Fun Facts - Markville

1. Mark Andrews, timber cruiser for the Tozer Lumber Company, became one of the first settlers in the Markville area when he built a “stopping place” on the St. Croix River a mile and a half south of the future town site. He called his small settlement “Pansy.”

2. As more settlers moved into the area, Mr. Andrews and his neighbors established a ferry at Pansy to carry passengers across the St. Croix. John Blackburn operated the ferry, which ran by a system of cables, for many years. A bridge replaced the ferry in 1920 but was destroyed a few years later by an ice break-up and was never rebuilt.

3. The Soo Line Railroad came through eastern Pine County in 1912. The same year, Mark Andrews surveyed and platted a village along the line and named it “Markville.” Mr. Andrews opened a livery barn in his new town.

4. By 1914, Markville was thriving. It boasted a post office, a school, two stores, two saw mills, a hotel, a hoop-making industry, and two “Blind Pigs” (i.e., saloons). The Consolidated Lumber Company was founded not long afterward along with two potato warehouses, a stockyard, a hardware store, and a restaurant. By 1925, Markville was home to a cooperative creamery and a newspaper, The Markville Messenger.

5. Matthew Bullis of Sandstone established the Markville Bank in 1915. John F. Bruner, cashier, managed the bank, which claimed over $24,000 in deposits after only a few months in operation. The bank building was said to be fireproof and had been built at a cost of $3,500.

6. Markville residents built a large brick schoolhouse in 1918 after the first school, built in 1912, became overcrowded. The school offered a four-year high school program beginning in 1923 and achieved a peak enrollment of 150 students (both grade and high schools) in 1924 and 1925. Unfortunately, enrollment declined during the 1930s, and the high school program was discontinued late in that decade.

7. Three churches were active in Markville over the years: Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Markville Presbyterian, and Zion Lutheran. The Presbyterian girls' Sunshine club purchased the Presbyterian church's bell in the late 1910s by collecting a mile of pennies.

8. An electric light plant was installed in Markville in the 1920s. The plant, which was powered by a gasoline engine, provided electricity to the town from dusk to eleven o'clock every evening.

9. Until 1923, Markville teamed up with Cloverton to sponsor a “Pioneer Fair.” After that time, Markville hosted its own fair, which was put on by the Community Club.

10. Markville held a Homecoming in 1961 that was attended by over 600 people, many of whom were former residents.

Sources: Askov American newspaper, July 1, 1976; Pine County...and its Memories by Jim Cordes

The Pansy Ferry - Mark Andrews is the man on the far left with the dog.