History of Fort Ripley, 1849-1859 : based on the diary of Rev. Solon W. Manney, D.D., chaplain of this post from 1851 to 1859

OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA.

OF

Class

* :•

MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
VOL. X. PLATE VI.

HISTORY OF FORT RIPLEY, 1849 TO 1859, BASED
ON THE DIARY OF REV. SOLON W. MANNEY, D. D.,
CHAPLAIN OF THIS POST FROM 1851 TO 1859 *

BY REV. GEORGE C. TANNER.

On the 1 5th of October, 1851, the Rev. Solon W. Man-
ney, rector of St. James' Episcopal Church. Milwaukee, re-
ceived a letter from Capt. J. B. S. Todd, at that time in com-
mand at Fort Ripley, informing him that the Council of Ad-
ministration at that post had nominated him to the Secretary
of War as their chaplain. The official notice of his appoint-
ment at Washington reached him on the 2Qth, and a few days
later, having resigned his parish, he set out for his new field of
labor .

JOURNEY FROM MILWAUKEE TO FORT RIPLEY.

In 1851 the journey from Milwaukee to the Mississippi was
by stage. At Galena he was met by Captain (now General) N.
J. T. Dana. The day following his arrival he took passage
with his family on the steamboat "Uncle Toby," bound for St.
Peter's, as Mendota at the mouth of the Minnesota river was
then designated.

Leaving Galena on the I5th of November, he notes as set-
tlements along the Mississippi, Dubuque, Buena Vista, Cass-
ville, Prairie La Porte, Clayton City, McGregor, Prairie du
Chien, Columbus, Lansing, and La Crosse. The first settlement
above La Crosse in 1851, unless we except a trading house or
two, was Point Douglas, where he arrived late in the afternoon
of November i8th. "Here the boat left us," he writes, "refus-

*Read at the monthly meeting of the Executive Council, March 12, 1900. A copy of
this Diary, made from the original by permission of Rev. Dr. Manney's daughter, Mrs.
Elizabeth Tenney, has been presented by the author of this paper to the Historical Soci-
ety's Library.

180 MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.

ing to proceed farther. . . . We secured a lumber wagon to
take us to St. Paul. Arrived at St. Paul at 5 p.m. Called at
the Mission; took tea with the brethren" [Rev. James Lloyd
Breck and his associates] .

Stopping as a guest at the Central House, he was delayed
in St. Paul for several days, on account of the danger in cross-
ing the river. It was not till the 3rd of December that he was
able to resume his journey up the river. At length, on the af-
ternoon of the 7th, he reached the Fort, where he was cordially
received by Captain Todd, who came to meet him a few miles
from the post, and invited him and his family to his own quar-
ters.

EARLY LIFE OF DR. MANNEY.

As the first Chaplain at Fort Ripley was one of the Terri-
torial Pioneers of Minnesota and passed the rest of his days in
this new Commonwealth, a short account of his early life will
not be out of place.

Solon W. Manney was born at Hyde Park, N. Y., near
Poughkeepsie, in the year 1813. His early life was passed at
the latter place amid influences savoring of an ancestry which
has given us not a few eminent names. His ancestors were of
the Huguenot faith. His father was a member of the Dutch
Reformed Church, and his mother was of Quaker descent.
Through the influence of his young associates, he was drawn
towards the Episcopal Church, and was baptized into this faith
by Dr. Whittingharn, afterwards the learned Bishop of Mary-
land.

Through his influence young Manney was led to prepare for
the sacred ministry and became his pupil in the General Theo-
logical Seminary in New York City. He graduated with hon-
or in 1837, in a class which gave us several well known clergy.
His commencement thesis was a criticism on "Edwards on the
Will ;" but his propositions were so far in advance of the thought
of that day, that the professor in charge of that department,
while commending the production, would not allow it to be de-
livered .

He was ordained by Bishop B. T. Onderdonk, and for two
years \vas rector of the Church, of the Nativity in New York
City. Fired with zeal for work in the new West, enkindled by
Bishop Keniper at his visits to the East, he came out to Indiana

HISTORY OF FORT RIPLEY. 181

and for seven years labored at La Porte and Michigan City.
He was one of the pioneer clergy who organized the Protestant
Episcopal Diocese of Indiana.

His original destination had been the Territory of Wiscon-
sin. In 1850, in accordance with his first intention, he came
to Milwaukee, where in November he took charge of the newly
organized parish of St. James. While there he. held several
responsible positions in the Church. He was a member of the
Standing Committee of the Diocese and the Missionary Board,
and one of the examining chaplains. While thus actively en'
gaged and useful in his new field, he received the appointment
of chaplain at Fort Ripley, our most remote military post on our
northwestern frontier .

LOCATION AND BUILDING OF FORT RIPLEY.

The occasion of building Fort Ripley is supplied in a letter
by Gen. N. J. T. Dana, as follows:

Just after the close of the War with Mexico, the Government consum-
mated a treaty with theWinnebago Indians, then residing within the limits
of Iowa, by the terms of which they transferred to the United States alt
their lands in that state, receiving in return a beautiful tract in Minnesota,
the eastern boundary of which extended from near the mouth of the Crow
Wing river southward along the Mississippi to a little below Sank Rapids.

Among the obligations assumed by the United States by that treaty was
the location and construction of a cantonment, and the stationing of a
garrison thereat within the limits of the new Indian grant, near the mouth
of the Crow Wing river. This condition was the cause of the unfortunate
location of Fort Ripley. Brigadier General George M. Brooke, a veteran
of the War of 1812, was at the time the commander of the military depart-
ment which embraced the new Winnebago reservation, with his headquar-
ters at St. Louis. Having received instructions from the War Department
as to the location of the new post under the terms of the Winnebago treaty,
he proceeded to Crow Wing in the month of November, 1848, with a
squadron of dragoons and several staff-officers ; and, after reconnoitering
the country, finally decided that the terms of the Winnebago treaty and his
instructions made it his duty to locate the new post on the western bank
of the Mississippi nearly opposite to the mouth of the Nokasippi river.

