BIOGRAPHIES.
The biographical histories of the early settlers of Polk county
considerably antedate the organization of the towns to which they
would be referred as at present belonging, and we therefore group
together those earliest identified with the history of the valley, and
its first settlement at St. Croix Falls, referring also some, such as
Joseph R. Brown, Gov. W. R. Marshall and Frank Steele, to localities
in which they had been more intimately connected.
GOV. WM. HOLCOMBE was one of the active resident proprietors and agent
of the St. Croix Falls Lumber Company from 1838 to 1845. He was born
at Lambertville, New Jersey, in 1804; left home when a boy; went to
Utica, New York, where he learned the wheelwright trade. He married
Martha Wilson, of Utica; moved to Columbus, Ohio, and was successful
in business, but lost all by fire, when he moved to Cincinnati, and
from thence to Galena. While in Galena he embarked in steamboating on
the Mississippi. Mrs. Holcombe died in Galena. From Galena he came to
St. Croix Falls, where he devoted his time as agent to selling lumber
and keeping books. Mr. Holcombe took a deep interest in opening the
valley to public notice and improvement. He traveled over the
wilderness country from Prairie du Chien to St. Croix Falls before
there was a blazed path, driving horses and cattle. He helped locate
the two first roads in the valley from the mouth of St. Croix lake,
via Marine, to St. Croix Falls and from St. Croix Falls, via Sunrise
and Rush lakes, to Russell's farm, on Pokegama lake. He supervised the
cultivation of the first crops raised in Polk county, at Jerusalem.
He settled in Stillwater in 1846, where he became an active worker in
behalf of education, and did much to establish the present excellent
system of schools. In 1846 he was a member of the first constitutional
convention of Wisconsin Territory, representing this valley and all
the country north of Crawford county. He was a faithful worker on the
boundary question, and effected a change from the St. Croix to a point
fifteen miles due east, from the most easterly point on Lake St.
Croix, from thence south to the Mississippi river and north to the
waters of Lake Superior. His course was approved by his constituents.
In 1848 he took an active part in the formation of Minnesota
Territory, and was secretary of the first convention called for that
purpose in Stillwater. He was receiver of the United States land
office at Stillwater four years. He was a member of the Democratic
wing of the constitutional convention for Minnesota in 1857, and was
honored by being elected first lieutenant governor of Minnesota in