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Statue of John H. Stevens by Johannes Gelert in Minnehaha Park. John Harrington Stevens (June 13, 1820 – May 28, 1900) was the first authorized colonial resident on the west bank of the Mississippi River in what would become Minneapolis, Minnesota.
John Harrington Stevens, the first official resident west of the Mississippi River in what would become Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was involved in the Mexican-American War, and he served in both the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1857-1858 and the Minnesota Senate in 1859-1860. This image is by Arthur Adams, Minneapolis high school teacher, local historian, and photographer. Adams ...
Biography. John Harrington Stevens (1820–1900) was the first non-Native resident on the west side of the Mississippi River in present-day Minneapolis. He operated a ferry across the river before the construction of the first Hennepin Avenue Bridge and subsequently became a colonel in the U.S. Army. He later served in the Minnesota Legislature.
- History of Minneapolis
- So, Who Founded Minneapolis?
- More About Minneapolis Founder #1: Franklin Steele
- More About Minneapolis Founder #2: John H. Stevens
In order to understand who founded Minneapolis, you first have to understand just how crazy property rights were back in the wild-west era of the 1800s. First off, after “negotiating” the land from Native Americans, most of the area around Minneapolis existed in a weird no-man’s land. It was simply owned by the government and had literally never be...
All that to say that from 1838 to 1872, Minneapolis was founded by two clever settlers named Franklin Steele and John Stevens. Both men used some interesting techniques to take advantage of 1800s property rights and claim first settlement on present-day Minneapolis. Both would also go on to leave an impressive legacy on the city of itself.
Franklin Steelewas born in 1813 in Pennsylvania. He traveled to Minnesota in 1838, the same year he started working as a shop keeper at the Fort and foiled Joseph Plympton’s crooked plans to settle the east side of Minneapolis. His half mile claim of the St. Anthony riverfront meant he also grabbed power rights to the water rushing through St. Anth...
What about the first official resident of Minneapolis? Well, John Harrington Stevenswas actually born in Brompton Falls in Quebec, Canada. He eventually joined the U.S. army and fought in the Mexican American War, achieving an unofficial ranking of Colonel. Soon after, he started his ferry service and built the first house in present-day Minneapoli...
John Harrington Stevens (June 13, 1820 – May 28, 1900) was the first authorized colonial resident on the west bank of the Mississippi River in what would become Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Col. John H. Stevens was the first authorized resident on the west bank of the Mississippi River in what would later become the city of Minneapolis. At the time, it was a part of the Fort Snelling military reservation. Though his commemorative statue identifies him a "Colonel," it wasn't his official rank in the U.S. Army.
Feb 24, 2020 · Originally located near St. Anthony Falls, the house was home to Col. John H. Stevens and is believed to be the first home built west of the Mississippi in Minneapolis. Stevens had permission in 1850 to occupy the site, which was part of the Fort Snelling military reservation, in exchange for providing ferry service.
