Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2022 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== History of Anoka County And the Towns of Champlin and Dayton In Hennepin County, Minnesota by Albert M. Goodrich pub. 1905 - Hennepin Publishing Co., Minneapolis pages 152-153 CONFLAGRATIONS. Anoka suffered severely from fires in its earlier days. The destruction of the flour mill Feb. 24, 1855, was the first of these. The loss was $12,000, the heaviest loss by fire in Minnesota up to that time. The hotel of J. R. McFARLAN was burned on the night of June 18, 1856, the boarders barely escaping with their lives. On May 31, 1863, occurred the fire which caused the death of GEORGE C. COLBATH and burned the records of the county treasurer's office. The mill of Stowell & Co. burned Aug. 12, 1864, en- tailing a loss of $10,000. April 18, 1867, Cutter's mill, together with his tub and pail factory, were destroyed by fire, and in September of the same year Houston & Prescott's sash and door factory and Sias & Pomeroy's furniture factory were burned. On the night of March 13, 1869, fire caught in the rear of the dry goods store of JAMES J. COUCHMAN on Main street near First avenue and ten stores were destroyed, with a loss aggregating nearly $20,000. Aug 23, 1870, the old Kimball House burned. 1877 was a disastrous year for fires. On Aug 20, fire caught in the lumber yard of W. D. Washburn & Co. and destroyed nearly $100,000 worth of lum- ber and buildings. The fire smouldered in the edgings which had been piled along the east river bank, and was not en- tirely extinguished for several weeks. The last spark had hardly been quenched when Reed & Sherwood's lumber yard on the west side caught fire, causing a loss of some $30,000, and in November the sash and door factory of Bergsma & Co. was burned, entailing a loss of $25,000. This fire also swept away the old town hall, which stood near the present site of La Plant's feed store. The great fire of Aug. 16, 1884, destroyed the Lincoln mill and laid the whole business part of the city in ashes from Rum river east to Third avenue. Eighty-six buildings were burned, and the loss amounted to more than $600,000. ==========================================================================