The history of Minnesota and Tales of the frontier

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The History oi Minnesota

AND

Tales oi the Frontier.

BY

JUDGE CHARLES E. FLANDRAU

i

PUBLISHED BY

E. W. PORTER,

ST. PAUI<, MINNESOTA.
1900.

1.^

THEPIONEERJ
I PRESS

SAINT "PAUL ^
■».MDCCCXH>

IBtt^itation.

Co tl)c ©lU Settlers of ifltnnceiota, toljo sio luifielp laiU t\)t

fottniiation of our state upon t))t broati anU cntjuring;

baste of frecDom anli toleration, anli to^o ba^c so

Sallantlp Uefenteti anii maintatneli it, tl)is

bistorp is most ffratefuUp anU affec^

tionatelp Uetiicatcli b^ t!)e autI)or.

Cljarlr0 C iFlanDrau.

AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION,

The original design of this history was, that it should
accompany and form part of a book called the "En-
cyclopedia of Biography of Minnesota." It was so
published, and as that work was very large and expen-
sive, it was confined almost exclusively to its subscrib-
ers, and did not reach the general public. Many re-
quests were made to the author to present it to the public
in a more popular and readable form, and he decided to
publish it in a book of the usual library size, and dispose
of it at a price which would place it within the reach of
everyone desirous of reading it. As the history is written
in the most compendious form consistent with a full pre-
sentation and discussion of all the facts concerning the
creation and growth of the state, it was estimated that
it would not occupy sufficient space in print to make a
volume of the usual and proper size. The author there-
fore decided to accompany it with a series of "Frontier
Stories," written by himself at different times during his
long residence in the Northwest, which embrace his-
torical events, personal adventures, and amusing inci-
dents. He believes these stories will lend interest and

pleasure to the volume.

THE AUTHOR.

CONTENTS.

HISTORY.

Page.

Opening Statement 2

^,,-^ Legendary and Aboriginal Era 3

Fort Snelling 14

Selkirk Settlement 20,

George Catlin 25

Featherstonehaugh 25

Schoolcraft; Source of Mississippi 26

Elevations in Minnesota 28

Nicollet 28

^,„„-Missions 30

^ Indians 36

Territorial Period 43

Education 49

First Territorial Government 52

Courts 54

First Territorial Legislature 58

Immigration 62

The Panic of 1857 68

Land Titles 69

The First Newspaper 70

Banks 73

The Fur Trade -^ 75

Pemmican 80

Transportation and Express 81

Lumber 83

Religion 85

Railroads 91

The First Railroad Actually Built loi

^^The Spirit Lake Massacre 102

The Constitutional Convention 109

Attempt to Remove the Capital 115

Census 117

Grasshoppers , . . . . 117

Militia 120

vi Contents.

Page.

The Wright County War 122

The Civil War 123

The Third Regiment 128

The Indian War of 1862 and following years 135

The Attack on Fort Ridgely 148

Battle of New Ulm 150

Battle of Birch Coulie 159

Occurrences in Meeker County and Vicinity 161

Protection of the Southern Frontier 162

-Colonel Sibley Moves upon the Enemy 166

^.Battle of Wood Lake 169

Fort Abercrombie 171

Camp Release 174

Trial of the Indians 175

Execution of 38 Condemned Indians 180

The Campaign of 1863 182

Battle of Big Mound 184

Battle of Dead Buffalo Lake 185

Battle of Stony Lake 186

, Campaign of 1864 187

A Long Period of Peace and Prosperity 193

Introduction of New Process of Milling Wheat 193

The Discovery of Iron 196

Commerce Through St. Mary's Falls Canal 199

Agriculture 200

Dairying 201

University of Minnesota and School of Agriculture 203

The Minnesota State Agricultural Society 205

The Minnesota Soldiers' Home 207

Other State Institutions 208

Minnesota Institute for Defectives 209

State School for Dependent and Neglected Children 210

The Minnesota State Training School 211

The Minnesota State Reformatory 212

The Minnesota State Prison 213

The Minnesota Historical Society 213

State Institutions Miscellaneous in Character 215

State Finances 217

The Monetary and Business Flurry of 1873 and Panic of '93. . 218

Minor Happenings 221

The War with Spain 225

....-"^he Indiati Battle of Leech Lake 229

Contents. vii

Page.

Population 234

The State Flag 236

The Ofificial Flower of the State, and its Method of Selection. 237

Origin of the Name "Gopher State" 242

State Parks 245

Politics 248

Bibliography 253

FRONTIER TALES.

Wolf Hunting in Bed 269

The Poisoned Whisky 275

Fun in a Blizzard 281

Law and Latin 288

'Indian Strategy 291

The First Election Returns from Pembina 296

A Frontier Story, which contains a Robbery, Two Deser-
tions, a Capture and a Suicide 303

The Pony Express 310

Kissing Day 316

A Political Ruse 320

The Hardships of Early Law Practice 324

Temperance at Traverse 329

--Win-ne-muc-ca's Gold Mine 333

A Unique Political Career 340

La Crosse 345

Making a Post Office 350

The Courage of Conviction 354

How the Capital was Saved 358

An Editor Incog 365

-^The Ink-pa-du-ta War 370

Muscular Legislation 378

The Virgin Feast 383

'The Aboriginal War Correspondent 387

Bred in the Bone 391

An Accomplished Rascal 396

An Advocate's Opinion of His Own Eloquence is Not Always

Reliable 400

A Momentous Meeting 402

Primitive Justice 406

HISTORY OF MINNESOTA.

BY JUDGE CHARLES E. FLANDRAU.

It has been a little over fifty years since the organi-
zation of the Territory of Minnesota, which at its birth
was a very small and unimportant creation, but which
in its half century of growth has expanded into one
of the most brilliant and promising stars upon the
union of our flag; so that its history must cover ev-
ery subject, moral, physical and social, that enters into
the composition of a first-class progressive Western
state, which presents a pretty extensive field ; but there
is also to be considered a period anterior to civilization,
which may be called the aboriginal and legendary era,
which abounds with interesting matter, and to the gen-
eral reader is much more attractive than the prosy sub-
jects of agriculture, finance and commerce.

Having lived in the state through nearly the whole
period of Minnesota's political existence, and having
taken part in most of the leading events in her history,
both savage and civilized, I propose to treat the various
subjects that compose her history in a narrative and col-
loquial manner that may not rise to the dignity of his-
tory, but which, I think, while giving facts, will not de-

2 History of Minnesota.

tract from the interest or pleasure of the reader. If I
should in the course of my narrative so far forget myself
as to indulge in a joke, or relate an illustrative anecdote,
the reader must put up with it.

