Brooklyn Township Place: Coon Creek Boom

Minnesota Digital Library: log boom from top of spillway.

The surname Bragdon has disappeared from family names in Brooklyn Park, but there are many descendants of Alonzo and Julia Bragdon.  Their only son, Willard, did not have children and died in the St. Peter Insane Hospital. But, the Bragdons' had four daughters who all married locally. Their fourth child, Mary Ann [GSWG-LC6] married neighbor Baldwin Weaver [GS3D-JWH]. Look at all the river property that Baldwin's father, James, owned in 1873:

So the west side of the Mississippi River was Brooklyn Township, and the east side, Anoka Township. The stretch labeled Coon Creek Boom would have gathered logs prior to marketing for lumber. More information about logging booms is included in River of History, chapter 7, The Patterns of Agriculture, Commerce, Industry and Transportation. [https://www.nps.gov/miss/learn/historyculture/river-of-history-chapter-7.htm]

We can see from the map in 1913 that Baldwin and Mary (Bragdon) Weaver owned much of that river property.

In 1909, Baldwin and Mary sold that triangle between their two parcels for a hydro-power dam to cross the river. Their deeds were worded so the property would revert back to them in case the company did not begin work on the dam by January 1, 1911. The dam would enable development on the east side for the Coon Creek community.

The Minneapolis Tribune, 16 November 1909 Tuesday, p. 6. 

Today, Baldwin's and Mary's property is the Mississippi Gateway Regional Park in Brooklyn Park. From there, one can walk across the dam to the Coon Rapids Regional Park. More information about the dam is on this video posted at the City of Coon Rapids website [https://www.coonrapidsmn.gov/420/Coon-Rapids-Dam-VIDEO] Several historical photos are posted at Minnesota Digital Library by Anoka Historical Society.