. r. wILCOxsON,
who used to preach all the way from 1t
Crosse to St. Paul, wherever he could fine
human beings to preach to, going from
mission to mission, afoot, in summer and il
winter, in fair weather and in foul. Mr.
Wilcoxson, with DR.. Breck and DR.. Merrick
built the first Episcopalian Mission Churcl
at St. Paul He is still at Hastings doin,
mission work for the Master, and general,
goes afoot, Notwithstanding his advance,
age. If there were place in Heaven tha
man could merit, there would be found tn
Rev. L. Wilcoxson, when his count of year
are full, and his earthly pilgrimage ended
THE PIONEER PAINTER,
of Dakota county, we believe, is Charlie
King, who came in 1856, but as he at frs
went on to farm at Chubb Creek, tn
first actual working painter in Hasting
was John c. Meloy, now Of the firm G
Gardner & Meloy, who has also made
most efficient auditor of Dakota county.
THE TOWN PRoPRIEroRs OF HASTINGS
were Henry Bailey, Gen. Sibley, Willial
G. LeDuc, the 'Allison's, and Paul Bruno
the latter Of whom pre- -empted one ,quarte
section of the town SITE and is now in th
County Poor House at Niniuger. $50 goe
the world. The. town was. named afte
Gen. sibley, whose full name is Henr
Hastings Sibley. We understand that on
of Mr.. Allison's daughters has since ma,
ried millionaire in Chicago by the nam
Of Morgan. She ought to be happy. Nj
LeDuc still resides at Hastings. = =.