Business and Industry | Page 57

Comstock, Solomon G. (1842–1933)

Solomon Comstock earned his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1869 but worked with railroads when prospects of finding a job in his chosen career path seemed dim. In Moorhead, he began a law partnership and traded in real estate with the Northwest Land Company. In the 1880s, he worked with James J. Hill’s Northern Pacific Railway to plat townships across Minnesota.

Color image of a relatively complete, un-smoked kaolin pipe found during excavations at the Réaume site, 2012.

White clay pipe found at the Réaume site

Relatively complete, un-smoked kaolin pipe found during excavations at the Réaume site, 2012. It is similar to ones that were popular in the late eighteenth century. Photograph by Don Hoffmann.

Silver cross pendant found at the Réaume site

Silver cross pendant found at the Réaume site, 2012. It is similar to those recovered at other late eighteenth-century trading posts. Photograph by Don Hoffmann.

Color image of wo metal projectile points from the Réaume site, 2012.

Two metal projectile points

Two metal projectile points from the Réaume site, 2012. By the late twentieth century, metal detecting had disturbed some of the features of the Réaume site. Some artifacts were later recovered and are now preserved along with artifacts from the formal excavations at the Wadena County Historical Society. Photograph by Don Hoffmann.

Excavation unit at Réaume site

Excavation unit at Réaume site, 2012. Graduate students in archaeology from the University of Minnesota investigated 26 excavation units and over 100 shovel test pits during 2011–2012. Photograph by Amélie Allard.

Joseph Réaume's Trading Post

Wadena County contains three known fur trade sites. One is located on private property along the Leaf River where Joseph Réaume, an independent fur trader, set up a winter camp in the late eighteenth century. Between 2011 and 2012, the University of Minnesota conducted archaeological surveys and excavations at this location. They confirmed a late-eighteenth century occupation, validating its association with Réaume's 1792 wintering activities.

Railroad and Warehouse Commission office

Railroad and Warehouse Commission office in the second state capitol, ca. 1903.

Examination of work done on the capitol building

Examination of work done on the capitol building, 1853. From, Records, 1851–1854, Minnesota Territorial Archives, Minnesota Board of Commissioners of Public Buildings, State Archives Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

Receipt of payment to John Daniels

Receipt of payment to John Daniels dated October 2, 1852 for work rendered on the capitol. From, Records, 1851–1854, Minnesota Territorial Archives, Minnesota Board of Commissioners of Public Buildings, State Archives Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

Anoka Post Office

Designed by the famed Minnesota architect James Knox Taylor, Anoka’s oldest extant public building, built in 1916, is known for its classic Georgian Revival style.

Gale Family Library