Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-02-06
THE HISTORY OF ~.
MORRISON COUNTY.
WRITTEN IN 1875 BY ORDER OF THE
BOARD OF COUNTY, COMMISSIONERS AND
PUBLISHED IN THE TRANSCRIPT IN THE
SAME YEAR. REVISED AND BROUGHT
DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME.
By NATHAN RICHARDSON.

DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME.
By NATHAN RICHARDSON.
Morrison county was organized by an
act Of the Territorial Legislature of Min
nesota, approved February 25, A.D. 1856.
That portion of it lying east of the Mis-
sissippi river was originally part of
Benton county, and the portion after
wards added to it from the west side of
river was taken from the
original territory of Todd county. The
ori iginally organized portion Of the
county, consisting of what lies east of the
Mississippi river, is % miles wide from
north to south, and averages ~ miles
from east to west; and that portion west
of the Mississippi river averages 81 miles
from north to south, and IA miles from
east to west, making 516 square miles on
the west side of the mississippi river,
and 621 square miles on the east side,
and 1139 square miles, in all.
At the first election, held April II, A.
D. 1856, the following named persons
were elected to office.
VIM. Trask, Elliot J. Kidder, and W.
W. Stebbins were elected county CON-
Nathan Richardson was
elected Register of Deeds, and was there
fore er-o6icio clerk of the board Of county
commissioners. James Fergus was
elected Judge of Probate; Jonathan
Pugh, Sheriff; W. b Fairbanks, District
Attorney; W. W. Tuttle and John Fry,
Assessors.
The first meeting Of the board of
comfy commissioners was held at Little
Falls, the county seat, May 1, A. D.
1856, at which meeting the county COM
missioners organized three election pre-
cincts, Little Falls, No. 1, Swan River,
No. 2, Platte River, No. 8. The first
term of court was held May Is, A. D.
1856. On the 5th day of November, A.
D. 1856, the board of county commission
ers passed a resolution to pay VIM.
Sturgis the sum of eight thousand dol
lars, to build court house for Morrison
county, and on the 24th day of that
month, the said sum Of eight thousand
dollars in Morrison county bonds was,
by order of said board, issued and de-
livered to-the said Sturg for said pur-
pose. The bonds consisted Of one thous-
and dollars each, the first falling due in
three years; and one on each subsequent
year until all became due, and bearin g
interest at the rate of 10 per cent per
annum, until paid. Mr.. Sturgis, being
considered pefectly responsible, was only
required to give his personal bond for
the completion of his contract. He, how.
ever, proceeded to build court house
for the county, and after getting the same
enclosed, he failed, leaving the house fal
from being completed, but had duly dis
posed of the bonds to banker in Wash
ington city, who demanded payment as
the bonds fell due, but was refused pay
ment by the county on account of the
court house not being completed accord
ing to contract. Finally, after many at
tempts at an adjustment of the bono
claim for several years, compromis'
was effected, on the first day of July
1869, under the administration of VIM
Butler, VIM. Harrison, and Richard L
Trask as county commissioners, b.
which the the old bonds were surrendered
to the county, andn bonds were issuet
in their stead to the amount of eigh
thousand dollars, bearing seven per cen
interest, one thousand dollars falling du
each year until paid. These bonds wer
all promptly paid as they became due
While some denounced the action of tn
county board for the action they tool
with regard to the old bonds, the peopl
generally approved Of the terms of settle
ment.
will not now pursue the doings o
the county commissioners farther, bu
will take up the history of the county be
fore it's organization.
AS to the time that the territory nov
included in Morrison county was frs
settled, Professor N. H. Winchell, ou
State Geologist, came to the conclusion
when he made his geological examins
ton Of this county in the summer 0
1878, that large number of people wer
here previous to the last glacial period
which period, in point of time, has never
to my knowledge, been even approx
imately fixed; but to say the least it wa
great many thousand years ago. Il
his geological reports he gives his rea
sons fully for arriving at that conclusion
the principal reason being the large quan
tity of quartz clippings found mixed u
with the last layer of sand along tn
banks Of the Mississippi river, which i
four or five feet deep in some places. A
that time all their edged tools wer
apparently made of stone, and the whit
quartz rock found in abundance in thi
locality, is the best stone that can b
found for bringing to, or making, shar]
edge by breaking and chipping off: A
his theory appears to he good one,
think it is correct; and as there is larg
amount Of these clippings here, it indi
Gates that there was a large population
in the country at that time, Coming
down.. then, to time after the glacia
period, the mound builders inhabited
this section of country, a race Of peopl
of which little is known, and of whom
nothing ever would have been know
had they not perpetuated their memor,
by building mounds, in which it appear
they buried at least some of their dead
Such mounds are found in various part
Of the State; but as far as have beel
able to learn, they are more numerous il
this county than In any other In Mime
sofa. These are located about as follows
Ion section IS, in town Al, range 81
near little lake on Rice creek, called b.
the Indians 1.-THE Lake Between th
Hills" Nearly forty are found there
p. One mile nearly east about a doze1
more are found, two of which were dul
into about three years ago, and / under
stand that in each the skeleton of a pei
Eson was found imbedded in a hard, dry
sandy substance, different from any cart
in that vicinity, but the bones were to
rotten to hold together. 4 8. Going fron
these nearly south about two miles o.