Nature has been lavishly generous with Minnesota,
— more so, perhaps, than with any state in the Union.
Its surface is beautifully diversified between rolling prai-
ries and immense forests of valuable timber. Rivers
and lakes abound, and the soil is marvelous in its pro-
ductive fertility. Its climate, taken the year round, sur-
passes in all attractive features that of any part of the
North American continent. There are more enjoyable
days in the three hundred and sixty-five that compose
the year than in any other countr}' I have ever visited
or resided in, and that embraces a good part of the
world's surface. The salubrity of Minnesota is phe-
nominal. There are absolutely no diseases indigenous
to the state. The universally accepted truth of this
fact is found in a saying, which used to be general
among the old settlers, "that there is no excuse for any-
one dying in Minnesota, and that only two men ever did
die there, one of whom was hanged for killing the other."

The resources of Minnesota principally consist of the
products of the farm, the mine, the dairy, the quarry and
the forest, and its industries of a vast variety of manu-
factures of all kinds and characters, both great and small,
the leading ones being flour and lumber; to which, of
course, must be added the enormous carrying trade
which grows out of, and is necessary to the successful
conduct of such resources and industries, — all of which
subjects will be treated of in their appropriate places.

With these prefatory suggestions I will proceed to
the history, beginning with the

History of Minnesota. 3

legendary and aboriginal era.

^ Until a very few years ag'o it has been generally ac-
cepted as a fact that Louis Hennepin, a Franciscan priest
of the Recollect Order, was the first white man who en-
tered the present boundaries of Minnesota ; but a recent
discovery has developed the fact thatjthere has reposed
in the archives of the Bodleian Library and British Mu-
seum for more than two hundred years manuscript ac-
counts of voyages' made as far back as 1652 by two
Frenchmen, named respectively Radison and Grosel-
liers, proving that they traveled among the North Amer-
ican Indians from the last named date to the year 1684,
during which time they visited what is now Minnesota.
It is also a well authenticated fact that Du Luth anticT^
pated Hennepin at least one year, and visited Mille Lacs
in 1679, and there, on the southwest side of the lake,
found a large Sioux town, called Kathio, from which
point he wrote to Frontenac, on the second day of July,
1679, that he had caused his majesty's arms to be planted
in Kathio, where no Frenchman had ever been. Hen-
nepin did not arrive until 1680. But as the exploits of
these earlier travelers left no trace that can in any im-
portant way influence the history of our state beyond
challenging the claim of priority so long enjoyed by
Hennepin, I will simply mention the fact of their advent
without comment, referring the curious reader for the
proof of these matters to the library of the Minnesota
Historical Society, where the details can be found.

l_Hennepin was with La Salle at Fort Creve-Coeur,
near Lake Peoria, in what is now Illinois, in 1680. La
Salle was the superior of the exploring party of which
young Hennepin was a member, and in February, 1680,
he selected Hennepin and two traders for the arduous

4 History of Minnesota.

and dangerous undertaking of exploring the unknown
regions of the Upper Mississippi. Hennepin was very-
ambitious to become a great explorer, and was filled with
the idea that by following the water courses he would
fin4 a passage to the sea and Japan.

;^ On the 29th of February, 1680, he, with two voy-
ageurs. in a canoe, set out on his voyage of discovery.
When he reached the junction of the Illinois river with
the Mississippi in March, he was detained by floating
ice until near the middle of that month. He then com-
menced to ascend the Mississippi, which was the first
time it was ever attempted by a civilized man. On the
nth of April they were met by a large war party of Da-
kotas, which filled thirtv-three canoes, who opened fire
on them with arrows ; but hostilities were soon stopped,
and Hennepin and his party were taken prisoners, and
made to return with their captors to their villages.

Hennepin, in his narrative, tells a long story of the
difificulties he encountered in saying his prayers, as the
Indians thought he was working some magic on them,
and they followed him into the woods, and never let him
out of their sight. Judging from many things that ap-
pear in his narrative, which have created P'reat doubt
about his veracity, it probably would not have been very
much of a hardship if he had failed altogether in the per-
formance of this pious duty. Many of the Indians, who
had lost friends and relatives in their fights with the
Miamis, were in favor of killing the white men, but bet-
ter counsels prevailed, and they were spared. The hope
of opening up a trade intercourse with the French large-
ly entered into the decision. )

While traveling up the river one of the white men
shot a wild turkey with his gun, which produced a great
sensation among the Indians, and was the first time a

History of Minnesota. 5

Dakota ever heard the discharge of firearms. They
called the gun Maza wakan, or spirit iron.

The party camped at Lake Pepin, and on the nine-
teenth day of their captivity they arrived in the vicinity
of where St. Paul now stands. From this point they
proceeded by land to Mille Lacs, where they were taken
by the Indians to their several villages, and were kindly
treated. These Indians were part of the band of Dakotas,
called M'day-wa-kon-ton-wans, or the Lake Villagers.
I spell the Indian names as they are now known, and not
as they are given in Hennepin's narrative, although it is
quite remarkable how well he preserved them with sound
as his only guide.

While at this village the Indians gave Hennepin
some steam baths, which he says were very effective in
removing all traces of soreness and fatigue, and in a
short time made him feel as well and strong as he ever
was. I have often witnessed this medical process among
the Dakotas. They make a small lodge of poles covered
with a buffalo skin, or something similar, and place in
it several large boulders heated to a high degree. The
patient then enters naked, and pours water over the
stones, producing a dense steam, which envelopes him
and nearly boils him. He stands it as long as he can,
and then undergoes a thorough rubbing. The eft'ect is
to remove stiffness and soreness produced by long jour-
neys on foot, or other serious labor.

Hennepin tells in a very agreeable way many things
that occurred during his captivity; how astonished the
Indians were at all the articles he had. A mariner's com-
pass created much wonder, and an iron pot with feet like
lions' paws they would not touch with the naked hand ;
[^^but their astonishment knew no bounds when he told
them that the whites only allowed a man one wife, and

6 History of Minnesota.

that his religious office did not permit him to have any. '
I might say here that the Dakotas are polyga-
mous, as savage people generally are, and that my ex-
perience proves to me that missionaries who go among
these people make a great mistake in attacking this in-
stitution until after they have ingratiated themselves
with them, and then, by attempting any reform beyond
teaching monogamy in the future. Nothing will assure
the enmity of a savage more than to ask him to discard
any of his wives, and especially the mother of his chil-
dren. While I would be the last man on earth to ad-
vocate polygamy, I can truthfully say that one of the
happiest and most harmonious families I ever knew was
that of the celebrated Little Crow (who, during all my
official residence among the Dakotas, was my principal
advisor and ambassador, and who led the massacre in
1862), who had four wives; but there was a point in his
favor, as they were all sisters.

[Hennepin passed the time he spent in Minnesota in
baptizing Indian babies and picking up all the informa-
tion he could find. His principal exploit was the nam-
ing of the Falls of St. Anthony, which he called after his
patron saint, Saint Anthony of Padua^

That Hennepin was thoroughly convinced that there
was a northern passage to the sea which could be reached
by ships, is proven by the following extract from his
work :

"For example, we may be transported into the Pa-
cific sea by rivers, which are large and capable of carry-
ing great vessels, and from thence it is very easy to go to
China and Japan without crossing the equinoctial line,
and in all probability Japan is on the same continent as
America."

History of Minnesota. 7

Our early visitor evidently had very confused ideas
on matters of geography.

