Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1917-06-27
HISTORY OF KAN
DffoHI foNNXfE
Extracts From !. E!|alIy M'nslIsh
Papers Abgd Exploration
Of kandiyohi Lakes.
BY Victor f. Lawson.

BY Victor E. Lawson.
The old townsite on which we are as
sembled was associated with a matter
of State Importance that gave our cOun-
ty more advertising and statewide not
oriety than perhaps any other incident
in our history. In territorial days, a
powerful syndicate of influential men,
mainly of Minneapolis, but including
such men as Col Stevens of Glencoe
and John Swanson of Chisago Lake,
supported by no less a parsonage than
Gov. Sibley himself. determined that the
Capital City of Minnesota should be
moved from st. Paul far out on the from
tier. Such wise policy. said they,
inhabited lands and dOurishing cities
and a densely populated country in the
central part of the State would result
That this was the compelling thought
and aspiration of the promoters of the
Kandiyohi Townsite Company is con-
clusively proven by the facsimile of the
plat of the city which they surveyed
h re in October of 1856, which appears
on your programs, and on which is pro-
vided spacious capitol square of four
blocks laid out on yOnder hill. "A fur
Their conclusive proof that this company
had at it's back the most influential men
of the Territory of Minnesota is the fact
IHdI TWO years IdteF, III sept. 1000, aICeT
Minnesota had been admitted to state
hood, Gov. Sibley, the first elected gov
ernor of the State, caused the ten Sec
tiOns Of lands granted to the state by
the Federal Government for public
building purposes, to be selected sur
rounding this tOwnsite. The first selec-
ton of the lands, according to: the COM
MISSIONS report to be found in the old
executive records in the Governors Of
fee, included sections IL, IA and NJ
of Section "a, Kandiyohi townships; Sec
tions 8, IS, % and NJ of Section %,
tennessee township; Section and
part of Sections and in Lake
Elizabeth. Section IA and parts Of
Sections IL and % in Fahlun. The or
iginal project failed. however, because
of difficulties encountered in the De-
partment of the Interior at Washington,
which refused to confirm the selection of
the six sections in the Towns of Kandi-
yohi and tennessee on the ground that
it was "double-priced' land, it being
within six miles of the survey of the
proposed St. Paul and Pacific Railway.
How deeply Gov. Sibley was concerned
may be understood by his own state
ment to the legislature Of 1859, where
he says that he had appealed to the Sec
rotary of the Interior and had been per-
| sOnally assured by him in September,
1859 that he would overrule the order
| of the Land Commissioner and permit
the State to hold the lands selected
This he failed to do, however, before the
Lincoln Administration came in with
new secretary who knew not Gov. Sib-
ley, and SO this serious crimp was put
in the plans of the promoters Of this
particular location for the new Capital
City.
In the summer Of 1860, Gov. Ramsey
sent Abraham Worries to select six Sec
tions in place of those thrown out by
the Government, and he selected them
in the Towns of Lake Elizabeth and East
Lake Lillian, quite remote from this
townsite.
THE CAPITAL QUESTION.
While this action put an end to the
hopes of those who plated this partic-
ular townsite of Kandiyohi, it did not
end the agitation for the removal of the
Capitol to these lands in this county, In
1861, bill to remove the capitol to
these lands was carried by a vote Of rs
to IL in the House, but was defeated in
the Senate. The question was then for
gotten until after the Civil War. In
1869 the question was thoroly discussed
and after being amended several times,
bill providing for the relocation of the
Capital was passed by a decisive vote
of 80 to in the House and 10 to 8 in
the Senate. The situation was then
saved for Saint Paul by Gov. Marshall,
VINO vetoed the Dill on the ground that
there had been no public discussion of
the matter before the election. that the
location was only twenty miles nearer
the true geographical center of the safe
than st. Paul. and that no evil could
come from a postponement of the ques>
ton until the future development Of
Northern Minnesota would more definite
ly decide where the center of population
would eventually become located. In
1871, Hon. Andrew Railson of this coun-
ty again revived the question, but found
sentiment for removal less strong In
1887 an attempt was made to sell the
lands, Gov. Merriam recommending such
disposition. This move was frustrated
by an action of the town meeting of
Fahlun, which went on record against
the sale and sent Swan j. FNecten to st.
Paul to represent them and who was
successful in killing the bill with the
aid of Hon. Nels Guam.
In 1891, Senator Glader fathered bill
to lease the land to active farmers,
which passed and became law. Another
bill to plat a capitol city to be called
"Minnetaga" was defeated.
THE LAST. STAND.
The last bill for the removal of the
Capital to Kandiyohi county was faith