Individual Details

Census

The Martin Moore [sic] household was enumerated on the 1820 census. Individual members other than the head of household are not individually named. A comparison of the ages of the family members with number shown in the various age brackets appear to include all members of the family at the census date, however there are two additional young females that I can not identify at this time. I believe the corresponding members of the household as enumerated were: (a) 3 free white males under 10 years of age [John aged 4, Oren aged 3, and Martin Jr. aged 1]; (b) 1 free white males of 26 years of age and under 45 [Martin, aged 29]; (c) 1 free white females under 10 years of age [unidentified]; (d) 1 free white females of 10 years of aged and under 16 [unidentified]; (e) 1 free white females of 16 years of age and under 26 [Mary aged 25].

Census

The Martin Mower household was enumerated on the 1830 census. Individual members other than the head of household are not individually named. A comparison of the ages of the family members with number shown in the various age brackets appear to include all members of the family at the census date, however it appears that the counts for the males are in the column to the right of where I would have expect them to be in order to match up with actual ages. The total household consists of 10 members which agrees with my records. With that caveat, I believe the corresponding members of the household as enumerated were: (a) 2 free white males of 5 years of age and under 10 [George aged 3 and William aged 1]; (b) 2 free white males of age 10 and under 14 [Seward aged 7 and Horace aged 5]; (c) 3 free white males of age 15 and under 19 [John aged 14, Oren aged 13, and Martin Jr. aged 11]; (d) 1 free white male of age 40 and under 49 [Martin aged 39]; (e) 1 free white female of age 5 and under 9 [Emily aged 9]; and (f) 1 free white female of age 30 and under 39 [Mary aged 35].

Census

The Martin Moore [sic] household was enumerated on the 1840 census. Individual members other than the head of household are not individually named. A comparison of the ages of the family members with number shown in the various age brackets appear to include all members of the family at the census date, with the exception of Martin's wife Mary who does not appear. A couple individuals appear to be included in the wrong brackets, but their ages are near the cutoff ages. The total household consists of 15 members which agrees with my records for the family at the census date, however as stated Mary does not appear to be included and a additional male of age 20-29, perhaps a hired hand, is included. I believe the corresponding members of the household as enumerated were: (a) 1 free white male under the age of 5 [Charles aged 2]; (b) 3 free white males of 10 years of age and under 15 [Horace aged 15, George aged 13 and William aged 11]; (c) 1 free white male of age 15 and under 19 [Seward aged 17]; (d) 4 free white males of age 20 and under 29 [John aged 24, Oren aged 23, Martin aged 21 and an unidentified individual]; (f) 1 free white male of age 50 and under 59 [Martin aged 49]; (g) 1 free white female under age 5 [Ann aged 3]; (h) 3 free white females of aged 5 and under 9 [Mary Jane aged 9, Angeline aged 7 and Cynthia aged 5]; and (i) 1 free white female of age 15 and under 19 [Emily aged 19].

Bio Note

"In 1842, 23-year-old Martin Mower left his home in Stark [sic], Maine for what was then Wisconsin Territory. He worked first in the mill at St. Croix Falls, then as foreman for the Fish Lake logging camp. By 1846 Martin had staked his claim on a large expanse of the St. Croix River, halfway between Stillwater and Marine on St. Croix. From this locale he oversaw the rise and fall of his entrepreneurship success, keeping his newly established Arcola homestead as the center of all his activities. Described as a tenacious and formidable businessman, he became president and majority owner of the St. Croix Boom Company. On August 1, 1890 The Mississippi Valley Lumberman noted that although '...several attempts were made to get control of the company, and oust Mr. Mower...he was shrewd and always succeeded in checkmating his adversaries.' This article goes on to note that regarding Martin's leadership of the boom site, 'he had conducted it in a manner so successful as to disarm the criticism of his worst enemies.' In addition to the energy he invested in managing the boom site, Martin was a leader in other business ventures. His enterprising activities included the Arcola Sawmills, an inventive steamboat building endeavor, a construction company involved in building the Stillwater Territorial Prison, and the construction of an impressive business block on Chestnut Street in downtown Stillwater."

Bio Note

"The 1840s also witnessed the beginnings of other lumbering mills along the [St. Croix] River. In 1842 the St. Croix Falls concern finally cut its first log, and on March 30, 1844, John McKusick's sawmill company at Stillwater became operational. During that decade other St. Croix mills were established - by the Kent brothers at Osceola in 1845, the Mowers at Arcola in 1847, and James Purinton at Hudson in 1848."

Census

Martin Mower was enumerated in the household of John E. Mower [brother], age 29, male, lumberman, and was born in Maine.