The first account of his adventures was published by
him in 1683, and was quite trustworthy, and it is much
to be regretted that he was afterwards induced to publish
another edition in Utrecht, in 1689, which was filled with
falsehoods and exafycerations, which brought upon him
the censure of the king of France. He died in obscuri-
ty, unregretted. The county of Hennepin is named for
him.

MDther Frenchmen visited Minnesota shortly after
Hennepin for the purpose of trade with the Indians and
the extension of the territory of New France. In 1689
Nicholas Perot was established at Lake Pepin, with quite
a large body of men, engaged in trade with the Indians.
On the 8th of May, 1689, Perot issued a proclamation
from his post on Lake Pepin, in which he formally took
possession in the name of the king of all the countries
inhabited by the Dakotas, "and of which they are pro-
prietors." '

This post was tiie first French establishment in Min-
nesota. It was called Fort Bon Secours, afterwards Fort
Le Sueur, but on later maps Fort Perot.

In 1695 Le Sueur built the second post in Minnesota,
between the head of Lake Pepin and the mouth of the
St. Croix. In July of that year he took a party of Ojib-
ways and one Dakota to Montreal, for the purpose of im-
pressing upon them the importance and strength of
France. Here large bodies of troops were maneuvered
in their presence, and many speeches made by both the
French and the Indians. Friendly and commercial re-
lations were established.

Le Sueur, some time after, returned to Minnesota
and explored St. Peter's river (now the Minnesota) as

8 History of Minnesota.

far as the month of the Bhie Earth. Here he built a losf
fort, and called it L'Hullier, and made some excavations
in search of copper ore. He sent several tons of a green
substance which he found, and supposed to be copper,
to France, but it was undoubtedly a colored clay that is
found in that region, and is sometimes used as a rough
paint. He is supposed to be the first man who supplied
the Indians with guns. Le Sueur kept a journal in which
he gave the best description of the Dakotas written in
those early times, and was a very reliable man. ]^vlinne-
sota has a county and a city named for him.

Many other Frenchmen visited Minnesota in early
days, among whom was Du Luth ; but as they were sim-
ply traders, explorers and priests, among the Indians, it
is hardly necessary in a work of this character to trace
their exploits in detail. While they blazed the trail for
others, they did not. to an}^ great extent, influence the
future of the country, except by supplying a convenient
nomenclature with which to designate localities, which
has largely been drawn upon. Many of them, however,
were good and devoted men, and earnest in their en-
deavors to spread the gospel among the Indians. How
well they succeeded, I will discuss when I speak of these
savage men more particularly.

i The next arrival of sufficient importance to particu-
larize was Jonathan Carver. 1 He was born in Connecti-
cut m 1 732. His father was a justice of the peace, which
in those days was a more important position than it is
now regarded. They tried to make a doctor of him, and
he studied medicine just long enough to discover that
the profession was uncongenial, and abandoned it. At
the age of eighteen he purchased an ensign's commission
in a Connecticut regiment, raised during the French
war. He came very near losing his life at the massacre

History of Minnesota. 9

of Fort William Henry, but escaped, and after the
declaration of peace between France and England, in
1763, he conceived the project of making an exploration
of the Northwest.^

It should be remembered that the French sovereion-
ty over the Northwest ceased in 1763, when, by a treaty
made in Versailles, between the French and the English,
all the lands embraced in what is now Minnesota were
ceded by the French to England, so Carver came as an
Englishman into English territory.

Carver left Boston in the month of June, 1766, and
proceeded to Mackinaw, then the most distant British
post, where he arrived in the month of August. He
then took the usual route to Green Bay. He proceeded
by the way of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers to the Mis-
sissippi. He found a considerable town on the Missis-
sippi, near the mouth of the Wisconsin, called by the
French "'La Prairie les Chiens," which is now Prairie du
Chien, or* the Dog Prairie, named after an Indian chief
who went by the dignified name of "The Dog." He
speaks of this town as one where a great central fur trade
was carried on by the Indians. From this point he com-
menced his voyage up the Mississippi in a canoe, and
when he reached Lake Pepin he claims to have discov-
ered a system of earthworks, which he describes as of
the most scientific military construction, and inferred
that they had been at some time the intrenchments of a
people well versed in the arts of war. It takes very lit-
tle to excite an enthusiastic imagination into the belief
that it has found what it has been looking for.

He found a cave in what is now known as Dayton's
Blufif in St. Paul, and describes it as immense in extent,
and covered with Indian hieroglyphics, and speaks of a
burying place at a little distance from the cavern, — In-

10 History of Minnesota.

dian Mound park evidently, — and made a short voyage
up the Minnesota river, which he says the Indians called
"Wadapaw Mennesotor." This probably is as near as
he could catch the name by sound ; it should be, Wak-pa
Minnesota.

After his voyage to the falls and up the Minnesota,
he returned to his cave, where he says there were assem-
bled a great council of Indians, to which he was admit-
ted, and witnessed the burial ceremonies, which he de-
scribes as follows:

"After the breath is departed, the body is dressed in
the same attire it usually wore, his face is painted, and he
is seated in an erect posture on a mat or skin, placed in
the middle of the hut, with his weapons by his side. His
relatives, seated around, each harangues the deceased;
and if he has been a great warrior, recounts his heroic
actions nearly to the following purport, which in the In-
dian language is extremely poetical and pleasing :

" * You still sit among us, brother ; your person re-
tains its usual resemblance, and continues similar to
ours, without any visible deficiency except it has lost the
power of action. But whither is that breath flown which
a few hours ago sent up smoke to the Great Spirit? Why
are those lips silent that lately delivered to us expres-
sions and pleasing language? Why are those feet mo-
tionless that a short time ago were fleeter than the deer
on yonder mountains? Why useless hang those arms
that could climb the tallest tree or draw the toughest
bow? Alas! Every part of that frame which we lately
beheld with admiration and wonder is now become as
inanimate as it was three hundred years ago ! We will
not, however, bemoan thee as if thou wast forever lost
to us, or that thy name would be buried in oblivion. Thy
soul yet lives in the great country of spirits with those

History of Minnesota. 11

of thy nation that have gone before thee, and though we
are left behind to perpetuate thy fame, we shall one day
join thee.