Being on duty in Boston at this time I received orders to report to Gen-
eral Brooke, and did so accordingly, at the earliest possible moment, and
found the Post already located, and the General about returning to St.
Louis. I was an officer of the Quartermaster's Department, and he left me
there to build the Fort. The country was already covered with snow. A
portable saw-mill was put in operation, and the winter passed in getting
out lumber and erecting temporary accommodations for a small gang of

182 MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.

carpenters and laborers. In the spring of 1849, Company A of the Sixth
Infantry at Fort Snelling was moved up to the new site, the commander
of which was Capt. John B. S. Todd, who was the first commanding officer
of the Post, called Fort Gaines, in honor of Brigadier General Edmund
P. Gaines, then stationed at New Orleans.

Subsequently his name was given to a new permanent fortification in
process of construction at the entrance of Mobile bay ; and the cantonment
in the Winnebago country was named Fort Ripley by the War Departmenr
in honor of Gen. Eleazer W. Ripley, a distinguished officer of the War of
1812. This name was officially announced November 4th, 1850.

General Dana superintended the work for two years. The
builder of the fort was Mr. Jesse H. Pomroy, of St. Paul, who
also had charge of the construction of Fort Ridgely in 1853-4.

"Rev. Mr. Manney, the first chaplain at Fort Ripley, was
commended to us," says General Dana, "by good Bishop Kem-
per, and was elected before I left there. Rev. Frederick Ayer,
a Presbyterian minister, who had been a teacher among the O jib-
ways at Sandy Lake, had established himself near the lower end
of the military reservation, on the east side of the river near
Little Falls, and was most kind in officiating at one or two fu-
nerals for the families at Fort Ripley. In the winter of 1850 I
carried the venerable chaplain of Fort Snelling, Father Gear,
to Fort Ripley in a sleigh, and we both enjoyed the visit great-
ly. We also had subsequently a vist from Bishop Kemper and
the Rev. J. Lloyd Breck. The latter relinquished his work at
St. Paul to Dr. Van Ingen, and removed to Gull lake."

As the name of General Dana is thus associated with Fort
Ripley, it may be interesting to note that a little later he became
a resident of St . Paul . On the breaking out of the Civil War,
he was appointed colonel of the First Minnesota, and was after-
ward promoted as a brigadier general.

The location of the post was on the west bank of the Mis-
sissippi about twenty miles above the mo'uth of Swan river, and
seven miles south of Crow Wing, at a point where the channel
runs southwest. The distance by wagon road from St. Paul
was one hundred and fifty miles. The road lay along the east
bank of the Mississippi, with no approach to the fort except by
ferry. The Post Reserve was a mile square and was surrounded
by a dense forest. The fort was situated on a plateau elevated
a little above the river, and consisted of several story and a
half buildings constructed of wood, forming three sides of a

HISTORY OF FORT RIPLEY. 183

square, with the open side facing the stream. On the right,
looking towards the quadrangle, were the quarters of the officers,
the chaplain's residence, and the sutler's store; on the left, also
quarters for officers, a room set apart for a chapel, and a hospi-
tal; while the third side was filled by the barracks for the sol-
diers. The northwest and southwest corners were flanked by block-
houses of logs, with port-holes commanding the sides of the
fort. The houses stood some fifteen to twenty feet apart,
so that there was a free entrance between, excepting on the
east side where there was a stockade built of logs set on end.

THE VICINITY NORTHWARD TO GULL LAKE.

On the opposite side of the Mississippi was the Government
farm, where Mr. S. Baldwin Olmstead had built a house and
was engaged in farming and furnishing supplies. Seven miles
above, near the mouth of the Crow Wing (so named from the
shape of an island ait its mouth, fancifully likened to the wing
of a crow), was the village bearing the same name, a mere ham-
let, or trading post, on the verge of civilization. This was the
terminus of the wagon road.

About a mile above this village was the house of Hole-in*
the-Day, head chief of the Ojibways (Chippeways), a crafty and
subtle man, who ultimately came to his end by the hand of some
unknown assassin. Three miles above Crow Wing, on the left
bank of the Crow Wing river near the mouth of Gull river, was
the Chippeway Agency. Eleven miles farther north, in the
wilds up the Gull river, a rapid, rippling stream, flowing out of
Gull lake, was the O jib way Mission planted by the Rev. J.
Lloyd Breck in the early summer of 1852, located at the north-
east corner of the lake.

Between Gull lake and Round lake, eastward, was the res-
idence of Enmegahbowh, an educated Canadian Indian, who had
been identified with, missionary work among the Ojibways of
Minnesota, but who had now become an interpreter for Mr.
Breck and ultimately entered the ministry of the Protestant Epis-
copal Church. As the career of this remarkable man is closely
connected with the history of this immediate locality, a brief
account of his early life, derived from a narrative given by him-
self, will not be foreign to our subject.

184 MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.

EARLY LIFE OF ENMEGAHBOWH .

The Indian missionary, Enmegahbowh, or, as he is also
known, the Rev. John Johnson, was born near Peterborough,
in Upper Canada, of Christian Indians, who led a wandering life,
subsisting by hunting and fishing. While he was yet a lad, the
Rev. Mr. Armour, of the Church of England, visited the Indian
camp and asked the parents to give him the child. At first the
mother refused. A second visit was more successful, and the
boy became a member of Air. Armour's family and school. Af-
ter some weeks the boy returned to the wigwam of his parents,
carrying with him his books. Often long into the night watches,
by the light of the fire he conned his lessons while the family
were asleep.

After some time a Methodist minister, seeing that he was a
promising child, asked the mother to give him her son. The
mother at last yielded, on condition that he should be allowed
to return at the end of a year. The day of parting came and the
fond parents watched their boy as he embarked on the canoe
journey to lake Superior. A twelvemonth he was at the Sault
Ste. Marie. Then he went from place to place as an inter-
preter. For a while he was at the La Pointe Mission. At dif-
ferent times he lived with the Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist,
Unitarian, and Roman Catholic missionaries, and was a member
of the missions at Red lake. Leech lake, Sandy lake, and Cass
lake. But after years of faithful labor among the Ojibways,
the Protestant missionaries withdrew from the field.

