Atlas of Nicollet County, Minnesota, 1927. Title page names Anderson Publishing Co. as the publisher. The atlas contains 97 pages of color maps of all 13 Nicollet County townships, individual states, the United States, the countries of the world, a Farmers Directory, and an analysis of the System of U. S. Land Surveys.
Plat book of Nicollet County, Minnesota, 1899. Title page names North West Publishing Co., and states that information was compiled from county records and actual surveys. The book includes 31 pages of color maps of all 13 Nicollet County townships, its 8 cities and villages, a map of the United States, a map of Minnesota, an outline map of Nicollet County, a description of the system of government surveys, road laws of Minnesota, Kansas, and Nebraska, and a patrons' directory (3 pages).
Map of Nicollet County, Minnesota, 1885. Cover names Haynes & Woodard as the publishers. The book contains 22 pages of color maps of all 13 Nicollet County townships. This is one of two versions of this atlas in the collection of the Nicollet County Historical Society. Some of the individual township maps have been cut into two sections in order to attach them to blank pages. Some of the individual township maps of the second atlas have been presented in a different manner than those found in this atlas. Some of the maps in the second atlas have been folded. Because of the cuts and folds, the use of both atlases is required in order to be able to read all of the names of the rural property owners.
Atlas and Farm Directory of Nicollet County, Minnesota, 1913. Title page names Webb Publishing Co. as the publisher and Anderson Publishing Co. as the compiler. The atlas contains 18 pages of color maps of all 13 Nicollet County townships, Nicollet County, the State of Minnesota, the United States, and a Farmers Directory.
Map of Nicollet County, Minnesota, 1885. Cover names Haynes & Woodard as the publishers. The atlas contains 13 color maps of all 13 Nicollet County townships. This is the second of two versions of this atlas in the collection of the Nicollet County Historical Society. Individual township maps of this second atlas have been presented in a different manner than those found in the first atlas. Most of the maps in this atlas have been folded. Because of cuts in the first atlas and folds in this atlas, the use of both atlases is required in order to be able to read all of the names of the rural property owners.
The St. Peter Company, which helped to promote and establish the community of St. Peter, conveyed to the town's residents through this document the land for a large park. The park is known as Gorman Park, and was named after Territorial Governor Willis A. Gorman, who was a member of the St. Peter Company. The document is dated January 6th, 1857.
The community of St. Peter was initially, and for a very brief time, known as Rock Bend, a name taken because of the presence of a sharp bend in the course of the Minnesota River on the east side of the settlement. The name was used probably from late in 1853 until sometime in 1854. The envelope shown here, addressed to Charles E. Flandrau (1828-1903), who was living in the area at the time, is one of only a few objects that survived with the name "Rock Bend" on it. Flandrau, himself, became a very prominent resident of the State of Minnesota. Among many other duties during his lifetime, he commanded the defenders of New Ulm in August of 1862 and later served on the Minnesota Supreme Court.
On December 27th, 1862, Phiney Wells signed this document in St. Peter to enlist in the First Mounted Rangers. Wells stated that he was born in New York and that he was 25 years and eight months old. He listed his occupation as a farmer. Wells had blue eyes, dark hair, a light complexion, and was 5 feet 10 inches tall. The document was signed by D.R. Kennedy, who was the quartermaster of the regiment. Wells was obligated to serve for up to 12 months.
This muster roll of Company E of the First Mounted Rangers dated December 10th, 1862, lists Captain Eugene St. Julien Cox of St. Peter as its commander. The roll also contains the names of additional officers and the names of non-commissioned officers. 75 men are sequentially numbered as privates, and two additional names, without numbers, were apparently added later to the list.
This document, dated May 11th, was sent to Eugene St. Julien Cox of St. Peter, who was the Captain of Company E of the First Mounted Rangers. The document addressed Cox as a major, but various records indicate that his highest rank was that of captain. Cox was ordered to include Sibley County in the sub-district for which he was responsible. He was also informed that a new squad had been organized in New Ulm, and that ""trappers report Indians plenty west of here."" The letter was sent from Mankato by Second Lieutenant and Adjutant George A. Clarke. The document appears to have an 1865 date, but Cox served from December 10, 1862, until November 11, 1863, and Clarke served from December 20, 1861, until December 20, 1864. It therefore appears that the document was sent in 1863.
Members of Captain Eugene St. Julien Cox's Company E of the First Mounted Rangers signed this document stating that they had received blankets and that they were responsible for their care and safe keeping. The document is dated November 22nd, 1862.
The Commissary Officer of the First Regiment of the Minnesota Mounted Rangers, First Lieutenant Edward D. Cobb, wrote this note to Captain Eugene St. Julien Cox, Captain of Company E of the Rangers, from Fort Snelling on March 21, 1863, in response to a request for supplies from Cox. Captain Cox had requested a number of items, including horses, tents, jackets, socks, boots, haversacks, canteens, axes, kettles, spades, mess pans, hatchets, and picks. Cobb informed Cox that some of the items were available, but that some items could not be supplied at once. He also said that Cox was to take the lame horses from his company to Fort Ridgely, where they would be inspected and certified as lame. Cox could then submit a requistion for additional horses.