" 'Actuated by the respect we bore thee whilst living,
we now come to tender thee the last act of kindness in
our power ; that thy body might not lie neglected on the
plain and become a prey to the beasts of the field and the
birds of the air, we will take care to lay it with those of
thy ancestors who have gone before thee, hoping at the
same time that -thy spirit will feed with their spirits, and
be ready to receive purs when we shall also arrive at the
great country of souls.' "

I have heard many speeches made by the descend-
ants of these same Indians, and have many times ad-
dressed them on all manner of subjects, but I never
heard anything quite so elegant as the oration put into
their mouths by Carver. I have always discovered that
a good interpreter makes a good speech. On one occa-
sion, when a delegation of Pillager Chippewas was in
Washington to settle some matters with the govern-
ment. they wanted a certain concession which the Indian
commissioner would not allow, and they appealed to the
president, who was then Franklin Pierce. Old Flat-
mouth, the chief, presented the case. Paul Beaulieu in-
terpreted it so feelingly that the president surrendered
without a contest. After informing him as to the dis-
puted point, he added :

"Father, you are great and powerful. You live in a
beautiful home where the bleak winds never nenetrate.
Your hunger is always appeased with the choicest foods.
Your heart is kept warm by all these blessings, and
would bleed at the sight of distress among your red chil-
dren. Father, we are poor and weak. We live far away
in the cheerless north, in bark lodges. We are often

12 History of Minnesota.

cold and hungry. Father, what we ask is to you as
nothing, while to us it is comfort and happiness. Give
it to us, and when you stand upon your grand portico
some bright winter night, and see the northern lights
dancing in the heavens, it will be the thanks of your red
children ascending to the Great Spirit for your goodness
to them."

Carver seems to have been a sagacious observer and
a man of great foresight. In speaking of the advantages
of the country, he says that the future population will
be "able to convey their produce to the seaports with
great facility, the current of the river from its source to
its entrance into the Gulf of Mexico being extremely fa-
vorable for doing this in small craft. This might also in
time be faciHtated by canals, or short cuts, and a com-
munication opened with New York by way of the
Lakes."

He^was also impressed with the idea that a route
could be discovered by w^ay of the Minnesota river,
which "would open a passage for conveying intelligence
to China and the English settlements in the East Indies."

The nearest to a realization of this theory that I have
known was the sending of the stern-wheeled steamer
"Freighter" on a voyage up the Minnesota to Winnipeg
some time in the early fifties. She took freight and pas-
sengers for that destination, but never reached the Red
River of the North.

After the death of Carver his heirs claimed that, while
at the great cave on the ist of May, 1767, the Indians
made him a large grant of land, which would cover St.
Paul and a large part of Wisconsin, and several attempts
were made to have it ratified by both the British and
American governments, but without success. Carver
does not mention this grant in his book, nor has the

History of Minnesota. 13

original deed ever been found. A copy, however, was
produced, and as it was the first real estate transaction
ever had in Minnesota, I will set it out in full.

*'To Jonathan Carver, a Chief under the Most
Mighty and Potent George the Third, King of the Eng-
lish and other nations, the fame of whose warriors has
reached our ears, and has been fully, told us by our good
hrother Jonathan aforesaid, whom we all rejoice to have
come among us and bring us good news from his coun-
try:

"WE, Chiefs of the Nandowessies, who have here-
unto set our seals, do, by these presents, for ourselves
and heirs forever, in return for the aid and good services
done by the said Jonathan to ourselves and allies, give,
grant and convey to him, the said Jonathan, and to his
heirs and assigns forever, the whole of a certain Terri-
tory or tract of land, bounded as follows, viz. : From
the Falls of St. Anthony, running on east bank of the
Mississippi, nearly southeast as far as Lake Pepin, where
the Chippewa joins the Mississippi, and from thence
eastward five days' travel accounting twenty English
miles per day, and from thence again to the Falls of St.
Anthony on a direct straight line. We do for ourselves,
heirs and assigns, forever give unto said Jonathan, his
heirs and assigns, with all the trees, rocks and rivers
therein, reserving the sole liberty of hunting and fishing
on land not planted or improved by the said Jonathan,
his heirs and assigns, to which we have affixed our re-
spective seals.

"At the Great Cave, May ist, 1767.

(Signed) "Hawnopawjatin,

"Otohtongoonusheaw,"

This alleged instrument bears upon its face many
marks of suspicion, and was very properly rejected by

14 History of Minnesota.

General Leavenworth, who, in 1821, made a report of his
investigations in regard to it to the commissoner of the
general land office.

The war between the Chippewas and the Dakotas
continued to rage with varied success, as it has since time
immemorial. It was a bitter, cruel war, waged against
the race and blood, and each successive slaughter only
increased the hatred and heaped fuel upon the fire. As
an Indian never forgives the killing of a relative, and as
the particular murderer, as a general thing, was not
known on either side, each death was charged up to the
tribe. These wars, although constant, had very little in-
fluence on the standing or progress of the countrv. ex-
cept so far as they may have proved detrimental or bene-
ficial to the fur trade prosecuted by the whites. The
first event after the appearance of Jonathan Carver that
can be considered as materially affecting the history of
Minnesota w^as the location and erection of Fort Snell-
ing, of which event I will give a brief account.

FORT SNELLING.

In 1805 the government decided to procure a site on
which to build a fort somewhere on the w^aters of the
upper Mississippi, and sent Lieut. Zebulon Montgom-
ery Pike of the army to explore the country, expel Brit-
ish traders who might be violating the laws of the United
States, and to make treaties with the Indians, j

On the 2 1st of September, 1805, he encamped on
what is now known as Pike Island, at the junction of the
Mississippi and Minnesota, then St. Peter's river. Two
days later he obtained, by treaty with the Dakota nation,
a tract of land for a military reservation, with the follow-
ing boundaries, extending from ''below the confluence
of the Mississippi and St. Peter's, up the Mississippi, to

History of Minnesota. 15

include the Falls of St. Anthony, extending nine miles
on each side of the river." The United States paid two
thousand dollars for this land.

The reserve thus purchased was not used for military
purposes until Feb. lo, 1819, at which time the govern-
ment gave the following reasons for erecting a fort at
this point : "To cause the power of the United States
government to be fully acknowledged by the Indians
and settlers of the Northwest, to prevent Lord Selkirk,
the Hudson Bay Company and others from establishing
trading posts on United States territory, to better the
conditions of the Indians, and to develop the resources of
the country." Part of the Fifth United States Infantry,
commanded by Colonel Henry Leavenworth, was dis-
patched to select a site and jerect a post. They arrived
at the St. Peter's river in September, 1819, and camped
on or near the spot where now (Stands Mendota. Dur-
ing the winter of 1819-20 the troops were terribly af-
flicted with scurvy. General Sibley, in an address before
the Minnesota Historical Society, in speaking of it, says :
"So sudden was the attack that soldiers apparently in
good health when they retired at night were found dead
in the morning. One man who was relieved from his
tour of sentinel duty, and had stretched himself upon a
bench ; when he was called four hours later to resume his
duties, he was found lifeless."

In May, 1820, the command left their cantonment,
crossed the St. Peter's and went into summer camp at a
spring near the old Baker trading house, and about two
miles above the present site of Fort Snelling. This was
called "Camp Coldwater."

During the isummer the men were busy in procuring
logs and other material necessary for the work. The
first site selected was where the present military ceme-

16 History of Minnesota.

tery stands, and the post was called "Fort St. Anthony ;"
but in August, 1820, Colonel Joshua Snelling of the
Fifth United States Infantry arrived, and, on taking
command, changed the site to where Fort Snelling now
stands. Work steadily progressed until Sept. 10, 1820,
when the corner stone of Fort St. Anthony was laid with
all due ceremony. The first measured distance that was
given between this new post and the next one down the
river, Fort Crawford, where Prairie du Chien now
stands, was 204 miles. The work was steadily pushed
forward. The buildings were made of logs, and were
first occupied in October, 1822.

