Hubbard County MN Archives Biographies.....Dow, William 1860 - 1934 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Lloyd Frey lloydfrey@comcast.net March 5, 2018, 6:15 pm Source: News Papers, Obituaries, Family Information Author: Lloyd Frey DOW & YOLA HISTORY The Dow’s came from Runham, England to America in 1637. They settled at that time in Watertown, Mass. In the late 1700’s a branch moved to China, Maine. William Dow was born here in 1860 to Dudley & Elizebeth Dow. In 1868 they sold their farm and decided to move West. They stopped at Kalamazoo, Michigan. They met the Orson & Hannah Clapp’s here. The Clapps had also came from England and first settled in Montpieler, Vermont and then on to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Their plans were to homestead in Appleton, Minnesota. Before they left Carrie Clapp was born here in 1858. Then sold their property and started West and homesteaded in 1872 in Appleton, Wisconsin before it was a town. The Dow’s also decided to go to Appleton and homesteaded there in 1877. William Dow married Carrie Clapp in 1881. About 1890 they started North following the railroad tracks stopping at Eagle Bend, Minnesota. They lost a daughter, Cliza, in 1891 at 2 years old. Stopping at Park Rapids, Minnesota, William Dow and his brother, Henry, had a delivery stable for about 7 years at South Park Avenue and 4th Street. In 1898 their next move was to Birch Creek, north of Lake George, Minnesota. Where with the help from his brother, Henry, William put in a Horizontal Water Wheel just below the dam on Birch Creek for his saw mill. It gave them plenty of power and he sawed a lot of lumber to sell to the settlers. The little settlement that grew up was called Yola. In 1910 the Dows expanded to Laporte, where they owned all the property in the end of Main Street to Garfield Lake. They also had the house at Main Street and 2nd Avenue. He also had a General Store where he sold lumber, feed, and flour. In the late 1920’s he sold out to the Rexfords and moved back to Yola. It had grown quite a bit to a school house, post office, and the Dow’s had a General Store. The road past Yola going from Bemidji to Park Rapids was called the Green Trail. In 1927 Highway 71 was built. This changed the traffic, so Yola slowly died. William Dow died at Yola in 1934, at the age of 74. He had a lot of money invested in land in Lake George and School Kraft Townships. Lake Mini was called Dow Lake because they owned all the lake around it. Because of the depression and lack of income they lost everything. The School House from Yola was disassembled and moved to Laporte. What became and still is the Popple Bar. The Post Office from Yola from 1903 to 1933 was moved to Lake George, where it still is today. Lake George was originally on the North side of the lake. When the logging was over, it was abandoned. When Highway 71 was built, it started growing North of the Highway. The Saw Mill was sold to the Sartell Brothers. A bad storm did a lot of damage to their house, and it was left to fall in. Carrie Dow moved to Laporte where she had a little white house at the end of Main Street. She died in 1948 and is buried by William Dow in Bemidji at Evergreen Cemetery. They had 7 children, a daughter, Cliza, who died at a young age; 3 sons, Walter, Earl & Neil moved to California; 3 daughters, Luluella, Elmora, & Ada Mae got married and moved away. Nothing is left of Yola, outside of a big stone with Yola painted on it. Additional Comments: This total Biography should have included in my original William Dow & Yola History. I am Lloyd Frey, Great Grandson of William Dow. My email address is lloydfrey@comcast.net File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mn/hubbard/bios/dow557gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mnfiles/ File size: 4.1 Kb