author
William H. C. (William Henry Carman) Folsom
1817–1900
A restless frontier entrepreneur who became one of the early voices of Minnesota history, he wrote from firsthand experience of life along the St. Croix and Mississippi. His memoir blends pioneer adventure, business ambition, and a close-up view of a changing Northwest.
1 Audiobook
Fifty Years In The Northwest With An Introduction And Appendix Containing Reminiscences, Incidents And Notes
by William H. C. (William Henry Carman) Folsom
About the author
Born in New Brunswick on June 22, 1817, and raised in Maine, William Henry Carman Folsom headed west as a young man and reached the St. Croix River valley in the 1840s. Over the course of his life he worked in many roles, including trader, farmer, lumberman, land speculator, politician, and writer, becoming a well-known figure in the early history of Minnesota.
Folsom settled in Taylors Falls, where his home still survives as a historic site. He also served in public life in Minnesota during the territorial and statehood era, while continuing his business interests in the St. Croix region.
As an author, he is best remembered for Fifty Years in the Northwest, a memoir and historical account published near the end of his life. The book draws on decades of personal experience and remains valuable for readers interested in pioneer settlement, local politics, and everyday life in nineteenth-century Minnesota and the upper Midwest.