Past farmland owners faced hardship

Submitted photoMid-1800s banker Truman Smith was one of the former owners of the land now known as the Daninger farm.
When the Forest Lake Times reported on the long history of land ownership of the Pat and Sharlene Daninger farm (in the Nov. 25 story “Legacy of the Land”), little was known about two of the early land owners.
That mystery now has more clarity, thanks to new research by friends and family of the Daningers. It was uncertain this fall if bankers were involved in the ownership, but that fact has now been confirmed.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Two of the early owners, Truman M. Smith and Sanford McBrayer, were bankers who faced their share of hardship and, in the case of one, a tragic ending.
The Daninger property lies east of U.S. Highway 61 and north of 190th Street and has ownership roots that trace to bounty land claims for James Whedon, of New York. He

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