Lyman Dayton

DAYTON'S BLUFF THE DREAM...

LYMAN DAYTON THE DREAMER...

With the bustle of the freeway and relentless maneuvering through the sloping curve of Interstate 94, freeway travelers are oblivious of the history and renewal of Dayton's Bluff. Many have heard of Indian Mounds Park. Some may have wondered if Dayton's Bluff was named for the Dayton/Target conglomerate. Actually, this proud neighborhood is the vision of a man who was looking for a new life. This vision included making a difference in a territory that was eight years short of statehood. A swamp, bluff and rolling hills a mile east or so from Phalen Creek became known as Dayton's Bluff. And this dreamer that it was named for was Lyman E. Dayton.

Lyman Dayton was born on August 25, 1810 to Samuel and Amanda Dayton of Southington, Connecticut, the third son of eleven children. The Dayton family came from wealth and influence, dating back to England in the early Seventeenth Century when three brothers emigrated to America. Lyman's father himself, Samuel, was a man of prominence in his day, not only fighting in the War of 1812, but also holding several positions of trust and importance in the government, not to mention, marrying into a wealthy farming family. From this distinguished beginning, Lyman left central Connecticut for Providence, Rhode Island where he started as a clerk in a dry goods establishment. With his influence, energy and perseverance, he gradually built his own business as a wholesale dry goods merchant out of Providence expanding into New York City and as far as New Orleans. He married Miss Maria Bates of Providence in 1830. (Maria Avenue and Bates Avenue were named for Maria.)

While highly respected and successful, Dayton's health was greatly affected by his business enterprise. He retired in 1849, planning a change of career into real estate.

Dayton's ambition and adventurous spirit brought him to the beautiful Upper Mississippi River Valley on September 1, 1849 aboard the "Franklin, No 2" from St. Louis, Missouri. The steamboat did not make its regular stop at Fort Snelling, but went on to downtown St. Paul. This misgiving actually became a
turning point for Dayton, giving him the opportunity to visit the surrounding countryside and observe the possibilities available in St. Paul. His vision was quite keen since there were less than 500 inhabitants in St. Paul at this time.

Dayton's perception and his fortitude proved influential in three ways. Zealous and a risk taker, Dayton did not hesitate to invest. In less than one year he had secured more than five thousand acres of land east of downtown St. Paul, which included the famous "Carver Cave". Dayton's Bluff, as it came to be known, was platted in 1857. In the next five years, 30,000 immigrants traveled to and through St. Paul. 1855, 1856 and 1857 were the greatest years of territorial expansion.

Dayton also was the founder of the city of Dayton, platted in 1855. This is at the junction of the Crow and Mississippi Rivers, northwest of the Twin Cities. He expended large amounts of money to improve the water power, building mills, etc. Lastly, Dayton was a major force in bringing the railroad into Minnesota.
Dayton was the projecting force in the development of the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad.

Through his energy and finances he helped in securing an enormous state and congressional land grant of nearly two million acres of land. Dayton was most personally active in the establishment of the Nebraska and Lake Superior Railroad, incorporated in 1857. He invested more than $10,000 of his own money just into the preliminary surveying in preparation for the future railroad. This construction project took 3-4 years. It was renamed the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad in 1861. Dayton was the first president of the company, and he held that position until his death in 1865, never asking compensation for his services. (Of interest is that James J. Hill, St. Paul's future railroad giant, came to St. Paul the same year Dayton died.)

Dayton's parents lived into their seventies, but Lyman Dayton died at the age of fifty-five. On October 20, 1865 he passed away at his St. Paul home of chronic gastritis, after a long illness. He was survived by his wife and son, Lyman C. Dayton.

What was Lyman E. Dayton like? Lyman Dayton was described as portly and rugged looking. In resources of his day, Dayton was described as a man of great force of character, honorable in all his dealings and of the strictest integrity. Such words as energetic, stirring, liberal, and kindhearted were
used to describe his nature. Quick in speech and action, Dayton also was warm, genial and generous, performing many good acts in his life. During the financial crisis of 1857 which impoverished thousands, Dayton hired more than a hundred men who otherwise may have been unable to support their families.
Finally, though, it has been recorded, that if he'd lived, he would have been a very rich man. Instead he died unaware of what a difference his dreams made in the development of St. Paul and Minnesota.

Lyman Dayton's home at 284 Mounds was razed for the construction of I-94.

Among the portions of land razed for Interstate 94 freeway construction in the 1960's was the estate of Lyman E. Dayton, the original investor of this area and the namesake for Dayton's Bluff. He lived at 284 Mounds between 3rd and Conway. Dayton's remains were buried on the lot of 334 North Mounds
Boulevard, considered one of the oldest houses in St. Paul. Before the construction of Mounds Boulevard and the land reconstruction due to the railroad and Interstate 94, the address of this home was 652 East 5th Street. This location quite possibly could have been an earlier home of Lyman Dayton and his family. A cemented marker area remains which was to have been his grave site. Later Dayton's remains are said to have been moved to a space near the garage. Finally Lyman Dayton was placed in an unmarked grave in Oakland Cemetery. The Dayton's Bluff Community Council purchased a marker for Lyman's grave in 1995.

Article researched and written by N. L. Larson, recent home owner in, and historian of, Dayton's Bluff.

RESOURCES:
Andreas, A.T., "Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Minnesota", printed in 1874, page 268.

Fletcher, William J., "A History of the City of St. Paul to 1875", St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, printed in 1876 and again in 1983, pages 404 and 420-423.

Newson, T.M., "Pen Pictures of St. Paul and Biographical Sketches", printed in 1886, page 746.

Upham, Warren, "Minnesota Geographic Names, Their Origin and Historic Significance", St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, printed in 1920 and again in 1969, pages 221 and 393.