The first steamboat to arrive at the post was the
"Virginia," in 1823.

The first saw-mill in Minnesota was constructed by
the troops in 1822, and the first lumber sawed on Rum
river was for use in building the post. The mill site is
now included within the corporate limits of Minneapolis.

The post continued to be called Fort St. Anthony
until 1824, when, upon the recommendation of General
Scott, who inspected the fort, it was named Fort Snell-
ing, in honor of its founder.

In 1830 stone buildings were erected for a four-com-
pany post; also, a stone hospital and a stone wall, nine
feet high, surrounding the whole nost ; but these im-
provements were not actually completed until after the
Mexican War.

The Indian title to the military reservation does not
seem to have been efifectually acquired, notwithstanding
the treaty of Lieutenant Pike, made with the Indians in
1805, until the treaty with the Dakotas, in 1837, by
which the Indian claim to all the lands east of the Mis-
sissippi, including the reservation, ceased.

In 1836, before the Indian title was finally acquired,

History of Minnesota. 17

quite a number of settlers located on the reservation on
the left banic of the Mississippi.

On Oct. 21, 1839, the president issued an order for
their removal, and on the sixth day of May, 1840, some
of the settlers were forcibly removed.

In 1837 Mr. Alexander Faribault presented a claim
for Pike Island, which was based upon a treaty made by
him with the Dakotas in 1820. Whether his claim was
allowed the records do not disclose, and it is unimpor-
tant.

On May 25, 1853, a military reservation for the fort
was set ofif, by the president, of seven thousand acres,
which in the following November was reduced to six
thousand. ;

In 1857 the secretary of war, pursuant to the authori-
ty vested in him by act of congress, of March 3, 1857,
sold the Fort Snelling reservation, excepting two small
tracts, to Mr. Franklin Steele, who had long been sutler
of the post, for the sum of ninety thousand dollars,
which was to be paid in three installments. The first
one of thirty thousand dollars was paid by Steele on July
25, 1857, and he took possession, the troops being with-
drawn.

The fort was sold at private sale, and the price paid
was, in my opinion, vastly more than it was worth ; but
Mr. Steele had great hopes for the future of that locality
as a site for a town, and was willing to risk the payment.
The sale was made by private contract by Secretary
Floyd, who adopted this manner because other reserva-
tions had been sold at public auction, after full publica-
tion of notice to the world, and had brought only a few
cents per acre. The whole transaction was in perfect
good faith, but it was attacked in congress, and an inves-
tigation ordered, which resulted in suspending its con-

18 History of Minnesota.

summation, and Mr. Steele did not pay the balance due.
In i860 the Civil War broke out, and the fort was taken
possession of by the government for use in fitting out
Minnesota troops, and was held until the war ended. In
1868 Mr. Steele presented a claim against the govern-
ment for rent of the fort and other matters relating to it,
wliich amounted to more than the price he agreed to pay
for it.

An act of congress, was passed on May 7, 1870, au-
thorizing the secretary of war to settle the whole matter
on principles of equity, keeping such reservation as was
necessary for the fort. In pursuance of this act, a mili-
tary board was appointed, and the whole controversy
was arranged to the satisfaction of Mr. Steele and the
government. The reservation was reduced to a little
more than fifteen hundred acres. A grant of ten acres
was made to the little Catholic church at Mendota, for a
cemetery, and other small tracts were reserved about the
Falls of Minnehaha and elsewhere, and all the balance
was conveyed to Mr. Steele, he releasing the government
from all claims and demands. The action of the secre-
tary of war in carrying out this settlement was approved
by the president in 1871.

The fort was one of the best structures of the kind
ever erected in the West. It was capable of accommo-
dating five or six companies of infantry, was surrounded
by a high stone wall, and protected at the only exposed
approaches by stone bastions guarded by cannon and
musketry. Its supnly of water was obtained from a well
in the parade ground, near the sutler's store, which was
sunk below the surface of the river. It was perfectly
impregnable to any savage enemy, and in consequence
was never called upon to stand a siege.

Perched upon a prominent bluff at the confluence of

History of Minnesota. 19

the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, it has witnessed the
changes that have gone on around it for three-quarters
of a century, and seen the most extraordinary transfor-
mations that have occurred in any similar period in the
history of our country. When its corner stone was laid
it formed the extreme frontier of the Northwest, with
nothing but wild animals and wilder men within hun-
dreds of miles in any direction. The frontier has receded
to the westward until it has lost itself in the correspond-
ing one being pushed from the Pacific to the east. The
Indians have lost their splendid freedom as lords of a
continent, and are prisoners, cribbed upon narrow reser-
vations. The magnificent herds of buffalo that ranged
from the British possessions to Texas have disappeared
from the face of the earth, and nothing remains but the
white man bearing his burden, which is constantly being
made more irksome. To those who have played both
parts in the moving drama, there is much food for
thought.

I devote so much space to Fort Snelling because it
has always sustained the position of a pivotal center to
Minnesota. In the infancy of society, it radiated the re-
finement and elegance that leavened the country around.
In hospitality its officers were never surpassed, and when
danger threatened, its protecting arm assured safety.
For many long years it w^as the first to welcome the in-
comer to the countr}', and will ever be remembered by
the old settlers as a friend.

After the headquarters of the Department of Dakota
was established at St. Paul, and when General Sherman
was in command of the army, he thought that the offices
should be at the fort, and removed them there. This
caused the erection of the new administration building
and the beautiful line of officers' quarters about a mile

20 History of Minnesota.

above the old walled structure, and led to its practical
abandonment ; but the change was soon found to be in-
convenient in a business way, and the department head-
quarters were restored to the city, where they still le-
main.

Since the fort was built nearly every officer in the old
army, and many of those who have followed them, has
been stationed at Snelling, and it was beloved by them
all.

The situation of the fort, now that the railroads have
become the reliance of all transportation, both for speed
and safety, is a most advantageous one from a military
point of view. It is at the center of a railroad system
that reaches all parts of the continent, and troops and
munitions of war can be deposited at any point with the
utmost dispatch. It is believed that it will not only be
retained but enlarged.

THE SELKIRK SETTLEMENT.

Lord Selkirk, the checking of whose operations was
among the reasons given for the erection of Fort Snell-
ing, was a Scotch earl who was very wealthy and enthu-
siastic on the subject of founding colonies in the North-
western British possessions. He was a kind hearted but
visionary man, and had no practical knowledge whatever
on the subject of colonization in uncivilized countries.
About the beginning of the nineteenth century he wrote
several pamphlets, urging the importance of colonizing
British emigrants on British soil to prevent them settling
in the United States. In 1811 he obtained a grant of
land from the Hudson Bay Company in the region of
Lake Winnipeg, the Red River of the North and the
Assinaboine, in what is now Manitoba.

