The Mankato free press., 1902-06-30

Ai1OA tho SOuutAy IcCOFoIcu lTOu
;he effects of the invasion, Mankat
rapidly increased in population, trade
and prosperity. In 1868 it was incor-
porated as city. The same year it's
first railroad, the St. Paul & Sioux
City, was completed to this point,
since which time the growth of both
town and county has been rapid and
steady. Churches, school houses, stores
and public buildings of the most sub
stantial character have been built, and
Mankato is now reckoned as one of
the principal cities of Minnesota in
size and in Importance. It's present
population is about $4,000. It's public
buildings are the Blue Earth county
court house, United States postofice
and court house, the city hall, the
central fire station. the state normal
school, six public schools, a Catholic
college, a Lutheran school, business
college, public library, 1S churches,
four banks, the Mankato Theatre, two,
hospitals and nine hotels. Mankato
is on the lines of the following rail-
reads: The G. st. P. M. & o. the
G. & N. W. the G. M. & st. P. and
the G. g. w.
The following items are compiled
from documents preserved by the
Territorial Historical society of Man
kato. The first newspaper in Mankato
was started in September, 1857 by
Hensley & Cunning in a one-story
frame building on the southwest
corner of Broad and Walnut streets.
This building still exists in the form
of dwelling on the rear of the same
lot, fronting on Walnut street This
paper was called the Mankato Inde-
pendent. The Weekly Record was
started by John G. Wise in 1859. The
first -four mill was an annex to A. D.
Seward & 20. g saw mill situated
near the foot of Jackson street. The
first steamboat to reach Mankato was
the Yankee. in July. 1860.
On April 6, 1850, the first fire COM
pany was organized as hook and lad
der company. The names of it's members
SO far as they have been preserved
were u. Paddock, Edwin Bradley,
Edward R. Parry, Isaac Marks, Chas.
F. Dunscomb. F. Prael, JAS B Hub
bell, John @. Wise, Jas. Shoemaker.
Richard R. Parry. W. A. Hodson,
Wesley Maxfeld, W. 81. Wycoff, 81.
Du Buisscn, and c. B. Hensley. The
first president was Edward r. Parry
The first chairman of Blue Earth
county commissioners was Jas. Hanna.
Basil Moreland was the first county
treasurer and J. M. Holland first
county attorney. His salary was 500
year. at the first election held in the
county in 1868, there were two cleo
tion precincts Mankato and Kasota.
Kasota polled ten votes and Mankato
1S.
The murder of the Jewett family
in Rapidan occurred May 9th, 1866.
John Campbell, the leader of the assas
sins, Sioux half breed, was arrest
ed Immediately after, brought to Man
kato, tried on the courthouse square
by an improvised court, found guilty
and hung on tree which stood in the
street at the corner where the high
school is now situated. The rest of
his party-Sioux Indians were way
laid while attempting to rejoin their
tribe and most of them were killed.
The first house in Msnkato was a
log shanty about twelve feet square,
built in the spring of 1862 by W. W.
Paddock, P. K. johnson and Daniel
Williams on the ground back of o. W.
} Schmidt's harness store.
The Mapleton colony came up the
river in 1866 on the steamer Reveille.
They arrived at Mankato on the 9th
of May and landed where the city hall
now stands. AS the streams were full
and there were no bridges they were
compelled to travel to the future site
of Mapleton on foot, a journey of two
days.
In the. spring of 1868 VIM. Irving
and John Goodwin settled at Judson,
where in few days they were joined
by Robert Patterson and others when
they laid out the townsite of Judson,
which was named in honor of
Adoniram Judson, the celebrated mis-
sionary to Asia.
The first settler at South Bend was
Thomas Lamoreaux. In August, 1854,
D. G. Evans writes, the village of
South Bend numbered FIVE families,
comprising 26 persons, two dogs, four
yoke of oxen, six cows, six chickens,
one span of horses and cat
The following statistics are taken
from the first and last reports of the
Mankato board of Trade, and show an
interesting comparison between the
business of 1868 and 1900. 1t will be
remembered that the city was incor-
porated in 1868, therefore these figures
show the growth of the city from its
beginning substantially to the present
time. The first table gives the guam
J titles and values of the products of
some of the leading manufactures
1868.
Stone, 1880 cords and 5000 ft.
of cut stone .......................$ 6, 800
Brick, two millions. ........ 10. 500
Lime. a. 600 barrels. $500
Flour. 16. 700 barrels. ........... S3, 900
Feed 5000
Beer, 2, O85 barrels. .............. 10. 515
Bakery goods. ds.'................... is. 600
Tailoring 1900
Foundry work. l2, 900
Cooperage. g, 100
01O 1An