While the decade of the 1870's saw Minnesota struggling to recover from both its involvement in the Civil War and the turmoil created by the Dakota War, a small village in the east-central section of the state was beginning to take root.

Recognized by some to be a civilized area during that time, it was largely due to the emergence of rail transportation in 1870 which opened up the Barnum area for settlement. Working for the Lake
Superior Mississippi Railroad was a young businessman, George G. Barnum. After serving as surveyor and disbursing agent for the company, George Barnum witnessed the first train run through the village during August, 1870. Upon completion of his duties, G.G. Barnum chose to remain in the new community for a time and served as the railroad's paymaster. His influence on the struggling community was apparently tremendous, for when the village became incorporated in 1889, it was for this man the village was named.

Along with the railroad, the lumber business did much to build the City of Barnum in the early days. Jerome Cooley moved his lumber business from Minneapolis to Barnum soon after the first train through the area. Cooley oversaw the clearing of the land, the damming of the Moosehorn River, the erection of both a sawmill and boarding home and hired twenty-flve mill workers. Among those employees was William Oliver, known to some as "Big Bill". Bill had previously been occupied as a woodsman, a trader with the Chippewa and Objibway Indians, and with John Skelton, had driven stage coach on the Military Road. Remnants of the old Military Road still exist and are marked around the Barnum area.

The early days in Barnum were marked with adversity, but the loyalty to the town by its settlers was quite strong. Evidence of this was apparent as in September of 1870, Barnum became part of the Moose Lake District during the first recorded meeting In Carlton County. Because of this decision, Barnum citizens were obliged to travel to Moose Lake to vote, not an easy task on the muddy, rutted, wagon paths. Deciding that enough was enough, a few Barnumites stole into Moose Lake one evening and removed the voting polls, relocating them in Barnum.

As the railroad and lumber industries faired in the early days, so did Barnum. The Stock Market Panic of 1873 plunged the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad into bankruptcy. This left Barnum without transportation until the reorganization of the company as the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad In 1877. Without rail service Cooley's lumber business failed and Barnum found itself with few people remaining.

Barnum's fate turned as did the country's during the economic surge of the 1880s. German immigrants from Michigan helped build the population. Those families to this day still have roots in Barnum.

The 1880's saw the first school in Barnum. The building, known as Star Hall, served as a school, post office, dance hall and church. The first official school was the White School built in 1885. Later the Red School was built. As in the early days, education today, in Barnum is a driving force in the community.

The lumber industry rebounded in the 1880s and peaked In the 1890s. In 1890, the Samuel S. Johnson sawmill produced 19,800,000 board feet of lumber. However, the lumber industry would die out by the turn of the century and it would be agriculture that would bring Barnum back to prosperity.

Under the guise of H.C. Hanson, an industrious young man who founded the Barnum Bank in 1903, Barnum entered its finest economic boom. Meeting with local farmers, Hanson supplied the capital to allow for the area to specialize in the Guernsey breed of cattle and the White Leghorn Chicken. By 1909, Barnum was known as, "the agricultural center of Carlton County". The local creamery was booming and the sale of White Leghorn eggs was known statewide. The Maplewood Hatchery and Poultry Farm was founded by Hugo Anderson in the early 1910's. By 1912, Anderson's eggs were in demand in New York restaurants.

The advance of farming helped stabilize Barnum for many years. Barnum's business section began growing at the end of the 1910s and by the 1940s, over 40 well established businesses thrived in and around the town.

Agriculture pulled Barnum through the Great Depression and to this day continues to be a basis for the area economy. The lumber industry also continues to be an important factor in the local
economy.

Barnum celebrated its 100th birthday in 1989, a testimony to the people that take pride in saying where they live. If you would like more information on the history of Barnum and the area, the
centennial publication of "Always Onward" 100 years of Barnums is available.

As times have changed, so has Barnum. Graced with the foresight to be ready for tomorrow's needs both of its residents and businesses, Barnum stands ready for a new chapter in its history.