The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-26

Of Boston acquired an interest in this
first mill and proceeded to erect more
mills along the dam, renting them to
various parties: and it was as tenants
Of these early and rude mills that
many Of the men afterwards very
prominent in developing the lumber
industry, made their start. S. w.
Farnham, Caleb D. Dorr, Charles
Simpson. Loren Lovejoy and others
were among these early lumber
operators. 49,.
The second mill to be built in what
Is now Minneapolis (for the row on the
East Side was practically one milD
mouth Of M1nnehaha creek. Mr..
Godfrey took up q homestead which
comprised the land now occupied by
the Soldiers home and much of Min
nehaha park. He built, in 1853, a
dam across the creek near it's mouth
operated for number Of years.
Finally 1t was destroyed by fire, but
the ruins of the stone dam remain to
| the present day. Probably not one
visitor In ten thousand who strolls
down the Minnehaha glen, guesses
| that 1t was once the site Of busy little
saw mill.
On the west side Of the river the
first saw mill to be built COT course
excepting Godfrey's mill at Minneha-
ha, which never cut much figure in
the lumber business) was that Of
| Pomeroy, Bates & Co., which was put
UP in 1856. near the mouth Of Bas-
sett's Creek. This mill was burned in
1859 and was not rebuilt; for a mill
without water power was not much
thought Of in those days.
i While this pioneering was being
done the waterpower owners had not
been idle. The st. Anthony Water
Power company and the Minneapolis
Mill company had been chartered in
1856, the former controlling the East
Side. New dams were at once COM
menced and were completed in 1857
and 1858. These dams joined in mid
channel above the falls in the shape
Of letter A much as the present
structure does. The work was an
enormous one for frontier village.
| It showed the unbounded confidence
in the future Of those business men
of the fifties.
On the West Side dam the first saw
mill was the Pioneer mill, which
was commenced by Fitzpatrick &
Hammons in 1858. Major ]. B. Bas-
sett bought it before completion.
This was a famous old saw mill. It
changed hands frequently and some
Of the most prominent lumbermen of
Minneapolis have operated it in their
day. .,...
From these beginnings the lumber
) industry continued to rapidly develop
during the two decades which passed
before the year 1S7S-the date which
is of special interest in this edition Of
T h g J o ur n a !. The group Of mills
|. at the East Side dam grew until every
foot Of space was utilized and the
same conditions prevailed after few
years on the West Side. Associated
. with the operation of the East Side
mills previous to 1870 were the names
of J. B. Bassett, S. w. Farnhan, Sam
uel Stanchfield, Captain John Martin,
Butler & Walker, w. e. Jones, Jona-
than Chase. Chute Bros, j. S. Pills
bury & Co., John Rollins, j. Dean b
Co.. Leonard Day. Todd. Gorton &
Co., Tuttle & Lane, F. G. Mayo, and
Mayo & Clark. In the year 1870 the
whole row Of mills and the old Steele
dam were burned. A new dam 800
feet below the old one was at once
commenced and five mills were built
t to replace the burned structures.
These were owned by Levi Butler s.
Todd, Haven, Leavitt & Co.; Lev!
. Butler, and James McMullen & Co..
, Following the Pioneer mill on the
west side, came mills owned by Leon.
ard Day, w. q. Jones, Ankeny, Rob.
inson & Clement, D. Morrison and w
} D. Washburn. This last mill, built In
sI1865, was called the Lincoln and was
, Mr.. Washburn's first enterprise as 9
t mill owner, altho he had managed the
West Side power for some years an6
. had dealt in logs and lumber.
The two dams were now fully 90.
t cupied by sawmills. Further expan
| sion Of the industry at Minneapolis
/ must mean the use of some othe1
l power; and altho steam was not al
r economical as water power, 1t was ev
l Etdent that 1t must be utilized. One
/ or two small steam mills had beer
Z built, but they had not been :signall,
! successful. But there was a man do
l ing business in Minneapolis who hat
} already surprised his business con
t |temporaries. This was Joseph Dean
/ who went into the lumber business
: lin 1862 and startled the town by buy