Previous to this time the inhabitants of this region,

History of Minnesota. 21

besides the Indians, were Canadians, who had intermin-
gled with the savages, learning all their vices and none
of their good traits. They were called "Gens Libre," free
people, and were very proud of the title. Mr. Neill, in
his history of Minnesota, in describing them, says they
were fond of

"Vast and sudden deeds of violence,
Adventures wild and wonders of the moment."

The ofifspring of their intercourse with the Indian
women were numerous, and called "Bois Brules." They
were a fine race of hunters, horsemen and boatmen, and
possessed all the accomplishments of the voyageur.
They spoke the language of both father and mother.

i In 1812 a small advance party of colonists arrived at
the Red River of the North, in about latitude fifty de-
grees north. They were, however, frightened away by a
party of men of the Northwest Fur Company, dressed as
Indians* jand induced to take refuge at Pembina, in what
is now Minnesota, where they spent the winter, suffering
the greatest hardships. Many died, but the survivors re-
turned in the spring to the colony, and made an effort to
raise a crop ; but it was a failure, and they again passed
the winter at Pembina. . This was the winter of 1813-14.
They again returned t^o the colony, in a very distressed
and dilapidated condition, in the spring.

By September, 181 5, the colony, which then num-
bered about two hundred, was getting along quite pros-
perously, and its future seemed auspicious. It was called
"Kildonan," after a parish in Scotland in which the col-
onists were born. I

The employes of the Northwest Fur Company were,
however, very restive under anything that looked like
improvement, and regarded it as a ruse of their rival, the

22 History of Minnesota.

Hudson Bay Company, to break up the lucrative busi-
ness they were enjoying in the Indian trade. They re-
sorted to all kinds of measures to get rid of the colonists,
even to attempting to incite the Indians against them,,
and on one occasion, by a trick, disarmed them of their
brass field pieces and other small artillery. Many of the
disaffected Selkirkers deserted to the quarters of the
Northwest Company. These annoyances were carried to
the extent of an attack on the house of the governor,
where four of the inmates were wounded, one of whom
died. They finally agreed to leave, and were escorted
to Lake Winnipeg, where they embarked in boats. Their
improvements were all destroyed by the Northwest peo-
ple.

They were again induced to return to their colony
lands by the Hudson Bay people, and did so in 1816,
when they were reinforced by new colonists. Part of
them wintered at Pembina in 1816, but returned to the
Kildonan settlement in the spring.

Lord Selkirk, hearing of the distressed condition of
his colonists, sailed for New York, where he arrived in
the fall of 1 81 5, and learned they had been compelled to
leave the settlement. He proceeded to Montreal, where
he found some of the settlers in the greatest poverty;
but learning that some of them still remained in the col-
ony, he sent an express to announce his arrival, and say
that he would be with them in the spring. The news
was sent by a colonist named Laquimonier, but he was
waylaid, near Fond du Lac, and brutally beaten and
robbed of his dispatches. Subsequent investigation
proved that this was the work of the Northwest Com-
pany.

Selkirk tried to obtain military aid from the British
authorities, but failed. He then engaged four officers

History of Minnesota. 23

and over one hundred privates who had served in the late
wa.T with the United States to accompany him to the Red
river. He was to pay them, give them lands, and send
them home if they wished to return.

When he reached Sault Ste. Marie he heard that his
colony had again been destroyed.

War was raging between the Hudson Bay people and
the Northwest Company, in which Governor Semple,
chief governor of the factories and territories of the
Hudson Bay Company was killed. Selkirk proceeded
to Fort William, on Lake Superior, and finally reached
his settlement on the Red river.

The colonists were compelled to pass the winter of
1817 in hunting in Minnesota, and had a hard time of it,
but in the spring they once more found their way home,
and planted crops, but they were destroyed by grasshop-
pers, which remained during the next year and ate up
every growing thing, rendering it necessary that the col-
onists should again resort to the bufTalo for subsistence.

During the winter of 1819-20 a deputation of these
Scotchmen came all the way to Prairie du Chien on
snowshoes for seed wheat, a distance of a thousand miles,
and on the fifteenth day of April, 1820, left for the colony
in three Mackinaw boats, carrying three hundred bushels
of wheat, one hundred bushels of oats, and thirty bushels
of peas. Being stopped by ice in Lake Pepin, they
planted a Ma}^ pole and celebrated May day on the ice.
They reached home by way of the Minnesota river, with
a short portage to Lake Traverse, the boats being
moved on rollers, and thence down the Red River to
Pembina, where they arrived in safety on the third day of
June. This trip cost Lord Selkirk about six thousand
dollars.

Nothing daunted by the terrible sufferings of his

24 History of Minnesota.

colonists, and the immense expense attendant upon his
enterprise, in 1820 he engaged Capt. R. May, who was
a citizen of Berne, in Switzerland, but in the British
service, to visit Switzerland and get recruits for his col-
ony. The captain made the most exaggerated represen-
tations of the advantages to be gained by emigrating to
the colony, and induced many Swiss to leave their happy
and peaceful homes to try their fortunes in the distant,
dangerous and inhospitable regions of Lake Winnipeg.
They knew nothing of the hardships in store for them,
and were the least adapted to encounter them of any
people in the world, as they w^ere mechanics, whose
business had been the delicate work of making watches
and clocks. They arrived in 1821, and from year to year,
after undergoing hardships that might have appalled the
hardiest pioneer, their spirits drooped, they pined for
home, and left for the south. At one time a party of
two hundred and forty-three of them departed for the
United States, and found homes at different points on
the banks of the Mississippi.

Before the eastern wave of immigration had ascended
above Prairie du Chien, many Swiss had opened farms at
and near St. Paul, and became the first actual settlers of
the country. Mr. Stevens, in an address on the early
history of Hennepin county, says that they were driven
from their homes in 1836 and 1837 by the military at
Fort Snelling, and is very severe on the autocratic con-
duct of the officers of the fort, saying that the command-
ing officers were lords of the North, and the subordinates
were princes. I have no doubt they did not underrate
their authority, but I think Mr. Stevens must refer to the
removals that were made of settlers on the military reser-
vation of which I have before spoken.

The subject of the Selkirk colony cannot fail to in-

History of Minnesota. 25

terest the reader, as it was the first attempt to introduce
into the great Northwest settlers for the purposes of
peaceful agriculture, everybody else who had preceded
them having been connected with the half-savage busi-
ness of the Indian trade; and the reason I have dwelt
so long upon the subject is, because these people, on
their second emigration, furnished Minnesota with her
first settlers, and curiously enough, they came from the
north.

Abraham Perry was one of these Swiss refugees from
the Selkirk settlement. With his wife and two children,
he first settled at Fort Snelling, then at St. Paul, and
finally at Lake Johanna. His son Charles, who came
with him, has, while I am writing, on the twenty-ninth
day of July, 1899, just celebrated his golden wedding at
the old homestead, at Lake Johanna, where they have
ever since lived. They were married by the Right Rev-
erend A. Ravoux, who is still living in St. Paul. Charles
Perry is the only survivor of that ill-fated band of Sel-
kirkers.

GEORGE CATLIN.

