Taylors Falls in Chisago County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
First Settlement, buildings, steamboat
Photographed By Connor Olson, February 18, 2023
1. First Settlement, buildings, steamboat Marker
Inscription.
First Settlement, buildings, steamboat. . The Treaty of 1837, made between Wisconsin Territorial Governor Henry Dodge and the Chippewa nation of Indians, ceded to the United States a large area of Chippewa territories, the St. Croix and its headwaters up to a line 30 miles south of Duluth. In return the tribes received specified payments of goods and money and retained rights to hunt, fish and gather on their ceded lands. By the Proclamation of June 15, 1838 the ceded area was officially opened for settlement. Shortly after, Benjamin Baker andJesse Taylor arrived by canoe from Fort Snelling to make a claim on land on the west side of the river, calling it "Taylor's Place." The more turbulent upper end of the rapids were given the name, "Falls of St. Croix", on the original 1847 government Land Survey Map. A "St. Croix Village" is mapped on the east side, but only a single building, labeled "Warehouse," shows west of the river-in reality the Baker-Taylor double log cabin. No "falls" existed on the river, but the rapids made the Taylor site important because it was the farthest upstream steamboats could navigate. Until a railroad was opened in 1880, riverboats were the main carriers of goods and passengers to support the town's economy. The photograph from 1875 shows the "Nellie Kent" docked at upper landing. A few downtown buildings are visible on the bluff behind it. , When the first plat was drawn for the new settlement in 1851, the name Taylors Falls was chosen in honor of Jesse W. Taylor.
The Treaty of 1837, made between Wisconsin Territorial Governor Henry Dodge and the Chippewa nation of Indians, ceded to the United States a large area of Chippewa territories, the St. Croix and its headwaters up to a line 30 miles south of Duluth. In return the tribes received specified payments of goods and money and retained rights to hunt, fish and gather on their ceded lands.
By the Proclamation of June 15, 1838 the ceded area was officially opened for settlement. Shortly after, Benjamin Baker andJesse Taylor arrived by canoe from Fort Snelling to make a claim on land on the west side of the river, calling it "Taylor's Place." The more turbulent upper end of the rapids were given the name, "Falls of St. Croix", on the original 1847 government Land Survey Map. A "St.
Croix Village" is mapped on the east side, but only a single building, labeled "Warehouse," shows west of the river-in reality the Baker-Taylor double log cabin. No "falls" existed on the river, but the rapids made the Taylor site important because it was the farthest upstream steamboats could navigate. Until a railroad was opened in 1880, riverboats were the main carriers of goods and passengers to support the town's economy. The photograph from 1875 shows the "Nellie Kent" docked at upper landing. A few downtown buildings are visible on the bluff behind it.
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When the first plat was drawn for the new settlement in 1851, the name Taylors Falls was chosen in honor of Jesse W. Taylor.
Location. 45° 24.089′ N, 92° 39.105′ W. Marker is in Taylors Falls, Minnesota, in Chisago County. Marker is at the intersection of South Street and Traprock Street, on the left when traveling south on South Street. The marker is located on the Taylors Falls River Walk. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Taylors Falls MN 55084, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 20, 2023, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 85 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on February 20, 2023, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.