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.
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 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.
Minnesota's second Territorial Governor, Willis A. Gorman, signed this document that appointed William B. Dodd, one of the founders of St. Peter, as a Brigadier General of the First Brigade of the Second Division of the Militia of Minnesota Territory on February 20th, 1857.
Samuel Medary, the third Territorial Governor of Minnesota, signed this document appointing A.P. Buell as a Notary Public in the Territory of Minnesota on the 21st of August in 1857. The document states that Buell was a resident of Le Sueur County at the time.
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.
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.
Governor Alexander Ramsey signed this document appointing Eugene St. Julien Cox of St. Peter as a Captain in the First Regiment of Mounted Rangers on the 11th day of November in 1862. Cox commanded Company E. He was 28 years old at the time he was mustered in on December 10th, 1862. Cox was mustered out on November 11th, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 document for two shares of stock in the Saint Peter Workingmen's Co-operative Association was issued on September 16th, 1870 to someone whose name appears to be John P. Gren. This may be the man who is listed as John P. Grand, a farmer in Oshawa Township, in the 1870 Nicollet County census. The certificate was signed by the association's president, Robert J. Billingsley, a farmer from Lake Prairie Township, and by the secretary, St. Peter attorney Charles S. Bryant.
Dated the fourth day of March in 1871, this bond was issued by the Borough of Saint Peter in order to raise money to finance the construction of the Winona & Saint Peter Railroad. The value of the bond at maturity was five hundreds dollars. The railroad crossed the Minnesota River and entered Nicollet County near the site of the St. Peter State Hospital in May of 1871. The railroad eventually extended through St. Peter, Traverse, Oshawa, Nicollet, and Courtland in Nicollet County before it crossed the Minnesota River into Brown County.