Bio Note

"Construction of the lower boom began shortly after a new firm was incorporated early in 1856 under the aegis, among others, of [Isaac] Staples, Martin Mower from nearby Arcola, and [William H. C.] Folsom of Taylor Falls, who ws the only carry-over from the old company. The men selected an admirable site a little more than two miles above Stillwater, where the river runs between steep bluffs and where long, narrow islands divide the St. Croix into several channels. For more than fifty years this spot was to be the great gathering place for timber coming down the river, a corral for retaining logs. To it went the massive spring drives from the upper reaches of the St. Croix and its tributaries; at this boom millions of logs were sorted, scaled, and rafted. The Stillwater Republican called the boom an "institution absolutely essential to our great lumbering interests."

"During the 1880s Staples began to curtail some of his activities, and contrary to expectations he put up no fight when rival lumberman Martin Mower gained control of the St. Croix Boom. But almost to the end of his life, Staples remained the boss logger of the river."

Census

Martin Mower was enumerated in the household of his brother, John E. Mower, as 38 year old white male, a lumberman, a native voter, and with Maine shown as his birthplace.

Census

Martin Mower Jr. was enumerated in the household of John E. Mower [brother], age 42, male, lumberman, owned real estate valued at $25000 and personal estate valued at $10000, and no birthplace listed.

Census

Martin Mower was enumerated, male, in the household of John E. Mower, his brother.

Bio Note

As described in Steamboats on the St. Croix:
Boat builder Martin Mower of Arcola tried twice to solve the riddle of winter navigation of the St. Croix. His first effort was in 1868-69. Mower invented a boat intended to run on the ice between Stillwater and Taylors Falls to provide much-needed communication between the two points. The ice craft did indeed make several trips, carrying both passengers and fright. Mower encountered the same problem that had been Wizard's undoing - rough ice. Despite his failure of the first attempt, Mower was undaunted. He tried again. The winter of 1876-77 was a busy one at Mower's Arcola boatworks. His crew, headed by John S. Irish of Taylors Falls, was hard at work on the Ada B., a 105-foot stern-wheel packet. At the same time, they were constructing Martin's newest invention - an ice steamboat. Valley area residents had first read about the project in the Polk County Press. In December, the Taylors Falls Journal noted that the "ice steamboat or steam iceboat" would carry only the crew and fuel. Passengers and freight would be carried in covered sleighs or cars linked on behind. The vehicle had a superstructure 30 feet by 7 feet, mounted on four ordinary sled runners. Two small engines provided power for the miniature craft. Locomotion was furnished by two iron-spiked wheels, near the rear runners. Spurs three inches long dug into the ice as the wheels revolved, pulling the strange vehicle ahead. There was a screw arrangement which permitted the raising and lowering of the driving shoes. To steer the ice boat, Martin installed a wire tiller rope which extended from the pilot's wheel to the front runners. This peculiar engine was designed to pull a 28-foot passenger car. The ice steamboat was named Queen Piajuk, after the daughter of a Cross Lake Chippewa chieftan who was said to have participated in the War of 1812. The Queen was described in the Stillwater Gazette as having a single smoke stack. "A handsome jack staff ornaments the bow, while perched jauntily on the pilot house is the figure of a swan with its wings outstretched as if eager to retain the graceful position on the bosom of the lake." The figure was symbolic of the ability of the craft to run over the ice and, if necessary, to float on the waters as gracefully and buoyantly as a swan. The passenger car which trailed behind was elegant. Walls of the ladies' sitting room were handsomely paneled in rich yellow ash, black and French walnut, and birdseye maple. The windows were similar to those used in the new palace cars then in vogue on the railroads. Men had a smoker in the coach, and the ladies had a retiring room, which was said to be a perfect model of its kind. The floor was carpeted with the finest grade of Axminster, which matched the design and color of the crimson brocade upholstery of the high-backed, two-seated divans. Two large mirrors, which had been taken from the bridal chamber of a Fulton City, Illinois, hotel, hung on the wall. A trial run was scheduled for January 28, 1877. The big day arrived. Some two-hundred spectators assembled. Steam was built up in the boilers to 110 pounds of pressure. The crowd waited. The craft remained stationary. Four horses were hitched to the ice steamer. The engine pounded; the horses strained. The craft remained in position. Finally, all the men in Arcola were enlisted to help. Armed with crowbars, they tried to move the boat, but it would not budge. Charles E. Mears, editor of the Polk County Press, commented that the engine needed to be five times as large to be effective. For a week, Mower and his crew worked on the Queen Piajuk. On Sunday, February 4, it finally made its maiden voyage - or slide - to Stillwater. Repeated whistles echoed through the early afternoon stillness. Crowds gathered at the elevator docks and on the ice at the waterfront. The iceboat and its crowded palace car came crawling down the river at the rate of seven miles an hour. Martin Mower himself followed behind, driving a team of horses. Pilot of the remarkable vehicle was Jack Kent, who felt that the steam ice boat, or ice steamboat, was a "big thing on ice." During the balance of the year 1877, Mower worked to get the kinks out, and was partially successful. The following winter, he tried again to perfect the mechanical problems of his ice boat. He launched it again in February of that year. Apparently everything worked satisfactorily. Unfortunately, a proposed test run to Stillwater was postponed because of thin ice. There were no further trips that season. With the coming of another winter, Captain Mower announced that he would start up his steam iceboat and run regular packed trips between Stillwater and Taylor Falls. In 1879, Mower made one trip. During the second week in January, the Queen Piajuk arrived at Stillwater"whistling a lively tune." By the end of January, Mower was ready to make the twenty-six mile run to Taylor Falls. The packet averaged a speed of ten miles an hour. He made the trip in four hours, which included stops at Marine Mills, Osceola and Franconia. the Queen, which scuttled and jumped across the ice on the points of its spiked wheels, was nicknamed "St. Croix Grasshopper." The Polk County Press predicted the establishment of regular water stations along the river to service the ice boat. Apparently, Mower himself had doubts about his pet project. On February 5, 1879, the St. Croix Grasshopper left the Stillwater levee for the upper river. The following day, the weather turned warm and ice became treacherous. Historian James Taylor Dunn speculated that the Queen probably reached its home port in Arcola safely, but perhaps was dismantled there. The oak timbers from the ice raft may have been used to build the pile driver, Arcola. So ended the dream of a regular steam ice boat (or ice steamboat) to ply the St. Croix in winter.

