Bridgie Township

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Koochiching County, Minnesota

Information specific to Bridgie Township, for the Northome One Place Study.

The township formally known as Township 151 N, Range 29 E of the 5th Meridian was first called Bridgie in the 1905 state census, but the post office was called Bridgie at least by 1897. Originally this was part of Itasca county until it was split and Koochiching county was formed in 1906.

1895 State Census

There were 25 people found in Bridgie Township in the state census of 1895.^[1]

Residents, with original spelling:

• James Dempsey, age 30, Cruser, born in Canada, resident of this area for 5 years
• William Moor, age 35, Farmer, born in Illinois, local resident 3 years
• Garret Moor, age 32, Lumberman, born in Wisconsin, local resident 3 years
• Bridget Moor, age 25, born in Wisconsin, local resident 7 months
• James Bartey, age 40, Lumberman, born in Wisconsin, local resident 5 years
• Frederick Davis, age 42, Lumberman, born in Iowa, local resident 3 months
• William W. Davis, age 21, Lumberman, born in Iowa, local resident 3 months
• Lafe Gunsalus, age 28, Lumberman, born in Sweden, local resident 3 months
• Bruce C. Brown, age 36, Farmer, born in Maine, local resident 1 year
• Clara A. Brown, age 30, born in Iowa
• Lottie Brown, age 15, born in Wisconsin
• Raymond L. Brown, age 8, born in Minnesota
• Kenneth C. Brown, age 6, born in Minnesota
• Merrill Brown, age 3, born in Dakota
• Burton Brown, age 29, Farmer, born in Maine, local resident 1 year
• Frank Silversack, age 30, Farmer, born in Wisconsin, local resident 3.5 years
• Hans Christenson, age 32, Lumberman, born in Sweden, local resident 3.5 years
• Frank Lafavor, age 25, Lumberman, born in Minnesota, local resident 1 year, 8 months
• Joseph Supris, age 30, Lumberman, born in Canada, local resident 1 year
• Benjamin Whiteside, age 24, Lumberman, born in Wisconsin, local resident 3 years
• Richard Paul, age 28, Lumberman, born in Michigan, local resident 3.5 years
• Charles Gray, age 36, Farmer, born in Canada, local resident 3 years
• James Tinney, age 39, Lumberman, born in Michigan, local resident 4.5 years
• Frank Talmon, age 30, Lumberman, born in New Hampshire, local resident 1 year
• Richard Hall, age 31, Harness Maker, born in Canada, local resident 3 years, 4 months

Notes:

Job of "cruser" is a "cruiser", somebody cruising the landscape, taking inventory of trees for a lumber company.

Of the 25 people, 13 work in the logging industry, 18 are young single men. Only 2 were born overseas, and 4 were born in Canada. Only one family is represented.

Of this group, the name of the Bridgie township comes from Bridget Moore, Lake Silversack comes from Frank Silversack (really Silbersack), and Frank Talmon might possibly be connected to the small town of Talmoon, about 30 miles to the east-southeast.

This group did not stick around. None of these names are present in the 1900 census. They were likely speculators, moving on after proving up on homestead claims.

1897 Survey

In 1897, the township was surveyed^[2] - all section and 1/4 section corners were marked, with witness trees, and description of the terrain and vegetation was given. Most of it was uplands with frequent swamps. They crossed a few trails and wagon roads, and made mention of a few cabins that they saw near the sections line. A typical entry reads as: "Through heavy cedar, spruce, tamarac, fir, dense willow and alder undergrowth swamp". Pine is listed occasionally, but often not mentioned, and never the first species mentioned. The uplands held birch, fir, and aspen, occasionally ash, elm or even oak. Undergrowth is always described as dense. The soil was generally described as 2nd or 3rd rate. The central to SE part has some decent hills. The NE part of the township is a large bog, smaller swamps are common throughout the township.

The final overall description was a bit more generous (Tp = township):

"General Description This Tp consists of gently rolling land of a very good soil. The meadow lands along the creeks are for the most part dry and fine soil. Upland was more clayey covered with a heavy growth of pine, tamarac, spruce, fir, cedar, aspen and birch, valuable timber, well drained by numerous creeks uniting with the outlet of Battle Lake to form the Battle river draining westward into Red Lake. On SE ¼ NW ¼ Sec 34 is Bridgie Post office at the Homestead of Bridget Moore, improvements $500"

Other residents listed:

• James Dempsey NW ¼ sec 4, improvements $100
• H. Christopherson [?] SW ¼ sec 4, improvements $300 [1895 census has Hans Christenson]
• Frank Combs, W ½ SE ¼ and E ½ SW ¼ [sec 9?]
• F. Meyers [parts of sec 6 and 7] improvements $100, cabin 12 x 16 ft
• [Silverthorn?] NW ¼ sec 9 improvements $400 [probably Frank Silbersack, in the vicinity of what is now Lake Silversack]
• James Tinney SE ¼ sec 10 improvements $200
• B. McMillan [?] sec 10 improvements $100
• B. [Gemblon??] SE ¼ sec 3 improvements $200
• John McLeod N ½ NW SWNW and NW NE sec 21, cabin 16 x 20 ft
• T. Welsh SE NE N ½ SE sec 20 and NW SW sec 21, cabin 12 x 16 ft
• Garret Moore W ½ [?] of sec 28 NE SW & NW SE ¼ sec 28 improvements $200, cabin 10 x 20 ft
• [Bruce?] Brown E ½ NW ¼ W ½ NE ¼ sec 2
• B. Whitsides NE NE sec 11 SE NE sec 2 E ½ SE sec 2
• M. Gallagher's cabin, 14 x 16 ft, sec 33 is described during the survey, but not in the final list

Other than some of the cabins and the Bridgie Post Office, the only other things named are Armstrong Creek, Battle River and Battle Lake.

Sources

1. ↑ Minnesota 1895 census, Itasca county
2. ↑ BLM survey Twp 151, R29, 5th Meridian, Minnesota

• 1905 State Census Bridgie Township, Itasca County, Minnesota
• 1920 census, pp 81-83 Bridgie Township, Koochiching County, Minnesota