"As I stood and saw these good men going down the river
in their canoes," says Enmegahbowh, "and the last hope of my
people passing from my sight, I wrept. . . . Then I thought I
would go back to my own people and home and get an education,
that I might tell my people the right way; but my friends here
said, 'We will send you to school . ' '

Seven years were spent in study at an academy near Jack-
sonville, 111., whence he returned to what is now Minnesota.
Then there was not a white man in St. Paul. Leaving his
trunk at Fort Snellbg, and taking with him only his Ojibway
Testament, he went northward into the wilderness and became
an interpreter for the Methodists. When these also gave up
their mission, he resolved to return to Canada, and set out on his

HISTORY OF FORT RIPLEY. 185

long voyage across the "Big Sea Water." A tempest having
arisen in which all on board came near perishing, he changed
his purpose, and, returning to his people, was on the point of go-
ing to Washington with the chiefs to ask for a teacher, when,
at the suggestion of the Rev. E. G. Gear, whom he had met
at Fort Snelling, he resolved to ask the Protestant Episcopal
Church to send them a missionary. At Philadelphia, on his
journey, he received a letter from Father Gear, informing him
that a man had been found who would go to his people. This
was the Rev. James Lloyd Breck, the head of the Associate
Mission in St . Paul . Such was the beginning of a life of loving
service to the O jib way people, happily prolonged over a period
of more than half a century.

COMMANDANTS OF FORT RIPLEY.

The first in command at Fort Ripley was Captain John B.
S. Todd, from whom Todd county received its name, who after-
ward was a leading citizen of Dakota, and identified with the ma-
terial interests of Yankton. In 1854 he was succeeded by Major
George W. Patten, poet, and writer on military science. For
a short time in the summer of 1857, the post was without a gar-
rison, and was in charge of Ordnance Sergeant Alexander. On
the return of the troops, Major Patten again came into com-
mand. On the removal of the military force, the Indians at
Leech lake became troublesome, and it was found necessary to
keep up the garrison, as was the case during the Indian troubles
of 1862-3. After Major Patten, Major Hannibal Day was in
command; and still later Capt. William S. McCaskey and Capt.
John C. Bates, both of whom won distinction in the Civil War,
and again, nearly forty years later, in the Philippine War.

THE CHAPLAIN AND HIS DIARY.

The Diary of Chaplain Manney covers the period of his
residence at Fort Ripley, from December 7th, 1851, to May I7th,
1859, an interesting period in the early history of Minnesota.
It notes the daily occurrences at the fort, matters of interest in
the neighborhood, the phenomena of the weather, and speaks of
personages well known in our early history. The chronicle also
records the time of planting and ingathering of fruits. The
chaplain is a disciple of honest Isaak Walton. He tells the day

186 MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.

of his first shot on the wing. He is a student of Nature, an ob-
server of animal life, of the phenomena of the heavens. He is
the garrison schoolmaster. On an important occasion he was
called to practice the art of Aesculapius. At another time he was
prosecuting attorney in a criminal case. It is interesting to note
in this connection that the canons of the Episcopal Church in
Minnesota were framed in the chaplain's study. He has record-
ed the more stirring events of border life, not simply the births
and baptisms and burials, but the darker side of a life where
civilization and barbarism meet and mingle, the outbreaks of
unrestrained passions, by giving a continuous record of Indian
affairs in his neighborhood for a period of over seven years.

First, there is the regularly recurring mention of Divine
Service and a sermon in the chapel on the Lord's Day. The
sermon, was argumentative and logical, after the manner of the
old English divines. His sermons were models of reasoning,
and were afterward delivered before his students of theology.
They contained meat for mature minds, and his hearers, brought
tip under the old regime, listened with interest. The uneducated
could hardly fail to receive a benediction in the presence of his
genial face, from which the humanities were reflected. His
manner in the sacred offices was reverential and impressive.
Few could render the service of the Prayer Book more devoutly.
His piety was not emotional. His religion was a reasonable ser-
vice. He so lived as if man were made to be mindful of his
higher obligation to a Divine Will, and of his chief end to glorify
God and enjoy Him. It was a maxim with him that the Prayer
Book had made provision for but one sermon a Sunday. We
note that the services were attended by the officers of the gar-
rison. On Christmas day he writes: "Divine Service, Sermon,
and Holy Communion, — a good congregation, and a goodly
number of communicants . Text : Peace on earth . "

Such was our chaplain : a man of medium stature, of Hol-
land ancestry, free-hearted and good-natured, without manner-
ism or professional appearance, alike respected by the army offi-
cers of the olden time and beloved by the common soldiers; a
versatile man, well read in book lore, yet familiar with the com-
mon matters of dailv living, who could turn from the serious

HISTORY OF FORT RIPLEY. 187

thoughts of the study to the innocent diversions of life. Who
shall estimate the influence of such a man at a remote frontier
post?

Then there is the Chapel, a simple room decently fitted up,
no doubt by the ladies of the garrison, supplemented by the gen-
erosity of the officers; a voluntary Service, with no roll call; a
general meeting place, on a national platform under a common
flag.

The only religious teachers in this region were Chaplain
M'anney, Father Pierz at Crow Wing, the Rev. Mr. Ayer near
Little Falls, and Father Vevaldi at Long Prairie. There
were occasional ministrations at the fort by clergy from outside.
Among these were Father Vevaldi, the Roman Catholic priest;
Bishop Kemper; the Rev. Edward D. Neill, D.D., one of our
Territorial Pioneers, historian and educator; and others, as J.
Lloyd Breck and E. Steele Peake, of St. Columba Mission.
On one occasion the Chaplain had a pleasant interview with
Father Vevaldi, and conversed with him in Latin on ecclesias-
tical questions.

WEATHER RECORDS.

After a half century, it is still interesting to note the vari-
ableness of the seasons at that early day, before the axe or the
plowshare of the pioneer could have wrought any climatic
change.

