MARTELL HISTORY

Introduction If you are on the main road from Martell Village today it difficult to visualize the extraordinary activity that occurred here beginning over 150 years. Martell started as an independent settlement. There were only two other settlements in Pierce County at this time, River Falls and Prescott. Within four to five years after the first settlement, Martell pioneers formed a city government, which by most of the functions of a modern county, including police enforcement, road and bridge construction, supporting the poor and elderly, and dealing with wild live animals threatened, including bears, wolves and cougars.

Martell had a vibrant social life, including dances, picnics community, school and church meetings, travel shows, card games. Many clubs and lodges, where regular and enthusiastic interaction. For part of its history, Martell was conceived as a more uproarious place because of the salons in the city.

Flower Mill Dam

There were tragedies, which regularly. Disease swept through many lives. The massive jobs created by the pioneers with the crudest of tools caused many accidents.

Martell was a mill town. A number of mills were built early including sawmills, grist (feed) mills, mills, carding (wool) mills, and Planning (lumber) mills. Other farm-related industries and services grew. Blacksmithing was an important service in those days.

Drug Store

The city peak in the population to over 1900, and the decline not only 1920. The absence of a railway was a key to the community is not in a position to grow. When the boy in 1950's I remember four stores in operation. The last was the shop Martell General Store on Highway 63, which burned in 1979. With today's residential growth it is my opinion that the village of Martell could eventually experience a rebirth.

A chronology
Sometime from 1844 to 1849 five French Canadian hunters and trappers have the Indian route followed by a sawmill near Stillwater all the way to Rush River north of the village today. There Joeseph Martell, Roman Kay, Exard Jacques (Jock) DuBois, Louis Lafond, and John cover a cabin and went hunting and trapping.
Joe Martell

Around 1849 the Reverend E.L. Clausen came looking for a place for Norwegians to settle immigrants. He found land in Martell and returned to Norway to tell his people. In 1850, Hans Iverson arrived with a party of Norwegians looking for a place to live. The other moves, while Hans remained. In 1850, Amos Bore tool came to govern. He received a home for his services in the War of 1812.

Roman Kay

In 1851, Hans Iverson brought his family to live and Roman Kay to a home site. In 1852, Mr. Kay received the patent for his home in what was known in recent times as Wallce flour farm north of the city. Roman's four French friends also in the area.

In 1852 Peter Ellerson, Mathias Slatten and Hans Stumlie came to Martell. This year it is expected that Amos Bonesteel founded the first General Store. In 1853, Gatorum Anderson, Peter Anderson, Andrew Bakke, Mads Prestrud and Guul election came to govern. The family lives Bakke remains of the Rush River in Centerville.

On 14 March 1853, Pierce County was created by the legislature Wisconsin. In 1854, the first meeting to form a government of the city took place in Joseph Martell's home. Seventeen people to elect the chairman, a writer, a treasurer, superintendent of schools, a sealing of weights and measures, an assessor, a supervisor of highways and four judges of the peace.

In 1855, Reverend fire organised a meeting to form the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church. About 1855-1856, Jock DuBois had rented Issac Elliot to buy land, the village where he is now. Elliot DuBois had betrayed the country and kept for themselves. They apparently settled, with DuBois get 60 to 80 hectares north of the existing village. Elliot then subdivided his land, which the original plat of the city, which he called Sun Rise. He charged $ 10 a package and a small stand for the sale of goods.

In 1855, R.J. Thompson and Luke Pomeroy built the first sawmill. In 1856, Louis Randall other mill was built. In 1858 Mr. Whalen and Mr. Grey built a flower mill. On 2 August 1857, village residents met at Rasmussen O. 's shop to organize the first school. This had ultimately 8 school districts and educated more than 1000 people over 97 years of operation.

In 1857 Ole Rasmussen was appointed postmaster. In those days, he would people to meet Prescott packet boats from downhill. E-mail from LaCrosse, St. Louis, Missouri, Illinois Galena, and international mail came in this way.

In 1859 the citizens of the village petitioned the county to change the village name Martell. The County changed the name to Martell, 17 March 1859.

In 1860, there were two churches in Martell. In 1863, local men volunteered for the civil war. In 1864, about 58 men were after the war.

About 1861-1864, there is a mystery to the death of Jock DuBois. Various versions include a fight with a bear, poisoning by his wife, or arsenic poisoning by an unknown person. In 1863-1864 Mr. Winger built a grist mill in Martell.

In 1870, Martell had a hotel. In 1878, the first meeting to establish the Martel Mutual Fire Insurance Company took place. The company began in the 1980's, when a storm caused substantial damage to insured properties in the area. In 1878, a monthly cattle fair was organized.

April 1880 brought a great flood washed out that several dams mill in the city. In 1886, T.E. Martell Nelson's Woolen Mill was stocking manufacturing yarn, flannels and blankets. In 1886, Louis Guiser began a cheese factory on his farm.

Woolen Mills

In 1890, the Martell Debating Society was flourishing, along with the Martell Telephone Company. In 1892, Roche flooring mill was in operation. Martell had hoped for a train in those days. In 1894, 6 bridges were built in the town after a flood spring. In 1897, G. Thompson bought a stake in the Lawton store. In 1898, the Rush River Lutheran church was dedicated. In that year, local men on their way to the California gold rush.


In 1900, H. Fosmo bought the creamery, and converted it into a forge. In 1905, the centre in the village of wooden bridge was replaced with a steel bridge.

In 1934, a flood was reported as "the wildest rage Rush River had ever been." During 1930 the last water powered feed producers in the village was still in operation. In 1930, Norman Winger Ford sold cars.

As time marched on, until today Martell is a quiet residential village with non-commercial institutions. I hope you enjoyed this brief review Martell early history and information from Patricia Wiff the books. Her second book on Martell is still available. It is entitled "Is it only Lutefisk and Lefse left?" It is a hard bay 589 pages that the available collection Martell, if you can call 715-684-3713. If you have an e-mail, please contact Patricia Wiff, 8723 Johnson Road, Ongora Minnesota 55703-8141. The price is via e-mail $ 48th Thank you for your attention to our history.

Dan Knutson