Bio Note

According to Anita Albrecht Buck's Steamboats on the St. Croix, "Martin Mower of Arcola was involved in the St. Croix Boom Company. As part of that business, Mower started building steamboats in the mid-1870s. Two pile drivers and two passenger steamers were launched from a shipyard in Arcola. Working with Mower was shipwright John Irish. During 1876 and 1877, they built the 'very neat little steamer' Ada B, a 105-foot stern-wheel packet destined for St. Croix River trade. The Eva, built at Arcola in 1882, was used as a pile driver. Sold to Libby and Clark at Hastings, it was used as an excursion boat until 1893 when it was dismantled. Other boats constructed at Arcola were the Gracie Mower, and the Plough Boy, which ran between Prescott and Hastings. Mower also designed an ice boat." Buck also poses that "The Arcola, first boat built at Arcola for the St. Croix trade, was constructed in the early 1850s, possibly by Martin Mower. She was wrecked in a windstorm on Lake Pepin near Stockholm, Wisconsin, on May 2, 1857."

Census

Martin Mower was enumerated in as a 56 year old white male in the household of his brother, John E. Mower, with his birthplace, as well as the birthplace for both of his parents, listed as Maine.

Census

Martin Mower was enumerated as head of household, a 60 year old white male, single, occupation listed as farmer, and Maine shown as his birthplace, as well as the birthplace for both of his parents. Other members of his household were Gratia A. Mower (sister-in-law), Augusta Solstrom (domestic servant), Charles Smith (boarder/farmer), Paul Bova (servant/farm laborer), and Philip Massicotte (servant/farm laborer).

Bio Note

In Steamboats on the St. Croix, it is noted that "a new hull for the pile drive Arcola, originally constructed by Martin Mower in 1882, was built in 1898 for the St. Croix Boom Company. The Arcola operated between Taylor Falls and Prescott, and once did some work at Winona. The boat was used to drive piling, break up log jams, and pull logs off sand bars. The hull of the side-wheeler was 100 feet long, the beam 20 feet. Her draft was just 18 inches. She had 52-foot leads, and a 3,500-pound hammer for pile driving. A crew of nin lived on board. . . The last piling driven by the Arcola were at the Stillwater Boat Dock in May 1916. Shortly afterward, the boat was dismantled."

Property

On 27 February 1892, The Bangor (Maine) Whig & Courier included notice that "it is reported that a deed has been found in Minneapolis proving that the late Martin Mower, owned 1,447 acres of land in the heart of that city. The trustees of the estate will take action in the interest of the heirs, the nearest of whom are Mrs. S. H. Richardson, of this city, and Mrs. R. W. French, of Ashland, Wis{consin]."

