Tuesday, May 12, 2009
More history of the Blake Lakes
Not long ago, I had the chance to trace the history of land ownership of the land in Section 26 around Little Blake Lake. Property abstracts are great things.
The story really begins with Annishinabe (Ojibwe) people who hunted, fished, gathered wild rice, and farmed in the area. Even before the Straight River was dammed to create the Blake Lakes, there was almost certainly wild rice along the river south of what's now known as Big Round Lake. There were probably lots of fish and decent land on which to grow small plots of maize, beans, and squash. And judging from the number of deer around now, hunting was probably good. There were probably elk as well as deer around -- maybe even moose. Bears probably roamed the woods. Beaver, muskrats, and other small game were probably plentiful. The maple trees might also have been tapped for the sweet sap.
Canadians and Europeans started showing up in the late 1830s. Logging was the primary attraction. As the forests were cleared, farmers were attracted to area, even though the land wasn't the greatest for Western-style farming. Polk County was organized in 1853, five years after Wisconsin became a state.
In 1880, George P. Anderson homesteaded Government Lots 2, 3, 4, and 5 in Section 26 of Township 35 North, Range 18 West (Georgetown Township). That means he acquired them from the U.S. government "pursuant to an Act of Congress approved on May 20 1862." (That was the day President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act.)
Those lots surround most of Little Blake Lake and the south end of Big Blake Lake.
In the next few years, Anderson acquired more land in the area. The 1888 Polk County Plat book lists Anderson as the owner of
184.65 acres near Blakes Lakes in Section 26,
40 acres in Section 25,
29 acres in Section 24 on Clem Lake, later known as Clara Lake,
160 acres in two parcels in Section 18,
80 acres in Section 16,
40 acres in Section 6,
and
84 acres on Borders Lake in Section 4 of Balsam Lake township, and
80 acres in Section 13 of Apple River township.
Back in the 1870 Polk County census, there was a 45-year-old farmer named George Anderson who lived in Balsam Lake township. He'd been born in Virginia, married Sarah, who had been born in Ohio. They had 4 daughters and 2 sons, ranging in age from 1 to 17. Same guy?
His land, in 1870 was valued at $1000 and his "estate" was valued at $250. That made him one of the 4 richest people in the township. He was Balsam Lake Township Chairman in 1871.
By 1882, George P. Anderson was Georgetown Township Chairman.
In 1893, George P. Anderson sold the land in Section 26 to John W. Shay for $1700, and loaned him $700 to finalize the sale. Shay was a local farmer who owned 40 acres in Section 26 and 40 acres in Section 36 (T35N, R16W) and had been township chair in 1891.
However, Shay died in 1894. His will left his estate to his widow and children, but the loan to Anderson wasn't repaid. Thus in 1897, Anderson foreclosed on the property. At a sheriff's sale on November 3, 1898, George Anderson bought the property in section 26 for $786.61.
Two years later, Anderson sold the property to Alfred and Arthur Bellisle (sic) for $1500. Bellisle made a $650 downpayment with an agreement to pay the rest by May 1, 1904.
In 1902, the loan was paid off and George P. Anderson deeded the property to Arthur and Isidore Bellisle.
That was the end of George P. Anderson's connection to the property. He died in 1906.
Arthur and his wife Minnie, used their half interest in the property as surety for a few months when they borrowed $40 from Charles T. Rogers in 1902. In 1904, they borrowed $1500 from Luke Gallant and used the land as collateral. They paid off the mortgage in two years, but the fulfillment was not filed with the county until April of 1917.
Also in 1904, Isidore used his half interest in the land as collateral for a $100 loan from the Polk County Bank. He paid off the loan in two years. Shortly after paying off that loan, Isidore and his wife Jessie gave (actually sold for $1.00) part of Lot 3 to the Holy Rosary Church. A church was built there and a cemetery established.
About the same time (1906), Isidore and Jessie mortgaged their half interest in the rest of the land in order to get a loan of $1395 from Luke Gallant.
Later in 1906, Arthur and Minnie sold their half interest to Isidore for $1800 and Isidore and Jessie sold Lot 6 and part of Lot 5, with lakeshore, to Joseph Belisle for $1100. This is where the division of the original homestead begins to take place.
Nine years later, Joseph "sold" the land to his wife for $1.00.
In 1917, Isidore and Jessie's mortgage was still unpaid. Luke Gallant assigned the mortgage to Artimise Gallant, and a couple weeks later, Isidore and Jessie registered the pay off that loan. At the same time they got a new loan on the land from Artimise Gallant for $1800. That loan was paid off in 1922.
