History of Afton, Minnesota
By Nancy Eike
The city of Afton is located on the western banks of the St. Croix River, approximately twenty miles from St. Paul. Within its twenty-five square miles there can be found a variety of breathtaking geography; with its trees, plateaus, valleys, limestone mounds, coulees, glens, farmland, creeks, and a sparkling river, it is a sight to behold.
Afton is essentially an agricultural area where farming has played, and continues to play, a major role, with half of its land being dedicated to agricultural endeavors. The remaining land is divided among, commercial, residential, and industrial uses.
Afton Township was first settled about 1837. In the spring of 1855, the village of Afton was platted by some of its earliest settlers: H. L. Thomas, J. Haskell, R. Haskell, and C. S. Getchel. In the fall of 1858, the voters of Afton met at Patterson’s Hotel to select officers, and in the spring of 1859 the first annual town meeting was held. In 1971 the village and township were incorporated into the City of Afton.
According to many historical accounts, Mrs. C. S. Getchel has the distinction of giving Afton its beautiful name. Apparently, as she cast her eyes across the landscape of Afton, she was reminded of Robert Burns’ poem, “Afton Water,” with its “neighboring hills, and the winding rills.” Afton’s first name, however, was “Catfish Bar,” alluding to a large sandbar in the St. Croix River that is still visible when water levels permit. In the days before bridges, or even ferryboats, Catfish Bar was a place where the river could be forded by cattle and horses. The earliest road from St. Paul passed by way of Bissell’s Mounds, a prominent landmark in Afton, to Catfish Bar, where travelers took to the St. Croix River to complete their journey.
Native Americans were the first inhabitants of the St. Croix Valley. Early cultures left several large mounds in Afton. For the Dakota and Ojibwe, the St. Croix River was a crucial link between Lake Superior and the Mississippi River.
In 1837, Gaspare Bruce, a French Canadian voyageur from the Red River of the North, became one of Afton’s first settlers when he made a claim of 160 acres near Bolles Creek. The next settlers to arrive were Joseph Haskell, and James S. Norris, both from New England, who made their claim in the fall of 1839. Joseph Haskell broke the land in the spring of 1840, and with a crop of corn and wheat became the first farmer in Afton. Another Frenchman, J. Baptist Fournier, made a claim of 120 acres in 1841, as did Alexander McHattie. In 1855 McHattie sold off a portion of his claim that would ultimately become the village of Afton.
Also in 1841, Afton’s first Swede, and missionary, Jacob Fahlstrom, better known as “Father Jacob,” settled on a farm near Valley Creek—he was in his early forties. He had traveled to America with a company of Lord Selkirk’s men when he was fourteen. After his arrival he worked with the Hudson Bay Co. as a fur trader and became adept in the French and Indian languages. He ultimately found work with the U. S. Government as mail carrier covering the areas between Fort Snelling and Prairie du Chien. In 1823, he married, Margaret Bungo, a twenty-six year old Chippewa woman. He was converted at the Kaposia Methodist Mission at “Little Crow” village in 1837 or 1838. His farm in Afton, lovingly referred to as “Father Jacob’s Place,” became a well-known place of hospitality, and was frequented by other missionaries and preachers whose travels brought them through Afton.
In another historic first, in 1845 New Englander Lemuel Bolles built the first grist mill north of Prairie du Chien, which he named Milton Mills. The creek that powered the mill is still known as Bolles Creek. Lemuel Bolles and his family lived in a cabin by the mill and he became Afton’s first postmaster in 1852.
During the 1860’s, 70’s, and 80’s, there was an influx of Germans and Swedes into Afton. The Germans opted for the flat, fertile farmland, and the Swedes opted for the hillier regions near the rivers and streams, reminiscent of their homeland.
The first school district in Afton, District Number Twenty-Three or the Haskell District, was organized at the home of Joseph Haskell on April 14, 1855. The school house was built the following year where classes were held for three months, commencing mid-July. The Boxell School, a private institution which emphasized horticulture, was organized by J. W. Boxell at approximately the same time as the Haskell District. The school which was located near Valley Creek was destroyed by fire several years later.
The St. Croix Academy—one of the state’s first establishments for the education of young men and women—was built in 1868. The school remained operational until approximately 1884. In that year, due to decreasing enrollment, the building was sold to the Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio where a seminary was founded and maintained until 1893. A few years later, the building was acquired by School District Number Twenty-Four and was used as a public school building for many years.
Over subsequent years other settlers moved into Afton and began to establish thriving businesses in what is now known as the “Old Village” including the Emil Asp blacksmith shop, Charles Getchell’s grocery store, Patterson Hotel, the Cushing House-Afton House Inn, Spreeman’s Fish Market, Citizens State Bank, Selma’s Ice Cream Parlour, and Dr. G. H. Burliend’s office, just to name a few. There were also several churches established.
In 1974 the “Village Historical Site” was established to assure that the significance and historical benefit of the village will never be forgotten. In 1994 a Historical Preservation commission was established for the Old Village residents.
Currently, several modern businesses are using historic buildings, and in doing so connect the present with the past, harkening back to the time of those early settlers. Afton has also connected with the past on every Fourth of July for over a century, by holding a parade on Main Street, where throngs of eager children wait in the hot afternoon sun to catch candy from parade participants. A more recent effort has been the establishment of a vintage base ball team, the Afton Red Stockings. Those early settlers would be pleased.