Probate

According to an article in the Saint Paul Globe, Martin Mower possessed property valued at between $175,000 and $200,000 at the time of his death. His will appointed J. N. Castle, W. G. Bronson and E. W. Brown as trustees of the estate. The major provisions of the will direct the trustees to pay to Martin's sister-in-law, Gratia A. Mower, half of the rents and profits, with the remaining half equally divided between his nieces, Mary (Mower) Richardson and Emma (Mower) Van Vorhes. Gratia Mower is also to have use of the Arcola homestead and the income of the testator's 240-acre farm in Stillwater. Upon the death of the these three beneficiaries, the estate is to be divided equally between the children of the two nieces, one-half to the children of each. He also bequeathed: $25 to his niece, Helen (Mower) Torinus; two lots in Holcombe's addition to Stillwater to his nephew, Seward P. Richardson; and forty acres of land in Stillwater to his nephew, Oren Mower.

Bio Note

"Martin, a brother of John E. Mower, came to St. Croix Falls in 1842, and for a few years was in the employ of the Falls Company. He engaged later in the logging business, and, in company with his brother, John, built a sawmill at Arcola. In 1846, D. B. Loomis secured an interest in the mill, but only remained a few years. Mr. Mower was one of the organizers of the St. Croix Boom Company, and was a prominent member of the concern, owning a large share of the stock. Mr. Mower's financial interests in his later years were mostly in Stillwater, although he made his home in Arcola. He was known as an eccentric man and extremely 'sot' in his ways. He invariably, in all his dealing with his fellow men, insisted that his own personal rights should not be ignored. As a result of this characteristic he was engaged in many law suits, and his opponents found him not only a vigorous fighter, but a remarkable stayer. He remained single all his life. He died at his home in Arcola in June, 1879."

Bio Note

Martin Mower, Jr. was born in Stark, Maine on March 20, 1819. He left Maine in 1842 because of his health, and followed his brother West to St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. He lived and worked in St. Croix Falls for The St. Croix Falls Manufacturing Company for a couple of years and moved to Stillwater in the mid-1840's, but the majority of Martin's business enterprises revolved around the largest commodity in Stillwater, the St. Croix Valley, and Minnesota: the White Pine.

Logging was a year round occupation and Martin Mower, Jr. was involved in nearly every aspect of it. He was listed as a foreman at 'Fish Lake', which was most likely a logging camp, for the 1844-45 season. In 1846 Martin and partners bought property North of Stillwater where they built a water powered sawmill and named the area Arcola. Martin's brother John later bought into the mill and a steam powered sawmill was added in 1853, with the mill operating until the late 1800's.

Many logs pushed down the St. Croix River, also found their way to the St. Croix Boom Site, where logs were sorted into board plank corrals and sent to sawmills or rafted further down the river. Martin became heavily involved with the St. Croix Boom Company because of the land and property that he owned at Arcola. When the 'St. Croix Boom Company" moved from Osceola to Stillwater in 1856 Martin received a large share in its stocks because of the land he owned along the St. Croix River. He was a shrewd businessman and helped to re-organize the company, gained a controlling share in its stock, and was President of it by 1887.

While Martin's time was soon taken up by the Boom Company and subsequent litigation against it, he still found time for other business and political ventures. For example, on June 1, 1847 he was one of the grand jurors during the first term of district court held in Minnesota (then Wisconsin) which was held in John McKusick's store in Stillwater. And in May of 1851 he was a partner, along with Francis R. Delano and John Fisher in the 'Jesse Taylor Company,' the firm that was commissioned to build the Stillwater prison.

In March of 1867 he signed the articles of incorporation for a lumberman's board of trade in Stillwater. In 1872 he advertised as an agent for "McKenney's Patent Stump & Grub Machines" (located on the corner of Chestnut and Second Streets) in the "Stillwater Messenger." In 1886 he built the Mower Block, located on Chestnut Street in Stillwater.

Martin also operated a boat building business in Arcola from the 1850's until his death. There he built several passenger steamboats and pile driver boats for the 'St. Croix Boom Company'. Hoping to provide river transportation and communication between Stillwater and Taylors Falls in the winter months, he also invented an ice boat and ice steam boat. He worked on the ice boat and it made a few runs in 1868-69 but was hampered by its inability to run over rough ice. He didn't give up on the idea however, and during the winter of 1876-77 built an ice steamboat, the 'Queen Piajuk' which was designed to pull passengers and freight on a series of sleds. It encountered a few problems and is recorded as having made at least two successful runs.

Martin Mower was part of the "pioneer aristocracy" and an "old landmark of Stillwater history." He was described as "enterprising and public spirited, a warm friend and a good companion" who "...enjoyed the esteem and respect of all who knew him." He is also said to have had a "strong mind, will and temper, but withal a fine character..." Martin Mower, Jr. died on July 28, 1890. At the time of his death, the value of his entire estate was estimated to be $200,000. He is buried in Fairview Cemetery in Stillwater, Minnesota.