The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-01-14
TALKFEST WAS SPIRITED
NORTH SLDERS DEBATE M-
MIGRATION QUESTION
Other Matters Were Discussed
BY the Community Club
Last Night


Last Night
Members of the Mems Community
club of North Mankato held very
interesting meeting last evening in
the parlors of the Belgrade Avenue
Methodist Episcopal church. Last
nights meeting was featured by a
very interesting debate on the sub
1ect Of restriction of immigration,
end "reminiscences of some of the
early settlers Of that village. The
concensus of opinion at the close Of
the debate that what this country
needs most is a more careful regu-
lation on immigration, so as to bar
out undesireables.
Some interesting "reminiscences of
the early days in North Mankato
were given by l. B. Steel, who sew
eral years ago lived on a farm in
Belgrade, township, and since that
time has watched the rapid develop
ment of North Mankato. His re-
marks We're as follows:
My recollectiops go back to the
year of 1859 when we moved from
Limetown, north of Mankato, about
three miles, to farm about five miles
northwest of Mankato on the New
Ulm road. The country then was in
primitive state, there being only
five or six families in that immediate
neighborhood. North Mankato was
at that time a wilderness of trees
and low underbrush. There was on
ly one cabin which was located near
the Bachelor place of today. Mr..
John Breton who owned this cabin
preempted part Of what is now
known as North Mankato.
Nothing Of importance transpired
except the usual routine of life until
just before The Indian Outbreak,
when a small tribe of Sioux Indians
camped in the woods back of our
farm house; we were kept busy list
ening to their pleas for permission
to borrow something all winter long.
They remained there all winter and
moved away in the spring going ov
er to st. Peter. That summer in Au
gust man on horseback informed us
that band of hostile Indians were
coming down our side of the river.
A neighbor came along and took the
family to Mankato. We stayed there
until late in the fall when upon being
assured that the Indians were driven
back into the northern part of the
state, we moved back to the farm.
81 remember that winter as being
an open one. In February at the
time the Indians were hung in Man
kato, it was almost like a summer
day. 49, X a
"Some years after, a man by the
name of Daniels settled in North
Mankato, cleared UP land and built
a blacksmith shop. The ground that
he cleared comprised block five humid
red extending from the river beyond
Belgrade avenue.
"The mode of travel between North
Mankato and Mankato at this time
was by ferry boat, canoe, or fording
when the water was low. The first
ferry boat was located just opposite
the present site of the big mill.
Later it was located at the foot of
the Brenton hill. The settlers cross
ed the river to the foot Of Sibley
Mound and crossed the slough down
into town.
"The dense forests were beginning
to give way to civilization; settlers
were coming in: Mr.. Daniels ran a
small market garden, and Mr.. Lamm
and a few others whose names
don't recall cleared land and built
residences here" m
Mrs. M. M. Cramm,- another of the
early residents Of Belgrade township
told a number of interesting stories of
the early days in and about North
Mankato. Her talk dealt with lat
er date, than that Of Mr.. Steel. She
mentioned the fact that the road
through North Mankato through the
woods followed the present line of
Belgrade avenue and people, who
drove over to Mankato proper did
with OK teams, crossing on a ferry
which was then located about where
the Hubbard mill now stands. AS a
girl Mrs. Cramm remembers that the
present site of North Mankato was
est trees and underbr.sh, and then
gave no promise of the present mod
ern development. She called to mind
one incident, of where the family had
occasion to come to Mankato at night
time with their patient, slow going OK
team. When they arrived. at the
crossing the ferry was on the Man
kato side of the river. Mr.. Trask who
accompanied them went hand over
hand across the river on the cable in
order to bring the ferry across. Those
were some of the things that the
early settlers had to contend with.
"A. ANDERSON remembers moving
with his parents from this side of the
river to North Mankato in an early
day and settling on the old Daniels
place, which is now known as Ander-
sons addition to North Mankato
Large tracts of the village at that
time were devoted to pasturage, and
there was no school yet established
in the village. Belgrade avenue road
had been established through the for
est by the farm traffic from Belgrade
township a great many years before.
]. B. Nielsen also gave a short talk
on the developments he has noted in
the village since taking up his resi-
dence there. = -. -.
Professor C. E. Ball. who presided
at the meeting called for the report
of committees. A. Anderson, chair
man of the publicity committee, re-
ported that he had a conversation
with The Free Press, who has prom
ised his support Of any movement for
the betterment of North Mankato.
ALI The Free Press wants is CO. oper-
alton on the part of North Mankato
citizens in the work of publicity. Mr..
Anderson stated that J. e. Reynolds
Of The Free Press had accepted an
invitation to meet with the club at
any time and discuss matters with
them. c. e. Ball suggested that Mr..