Cities and Towns | Page 52

E. D. Childs and family

Ellsworth D. Childs with wife Eliza (far left) and two unidentified women, ca. 1890–1900.

Childs, Ellsworth D. (1843–1927)

A man of diverse interests and talents, Ellsworth D. Childs was a farmer, city councilman, businessman, entrepreneur, church planter, village planter, and writer. As all of these, and more, he profoundly influenced the development of the city of Crookston.

Black and white photograph of a woman and baby posing in front of the band shell in Hanover, ca. 1925–1930.

Woman and baby pose in front of the band shell in Hanover

A woman and baby pose in front of the band shell in Hanover, ca. 1925–1930.

Townsite plat Exhibit A, Block A

Townsite plat Exhibit A, Block A, 1886, Wright County Abstract.

Downtown Hanover

Downtown Hanover seen from the Hennepin County side of the Crow River, ca. late 1800s. Used courtesy of the Hanover Historical Society.

Aerial view of Hanover

Aerial view of Hanover, 2015. Photographed by Nick Hill via drone camera.

City of Hanover petition for incorporation

First page of the original petition for town incorporation signed by local residents in September 1891. Photographed by Mary Coons, 2004. Used courtesy of the City of Hanover.

Founding of Hanover

In 1891, homesteaders in Hanover realized their dream of officially incorporating their farming community. It had been thirty-six years since Jacob Vollbrecht, a German immigrant, first arrived by canoe from St. Anthony Falls (later Minneapolis) after coming to the area from New Orleans. Jacob staked his land claim in Minnesota Territory and made the area his home. He and his brother William, who followed in the next year, are credited with founding the village of Vollbrecht Mills, later renamed Hanover.