In 1857 the river closed as early as November 2ist, the
earliest closing recorded during all those eight years; but in
1854 the river was open at the garrison, and for a mile or two
above, as late as the 26th of December. In 1854 the river oppo-
site the fort was open, so that the ferry could cross, as early as
the 21 st of March; but in 1857 teams were crossing on the ice at
Crow Wing as late as the 24th of April.

The winter of 1851-2 was comparatively mild, but variable.
The coldest day of the season was January iQth, when the ther-
mometer registered thirty degrees below zero at sunrise. In
1852-3 the coldest day was December 2ist, when the thermome-
ter indicated thirty-seven below. The severity of that winter
was relieved by mild and pleasant intervals. The December of

188 MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.

1855 was unusually severe. At sunrise on the 24th, the mer-
cury was frozen in the bulb, the coldest ever known at the post
in December up to that date, and surpassed only by that of Jan-
uary 24th, 1854. On Christmas the mercury congealed when
exposed, and the chapel service had to be suspended. The win-
ter of 1854-5 seems to have been unusually mild, the coldest
weather being only twenty -nine below, with rain early in Janu-
ary. In 1858 the severest snowstorm of the season occurred as
late as the 4th of April .

THE MISSION OF ST. COLUMBA, AT GULL LAKE.

Fort Ripley is also interesting for its connection with the
Indian Mission of the Episcopal Church at Gull lake. February
2 ist, 1852, the Rev. James Lloyd Breck, accompanied by Chap-
lain Manney, \vent to Crow Wing to see Hole-in-the-Day. The
chief being absent, they returned without an interview. Early in
March Hole-in-the-Day with his wives took tea at the fort, when
the chaplain had some conversation with him as to the introduc-
tion of Christianity among his tribe, and also concerning his own
views and feelings on this subject. A little later the chief with
two of his wives, arid Enmegahbowh, called at the post to re-
quest the chaplain to bury his child which had died that day
while they were on their way for medical aid. After consid-
ering the matter, the chaplain consented, and took the opportun-
ity to expound to them the doctrine of the resurrection. At the
same time he resolved two questions that were asked by the
chief: Whether it would be proper for him to have a feast in
remembrance of his child? Answer, No. And how his two
wives whom he intends to put away should be treated? An-
swer: He must see that they are comfortably provided for and
protected, with the liberty of marrying again, when the obliga-
tion of support and protection would cease on their marriage,
and that his children should have all the privileges of his family.

Towards the close of April, 1852, Mr. Breck arrived at the
fort again, on his way to Gull lake to see Hole-in-the-Day. May
iQth, accompanied by Craig and Holcomb, students of the mis-
sion at St. Paul, Mr. Breck made a third visit to the Indian
country. After some difficulty he at length succeeded in getting
possession of ground for a mission, Hole-in-the-Day having

HISTORY OF FORT RIPLEY. 189

proved faithless. During the summer Mr. Breck made monthly
journeys to and from St. Paul on foot, as his custom was. As
the season passed, the prospect of work among the Ojibways be-
came more encouraging, and on the first day of November, 1852,
the corner stone was laid of the Indian Church of St. Columba,
the first edifice of the Episcopal Church on the west bank of the
Mississippi.

Meanwhile, the work of instructing the Indians in the ways
of Christian living went on apace. All were taught to work, and
nothing was given without service rendered in return. The
success of the efforts of Mr. Breck attracted official notice. At
the end of the first year Governor Gorman, superintendent of
Indian Affairs for the Territory of Minnesota, without solicita-
tion, stated to Bishop Kemper his intention to apply to the De-
partment at Washington for an annual gift to the mission of five
hundred dollars. At the close of the second year both the gov-
ernor and Major Herriman, the Indian agent, were so impressed
by the results as to recommend the appropriation of the Ojibway
school fund to the St. Columba Mission. At that time there
was no other mission of any religious body among the Ojibways
of the Mississippi. The Presbyterians also generously united in
this application in behalf of the work of Mr. Breck. As a re-
sult of this noble and Christian endeavor, Mr. Breck, as his
custom was, placed upon the altar of the church at St. Columba,
on the second Sunday after Trinity, in 1854, an offering of one
thousand dollars in gold, this being one third part of what the
general Government was to give him that year.

We have spoken particularly of the work of Mr. Breck, be-
cause of its connection with the Government and with Fort Rip-
ley, and also because of the interest taken by Chaplain Manney in
its behalf. Indeed, the latter was appointed by Bishop Kemper
to make an examination and an annual report of the financial
condition of the Mission. If it be said that the Government had
no concern with religious work, it should be remembered that in
this case, as everywhere else, the fruits more than repaid the pro-
tection the Post affotded the Mission; for it was only by the
timely notice given by Christian Indian's, in 1857, tnat Crow
Wing was saved, and by Enmegahbowh at very great risk, in
1862, which prevented the garrison of Fort Ripley from being

190 MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.

surprised, and averted a general massacre on our northern front-
ier, like that perpetrated by the Sioux in the southwest part of
the state.

The following- incident related by the chaplain will illustrate
the thoughtful side of Indian character. It occurred in connec-
tion with the laying of the corner stone of the Church of St.
Columba. Two Indians came with Enmegahbowh to ask the
chaplain some questions. It was in Mr. Breck's study at Gull
lake. "The questions," says the chaplain, "were well put. They
related to the Church, the existence of moral evil, and the unity
of the human race. I had a long conversation with them on
each of these points, at which they expressed themselves grati-
fied and satisfied. On taking out my watch to see the time, one
of the Indians asked me whether day and night were of equal
length. This resulted in quite a long conversation on astrono-
my, at which they expressed great astonishment.

LIFE AT THE FORT.

How well the Chaplain served the Post appears from his
Diary. There is the regularly recurring note of Divine Service;
the children are gathered in school for daily instruction ; the so-
cial relations with the officers are carefully observed ; he ministers
to the dying private; he notes the first communion, and records
the birth and baptism ; he commits the body to the earth with the
last offices ; he solemnized the rites of holy matrimony ; and by his
chaplaincy vindicated our claim to be a Christian nation . He does
not forget works of mercy and charity. "A young Indian," he
writes, "died today from bronchial consumption, as near as I
could judge. He was in want; had been visited by Miss FLelps
daily, and his wants supplied . A vast number die of this disease
and inflammation of the lungs."

