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Douglas County History
In 1858, the territory of Minnesota was accepted into the union as the thirty-second state. It was in 1866 that the State Legislature formally established the county boundaries and named it after Stephen A. Douglas, a senator from Illinois who was instrumental in securing Minnesota’s territorial and statehood status. Although its boundaries had been established, it remained attached to Stearns County for most governmental purposes since there was, as yet, no one living within its borders.
Five men are known to have settled in Douglas County that August. Three men, Holmes, Grant and Sanford, settled at what became known as Holmes City on Grant Lake. Two brothers, Alexander and William Kinkead claimed land on Lake Agnes and Lake Winona. Alexander Kinkead was named the first U.S. Postmaster in the area and his log house was named the Alexandria Post Office.
During the summer of 1858, the U.S. Army cut a trail through the brush, woods and prairie and on to Fort Abercrombie on the Minnesota-Dakota border. When it became passable, the Burbank Stage from St. Cloud traveled the trail with frontier stage stops at Osakis, Alexandria, Chippewa (Brandon), and Evansville. With the stage came men looking for opportunities for the future. Among them were a few men with families. George Kinkead, together with his wife, Clara, and their children, came to make their home near his brothers. The Alexandria settlement soon included several log houses.
The stage brought the frontier community “letters from home” and news of world events. In 1861 it brought news of the Civil War between the States. In 1862, less than four years after their arrival in Douglas County, Alexander and William were inducted into the Union Army. More recent settlers and the George Kinkead family remained.
On August 24, 1862, the state again brought news of war…that of the Sioux Uprising, together with the Governor’s request that everyone should flee to more populated areas where soldiers could give protection. The settlers took what possessions they could, and fled to Sauk Centre and then to St. Cloud. Very few ever came back and so ended Alexandria’s first beginning.
In 1868 the Government Land Office was moved to Alexandria from Sauk Centre. In less than seven years the swarm of homesteaders had claimed most of the farmland. It was a wild and wooly, hurry-scurry time in spite of slow travel with oxen and horses, covered wagon and stagecoach. The town of Alexandria would have its second beginning.
(To learn more about Alexandria’s early beginnings, read the article, “The Kinkead Saga”.)
* Information compiled and article written by Minnie Osterholt for the Douglas County Historical Society Heritage Column. Revised 4/25/95.