1703. This fort was in all probability erected on the plateau below

the Dalles, the distance given, forty leagues, being exaggerated after the fashion of the early voyageurs. It was called Fort St. Croix. There was also a prehistoric settlement, the ruins of which the writer noted as early as 1851, on the school land addition to Taylor's Falls. These were the foundations of nine houses, plainly visible. Over some of them trees two feet in diameter were growing. The rock foundations ranged in size from twenty to thirty feet, with the hearth containing ashes underlying the debris of ages, on smooth hearthstones showing years of service, being apparently a century old. These were the homes, undoubtedly, of a civilized people, and we may claim for Taylor's Falls, Chisago county, one of the first improvements made by whites in the limits of Minnesota. During the last half of the last century a prominent trading post was established and maintained for many years on the St. Croix river, which was founded by Pierre Grinow, and during the close of the last century it was in the charge of one James Perlier, who afterward became one of the most useful citizens of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Lawrence Barth was also here in 1793. The evidence of the existence of this trading post rests upon traditions and the ruins referred to. Recurring to the pioneer Brown, the most irrepressible of all the advance guard of civilization, we find him only a transient inhabitant. He stayed long enough to cut 200,000 feet of pine logs from the present site of Taylor's Falls, when the neighborhood lost its attractions. These were the first pine saw logs cut in the St. Croix valley. In 1838 a French trader, Robinet, was located at the same place, but in the summer of the same year came Mr. Jesse Taylor from Fort Snelling where he had been following the business of a stonemason. He had heard of the ratification of the Indian treaty by Congress, and he greatly coveted some of the rich lands brought into market by that treaty. Mr. Taylor, with an Indian guide, came to the Dalles of the St. Croix. As Mr. Steele had already claimed the east side, Mr. Taylor concluded that he would claim the west side. Returning to Fort Snelling he reported to an associate, Benjamin F. Baker, formed a partnership and returned with men, boats, provisions and building material, but on his return to the falls he found Robinet, the trader, in a bark shanty (at the present junction of Bridge and River streets). Robinet was in actual possession of the coveted acres. Robinet having no other function than that of a trader, and consequently having no serious designs on the lands was easily bought off, and Baker & Taylor, in August, 1838, commenced improvements, building a log house, a blacksmith shop, a mill, and commencing a mill race which had to be blasted. They also built piers and a wing dam just above the present location of the bridge. The mill was located at what has since become the upper steamboat landing. Mr. Taylor named the lower falls Baker's falls, and the settlement, Taylor's Place. When the town was platted, in 1850, it was called Taylor's Falls. The name came also to be applied to the lower falls. The mill enterprise was a melancholy failure. The builders were not practical mill men. The improvements were expensive. The work of blasting rock and building made slow progress. There was no income as long as the mill was in process of building. In the midst of these embarrassments, in 1840, Mr. Baker died. Mr. Taylor took entire possession with no other right than that of a squatter sovereign. In 1843 Mr. Taylor sold the unfinished mill to parties in Osceola, and in 1844 everything movable was transferred to that place. The double log cabin remained, and there Mr. Taylor lived for eight years on the proceeds of the sale, performing in all that time no work more worthy of the historian's notice than fixing his name upon the settlement and falls. Many of the later residents query as to why it was ever called Taylor's Falls. It takes a keen eye to discover any fall in the river at the point named. The falls indeed were once far more conspicuous than they are now, owing to the fact that a large rock rose above the water at the ordinary stage, around which the crowded waters roared and swirled. That rock, never visible in later days, was called Death Rock, because three hapless mariners in a skiff were hurled against it by the swift current and drowned. The old log house, the sole remnant of the Baker and Taylor project, if we may except some holes in the rock made by blasting, and some submerged ruins of the wing dam and pier, has passed through various changes. It has been used as a store, as a boarding house, as a warehouse, as a church, as a school house, and as a stable. Part of it still remains and is habitable. It is located on lot 18, block 15. In 1846 Jesse Taylor sold his claim to Joshua L. Taylor for two hundred dollars. This claim, like most of the claims made prior to the survey of government lands, was not accurately defined. It included, however, all the lands, on the west side of the river, extending northward to the St. Croix Company's claim, at the upper falls, and including the present site of Taylor's Falls. Aside from mill building, nothing was done in the way of improvements until 1846, when Jerry