St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-20


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IN Iooo --.-.--.--. Observation-Disclosures. oOJ
In 1S56. observation-disclosures. S37
This does, as Mr.. GoOdhue boosted at
the time, show very rapid increase
in the commerce of the infant settle
ment, but at The earlier date given there
were no settlements in the state, other
than the camps of lumbermen and trap
pers, while at the last date given, settle
mentS had
Become Cutie Numerous
and there were 10 less than ID post
Offices within the then territory of Min
neSota. And every man who did bust
ness of any kind IN the city had to do
more or less whOleSalnC. There were.
to be sure. merchants in most of the out
living villages who bought their goods in
St. Louis and Chicago and some had
them sent from New York, but, as such
purchases were made only once year,
they had 10 have recourse to st. Paul
merchants whenever their stocks needed
repleniShIng at odd times.
In 1886, St. Paul had quite a large num-
Der of merchants engaged in different
lines of trade, but, from the authorities
now accessible to us, it is scarcely posi-
bic to diStinguiSh between she heavy and
small dealers OF that day. 1t is well
known that the following houses were
heavy concerns, such, for instance. as
William COnstans, located on the cor
neT of Jackson and the levee, Charles
w. WO0lley, William /. Perkins and
Temple 4 Beaupre Oh the lower levee;
Culver X harrington, Thomas Yardley,
upper leyee: Baker IL Bangs, }. B.
Holmes, kiefer. IheObald d Co.. Martin
A I e.
son. Grant Il Johnson. Haslet IL Thomp-
son, A. II. MOseley, Richard Marvin,
Dunwell, HartshOrn & Colder, Morton
d Pace, Charles Z. Mayo and l..
krieger IL Co., on Third street,
east of Wabasha; Markley & Kearn.
j. l.. Farwell d Co, Bond II Kellogg,
Dove q Co., F. Linz, B. F. Irvine & Co.,
Putnam q Rogers. Spencer Il Giles, c.
c. Hoffman, &. Hamilton, COOmbs Bros,
William Nixon, FOnSeca & Crawford. A.
L. Chamblin. w. II. Clapp, agent of ID.
w. IngerSoll; King Il Rich. KesSler s.
Riehl, and Drew q Co., on st. Anthony
street NOW Third, west of WabaSha;
Nichols & Berkey. Edwin Cole.
William H. Wolff. j. \. Shredder.
James DAILY, J. j. Shaw IL Co.. n. E.
Tyson and Desire Michaud on streets
running north and south and on Fifth
street. Three years later the dry goods
houses of the city were increased by the
appearance upon the scene of ID. w.
IngerSoll, in person, who chose a lOca-
ton in the building on St. Anthony
street, opposite the First PRESBYTERIAN
church, a locality which has changed so
greatly as hardly to be recognizable by
those who knew it in the Olden time.
MeSSrS. Cathcart IL Co. also started their
immense" dry goods establishment in
that same year on Thru street. between
Robert and Minnesota, and MeSsrs.
James Davenport, I. Il. Pike Il Co, and
Van Ham were added to the list of
booksellers and stationers. J. {.
George, whom many of the old piO-
neerS yet living will remember, and V.
X. Ront, scarcely less noted, were the
steamboat agents of that era. and as
our modern users of slang would say,
they were both ''hustlers."
From the close OF 1857 till after the
war, business in st. Paul was dull. and.
while the old firms generally succeeded
IN getting through the crisis. it is
noticeable that the number of houses
engaged in business two years later. so
far as the directory lists indicate, Is not
so great as in 1886, if one excerpts the
small establishments whose trade was
confined to the local wants of the city.
The list in 1859 contains the names OF
10 grain and produce houses, A gro
cerieS, hardware establishments,
liquor dealers, lumber wards, 4 sash,
door and blind manufacturers and
stove and tlnWare stores. The smaller
establishments, however, greatly out
numbered those OF previous years,
showing that the local trade had vastly
increased.
Another cause was operative. which
omeWhat cOunteracted the influence of
The Monetary Crisis.
and while not conducting to augment
the number of wholesale establish
mentS. did certainly contribute to 4 vast
increase Of the trade of such houses as
continued IN existence. The scarcity of
money incident to the crash of 1857, fol
lowed as it was by the bankruptcy of
those local banks that were founded
upon the railroad bonds issued by tho
state, deprived the merchants of the
rural villages of means 10 make pur-
chases In distant cities, and compelled
them to depend mainly for their stocks
upon st. Paul business men. Moreover,
many of them were not even able top pay
for the smaller orders, which the replen-
lshing of their stocks made necessary,
and the St. Paul merchants came gal
lantly to their relief by extending
them credits under circumstances
which, to say the least. looked ex.
ceedingly risky. A Single firm in
this city was carrying nearly 500. 900.
OF debts of this character against parties
who were known TO be in straitened cir
cumstances. Had their Eastern credit
ors known all the particulars.it is doubt
full whether they would have been will
Ing to ship further supplies in advance
of cash payments; yet, remarkable as it
now seems, There were very few losses
on bills of this kind. The country mer-
chants were careful to make their col
lectionS from farmers as soon as the
latter marketed their next crops. and
most of them remitled to their st. Paul
creditors.
The effect of this generous policy was