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Melvin Amos Halsted (1821-1915)

Home...BiographiesMelvin Amos Halsted (1821-1915)

Melvin Amos Halsted (1821-1915)

    Melvin Amos Halsted Portrait
    Photo #1    		 Melvin Amos Halsted Portrait 2
    Photo #2
    This timeline of Melvin Halsted's life was prepared by Lowell Town Historian Richard Schmal:

Melvin Halsted, Founder of Lowell

    1821
      Melvin was born in New York State.
    1837
      Moved to a farm near Dayton, Ohio, with his mother.
    1842
      Married Martha Foster
    1844
      Visited Lake County, Indiana, and was impressed.
    1845
      Moved to the West Creek area of Lake County to farm for three years.
    1848
      Moved again--to a deserted cabin near the present depot in Lowell.
      Purchased mill site, built dam for saw mill.
    1849
      Built kiln, made bricks for his home.
    1850
      Moved into his new brick home; left to go to the California gold rush; on return skirmished with Indians.
    1852
      Returned to Lowell with small fortune; resumed business ventures; planned the original part of Lowell.
    1853
      Town of Lowell platted, 16 lots; built first grist mill on Mill Street; also built a small brick schoolhouse.
    1857
      Built brick Baptist Church (demolished 1905); went to Kinmundy, Illinois, where he built two mills, stayed two years.
    1859
      Returned to California and built flour mill near San Francisco.
    1861
      Sold California mill; returned to Kinmundy, Illinois; went back to California where he mined and built homes.
    1864
      Returned to Lowell; bought back some of his holdings, including a mill at Pleasant Grove (near Lake Dalecarlia).
    1865
      A trip to Mississippi to raise cotton was a failure.
    1868
      Built a second mill, this time on Main Street at the stream; helped to establish a stage route between Lowell and Crown Point.
    1869
      Left for California again where he built 14 homes.
    1872
      Captured four sea lions, sold them to a showman for $1200.
    1873
      Traveled to Utah, where he was superintendent of a silver mine.
    1874
      Contracted for the building of the grade for the right-of-way for the railroad through Lowell which was opened by 1880 with regular train stops in 1881.

      Spent many years contracting for homes, sidewalks and business places in Lowell.
    1906
      At age 86, traveled to Harrison, Nebraska, as a pioneer; homesteaded.
    1913
      At age 92, made a solitary trip to California
    1915
      Nearly 94 years old, he died at the home of his son, William, in Kansas. Buried in West Creek Cemetery.
The following article from an unidentified newspaper was found in Town Historian Richard Schmal's obituary collection:

    FOUNDER OF LOWELL PASSES AWAY

    Melvin A. Halsted was born in Rensselaer county, New York, March 29th, 1821, and died at the home of his son, William, in Auburn, Kansas, March 24, 1915, at the advanced age of 93 years, 11 months and 25 days. In 1837 he left his native state and moved to Montgomery county, Ohio, where in May 1842 he was united in marriage to Martha C. Foster. To this union two sons were born, William, of Auburn, Kansas, and Theron H., of Foxborough, Mass. They resided in Ohio for three years and heeding the call of the west located in West Creek township, Lake county, Ind., where Mr. Halsted followed farming for a number of years. Later he moved to what is now the town of Lowell. Here he erected and operated a saw mill. The following year he burned brick and erected the brick residence where S.C. Simpson now lives. It is yet a substantial structure and is a monument to his thrift and energy. In 1850 Mr. Halsted made his first trip to California and came back to Lowell and erected a flouring mill which he operated for several years. In 1857 he sold his property here and moved to Ill., having in the meantime entered upon the land where Lowell now stands, and named the town after Lowell, Mass., therefore Mr. Halsted can be considered the father of our town. Mr. Halsted made several more trips to California. In 1864 he returned to Lowell and remained until 1869, when he made another trip to California and later to Utah and remained until 1873, when he returned to Lowell and later was instrumental in building the Monon railroad through Lake county. He had quite a lot of land in the town and this he converted into lots and laid out several additions to our town and these will bear his name for all time. When he was 84 he went to northwestern Nebraska and took up a government claim of 640 acres and for the second time he went through the hardships of a pioneer's life. After proving up on the claim, he sold it at a good price and after making a trip to California and Massachusetts, he went to make his home with his son, William, in Kansas. About a year ago he fell and hurt himself to such an extent that he lost the use of his lower limbs. His son, William, brought his remains to Lowell for burial and [they] were taken to West Creek, where interment was made beside his wife, who preceded him to the other world many years ago. The burial services were in charge of Colfax lodge F.&A.M., of which he was an honored member, being the oldest member of the lodge. Undertaker Castle was in charge of the burial services.

    Thus passes another one of our pioneers.

Other information about Melvin A. Halsted:
    Halsted, Melvin A. "Autobiography," and other first-hand accounts written in The Lowell Tribune. June 7, 1900.
Last updated on April 24, 2006.

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