The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-04-16
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1896.
EARLY RECOLLECTIONS.
Sam. Sickle Recalls Some Inter
eStinQ Data.

oaAhAah OA uny A0SVAA0S
wood Falls for the first few years OF
my residence there.
On Saturday, the 10th day OF June
A. D. 1868, small caravan of wagons,
consisting of three prairie schooners,
all drawn by oxen, and carrying niue
persons, reached Redwood Falls. 1t
was about two o'clock p. m. My team
was in the lead. We all drew up near
the corners of Second and Washing
ton streets, nearly in front OF Posts
saloon, where the new hardware store
is now located. / rested, with my
hand holding to one of the OK bows,
and as 1 saw the surroundings, and
mentally considered them for probably
twenty minutes, said to the queries
of the others of our party Il stop here
for good"
We went into camp in the alley be-
tween the now Methodist and Presby-
terrain churches. We took week in
looking over the country, going as far
west as Lynd, now Marshall, but all
came back satisfied with choosing as
I had at the first. Our crew consisted
of the family of N. G. Westland, wife
and two children, Benjamin Weldon
and wife, j. E. Belt and my wife and
self. AS my recollection goes there
lived in Redwood Falls at that date
VIM. Simmons, David Watson, Sam
McPhail, Park Worden, John Thomas,
Alonzo Barker, John and Lewis Bak-
er, Grandma Mason, Abijah North
rop, Chester Fisk, VIM. Potter, L. 0.
Root, James Mcmillan, I. Nj. Bunill,
Charles Williams, George Sanford, S.
J. F. Ruter, Birney Flynn, VIM. Nor
rilI, Puloski Broughton, d.. Bigham,
Charles Folsom, Edward March, G.
Griswold, d.. Hitchcock, and l think
one family of the name of Hardness,
then lived in what is now the corporate
limits of the city.
Outside were Jacob Tiffany, Ed.
Fosgate, S. S. Goodrich, o. G. Martin
and Robert Watson, while down on
the Grow Greek there was considerable
of settlement. l remember, too,
that at that time, Jonas SALISBURY
had residence just about at the ge-
ographical centre of what is now North
Redwood. On the second Of July all
of our caravan moved in house that
stood where is now the residence of
George Lechner. On Bridge street at
that time the saw mill at the falls was
running and the logs that had been
hauled in the previous winter were
piled as high as they could be piled
conveniently and covered the whole
available space from the mill up to and
above Second street and all of block
Is, except Thomas blacksmith shop
and the Northrop residence lot, where
now stands Hitchcock's drug, store
The ravine between the Huntington
and Brooks property was also utilized
by heaps Of logs and good share Of
block 9 the same. There was 4th OF
July celebration TO come off soon and
it was about the time to gather dona.
tons for a grand picnic. 1t was as.
certained that there was scarcity OF
-four in the stores. DR.. Hitchcock
took trip through the city to see
how much of that independence arti
Gle could be found in private families
When he came to our place he said
that SO far the only donations he hac
secured consisted of butter and goose
berries. But the day was celebrated
and the spread was both plenteou!
and delicious. Our picnic grounds
we're on the bluff, not far from tn
residence of Mrs. Newton nee Butter
field, on Minnesota avenue. 1 sup
pose there were five hundred persons
or more, that dined there that day.
gave list of those families we fount
in Redwood Falls when we arrive,
there. In two weeks time the Who'll
scene was changed, and by the tim
winter set in I judge the populatio
was doubled. Worden & Ruter's mi
was finished that fall, and that DIRE,
settlers to the surrounding country a
we'll as to the city. That winter i
Redwood was winter of business
Lumber must be had and the virgil
forests furnished it. There were tw
stores there at that time-Behnke
Bro. had a store about where Lich
warck's saloon now is. That, with a
it's contents, was burned in Feb. 1856!