Basil Moreland

Basil Moreland
Moreland c. 1858
Postmaster of Mankato, Minnesota
In office
1856–1860
Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 16th District
In office
December 2, 1857 – December 6, 1859
Sheriff of Blue Earth County, Minnesota
In office
August 27, 1853 – September 4, 1854
Personal details
Born1829 (1829)
Belmore, Ohio U.S.
DiedMay 26, 1910(1910-05-26) (aged 80–81)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeCalvary Cemetery

Basil Moreland (c. 1829 – May 26, 1910) was an American businessman, surveyor, politician, and early citizen of Mankato, Minnesota.

Early life

Moreland was born around 1830 in Belmore, Ohio. Moreland arrived in Minnesota Territory on April 16, 1853:141:47 and in March 1854 settled on 160 acres of unsurveyed public land on the Blue Earth River near Rapidan, Minnesota.:69,281 The land Moreland settled on was on the same territory as the Indian reservation constructed for the Ho-Chunk living in Minnesota.:69 Moreland was later evicted by the territorial government in 1856 for living on public land and he settled in Mankato, Minnesota.:69 Moreland was never originally compensated for his lost property.

Political career

Moreland's first political office was his election as the sheriff of Blue Earth County on August 27, 1853,:48 Moreland would resign as sheriff a year later on September 4, 1854.:533 Moreland was also elected as the treasurer of Blue Earth County on September 12, 1853,:48 Moreland served twice as the County Surveyor of Blue Earth County in 1856 and 1857.:305 From 1856 to 1860 Moreland served as the postmaster of Mankato.:47

Minnesota Senate

In 1857 Moreland campaigned for a seat in the Minnesota Legislature as a representative of Minnesota's 16th Senate District which included Blue Earth County and Le Sueur County, Minnesota.:302 Moreland won the election on October 13, 1857, and would serve a single term in the 1st Minnesota Legislature from December 2, 1857, to December 6, 1859. During his term Moreland was the chairman of the Credentials Committee and Indian Affairs Committee and was a member of the Engrossments Committee and the Public Lands Committee.

During his term Moreland was responsible for incorporating the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad in 1857 alongside William R. McMahan, Matthew Thompson, Francis Baasen, and William Pfaender.:170

Later life

Following his term in the Minnesota Senate, Moreland continued to live and work in and around Mankato. In 1865 Moreland and W.F Lewis built a sawmill on the Cobb River.:224

In 1894 United States representative James McCleary introduced a bill to the 53rd United States Congress in order to compensate Moreland for his property he was evicted from in 1854, Moreland was compensated $2,200 for his lost property.

Moreland died on May 26, 1910, at the age of 81 in Los Angeles, California, he is buried in Calvary Cemetery.

References

  1. ↑ Mankato: Its First fifty Years. Containing Addresses, Historic Papers and Brief Biographies of Early Settlers and Active Upbuilders of the City. Mankato: Free Press Printing Co. 1903.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Hughes, Thomas (1901). History of Blue Earth County and Biographies of its Leading Citizens. Chicago: Middle West Publishing Company.
  3. 1 2 Harren, Heather (December 30, 2015). "A Brief History of Rapidan Township". Blue Earth County Historical Society. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
  4. ↑ Neill, Edward Duffield (1882). History of the Minnesota Valley : including the Explorers and pioneers of Minnesota. Minneapolis: North Star Publishing Company.
  5. 1 2 3 "Basil Moreland". Minnesota Legislators Past & Present. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Moreland in Luck: The President Signs a Bill Allowing Him $2,200". The Mankato Free Press. March 5, 1897. p. 2. LCCN sn83016589. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
  7. ↑ "DEATHS". Los Angeles Herald. May 28, 1910. p. 14. LCCN sn85042462. Retrieved September 21, 2026.