In 1835 George Catlin, an artist of merit, visited
Minnesota, and made many sketches and portraits of
Indians. His published statements after his departure
about his adventures elicited much adverse criticism
from the old settlers.

FEATHERSTONEHAUGH.

Featherstonehaugh, an Englishman, about the same
time, under the direction of the United States govern-
ment, made a slight geological survey of the Minnesota
valley, and on his return to England he wrote a book
which reflected unjustly upon the gentlemen he met in

26 History of Minnesota.

Minnesota; but not much was thought of it, because un-
til recently such has been the Eng-lish custom.

SCHOOLCRAFT AND THE SOURCE OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

In 1832 the United States sent an embassy, com-
posed of thirty men, under Henry R. Schoolcraft, then
Indian Agent at Sault Ste. Marie, to visit the Indians of
the Northwest, and, when advisable, to make treaties
with them. They had a guard of soldiers, a physician, an
interpreter, and the Rev. William T. Boutwell, a mis-
sionary at Leech Lake. They were supplied with a large
outfit of provisions, tobacco and trinkets, which were
conveyed in a bateau. They travelled in several large
bark canoes. They went to Fond du Lac, thence up the
St. Louis river, portaged round the falls, thence to the
nearest point to Sandy lake, thence up the Mississippi to
Leech lake. While there, they learned from the Indians
that Cass lake, which for some time had been reputed
to be the source of the Mississippi, was not the real
source, and they determined to solve the problem of
where the real source was to be found, and what it was.

I may say here that, in 18 19, Gen. Lewis Cass, then
governor of the Territory of Michigan, had led an ex-
ploring party to the upper waters of the Mississippi,
somewhat similar to the one I am now speaking of, Mr.
Henry R. Schoolcraft being one of them. When they
reached what is now Cass lake, in the Mississippi river,
they decided that it was the source of the great river,
and it was named Cass lake, in honor of the governor,
and was believed to be such source until the arrival of
Schoolcraft's party in 1832.

After a search, an inlet was found into Cass lake,
flowing from the west, and they pursued it until the lake
now called "Itasca" was reached. Five of the party,

History of Minnesota. 27

Lieutenant Allen, Schoolcraft, Dr. Houghton, Inter-
preter Johnson and Mr. Boutwell, explored the lake
thoroughly, and finding no inlet, decided it must be the
true source of the river. Mr. Schoolcraft, being desirous
of giving the lake a name that would indicate its position
as the true head of the river, and at the same time be
euphonious in sound, endeavored to produce one, but
being unable to satisfy himself, turned it over to Mr.
Boutwell, who, being a good Latin scholar, wrote down
two Latin words, 'Veritas, " truth, and "caput," head, and
suggested that a word might be coined out of the combi-
nation that would answer the purpose. He then cut off
the last two syllables of Veritas, making "Itas," and the
first syllable of caput, making "ca," and, putting them
together, he gave the word "Itasca," which, in my judg-
ment, is a sufficiently skillful and beautiful literary feat
to immortalize the inventor. Mr. Boutwell died within
a few years at Stillwater, in Minnesota.

Presumptuous attempts have been made to deprive
Schoolcraft of the honor of having discovered the true
source of the river, but their transparent absurdity has
prevented their having obtained any credence, and to
put a quietus on such unscrupulous pretenses, Mr. J. V.
Brower, a scientific surveyor, under the auspices of the
Minnesota Historical Society, has recently made ex-
haustive researches, surveys and maps of the region, and
established beyond doubt or cavil the entire authenticity
of Schoolcraft's discovery. Gen. James H. Baker, once
surveyor general of the State of Minnesota, and a dis-
tinguished member of the same society, under its ap-
pointment, prepared an elaborate paper on the subject,
in which is collected and presented all the facts, history
and knowledge that exists relating to the discovery, and
conclusively destroys all efforts to deprive Schoolcraft
of his laurels.

28 History of Minnesota.

ELEVATIONS IN MINNESOTA.

While on the subject of the source of the Mississippi
river, I may as well speak of the elevations of the state
above the level of the sea. It can be truthfully said that
Minnesota occupies the summit of the North American
continent. In its most northern third rises the Missis-
sippi, which, in its general course, flows due south to the
Gulf of Mexico. In about its center division, from north
to south, rises the Red River of the North, and takes a
general northerly direction until it empties into Lake
Winnipeg, while the St. Louis and other rivers take
their rise in the same region and flow eastwardly into
Lake Superior, which is the real source of the St. Law-
rence, which empties into the Atlantic.

The elevation at the source of the Mississippi is i,6oo
feet, and at the point where it leaves the southern bound-
ary of the state, 620 feet. The elevation at the source
of the Red River of the North is the same as that of the
Mississippi, 1,600 feet, and where it leaves the state at
its northern boundary 767 feet. The average elevation of
the state is given at 1,275 ^^^t, its highest elevation, in
the Mesaba range, 2,200 feet, and its lowest, at Duluth,
602 feet.

NICOLLET.

In 1836 a French savant, M. Jean N. Nicollet, visited
Minnesota for the purpose of exploration. He was an
astronomer of note, and had received a decoration of the
Legion of Honor, and had also been attached as profes-
sor to the Royal College of "Louis Le Grande." He
arrived in Minnesota on July 26, 1836, bearing letters of
introduction, and visited Fort Snehing, whence he left
with a French trader, named Fronchet, to explore the

History of Minnesota. 29

sources of the Mississippi. He entered the Crow Wing
river, and by the way of Gull river and Gull lake he
entered Leech lake. The Indians were disappointed
when they found he had no presents for them and spent
most of his time looking at the heavens through a tube,
and they became unruly and troublesome. The Rev.
Mr. Boutwell, whose mission house was on the lake,
learning of the difficulty, came to the rescue, and a very
warm friendship sprang up between the men. No edu-
cated man who has not experienced the desolation of
having been shut up among savages and rough, unlet-
tered voyageurs for a long time can appreciate the
pleasure of meeting a cultured and refined gentleman so
unexpectedly as Mr. Boutwell encountered Nicollet, and
especially when he was able to render him valuable aid.

From Leech lake Nicollet went to Lake Itasca with
guides and packers. He pitched his tent on Schoolcraft
island in the lake, where he occupied himself for some
time in making astronomical observations. He con-
tinued his explorations beyond those of Schoolcraft and
Lieutenant Allen, and followed up the rivulets that
entered the lake, thoroughly exploring its basin or
watershed.

He returned to Fort Snelling in October, and re-
mained there for some time, studying Dakota. He
became the guest of Mr. Henry H. Sibley at his home
in Mendota for the winter. General Sibley, in speaking
of him, says :

"A portion of the winter following was spent by him
at my house, and it is hardly necessary to state that I
found in him a most instructive companion. His devo-
tion to his studies was intense and unremitting, and I
frequently expostulated with him upon his imprudence
in thus overtasking the strength of his delicate frame,
but without effect."

30 History op Minnesota.

Nicollet went to Washington after his tour of
1836-37, and was honored with a commission from the
United States government to make further explorations,
and John C. Fremont was detailed as his assistant.

