Minnesota pioneer, Great Grandfather Frank Crane, lived a remarkable life. This is a biography of Frank and his family.
Francis Duane Crane (Frank) came to Dawson about 1883. He was born in Minnesota at Stewartville on May 11, 1861 but moved soon after to Springfield, Wisconsin with his parents Caleb Calvin and Zellah Crane. Zellah was the daughter of Ebenezer and Adaline Sumner who came to Dawson via Olmsted Co. (See article on Henry Harrison Sumner).
C.C. Crane's parents, Obediah Meeker and Julianna(Carpenter) Crane had come west from New York to Stephenson Co. Illinois. C.C. later moved to Stewartville where his sister Julia Ann Buck and her husband were farming. It is surmised that he met young Zellah Sumner there.
Zellah and C.C Crane moved to St. Croix Co. Wisconsin where Mr. Crane was engaged in the sawmill business. The Cranes were some of the earliest pioneers in that area and the settlement around the mill became known as Cranetown. A second son named George Ebenezer Crane(Ebben) was born to this family about 1870. Mr. Crane died July 23, 1897 and Zellah died January 14, 1920.
Frank Crane came to the site of Dawson the fall of 1883 by rail to Canby and by foot to the homestead of his grandfather, Ebenezer Sumner. Young Frank walked to near Lac qui Parle to find Peter Johnson who wanted an engineer for a steam threshing engine. The engine was probably one of the first in these parts and was not self-propelled.
Frank returned to Cranetown that fall and on May 11, 1884 married Estella Louise Clair born Sep 13, 1867 in Rock Falls, Wis. to John George and Mary Margaret (Drinkwine) Clair. Their first child, Hilda Ella, was born in Cranetown January 1,1885. Born prematurely, Hilda was tiny enough to fit in a cigar box, yet was able to move with her parents to Dawson June 6. Frank was now employed as an engineer at the Roller Mill located east of Dawson. It was during this time that J.F. Jacobsen of Madison requested Frank to steam up and help unload the first self-propelled steam tractor engine to come into the county. In the fall of 1889 Frank took the family back to Wisconsin where he ran a feed mill in Downing for the winter. But he returned to Dawson the next spring to build a boiler and repair shop in back of his home. He purchased his own threshing rig and continued to run rigs for others. His services were much in demand as few settlers had knowledge of steam engines. Frank was also asked to do some unusual tasks such as, upon request of the county board, drive his rig across the new Maguire Bridge to see if the timbers would hold. Frank's rig was not only useful but an attraction for the town folk as he sported a whistle and a U.S. flag.
During the winter of 1892 the Crane family moved to Hopkins where Frank was boiler maker for Minneapolis Threshing Machine Co. Back in Dawson in the fall of that year Frank suffered a misfortune when his separator burned at the Beltz Bros. farm near Boyd.
Mr. Crane received recognition in his field when he was named Deputy District State Boiler Inspector for seven consecutive years starting about 1893. In this position he traveled throughout the county.
In 1896 in partnership with George Dashner, Frank started the Dawson Iron Works. The shop was located north of the former Youman Lumber Yard. In 1897 an addition to be used as an engine house was added and in 1898 an 1800 lb. trip hammer was placed on a specially built foundation. The Dawson Iron Works burned in 1921 and Mr. Crane later built a small shop at the back of his home. Here he did welding and repair work for the remainder of his life. Frank Crane was active in community affairs serving on the city council, fire department, and as city water superintendent. He was active in Republican politics supporting Benjamin Harrison by being the first in the county to wear the candidate's trademark hat. Other interests were Woodmen and IOOF-Oddfellows.
The first Avery grain separator sold in Lac qui Parle Co. was sold in 1899 by Mr. Crane who had an agency for the Avery Threshing Machine. In honor of this sale the first Crane son born July 18, 1899 was named Darrel Avery. Other children born to Estella and Frank Crane were Mildred Lorene born Aug 23, 1890; Bernal Francis born April 25, 1905 and Kyle Clair born March 24 1907. Of the five children only Darrel and Kyle stayed in Dawson.
Kyle served in the U.S. Navy during WW II. He married Marjorie Schilla of St. Paul, MN and their two daughters, Diane Marie(Feb 5, 1943) and Bonita Louise(Oct 5, 1946) were born in Dawson. Kyle later worked in Silver Bay and died in Two Harbors, MN on Aug 30, 1965.
