northwest. Its early history is identified with the history of River
Falls city, its first settlement. It was organized in 1854, as
Greenwood, but in 1858 the name was changed to River Falls. As River
Falls city was not incorporated until 1885, we shall give its early
history in connection with that of the town.
The first settler was Joel Foster, in the fall of 1848. In 1849, came
D. McGregor, James and Walter Mapes; in 1850, Messrs. Hayes, Tozer,
Penn and Parks, and not long after the Powells and Clark Green. These
early settlers chose locations at, or near, the present site of River
Falls city, and along the banks of the Kinnikinic, which here, owing
to its numerous waterfalls, offered unusual facilities for milling and
manufacturing. The first crop was raised by Joel Foster, in 1849. The
first saw mill was built in 1851 by the brothers N. N. and O. S.
Powell, just below the site of the present Greenwood mill. This was
burned in 1876. In 1854 the Powell brothers platted the village of
River Falls, called at first, Kinnikinic, setting apart for that
purpose two hundred acres of land. This plat included the upper
waterfalls within the present city limits. The largest water power
they donated to C. B. Cox as a mill site, to encourage settlement in
the village. The brothers co-operated in building up the village,
amongst other things building a frame store and stocking it with
goods. This was the first store in the Kinnikinic valley. They dealt
also in real estate and lumber. The name of River Falls, as applied to
the village, dates from the establishment of the first post office, in