It was at that time that H. W. Radcliff and Edward Belisle filed a claim to the property, asserting that Isidore was not the legal owner. Isidore filed an affidavit citing the 1902 deed when he bought the property from George P. Anderson to back up his ownership. Whether that dispute continued, can't be determined from the legal record. However, in August of 1949, a Polk County court ruled that the sheriff's sale of 1898 was legitimate. There's nothing in the legal record to explain why such a ruling was necessary.
After paying off the loan to Artimise Gallant in 1922, Isidore and Jessie borrowed $4000 from the Federal Land Bank. That mortgage was paid off in 1949.
However, things got complicated in the '30s.
In 1938, the Belisles granted an easement to Polk Burnett Electric Coop for an electricity transmission line. Electricity came to the Blake Lakes area. (The granted another easement in 1949.)
In 1939, Al C. Anderson (a relative of George P.?) filed a claim to a "cottage" on the west side of Lot 4. In his claim, he said Isidore and Jessie gave him permission in 1915 to build the cottage and to cross their land to get to it. It was built on a 5 rod x 7 rod fenced "lot." (That's about 82' x 120') He also assigned the rights to the cottage to his nephew Karl E. Anderson.
Could this 1915 cottage be the first cabin on Little Blake? It seems likely that it was on the east shore of Little Blake Lake.
By 1949, Isidore Belisle had died. The land was inherited by Jessie and their 8 children. There is a complicated set of recorded transactions where Jessie gave land to her children and they gave land to her. The children seem, in the end, to own the land.
Karl Anderson was deeded the land with the "cottage" on it.
Samuel Belisle and his wife Lorraine sold part of Lot 5 to Rudy and Julia M. Andress. The deed contained restrictions about what kind of building could be put up and limiting ownership to Caucasians.
It seems that the land on which Sidetrack sits (another part of Lot 5) was sold in 1949 to Almira Sawby, who borrowed $2000 from Ella O. Klingelhoet in 1950. The mortgage was paid off in 1952. Given this timeline, Almira Sawby is probably the person who had the cabin, now named Sidetrack, built.
in 1955, Almira Sawby Hove sold the land, the cabin, and personal property to Clarence W. and Amanda B. Lindstrom for $5000. This fits with the stories we heard about Dr. Hove (whose name is on the x-rays made into lampshades in the attic) and his art teacher wife (Almira) owning the cabin. (And Almira's students decorating the outhouse that we call the Shakespeare House. See an earlier blog entry about history.)
There's no direct evidence, but in the 1930 census, there was an Almira Sawby, born in 1905, living in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Maybe she was an art teacher at St. Louis Park High School? There was also an Almira Hove who died in Sun City, AZ in 1983. Her Social Security number had been issued in Minnesota. Same woman?
In 1967, Clarence and Amanda Lindstrom sold the property to James H. and Elizabeth H. Cook for $1.00 and the proverbial "other valuable consideration." The Cooks mortgaged the property to the Goodhue County National Bank in Red Wing for $6,375.
The Cooks sold the cabin in October 1970 to H. W. K. for $1.00 and OVC. They then paid off the mortgage. J. K., her husband, named the place "Sidetrack" because it was such a great place to get off the mainline and relax.
In 1996, after J's death and her remarriage, H. W. K. J. sold Sidetrack to the current owners.
In 2001, major renovations were made: a steel roof replaced the aging shingles, a new deck was built, new windows and a door were added to the "lake room" on the north end of the cabin, new paint was applied all around, and major landscaping on the east side pushed the hill away from the cabin and created a terraced retaining wall.
And next?
The story really begins with Annishinabe (Ojibwe) people who hunted, fished, gathered wild rice, and farmed in the area. Even before the Straight River was dammed to create the Blake Lakes, there was almost certainly wild rice along the river south of what's now known as Big Round Lake. There were probably lots of fish and decent land on which to grow small plots of maize, beans, and squash. And judging from the number of deer around now, hunting was probably good. There were probably elk as well as deer around -- maybe even moose. Bears probably roamed the woods. Beaver, muskrats, and other small game were probably plentiful. The maple trees might also have been tapped for the sweet sap.
Canadians and Europeans started showing up in the late 1830s. Logging was the primary attraction. As the forests were cleared, farmers were attracted to area, even though the land wasn't the greatest for Western-style farming. Polk County was organized in 1853, five years after Wisconsin became a state.
