Charley conceivably visited Fort William in the Thunder Bay area, but its glory as a flourishing North West Company rendezvous site of the fur trade lingered only in its history. When Charley passed through the area in 1881, only two years prior to the historic fort’s permanent closure, it primarily functioned as a Hudson Bay Company fishing station.9 However, optimism for a prosperous future abounded in the Thunder Bay communities, with the reported news of the incorporation of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company for the sole purpose of constructing Canada’s first transcontinental railroad.10 The completion of the section of railway west from Thunder Bay in 1882 ushered in Port Arthur’s era as a great grain handling terminal and shipping
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However the Panic of 1873 and the ensuing economic depression reversed many of the gains. In 1881, the fledgling city stood at the threshold of a surge in population, industry, and wealth.14 The family’s oral history speculates that Charley followed the St. Croix River south from Duluth to Chisago County.15 This is highly unlikely, since it required an approximately forty mile detour into Wisconsin to reach the source of the river. Charley likely used the railroad, either as a passenger or as a physical guide to direct him to his destination. He conceivably paused in Duluth to earn his rail fare to Rush City, the logical point of departure to embark on the final leg of his journey. However, the nearly one hundred mile hike following the railroad tracks perhaps seemed like a mere stroll compared with the recently completed trek over the top of Lake Superior. The oral history’s emphasis on Charley’s walk purports that he passed through Duluth and walked the remainder of the way to his parents and siblings. Only twenty-five miles north of Rush City he passed through Hinckley, a bustling logging and sawmilling community of over a thousand people.16 Thirteen years later, the town burned to the ground in the Great Hinckley Fire, which consumed over 400 square miles and took the lives of at least 418 men women and …show more content…
The farm proved to be susceptible to drought, with sandy topsoil overlaying a large deposit of gravel. Rain water quickly passed through the layers beyond the reach of crops.34 Nevertheless, with entrepreneurial resolve, Charley sold gravel to supplement his farm income and built a sawmill, which produced another source of revenue with the sale of lumber.35 Due to lack of information pertaining to these business enterprises, supposition is a requisite for elaborating on details. In a recently settled locality, still growing and prospering, material used for the construction or upgrading of roads, houses, and other buildings found a ready and lucrative market. Although selling gravel from an apparent vast supply seemed almost predestined, setting up a lumber business required substantial initiative and investment. The harvesting of Pine Island’s stands of virgin pine probably occurred before Charley owned the land, which created a need to acquire timber elsewhere. Furthermore, since no waterpower existed on the Swanson farm, a steam engine became the only plausible source of power for Charley’s mill. Revenue from the farm, gravel pit, and lumber business provided the resources required for yet another venture, as Charley invested in a threshing rig.36 Although no apparent records exist in regards to the
However the Panic of 1873 and the ensuing economic depression reversed many of the gains. In 1881, the fledgling city stood at the threshold of a surge in population, industry, and wealth.14 The family’s oral history speculates that Charley followed the St. Croix River south from Duluth to Chisago County.15 This is highly unlikely, since it required an approximately forty mile detour into Wisconsin to reach the source of the river. Charley likely used the railroad, either as a passenger or as a physical guide to direct him to his destination. He conceivably paused in Duluth to earn his rail fare to Rush City, the logical point of departure to embark on the final leg of his journey. However, the nearly one hundred mile hike following the railroad tracks perhaps seemed like a mere stroll compared with the recently completed trek over the top of Lake Superior. The oral history’s emphasis on Charley’s walk purports that he passed through Duluth and walked the remainder of the way to his parents and siblings. Only twenty-five miles north of Rush City he passed through Hinckley, a bustling logging and sawmilling community of over a thousand people.16 Thirteen years later, the town burned to the ground in the Great Hinckley Fire, which consumed over 400 square miles and took the lives of at least 418 men women and …show more content…
The farm proved to be susceptible to drought, with sandy topsoil overlaying a large deposit of gravel. Rain water quickly passed through the layers beyond the reach of crops.34 Nevertheless, with entrepreneurial resolve, Charley sold gravel to supplement his farm income and built a sawmill, which produced another source of revenue with the sale of lumber.35 Due to lack of information pertaining to these business enterprises, supposition is a requisite for elaborating on details. In a recently settled locality, still growing and prospering, material used for the construction or upgrading of roads, houses, and other buildings found a ready and lucrative market. Although selling gravel from an apparent vast supply seemed almost predestined, setting up a lumber business required substantial initiative and investment. The harvesting of Pine Island’s stands of virgin pine probably occurred before Charley owned the land, which created a need to acquire timber elsewhere. Furthermore, since no waterpower existed on the Swanson farm, a steam engine became the only plausible source of power for Charley’s mill. Revenue from the farm, gravel pit, and lumber business provided the resources required for yet another venture, as Charley invested in a threshing rig.36 Although no apparent records exist in regards to the