JOURNEYS TO LEECH AND OTTER TAIL LAKES.

In March, 1853, Chaplain Manney, with Captain Todd and
the Rev. Mr. Breck, made a journey to Leech lake. This visit
had a twofold object. Captain Todd was interested in scientific
explorations, and Mr. Breck was already planning to extend his
work among the red men. The chaplain combined the student
and the philanthropist. The Diary contains the following:
"March I3th, Divine Service at Bungo's, which is the old mis-

HISTORY OF FORT RIPLEY. 191

sion ground [of the American Board, Mr. and Mrs. W. T.
Boutwell] . Breck read the Service and I preached. The first
Service of our Church that those wild regions ever listened to."

Leech lake, so named from the leeches abounding in its wa-
ters, was the home of George Bungo, a tall man, erect, well-built,
very black, and, consequently, very striking in appearance. He
enjoyed in the highest degree the confidence of men like the Hon.
Henry M. Rice, and had a credit almost unlimited with the lead-
ing merchants of St . Paul . He was educated at Montreal . Our
chronicle says: "Left Leech lake about 9 a.m. for home, having
been treated with great hospitality by George, who is a mixed
blood, African and Indian. His father, he told me, was taken
prisoner by the Indians near Chicago, or Milwaukee, about the
latter part of the last century or the beginning of this. George
was born on the St. Croix."

In the early summer of 1853 another journey was made by
the chaplain and Mr. Breck to Otter Tail lake. The party con-
sisted of Breck, Mariney, George Bungo, and two experienced
voyageurs. The route was up the fine and - beautiful stream of
the Crow Wing. The daily record begins with prayers and
breakfast, and closes with supper and prayers. "One afternoon,
caught a legged snake, called by the Indians okodigenabik, said
to be very scarce, called by some of them manito, which has this
singular property when struck, its tail would snap like glass."
From the Crow Wing they proceeded up Leaf river, a crooked
stream, whose windings dispersed its blessings widely. After
morning prayer on Sunday they proceeded on their way, nooning
at a fine high bluff on which they said the Litany, and at night-
fall camped on Leaf lake. The day following they passed suc-
cessively through Leaf lake, really two lakes, with a short port-
age to a third, and thence another portage to Otter Tail lake,
which, the writer says, not more than ten white men had ever
seen.

The purpose of this journey was to secure a site for another
Indian mission. The day following their arrival, the Indians
came in and sent word that they were ready to see the visitors.
Breck stated to them his purpose, to establish a mission among
them, with the advantages they might expect from changing their
mode of life.

192 MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.

The chief answered by saying that "when the whites general-
ly came among them they put sugar in their mouths, but we had
not. We had spoken plainly, and from the heart." He said
that they were poor. "We have nothing but what we wear.
We have no settled home. Like the wild deer, our home is where
night overtakes us." He then welcomed Mr. Breck among them,
gave him what land he wanted for the mission, all the timber he
needed, all the fish he could use. He then indulged in the pros-
pect of "advantage which was likely to accrue to his band from
the establishment of the mission, in their improved condition, in
teaching them to labor and draw their living from the soil, in the
education of their children, in their happy homes. He talked
very sensibly. The chief is a noble fellow. McDonald, a worth-
less trader at Crow Wing, had poisoned the minds of the princi-
pal men against this mission, or any mission amongst them. But
this did not deter the chief."

After prayers and breakfast they went out and selected the
ground for the mission buildings and the farm, a beautiful site
with an extensive view upon the lake. "After an early dinner,
and while the voyageurs were making the portage," the Chap-
lain writes, "we went to the mission grounds, erected a cross,
read the Tenth Selection, consisting of a part of Psalm 96 and
Psalms 148 to 150, said the Gloria in Excelsis, the Creed, and
some Prayers, and thus, as it were, consecrated it to God Most
High, through His Son Jesus Christ." Then they entered their
canoes and proceeded on their way home. At their former camp-
ing ground they found two men bound for Pembina in the Red
River country. One of their horses had been injured the day
before and left to d'e. "Our party gave them what provisions
they could spare for their unexpectedly prolonged journey."

ATTEMPTED JOURNEY TO LAKE SUPERIOR.

The account of nn attempt to reach lake Superior carries us
back to a condition of things we can scarcely realize today.
Early in the month of October, 1854, in company with Bishop
Kemper, the chaplain set out for lake Superior, to which the
bishop refers in one of his reports. The route was up the Mis-
sissippi by canoe, thence into Sandy lake, and onward with only a
short portage between the waters tributary to that lake and those
of the St. Louis, flowing into lake Superior. Experienced voya-

HISTORY OF FORT RIPLEY. 193

geurs were required for this journey. Leaving Crow Wing on
the 6th, they reached Willow river at noon on the fifth day after
their departure. There it became evident that the voyageurs
would not get them to Sandy lake before Thursday night, which
must necessarily prevent them from getting to Superior before
Monday or Tuesday night of the following week, thus compelling
them to spend three successive Sundays in the wilderness.

Upon consultation it was thought useless to proceed, where-
upon the Chaplain gave the order to return. The principal voy-
ageur refusing, they left him, and, placing an Indian in the stern,
and himself taking a paddle in the bow, they reached their last
camping place about sundown.

The next morning at breakfast three Indians and a halfbreed
came into camp from Sandy lake, bound for Crow Wing. One
of these was hired to go in the canoe. About noon the following
day, M'ahnanik, the Indian whom they had first hired at Rapid
river, took in his wife and child. At Crow Wing the second
Indian left. So they put the squaw in the stern, and proceeded
on, — "the crew now consisting of Chaplain Manney in the bow,
Mahnanik at the oars, his squaw in the stern, — and, as passen-
gers, Bishop Kemper and the papoose. We arrived at the gar-
rison about 2 p. m., after an absence of nearly nine days."