In 1880, George P. Anderson homesteaded Government Lots 2, 3, 4, and 5 in Section 26 of Township 35 North, Range 18 West (Georgetown Township). That means he acquired them from the U.S. government "pursuant to an Act of Congress approved on May 20 1862." (That was the day President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act.)
Those lots surround most of Little Blake Lake and the south end of Big Blake Lake.
In the next few years, Anderson acquired more land in the area. The 1888 Polk County Plat book
184.65 acres near Blakes Lakes in Section 26,
40 acres in Section 25,
29 acres in Section 24 on Clem Lake, later known as Clara Lake,
160 acres in two parcels in Section 18,
80 acres in Section 16,
40 acres in Section 6,
and
84 acres on Borders Lake in Section 4 of Balsam Lake township, and
80 acres in Section 13 of Apple River township.
Back in the 1870 Polk County census, there was a 45-year-old farmer named George Anderson who lived in Balsam Lake township. He'd been born in Virginia, married Sarah, who had been born in Ohio. They had 4 daughters and 2 sons, ranging in age from 1 to 17. Same guy?
His land, in 1870 was valued at $1000 and his "estate" was valued at $250. That made him one of the 4 richest people in the township. He was Balsam Lake Township Chairman in 1871.
By 1882, George P. Anderson was Georgetown Township Chairman.
In 1893, George P. Anderson sold the land in Section 26 to John W. Shay for $1700, and loaned him $700 to finalize the sale. Shay was a local farmer who owned 40 acres in Section 26 and 40 acres in Section 36 (T35N, R16W) and had been township chair in 1891.
However, Shay died in 1894. His will left his estate to his widow and children, but the loan to Anderson wasn't repaid. Thus in 1897, Anderson foreclosed on the property. At a sheriff's sale on November 3, 1898, George Anderson bought the property in section 26 for $786.61.
Two years later, Anderson sold the property to Alfred and Arthur Bellisle (sic) for $1500. Bellisle made a $650 downpayment with an agreement to pay the rest by May 1, 1904.
In 1902, the loan was paid off and George P. Anderson deeded the property to Arthur and Isidore Bellisle.
That was the end of George P. Anderson's connection to the property. He died in 1906.
Arthur and his wife Minnie, used their half interest in the property as surety for a few months when they borrowed $40 from Charles T. Rogers in 1902. In 1904, they borrowed $1500 from Luke Gallant and used the land as collateral. They paid off the mortgage in two years, but the fulfillment was not filed with the county until April of 1917.
Also in 1904, Isidore used his half interest in the land as collateral for a $100 loan from the Polk County Bank. He paid off the loan in two years. Shortly after paying off that loan, Isidore and his wife Jessie gave (actually sold for $1.00) part of Lot 3 to the Holy Rosary Church. A church was built there and a cemetery established.
About the same time (1906), Isidore and Jessie mortgaged their half interest in the rest of the land in order to get a loan of $1395 from Luke Gallant.
Later in 1906, Arthur and Minnie sold their half interest to Isidore for $1800 and Isidore and Jessie sold Lot 6 and part of Lot 5, with lakeshore, to Joseph Belisle for $1100. This is where the division of the original homestead begins to take place.
Nine years later, Joseph "sold" the land to his wife for $1.00.
In 1917, Isidore and Jessie's mortgage was still unpaid. Luke Gallant assigned the mortgage to Artimise Gallant, and a couple weeks later, Isidore and Jessie registered the pay off that loan. At the same time they got a new loan on the land from Artimise Gallant for $1800. That loan was paid off in 1922.
It was at that time that H. W. Radcliff and Edward Belisle filed a claim to the property, asserting that Isidore was not the legal owner. Isidore filed an affidavit citing the 1902 deed when he bought the property from George P. Anderson to back up his ownership. Whether that dispute continued, can't be determined from the legal record. However, in August of 1949, a Polk County court ruled that the sheriff's sale of 1898 was legitimate. There's nothing in the legal record to explain why such a ruling was necessary.
After paying off the loan to Artimise Gallant in 1922, Isidore and Jessie borrowed $4000 from the Federal Land Bank. That mortgage was paid off in 1949.
However, things got complicated in the '30s.
In 1938, the Belisles granted an easement to Polk Burnett Electric Coop for an electricity transmission line. Electricity came to the Blake Lakes area. (The granted another easement in 1949.)
