When Murray County Towns That Never Existed,
Voted
In the early days, that is back in 1857, Minnesota was a seething mass of land hungry men that were filled with the same aim; to get a home for themselves and families.
The settlement of new states always attracted a lot of speculators, some good and some bad. The main one that worked in this section was the Dakota Land Company. Not only did they try to control legislatures here but in what was to be South Dakota. They also tried to take over all the attractive town sites and planned on controlling the politics as well. Minnesota attracted a lot of able, brilliant men and some that were just the opposite. Some of these men got into the legislature, good and bad alike. With the encouragement of the Dakota company a large section of the southwestern part of the state was divided or rather established into counties. One of the members was William Pitt Murray, and this county was named by him. That was in 1857. Mr. Murray had the good fortune at the next legislature to have that body set aside for him a section of land at the south side of Lake Shetek. He planned to build a beautiful town which was named "Cornwall City," but was later changed to "Canwell City."
A depression in the east put an end to the speculation in western lands and the towns of "Canwell City" at Lake Shetek and "Oasis" at Bear Lakes were supposed to be dead. Both of these places, however, were to secure a place of fame in the coming election. Politics were never as hot in Minnesota as they were in 1857. The fight for governor and territorial delegate was bitter, and it was very evident that the men back of the scheme were for Sibley for governor and Kingsbury for territorial representative.
The election at which the State Constitution was adopted and the first State officers were chosen, was held throughout the territory on October 13, 1857. Returns, endorsed as correct by the register of Brown County, credited Murray county with 75 votes for Henry H. Sibley as Governor and 59 votes for W. W. Kingsbury for territorial delegate to Congress. During the election fraud battle which followed, schedules were certified
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from the southwestern counties for the census which was taken to determine the size of Minnesota's representation in Congress. The signer of the schedules was the same man who had reported the election returns. Ninety-one people living in sixteen dwellings were listed as inhabitants of "Cornwall City," Murray county. Not long afterwards the purported vote from the southwestern counties for Governor was thrown out by a special board, but the vote for territorial delegate was duly canvassed. The election having been settled, nothing further was heard of the mythical 91 inhabitants and 75 voters in "Canwell City."
Years ago while in New Ulm, Fred W. Johnson, the historian, showed the writer a crude letter written in pen and ink in 1857 containing the results of the fictitious election at "Oasis" at Bear Lake, and if we remember rightly, the entire 30 votes of "Oasis" were cast for Sibley and Kingsbury. The town of "Oasis" like the town of "Canwell City" never existed. Not one white person lived here in 1857. They were clever and capable crooks, those men who devised this scheme, and they went the limit doctoring the project almost to a reality. They even built up a census of Canwell City. Here it is from a copy of the returns as certified by the United States Marshal.
Census of Inhabitants of Cornwall City in the County of Murray, Territory of Minnesota, enumerated by me this 27 day of October, A. D., 1857.
N. R. Brown, Ass't. Marshal.
* ** Name Age Sex Color Birthplace *** **** Occup.
| 1 |
1 |
Parker K. Anderson |
35 |
M |
* |
N. Carolina |
1 |
* |
Blacksmith |
| |
|
Lewis Howe |
24 |
M |
* |
Mass. |
1 |
* |
Laborer |
| |
|
Orson Rodgers |
27 |
M |
* |
Ohio |
1 |
* |
Laborer |
| 2 |
2 |
Wm. L. Lawrance |
29 |
M |
* |
Vermont |
1 |
* |
Farmer |
| |
|
Patrick Coulder |
24 |
M |
* |
Ireland |
|
1 |
Laborer |
| |
|
James Northrup |
31 |
M |
* |
Main |
1 |
|
Carpenter |
| 3 |
3 |
Frederick Warndrof |
33 |
M |
* |
Germany |
|
1 |
Farmer |
| |
|
Caroline Warndrof |
28 |
F |
* |
Germany |
| |
|
Frederick Warndrof |
8 |
M |
* |
Ohio |
| |
|
Martha Warndrof |
5 |
F |
* |
Ohio |
| |
|
John Warndrof |
3 |
M |
* |
Ohio |
| |
|
Mary Warndrof |
9/12 |
F |
* |
Iowa |
| |
|
Jacob Warndrof |
19 |
M |
* |
Germany |
|
|
Farmer |
| 4 |
4 |
Robert Kickenhaus |
36 |
M |
* |
Germany |
|
1 |
Farmer |
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