Background
Adin Randall was born near Clarksville, Madison County, New New York
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Adin Randall
Edit ProfileCareer
He ran a ferry across the Chippewa, a planing mill, a sash and door factory, and invented the sheer boom to efficiently shunt logs into Half Moon Lake. He is regarded as one of the founders of the city. He donated the land for Randall Park, Lakeview Cemetery and the Eau Claire Area School District.
There he became a building contractor and made a little money, with which he bought an interest in a saw mill in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in the fall of 1855.
Early in his career in Eau Claire, Randall was associated with Gage & Reed, but soon sold out his interest in the business and purchased the land which is now the west side of the city of Eau Claire. This area was known as Randall Town for some time afterwards.
He built a small planing mill and secured the right to operate a ferry on the Chippewa River between the east and west sides. Randall founded the Neighborhood association on the west side of Eau Claire and served as its first president
Randall donated the land for Randall Park to the corporation and also the land for Lakeview cemetery in Eau Claire.
In 1856, upon the recognition of Eau Claire as a county by the state legislature, Randall was elected the first county treasurer. In the same year, Randall built the Eau Claire House hotel. Randall was one of the thousands whose finances were affected by the financial convulsions of the United States from 1857 to 1860.
In order to carry out his plans he had mortgaged the west side and being unable to meet the claims of the mortgagees they took the property.
Randall had the parcel platted as "Eau Claire City." In that way, he helped give the current city its name. In 1860 he sold out his planing mill and went to Chippewa Falls.
He remained there but a short time, however, and then built a saw mill at Jim Falls, Wisconsin, which he ran for two years. Having sold that mill he purchased a grist mill at Reed"s Landing, Minnesota and made it over into a saw mill.
This he operated until the time of his death, which occurred on April 26, 1868, when he was but thirty-nine years of age.
