The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-11-01
.0LD-T|ME DIRECTORIES
ARE OWNED BYP'IONEER
From Fridays Daily.

From Fridays Daily. We.
Charles A. Chapman probably has
the only complete set of city direc-
tories of Mankato in the city. His
collection includes every city direc.
tory which has been published here,
and numbers twelve. The first one
is a little book of about seventy
pages and was published in 1878.
This with three others, published
later, were, compiled by James
Shoemaker, who was well known
resident of Mankato. The first book
was printed by Wise & Coffin.
The First Directory.
This first directory contained some
interesting information beside the
actual city directory. The city officers
then were: J. A. Wiswell, mayor;
S. F. Barney and Matthias Ulmen,
aldermen from first ward; Stephen
Lamm, w. w. Bragdon and James
Kelly, aldermen from second ward;
P. H. Carney, w. T. Lewis and c. p.
Williams, aldermen from third ward;
d. B. Owen, r. w. Beebe and James
Cannon, aldermen of fourth ward.
John Lilly was city surveyor, Thomas
Bohan, city attorney; A. Mcdonald,
chief of police; w. J.. Martin, police
constable; H. Thomson, city record
er; Isaac Marks, city treasurer; d.
S. McGraw, commissioner; w. B..
Torrey and P. K. Johnson, city JUS
tees; William Thomas, u. Paddock
and Christian Roos were city com.
missioners.
R. B. Hays was then president of
the United States and J. S. Pills.
bury state governor.
A. r. Pau, ST., who is now judge
of the district court, was then coun-
ty attorney and J. G. Fowler, who
is now register of deeds, held the
same office then. However, he has
since that time. ,...,
The Second Book.
The second directory was publish
ed in 1882, and it contained nearly
200 pages. Mr.. Shoemaker publish
ed two more directories, one in
1886 and one in 1888. There were
none published from that year until
1905 when the first Polk book was
published. From that time there
has been a book published by the
Polk company every two years, the
last one of which is now being dis
ftributed. .st
+ A monument or marker was yes
terday placed where the thirty-eight
Sioux Indians were hanged Deem
Der 26, 1852, near the corner of
Front and Main streets in this city.
/ With the consent of the state
board Of control, and the active CO.
operation Of Frank L. Randall, SUI
perintendent of, the reformatory, this
marker was prepared at actual cost
by the state reformatory at st. Cloud
and is made of gray St Cloud gran.
tie. Judge Cray went to St.. Cloud
and assisted in selecting the gran
lite.
1t has a base stone, five feet long,
two feet wide, and fourteen inches
thick, and a. die six feet high and
four feet, six inches wide, and six
teen inches thick, resting on the
base stone. On the front is raised
and polished letters is the inscrip-
ton, Here Were Hanged Thirty
eight Sioux Indians, December 26,
1852"
The cost of the stone at st. Cloud
was paid by Judge Lorin Cray and
his brother, Nelson Cray, of this
city III
Taking a kindly interest in mark
ing this spot, Mr.. ]. B. Baird, gen
eral freight agent Of the Northern
Pacific Railway company, shipped
the monument free to ST. Paul, al.
though it weighs. upwards of 10000
pounds and occupied car, and with
the same interest Mr.. H. M. Pearce,
freight traffic manager of the
Omaha, shipped it free from st.
Paul to Mankato. /
T. R. Coughlan & Co. put down
a substantial concrete foundation
about six feet deep, without charge.
Mr.. w. R. Hammett took it from
the car and placed it on the founda-l
ton with great care and skill, and
wholly without charge, and A. r. !
Exile leveled and loaded it completely
without charge; all of this work is
the most substantial and complete.
All can see that the stone is a
very fine piece of granite and the
cutting is of the best.
Mr.. Henry Gerlach, architect, pre-.
pared the drawings without compen-
sation.
Mr. Henry Wilcox, of the Mankato
company, will place
a substantial iron fence or railing
around it, free of charge.
The interest that all of these par.
ties have taken in having this his
toric spot permanently marked is
very commendable.
The idea Of marking this place
had its inception last winter when
fifteen persons who were present
at the execution, met and located
the spot
The monument is placed on the
grounds of the Chicago and North.
western Railway company with the
of that company.
1t is quite probable that on De-
,ember rs next, the fiftieth anniver.
sary Of the execution, this monu-
nent will be formally presented to
he city with appropriate exercises.
This ought to be a beginning for
marking other historic points in this
county of which there are several,
If much interest, before those who
IAN definitely locate these points
lave passed away.
W Mrs. j. p Deneen and Miss Edith
PEARSON. About twenty young ladies
we're present and Miss Coleman re-