Posted on: Dakota County Biographies Reply Here: http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/gc/USA/Mn/DakotaBios/10013 Surname: LEWIS, CASEY, COLLINS, AMSDEN, ARCHIBALDS ------------------------- >From the book "History of Dakota and Goodhue Counties, Minnesota, Vol. 1". Franklin Curtiss-Wedge, Editor-in-Chief. Chicago; H. C. Cooper Jr & Co, 1910. p. 315 The first settlers in the town of Sciota Township were Charles Lewis and his sons, "Zach" and Charles, Jr. They came in 1854. Mr. Lewis made a townsite claim in sections 14, 15 and 22, most of it being on the north side of the Cannon River. In the spring of 1855, he had the ground surveyed and a town laid out, which he called Lewiston. The settlement from that time was quite rapid, and the embryo city began to grow. In 1856 a bridge was built across the Cannon river, the first one built across that stream. S. N. Casey obtained an interest in the town and built a small flouring mill. C. T. Collins built a commodious hotel. A man named Amsden built a store, Mr. Lewis a blacksmith shop and a number of private residences. Few towns of its age had better prospects, and had the proprietors been wiser, a thriving town might have been built up. But they, thinking their town was an undoubted success, put their property at top prices and drove away many who would have been glad to make it their future home. The Archibalds came in, with a view to erecting mills on an extensive scale, but the exorbitant prices wanted for the mill-site caused them to look elsewhere, and the pleasant little village of Dundas, in Rice county, is the result. In the meantime, other towns around had sprung up and soon distanced Lewiston. The decline began, and but a short time elapsed before the town was a thing of the past. The buildings were moved away by the owners. The bridge was washed away in a freshet. Mr. Lewis moved to Minneapolis. His son, Zach, made a claim in the northwest quarter of section 22, which he sold and made another just north of it. This he also kept but a short time. Charles, Jr., made his claim in the north part of section 15, and lived on it several years, then sold and left with his father and brother for Minneapolis.