PLEASE CONTACT:
The Polk County Historical Society
Robert Street East
Crookston, MN 56716
218-281-1038
Open daily from 1-5 pm starting May 19th... until September
Those interested in genealogy may wish to check, also- http://www.mnhs.org/library/collections/
C.A. Sippel & J.R. Schworm of Maryland recently interviewed Wes Westrum, the former major league player & manager, who hails from Clearbrook, MN. They would like any information available concerned with the Oslo Chiefs, the Crookston Pirates, and, in general, semi-professional/sandlot baseball.
Erik had a farm in Queen Township. He was living there in 1903.
Ida Ann Riegle-Bliven married Edward Richmond Brewster. Their first child, Laura Evelyn Brewster was born February 1, 1898 at Crookston. Their second child, Mary Agnes Brewster was born December 10, 1899 at Saco, Montana.
Antoine (born about 1844) & Emilie were the parents of Louis Cole (born 1851 in Vermont; married Melina Morisette; & died in 1918)
Louis & Minnie had Ferdanand Cole (born 1899; married Mable Brouillard in 1911 & married 2nd Clarice Dufault; he died in 1951).
Ferdanand was father to Dorie, Louis, Richard & Doris.
Peter & Dora (Johnson) from the McInstosh area… children were Arthur b 1891, Menard b 1893, Clara b 1896…
Roy (born 11/16/02 at Lake Crystal, the son of Sam & Meta (Peterson); died 11/5/87)
& Birdie Iverson (born 3/9/01 at Blufton) & died 8/29/53)
Severt (born 1853 died 1934) & Tjorbor Affie (Peterson) (born 1860 died 1952)… in the Gully & Gonvick area.
Tollef (Olsen, Krosstuen) Vollen was born 1831 & died in 1905. He married Gunhild Christensdatter Dale who was born 1852 & died 1933.
They had Christian/Christ (b 1881 d 1967), Annie (b 1883 d 1976), Ingebor/Emma (b 1885 d 1974), Tilda (b 1887 d 1983) & Signe (b 1889 d 1971)
The architect who designed the school in Jeromes addition (Franklin).
The pioneer settler of the town of Gentilly, Polk county, Minnesota, and
a prominent member of the business circle of Crookston, is a native of the
province of Quebec, Canada, and was born May 10, 1829. He is the son of Amaie
and Mary Louise (Turcot) Baudette, and is of French ancestry. At the age of
eighteen he started out in life for himself, going to St. Johnsbury, Vermont,
where he was employed for some eighteen months at wagonmaking. On returning to
his native home he was united in marriage August 23, 1852, with Miss Ida
Chandonnais, and two moths later started for Australia, going to Boston, from
which port he sailed on Christmas day of that year in a sailing vessel named the
Fanny Hill. After a tedious voyage, which lasted some four months and ten days,
he reached that island continent and proceeding “up-country” engaged in gold
diggings for ten months. At the end
of that time, in company with twenty-eight others, he went to Perus, South
America, but, twenty of their number succumbing to the yellow fever in that
country, Mr. Beaudette started for Panama, on the isthmus. Arriving at that
point one day too late for the steamer which had sailed for San Francisco,
Californi, he had to content himself there for two weeks.
At the end of that time he went to California, and after spending three
weeks at Oakland, across the bay from San Francisco, he went to Grass Valley, on
the north fork of the American river. For
five or six weeks he was engaged in building flumes, after which he went to work
in a quartz-mill and remained in the latter about eight months.
Taking a pick and shovel, he next was engaged in mining on French creek,
where he met with very fair success in his search for the auriferous dust.
Fifteen months later he returned to his native home by way of San
Francisco, arriving in the place of his nativity November 1, 1854.
He was fully occupied from that time on, in that locality, in farming,
lumbering and in mercantile life for some fifteen years, but in the fall of 1870
came to the United States and settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Employed in lumbering he remained there until June of the following year,
when he removed to La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he followed the trade of stone
mason until the fall of 1872, at which time he went to St Paul, Minnesota.
In the latter city he rented a stone quarry and was employed in getting
out stone for four years. In the
spring of 1876 Mr. Beaudett came to the Rid River Valley with some fifteen
others, driving a team from St. Paul to Red Lake Falls, Minnesota.
He took a claim of 160 acres, in what is now the town of Gentilly, and
put up the first claim shanty therein.
The subject of this memoir has been one of the most active men in public
affairs in the town, and, while Gentilly and Red Lake Falls townships were under
one civil organization served as chairman of the town boad and continued in that
office for three years. He was also
connected with the school board for a period of six or seven years,
consecutively.
Mr. Baudette is the owner of a fine farm of 200 acres of land, a large
share of which is under a high state of cultivation. In 1882, after having carried on mercantile business in
Gentilly, and to afford his children the advantages of the schools of Crookston,
removed thither after purchasing his present property on Broadway.
Here he has spent every winter since, although he still carries on his
farm. In the spring of 1888 he
opened his present grocery business, under the firm name of Beaudette & Son,
his son alexander being associated with him in trade. The latter was appointed
postmaster of the town of Gentilly in september, 1882, and held that office
until the spring of 1888, when he resigned.
The large number of all those who have the name of Beaudette are, in
fact, direct descendants of one John Beaudette, who was the first of this name
that came to Canada from Brance. This
John Beaudette came from Blanzais, Bishopic of Poietiers, in France, in 1670. He
was married to Miss Marie Grandin from St. Aubert, Bishopic of Orleas, France.
John Beaudette was born in 1650, his wife in 1651. In which portion or
place of Canada they settled is not fully known, but as near as can be traced
out it was in the vicinity of Quebec. They
were blessed with 9 children- four boys and 5 girls. The father of the subject
of this memoir (Joseph Beaudette), whose name was Amable Beaudette was a great,
great grandson of this John Beaudette, and, as record shoes us today, he was the
ablest mechanic in the whole province of Quebec.