TEMPORARY WITHDRAWAL OF THE GARRISON .

The withdrawal of the troops from Fort Ripley, which had
been under consideration for some time, was effected early in
1857. On the 25th of March the intelligence reached the fort,
through a general order published in the New York Herald, that
the Tenth Regiment was ordered to Leavenworth, and the Post
was to be abandoned. On the 2oth of the following month it
was learned that Fort Snelling also was to be vacated and sold.
In June, Lieutenant Kelly received orders to go to Leavenworth ;
and in July the military stores at Fort Ripley were offered for
sale . ^ ,

ENSUING TROUBLES WITH THE OJIBWAYS.

Following close upon this, troubles began to gather at Leech
lake, where, a year before, Mr. Breck had established a second
mission. The particulars of this disturbance may be found in a
series of articles, on the work of the Rev. J . Lloyd Breck, in the

13

194 MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.

Minnesota Missionary for February, 1896. The account there
given is taken from a paper prepared by Miss Emily J. West,
who was a member of the mission at Leech lake, be'ing an eye
witness of what she relates.

The trouble began early in July, 1857. The chaplain was
absent at the time, but, on receiving a note that the members of
the Leech Lake Mission were at the Fort, he hastened home and
found that they had left Kesahgah in the night of Thursday, the
9th, on account of the bad and violent behavior of some Indians
who were destroying their property and who even threatened per-
sonal violence.

In the Diary we find the following entry almost immediately
after the withdrawal of the garrison : "We may now expect per-
sonal violence, and murders, and the destruction of property on
the ceded lands, and all along the frontier. The withdrawal of
the troops from this section can result in nothing else." Just
four years before, to a day, the Indians had killed an ox belonging
to the mission at Gull lake. But the prompt arrest of *he of-
fenders, who had been put in irons and set to work, had prevented
any further outrages until after the withdrawal of the troops.

A few days later, an inoffensive German, while traveling
along the road near Gull lake, was murdered under circumstances
of the greatest cruelty . The murderers were brought to the fort,
but, as they could not be kept there, a team was procured at Mr.
Olmstead's, across the river, and they were forwarded to Belle
Prairie, to be delivered to the justice who was to commie them
to the sheriff at Little Falls.

The news of the murder spread ; and, armed with pistols and
provided with ropes, a party left Swan River, determined upon
securing the prisoners and executing them. They succeeded in
overtaking the officer and his posse, and, threatening the sheriff
even to putting a rope round the neck of one of his men, seized
the three Indians and executed and buried them handcuffed to
each other.

The Indians were now becoming intensely excited and
threatened revenge. Mr. Peake and his family left the mission
at Gull lake in the care of the Christian Indians and took refuge
in the fort. Indians were seen skulking about, ready to murder
the first white man who should happen to come in their way.

HISTORY OF FORT RIPLEY. 195

It was unsafe even at the fort to step outside the door in the eve-
ning. The click of a gun was a warning to keep under cover.

At the same time considerable excitement was produced in
Crow Wing by the revelation of Crow Feather of the plans of
Hole-in-the-Day. The night previous he had communicated to
Crow Feather and five or six braves his wishes that Crow Feath-
er and one other should proceed to Crow Wing and kill the first
white man they met, — the other four to proceed to Gull lake and
burn all the mission buildings and property.

Through the influence of Clement Beaulieu, who had gotten
this information from Crow Feather, the latter was induced to
return to the Agency and try to prevent the burning of the mis-
sion property. It is but justice to Crow Feather to note that,
in answer to the wishes of Hole-in-the-Day, he said he had trav-
eled among the whites a good deal and had received naught but
kindness, and that he could not kill a white man.

"In view of the threatened danger to life and property," the
Chaplain writes, "I wrote a note to Hole-in-the-Day to the effect
that we were aware of his intentions, and knew that he was in-
citing a number of Indians to deeds of violence and murder ; also
that, if he carried out his intentions, we should take every means
in our power to bring him to a speedy and summary punishment."

On Monday of the following week, August 24, 1857, White
Fisher and Enmegahbowh came to the fort, the former right from
Gull lake, stating that he with a number of Indians at Gull lake
had held a kind of council on Saturday night, wherein they had
agreed to stand by the Mission and send a message to Hole-in-
the-Day, that they would not listen to his wicked proposals.
Hole-in-the-Day had also given Indians money to kill Enmegah-
bowh.

On the 27th, Captain Barry, with a small escort from Fort
Snelling arrived to examine into the true state of the late diffi-
culties . It seems that, on the receipt of the letter from the chap-
lain, Col . Burke sent a messenger up the Minnesota river to Fort
Ridgely; whereupon Col. Abercrombie ordered Capt. Barry to
take an escort and proceed to the northern frontier and learn
the exact state of affairs . Accordingly, Enmegahbowh and White
Fisher were sent for to give Capt. Barry information concerning
the troubles and the general disposition of the Indians.

196 MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.

Witli the failure of the plot of Hole-in-the-Day and the pres-
ence of our soldiers at the fort, quiet was restored and continued
during the following winter. The Rev. E. Steele Peake and his
family remained at the garrison, as it was not thought safe for
him to return to Gull lake immediately. Quarters were assigned
him by Major Patten, the officer in command, and such of the In-
dian children as had been members of his family were also re-
ceived.

THE RESERVE AND FORT OFFERED FOR SALE.

The chief event concerning Fort Ripley in the latter part of
this year 1857 was the attempted sale of the Reserve, together
with the fort, by the War Department, which took place on the
2Oth of October. The Reserve and adjoining lands, to the amount
in all of about 60,000 acres, in various lots, received as bids about
$1,800, or an average of three cents an acre. It was less than
two months after the gieat financial panic of August, 1857, which
disastrously affected all business interests throughout the United
States. These very low offers, being under the price of $1.25
per acre required for valid sales of government lands, were, not
accepted .

THE DIOCESE OF MINNESOTA ORGANIZED.

