Document - Historical information/data - Notes about 1860 Eagan from the MN Historical Society - 2/8/2010Tom Garrison
From:
Tom Garrison
Sent:
Monday, February 08, 2010 11:53 AM
To:
Joanna Foote
Cc:
Tom Hedges; Gene VanOverbeke; Tom Colbert; Mike Scott
Subject:
Historical notes I gleaned
Got the following info from my visit Friday afternoon to the State Historical Society.
Eagan was labeled Town #27 by the Minnesota Legislature.
What else did the 1860 MN Legislature pass besides the act creating Eagan?
• They apparently have, but I have not yet seen and verified, presidential election results for 1860. It was in a
mislabeled box they have since found, but which should include whether Eagan voted for Lincoln or not.
• An act to prevent abuses in the use of intoxicants, whereby a family member, pastor, employer, can give notice
and forbid tavern keepers from selling intoxicating drinks or liquors to habitual drunks.
• An act to install locks on legislators desks and provide them keys. (Was theft a problem?)
• If a public road was going through where there was fencing in the way, a requirement of 20 days notice for an
individual to remove his fences, or the town/county supervisors can cause it to be removed. Public roads should
be "not less than 4 rods wide."
• Two years earlier there was a requirement that all able-bodied white males 18-45, except exempts, were
required to be enrolled in the state militia.
Eagan specific info through the years
➢ Robert O'Neill was the moderator for the first town board meeting until Supervisors were elected, although
subsequent meetings also seemed to have moderators for many years.
➢ First meeting has sketchy notes about ox and cow damages with the owner being liable.
➢ There was a Town Clerk's office by 1861
➢ While the first town meetings were in homes, by 1872 they were meeting at the school house in district 16
for annual town meetings.
➢ By 1889 they began using an official printed form (apparently from the state) for minutes from annual town
meetings
➢ 1890 no females listed as electors
➢ 1891 there was a levy of $500 on real estate for construction of a town hall and procuring a site.
➢ 1892 several women listed as electors on the printed form, including Mary & Elizabeth Burns, Catherine
Brosnahan.
➢ 1894 Desire Chapdelain and Delia Cunningham also listed as electors (not clear when state law permitted
women electors in municipal elections. Federal did not occur until the 19th amendment, but they could vote
in public library and school elections after 1875.)
➢ 1899 there was a motion to buy a road grader that was defeated twice; they ended up buying 5 wheel
scrapers instead and repairing old plows
➢ 1903 first mention of a sewer pipe that needed repair, as did the town bulletin board. Numerous motions to
approve no more money for levies. Number of people attending annual town board meetings dipped as low
as 35.
➢ 1904- Enacted local regulation that "Every automobile should have a number where it can clearly be seen,"
and automobiles should go no faster than 6 miles per hour in Eagan. Fine: $100.
➢ 1906 the first typed records on file
➢ 1908 asked the County Board for help on a road by the German Lutheran Church at Dodd, stating the town
would participate, but only if the County paid its share.
➢ 1920 town balance from the previous year was $4,729.52
➢ 1908 had road papers signed by James and George Scott.
➢ 1936 only $6,010 on hand
➢ 1937 included expenditures to pay the foreman for the WPA.
➢ 1940s the fiscal year was from March to March
➢ 1945 (Unclear whether this was just the road fund or the entire township) began the year with a balance of
just $157 and ended the year with $2,463.
➢ 1949 Paid $250 to Mendota for fire protection in the northern part of the township.
➢ 1960s start to see lots of building permits
➢ 1964 — paid $40 to a funeral car company for a siren to attach to the fire tanker
➢ 1966 shows one of the first payments to the Park Site Fund. By this time the Township cash on hand was
$31,003.13
➢ 1967 see Town Hall bonds and Sewer bonds in significant and growing amounts
➢ 1969 City balance of $133,570
➢ All the lists of property taxpayers are on microfiche.
Tom Garrison I Communications Director I City of Eagan
13830 Pilot Knob Road I Eagan, MN 55122 1651-675-5008 1651-675-5012 (Fax) I tgarrisonCcDcityofeagan.com� of Eun
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