Taking a look back at Chatfield history pre-statehood as sesquicentennial banner arrives
CHATFIELD, Minnesota (STPNS) -- The State of Minnesota's sesquicentennial banner arrived to a fitting reception at the Chatfield Public Library on April 11.
Officials on hand to receive the banner (in a photo seen in the last issue of the Chatfield News) were Chatfield Mayor Curt Sorenson, Vice Mayor/council member Brenda Johnson, library director Monica Erickson of Chatfield, and area sesquicentennial representative Greg Davids of Preston. Bringing the banner and presenting it were Mayor Jim Struzyk and library director Dianne Sikkink of Spring Valley, since it had been there the day before.
The Chatfield Brass Band welcomed the banner to the library to a small audience. A celebratory cake and other refreshments were served.
Minnesota became a state in 1858. But Chatfield Historical Society members note that a lot was going on in the Chatfield area before that...
1853
*Thomas Twiford and Grove Willis organized the Chatfield Land Company and began laying the groundwork for Chatfield's creation.
*Chatfield was voted to be the county seat of Fillmore County.
1854
*Thomas Twiford paid a sum of $195.60 for his town site of a trifle over 156 acres.
*James McClellan built the first frame house in Chatfield in the corner of Fillmore and First Street. This house became the first grocery store and inn.
*Fannie McClellan was the first white child born in Chatfield.
*Thomas Twiford started the first sawmill by utilizing waterpower.
1855
*The Chatfield Cemetery Association was organized.
*The First Methodist Church was organized.
*James McClellan died and was the first person to be buried in the cemetery south of town.
*Grove Willis was the second permanent settler. He was appointed postmaster. His little log house on Winona Street served as Chatfield's first post office.
*Chatfield City Park was laid out to be used forever as a city park.
*J.R. Jones took over the sawmill. Later the mill was converted to a flourmill.
*Jud Cissey built a sawmill. This mill was later converted to a woolen mill.
*Isaac Day built an inn on the current day location of Coyote's.
1856
*The Federal Land Office was transferred to Chatfield. Federal law provided that if a man cleared and fenced a half-acre of land and lived upon it at least 30 days, he might file a claim at the nearest land office to a maximum of 160 acres.
*Joseph Caw and John Murphy built a sawmill.
*A Baptist church, a schoolhouse and scores of other buildings were erected.
*Chatfield had four grocery stores, two hotels, a boot and shoe shine shop, a stove and tin ware shop, and a livery stable.
*Root River Bank was established.
*The Chatfield Democrat was published. A second newspaper also was published, called the Chatfield Republican.
*West Chatfield was laid out.
*A brickyard was established.
*The first flourmill was built.
1857
*Chatfield was incorporated as a village.
*The Pioneer Presbyterian Church was organized.
*The Old Catholic Cemetery was laid out.
These are only a few of the facts about Chatfield taken from the booklet called "Our First 100 Years" and provided by the Chatfield Historical Society.
And in 1858 Minnesota became a state.
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