Chisago County history

Arrivals in 1850: Per Anderson with family, Daniel Rattig with wife, and L. P. Sjolin, from Hassela, Helsingland; Pehr Berg with family, form Hog, Helsingland; Anders Swenson, with family, Kittilstad, Ostergotland; L. J. Stark, Lidkoping, and wife, Amalia C. (nee Lengquist) Karlshamn.

"The movement for the organization of a new county from the northern part of Washington commenced in the winter of 1851-52.

A Swedish colony settled here in 1853, consisting of Peter Wicklund, Anders Anderson, Erik Bylund, Tuve Waldemarson and others.

CHISAGO CITY, also a village in Chisago Lake township, was platted in 1855, taking its name from the lake.

FRANCONIA township, organized in 1858, received its name from the earlier village, which was first settled and named by Ansel Smith, who came from Franconia, N. H., in the region of the White Mountains.

Lindstrom was married first in Sweden, and then here, his first wife having died in 1864.

FISH LAKE township, organized in 1868, having formerly been a part of Sunrise, is named for its lake in section 25 and the outflowing creek, both of which are translated from their Ojibway names.

The village of Wyoming was platted in 1869, the next year after the completion of the St Paul and Duluth railroad, and ten years later the branch from Wyoming to Taylor's Falls was built.

NORTH BRANCH, the railway village of Branch township, named for the North branch of Sunrise river, was platted in January, 1870.

BRANCH, named from the North Branch of Sunrise river flowing through this township, "was set off from Sunrise and organized in 1872."

STACY, a railway village established in 1875, was named in honor of Doctor Stacy B. Collins, an early resident.

LINDSTROM, a village platted in 1880 on the central part of Chisago lake, including many summer homes of city residents, was named for Daniel Lindstrom, a pioneer farmer.

On August 16, 1883, the Wallmark General Merchandise store burned and was rebuilt.

ALMELUND, a hamlet in the south part of Amador, founded about 1887, means, in the Swedish language, Elm Valley.

In 1892 John August and Alfred Bloom built one of the first stores in the village –

It became the home for Farmers State Bank, the City’s first bank and also housed the town dentist, doctor, beauty shop, jeweler, and drug store. It burned again in 1895 and was not rebuilt.

For newsprint neighbors to the east, the Taylors Falls Journal of March 10, 1898:A paper published in the Swedish language has been issued at Lindstrom.

The Melander House (NE corner of Lake Ave and Old Towne Road ) was built about 1900.

Hudson and Thurber (now HD Hudson), a newly established distributor of agricultural supplies in Minneapolis, bought the plant in 1906.

The Legislative Manual of Minnesota, for 1907 and ensuing sessions, gives the following statement of the origin of this public park.

They advertised the Brandt Sprayer as “built on a new principle…the first and only knapsack compressed air sprayer that gives a continuously even pressure.” In 1909, the firm moved the sprayer factory to Hastings, where it was promised that its taxes would never exceed $10 per year.

The store burned to the ground on March 31, 1911, and the present one-story block building was built on the same foundation.

Agnes and Edwin Melander purchased the house in 1915 when it was known as “Hotel Chisago.” Run as a boarding house it mainly took care of teachers at the local school and, through the years, became known as the Melander House.

Hudson Manufacturing Company (the name was changed in 1916) was for a time the northwest’s largest distributor of agricultural equipment.

When the creamery installed milk-processing equipment in the early 1940’s, it began to sell other products in a retail store.

In 1943, while Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman was in the area on behalf of the US War Office (to do a film on Swedish-Americans for use in Sweden ) she visited the creamery and sent butter back to Hollywood.

Edwin passed away in 1952 and only teachers were housed at Melander House after that.

Agnes became ill in 1955 and the rooming house was closed. It was sold in 1957 after she died.

In 1974, Myrtle and Floyd Melander (their son) purchased it and restored it.

Eventually 1 bank did emerge and even that one has gone through several owners and recently in 2012 a FDIC mandated sale.