The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-12-02
MANKATO HISTORY.

nshed TO Hefroeh the Memory
of the Old Settlers as we'll as
for Information to the New
Corners and to those
who Contemplate
Coming.
Incidents Relative 70 our Real Estate
Fluctuations Recorded, by some
OF our Old Settlers.
In making record of the following
events, we do so without laying claim
to anything original and p.ehaps
new, to those who arc famil-
lar with the facts, but 1t is for the
purpose Of affording information to
our more recent citizens as we'll rs to
those throughout the East and adj.
joining states that read the FREE
PRESS, and who will be glad to know
something about the earlier settle.
ment Of our city, which occupies so
prominent q position in this new and
growing northwest. To be as auth.
entic as possible, We have invoked
the aid Of several who are old pioneers
and consequently are familiar with
all the details. The article will he
carried through more than one num-
Der OF our paper.
Almost the first thing which
Is naturally considered in the
laying out OF town site Is,
what will he the value of lotsi VIII
they sell rapidly, and with improve
ments, will they increase sufficiently
to recompense the owner. Such
must have been the feelings of Henry
Jackson, =. X. Johnson, W. w.
Paddock, John James. Dan vii.
liams. and Lou DeMorrow. when
they first gazed upon this fertile
valley In tho spring Of 1852. They
evidently considered all of these
things favorably, for they lost no
time in Fastening back to st.
Paul and concluding their arrange.
ments, by organizing q company. and
perfscting permanent settlement.
All Of the above except Paddock and
DeMorrow were in the new organi-
cation. The greatest obstacle that in.
tercepted their progress was in finding
a suitable name for their embryo town.
But finally their perplexity was over.
come by naming 1t after nymph
who presided over a place called Un-
dine, found in an German legend, and
whose name was Mankato. At this
time tho land belonged to the Sioux
Indians, but the following year a
treaty was contaminated with them
at Traverse des Sioux, a small mis-
sion between here and st. Paul, by
which the Indians moved thirty miles
further West, and the town site of
Mankato became ostensibly the prop.
erty of Uncle Sam. From that
time, the sale and exchange of real
estate became one Of the principal
businesses OF the town.
But a short time elapsed ere people
began to pour into this new Eldorado,
and erected their shanties, dug outs,
log cabins, tents, and in fact any.
thing that would shelter man or beast.
There was an endeavor to establish a
fixed price for lots. but such an ar.
rangement soon failed, and the
property sold for anything and every.
thing. Prices varied. II q man had
no supper,but plenty Of land, he would
quickly exchange. Many traded and
bartered just for the name Of it.
This same year the lot of SO feet on
which the Merchants hotel now
stands, was sold for $40. Fifteen
years afterwards, Ambrose Lorentz,
who put mp the present building,
paid $1,000 for 80 feet OF tho same
property. The lots all along Front
street could be bought for from $50
to 500, and the back streets such as
Third and Fourth, were small farms.
In 1857 the great tide of immigra-
ton began to flow westward and
Mankato caught it's share. Then
began the first actual and decided
permanent improvements. The town
began to wear the looks of substan-
TALLY. Claim hunters from every
point of the compass wendell their
way hither, and the amount of ink
used by land officers in registering
prescriptions that year, would make
a small food. Hills and valleys were
dotted with farms. and at every poiut
that presented favorable location, a
town was started. Everything was
booming with no thought of trouble,
when all at once upon the clear hori.
zon of peace and prosperity cloud
darkened the scene, which can be
better described by quoting from a
pamphlet published by our Board of
Trade in 1877.
IAN opinion had gained ground In Mankato,
that the title Of the old town site company
was defective, In consequence OF their having
settled on the land and made their surveys
before the Indian title was extinguished. A
new company was formed, who Immediately
re-surveyod and made claim to the town site
In the conflict which ensucd between the two
companies, the settlers conceived tho idea
that the occupants of the lots were the ones
10 whom the title should come from the gov
eminent"
Jumping lots became IA mania, and