Sweet, George W.

The Minnesota Legislative Manual, 1860 says he came to Minnesota in 1848.

He came to Minnesota in 1849 as a carpenter and later studied law. Married the daughter (Eliza) of a long-time trader (Charles H. Oakes) with the Ojibways of Lake Superior. Responsible for the first settlement in what became known as Sauk Rapids, Minnesota. He was an attorney for the Lake Superior and Puget Sound Land Company, which was the land acquisition division of the Northern Pacific Railroad. He came to the Dakota Territory in 1872 for the purpose of obtaining land needed by
the NPRR near the Missouri River where the east end of the future railroad bridge would be located. The job got more complicated when John J. Jackman, an employee of the railroad, learned the exact spot where it was to cross the river. Parties led separately by Jackman and Sweet raced to the river. Jackman arrived first and laid claim to the land nearest where
the east side of the railroad bridge now touches the riverbank. Sweet claimed the land east of Jackman's, which is why Bismarck (the capital city of North Dakota) is not on the riverbank but nearly a mile distant. A third group became involved and contested both Jackman's and Sweet's
claims. Sweet secretly left town by train during the night not much later. [Data provided by a Librarian at Bismarck Public Library whose sources included: Benton County Historical Society and Museum in Sauk Rapids, MN; Website: www.ojibwe.info/Ojibwe/HTML/people/p0000213.htm; "Stories of Bismarck's streets" Bismarck Tribune, 2/8/2004; "Early days at Red River Settlement and Fort Snelling" footnote, p. 401; and "Minnesota Place Names: a Geographical Encyclopedia", p.58.]

He died in Havre, Montana.

Birth date, death date, birth place, death place, family data, education, and occupation provided by a Librarian at the Bismarck Public Library.