The
First People
Centuries
ago, after the last great glacier receded from what is now
Kandiyohi (Dakota word meaning abounding
in buffalo fish ) County, the fertile
plains and hardwood forests attracted Native Americans who
lived here long before white people came. Two markers at the
courthouse, downtown Willmar near the big Indian statue, tell
the stories of these people and our county's name.
The
early Woodland people left behind burial mounds along the
east shore of Green Lake and other sites. Most of them are
worn down by weather, cultivation, and construction, but a
few are still visible in back yards, farmyards, and near County
Park #5.
Later,
the Mdewakanton tribe of Santee Dakota had campsites in the
county. Traditionally, they were on the east and north shores
of lakes to take advantage of prevailing winds.
Early
settlers met Indians who came to the area to hunt and fish.
An encounter between the Dakota and Ojibwa, near present-day
Hawick, was called the "Battle of the Broom," because a pioneer
woman chased the Dakota, who were chasing the Ojibwa, with
her broom.
Early
Townsites & Pioneer Settlers
The
first settlers who came here, beginning in 1856, platted five
townsites.
One
was Columbia, on the west side of Green Lake, near where the
first settlers, E.T. and Loretta Woodcock, lived in their
14'x15' cabin.
Two
others were Irving, on the east side of Green Lake, and St.
John's (Harrison), on Diamond Lake.
Whitefield
townsite west of Lake Waconda was named after Edwin Whitefield,
who painted watercolors of the lakes and prairies, sending
the artwork East for land promotion. A township also bears
his name, and he named Lake Lillian after his wife.
The
other townsite was Kandiyohi, called "Capital
Hill" because it was twice chosen to become the new state
capital, before St. Paul attained that distinction. It was
also at this townsite, between Lakes Kasota and Mennetago,
that Lucy "Le-Roi" Lobdell, disguised as a man, spent the
winter of 1857-58 to hold the claim for the proposed capital.
The grave of an early settler is also marked near this site.
Settlers streamed into
the area, bringing with them businesses---Fullerville, the
site of a sawmill, the first business, 1858; schools, one
taught by Jane Clark, wife of the sawmill manager, 1858, and
another at the Joshua Gates Homestead, 1859; and the first
church---New Sweden, organized as a congregation in a cabin
at this site, 1859, forerunner of Lebanon and Peace
Lutheran churches.
One
of the immigrant farms, settled by the Swedish-American Broman
family, is now listed on the National
Register of Historical Places, along with 11 other locations.
A
Burbank Township farm was the birthplace of Henrik Shipstead,
who would later become a United States Senator.
Most
of these sites are marked by small wooden monuments, and some
with permanent markers. Some of the National Register sites
are privately owned and not open to the public. Additional
information about all the sites is available at the Kandiyohi
County Historical Society office.
Conflict
One
of the saddest events in local and state history, the Dakota
Conflict, started when the Indians hoped to regain their lands
for their starving families in August 1862. Thirteen white
settlers and an undetermined number of Dakota were killed
in what is now Kandiyohi County.
Several
lost their lives in the West Lake-Monson Lake area (Swift
County), after being alerted at morning worship services at
the Andreas Lundborg cabin.
Another
settler and at least one Dakota were killed at the Erickson
cabin in a battle of the Conflict, and several men were wounded,
including Oscar Erickson and Solomon Foot. Foot and his wife,
Adeline (Stocking), and their children were the first settlers
of Willmar Township.
A
log house was built about 1858 for the Guri and Lars Endreson
family. During the Conflict, Guri saved three wounded men,
including Foot and Erickson, after her husband and son were
killed and her daughters kidnapped. The house, on the National
Register of Historic Places, can be viewed during the
summer months. Call the Kandiyohi
County Historical Society office for details.
The
Isle of Refuge and Robbins Island sheltered settlers during
the 1862 Conflict.
John
Otherday, a friendly Dakota, led a party of 62 men, women
and children to safety during the Conflict, camping at this
site en route.
After
the Dakota Conflict, a chain of military posts ensured safety
of the frontier. Three were located at Big Kandiyohi Lake,
Norway Lake, and Solomon Lake. Also during the aftermath of
the Conflict, soldiers were attacked while on patrol, and
two Indians were killed near Big Kandiyohi Lake.
Farms,
Railroads and Towns
Green
Lake Village, established in 1866, was the site of the post
office for this area, after reopening for settlement. A gristmill
located there was later converted into a generator, to supply
electric power.
The
railroad reached the sites of Atwater (Hotel Atwater is on
the National Register of Historic Places), Kandiyohi Station
and Willmar in 1869. More communities soon emerged.
Willmar, named by George
Becker for Leon Willmar, Flemish land agent for the St. Paul
& Pacific Railroad, became a hub for the Great Northern
Railway. A Great
Northern steam locomotive and depot can be seen at the
Kandiyohi County Historical Society museum.
In
downtown Willmar, the A. Larson store, built in 1876, is on
the National Register. The War Memorial Auditorium, 1933,
holds the same honor.
Willmar Farm was established
in 1870, operated by Leon's son, Paul, on the grounds of the
Willmar Regional Treatment Center (now the MinnWest
Technology Campus). The older buildings are on the National
Register of Historic Places.
During
the Great Blizzard of 1873, twelve persons perished in the
county. Four of them died at one site.
Four
sections of land were included in the W.D. Washburn "Bonanza
Farm". Begun in 1877, it was abandoned a few years later when
it proved to be financially unsuccessful.
A
great train wreck between Atwater and Kandiyohi in June 1882,
took the lives of thirteen men and injured nineteen. A mass
grave for the unclaimed bodies of the railroad construction
workers is in Fairview Cemetery in Willmar.
Roads
were sometimes built along trails formerly used for travel
with oxen and horses.
The village of Spicer
was named for John M. Spicer, a land developer. He and his
wife, Frances, and their family resided at the "Spicer
Castle" in the summer and at their home on Seventh Street
North in Willmar in the winters. Both are on the National
Register of Historic Places.
In
the cities of New London and Spicer, permanent markers in
village parks tell the stories of the towns.
20th
Century
Rice
Memorial Hospital, downtown Willmar, is built on the site
of the home of A.E. and Sophia Rice. Albert was an early merchant,
banker, regent, legislator and lieutenant governor. Sophia
was an educator and civic leader. Their son, "Soldier of Fortune"
Cushman Rice, bequeathed funds and land to the city for a
hospital, in honor of his parents.
A
State Hospital opened in Willmar in 1912. Its historic district
of buildings, the Willmar Regional Treatment Center, now the
MinnWest
Technology Campus, is a National Register historic site.
During
the Great Depression, farmers banded together to prevent the
sale of their farms, forming the Farmers' Holiday Association,
eventually the largest organization supporting farmers demanding
agricultural reform. The Svea School, Glader/Bosch Farmstead
and Willmar Auditorium, all National Register sites, were
early meeting places for Farmers' Holiday members.
The
rustic style buildings at Sibley
State Park were built during the Depression years, and
later listed on the National Register.
In
later years the "Willmar
8" strike, by eight women striking for fair labor practices
at a bank, made news internationally, and became the subject
of locally and nationally produced films. Willmar again made
news when George
"Pinky" Nelson, NASA astronaut who graduated from school
here in 1968, made several space flights.
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