Many machines of general usages to the farmer, such as wind mills,
portable saw mills, etc., were invented by him, and among this number was the
first threshing machine ever made in Canada.
The subject of these memoirs, Joseph Beaudette, was one of his children,
and was born in 1829- May 10. He was married to Marie Ida Chandonnais.
They had a large family of eight children (3 others died young)
From Red River Valley and Park Regions of
Minnesota (from Album of Biography of the Famous Valley of the Red River of the
North… Chicago, Alden, Ogle Co., 1889)
Crookston Man Knew Lincoln
In a modest cottage on Spendley street in Crookston, there lives a gray-haired old man who has had the most unique experience not only of having known Abraham Lincoln, but of having been employed by Lincoln before his presidency, during several weeks working at times side by side with Lincoln himself. This man is Ephrene Sainpere, who has been a resident of Crookston for many years, and is known, by sight at least, to many of its people.
A representative of The Times called on Mr. Sainpere yesterday and had a pleasant talk with him regarding his acquaintance with Lincoln. It seems that in the winter of 1861, following the election, Mr. Sainpere, who had come from his birthplace in Canada to the states ten years before, went to Springfield, impelled by the wander-lust that was as common then as now with young men in the congested cities of the East. He had been in Springfield but tow or three days when he was accosted on the street by a tall, ungainly man, in a high hat, who asked him if he could handle a job for him for a few weeks as he looked like a well built lad. Mr. Sainpere replied that if the work were suitable, and if he thought he could do it, he would try it. The tall man had a twinkle in his eye that was very winning, and the two struck a bargain on the spot; and the same day Mr. Sainpete was taken out to a farm about two miles from town and set at splitting rails. His employer worked with him frequently, off and on, the latter managing to split about three hundred rails each day. The tall man did not seem to find it such hard work, and often he would rest his axe and start brooding with a troubled face. They used double-bitted axes, and for several days Mr. Sainpere was afraid to try the swing practiced by his tall companion, as the double edge was new to him and the thing had a tendency to work both ways.
As he had gone directly to the farm after meeting his employer, Mr. Sainpere had not learned the latter’s name, and felt some diffidence about asking for it. After they had worked several hours, the tall man stopped him and asked him, “Do you know who I am?” Mr. Sainpere replied that he did not, having felt that he ought to wait for him to tell it. “Well,” asked the tall man with a sly twinkle, “have you ever heard of Mr. Lincoln?” “I told him,” said Mr. Sainpere yesterday, “that I had, as I had voted for Mr. Lincoln the last November.” The tall man laughed heartily, and said that he was Mr. Lincoln; and the two shook hands with great cordiality over the introduction- the young man of twenty seven with the many years of honorable service before him, and the older man with the four years left of life into which to crowd the achievement of a century.
Mr. Lincoln, who maintained a law office in town, was putting his farm in shape preparatory to his departure for Washington, and was seeing to the repair of his fences. He and Mr. Sainpere had some strenuous times. During the month that the work lasted, Mr. Lincoln never mentioned to Sainpere the national problems that were causing him so much anxiety, but the latter remembers that frequently delegations of prominent men came to see the president-elect. The political atmosphere around the Lincoln home was oppressively tense.
Mr. Sainpere finished his work and left Springfield a few days before Lincoln’s departure for Washington for the inaugural ceremony, going to Missouri for a short stay. He thus missed being present at the farewell gathering to see Mr. Lincoln off, and in so doing missed hearing one of the most affecting and most beautifully tender farewell addresses ever given. Before leaving the Lincoln home, one of the children gave Mr. Sainpere a silver teaspoon which he carried with him all through the war, and which is now in the possession of his daughter. He never saw Lincoln again.
After the war broke out, Mr. Sainpere returned to Springfield and enlisted in Company F of the 14th Illinois regiment, and fought for three years in the west, under Grant, with Logan as his division commander for the most of the time. He was at Shiloh- which the old gentleman calls Pittsburg with more historical accuracy- Corinth, luka and Vicksburg during the siege had captured that fated city. He was never severely wounded. After receiving his discharge, he came to Minnesota, being influenced by friends who preceded him.
At the Times representative was leaving the Sainpere home, at the close of the interview, he met two little girl friends of his and told them he had just seen a man who had known Lincoln. The little girls, aged ten and eight, set up a demand not to be resisted that they be taken to see him, too. In our schools today, even the youngest are taught to share in that solemn pride in the great president that is the glorious heritage of every true American. The old man welcomed the children with the kindly dignity that is so natural to the aged, and offered his hand to each. “Children, Mr. Sainpere knew Mr. Lincoln. He worked with him every day for a month, and lived with him at his home.” There was a moment of awed silence, and then one broke out, “My! You must be over a hundred years old!” But he is not a hundred years old. He is only seventy-three, and those that know him wish him the rest of the century, and he looks as if he would live it.
(From the Crookston Times… likely 3/24/06)
Q. When did
steam boats begin using the Missouri River in Western North Dakota?
How about the Red River?
A. Navigation of the Missouri River by steamboats began much earlier than it did on the Red River. Steamboats made their way up the Missouri by the early 1830s.
The steamboat remained the primary mode of transportation along the Missouri until 1880, when railroads arrived. The Montana gold rush of 1862 added to the traffic in furs, buffalo robes, hides, humps and tongues. Head of navigation was Fort Benton, Mont., not far from Great Falls. Steamboats peaked during the gold rush and declined steadily thereafter. By the 1880s steamboat traffic had disappeared.
The 1870s were the decade of the steamboat along the Red River. In 1875, seven stern-wheelers were in operation on the Red. That era ended in the 1880s, too.