Brown, Joseph Renshaw, 1805-1870

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1805-01-05
Death 1870-11-09

Biographical notes:

Joseph Renshaw Brown (1805-1870) was a Minnesota pioneer, fur trader, soldier, townsite and real estate developer, inventor, newspaper editor and publisher, politician and legislator.

From the description of Joseph R. Brown collection, 1729-1992. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 42288192

In 1859 Joseph R. Brown of Henderson, Minnesota, designed a "steam wagon", which was manufactured in New York and shipped to Henderson, where he operated it for a time in 1860, before it became mired in soft ground and abandoned. A lighter engine was built in 1862 and shipped to Nebraska. This engine ran initially but suffered a mechanical failure on a trial run to Denver. Brown's plans to repair the engine were interrupted by the 1862 Dakota Conflict and the destruction of his Minnesota home and property. Brown's financial losses prevented the completion of his plans for a steam wagon transportation system, although another steam wagon was under construction in New York at the time of his death in 1870.

From the description of Items related to the Joseph R. Brown steam wagons, 1862-1936. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 313857948

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Subjects:

  • Dakota Indians
  • Dakota Indians
  • Dakota Indians
  • Dakota Indians
  • Dakota Indians
  • Steam engines
  • Fur trade
  • Indian captivities
  • Indians of North America
  • Sibley Expedition, 1863
  • Steam-navigation

Occupations:

  • Indian agents
  • Indian scouts

Places:

  • West (U.S.) (as recorded)
  • Minnesota (as recorded)
  • Henderson (Minn.) (as recorded)
  • Nebraska (as recorded)
  • Overland Trails (as recorded)
  • Minnesota River (as recorded)
  • Browns Valley (Minn.) (as recorded)

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