Charles Lord, Sr

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Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the Upper Lake Region (1905) transcribed by Kim Mohler.

Charles Lord, who is living in retirement at Solon Springs, is one of the few remaining early settlers of Douglas county, where he located in 1854. He was born May 29, 1828, in St. Francis, Ont., his father being a merchant of Montreal, in whose store Charles gained his first knowledge of business.

On coming of age, in 1849, Charles Lord left Canada, going first to Kankakee, Ill. Owing to the prevalence of fever and ague there he soon joined a party going to wagon to the lead mines of Galena, Ill., where he was engaged two years as a hotel employee, making the acquaintance of Gen. Grant at that time. On the journey from Kankakee to Galena, which consumed six weeks, the party was often short of water, owing to an excessive drought. The people along the route were very inhospitable, and refused to sell milk or other provisions, having been imposed upon by previous travelers. Once, by an ingenious strategy, Mr. Lord succeeded in purchasing some milk, and at other times the party had to force people to afford them reasonable accommodations, though they were willing and able to pay their way. Mr. Lord’s next move from Galena was to Prairie du Chien, Wis., where he worked at his trade of baker, which he had learned in Montreal. From that place he went to St. Paul, and afterward made a short stay at Fort Ripley, then in command of Capt. Todd, brother-in-law of President Lincoln. He was at the fort for two years, during which time the Sioux outbreak occurred at Little Falls, a man named Swartz being killed. Mr. Lord, with about fifteen other settlers, volunteered to go with a detachment to bring the Indians to terms. They pursued the enemy to Sauk Rapids, where a battle was fought and the Indians beaten. Mr. Lord’s shoulder was grazed by a bullet, but no one was hurt, and they continued the pursuit across the Mississippi, catching the Indians at dinner on the river bank. In their flight the Sioux left all their things except guns and a keg of whisky, and swam the river, but fourteen were killed and six wounded. The Chippewa chief, Hole-in-the-day, was with the settlers, and they took possession of four wagon loads of plunder. After this Mr. Lord went to Watab, Minn., where he carried on a bakery for a year, going from there to Itasca, where for another year he ran a bakery, at which the Winnebago Indians bought their supplies. He then made a contract with Major David Herman to accompany him and carry on a bakery at the agency in Crow Wing, but after a year, at Major Herman’s request, engaged with Lyon & Crittenden, Indian traders, and came to Minnesota Point (the site of the present city of Duluth), on Lake Superior, to take charge of an Indian trading post. He brought a letter of recommendation from Major Herman to George R. Stuntz, of the government survey, then stationed at Minnesota Point, the station consisting of two small log shanties. Mr. Lord remained in charge of this post about a year, a treaty then being made with the Indians. During his stay there he had more or less trouble all along with liquor dealers, doing his best to protect the Indians from the traffic. About this time Superior began to be settled, there being half a dozen houses there. The Indian chief, Nog-onup, endeavored to drive Mr. Lord away from his post by threats, but quailed before the white man’s show of power when a revolver was drawn out and six bullets driven through a plank with the assurance that his young braves would be similarly dealt with. Although he had only one companion, John Buffalo, Mr. Lord succeeded in frightening the Indians so that they came next day and begged for peace, saying that “Cut nose,” a white trader, had incited them to make trouble. After that matters were harmonious.

After leaving the trading post Mr. Lord took up a pre-emption claim of 160 acres in Stuntz’s Hill, the site of the present city of Superior. He was obliged to go to Hudson to prove his claim, traveling by dog train, and suffering much from the fatigue and exposure of the journey. He afterward sold this claim for $500, and later it was bought by James Stinson, of Chicago, for $20,000. Mr. Lord had many adventures characteristic of the early days in this region. In 1852 he was one of a party which volunteered to cut a road from Sauk Rapids to Long Prairie. When about twelve miles from the former place a man and team were sent back for provisions, but as the ice in the river was breaking up he was unable to return for nearly a week. In the meantime Mr. Lord and his companions nearly starved, but received some assistance from an Indian who chanced to visit camp.

In 1856 Mr. Lord married Katherine Osagie, daughter of the Chippewa chief, Osagie, of Lake Superior. He then took up a school claim of 160 acres, in Section 16, Town 49, Range 13, where he lived five or six years, but times were hard, and he moved to Superior, where for a time he was employed as a cook in a hotel. He was injured in a Fourth of July accident, a bursting anvil badly crippling one foot so that the doctors thought it must be amputated. His Indian father-in-law took charge of the case, however, and saved the foot. After this he started a bakery in his own house, the first bakery in Superior. His next business venture was a saloon and boarding house, which he carried on for several years. Then he went into the Indian fur trade at Superior and places in that vicinity, and at Vermillion Lake, but soon opened a saloon on a larger scale, having the first billiard and pool table in Superior. Mr. Lord had many business misfortunes, losing several thousand dollars worth of property by fire at Old Quebec pier. He took another claim in Section 26, Town 45, Range 12, on which was located the town of White Birch (now Solon Springs), the necessary papers being obtained from President Harrison, the year after the Omaha road was built. The survey was made by George R. Stuntz, who also platted the town, which was afterward named Solon Springs in honor of Thomas Solon, who owned a claim on which were extensive springs. Mr. Lord has disposed of a few lots which have been improved, and has given four acres for church purposes.

Mr. Lord was elected clerk of the circuit court to succeed Mr. Greeley, the first clerk of Douglas county, and was re-elected four times, his motto being, “Vote for whom you please, but don’t forget Charley Lord for clerk of circuit court.” He made a good record as a public official, and was very popular. He has also been honored by his townsmen with the position of township treasurer and of town assessor, holding each office one term, and served two terms as justice of the peace. In politics he has always been a Democrat.

Mr. and Mrs. Lord had a family of nine children, two of whom, Charles and Leo, are living: Philomena, died Jan. 2, 1904, aged forty-seven years, eleven months. The others were Felix H., Basil, Albert, Victor, May and Isabel. Mrs. Lord died Nov. 22, 1893, at the age of sixty-two.