The Hutchinson family singers — John, Asa and Judson Hutchinson — are credited with founding the town in November 1855.

The three brothers reportedly heard of Minnesota from a New England friend, W.W. Pendergast, who spoke highly of the Big Woods west of St. Anthony. The man’s words inspired the brothers, a singing trio, to set off for Minnesota, intending to establish a namesake community.

The three men arrived in St. Paul that month and organized a party of explorers and settlers. They set out days later with four horses and two wagons.

Their journey took them to Glencoe, where they met a surveyor who helped them select a suitable spot.

According to history, the brothers might have stopped seven miles southeast of the city, at what is now Biscay, had the surveyor not urged them on to a more picturesque setting.

For their new community, the Hutchinson brothers chose a setting on the crest of a hill overlooking the beautiful Hassan River Valley, as the Crow River was known then. The site, which is now Hutchinson, was described as having a river with high bluffs on the north and gently sloping prairie to the south. Beyond the bluffs lay a forest.

The party selected its claim on Nov. 20 and the following day traveled to Glencoe to establish the Hutchinson Townsite Co. The group wrote 13 “articles of agreement” for the city.

Five of the articles were unique given the times. One article set aside five acres for the Humanities Church with another establishing 15 acres for a park. Eight lots were set aside for educational purposes and it was decreed that Hutchinson women would have equal rights with men.

After staking their claim to the new community of Hutchinson, the area became a magnet for many settlers. McLeod County was organized March 1 of that year. By 1880, Hutchinson’s population had reached 800.

In May 1993, Elizabeth Hutchinson Fournie, the last of the Hutchinson family singers, died at 107. Fournie was Asa Hutchinson’s granddaughter. She was part of the singing group “Tribe of Asa.” Directed by O.D. Hutchinson, it was the last family singing group.

In 1994, the story of the Hutchinson family singers became the inspiration for a Minneapolis play, “When Children Sing.” Participants believed in it so much, they moved their act to the West Coast to tell the tale there.

The Hutchinson Leader created a special package in honor of the family and the play on Feb. 24, 1994. It can be seen in the Leader archives or the Hutchinson Public Library.

Also, more information on the Hutchinson family can be found at the McLeod County Museum.