RUTLEDGE

A short history of Rutledge

Long before it ever became an incorporated village, a group of Indigenous Americans lived along the banks of the Kettle River from where the community is today to a point about five miles downstream. The Government Road, a.k.a. Military Road, between St. Paul, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin passed through that area in the 1860s. A bridge was constructed across the Kettle River at what was called the Rock Dam. On the south side of the river, a station was built, at which stagecoaches stopped to change horses and allow passengers to get out and stretch their legs and have a lunch. It was at this location where the first Europeans settled. In 1870, the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad was completed in this region. A depot was built about two and one half miles upstream from the Rock Dam, named Kettle River Station. The community began to grow near the railroad station. On February 14, 1893, an election was held at the school house to decide whether the settlement should be incorporated as a village. A total of 22 votes were cast, 19 favoring incorporation. The Village of Rutledge was named after local lumberman Edward Rutledge, who had built several mills in the area. James D. McCormack served as the first Mayor of Rutledge.

Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Rutledge, Minnesota, revision 1374802648 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.