Thomas Andrew Holmes (March 4, 1804 – 1888) was an American surveyor, trader, and politician who served in the Minnesota Territorial House of Representatives from 1849 to 1850. He was involved in the foundation of numerous towns in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

. Holmes City, Minnesota, is named after him.

Biography

Holmes was born in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in March 1804, one of five children. The family then moved to

Northwest Ohio Northwest Ohio, or Northwestern Ohio, consists of multiple counties in the northwestern corner of the US state of Ohio. This area borders Lake Erie, Southeast Michigan, and northeastern Indiana. Some areas are also considered the Black Swamp are ...

, around

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mari ...

. Holmes and three other members of the family traveled to

in 1835. The house that Holmes built on

Water Street Water Street may refer to: *Water Street, Hong Kong ** Water Street (constituency) around Water Street, Hong Kong * Water Street, Milwaukee *Water Street, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated village * Water Street (Augusta, Maine) *Water Street (St. Jo ...

was the first frame dwelling on the East Side of the city. The following year they went down to the villages of Rockport and St. George, both part of what is now Janesville. Holmes and his brother, Joshua, filed the plat for the village of Rockport. They sold the land in 1839 and went separate ways, with most of the family staying in the area. Holmes, however, traveled up the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

in a company of thirteen people, trying to get to the mouth of the St. Croix River. Among his company was his wife, foster child, brother-in-law, his brother-in-law's wife and their two children. Six laborers were also among them. He had to stop at the mouth of Waumandee Creek as the ice had prevented him from going further, though he originally stopped in what is now

Winona Winona, Wynona or Wynonna may refer to: Places Canada * Winona, Ontario United States * Winona, Arizona * Winona, Indiana * Winona Lake, Indiana * Winona, Kansas * Winona, Michigan * Winona County, Minnesota ** Winona, Minnesota, the seat of Wi ...

but moved up the river at the insistence of his company. Holmes opened a trading post at the mouth of the creek and their settlement was referred to as "Holmes' Landing," now known as Fountain City. He sold his land in 1846 and continued up the Mississippi, with the intention that he would continue trading with the Native Americans. In the winter of 1849 he went to

Sauk Rapids Sauk Rapids is a city in Benton County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,862 at the 2020 census and is 13,896 according to 2021 census estimates, about a third of Benton County's population. It is on a set of rapids on the Missi ...

in Minnesota Territory. A few months later, he was elected to the first Minnesota Territorial House of Representatives. He then traveled to

Shakopee Shakopee ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Minnesota, United States. It is located southwest of Minneapolis. Sited on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of ...

in 1851 and made it his permanent residence even after the Native Americans he traded with were removed. He also laid out and named the town in 1852. The name came from

Chief Shakopee Shakopee or Chief Shakopee (Dakota language: , ') may refer to one of at least three Mdewakanton Dakota leaders who lived in the area that became Minnesota from the late 18th century through 1865. The name comes from the Dakota ''Śakpe'' meaning " ...

, a leader of a band of

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota, a ...

there. When it was decided that it would be the county seat of Scott County, Holmes donated the land necessary for county government. He did something similar with the city of Chaska when it became the seat of

Carver County Carver County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is mostly farmland and wilderness with many unincorporated townships. As of the 2020 census, the population was 106,922. Its county seat is Chaska. Carver County is named for ...

, though he was never a permanent resident there. He did, however, survey, locate, and name the town. He traveled up the

Minnesota River The Minnesota River ( dak, Mnísota Wakpá) is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa. It ris ...

and saw a 20-acre clearing in the

Big Woods Big Woods refers to a type of temperate hardwood forest ecoregion found in western Wisconsin and south-central Minnesota. "Big Woods" is a direct translation of the name given to the region by French explorers: . Trees and native vegetation ...

and claimed it as the town site of Chaska. In 1858, Holmes led a group of settlers to what is now Holmes City, in Douglas County. The settlers named it after him. In 1862, Holmes and a group of seventy people took a wagon train to Montana. Holmes was designated as the military captain, secretary, treasurer, interpreter, and sergeant of the guard. He led them safely, closely following the

49th parallel north The 49th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 49 ° north of Earth's equator. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Paris is about south of the 49th parallel and is the large ...

until they reached the border of Montana and then traveled down to Fort Benton. Holmes led two other expeditions to Montana, in 1864 and 1866. Holmes died in

Cullman, Alabama Cullman is the largest city and county seat of Cullman County, Alabama, United States. It is located along Interstate 65, about north of Birmingham and about south of Huntsville. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 14,775, with an ...

, in 1888.

References

External links

Biography
at

Minnesota Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decennia ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Thomas A. 1804 births 1888 deaths Members of the Minnesota Territorial Legislature American surveyors People from Milwaukee People from Janesville, Wisconsin People from Fountain City, Wisconsin People from Sauk Rapids, Minnesota People from Shakopee, Minnesota People from Chaska, Minnesota People from Cullman, Alabama People from Washington County, Pennsylvania