Samuel McPhail (May 2, 1826 - March 6, 1902) was a Minnesota

settler A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...

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judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

, military officer, and is the founder of

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the forested region in the central and western Scottish Highlands, particularly stretching through parts of what are now Lochaber, Badenoch, Strathspey, and possibly as ...

Redwood Falls Redwood Falls is a city in Redwood County, located along the Redwood River near its confluence with the Minnesota River, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 5,102 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat. History As the immig ...

, Alta Vista Township, and

Redwood County, Minnesota Redwood County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 15,425. Its county seat is Redwood Falls, Minnesota, Redwood Falls, along the Redwood River n ...

Early life

McPhail was born on May 2, 1826 in

Russellville, Kentucky Russellville is a home rule-class city in Logan County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 6,960 at the time of the 2010 census. History Local historian Alex C. Finley has claimed the area was fi ...

to John McPhail and Hannah McAdams, both of which where of

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

ancestry. He attended a military school in his youth and later participated in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

as a Private in Company C, 3rd Regiment of Illinois Volunteers. McPhail and the 3rd Illinois Volunteers were present at the

Battle of Cerro Gordo The Battle of Cerro Gordo, or Battle of Sierra Gordo, was an engagement in the Mexican–American War on April 18, 1847. The battle saw Winfield Scott's United States troops outflank Antonio López de Santa Anna's larger Mexican army, driving ...

and the

Siege of Veracruz On 9 March 1847, during the Mexican–American War, the United States military made an amphibious landing and besieged the key Mexican seaport of Veracruz. The port surrendered twenty days later. The U.S. forces then marched inland to Mexico ...

. After the war McPhail married Martha "Minnie" Kingston and moved to

Minnesota Territory The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Minnesota and the w ...

in 1850. Together the McPhail's had 4 children, two of which died at young ages in 1855 and 1860. McPhail first arrived in

Brownsville, Minnesota Brownsville is a city in Houston County, Minnesota, Houston County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 566 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History A post office called Brownsville has been in operation since 1852. Brown ...

in 1850 where he first settled. McPhail later

platted In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

what would be the city of

Caledonia, Minnesota Caledonia is a city and the county seat of Houston County, Minnesota, United States and is part of the La Crosse, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,847 at the 2020 census. History Caledonia was platted in 1854 ...

from 1853-1855 and was greatly responsible for it becoming the county seat of Houston County. The city's name was chosen by McPhail to be

as he was of Scottish ancestry and it was the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

name given to

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

by the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. Two plots of land were donated by McPhail to erect a

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

, as well as two more plots to erect a

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Involvement in the Dakota War

At the outbreak of the

Dakota War of 1862 The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several eastern bands of Dakota people, Da ...

McPhail organized a 200-man mounted volunteer militia which served during the

Battle of Birch Coulee The Battle of Birch Coulee occurred on September 2–3, 1862, and resulted in the heaviest casualties suffered by U.S. forces during the Dakota War of 1862. The battle occurred after a group of Dakota people, Dakota warriors followed a U.S. buri ...

as part of Henry Hastings Sibley's relief column. On October 10, 1862 McPhail started to organized the 1st Minnesota Cavalry Regiment and became its commanding officer with the rank of

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. The 1st Minnesota Cavalry would go on to fight against the

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota ...

in several punitive expeditions under

Henry Hastings Sibley Henry Hastings Sibley (February 20, 1811 – February 18, 1891) was a fur trader with the American Fur Company, the first U.S. Congressional representative for Minnesota Territory, the first governor of the state of Minnesota, and a U.S. mi ...

and

Alfred Sully Alfred Sully (May 22, 1820 or 1821 – April 27, 1879) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War and the American Indian Wars. He served as Brevet Brigadier General in the Union army ...

at the Battle of Big Mound, the Battle of Dead Buffalo Lake, and the

Battle of Stony Lake The Battle of Stony Lake was the third and last engagement of Henry Hastings Sibley's 1863 campaign against the Sioux, Santee, Sioux, Yankton, Sioux, Yanktonai and Lakota people, Teton Sioux in Dakota Territory. Following the battle, the Ind ...

. McPhail mustered out of service with the rest of the regiment between October 20 to December 7, 1863.

Founding of Redwood Falls and Redwood County

On May 2, 1864 after serving in the 1st Minnesota Cavalry Regiment, McPhail came to what is now

Redwood Falls, Minnesota Redwood Falls is a city in Redwood County, Minnesota, Redwood County, located along the Redwood River near its confluence with the Minnesota River, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 5,102 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 c ...

with a party of 4 other

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in order to claim land. The settlement itself consisted of a

stockade A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls, made of logs placed side by side vertically, with the tops sharpened as a defensive wall. Etymology ''Stockade'' is derived from the French word ''estocade''. The French word was derived f ...

wall made of

sod Sod is the upper layer of turf that is harvested for transplanting. Turf consists of a variable thickness of a soil medium that supports a community of turfgrasses. In British and Australian English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', ...

and reinforced with a four foot ditch along with a

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a minimally finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first-generation home building by settl ...

lined with bricks on the inside for added protection. Settler John St. George Honner later joined McPhail at the stockade in 1864 and would settle in the northern section of what is now Honner Township, named after John Honner. One year later in 1865 McPhail had platted the town of

. McPhail became the Judge of probate, the first

County attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

, the first road supervisor, and became the editor of ''The Redwood Falls Patriot'' newspaper. By 1874, Redwood Falls had a population of 200 people and was established as the county seat of

Later life in Lincoln County

In 1875 after 12 years in Caledonia and a decade in Redwood Falls, McPhail at age 49 moved to

Lincoln County, Minnesota Lincoln County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 5,640. Its county seat is Ivanhoe, Minnesota, Ivanhoe. History During and after the America ...

where he would reside for the remainder of his life. McPhail founded Alta Vista Township in 1875. He derived the name Alta Vista supposedly from his time spent in Mexico during the

, ''alta'' or ''alto'' meaning "high" and ''vista'' meaning "pleasing view". McPhail also served as the county attorney and county surveyor for Lincoln County. McPhail later became an

arborist An arborist, or (less commonly) arboriculturist, is a professional in the practice of arboriculture, which is the Plant cultivation, cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants in dend ...

and studied different species of Minnesota trees. McPhail's wife Martha died in 1885, McPhail remarried and had several more children.

Death and legacy

Samuel McPhail died on March 2, 1902 from

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a malignant tumor of the stomach. It is a cancer that develops in the Gastric mucosa, lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a numb ...

at his farm in Alta Vista Township. He was initially buried at his farm, but was later moved to the Canby City Cemetery in

Canby, Minnesota Canby is a city in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,795 at the 2010 census. History John Swenson, who secured a homestead on section 4 of Norman Township where now stands the City of Canby, was one of the ...

. The McPhail's Butte Overlook is a state historic site owned and operated by the

State Historical Society of North Dakota The State Historical Society of North Dakota is an agency that preserves and presents history through museums and historic sites in the state of North Dakota. The agency operates the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck, which serves as a hi ...

along the Sibley Trail. It is named "McPhail's

butte In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and table (landform), tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from the French l ...

" as Colonel McPhail utilized the natural area as an overlook and vantage point during the Battle of Big Mound where the 1st Minnesota Cavalry Regiment controlled the highest vantage point during the course of the battle. The following areas in the state of Minnesota were founded by McPhail: *

* Alta Vista Township, Lincoln County, Minnesota *

References

Year of birth missing 1826 births 1902 deaths People of Minnesota in the American Civil War {{Improve categories, date=June 2025