Rushford High School - Valley Legend Yearbook (Rushford, MN)

Page 14 text:

 The first religious meeting held after Mr. Snell's arrival was a prayer-meeting at the home of Duncan Cameron, near the city cemetery. The house was of logs, sod-covered, with earth for a floor and hay for a carpet to kneel upon. The prayers offered up were in two languages, the Scotch Gaelic and English. On the following Sunday, he held religious services at the house of Mr. Stebbins. One of the first religious organizations in Rush-ford was that of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Reverend David Tice organized it in 1860, and it flourished for some thirty years. The church building was constructed in the same year that the church was organized, and is still standing, but it has long since been converted into a dwelling-houso. (it is known as the Eide house, and is now owned by the 0. H. haasaruds.) There were a good many of the Methodist faith in the early days of Rushford. During the most active period of this church, the Reverend M. 0. liacNiff was the pastor. The Presbyterian Church bell is not only Rushford's oldest boll, but it is said to bo the first bell metal brought west of the Mississippi River. The Reverend Mr. Snell, thor. nastor of the church (it was of Congregational denomination then) took the small sum that had been raised by the Ladies' Aid Society, collected some more from the citizens hero, and went east whore he succeeded in raising sufficient funds to buy the bell. 'William Cullen Bryant, tho American author, was one of the contributors. The bell was bought in Massachusetts, and shipped to aCrosso. It was brought from there by team by Reuben YJhittemore, my brother-in-law (by Mary Cameron Tfest). Hugh Lampuian rang the bell for tho first time on Christmas Eve in 1860. Mr. Lampman had built the belfry. The Luthern Church parish was organized in 1855 and was incorporated in 1861. Reverend Jensen, tho first pastor, served from 1859 to 1868 .

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V In July, Otis and Stebbins on horseback reached ushford whore Mr. StobLins bought a claim from Mr. Dyer for $75. This claim Mr, Dyer profossed to be holding for a friend, and on it he had built a cabin. The cabin on this land stood on tho corner of Grove and Mill strocts. This cabin was next to the first dwelling-houso in Rushford, the first hotel, first meeting-house, first store, and first postofficc . When Mr. Otis and Mr. Stobbins wore returning from LaCrosse to thoir claims in August, 1854, they met a party of eight men on a land-seeking tour from Onalaska, Wisconsin. After reaching here by a long circuitous route, all the Onalaska men except two decided that they had scon enough to Minnesota and returned to thoir homos. Hiram Walker, one of the men was a very enterprising and progressive person who saw tho possibilities of starting a town here . After Mr. Walker had boon up with a hired man named Meacham and put up the walls of a house, he returned to Onalaska again, and sot out with Roswoll Valentine and Joseph Poase in a canoe to explore Root River, and determine its navigability as far as the Upper Forks . I ir. Walker soon utilizod the water power on the land which ho como to possess. By tho spring of 1855 he had a saw-mill in operation. Ho also built a grist-mill which he bogan to run in 1857. Some years later he built a woolen mill and foundry . In tho month of May, 1855, throe inoro homo-sookors arrived—W. i. Snell, Solomon tVost, and Goorge West--from Massachusetts. In tho spring of »56 Mr. G. G. Stevens arrived from St. Charles, Illinois. During tho same summer several families arrived from the oast,

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 The first school district organized in the town was in the spring of 57 and is now known as the Tenborg school. This school was taught by Miss Martha Emery in the basement of her father's house. There were fourteen scholars in attendance. The first school in the city in the winter of '57-8 was a private one of half-day session, taught by Mrs. Henry Mead in her home. The house stood where the Presbyterian parsonage now stands. The next school term was a term of three months in the spring of '58, taught by Miss Jane Waters in a slab claim-shanty owned by a widow, Mrs. Nims. She taught for the Magnificent sum of $15 per month, and boarded with her cousin, Mrs. Snell, whom she assisted with house-work to pay for her board. In the summer of '58, the first school-house was built in this city, a part of which is now the Lloyd Crandall residence. Miss Waters was engaged to teach the school during the winters of '58 and '59. The seats were long benches on either side of the room, and without desks. The boys sat on one side and the girls on the other. The following twenty-four scholars were in attendance: Thomas Snell, Fremont and Edelbert Phibriek, Frank Hulbert, Myron Walker, Albert Woodworth, George Otis, Gamaliel Nowcomb, Eric Iverson, Byron Knapp, John Lenvig, John McLeod, Duncan and Mary Cameron, Hattie Stebbins, Eva Walker, Josephine and Emma McAdams, May Stevens, Mary Otis, Elizabeth and Martha Blanchfield, Louisa Woodworth, and Mathilda Peterson. We had some very severe storms that winter, and I have a kind recollection of Mr. Stevens sending his man and team to take the scholars to their homes at such times . (By Mary Cameron West) Our first blacksmith and plow-maker was Isaac Anderson who settled on the north side of Rush Creek in the fall of 54. He brought the first horse. G. S. West brought the first buggy in the fall of '54, and it was the first vehicle driven over the territorial road to Chatfield after the survey .