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| 2008 Brooklyn Township Sesquicentennial! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota became a territory in 1849 and achieved statehood in 1858. In the same year the area of our Hennepin County formed Brooklyn Township. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| James Weaver is credited by historian Isaac Atwater, with being the first person to make a claim to area land with a squatter's claim in 1850 by cutting two trees for poles and marking them with his name. In 2 years and by building a structure the land would become his... but wasn't official until the Indian Treaties of 1851 were signed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| On Saturday, MAY 17th, the United States Postal Service released the new MINNESOTA sesquicentennial stamp as shown here in the form of an aerial view of the Mississippi river and the date of 1858... 150 years ago! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Around 1852, more settlers had shown interest with names like Washington Getchell and his son Winslow Getchell, Amos Berry & Jacob Longfellow all staked claims on hat was called Getchell Prairie in April of that year. Starting around 1853, settlement of what became Brooklyn Township went on rapidly. The first school was started in 1854... more were added in 1855 and 1856. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Steamboat captain John Martin of Peacham, Vermont, had accumulated capital from participating in the 1849 California gold rush... $15,200 to be exact. In 1853 he made a trip to the Minnesota Territory and foresaw the potential opportunities in steamboating, railroads, lumber and more. Settling in St. Anthony with his wife Jane and daughter Jean (the future mother of Earle Brown, prominent citizen of Brooklyn Center) he became a prominent businessman. Eventually he acquired 100 acres of land here from his daughter's husband, Cyrus Elwood Brown in 1875 for $6,000. The property became a sanctuary from city life for the Martins and Browns. After the death of his daughter he "sold" what had become 420 acres to his grandson, Earle Brown for one dollar. That land became a core part of the Earle Brown Farm in Brooklyn Center. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A special day of May 11, 1858 marked statehood for Minnesota and the establishment of Brooklyn Township, consolidating an area that had been called "Getchell's" or "Bottineau's Prairie". For much more detail, see our book "The Brooklyn's" for a wide-ranging history of Brooklyn Township and what became Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In 1908, Brooklyn Township would've achieved its Semicentennial (50 years), followed in 1958 by the Centennial (100 years). In 2008 we'll celebrate the Sesquicentennial (150 years)! It'll be 2033 when the Terquasquicentennial (175 years) will be marked and 2058 for the Bicentennial (200 years). Go to Wikipedia and search the term "Anniversary" for the full range of Latin-derived numerical names. In the year 3858... Brooklyn Township would achieve the Bimillennial! |
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| Published in 2001 after years of work, our area history in "The Brooklyn's" is still availabe for a limited time. Click the link by the birthday cake for your slice of our history! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In your family ancestors had a farm in Brooklyn Township and we can find it on our maps from 1874 to 1914... we can show you on modern maps exactly where the property was located. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| You know their call but it was 103 years after the creation of our Brooklyn Township that the "Common Loon" became the State Bird in 1961. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| It was 44 years after the creation of Brooklyn Township that the Lady Slipper was made the state flower in 1902. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| It was 87 years later that the State Song was designated as "Hail Minnesota" in 1945, composed by Truman Rickard. The UofM version has slightly different lyrics. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| About 95 years passed before the RED PINE became the state tree in 1953. The bark is unique and easy to identify. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Walleye became the State Fish in 1965, the State Mushroom was voted on in 1984 as the Morel. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Click this link for more on MINNESOTA at "InfoPlease" in great detail! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Click here for the CIVIL WAR STORY of volunteers from the township (Sun Newspapers) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Our HOME page, GENEALOGY page, SITE INDEX & LINKS and our EVENTS page! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Brooklyn Historical Society, celebrating the history of what was Brooklyn Township in Hennepin County, State of Minnesota; and the cities of Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Updated November 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||