Darrel Crane married Lillian Cora Lee born May 11, 1905 to Andrew and Christine Lee of Clarkfield, MN on Jun 28, 1927. The following children were born and raised in Dawson: Bethel Jean(Mrs. Gorden Bergeson) born Jun 17,1928; Nancy Joyce(Mrs. Henry Wedding) of Bowie, MD born Feb 5 1933; Gail Estelle (Mrs. Paul Ohman) of Moline, IL born Sep 18, 1934; Capt. Lee Duane Crane of Newport, R.I. born Jul 3, 1936 married to Sandra Sandvig; and Linda Kay(Hrs. Stanford Lund) of Richfield, MN born Oct 22, 1944.
Bethel was the only offspring of Darrel who elected to spend her adult life in Dawson. She married Gordon Curtis Bergeson on June 27, 1948. Gordon was the son of Cora and Bernard Bergeson of Dawson. To this union were born four children: Mary Beth(Mrs. Kent Gilbertson) of Apple Valley, Jeffrey Gordon of Lakeville, MN, Nanci Jean(Mrs. Thomas Mandler)of Brooklyn Park, MN, and Thomas Alan of Burnsville, MN. Gordon Bergeson died on Aug. 26, 1980. Bethel works as secretary to the principal at Dawson Elementary school.
Growing up in Dawson at the turn of the century was a lot of fun according to Darrel Crane. He was born in the family home on Fourth Street where his mother raised a huge garden as well as the five children. Darrel would often be found helping his dad in his machine shop or traveling about the county with Frank when he visited owners of steam engines. In Darrel's free time, often early in the morning, he could be found hunting squirrels, trapping or fishing. Before he had a chance to finish high school, Darrel was caught up in the desire to enlist. World War I was going strong in Europe when Darrel signed up with the 7th Calvary(27th Co.). He was just 18 when his troop was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas in March of 1918. His group served out the war in the El Paso area pursuing the Mexican Bandit Chieftain Pancho Villa. His letters tell of his longing to go to Europe and of the suffering caused by the Spanish Flu epidemic. Sgt. Crane was discharged from service in Fort Dodge, Iowa at the end of the war.
After his war experience Darrel sought employment in Detroit, MI in a steel plant returning to Dawson in 1923 following an injury. He later worked in lumbering camps in Northern MN. Marriage in 1927 brought Darrel home to Dawson and he was employed for more than 20 years as custodian at the Dawson Armory. He was one of the first members of the Dawson National Guard later known as Company K. 135th Infantry. Minnesota National Guard. He served as a battalion supply sergeant.
During WWII Darrel was away from Dawson for several months while he worked at a war plant in Hanford, Washington and later in a shipyards in Savage, Mn. Following this service he worked as a plumber until he was hired by the National Guard as a supply sergeant. This last job caused him to be called up with the Minnesota Guard and sent to Camp Rucker during the Korean Conflict in 1951.
Darrel was one of the first members of the Dawson Soybean Plant beginning in 1951. He suffered a heart attack in 1963 but returned to work until retirement in about 1967. After retiring he set up a woodworking shop in his garage where he made picture frames, bird feeders and marble rollers. His shop was unique in that many of his tools were handmade to do a specific task.
Darrel was a member of the volunteer Fire Dept. as well as the VFW and the Am. Legion. The Cranes belonged to Trinity Lutheran and later Grace of Dawson. In 1980 Darrel moved to Johnson Memorial Home where he died on May 27, 1983.
Lillian Crane was a school teacher in rural Burr and Canby MN before her marriage. She was active in her church teaching Sunday and Weekday School, serving as president of the Ladies Aid and singing in the Mothers' Chorus. In later years she was employed by Hoveland Drug(later Stringers Drug). Lillian died on Aug 9, 1986.
Frank Crane's eldest child, Hilda, also lived in Lac qui Parle Co. a good share of her adult years. On Dec 22, 1906 she married John Henry Runge(Joe) born May 26, 1883 son of Ludwig B. and Elise Roth Runge. Joe was depot agent for the Minneapolis and St. Louis R.R. in Madison and Marietta as well as Hartland and Albert Lea. One daughter, LuVerne Claire was born Oct 29, 1909 in Hartland, MN. She married Cecil Mead(Pete) of Garfield Township on Nov 24 1945. Mr. Mead died Jan 19, 1969.