Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1898-03-23
Close of a Long and Honora-
bic Career-Sketch of
His Life.


t breathed his last. He was a man c
| more than ordinary ability, havin
held many positions of trust in thi
and other counties. For many year
"Uncle Rube," as every one calle'
him, has been a conspicuous fgurei
this community liked by every one
always having pleasant word for al
who met him.
| Hon. Reuben M. Richardson wa
one of the earliest settlers of Steven
county, came to this part of the stat
| May 20, 1869, with a team, by way o
Sank Center, on prospecting tour
At that time there was but one settler
between the latter place and Glen
wood, man by the name of Durkee
and between that point and what il
now Morris, a distance of so miles, the
only inhabitants were Nels Wollan
and Larson Hegland. After looking
the country over he decided to locate
in this county, and, returning to his
| home in St. Cloud, made preparations
for his removal. A week or so later
he came back to this vicinity and To-
Gated a presumption in what is now
the town of Morris and erected a log
cabin in which to shelter himself and
family. At that time there were west
of the Pomme de Terre river but few
settlers. In November of the same
year Mr.. Richardson brought his fam
lily from St. Cloud, and commenced
the improvement Of the farm, and
there made his home until the rail
road was graded through this section.
He then removed to his homestead
which lies inside the corporate limits
of the village of Morris. This was in
July, 1871, and at that time there was
but the store Of Wilkins q Wolff, and
the railroad engineers headquarters
in Morris.
The subject of this memoir was
born in Pickaway county, Ohio, Aug.
8, 1916, and was the son of Peter and
Ann (Mowbray) Richardson. He re-
manned in the Buckeye state with his
parents until his 22d year, and then
removed to the lead mines of Wis
consin. He remained there from 1889
until April, l849, and then went to
St. Paul, where he landed the 10th of
that month. There were but seven
teen houses in what is now Lower
Town and fve( in Upper Town. A
short time after his arrival there he
entered the employ of H. NJ. Rice and
was engaged in the transportation of
military supplies from Fort Smelling
to Fort Gaines,and afterward to Penn
bina. In the spring of 1850 he was
appointed deputy sheriff and deputy
marshal of Benton county, Minnesota,
which then comprised all the territory
lying north of the Rum river and east
of the Mississippi, and took the cen
sus of that county. He found that
the population was 418 souls, embrac-
ing half breeds and all nationalities
under the sun. In these capacities
Mr. Richardson acted for one year,
and in the spring of 1851 was united |
in marriage to Miss Louisa V. Mum
son of Charlotte, Ne, and took |
claim near Sank Rapids, where he
lived till 1856. In the latter year he
removed to the village of Richmond,
Is miles west of St. Cloud, on the
Sank river, and made his home there
until the Indian outbreak in 1868, |
when he removed to st. Cloud. In
that village he resided until coming
to Stevens county. While living there
he held the Office of postmaster from
Oct. l, 1866, until May, 1869.
Mr.. Richardson was elected to the
Territorial Legislature in 1852, to rep
resent the district in which he lived, |
and in 1857, was elected to the state
senate and was continued in the |
legislature until 1866, serving two
terms in the senate and the balance
of the time in the Honse. In 1854 he
received the appointment of receiver
of the United States land office at
Sank Rapids, which was the first one
established north of st. Paul. When
Stevens county was organized, in 1871,
he was appointed register of deeds,
and had to goto Benson to be sworn
in. This Office he held, by election,