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Anoka County 2019 Multi-Jurisdictional All Hazards Mitigation Plan 30 After the decline of the sawmills in late 1885, a Board of Trade was organized to encourage other industries to move to Anoka. In 1886, a potato starch factory was built on the west side of the Rum River north of the dam. During this time, before the Red River Valley opened, Anoka was the center of potato production. Also operating at this time was the Anoka Shoe Factory, which employed 80 people and produced 800 pairs of shoes per day. In 1898, a bill was passed by the state legislature to construct a state hospital in Anoka. The hospital is now known as the Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center. In 1856, a ferry was established across the Mississippi river, connecting Anoka with the City of Champlin. After 28 years of operation, the ferry was replaced in 1884 by a steel bridge. The bridge had a turntable in the middle, operated by a hand winch that opened up two channels to allow boats to pass up or down the river. Other transportation in that era was a horse-drawn streetcar system and rail service to St. Paul. The City of Anoka's development was severely damaged by fire during its early years. Five major fires between 1855 and 1884 impeded the City's development. The worst fire in the downtown area, in 1884, destroyed 86 buildings from the Rum River to Third Avenue. Again, tragedy struck the City in 1939. A tornado swept through the east side of town. Many homes, a church, and the armory were destroyed and three lives were lost. It is believed that Anoka was the first city in the United States to put on a Halloween celebration. In early 1920, Anoka merchants and other interested citizens joined together in a move to stop Halloween pranks. The idea was to have a big Halloween party for all the children with free candy and lots of entertainment. In October of 1920, Anoka had its first Halloween celebration. The celebration has been held every year since, with the exception of two years during WWII. Anoka considers it the "Halloween Capital of the World" and now has many events during October including football games, costume contests, block parties, Grey Ghost 5k run, and two parades. Situated at the confluence of the Rum and Mississippi Rivers, this historic river city has a bountiful array of recreational and leisure activities to enjoy. City of Bethel The city of Bethel is a very small one square mile rectangular shaped rural community in the extreme northern portion of Anoka County. The City of Bethel is located at latitude 45.40 N and longitude 93.26 W and has an elevation of 930 feet. The larger cities of East Bethel and St. Francis surround the city of Bethel. The City of East Bethel is directly east of Bethel and the City of St. Francis is directly west. A quarter mile wide strip of the city of St. Francis separates the City of Bethel from the southern border of Athens Township in Isanti County. Bethel, a city in St. Francis Township, was first settled in 1856 by Quakers and was organized the next year; it was established as a post office in 1865 at a site known as Bethel Corners, incorporated as a village in 1902 and reincorporated in 1913. Its name is from ancient Palestine, meaning "House of God," and was selected for this township by Moses Twitchell, who settled here as an immigrant from Bethel, Maine. The city was incorporated over 100 years ago and was built around the Great Northern Railroad tracks which run north from the city of Minneapolis to the southern shore of Lake Superior at the port cities of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad currently operates the rail line and is a busy main line running to northern Minnesota and the port cities.