Ross and Benjamin F. Otis commenced farming on what was subsequently known as the Morton and Colby farms. Both raised potatoes and garden vegetables and built houses. This was the first cultivation of the soil in Chisago county. In 1847 Mr. Otis sold his improvements to Wm. F. Colby, who, in that year, raised the first corn grown by white men in the county. In 1846 Thornton Bishop commenced improvements on a farm at the head of the rapids, six miles above Taylor's Falls. J. L. Taylor, in 1848, built a pre-emption shanty midway between the upper and lower falls. In 1849 he proved up his pre-emption to lots 5, 6 and 7, section 30, township 34, range 18. N. C. D. Taylor pre-empted the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 25, and the west half of the same quarter section; also lot 1, section 36, township 34, range 19. In 1849 Lewis Barlow and Wm. E. Bush became citizens. An abstract of the canvassed returns of an election held November 26th shows but six votes in the settlement. In 1850 W. F. Colby pre-empted the northeast quarter of section 25, township 34, range 19, and W. H. C. Folsom the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of the same. At a regular meeting of the St. Croix county board, held at Stillwater, April 2, 1850, the following judges of election were appointed within the present limits of Chisago county: St. Croix Falls precinct, Wm. F. Colby, Wm. Holmes, N. C. D. Taylor; Rush Lake precinct, Levi Clark, Walter Carrier and Richard Arnold. At a meeting, held Oct. 7, 1850, the petition of Lewis Barlow and ten others, of St. Croix Falls precinct, was presented, asking for a special election, to elect two justices of the peace. Their petition was granted. The poll was: Wm. E. Bush, one vote; John H. Reid, six votes; Ansel Smith, five votes. Reid and Smith were declared elected. The first survey of town lots was made in 1851, by Theodore E. Parker, of Stillwater, and under this survey the village was legally established as Taylor's Falls. The first deeds recorded in Chisago county were transcripts from Washington county of lands consisting of town site property, dated 1851, conveyed to W. H. C. Folsom by J. L. and N. C. D. Taylor. The movement for the organization of a new county from the northern part of Washington commenced in the winter of 1851-52. A formidable petition to the legislature to make such organization, drawn up and circulated by Hon. Ansel Smith, of Franconia, and the writer, was duly forwarded, presented and acquiesced in by that body. The writer had been selected to visit the capital in the interest of the petitioners. Some difficulty arose as to the name. The writer had proposed "Chi-sa-ga." This Indian name was ridiculed, and Hamilton, Jackson, Franklin and Jefferson were in turn proposed. The committee of the whole finally reported in favor of the name, Chisaga, but the legislature, in passing the bill for our county organization, by clerical or typographical error changed the last "a" in "saga" to "o," which, having become the law, has not been changed. The eastern boundary of the county was fixed as the St. Croix river; the southern boundary, the line between townships 32 and 33; the western, the line between ranges 21 and 22, for three townships south, and the line between ranges 22 and 23 for the remaining townships north. To show how little was known of the geography of the section we refer to the record of the county commissioners of Washington county, dated Dec. 15, 1848, at which St. Croix district, the present Chisago county, was established as "bounded on the north by Sunrise river and on the west by line between ranges 21 and 22"--an utter impossibility, as the Sunrise river flows in a northerly direction entirely through the county and at its nearest point does not come within three miles of the range line mentioned. The election for the first board of county officers was held at the Chisago House, Oct. 14, 1851. Twenty-three votes were polled at this election. The following officers were elected: Commissioners, Samuel Thomson, chairman; N. C. D. Taylor, Thomas F. Morton; clerk of board and register of deeds, F. W. Abbott; treasurer, W. H. C. Folsom. The bill establishing the county provided that "the seat of justice of the county of Chisago shall be at such point in said county as the first board of commissioners elected in said county shall determine." In accordance with this law, at the first meeting of the commissioners, held at the office of N. C. D. Taylor in Taylor's Falls, Jan. 5, 1852, the town of Taylor's Falls was chosen as the county seat, "agreeable to the Revised Statutes, chapter 1st, section 14th." As the population of the county increased the project of moving the county seat to a more nearly central position was agitated. In 1858 a vote was taken which resulted in favor of its removal to Centre City. The matter of the legality of the vote was referred to the court, and decided by Judge Welch adversely, on the ground that a majority of the voters of the county had not voted. The county seat consequently remained at Taylor's Falls. In 1861 another vote was taken by which the county seat was removed to Chisago City, and there it remained under somewhat adverse circumstances. Chisago City having but a small population and no conveniences for such a purpose, and being for several years without even a post