Belvia Bennett (Excelsior book)7 Fall. Hezekiah Brake was planning a newNovember18. The Reverend Sheldon preached his first sermon in the sitting room of settlement, in Section 13, which he calledtheGeorgeGalpinHotel. At the close of service, Mr. Pease surprised the worshipers Forest Dale. Six men were already clearingbbyannouncingthattheywouldmeetthefollowingSundayinahalloverthenew
store he planned to build during the week. Although it took two weeks instead of the land for the first four cabins, but
one, the building's upstairs hall then became the meeting place for all social and winter's snow and cold soon made the
work very difficult. One day Brake wasreligiousassembliesforthenexttwoyears. (N, 249; McG -A)
hauling lumber with an ox team when over -At the end of 1855, Excelsior had six frame houses of "indifferent" design,a"one log house, and a steam sawmill, recently completed. (AS, 1281) Mr. Wilcox had taken by a blizzard. Blinded by the swirl
built the sawmill, which was operated by his brother -in -law, Mr. Goodrich. One of ing, wind driven snow, he lost his way
until he saw a recognized Misslightandrecotheiremployeeswasanewarrival, Henry Eddy, who had been at work since the first g g
of November,z Johnson's house. She saved his life, herproducinglumberthatwasbothplentifulandcheap" for the new
said, by giving him supper, helping bandagesettlersarrivinginevergreaternumbers. (N, 249; McG -A)his frozen feet, and allowing him to spend
f a the night protected from the storm and
1856 cold of forty degrees below zero. (OUAL, 4 - s 159
January 19. Of all Excelsiorites, probably Rev. Charles Galpin was among the happiest
to welcome a New Year. Relieved of his church responsibilities since the arrival of the
new minister, he could turn to new interests, chief of which was his dream of a newschool. Two men from Indiana had presented him with a plan for building a college Issac Bennett came to the Howard's Pt. area
under Congregational influence. Part of the plan was to use the same boardinghouses in 1854, but moved to a Chanhassen home -
year round: nine months for students at the Institute and three months for summer stead in 1859.
visitors to the lake. Galpin was already trying to raise the $7,000 needed for theproject. (McG -A)1857
The Northwestern Democrat reported that Morris and Hargin, having platted thetownofSt. Albans the previous year, had now built a 25- by 60 -foot sawmill. Its May 11. The Board of Trustees of School District No. 58 voted to build a two -story
60- horsepower engine drove one upright saw, one circular saw, and the machinery of frame schoolhouse, provided the college trustees would pay half the costs in exchange
a gristmill.for using the second floor for classes. Excelsior had been "selected by the Congre-
gational Association of Minnesota for the founding of a college, trustees having been
appointed and a charter obtained from the Legislature..." (LMT, 7 -29 -1876)
October 6. William Ferguson, Linwood, recorded that he and his family attended
Dedication Services of the Academy (to be known as the Excelsior Institute) and took
dinner at the home of Rev. Charles Galpin. Little Alice Ferguson was "very much
A pleased with [Mrs. Galpin's] melodeon and wished her Mama had one." (FJ)
1 The Reverend Galpin's dream came true with completion of the school building
and the start of college classes. Frederick W. Crosby, whom he had hired to head the
Institute, was a fortunate choice as "everybody, young and old, loved him ... he had
one of the happiest natures." Mr. Pease taught voice culture in the college and led the
church choir at Sunday services in the same second -floor room. Dr. Ebenezer Snell,
Excelsior's first resident physician, fascinated his classes in Physiology and Phrenology
by measuring students' heads and mapping their features to indicate the mental
faculties and character of the individual. And scholarly Reverend Sheldon taught
fE Latin, Greek and higher Mathematics. (McG -A; DD, 18)
it 4 ' 4ilf''4 1858
February 25. Hezekiah Brake nearly lost his life a second time in a blizzard, and the
hazardous journey to St. Anthony became a turning point for him. His proposed townRuthBennettcamewithIsaacandtheirfoursons: Willis, Orris, Melvin and Harley. Miriam, Belvia of Forest Dale was not doing well; his mare had died, leaving him with one horseandNettiewereborninMinnesota.
8 9
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