FISH LAKE.
The town of Fish Lake includes township 36, range 22. It was originally well timbered, chiefly with hardwood, but 25,000,000 feet of pine timber has been cut from it and mostly manufactured in the town. There are some fine lakes in the town, of which the largest and finest are Horseshoe and Cedar. The soil is black clay loam with subsoil of clay. The town was cut off from the town of Sunrise and organized in 1868. The first supervisors were Chas. F. Stark, Benjamin Franklin and John A. Hokanson. A post office was established in 1868; Benjamin Franklin, postmaster. The first settlers were Peter Olaf and Peter Bergland, in section 25. The first school was taught by Miss Mattison. The first marriage was that of John Hokanson and Matilda Samuelson. The first death was that of John Erickson. The population is mostly from Sweden. There is a good Swedish Lutheran church built near the centre of the town. There are also a Swedish Methodist and a Swedish Baptist society. The people are a well-to-do, independent class. Fish Lake has a saw mill with a capacity of about 1,000,000 feet. In 1877 Hosburg, the watchman of this mill, was killed by Priestly, an Englishman. Hosburg, in accordance with the rules, had ordered him not to smoke on the premises. The Englishman was arrested, tried for murder and acquitted.
Peter Berg was born in Sweden in 1801; came to America in 1850, and settled at Chisago Lake in 1851. Some time subsequently he settled on the north shore of Fish lake. In 1886, at the age of eighty-five years, he is still a vigorous, active man. Mr. Berg was married in Sweden. He has one daughter, Katharine, who married Sam Hamilton, of Taylor's Falls. Mr. Hamilton died in 1871. She married as her second husband Swain G. Yongren.
Benjamin Franklin, though he bears the name of America's most illustrious philosopher, is a native of Sweden, whence he came with a Swedish colony in 1852, settled at Taylor's Falls, and subsequently removed to the northern shore of Fish lake. By way of explaining how he came by his American name we add that soon after his arrival he came to the writer somewhat puzzled as to how he should write his Swedish name in English. He gave it as "Ben Franz Norel," but pronounced it in such a way that it sounded rather like Benjamin Franklin. We suggested that name as a happy solution of the difficulty, telling him something about the illustrious man who had made it honorable. He adopted it at once, and has never disgraced it. He is still a worthy, industrious and honorable citizen of Fish Lake.
FRANCONIA
Includes the two eastern tiers of sections of township 33, range 20, and fractional township 33, range 19, including about fifteen whole sections, and four fractional. The soil is good, and originally supported a growth of hardwood. The surface is undulating. It is well watered by Lawrence and several other small creeks tributary to the St. Croix, and has several small but clear lakes. Ansel Smith was the first settler of the town and village, which he named after Franconia in the White mountains. He came here in 1852, and located a claim on the present site of the village, on the St. Croix river, section 10, township 33, range 19. He did much for the prosperity of the village and town. He raised the first crops and was the first postmaster (1854). The town was organized in 1858. The first supervisors were Ansel Smith, Leonard P. Day and A. J. Adams. The town is now well settled and has many excellent farms. The branch St. Paul & Duluth railroad has a depot three-fourths of a mile from the village of Franconia. A German Methodist church is located near the centre of the town.
FRANCONIA VILLAGE
Was platted in 1858, by Ansel Smith. It was incorporated in 1884. Paul Munch, in 1860, erected a first class, three storied flouring mill on Lawrence creek. A saw mill, erected in 1854 by the Clark brothers and Ansel Smith, has passed through many changes of ownership. It is now the property of Matthews & Jourdain. Henry F. and Leonard P. Day built the first good dwelling in the village, on the banks of the St. Croix, just above the steamboat landing. Margaret Smith taught the first school. The first death in the village was that of Neil Monroe.
Ansel Smith came from Vermont to St. Croix Falls in 1850 and engaged in teaching. In 1851 he helped erect the Chisago House in Taylor's Falls. In 1852 he made a claim on the St. Croix river, in section 10, township 33, range 19, and there platted the village of Franconia, clearing away the worst of the timber with his own hands. He was an energetic, active business man, and took an interest not only in the affairs of his town and neighborhood, but in the country at large. He represented his district in the fifth, sixth and seventh legislatures. He was appointed register of the United States land office at Duluth in 1870 and served till 1872. Mr. Smith died at his residence in Duluth in 1878, leaving a wife and three promising sons, two of them practicing attorneys in Duluth; one cashier of a bank in Duluth.
Henry F. and Leonard P. Day.—The Day brothers came from St. Lawrence, New York, to the St. Croix valley in 1849, and settled in Franconia in 1852. Henry married Margaret Smith, daughter of David Smith. During the Rebellion he served in Company C, Seventh Minnesota Volunteers. He moved to Florida in 1886. Leonard P. was married to Mary Mitchell in 1856. He died in 1874, leaving a widow, two sons and two daughters. His widow (in 1886) is the wife of Henry Wills, of Osceola.