Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/212

 160 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY Colvill claim. William B. Barton pre-empted the southeast quar- ter of section 7. northeast of the McGinnis claim in the fall of 1855. The village proper was laid out August 27, 1855, by Richard and William Freeborn, on section 18, including a portion of the claims of McGinnis. Kichard Freeborn and William Colvill. It was surveyed and platted by S. A. Hart, county surveyor. About October 16, 1856, the Cannon Falls city addition was platted. This included all the Hunt and Barton claims. The Cannon Falls central addition was made December 13, 1856, including a part of the Richard Freeborn claim. Point Lookout addition was made in the fall of 1856 and included a part of the Montgomery claim. Cannon Falls Company's addition was made May 18, 1858, and included a part of the William P. Scofield claim. St. ( 'harles Terre Haute addition was made soon after, including a part of the St. (lair claim. Ellsworth and Tanner's addition followed immediately and included a part of the Scofield claim. The village was incorporated March 10, 1857. The first elec- tion was held the first Wednesday in May, 1857. The first officers elected under the charter were: Charles Parks, president; Will- iam Tanner, recorder; J. E. Chapman, Thomas Baker and George MeKenzie, councilmen. Charles Parks built a log hotel, sixteen by twenty-four, in the fall of 1854. which was named the Falls House. This was sold in April, 1855, to Andrew Durand, who built an addition of the same dimensions and kept the house for 1 hree years. The village of Cannon Falls was reincorporated as a city in February, 1905. with a population of 1,460. The present officers are: Mayor, F. B. Seager; aldermen, John Kilroy, 0. H. Doebler, George V. Williams, E. J. Holmes and G. A. Widholm. The water power furnished in such abundant measure by the falls in the river at this point, naturally attracted those who had money to invest in mills in the early days. The water power is still abundant, and has never been utilized to its full capacity. The great falls are on the main river a little west of the village, having in the distance of a few rods a perpendicular descent of about twenty feet. The falls on the Little Cannon, where the stone mill stands, are twenty-five feet. Another fall, just below the junction, is fifteen feet. At this fall the first flouring mill in the township was built by R. C. Knox, in 1867, the exact location being block 51, in Cannon Falls city addition. It was a frame structure, forty-five by fifty, containing four run of stone. The entire building, when completed, cost $14,000, with a capacity of 100,000 bushels of wheat per annum. It was carried away by the flood of June. 1867, and during that same year was rebuilt by Mrs. Cornelia