Isaac Staples Mansion
This animation takes you from the late 1870’s to 2019 at the corner of Mulberry Street and Second Street.On the hill is the Isaac Staples mansion. The historic photo is from the John Runk Collection, courtesy of the Stillwater Public Library. The 2019 photo is courtesy of Google Maps Street View.
Isaac Staples Mansion and Sawmill from 1880-1904: From John Runk Collection, Courtesy of The Stillwater Public Library. The first slide is a view NE from Second Street across from Pioneer Park. The latter views are from the Main Street level looking at the sawmill towards the mansion at the top of the hill.
Murdock, Staples and R J Wheeler Connection
by Robert Molenda
Now, here is the deal! The inside skinny on Hollis and Isaac. They had to be neighbors. Staples was a bit older than Murdock by about sixteen years. Murdock was a lawyer and a judge in quick succession. He came to Stillwater in 1855 just after receiving his law degree. He passed the bar the next year and became a judge a few years later. Staples, on the other hand came to Stillwater in 1853, checking out the St. Croix Valley lumber expanse for his wealthy lumber friends from Maine. Staples and Murdock were both successful in their endeavors. Murdock was a director of both the Stillwater and St. Paul Railroad Company and the First National Bank of Stillwater. Staples was a lumberman, interested in both transportation and banking along with other interests integrated into the lumbering business. They had to have crossed pathways many times because of their common interests and pursuits.
