1998 Correspondence - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

e e II. DEVELOPMENT HISTORY Early Beginnings As the glaciers melted they formed lakes and streams that deposited large amounts of level sand and gravel across the region. Hills were formed by glacial till deposits and depressions were formed by melting ice blocks; resulting in lakes and wetlands. A once larger and wider Mississippi River formed the level terrace that Highway 10 now traverses. As the River subsided, the terrace was left dry, with a layer of coarse gravel and sand. The vegetation that grew on this draughty soil was subjected to continuous low-intensity ground fires. The Native Indians may have maintained these fires for improved hunting grounds. These conditions favored the growth of prairie grasses and forbes beneath fire tolerant oaks. The 1850's land survey recorded this area as predominantly dry Oak Barrens mixed with Wet Prairies, Marshes, and Conifer Bogs, with Prairie vegetation along the Mississippi River terrace, and Flood Plain Forest along the rivers. Early Settlement The first settlement began in Ramsey on the banks of the Mississippi River where trading took place between white settlers and the Winnebago Indians as early as 1849. This trading business eventually led to settlement of the first permanent colony in 1850, which later became the town site of Itasca Village in 1852. The town site was located in the southwest comer of Ramsey near Highway 10 and the Mississippi River. A brief history of the village is printed on a monument located at the wayside rest area on the south side of Highway 10. The first government wagon road was established in 1852 traversing from Point Douglas near Hastings, through St. Paul, St. Anthony, Anoka and further north to Fort Ripley. In 1855,300 ox carts traveled through the town on this road en-route to St. Paul with trading goods. Today this government road is known as U.S. Highway 10 and is a major element of the region's transportation system. The town began to emerge along the road with the building of the Itasca Hotel, a trading post, several houses, a stage coach barn, and a post office. In 1864, railroad reached Ramsey and a stop was set up to serve the Itasca Village. One way settlers came to the town was on the steamboat called "Governor Ramsey" which traveled the Mississippi River. The name "Ramsey" The Township of Ramsey was organized in 1857 as Watertown Township later to become Dover Township in 1858. In 1885, Dover Township took the name "Ramsey" after Governor Ramsey, who aside from having a steamboat named after him, was the first territorial governor of Minnesota. In November of 1974 Ramsey Township was incorporated as a City and had grown to a population of approximately 8,000. City of Ramsey Comprehensive Plan Page 2