office, repeated efforts were made for another removal, until in 1875 a vote to remove it to Centre City carried. In January, 1876, the records were removed. The county authorities issued $5,000 bonds for a court house which was erected on a point of land extending into Chisago lake, a beautiful situation. The bonds have been paid and the county is without indebtedness, and has a surplus of about $10,000. The town of Amador comprises two eastern tiers of sections of township 35, range 20, and two fractional sections of township 36, range 20, fractional township 35, range 19, and one fractional section of township 36, range 19. The St. Croix river forms its boundary on the north and east. The surface is undulating. The western and southern part is covered with hardwood timber and has rich soil. The northern part has oak openings and prairie, with soil somewhat varied, in some places more or less sandy. It is well watered and drained. Thornton Bishop, the first settler, came in 1846, and located a farm on the banks of the St. Croix, at the head of the rapids, in section 34. Richard Arnold settled on Amador prairie in 1854, and was followed by James P. Martin, Carmi P. Garlick and others. Garlick was a practicing physician, but engaged in other work. He built a steam saw mill and made many other improvements, among them laying out the village of Amador in section 9, township 35, range 20. H. N. Newbury, surveyor, not succeeding in his undertaking, issued the prospectus of a paper to be called the _St. Croix Eagle_ and to be published at Taylor's Falls. This failing he removed to Osceola. Amador was organized in 1858. The first supervisors were C. P. Garlick, R. Arnold and James Martin. A post office was established in 1857; Henry Bush, postmaster. Mr. Bush had a small farm at the mouth of Deer creek, where he built a large public house, two stories high. This house burned down. He established a ferry across the St. Croix. He had a large family of boys who roamed the woods freely until one of their number was lost. The other boys came home as usual but of one they could give no account. Parties were organized for the search, which at last was given up as unsuccessful. A year afterward the bones of the missing boy were found some miles away, by the side of a log, where the little wanderer had doubtless perished of starvation and exposure. Mr. Bishop raised the first crops of the town. The first marriage was that of Charles S. Nevers and Mary Snell, by John Winans, Esq., Feb. 23, 1860. THORNTON BISHOP was a native of Indiana. He came to St. Croix Falls in 1841 and was married to Delia Wolf in 1842, by Rev. W. D. Boutwell, at the Pokegama mission. This wife was a well educated half-breed. They raised a large family of children. He came to Amador in 1846 and farmed for some time at the head of the rapids, when he sold his farm and moved to Sunrise. In 1880 he removed to Kettle River station. In 1883-84-85-86 he served as commissioner for Pine county. WILLIAM HOLMES came to Amador and settled on a farm at the head of the rapids in 1848. The farm is now held by John Dabney. Mr. Holmes married a sister of Mrs. Thornton Bishop. She was educated at Pokegama mission. They raised a large family of children. In 1852 Mr. Holmes removed to Sunrise and thence to Trade River, Wisconsin, in 1875, where he sickened. His brother-in-law, Bishop, came to his relief, removed him to his own home and cared for him till he died, May, 1876. JAMES M. MARTIN was one of the first settlers in Amador. He came originally from Missouri, where he was married. He died July 17, 1887; Mrs. Martin dying some years prior. Their sons are James M., Harvey, Charles, Isaac, and Theodore. Their daughters are Mrs. Cowan, Mrs. Wilkes, Mrs. Nordine and Mrs. Lanon. BRANCH. The town of Branch, occupying township 35, range 21, was set off from Sunrise, and organized in 1872. The first supervisors were William Winston, Peter Delamater and Frank Knight. A post office was established in 1869; Geo. W. Flanders, postmaster. The surface is mostly undulating, and the soil a sandy loam. There are oak openings, and along the course of the north branch of the Sunrise river, which flows through the town from west to east, there are many excellent wild meadows. The north part originally contained pine forests; about 5,000,000 feet have been cut away. Branch contains some pretty and well cultivated farms. The St. Paul & Duluth railroad traverses the town from south to north. NORTH BRANCH STATION. The only village in the town of Branch was platted in January, 1870, the proprietors being the Western Land Association, L. Mendenhall, agent. The plat includes the north half of the northwest quarter of section 21, and the northeast quarter of section 20, township 35, range 21. The first settler was G. M. Flanders, who opened a store here in 1868, which was burned in 1869. Henry L. Ingalls erected a good hotel and other buildings. In 1870 Gurley & Bros. established a store; B. F. Wilkes built a hotel; Winston, Long & Co. established a store. In 1874 J. F. F. Swanson built a flouring mill, which was burned in 1878. The loss was about $6,000, with but little insurance. The village now contains two elevators, three hotels, six stores and the usual proportion of dwellings. There are two churches, the Episcopalian building, erected in 1883; and the Congregational, in