The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-07-04

have made her but the more appre.
ciative of the comforts of today, and
she and Captain Beatty now have
the joy of seeing their children enjoy
the fulness of life and their grand
children grow into beautiful child
hood
There are Other Old Settlers.
Others who came that first sum-
mer and still live in the city are
Mrs. o. o. Pitcher, Mrs. s. S. Soule,
Mrs. Evans Goodrich, Mrs. William
F. Funk, and Fred Kron, Mrs. Pit
cher was Miss Mary Warren, Mrs.
Soule was a Miss Van Brunt and
Mrs. Funk and Mrs, Goodrich were
daughters of H. Rathburn, who was
later mail carrier, and lost his life
in carrying mail between Mankato
and Sioux City a few years afterward.
Mrs. o. o. Pitcher has kept some
of the records of events OF that first
summer and her memory is very
clear on many points connected with
the beginning of the town. 1t should
be said however, that the first white
woman to live permanently in Man
kato was Mrs. Minard Mills who was
afterward Mrs Gerhard Lulsdorff.
FIRST SUMMER IN MANkATo. I
Mrs. Pitchers story of the first
summer contains the facts given
here. Her father, T. d. Warren
brought with him to Mankato, be-
sides his family, a stock of merchan-
disc worth $4,000 or $4,000. The
goods and the passengers all came
to Mankato on the Clarion which
was owned by Captain Humbertson.
This boat piled the river between
Mankato and ST. Paul during that
entire summer and brought many
people to Mankato who became per
manent residents. When Mrs. Pit
cher arrived here there were two
buildings in the town which had
roofs. One was the property of
Henry Jackson and the other was
the property of p. K. Johnson. An
other large warehouse was then in
the course of construction, however,
and. was completed during the early
part of that summer.
Hotel Where Quarries Are.
Edwin Howe and his wife con-
Quoted a hotel where the stone quar-
ries are now located, where people
could board for 81 a day. The build
ing had no roof. Joseph Keene was
also located near there, and had a
little shack where he opened black
smith shop.
I James Hanna at once became
known as fair5minded and upright
man and acted as the. arbiter in all
matters of dispute. There was a
doctor in the town that summer, DR..
Adams, who with. a young man nam
ed Holland, who was lawyer, re-
manned but short time. They
came to Mankato from some eastern
college. ID
Mr.. Warren moved Ibis stock of
merchandise into the. warehouse
which was also occupied by the Han
ma and Maxfield families, after three
or four days and conducted a store.
But the stock was opened up on the
levee and goods were sold No
guard was placed over the goods
and not so much as nail was
stolen. George Cummins later brought
a stock of drugs here and conducted
a drug store in the Hanna building.
There were of course many Indians
about at that time, but they did not
bother the white people in any way
and never STOLE
Land Was Held High.
Land was held high even that
first summer. Mr.. Warren wanted
to buy a lot twenty-five feet square
near the present Kron building and
the price set upon was $500. He
refused to pay that amount and then
preempted a claim on the south end
of the TOWNSHIP. The claim ran from
the old C. D. Taylor house ito the
high school building and out as far
as Prospect Heights. aeG +
Among the people who were resi-
dents of Mankato that first Summer
were, Henry jackson and his wife,
Mr., and Mrs. P. X. JohnsonS T. D..
Warren and his family, George Max
field and his family, James Hanna
and his family, Mr.. Lyon and his
family, Conrad .Kron and family, the
Frenzel family, George M. Van Brunt
and his family, Mynard Mills and
his family, James Guenther, Henry
Guenther. Edward Howe and his
family, Philip drummer and his fam.
lily and H. Rathburn and his family
Among the unmarried men who
were here were George w. Cummins,
Mr.. Cole, George Marsh, Robert
Wardlaw, Josiah Keene and Mr..
Wood.
Like those of the veterans of the
Civil war, the ranks of the old set
tiers in Blue Earth county are fast
thinning out. Father Time is run
ming race with the pioneers who
blazed a trail in this section sixty
years ago. Comparatively few men
and women now remain to tell the
stories, of the days that are gone by.
The annual reunions are not so well
attended as they were, but those
Il