Individual Stories

William Butler

Occupation: 
Executive
Treasurer

William Butler was the third Butler brother. Born in 1864, William held the position of manager of general contract operations and also treasurer from 1894-1916. William Butler passed away in 1916. He and his brother Walter were founding members of Bricklayers Local 1 in St. Paul, but as an owner of the company employing workers on the Capitol project, he would not have been an active member of the union at that time. William was the on-the-ground manager of the State Capitol construction.

John Butler, Jr.

Occupation: 
Bricklayer

1905 Payroll, 1900 St.Paul City Directory and Census. John Butler Jr. was born in Minnesota in 1876 to Irish parents. His brother, Thomas Butler, was born in Minnesota in 1883. Both were Minnesota Capitol construction bricklayers. Their father, John Butler Sr. (1824-1900) was a brother of Patrick Butler (1823-1900), father of the Butler Bros., general contractors for the Capitol. In the 1900 Census both John and his brother Thomas lived with their parents and siblings at this address.

James Cannon

Occupation: 
Teamster

Dale and Bumgardner Payroll. James B. Cannon was born in rural Scott County, Minnesota in 1883. He worked as a teamster on grading the Capitol grounds in 1905. By 1910 he had moved to Seattle were he spent the rest of his life working as a teamster there.

Louis Carle

Occupation: 
Laborer

1902 Beam painting payroll. Louis Carle worked on the Capitol scraping beams in preparation for painting. He was born in Minnesota in 1868 of French Canadian parents. Carle married and raised a family in St. Paul working various jobs in the teaming industry.

Gideon Carlen

Occupation: 
Laborer

1902 Beam painting payroll. Gideon Carlen was paid as a laborer working on a crew scraping and painting steel beams. He gave his occupation as painter in the 1902 City Directory. Gideon was born in Sweden in 1865 and came to America in 1888. He married and first settled in Vermont and in 1900 he was living next door to Mons Benson (who also first settled in Vermont), father of Capitol stonecutter William Benson, in Alabama, just across the Georgia border, and not far from where the Capitol marble was quarried. Gideon Carlen did not stay in St.

Fabian Carlson

Occupation: 
Carpenter

1905 Payroll and City Directory 1903 and 1905. Fabian Carlson (1872-1941) emigrated from Sweden in 1892. He was an active member of Carpenters Local 87 and is mentioned many times in the Union Advocate in this connection.

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