Named in honor of the first territorial governor, occupies fractional township 32, range 25, in the western part of the county, on the Mississippi river. It was organized in 1857 as Watertown, which name was changed to Dover, and then to Ramsey, in 1885. In 1849 an Indian trading house was opened in section 19, by T. A. Holmes and Thomas Beatty. The first permanent settlement was made by a New England colony in 1850, amongst whom were P. Shumway and sons (John and Peter), Nathan and Benjamin Shumway, and Cornelius Pitman. In 1852 the town plat of Itasca was surveyed in sections 19 and 30. William Vincent, Thomas Miller and J. C. Bowers came to Ramsey in 1852. Mr. Bowers was postmaster for twenty-five years at Itasca, and died Oct. 4, 1879. The first supervisors were Jared Benson, Isaac Varney and Cornelius Pitman.
ST. FRANCIS
Includes the two southern tiers of sections of township 34, ranges 24 and 25. The first settlers were George Armsby and E. Fowler, in 1855. The town was organized in 1857, but the records have been lost. Dwight Woodbury, who has been prominent in the history of the county, located a water power flour and saw mill and built a hotel on Rum river where the village of St. Francis has since been built, and surveyed the village plat. The mills were destroyed by fire in 1869, but were immediately rebuilt. In 1880 a bridge across Rum river was built at an expense of $7,000. Mr. Woodbury's investments have been over $25,000. Mr. Streetly opened the first store and was first postmaster at St. Francis.
AN INDIAN RIOT.
In the fall of 1847 a German baron, a single man, and Wm. Noot and wife settled on Big island, in the Mississippi, about two miles above the mouth of Rum river. They were traders. In March, 1848, in consequence of the revolution in Germany, the baron returned to his native land. Noot remained until June, when the Winnebago Indians were removed by Gen. Fletcher. Pending their removal the Winnebagoes made a raid on the trading post, confiscated the whisky and provisions and fastened Noot in a stable and his wife and child in a small cabin, where they were found by S. P. Folsom the same day, surrounded by drunken Indians and in imminent peril. Noot appealed to Folsom for aid. The Indians, however, were furious and threatened Folsom's life. The chief, "Whistling Thunder," used his influence in a novel way to quiet the turbulent, by placing before them all that remained of the barrel of whisky, which they eagerly drank. Folsom then released Noot. The wife, who had been previously released, ran with her child, frightened out of her wits, no one knew whither. After a long search the captain found her, and at great risk took her across a slough to the mainland in a canoe, which nearly sank before the shore was reached. Noot afterward went to St. Paul and purchased eighty acres of land, now in the heart of the city. He was a member of the house, Fourth and Fifth Minnesota legislatures. At present he resides at Big Lake, Sherburne county.
Jared Benson.—Mr. Benson was the son of Jared and Sallie Taft Benson, and was born in Blackstone. Massachusetts, Nov. 8, 1821. The farm on which he was born was purchased of the Indians by his great, great grandfather. His paternal grandfather, Benoni Benson, and his maternal grandfather, Ebenezer Taft, served in the Revolutionary War, the former as a lieutenant. Jared Benson, his father, served in the war of 1812.
Mr. Benson had a fair common school education and occupied himself in farming until 1844, when he joined the corps of engineers who were locating the Providence & Worcester railroad. He was afterward agent for the company and superintendent of transportation. In 1856 he came to Minnesota, locating at Anoka and engaging chiefly in farming and stock raising. He has served his townsmen as justice of the peace and county commissioner. For some years he has been a director of the St. Paul & Pacific railroad. He served as clerk of the house of representatives in 1859-60, and was afterward member and speaker of the house for three years, including the extra session of 1862. He was revenue collector for his district in 1870-72, and was again elected to the legislature in 1878. He was married to Martha Taft, of Mendon, Massachusetts, Feb. 5, 1857. They have five children.
James C. Frost was born in Rumford, Oxford county, Maine, in 1816. He was raised on a farm. On reaching his majority he came to Jefferson county, Wisconsin, where he lived fourteen years. In 1852 he came to St. Anthony and in 1853 to Anoka. He held the office of postmaster several years and was again reappointed in 1888; served fifteen years as sheriff and as a member of the legislature in 1857-58. He was in the employ of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company for nine years. He was married in 1840 and has a family of eight daughters.
A. J. McKenney, born in Lowell, Maine, Feb. 20, 1829, came to St. Anthony in 1850 and followed lumbering until 1854, when he came to Ramsey, Anoka county, and located in section 2 as a farmer. He has been a prominent citizen.
John Henry Batzle was born in Wurtemburg, Germany, in 1830; came to America in 1837; lived in New York until 1855, when he came to Minnesota and located in what is now the town of Columbus, Anoka county, where he engaged in farming. He has been a member of the Methodist church for twenty-five years. He is in every way much esteemed as a citizen. He was married in 1854, but has no children.