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From: "D. L. Lannon" <>
Subject: [MNDAKOTA] Charles Lewis in Dakota County
Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2001 21:31:31 -0700


Posted on: Dakota County Biographies
Reply Here: http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/gc/USA/Mn/DakotaBios/10013

Surname: LEWIS, CASEY, COLLINS, AMSDEN, ARCHIBALDS
-------------------------

>From the book "History of Dakota and Goodhue Counties, Minnesota, Vol.
1". Franklin Curtiss-Wedge, Editor-in-Chief. Chicago; H. C. Cooper Jr &
Co, 1910. p. 315

The first settlers in the town of Sciota Township were Charles Lewis and
his sons, "Zach" and Charles, Jr. They came in 1854. Mr. Lewis made a townsite
claim in sections 14, 15 and 22, most of it being on the north side of
the Cannon River. In the spring of 1855, he had the ground surveyed and
a town laid out, which he called Lewiston.

The settlement from that time was quite rapid, and the embryo city began
to grow. In 1856 a bridge was built across the Cannon river, the first
one built across that stream. S. N. Casey obtained an interest in the town
and built a small flouring mill. C. T. Collins built a commodious hotel.
A man named Amsden built a store, Mr. Lewis a blacksmith shop and a number
of private residences. Few towns of its age had better prospects, and had
the proprietors been wiser, a thriving town might have been built up. But
they, thinking their town was an undoubted success, put their property
at top prices and drove away many who would have been glad to make it their
future home. The Archibalds came in, with a view to erecting mills on an
extensive scale, but the exorbitant prices wanted for the mill-site caused
them to look elsewhere, and the pleasant little village of Dundas, in Rice
county, is the result. In the meantime, other towns around had sprung up
and soon distanced Lewiston. The decline began, and but a short time elapsed
before the town was a thing of the past. The buildings were moved away
by the owners. The bridge was washed away in a freshet. Mr. Lewis moved
to Minneapolis. His son, Zach, made a claim in the northwest quarter of
section 22, which he sold and made another just north of it. This he also
kept but a short time. Charles, Jr., made his claim in the north part of
section 15, and lived on it several years, then sold and left with his
father and brother for Minneapolis.


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