The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-17
GOLDEN JUBILEE NEXT
MINNESOTA STATE HISTORICAL
SOCIETY HOLDS IT'S FORTY
MYTH ANNUAL
EARLY HISTORY is REVIEWED

Been Identiaed with the St
Croix Valley for Nearly Half u
| Century, Read an Interesting Pa
per on the EARLY Lumber Opera
| lions I'm That Section.
| The fortyuninth annual meeting of
! the Minnesota State Historical society
| was held last evening in the house of
| Representatives.. THE election of officers
VIII not occur until next year owing
| to the fact that all officers of the so
ciety are elected for three years. The
| following were among those present:
S. p. Folsom, H. s. Fairchild, Gen. John
u. Sanborn,, Maj. Espey, William Pitt
Murray, Warren Upham, c. D. Gilfillan.
n. P. Langford. Geo. II. Hazard, j.
Is Chaney, E. A. Warren and wife,
j. ID. Humphrey, John D. Ludden, w.
+. ,Clough,~ s. j. Abbott, Davit T..
klngsbury, Rev. William c. Pope, e.
S. Chittenden, Alexander Ramsey and
w. HI. c. Folsom.
President Ramsey read his annual
aGdress, which was In brief as follows:
ne most Important work of this society
10 70 correct and preserve for our people
IouDdatlon and growth of this great com
mon MOI wealth. which is now entering on the
nItleth year from It's beginning as a terri
t .piS. me entire history of Minnesota under
! thls name goes beck only fifty years. But
ne .he wonuerlul- progress of this half-century
,ne changes which it has brought to our
fSu9 t this to the and
tne hignest hope with which any pioneer
| could look forward in coming here.
RARE INDIAN RELICS.
For the museum when it shall be removed
| 10 the new capitol, the society has recently
| received, from a life member a gift of
many thousand stone implements, ornaments
ana Weapons of the Indians in historic and
prehistoric times collected In this state and
IN other parts of the West reaching to the
rocky mountains and Kansas 1t is almost
startling to think that within only fifty yeaTs
ene sttone-polnted arrows OF the indian hunter,
ana his countless herds of buffalo and ante
| and cities. III ~
Reviewing 9ithe growth of the society's
library IN 1898. we note an aggregate acces-
sion OF 1.2S6 books and about 500 pamphlets.
Its total number of titles at the beginning
OF the present, year is 62,446. including 3SS9
| bound volumes of newspapers This great
reference library Of general and local history.
biographical and genealogical records, ami
| descriptive and statistical information, relat-
also to every state Of the Union, and con
| slderably to every, part of the world lie
free to all who wish to use it. The library,
| museum, and portrait collection, are in the
public
After the. remarks of President Ram
sey the chief address given at the
meeting was a paper by Mr.. William
| H. c. Folsom, of Tayor's Falls, enti-
tied History OF. LAUNDERING in the ST.
| Croix Valley..'' The ample qualifica-
| lions of Mr.. Folsom for writing on this
| subject are indicated by the date of his
| coming from Maine to Wisconsin, 1886,
and of his coming to Saltwater, Mimi,
then part of Wisconsin. territory, in
1S44, During fiftyfve years he, has
| been identified with the st. Croix val
ley for. much of the time as prac-
| teal lumberman, and more recently as
| the historian and biographer of the
valley and in general of Wisconsin, and
! Minnesota, in his book Fifty Years
| In the Northwest" comprising about
SOC pages. published ten. years ago. In
part, ME-. Folsom's paper was as fol-
| lows: ~.
Hon. Caleb Gushing, of Massachusetts, in
| 1s46 purchased an interest in the St. Croix
I Falls property and formed a stock company.
| He firmly believed IN the future formation
west part of Wisconsin and what is now
Minnesota. He thought that, with MS almost
unlimited sway IN. congress, this result could
be accomplished and d.. st. Sroix Falls be
time Mr.. Gushing was commissioned by the
/ government and entered the Mexican war.
He. was subsequently sent as minister to
! China. These and. other important duties
| called away his personal attention from. the
| St. Croix property, and from the new territory
| and capital. The water power remains rni,n-
proved to the present time.
After st. Croix Falls, Marine was the next
settlement. Lewis Judd and David Hone
were appointed by company of men resid-
ing in Marine. ILL.,, to visit the Northw west
| and examine the region recently secured from
| the Ojibways. They embarked on the steam
er Ariel at St. Louis. Sept. 10, 1888, and in
They proceeded to the mouth of Kettle
river. and returned by birch canoes
reaching Marine. Ill.,. Nov. 10. and report
ing their location of claims at Marine. Mimi
| During the winter company Of thirteen
members was formed to start In the spring
and build a mill on the distant St. Croix
which they reached. May 10. They brought
min machinery. farming tools household
goods, three yoke Of oxen and cows.
| MILLS WE'RE ESTABLISHED.
| The first land claim covering the beautiful,
| cascade at Osceola, Wis. was made May 1,
| 1874, by Milton, v. Mobiles and L. N. Parker.
| The claim was for mill purposes. and q
| company was formed, consisting of NJ. V. and
| w H. Mobiles, William Kent. w. O.. Mahony,
| Arson Northrup and Lewis Walker. The mill
began operations In S45. using a fifty-foot
| futter. wheel. which made the mill a con-
spicuous object on the river. 1t has long
since been dismanused, after CLEANSING hands
d 81 L
lumber was 35.0o0oOO feet The original
proprietors are dead, excepting Mr.. Kent, who
has been in recent years popular steam
boat captain g.
The year 184S brought many changes to the
valley. Wisconsin was admitted into the
Union, with the St. Croix as her northwestern
boundary. In Saltwater. on Aug. 4, was held
the first public meeting. where were laid the
foundations of the future territory and great
state of Minnesota.
In Hudson, Wis, J. w. Peers built the first
| mill In 1856, and it has passed through many
ownerships, being rebuilt in 1888 at a cost
of $45, 900. Its cut during the first SO years
was 1873 600 900 feet and during the last nine
years, 100000, 600 feet
During the period of sixty years Of lum-
| boring in the St Croix valley. 103 mills have
been erected, which have manufactured al
most exclusively pine lumber. Only II of
these mills are running at the beginning OF
| the year 1899, --..sss
NEW METHODS IN USE.
Mills now cutting from 100000 to $4,000, 900
| feet per season are doing the work that in
| former years. with less efficient methods,
would require ten or fifteen mills In the
| place of each of these to manufacture the
same amount OF lumber in the same time.
In recapitulation. closing this paper, it is
found that the aggregate amount of pine tim
| Der cut during these sixty years within the
st. Croix drainage area Is about 4o54; 200 oo9
as about g per LOGO, or, in total $40. coo 900.
| The amount paid for labor In cutting and
driving the logs and In the mil work aggre-
| lied from numbering. In this valley has thus
| amounted to some ~. 100000. Much of the
| TORPID LIVER
| DR.. Radway9Dear isir: have been using
your medicinesa.that Us. your Pills and Ready
s~1f -,