The
Village of Grantsburg got its start when Canute
Anderson appeared on the scene, spending his first
winter near the St. Croix River north of the present
village in 1852-1853. From 1865 to 1875 Burnett
County was all one township with a governing body
appointed by Governor J.T. Lewis. Grantsburg was
selected as the county seat by the state legislature
and was named after General Ulysses S. Grant’s
victory at Vicksburg. County functions were carried
out in the schoolhouse. The application to
incorporate the Village of Grantsburg was in 1886.
The census showed a population of 311 persons in the
1203 acres.
Canute Anderson was responsible for getting
Grantsburg on the map. He built a mill on the river,
constructed a nice hotel and a store. By 1875
Grantsburg had three stores, a good hotel, two
sawmills, one shingle mill, a grist mill, two
blacksmith shops, a saloon, a Methodist church, a
Lutheran church and a school. A large celebration
was held in 1884 when the railroad line from Rush
City, Minnesota was completed. The entire
countryside was saddened when Canute Anderson was
killed in a farm haying accident in 1893.
The Dr. Fremstad family was early pioneers in the
village. They were a very accomplished musical
family as well as medically proficient. Dr. Fremstad
took charge of countless patients in the diphtheria
epidemic, conducted Swedish singing classes and sang
at tent meetings and socials held at the rink. Mrs.
Fremsted was a graduated midwife who attended call
here at all hours. Their daughter Olive traveled the
world as an operatic prima Dona. She sang with the
great Caruso and at the Metropolitan Opera in New
York.
The last spike for the railroad was driven in
1884. Power came to town in 1901 when the Grantsburg
Power and Light Company was organized. Telephone and
Telegraph also came in at that time.
Big
Gust Anderson resided in Grantsburg for about 25
years before he died in 1926. He was an outstanding
character of human stature. The 7 1/2 foot giant
became well known as the village Marshall and old
lamp lighter. A wooden statue of "Big Gust", carved
by Alf Olson, is located in front of the Community
Center building at 416 South Pine Street. Stop to
see the statue of "Big Gust" and listen to him tell
his story.