Meanwhile, in another field, an event of moment had oc-
curred. Bishop Kemper, whose name will long be remembered
in our early history, had called a meeting of the clergy and parish-
es in Christ Church, St. Paul, to organize a diocese. In this
council, convening September i6th, 1857, Chaplain Manney was
a leading member. The canons there adopted were largely
framed by his hand. Fort Ripley should be remembered as the
place where these were thought out, under which for nearly forty
years the Episcopal Church did its work in Minnesota.

FOUNDING OF SCHOOLS AT FARIBAULT.

On Tuesday, September 24th, of the week following the
convention, Breck, Manney, and Peake, went to Faribault; and
on Wednesday they made a reconnaissance of the town and vicin-
ity with a view to select a site for schools. When Mr. Breck
came to St. Paul in 1850, it was for the purpose of educational
work in general, and theological in particular. His original de-
sign was never given up when he went into the Indian country.
Accordingly, on the breaking up of the mission at Leech lake, he

HISTORY OF FORT RIPLEY. 197

decided to resume the educational work. The Mission of St.
Columba, at Gull lake, was never abandoned, but had a continu-
ous existence under the Rev. E. Steele Peake, who had gone
there in 1856, on the removal of Mr. Breck to Leech lake; and,
though for a time obscured, it was the germ of the present fruits
of Bishop Whipple's work among the Ojibways under the Rev.
J. A. Gilfillan.

September 25th, 1857, the Associate Mission was formed at
Faribault by these three clergy, to embrace the white and the red
field for religious and educational work. The Rev. Mr. Peake
was to labor among the red men, and Messrs. Breck and Manney
were to reside at Faribault.

DISTURBANCES AT CROW WING AND LITTLE FALLS.

The events of the spring of 1858 confirmed the good judg-
ment of the Chaplain as to the necessity of a standing body of
soldiers at Fort Ripley. On the i8th of March a detachment
had to be sent to Crow Wing to aid the civil authority in making
arrests and keeping the peace. Some unprincipled men, inflamed
by liquor, made an attempt to burn the store of Mr. Beaulieu,
threatening to shoot any who should attempt to put the fire out.
Those in charge fired on the incendiaries, killing one and wound-
ing another. The next day another alarm came, that some
scoundrels had gone to Crow Wing with the intention of burn-
ing the town that night, and that life was in danger. Soon after
Divine Service on Sunday, March 2ist, a messenger arrived from
Major Herriman, the Indian agent, with a requisition for troops
to protect himself and a body of Indians from a set of vagabonds
at Crow Wing.

One of the incendiaries, well known in that region as Whisk-
ey Jack, and an accomplice, having been brought to the fort, the
justice and others interested came down from Crow Wing to
hold a court for the examination of the prisoners, in order to theic
commitment. Beaulieu, the complainant, requested the chaplain
to act as his counsel.

This notable court was held March 23rd, at the house of Mr.
S. Baldwin Olmstead, who lived across the river. It was com-
posed of Justice McGillis, the prisoner Whiskey Jack, with his
hands tied together, in charge of a corporal's guard, Chaplain

198 MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.

Manney as prosecuting attorney, and Lieut. Spencer, counsel
for the defendant. As the justice could not write well, he was
assisted by Surgeon Hassan of the Post. The witnesses were
Shoff, Scofield, and Giggy. The complainant, on whose oath the
arrest had been made, was Clement Beanlieu. Whiskey Jack
was found guilty enough to be committed. So, in default of
bail, he was given over into the keeping of the constable (but,
there being none, the justice had to make one for the occasion),
to be committed to jail, and, as there was no jail in those parts,
Whiskey Jack was brought back to the garrison in charge of the
guard and was confined in the guard house. Such was the ad-
ministration of justice, according to the law of good sense, if not
quite in accordance with established order.

Close upon the heels of this followed an event of a more
serious nature. An Ojibway captive woman, who had escaped
from the Sioux, arrived at the fort under a military escort from
Fort Snelfing, having previously been sent from Fort Ridgely by
Colonel Abercrombie. A little later, three Ojibways were sur-
prised by a party of Sioux while on Long Prairie river, and one
scalp was taken. During the night of the 23d of March, 1858,
about midnight, Sheriff Pugh brought a dispatch from Little
Falls, that 200 Sioux were in the vicinity. Major Patten sent an
order to Crow Wing for Lieut. Spencer to return immediately
with his detachment, and issued a thousand ball cartridges to the
citizens of Little Falls, at the same time sending out scouts. The
iumbermen, hearing the alarm, came into Crow Wing, and the
Indians left the sugar camps and came in for fear of the Sioux.

The report went out that a number of Sioux had crossed the
river at Watab on a gorge of ice, in pursuit, undoubtedly, of the
Chippeway captive. They were one day behind her. She had
reached the mission of the Rev. Mr. Williamson after a long
journey, who immediately carried her to Fort Ridgely, whence
she was forwarded to Fort Ripley in safety. It was a bold at-
tempt on the part of the Sioux to re-capture the escaped Ojibway
woman . It was fortunate they did not intercept her, as she was
under the escort of United States troops, and such an event would
have resulted in an Indian war.

Even as late as the 3d of May, while planting in his garden,
the chaplain was called in by an alarm from the bugle. The

HISTORY OF FORT RIPLEY. 199

cause was the proximity of a large body of Sioux. Guns were
taken to the block-house, water was drawn, and men were quar-
tered there ready for an emergency . News also came that seven
Ojibway scalps had been taken at Swan River the night before,
and that the Sioux were robbing and committing more depreda-
tions in the neighborhood of the Platte river. Thus it seemed
as if the Post was pretty well surrounded by hostile Indians.

FOUNDING OF FORT ABERCROMBIE.

-Hardly had the iears of the people subsided, when an order
was received early in July to abandon Fort Ripley, and to estab-
lish a post near Graham's Point on the Red river. The same
mail, however, brought a telegram order for Major Patten's com-
pany to proceed to the Red river as noted, and for the artillery
company to remain at Fort Ripley. This was delayed by the de-
parture of Major Patten below, who seems to have gone for fur-
ther instructions, returning, however, no wiser than before. On
his return Major Patten stated that he had peremptory orders to
send company L to the Red river in place of company K, but that
he should order his own company.

