Crookston Archives

Biography of Harvey Chase Misner of Crookston Minnesota

Polk County / History of the Red River Valley

Harvey Chase Misner, born on January 9, 1854, in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, became a notable business figure in Crookston, Minnesota. The son of Ira P. Misner and Irvilla Chapin, he moved to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in 1867. After gaining experience in the general merchandising business, Misner established a grocery store in 1879 and later moved his business to Euclid, Minnesota. In 1881, he co-founded E. Taylor & Company and later formed H. C. Misner & Co. By 1904, he joined the Wheeler-Misner Loan Company as secretary-treasurer. A dedicated public servant, Misner served as Euclid Township’s first clerk for seventeen years. Married to Ida M. Taylor in 1881, they had three children, with one surviving, Harvey W. Misner. Misner was active in the Crookston Commercial Club and various fraternal organizations.

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Biography of John D. McPhee of Crookston Minnesota

Polk County / History of the Red River Valley

John D. McPhee, born May 14, 1856, in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, was of Scottish descent. His parents, John and Esther McPhee, emigrated from Scotland in 1847 and farmed in Ontario. In 1879, McPhee relocated to Crookston, Minnesota, briefly lived in Winnipeg, and later homesteaded in Walsh County, North Dakota. He managed Keystone and Lockhart Farms before moving to Crookston in 1902 to enter real estate. McPhee co-founded the Red River Valley Land Company and served as Crookston’s mayor from 1906 to 1909. A Republican, he was active in the Commercial Club, Masonic Order, and Elks. He married Susan Cheeney in 1888.

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Biography of Jerome W. Wheeler of Crookston Minnesota

Polk County / History of the Red River Valley

Jerome W. Wheeler, born January 15, 1863, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, served as president of the First National Bank of Crookston, Minnesota. The son of Jerome B. and Katherine (Deming) Wheeler, his ancestry includes Israel Putnam. Educated by his mother, he graduated from McMynn Academy in 1880. Wheeler’s banking career began in Kenosha and continued at the First National Bank of Crookston, where he became president in 1895. A leader in financial and social circles, Wheeler was active in the State Bankers’ Association and various fraternal organizations. He married Eva Hill in 1887, and they had three children: Katherine, Marion, and Jerome W., Jr.

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Biography of Daniel C. Darrow, M. D. of Moorhead, Minnesota

Clay County / History of the Red River Valley

Daniel C. Darrow, M. D., president of the Moorhead Hospital, is one of the leading surgeons of the Red River valley. He was born in Neenah, Wisconsin, on January 4, 1850, and came from New England ancestry. His parents were Daniel C. and Isabella (Murray) Darrow, both born and reared in New York state, and moved to Wisconsin in the year 1846, when the country was new and the principal industry was farming and trading with the Indians. They settled on a farm in Winnebago county, where they endured for years the usual privations of pioneer life and spent the

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