A. A. Sanford was the sheriff in 1869 when Ralph Peters built a hotel which was run by him until the Dassel House was built in 1872 by George Brower. Brower was the hotel's landlord until 1873 when he sold the property to Samuel A. Bunting. James H. Morris came in March 1869 and he built a sawmill. The sawmill was sold to George Brower, William Bradford, and James Wilson in 1872. The mill operated until 1875 when it was destroyed by a fire. In 1876, it was rebuilt and continued in operation until August 5, 1881, when a small tornado came and wrecked it for good. It went out of business. In the time that it stood, it was owned by Joel B. Smith, the first Dassel President of the Council (Mayor), and also by Robert Hunter and Ruland T. Elliott. The first general store was opened by James H. Morris and his brother Charles A. in 1869. They operated it until 1872 when they sold out to Samuel A. Bunting. In 1873, it was destroyed by fire with no insurance. It was promptly rebuilt by Bunting and he was again in business, but he died on July 27, 1875, at the age of 43. After Sam Bunting died in 1875, his widow operated the hotel until 1877, when John Henry “Hank” Remick became its landlord. On February 3, 1883, it was destroyed again, together with some other buildings in Block 7. This was Dassel's first big fire. Ray F. Case came near to losing his life. He was wedged in between the Dassel House, which was on fire, and a small office building, which was getting ready to be moved out on rollers. But it slipped off and Ray was stuck between the buildings. L. A. Whittemore, Jack Riordan, and Ben Records got a rope around him and he was hauled out, badly bruised and burned, but saved. A new Dassel House was then built by “Hank” Remick, William Galiger, and John S. Larson. After it was completed, Larson sold his interest in the hotel.