2025 Isanti Community Guide | Page 6

HISTORY

“ Not only does ICHS offer many wonderful resources to the public , but it also has a banquet hall and commercial kitchen available for rent . Plan your next business meeting , class , or corporate event locally in Cambridge . Their facility offers seating for 75 guests with its modern new building and expansive and picturesque grounds ; your next gathering is sure to be a memorable one at the Isanti County Historical Society ,” according to Executive Director Sam Klocksien .

Historical Society Board Directors include President ( vacant ), Vice President Robert Fealy-Layer , Treasurer Pam Baar , Secretary Kelly Lillemoen , Jim Johnson , Clark Joslin , Barb Baar , Kris Parker , Mike Warring , Keith Engstrom , Larry Kluck , Rebecca Kerkow , and Todd Christensen .

For more information on upcoming events , historic sites , or rentals , email Executive Director Sam Klocksien at director @ isanticountyhistory . org , visit online at www . isanticountyhistory . org ; drop by and say hello at 33525 Flanders St . NE , Cambridge , MN 55008 ; or call 763 689-4229 . Hours : Tuesday 9 a . m . to 4:30 p . m ., Wednesday and Thursday 10 a . m . to 2 p . m ., or by appointment Monday through Saturday . New hours starting this May will be Tuesday through Thursday 10 a . m . to 4 p . m .

ISANTI COUNTY HISTORY BUILT ON TREES , TRAINS , WATER from page 5

Lumberjacks from New England originally settled in the area now known as Isanti County . They migrated westward with their families in search of fresh trees to harvest . The combination of dense forests and the commercial vitality of the Rum River helped the community flourish . It drew a steady influx of immigrants from Sweden and Germany who sought religious freedom and fortune .

On Feb . 13 , 1857 , Isanti County was officially established , separating from Ramsey County and implementing its own government . As the once-dense woods waned , the livelihood of most people shifted to farming , particularly potato farming . Spencer Brook grew to be the largest town in the county , ahead of an assembly of small , crossroad communities .

As the railroad chugged into the county in 1899 , it brought major change . Spencer Brook and the crossroad communities faded as Braham , Cambridge , Grandy , and Isanti grew in the path of the railroad since the steam engines needed to stop for water every seven or eight miles .

Going back some 16,000 years , two gigantic glaciers – the Superior Lobe from the northeast and the Des Moines Lobe from the west - collided northwest of St . Cloud . The glacial collision created Lake Grantsburg , which covered all of Isanti County and deposited a mix of silt-clay soil on the northern part of the county and huge sand piles on the southern end , known as the Anoka Sand Plain .

Receding glaciers also formed land ridges , rivers , and lakes . The Rum River was the main drainage route , supplied by the tributaries Spencer Brook , Upper and Lower Stanchfield Creeks , and Cedar Creek . As years passed , a dense forest of red and white oak , white birch , sugar maple , basswood , elm , tamarack , cherry , and wild plum grew on the land .

It is believed that American Indians migrated north through the Mississippi Valley . Artifacts such as projectile points and stone hammers dating back to 5,000 B . C . have been found near Spring Lake and Lake Francis . The first white explorers to step foot in Isanti County were probably Radisson and Grossliers in 1655 and 1659 , and Father Hennepin in 1680 . Other known inhabitants of the area included four tribes of Dakota , also known as the Santee , Isanyati or Isantees . They planted a variety of vegetables and found abundant game , fish , lakes filled with wild rice , and marshes full of cranberries . Area maple trees were tapped for sugar as well . In the mid-1700s , the Ojibwe ( Anishinabe ) moved into the area , pushed westward by other natives and white settlers . Armed with muskets , they drove the Santees to the west and south , settling into the county after decisive battles were won along the shores of Mille Lacs Lake and areas within Isanti County .

The lumber rush led to white settlers coming in 1847 , such as the timber cruiser Daniel Stanchfield , who explored the Rum River and located a huge stand of white pine northeast of Cambridge . His reports of unlimited timber brought lumbermen from his native Maine and other eastern states . Many of the New Englanders named their towns and townships after the places they left behind : Cambridge , Athens , Oxford , Stanford , and Springvale .

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Page 6 Isanti County Community Guide • March 2025