"History and Description of Lyon County, Minnesota", 1884
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Town of Stanley.
Stanley, which is town 112, range 40, is bounded east by
Redwood county, and north by the town of
Lucas. It is a prairie country, having very little timber. A few trees are scattered along the two rivers which unite in
Stanley, and a part of the grove on the south shore of
Swan Lake, which lies on the eastern line, runs over into this town.
But, as in all thrifty prairie towns, the settlers of
Stanley have given considerable attention to the cultivation of forest trees, and substantial young groves that are full of future promise, can now be seen in all parts of the town.
The assessor's report for year
1883 gives 81 acres of forest trees planted. This is not as large an acreage as is shown by
Lucas or
Fairview, but perhaps the assessor was weaker in addition than those of Stanley's sister towns. An assessor with a keen vision and healthy imagination is an invaluable assistant in a town's statistics.
The reports of the
United States census takers demonstrate that the estimates of local assessors are uniformly too low, and that the towns are, as a rule, better off than the statistics make them.
Stanley's agricultural statistics for the year
1883 show a total acreage under cultivation of 2,175, of which 1,259 were in wheat, 512 in oats, 224 in corn,134 in barley, 18 in potatoes, 14 in timothy, 12 in flax. This was an increase over
1882 of 483 acres for total cultivation. The last average yield of wheat reported is between 14 and 15 bushels per acre; oats, nearly 40; corn, a fraction over 17; barley, about 24 1/2; potatoes, 140, flax about 10.
The town had in the spring of
1883, 101 cows, and 120 sheep yielding 540 pounds of wool.
The settlement of
Stanley dates back to
December 1867 when
T. W. Caster located on section 24. His son
Hugh was born in
1868 and was the first birth in the town.
Daniel Munro settled on section 12 in
1870. In
1876 a town organization was effected, and an election ordered in
September. The town was at this time named
Delavan. This name was changed to
Stanley, and an election had
March 12, 1878, at which time the first town officers were elected as follows:
F. B. Patterson, chairman;
C. A. Knox and
C H. Currie, supervisors;
D. T. Ludwig, clerk;
Edward Wilson, assessor;
S. C. Knox, treasurer;
Duncan McKinley and
Edward Wilson, justices;
Thomas Savage, constable.
The first sermon preached in the town was by Rev.
E. Wilson, a Methodist, at Mr.
Currie's,
July 13, 1873, nearly seven years after the first settlement of the town. It is said that
Caster and his neighbors during those seven years had grown lax in Sunday observance and were greatly m need of religious instruction.
The first school was taught by
Ann Munro at the house of
James White in the summer of
1875, school district No. 29 having been organized the fall before. The school house was built in
1880.
Ceresco postoffice, with
Caster as postmaster, was established in
1872. It is now discontinued.
The first marriage was
Daniel Munro and
Ann White,
November 12, 1874.
The first death was
Charles Knox,
November 1876.
The assessed valuation of the town in
1883 was, personal property, $5,823;real estate $30,845.
The town of
Stanley is one of uniformly good agricultural lands, free from swamp or stony ridges, and almost every section is well adapted to general farming and grazing purposes. The hay lands of
Stanley are very valuable and ample for the needs of the town.
The town is well watered by the
Redwood River and
Three Mile Creek, the two uniting in section 17. The
Redwood runs across the town from west to east.
Swan Lake is on the eastern edge, touching sections 1 and 12. The lake is mostly in
Redwood county. It is a beautiful lake with wooded shores and a favorite resort for sportsmen and picnic parties.
There are three organized school districts in
Stanley; the northeast quarter of the town being No. 34, in which 14 pupils are reported; the northwest quarter No. 29, with 18 pupils; the southwest quarter and sections 22, 27, and 34No 16, with 15 pupils. The rest of the town is not yet organized. There are school houses in sections 12, 8 and 28.
The population of
Stanley is mostly of Scotch descent in the north half of the town, and American in the south half. In thrift, enterprise, general intelligence, and all the requisite social and moral qualities, the people of
Stanley are second to those of no town in the west.
Marshall is the postoffice and trading point for
Stanley at present; though the town has railroad prospects that may in the near future give the town one or more railroad station and the advantages that go with such acquisitions. The preliminary survey of the branch line of the Rock Island company indicated that
Stanley would probably be one of the towns passed through and the
Duluth. North Shore & Southwestern company's line from
St. Cloud,
Wilmar and
Marshall to
Pipestone and
Yankton will very likely cut across a part of the town.
But with or without any other railroad facilities than those now furnished at
Marshall, the town of
Stanley offers an attractive field to those looking for farm homes. With unsurpassed soil, rich meadows, rivers and lake attractions there can be little said in praise of any township of the county that can not be said of
Stanley. Its future as a rich agricultural town is as unquestioned as the future of the state.