120 ANNUAL REPORT. 
dere, but temoved July 1st, 1844, to Roscoe, where he practiced his 
contemplated profession, and also became postmaster. 
In 1845, he graduated at medicine; in 1849 was elected State Sen- 
ator, and during the same year:-was commissioned by Governor 
French as Paymaster General of his staff. In 1850, was re-elected 
to the Senate; in 1851, emigrated to Minnesota, going by wagon 
from Roscoe to Galena, aud by steamer to Saint Anthony’s Falls. 
In November he entered into a partnership with Dr. J. H. Mur- 
phy, for the practice of Medicine at Saint Anthony. 
In 1852 his family joined him. For a few months he acted as sur- 
geon at Fort Snelling. 
October 21st, 1852, he was elected to the Territorial Legislature 
for Hennepin county. 
In October of 1854, he was elected Judge of Probate. 
In 1856 he became postmaster at Minneapolis. June 1st, 1857, 
he was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention, and be- 
came chairman of the committee on school lands and the University, 
and in 1860 a member of the State Normal Board. 
Dr. Ames built the third greenhouse in Minnesota and the first in 
Hennepin county. It was not a large establishment as compared 
with some of those of either Hennepin or Ramsey county at the 
present day. The Doctor was one of the very earliest of settlers on 
the west side of the Falls—after Col. John H. Stevens—it being at 
that time a part of the Fort Snelling Reserve. Through the influ- 
ence of Capt. A. D. Nelson, Dr. Ames succeeded in getting a per- 
mit fram Col. Lee, who had command at the Fort, to make a claim, 
which he did in November, 1851, not far from the present court house. 
In 1857, the Doctor commenced to fit up a first class place, using an 
entire block, and upon which was built a fine residence. If we are not 
mistaken, it was considered the finest place in Minnesota, if we ex- 
cept perhaps the Borup place, in St. Paul. In 1858, the grounds 
were laid out by Mr. Wm. Buckendorf, an experienced gardener, of 
Hamburg, who was obtained the previous season by Judge E. B. 
Ames, the Consul of our Government for that city. In March of 
the same year the Doctor and his gardener visited the Groveland 
Nursery, where, among other things, a number of evergreens were 
obtained, all of which lived and are now fine trees, though taken up 
while there was yet some frost in the ground. A number of plants 
were also purchased from our greenhouse, which, with many things 
grown from seed during the summer, formed the nucleus of the stock 
for the greenhouse that was erected in 1859. Quite a large collec- 
tion of roses; was imported from Hamburg. The stock of plants 
were kept over winter in a room of the new house which Mr. Buck- 
endorf used for a sort of temporary conservatory. This pioneer 
plant house was built in a most substantial manner, the material 
used being brick and stone. It has a span roof, with two parts, for 
hot and cool house, with substantial ornaments here and there. In 
addition to the furnishing of plants for the Doctor’s grounds, the 
gardener was allowed to raise some to sell. Minneapolis, for a num- 
ber of years, was so small a place that this little greenhouse usually 
contained far more plants than could be sold, without going to St. 
Paul. Buckendorf always had good plants, and the grounds were 
