Pine City

By Nathan Johnson

Laden with pines and interspersed with lakes and rivers, Pine City has long served as the gateway to Minnesota's Northwoods. Over the years, people have traveled through the area via the river, military road, railroads, and scenic highway. In the 1880s, as people of European decent were settling in, the crux of the community moved from Chengwatana, Ojibwe for "City of Pines," to a location west of there, nearer the rail line, called Pine City. The story begins with the fur trade and takes one through a fascinating journey of the logging industry, showing the rural community's transition from predominantly agricultural underpinnings to a more diversified economy. This collection of vintage photographs highlights Pine City's laboring people and other influences that have had roles in shaping what it is today-a city of great history, unique people, nostalgic small-town traditions, and mystifying legends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Sep 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781439639443

Nathan Johnson

Nathan Johnson's was born Sept. 2, 1971, in Irving, TX. He grew up in Cedar Hill, TX and graduated from Cedar Hill High School. While there, he became interested in writing. He graduated in 1991 from Cedar Hill High School. He finished writing "The Rebel" in November 1991. After seven years of writing as a hobby, he took a break and focused on his education and career. He recieved an Associate Degree in Business Administration from Mountain View College in May 2000. In Aug. 2001, he started working for Immigration & Naturalization service (Later Department of Homeland Security), where he's currently employed. His passion was always present and after several years of employment, he resumed his favorite past time. In Jun. 2011, he self-publshed "The Rebel through Createspace.com and later smashwords.com. For the next two years, he began writing another novel called "Touch of Evil, Part 1." It was published through createspace.com and smashwords.com in June and July 2013, respectively. Shortly after, Tate Publishing decided to publish a manuscript of "The Rebel" he'd submitted. "The Rebel" was released through Tate Publishing on Jan. 7, 2014. He's currently working on "Touch of Evil Part 2."

Book preview

Foster.

INTRODUCTION

The first colony in the area may have been established in 1841 by a Mr. Kirkland of Illinois, but it was said that there were tensions between him and those native to the land. In the years that followed, settlers gradually began to infiltrate the area, especially when the logging industry began to boom. A reverend and his wife began a Protestant mission and school, and the two cultures began to adapt.

The beginning part of the story gives insight into what later became known as Pine City. The individuals whose pictures are in this book played a significant historical role, but certainly there were others. Take for example Julius Dosey, who was active in both logging and politics. He served on the original village council in 1882 for 22 terms, either as a member or as mayor. In 1898, he lost a tied mayoral election by the toss of dice to R. P. Allen.

Dosey was born in Wittenberg, Germany, on June 9, 1851, and came to the United States in 1868. Two years later, he came to the Native American village of Chengwatana. He came as a youth at the time when J. S. Pherson built the community’s first sawmill. He later began to log on his own and united in marriage to Elizabeth Drews. They had two sons and four daughters. He died on March 8, 1932.

Other factors also shaped the history of the area. The Government Road, built from 1854 to 1857 over an old Native American trail, gave people access to the region. Using axes and shovels as tools, 12 men started in St. Paul and 12 from Superior; they met in Chengwatana. On July 1, 1857, Gen. W. W. Wheeler announced that the road was complete and open for year-round travel, at a price tag of about $20,000. Chengwatana was one of the few locations along the route that offered overnight accommodations.

Copper prospecting nearly brought Pine City some fame in its early years when it was thought to have been discovered nearby. A stock company with $250,000 of capital was formed and sank 150-feet-deep shafts into a rich deposit area. But that prospect did not turn out.

The story of the early years of Pine City is the story of people enticed by land made available by the Homestead Act of the 1860s, which gave people title to 160 acres to homestead outside the original 13 colonies. One of those who settled in the area was John D. Wilcox. Born in Erie County, Pennsylvania, in 1829, Wilcox established a sawmill at Taylors Falls in 1853. Wilcox moved to Chengwatana Village and lived there until 1872, serving in many public offices. He was superintendent of schools for 6 years, county attorney for 12 years, judge of probate for 6 years, register of deeds for 5 years, and county surveyor for 12 years.

Later Dr. Robert Wiseman moved to Pine City after graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1897. He was a member of the fire department and also the county coroner. Once, he was summoned to the scene of a tornado disaster in Brook Park in 1911 where two were killed. A park was dedicated in memory of him, to the south of Robinson Park.

In 1919, there were four churches in Pine City of Lutheran, Catholic, Methodist, and Presbyterian faiths. The history of the Our Redeemer Lutheran Church goes back to the early 1900s. In 1946, the actual congregation began when Milburn and Pine Grove Lutheran Churches merged due to the general decline of population in the rural areas. In 1947, the church was established after the building was moved from the country and remodeled. In the 1970s, when the congregation grew to larger than 600 individuals, the space was not large enough. While Kenneth Manfolk was pastor, the church was able to purchase land on the south end of the city to build a new church facility.

Several Pine City sports teams are also mentioned later, but besides the usual football and basketball recognition, the extracurricular group to most distinguish itself was the agricultural department, under A. A. Hoberg’s leadership, with two national championships in judging poultry and poultry products, eggs, and dressed poultry. It won $900 at Waterloo, Iowa, in a national judging contest with eight gold trophies and three silver ones. The Minnesota Farmer also gave it the gold award for having the highest average of any school in the state for judging.

Although Pine City was a recreation haven before then, in the April 30, 1925, newspaper, it was announced that Pine City was to have a golf course and 20 members were already enrolled in the golf club. A temporary golf course was laid out on the fairgrounds where a seven-hole course allowed linksters to get their practice in until less-cramped arrangements could be made at the new course. The fairgrounds course was opened on May 14, 1925, with the president being