This large ledger appears to have served as a record of the business printing work that was done by the St. Peter Tribune newspaper. The Tribune was published from 1860 until 1920. Most of the material in this ledger was printed during the 1870s. Business cards, letterheads from business foms, tickets to various social functions and announcements for them, and standardized forms for use in courthouses, schools, and the St. Peter State Hospital can all be found in the ledger. Most of the material concerns Nicollet County, but other counties are also represented. Among them are Brown County, Le Sueur County, and Renville County. Available records indicate that the ledger became the property of the St. Peter Herald newspaper sometime after the Tribune ceased publication. Eventually, the ledger was donated to the Nicollet County Historical Society.
Lieutenant Thomas van Etten wrote to his schoolmate, William H. Seward of Chester, New Jersey, in this 1863 letter from St. Peter, Minnesota. Van Etten was stationed at Fort Ridgely, near the western end of Nicollet County, and was serving as the fort's quartermaster. He wrote about his military duties and experiences and about people he knew in New Jersey. William H. Seward was a son of President Lincoln's Secretary of State, William H. Seward, Sr.
Lieutenant Thomas van Etten wrote to his schoolmate, William H. Seward of Chester, New Jersey, in this 1862 letter from Fort Ridgely, near the western end of Nicollet County. He wrote about his military duties and experiences and about people he knew in New Jersey. Lt. van Etten participated in the Battle of Birch Coulee and described the battle in the letter. William H. Seward was a son of President Lincoln's Secretary of State, William H. Seward, Sr.
Beginning in April 1865, the members of the St. Peter School Board kept minutes of their meetings in this ledger. The minutes provide information about the teachers, principals, and superintendents who were employed in the St. Peter school system. Records of expenses and details concerning the planning and construction of new schools can also be found. This ledger ends in June of 1899. The Nicollet County Historical Society has the next two ledgers in its collection, making records through 1944 available to researchers. Of particular interest in this ledger are the names of three men on the first page who served as governors of Minnesota. They are: Henry A. Swift (governor from July 10, 1863, to January 11, 1864), Horace Austin (governor from January 9, 1870 to January 7, 1874), and Andrew R. McGill (governor from January 5, 1887, to January 9, 1889).
This letter, dated August 26, 1862, describes the fighting between settlers and Dakota men who participated in a conflict in a southern Minnesota community, most likely in New Ulm. Wheelock also describes his experiences as a member of a burial party that ventured out into the surrounding countryside. Many dead settlers were found, as well as a group of thirteen settlers who had been hiding for three days. Wheelock states his intention to leave Minnesota if the fighting does not stop soon and if he is not able to feel that he is safe in his home.
This document contains the text of a bill that was passed by the Minnesota Territorial Legislature in 1857 to transfer the capital of Minnesota from St. Paul to St. Peter. This document has been determined to have been written at that time, but it is most likely a working copy of the document that was passed by the legislature. Joseph Rolette, a member of the legislature who was opposed to the transfer of the capitol, disappeared with the original bill and failed to return it in time for it to be properly signed by Territorial Governor Willis Gorman, who had, in the meantime, signed a copy of the document that Rolette had taken. Governor Gorman's action was declared to be illegal by a Judge R. R. Nelson, thus ending the attempt to move the capitol.
The "Governor John A. Johnsonn Grand March" was created in Johnson's honor. He died during his third term in 1909. Johnson was born in Nicollet County, and was a partner in running the St. Peter Herald newspaper prior to his election as governor.
Set of architectural drawings shows both exterior and interior features of the Nicollet Hotel in St. Peter. The hotel opened in 1873 as the Nicollet House, and was one of the finest hotels in southern Minnesota. Edward P. Bassford was the hotel's architect. The building ceased to be used as a hotel in 1974. Saved from impending demolition following the 1998 tornado in St. Peter, the building survived to become an apartment building, as well as the home of various businesses.
Looking to the south along South Minnesota Avenue in St. Peter, Minnesota, the Nicollet Hotel is visible as the tallest building on the right side of this photograph. The undated photo was taken prior to the 1887 fire that destroyed many of the buildings that are shown.
The appearance of South Minnesota Avenue has changed considerably since this photograph, which looks to the north from a location between Nassau and Grace Streets, was taken in 1968 in St. Peter, Minnesota.
Buildings along the west side of the 100 block of South Front Street are shown after a March 1998 tornado in St. Peter, Minnesota. The photo was taken from Levee Park, near the Park Row intersection.
The spire of Christ Chapel at Gustavus Adolphus College was knocked over by a tornado that caused extensive damage in March of 1998 in St. Peter, Minnesota. This photo, which looks to the west, and was taken near the intersection of South Seventh Street and College Avenue, also shows the first building to be constructed on the college campus, Old Main.
A number of structures in the vicinity of the intersection of North Fourth and West Chestnut Streets were destroyed in a March 1998 tornado in St. Peter, Minnesota. This view looks mainly to the north from the intersection.