The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-11-10

townsite was filed with it's dedica-
deeds office in Mankato on January
II, 1885. The plat of Barclays first
addition was filed March 16, 1885,
and that of Barclays second addition,
June Is, 1887. G. w. Allyn's addi-
ton, which lies upon part of the
same government description, was
filed April %, 1889. / am under obli-
cations to ]. G.. Fowler, our most
efficient register of deeds, for many
of these dates.
There had been for years some talk
of the Cannon Valley" route and Of
land grant which had been made to
a certain, or rather uncertain COM
pany, conditioned upon the compile
ton of a railway along the Cannon
Valley, from Red Wing to Mankato
within given time. But it was
generally thought to have lapsed and
nobody in this vicinity excepting the
late George A. Clarke seemed to
think it would ever be used. Major
Clarke always insisted to the writer
that it would be used and the road
would be built. One day in 1884
a right-ofway man named Brown APP
peared upon the scene and readily
secured concessions upon which to
build the road. There were but few
who did not cheerfully grant the
right of way. Mr. Brown did not
know for sure whether the road
would come this side of Madison
Lake or run south of it. And in
deed there were so many advantages
in running by way of Washington
lake, being further from the line of
the Chicago and Northwestern, or
Winona and st. Peter as it was
then called, that the company might
conclude to run over there. 1t all
depended somewhat on the cost of
the right of way. Mr.. Brown would
see what he could do over both
routes. We all "fell for it," to use
the slang of today and the promoters
got not only the right of way but
a half interest in every townsite
along the route.
We (the Barclays rewarded Mr.
Brown for his optimistic representa-
tons by making him a deed to lot 10
of Point Pleasant townsite. On this
lot which he selected himself, he
would erect a cottage that should be
pattern for all subsequent build
ers. Did he? He did not. He al
lowed the lot to be sold for taxes.
1t afterwards fell into the hands Of
Hon. Thomas J. McDermott, who
quieted title and then sold it to
]. G. Barnard, of Omaha, who built
on it. The lot is now the property
of Mrs. A. E. Larkin.
The raiIroad camo IN tho 10Th ~
November, 1884. That was the day
upon which for the first time the
Businesses of these forests were dis
turbed by the locomotives whistle.
The village was incorporated Janu-
airy 5, 1892, and included Point
Pleasant townsite, which thus be-
comes part of the village of Madi-
son Lake.
Point Pleasant was inhabited long
before any other portion of Madi-
son Lake village. No one can tell
now exactly when it was first occu-
pied but many old settlers can re-
member when no one lived on it,
and General j. H. Baker tells of
coming hence with a companion
when "The Point was an almost
impenetrable thicket." They tried
fishing in the lake and were SO
richly rewarded that they returned
a few days later with larger party
and by the aid of their axes made a
camp upon "The Point" where they
remained several days. The general
claims that they were pioneers in
its occupancy, and this party or
ganized subsequently the "Mankato
Boat club" which established fleet
of fiat bottomed boats upon its
shores.
Several years ago the late L. G..