The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-23
IA THEIR OFST. CLOUD'NEARS
THE END or LIES JOURNEY
Bought the Land Upon Which the City NolD Stands for
$25O-At IS a Poor Man. but Respected
and Beloved

Ie! Inc lano upon Wniee ~. GaouH was
known as the "Father Of st. Cloud, =
has been taken to a hospital and in all
probability will not long survive. He
was born Feb. "a. 1920, in Columbia,
Me. The family removed to New Jer-
sey,- and at the, age Of IL, John was
YORK city, In ls4o he onr removed " ITO to
St. Charles. Ill, and for eleven years
was engaged in contracting and build
/ Following the tide of immigration to
the northwest, he came, in 1851, to the
territory Of Minnesota under a contract
with Taylor G. Steele (the latter. Frank
lin Steele, one of Minnesota's most
mills at st. Anthony Falls. Owing to
differences between the partners, the
project fell thru and Wilson worked
in St. Anthony at putting in mill ma
chinery. .
In December, 1852, he arrived in
Sank Rapids, under agreement to put
in a saw mill for a company which was
which Borup & Oaks, the st. Paul bank
ers, were interested. Sank Rapids was
lively little place, with stores, sa-
looms and hundred or more, lnhab-
| itants. While there, Mr.. Wilson built
| a house for Registrar w. H. Wood of
the United States land office.
Buys Site of Future City.
| On July 10, 1853, after the ratifca-
ton Of the Sioux Indian treaty and it's
prromq4lEgation by President Fillmore,
bank Of the river presented better ad-
vantages for a city, bought from Ole
Bergeson, a Norwegian, his squatter' g
right to the land upon which st. Cloud
proper is now located, paying him $3.50:
This purchase included all the land
| between the north and south ravines
It also extended across the ravine on
of the north ravine to the section line
which was the southern boundary OF
General S. B. Lowry's claim. General
Lowry, an Indian agent, had, in 1852
taken a claim north of Bergeson g
This is now known as Lowry addition
A postoffce, the first in St. Cloud, was
established there and named Arcadia bJ
Judge Meeker. ..-
| Why Called st. Cloud.
Mr.. Wilson kept ,"bachelor.'s hall
The wife of his youth, Miss Cordeli;
Morgan, daughter of Josiah P: Morgan
founder Of the city of Buffalo, n. Y
died the year he left st. Anthony
. | 1907. Anton Lu6lDIUCh dlIlVSu VIII
his family (the first in St. Cloud i
1854, and renting Mr.. Wilson s. cabir
kept sort of hotel, the hardy pioneer
sleeping outside or in their wagons. l.
the fall a plat of the land, consistin
of POT acres, was made, and in jan
uary, 1855, recorded in Benton county
to which Cass county on the west sid
: was attached for judicial purpose
That winter Mr.. Wilson had been rreae
inc the life of Napoleon I and, noticin
that Empress Josephine passed much
her time at their place in st. Clout
= near Paris, he was impressed With tn
8 name and decided to call his new tow
i. site St.. Cloud. 7 H..
From 1851 on, several steamboats, ia
from St. Anthony to St. Cloud, anon =
Rice's North Star, Enterprise and NO No
ticello. In the spring Of 1855 Mr.. w
son built ferryboat and employed
son of Anton Edelbroclz, the prese.
Abbott Alexius, O. S. B., of St. John
Abbey, to run it. They did a got
business. In the fall Of 1856 two lar!
herd of buffalo came down from I'll
far northwest to the head OF Sa1
river and there passed the winter: The
were the last buffalo seen IN this 81. Sc
be related of Mr.. Wilson's experienc
with "claim jumpers' and Indians.
twenty-five Lots for 5000.
The first sale of st. Cloud lots W
| made to DR.. L. G. Kenney OF st. Pa
on Feb. "a, 1855. The deed was t
first one ever recorded in Stearns COZ
ty. 1t included twenty-five lots. a
the consideration was 5000. This
the block upon which the present v
terworks pumping station is located.
The act creating Stearns county "
approved March 4, 1855. On April
- 1855. the county was formally orgs
lied. The first board of county co
missioners consisted Of j. L. Wills
David P. Wood, John Ferschweiler, {
pointed by Governor W. A.: Gorms
Charles Ketcham, clerk of board;
B. Blake, county treasurer; l.. P: Ha
mond, sheriff; N. N. Smith, judge
The plat of ST. Cloud was fled
Stearns county the fall of 1859. I
place was incorporated as a village
r. 1856 and John L. Wilson was nan
it's first president. Anxious to bu
up his town, Mr.. Wilson began to g
lots to newcomers. To Anton &c
brock he gave four lots on the corr
where the Grand Central hotel n
stands. Edelbrock built the Cent
hotel, which he managed, also groc'
store, and sold to j. E. Hayward
1860. ~n
Mr.. Wilson gave lots to Joseph Et
brock, J. w. Tenvoorde, H. G. Wa
and several other business men.
.e..o