hotel, and opened a store. It became the centre of trade for the
county, prospered continuously, and now (in 1886) contains a good
court house, built at a cost of $7,000 (burned December, 1887), a
school house, four churches, two hotels, five stores and numerous
shops and dwellings. There are two resident lawyers and one physician.
Grantsburg is the terminus of the St. Paul & Duluth (branch) railroad,
completed in 1884. The scheme of building a branch road to connect
with the St. Paul & Duluth railroad at Rush City was long cherished by
Canute Anderson, and through his efforts the road was finally built.
The county voted $20,000 bonds, at seven per cent interest, which
bonds the state of Wisconsin cashed. The road was graded from
Grantsburg to the St. Croix river in 1878, from Rush City to St. Croix
in 1882. The St. Paul & Duluth Railroad Company built the railroad and
assumed the bonded indebtedness, payable in fifteen annual
installments. Cars ran to the St. Croix river in 1883. The bridge over
the St. Croix, completed in 1883, cost $20,000. The road was opened to
Grantsburg Jan. 22, 1884. At this opening over a thousand persons were
present, five hundred of whom came in on the train. Canute Anderson
made an address of welcome, followed by James Smith, president of the
road. Congratulatory letters were read from Hons. S. S. Fifield, Henry
M. Rice, and W. H. C. Folsom, the tenor of which was highly
complimentary to Mr. Anderson, and full of hope for the future of the
railroad and its terminus.
CANUTE ANDERSON was born in Norway, 1830. He came to America in 1851,
and three years later settled in the northeast quarter of section 2,
township 37, range 19, making a large stock farm, part of it being a
fine natural meadow, with running stream. In 1858 the first post
office in the county (called Anderson) was established at his house,
and he was appointed postmaster. In 1878 he represented Ashland,
Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, and Polk counties in the
legislature. He is and ever has been a master spirit in his county,
using all his influence to further the interests of his adopted home.
Many of the early settlers were poor,--strangers in a strange
land,--and for them Mr. Anderson's house was ever a resort. It was
also an intelligence office, where the inquiring immigrant could
obtain reliable information as to the country and its resources, and
facilities to the settler. In 1860 Mr. Anderson was married to
Catharine Nelson, daughter of Magnus Nelson, one of Burnett county's
first settlers.
THE HICKERSON FAMILY came from Ohio to Wisconsin. Nimrod H., the
oldest brother, settled on Wood river in 1859, built a saw mill, kept
a hotel and established a post office on the St. Paul and Bayfield
stage route in 1860. Mr. Hickerson went to California in 1875, and
died there. Joel, the second brother, is a merchant at Grantsburg. He
served during the later years of the Civil War as a soldier, Company
C, Seventh Minnesota Volunteers, and was pensioned for disabilities.
He was married in 1868 to Mary Anderson. Perry D., the third brother,
keeps a hotel in Grantsburg. He was also a member of Company C,
Seventh Minnesota Volunteers, and with his brother was mustered out at
the close of the war, and has received a pension for disabilities. He
was married to Ellen M. Anderson, daughter of Peter Anderson. They
have eleven children. Newton, the fourth son, lives in Grantsburg. He
was a soldier in Company D, Twenty-first Ohio, during the war. Was
wounded and totally disabled. He has no pension. He is unmarried.
THE ANDERSON FAMILY.--The four brothers, Peter, George, Hans and
Martin, with their aged parents, came from Norway and settled in
Grantsburg in 1883. The father but recently died. The mother is still
living, having reached the extreme age of ninety-seven years. During
the last six years she has been blind. Peter Anderson was married in
Norway in 1846. His wife died in 1877, leaving three sons and four
daughters. He was married to his second wife in 1878. Peter has served
as county supervisor, and filled other offices. The brothers have been
active in promoting the interests of their town and county.
ROBERT A. DOTY was born in Niagara county, New York; lived some years
in Genesee county, Michigan, and settled in Sterling, Polk county, in