Near Staples in Wadena County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Here you stand at 4th & Main
Photographed By McGhiever, October 2, 2015
1. Here you stand at 4th & Main Marker
Inscription.
Here you stand at 4th and Main. . In the winter of 1857, Gus Aspinwall snowshoed here from St. Paul to try to make his fortune. Having abandoned a site (later called Grand Rapids) he thought too far ahead of the frontier. Gus had big plans for the ground where you stand - a bustling railroad station, steamboat landing, town square, and over 1,500 building lots.
With trade established here and the well used 240 mile Red River Oxcart Trail crossing the Crow Wing River just above this spot, it seemed like a good gamble. Gus called his town Wadena. His brother Nat drew the survey. Wadena was registered in St. Cloud as the county seat.
But the financial panic of 1857 suddenly made settlers cash poor, and the Indian War worsened relations between native tribes and whites. The Civil War drew men away. Worst of all, the promised railroad was laid four miles south.
Gus's post office, store and boarding house near 4th and Main lasted a few short years. All that is left is a faded town plot and the cut to the old rope ferry.
In the winter of 1857, Gus Aspinwall snowshoed here from St. Paul to try to make his fortune. Having abandoned a site (later called Grand Rapids) he thought too far ahead of the frontier. Gus had big plans for the ground where you stand - a bustling railroad station, steamboat landing, town square, and over 1,500 building lots.
With trade established here and the well used 240 mile Red River Oxcart Trail crossing the Crow Wing River just above this spot, it seemed like a good gamble. Gus called his town Wadena. His brother Nat drew the survey. Wadena was registered in St. Cloud as the county seat.
But the financial panic of 1857 suddenly made settlers cash poor, and the Indian War worsened relations between native tribes and whites. The Civil War drew men away. Worst of all, the promised railroad was laid four miles south.
Gus's post office, store and boarding house near 4th & Main lasted a few short years. All that is left is a faded town plot and the cut to the old rope ferry.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1857.
Location. 46° 25.41′ N, 94° 49.425′ W. Marker is near Staples, Minnesota, in Wadena County. Marker is on Old Wadena Circle, on the right when traveling north. Within Old Wadena
Other nearby markers. At least 3 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. "A Cloud of Barbed Arrows" (approx. 0.4 miles away); Staples Station (approx. 5 miles away); Motley, Minnesota (approx. 10.4 miles away).
Photographed By McGhiever, October 2, 2015
2. Here you stand at 4th & Main Marker
View of marker within Old Wadena County Park
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on March 19, 2016, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 302 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 19, 2016, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