In 1939, Al C. Anderson (a relative of George P.?) filed a claim to a "cottage" on the west side of Lot 4. In his claim, he said Isidore and Jessie gave him permission in 1915 to build the cottage and to cross their land to get to it. It was built on a 5 rod x 7 rod fenced "lot." (That's about 82' x 120') He also assigned the rights to the cottage to his nephew Karl E. Anderson.
Could this 1915 cottage be the first cabin on Little Blake? It seems likely that it was on the east shore of Little Blake Lake.
By 1949, Isidore Belisle had died. The land was inherited by Jessie and their 8 children. There is a complicated set of recorded transactions where Jessie gave land to her children and they gave land to her. The children seem, in the end, to own the land.
Karl Anderson was deeded the land with the "cottage" on it.
Samuel Belisle and his wife Lorraine sold part of Lot 5 to Rudy and Julia M. Andress. The deed contained restrictions about what kind of building could be put up and limiting ownership to Caucasians.
It seems that the land on which Sidetrack sits (another part of Lot 5) was sold in 1949 to Almira Sawby, who borrowed $2000 from Ella O. Klingelhoet in 1950. The mortgage was paid off in 1952. Given this timeline, Almira Sawby is probably the person who had the cabin, now named Sidetrack, built.
in 1955, Almira Sawby Hove sold the land, the cabin, and personal property to Clarence W. and Amanda B. Lindstrom for $5000. This fits with the stories we heard about Dr. Hove (whose name is on the x-rays made into lampshades in the attic) and his art teacher wife (Almira) owning the cabin. (And Almira's students decorating the outhouse that we call the Shakespeare House. See an earlier blog entry about history.)
There's no direct evidence, but in the 1930 census, there was an Almira Sawby, born in 1905, living in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Maybe she was an art teacher at St. Louis Park High School? There was also an Almira Hove who died in Sun City, AZ in 1983. Her Social Security number had been issued in Minnesota. Same woman?
In 1967, Clarence and Amanda Lindstrom sold the property to James H. and Elizabeth H. Cook for $1.00 and the proverbial "other valuable consideration." The Cooks mortgaged the property to the Goodhue County National Bank in Red Wing for $6,375.
The Cooks sold the cabin in October 1970 to H. W. K. for $1.00 and OVC. They then paid off the mortgage. J. K., her husband, named the place "Sidetrack" because it was such a great place to get off the mainline and relax.
In 1996, after J's death and her remarriage, H. W. K. J. sold Sidetrack to the current owners.
In 2001, major renovations were made: a steel roof replaced the aging shingles, a new deck was built, new windows and a door were added to the "lake room" on the north end of the cabin, new paint was applied all around, and major landscaping on the east side pushed the hill away from the cabin and created a terraced retaining wall.
And next?
Comments:
<< Home
Interesting. When we bought our place on the west side of Big Blake we received the most detailed abstract I've ever seen. According to it, and it's been a long time since I looked at it, the land on the west side was deeded to a railroad, who never used the property. There was an easement for a sportsmens club, and finally, in the 40's the land where our place was sold to a developer. Our place was built in 1960 and had two previous owners before we purchased it in 1999.
This is great research. I've heard that the fellow up at Sherrards can share some interesting stories about the area going way way back.
BTW, there were lakes where the blakes are now, the dam only raised the water about 2 foot, and even then, it's been gone for a couple years now thanks to the ice and so forth. It's not a real dam, just some rocks the resort threw in..
Very interesting stuff.
This is great research. I've heard that the fellow up at Sherrards can share some interesting stories about the area going way way back.
BTW, there were lakes where the blakes are now, the dam only raised the water about 2 foot, and even then, it's been gone for a couple years now thanks to the ice and so forth. It's not a real dam, just some rocks the resort threw in..
Very interesting stuff.
My mother's name is Almira Sharp. I named a little lake just east of my cabin Lake Almira. Both my sisters have the middle name Almira, as does
Margaret Almira Sharp will be in Northfield in late June.
Almira is NOT a common name so it caught my eye while reading this. I want to do the same historical research on my land.
Margaret Almira Sharp will be in Northfield in late June.
Almira is NOT a common name so it caught my eye while reading this. I want to do the same historical research on my land.
If you have the abstract of the property, you can read lots of the details. A bit of online research will add some facts. And, if you are more ambitious than I was, you'll probably find lots more -- especially if you talk to some of the old timers in your neighborhood.
Post a Comment
<< Home
