Cisco, Cisco, Cisco, part 8 – Cisco, Minnesota

: 1953 USGS Aerial Photo of Cisco, MN

I’m trying to build the N scale replica of the town of Cisco, Utah circa 1970. Accordingly, it’s my routine to search “Cisco” on the web, but it goes wrong most of the times bothered by “San Francisco” or “Cisco Systems”. Sometimes, “Cisco, Texas” gets in my way. Thus, I was wondering how many “Cisco”s are there in the United States. My recent research during these Stay Home days revealed some of them. Let me introduce these places named Cisco as a sideshow for my Town of Cisco posts.


Cisco, Polk, Minnesota: Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway’s Cisco station was located on the line between Mahnomen, MN and Thief River Falls, MN: four miles to Erskine to the south and four miles to Brooks to the north according to the Soo Line Map of Minnesota[1].

The MStP&SSM(Soo Line) Winnipeg line from Glenwood, MN to Noyes, MN was completed in 1903[2]. The Cisco station established the same year was a water stop and a siding near the border of Polk County and Red Lake County at GPS coordinates 47.742626, -96.001897.


The first settlers came to this region in 1883[3]. The community of Cisco first appears in 1919 USGS map Valley, MN with a small townsite along the railroad. The former landowner of the townsite and the adjacent railroad ROW was Bjelland family[4].

The particular land is registered as owned by Tri State Land Co. of Minneapolis in the 1915 Atlas of Polk County, Minnesota[5]. Tri State Land Co. was the Soo Line's townsite subsidiary[6]. But the townsite itself isn't shown yet in the 1915 Atlas. Accordingly, Cisco townsite was established between 1915 and 1919. The 750 feet square townsite was divided into four blocks with North-South Railway St, Main St, First St, and East-West Maple Ave, Central Ave, and Pine Ave[7].

Tri State Land Co. named thier townsites for an agent of the railroad, a pioneer settler, a merchant, and a former home in Denmark of the pioneer settler in North Dakota[8]. So, the situation must have been pretty similar here in Minnesota. However, unfortunately, I couldn't find the origin of the name of Cisco.

The D. S. B. Johnston Land Co. of St. Paul(Daniel Sidney Bartholomew Johnston, 1832 − 1914) established in 1885, bought the land surrounding the townsite from the Tri State in the late 1910s and recruited the following settlers. However, unfortunately, the company was dismissed in 1943[9]. The townsite itself disappears in 1952 USGS map Grand Forks, ND.


The Cisco Post Office was operated only between 1904 and 1907 on Bjelland's land at GPS coordinates 47.7388889, -96.0005556[10, 11]. The post office was attached to the general store. Bertil Johan Evensen Bjelland(1877 ｰ ?) was the original postmaster. Andre(w) Nelson Seter(1859 ｰ 1937) succeeded Bertil in 1906.

The Cisco School (District 146) located east of the post office also on Bjelland's land at GPS coordinates 47.738723, -95.998366 continued at least from 1902 to 1927[4, 12, 13]. After the closure, the schoolhouse was moved to Marcoux Corner on US Hwy 2 and became a tavern/bar Marcoux Corner Bar operated until 2001[14]. However, unfortunately, the structure was burnt down shortly thereafter.


Today, nothing but the railroad track remains of the community of Cisco, MN.

[1] 1915 Soo Line Map of Minnesota;
[2] Kohlin, Ron, (1999) A 100-year Timeline History of The Soo Line Railroad, Ron’s Rec Room;
[3] Aug. 2010 Giving Glory to God for 125 Years, Volts and Jolts;
[4] Map, Badger Township, Polk County, 1902, Historic Map Works;
[5] 1915 Atlas of Polk County, Minnesota, Webb Publishing;
[6] National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form for Archaeological and Historic Resources of Sheridan County, Montana, United State Department of Interior, National park Survice;
[7] 1930 Standard Atlas of Polk County, Minnesota;
[8] Williams, Mary Ann Barnes, (1966) Origins of North Dakota Place Names, Bismark Tribune;
[9] Mar. 17, 2012 Park Rapid Enterprise;
[10] Forte, Jim, Polk County, Minnesota Post Offices, Jim Forte Postal History;
[11] Feature Detail Report for: Cisco Post Office (historical), USGS;
[12] Cisco School-Cisco, Minn.-1921, Polk County 1970, Minnesota, Title Atlas Company;
[13] Former Site of Marcoux Corner Bar;
[14] Lake Pleasant Township, Red Lake County, Minnesota, Wikipedia;

: 1930 townsite of Cisco
: Google maps, Cisco, MN
　
　
筆者がNスケールで復元しようとしているユタ州Ciscoについて調べようとインターネット検索すると、余計なページばかりよく引っ掛かる。一番邪魔なのは「San Francisco」、次に邪魔なのは「Cisco Systems」に関連するページである。テキサス州にある「Cisco」という町に関連するページも結構邪魔だ。一方、お目当てのユタ州Ciscoの町に関連するページなどほとんどない。一体何件の「Cisco」がアメリカにあるのか。古い時刻表を調べてみると、ユタ州Cisco以外に八カ所ものCisco駅があったらしい。どんなところだろう。


Cisco, Minnesota: 七カ所目のCisco駅は、Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway(Soo Line)沿線に1903年開業した、列車への給水を主たる目的とする郡境の駅である。後には穀物や家畜も出荷したが1938年までにそれらに供する施設は取り壊されている。

Tri State Land Co.というSoo Line傘下の不動産開発会社が駅周辺の土地を区画し、北欧からの入植者を募ったのがCisco町の始まり。郵便局は1904年の開設。雑貨屋に併設され、局長はノルウェーからの移民である店主が兼務した。小学校も1902年までに開校している。もっとも郵便局はわずか三年後に閉鎖。一方、小学校は1927年まで続いた。小学校の校舎は、閉校後近くの国道沿いに移設され、近年まで飲食店として遺っていた。

現在、Ciscoには民家が一軒あるのみ。鉄道はCanadian Pacific RailwayのWinnipegおよびMinneapolisを結ぶ本線として盛業中である。

コメント 2

Very interesting to read you
Good luck to you
by TerryGroto (2020-09-20 20:38) 

Thank you for the comment, TerryGroto.
This series of posts seem to continue until the end of this year. So many Ciscos!
by arx_ph.D. (2020-09-22 00:33)