Lieut. Conrad was sent to examine the condition of the road
as far as the crossing of the Crow Wing, who reported that the
road was not impassable. A military road had been laid out by
George H. Belden, civil engineer, extending from Ripley to the
site of this new post, which was called Fort Abercrombie. Ma-
jor Patten started on August 8th, and arrived at his destination
on the 27th. The work of construction was pushed rapidly for-
ward, so that by the middle of November the men were in com-
fortable quarters.

THE LAST YEAR OF THE CHAPLAINCY.

The summer of 1858 was one to be remembered in other
ways. The winter had been unusually mild with its rains and
pleasant days. March was drawing to a close with its showers,
when suddenly the season seemed reversed, and instead of April
showers January snows succeeded, with little promise of M'ay
flowers. As late as the I5th of May ice formed, a quarter of an
inch thick; and on the nth of June another frost singed potatoes,
and killed tomatoes where it had a chance. Squash and pumpkin

200 MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.

vines were injured on the night of the I2th of July; and on the
28th of August those which previous frosts had spared were en-
tirely killed. It was one of those phenomenal seasons which
come rarely in our northern clime to blight the hopes of the hus-
bandman. However, the Chaplain kept feast on the Fourth of
July, with green peas for dinner, sending portions also to his
friends in the garriscn.

The winter of 1858-9 and its varied changes passed, with
enough of incident to break the monotony of garrison life on the
frontier. The cheerful hearth dispelled the unusual cold : a mar-
riage or two were included among social events ; and there were
the coming and going of officers and visitors, and the weekly ser-
vice and sermon.

Xear the close of January, 1859, the Chaplain received a let-
ter from Mr. Breck. expressing a desire that he should join him
in the educational work already established at Faribault. Such
had been the understanding in 1857 when the Associate Mission
was formed. After due consideration, Mr. Manney decided to
go as early in the spring as possible. He did not deem it best
to resign his chaplaincy at this time, but obtained leave of ab-
sence for four months. Leaving the fort about the middle of
May, he reached Faribault on the 23d. His resignation dates
from about the 1st of November, 1859, having held the office for
a period of eight years.

DR. MAXXEY's WORK IX THE FARIBAULT SCHOOLS.

The work of Dr. Manney at Faribault was to instruct the
candidates for the ministry, and to hold religious services on Sun-
day at some one of several stations within a radius of twenty-five
miles. He heard recitations in systematic divinity, ecclesiastical
history, the Greek Testament, and such other subjects as were
required for entrance to the ministry. His varied learning and
aptness to teach admirably fitted him for his work in a young-
institution. The several departments of the Faribault schools at
that early day were included under the title of the Bishop Sea-
bury University. These were primary, grammar, high school,
and theological, for wnich there was a single building of wood,
of simple pretensions.

Dr. Manney received his classes in his study. This con-
tained well filled book-cases of carefully selected works by the

HISTORY OF FORT RIPIEY. 201

old English divines, which must have presented a singular con-
trast to the wild scenes of frontier life. His manner in the class-
room was easy and familiar, yet his pupils felt they were sitting
at the feet of a master.

He often preached in the Chapel at Faribault, where he was
listened to with marked attention. For five years he was the
only instructor in theology. Besides his scholastic duties, he
was of very great assistance in the organization of the Bishop Sea-
bury Mission, and the articles of incorporation were drawn by
his hand. It is to the rare combination of men like Bishop
Whipple, J. Lloyd Breck, and Solon W. Manney, that the
schools at Faribault largely owe their success.

In 1862, Dr. Manney was elected a delegate to the General
Convention of the Episcopal Church, when his influence was felt
as a member of the Committee on Legislation. He also sat as
a member in the Ouncil of 1865, an^ again in 1868. While
in attendance at the latter convention, alarming symptoms of
disease unexpectedly appeared, which rapidly assumed a more
aggravated character. A painful operation after his return
failed to arrest the progress of the disease, and, after a short
and painful illness, in the full vigor of his mind he passed away
January igth, 1869, at the age of fifty-five years.

ORDINATION OF ENMEGAHBOWH IN FARIBAULT.

As reference has been made to Enmegahbowh in the course
of this paper, we add an acount of his ordination which took
place at Faribault on Sunday, July 3d, 1859, with which the Di-
ary of Dr. Manney almost immediately closes. The event is
also interesting as the last official act of Bishop Kemper in Min-
nesota. [Enmegahbowh labored as a most devoted and useful
missionary among the Ojibways in the northern part of this
state until his death at White Earth, Minn., June 12, 1902.]

Faribault was in the country of the Sioux, some of whom
had their lodges near the residence of Mr. Alexander Faribault.
The memory of the late feuds was still fresh in mind, and to
penetrate so far into the country where an enemy might be met
at any time was an event which at least suggested apprehensions
of danger. The congregation had already assembled in the
Chapel, — the Bishop and clergy in the chancel, and Enmegah-
bowh, habited in his surplice, with Manitowab and William Su-

202 MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.

perior on either side, all three Ojibways, when above a dozen
Sioux came in to witnf ?s the novel spectacle and to get a sight
of the Ojibways who had ventured to penetrate so far into the
country of their hereditary foes.

In the afternoon a conference was held in which the Ojib-
ways addressed the Sioux through an interpreter. Mr. Alex-
ander Faribault was present and assisted as interpreter for the
Sioux. Among other things, Manitowab declared that since he
had become a Christian the spirit of hatred had given place to
that of love to all men, so that he looked upon the Sioux as
brothers and not as enemies.

In the evening the Ojibways and Sioux again met at the
house of Mr. Breck, when the Sioux made answer, through
their chief, to the addresses of Manitowab and William. Thus
ended an interesting day in the history of the relations of these
tribes. The children of both Ojibways and Sioux were re-
ceived into the mission school at Faribault. lived under the same
roof, and played together on the mission grounds, adjacent to
those of Mr. Faribault, where the Sioux and their lodges might
alwavs be seen.

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