Mike Hanson

Excitement over gold in this region, crowed Editor Fred Bowman in a late June of 1894 issue of The Rainy Lake Journal. He added that the Rainy Lake City mine is capitalized for $300,000 but a half-million would not buy it. July 4th was to be the unveiling of the Stamp Mill, and it was said that it was awaited with great anticipation and that the mine superintendent stated that it will start on Independence Day without fail and will be a feature of their celebration.

An adventurer and gold seeker wrote that he was struck by the beauty of the land and when he canoed to Rainy Lake City, he bespoke of every tree wearing little fingers of bright fresh green. Many years later he added “there was a loneliness along the way.”

Some sought the gold and what they felt would be glory; others envisioned money to be made by selling clothing, mining supplies and even real estate. Then there were the schemers: you know who they were, they offered what they considered necessities of boom towns, whiskey, gambling and women.

Had some neighbors who were born in the early 1900’s: Margaret cautioned me but I didn’t have the capacity to understand; I now realize how truthful it is that “Getting older isn’t for sissy’s!”

Visits from the preacher were far from everyday events but it appears they were welcome. Joe Mannausau recalled that all but one family in his area were Catholics and priests from either Fort Frances and later International Falls managed to see them about every two months. And how about Emma Anderson and George Watson, who proposed marriage, and they had to find out when a minister was going to be nearby. They found one but the full-time Baptist minister had to make a two- and half-day trip to officiate. It was attended by seven adults and two children, cost George $10.

Religious endeavors began in the community of Koochiching prior to the turn of the century; in fact, the first Sunday school started in early July of 1899, there were 18 enrolled. The Baptists kept the school going, even holding the first Sunday school picnic in August of 1900 and later that year the Presbyterian Church organized the Junior Christian Endeavor. The Presbyterians were firmly established in Fort Frances and helped the group in the Falls. The Baptist Sunday School group eventually led to the first formal church in June of 1903.

Joe Gardner and William Garrison had been neighbors for 2 years when they had a major argument about whose hay was being harvested. As always, the proverbial “one thing led to another,” Mr. Gardner according to his own admission, fired twice intentionally and a third shot accidentally. He also testified that he did not know that Garrison was fatally wounded. He managed to get messages to the sheriff and the coroner that there had been a kerfuffle, but he didn’t know if Garrison was dead or not.

There was a group of squatters on the south side of Rainy River who needed a threshing machine for their wheat but the only ones available were on the Canadian side.