What whispers do you think Lower Grey Cloud Island holds? This section of Mississippi River bottomland lies on the river’s left bank. It sits opposite Pine Bend. Lower Grey Cloud Island holds many secrets.
Welcome to Lower Grey Cloud Island. It is an alluvial plain with traces of early Indian and European settlement. These traces are especially along the river banks. The principal Indian site was part of the Science Museum’s work in the 1950s. This work connected with the Spring Lake Area.
In 1971, proposed gravel mining and residential development threatened Lower Grey Cloud Island. The Minnesota Historical Society conducted an archaeological survey. The study focused on Lower Grey Cloud Island. They examined all mound groups and suspected settlement places. Limited excavation occurred at two precontact sites. These sites had earlier investigation as part of the Spring Lake area. The main historic focus was the townsite of Grey Cloud, platted in 1856.
Lower Grey Cloud Island has a long history of Native American settlement. It was important for Woodland mound-builders around 100 BCE to 600 CE. It was also important for people of the Late Mississippian culture around 1000 CE. The island boasts the largest concentration of mounds in the county.
The only known Indian village in Washington County existed on Lower Grey Cloud Island. In the 1830s, about 40 Mdewakanton families moved here. Medicine Bottle led them from Kaposia to the northwestern part of the island.
The Treaties of 1837 required all Dakota villages to move. In 1838, Medicine Bottle moved to Pine Bend. Fur trader Hazen Mooers and his son-in-law Andrew Robertson took over the bark houses. Robertson named the island for his mother-in-law. Her Dakota name was Grey Cloud Woman.
That summer, Joseph Renshaw Brown moved his family to the southern part of Lower Grey Cloud Island. He called the spot Chanwakan or Medicine Wood. These families traded furs and farmed. They raised corn, wheat, vegetables, and livestock. Soon, others joined them. These were mostly French Canadian voyageurs and American Fur Company employees. Many married Dakota women. The Dakota and French Canadian presence remained strong.
In 1856, Joseph R. Brown, Truman Smith, and William Gallagher platted Gray Cloud City. It sat on the site of Brown’s farm. Gray Cloud City had 400 lots. It featured a steamboat landing and a river view. It boasted a store, warehouse, brick yard, and blacksmith shop. Few settlers moved there. The panic of 1857 ended Gray Cloud City. The site became part of the Oliver Ames farm in the 1860s. The dam at Hastings raised the river level. It is now partly underwater.
An early industrial site existed here. The Grey Cloud Lime Kiln overlooked Grey Cloud Channel. It dates back to at least 1846. It burned limestone rock to produce quicklime. This quicklime was for mortar, plaster, and fertilizer.
From early settlement, a road went from Lower Grey Cloud Island to Newport. Another road led to Point Douglas and Cottage Grove. The island is separate from the mainland by Grey Cloud Slough. By 1846, wagons hauled wheat across the slough to Afton for milling. A timber frame bridge went up in 1882. A steel bridge replaced it in 1946.
David Hone lived on Lower Grey Cloud Island. He was one of the founders of Marine on St. Croix. Woodbury pioneer Alexander McHattie also lived here. James Norris, the first permanent settler in Cottage Grove, worked for Mooers and Robertson on the island.
In 1858, Minnesota became a state. Lower Grey Cloud Island was part of Newport Township. In the 1960s, Newport and Saint Paul Park became cities. The remainder of Newport Township became Grey Cloud Township. It remains rural. The township has no schools, churches, bars, library, police station, or firehouse. It does have a quarry and about 125 homes. The southern part of the island annexed to Cottage Grove in the early 1980s.
In the early 1900s, Lower Grey Cloud Island had about 3,800 acres. It was partly in Newport and partly in Cottage Grove. The population was 125. By 1990, the township had about 400 residents. The 2010 census shows about 300. Rising water levels mean it now consists of about 2,000 acres.
Lower Grey Cloud Island is more than just land. It’s a tapestry woven with stories of Native Americans, fur traders, and pioneers. Its past shapes its present. What will its future hold?