Under his new appointment, Nicollet and his assist-
ant went up the Missouri in a steamboat to Fort Pierre ;
thence he traveled through the interior of Minnesota,
visiting the Red Pipestone quarry, Devil's lake, and
other important localities. On this tour he made a map
of the country, which was the first reliable and accurate
one made, which, together with his astronomical obser-
v^ations, were invaluable to the country. His name has
been perpetuated by giving it to one of Minnesota's
principal counties.

MISSIONS.

The missionary period is one full of interest in the
history of the State of Minnesota. The devoted people
who sacrifice all the pleasures and luxuries of life to
spread the gospel of Christianity among the Indians are
deserving of all praise, no matter whether success oj^
failure attends their efforts. The Dakotas and Chip-
pewas were not neglected in this respect. The Catholics^i
were among them at a very early day, and strove to.,
convert them to Christianity. These worthy men were
generally French priests and daring explorers, but for
5ome reason, whether it was want of permanent support
or an individual desire to rove, I am unable to say, they
did not succeed in founding any missions of a lasting
character among the Dakotas before the advent of white
settlement. The devout Romanist, Shea, in his inter-
esting history of Catholic missions, speaking of the
Dakotas, remarks that ''Father Menard had projected a
Sioux mission, Marquette, Allouez, Druillettes, all enter-

History of Minnesota. 31

tained hopes of realizing it, and had some intercourse
with that nation, but none of them ever succeeded in
estabHshing a mission." Their work, however, was only
postponed, for at a later date they gained and maintained
a lasting foothold.

The Protestants, however, in and after 1820, made
permanent and successful ventures in this direction.
After the formation of the American Fur Company,
Mackinaw became the chief point of that organization.
In June, 1820, the Rev. Mr. Morse, father of the inven-
tor of the telegraph, came to Mackinaw, and preached
the first sermon that was delivered in the Northwest. He
made a report of his visit to the Presbyterian Missionary
Society in New York, which sent out parties to explore
the field. The Rev. W. M. Terry, with his wife, com-
menced a school at Mackinaw in 1823, and had great
success. There were sometimes as many as two hun-
dred pupils at the school, representing many tribes of
Indians. There are descendants of the children who
were educated at this school now in Minnesota, who are
citizens of high standing, who are indebted to this in-
stitution for their education and position.

In the year 1830 a Mr. Warren, who was then living
at La Pointe, visited Mackinaw to obtain a missionary
for his place, and not being able to secure an ordained
minister, he took back with him Mr. Frederick Ayre.
a teacher, who, being pleased with the place and pros-
pect, returned to Mackinaw, and in 1831, with the Rev.
Sherman Hall and wife, started for La Pointe, where
they arrived on August 30th, and established themselves
as missionaries, with a school.

The next year Mr. Ayre went to Sandy lake, and
opened another school for the children of voyageurs and
Indians. In 1832 Mr. Boutwell, after his tour with

32 History of Minnesota.

Schoolcraft, took charge of the school at La Pointe, and
in 1833 he removed to Leech lake, and there established
the first mission in Minnesota west of the Mississippi.

From his Leech lake mission he writes a letter in
which he gives such a realistic account of his school and
mission that one can see everything that is taking place,
as if a panorama was passing before his eyes. He takes
a cheerful view of his prospects, and gives a compre-
hensive statement of the resources of the country in
their natural state. If space allowed, I would like to
copy the whole letter; but as he speaks of the wild rice
in referring to the food supply, I will say a word about
it, as I deem it one of Minnesota's most important nat-
ural resources.

In 1857 I visited the source of the Mississippi with
the then Indian agent for the Chippewas, and traveled
hundreds of miles in the upper river. We passed
through endless fields of wild rice, and witnessed its har-
vest by the Chippewas, which is a most interesting and
picturesque scene. They tie it in sheaves with a straw
before it is ripe enough to gather to prevent the wind
from shaking out the grains, and when it has matured,
they thresh it with sticks into their canoes. We esti-
mated that there were about 1,000 famiHes of the Chip-
pewas, and that they gathered about twenty-five bushels
for each family, and we saw that in so doing they did
not make any impression whatever on the crop, leaving
thousands of acres of the rice to the geese and ducks.
Our calculations then were that more rice grew in Min-
nesota each year, without any cultivation, than was pro-
duced in South Carolina as one of the principal products
of that state, and I may add that it is much more palata-
ble and nutritious as a food than the white rice of the
Orient or the South. There is no doubt that at some

History of Minnesota. 33

future time it will be utilized to the great advantage of
the state.

Mr. Boutwell's Leech lake mission was in all things
a success.

In 1834 the Rev. Samuel W. Pond and his brother,
Gideon H. Pond, full of missionary enthusiasm, arrived
at Fort Snelling, in the month of May. They consulted
with the Indian agent. Major Taliaferro, about the best
place to establish a mission, and decided upon Lake Cal-
houn, where dwelt small bands of Dakotas, and with
their own hands erected a house and located.

About the same time came the Rev. T. H. William-
son, M. D., under appointment from the American
Board of Commissoners of Foreign Missions, to visit the
Dakotas, to ascertain what could be done to introduce
Christian instruction among them. He was reinforced
by Rev. J. D. Stevens, missionary, Alexander Huggins,
farmer, and their wives, and Miss Sarah Poage and Miss
Lucy Stevens, teachers. They arrived at Fort Snelling
in May, 1835, ^^^ were hospitably received by the of-
ficers of the garrison, the Indian agent, and Mr. Sibley,
then a young man who had recently taken charge of the
trading post at Mendota.

From this point Rev. Mr. Stevens and family pro-
ceeded to Lake Harriet, in Hennepin county, and built
a suitable house, and Dr. Williamson and wife, Mr.
Huggins and wife, and Miss Poage, went to Lac qui
Parle, where they were welcomed by Mr. Renville, a
trader at that point, after whom the county of Renville
is named.

The Rev. J. D. Stevens acted as chaplain of Fort
Snelling, in the absence of a regularly appointed officer
in that position.

In 1837 the mission was strengthened by the arrival

34 History of Minnesota.

of the Rev. Stephen R. Riggs, a graduate of Jefferson
College, Pennsylvania, and his wife. After remaining
a short time at Lake Harriet, Mr. and Mrs. Riggs went
to Lac qui Parle.

In 1837 missionaries sent out by the Evangelical So-
ciety of Lausanne, Switzerland, arrived, and located at
Red Wing and Wapashaw's villages, on the Mississippi,
and about the same time a Methodist mission was com-
menced at Kaposia, but they were of brief duration and
soon abandoned.

In 1836 a mission was established at Pokegama,
among the Chippewas, which was quite successful, and
afterwards, in 1842 or 1843, missions were opened at
Red Lake, Shakopee, and other places in Minnesota.
During the summer of 1843 ^^^- Rifegs commenced a
mission station at Traverse des Sioux, which attained
considerable proportions, and remained until overtaken
by white settlement, about 1854.

Mr. Riggs and Dr. Williamson also established a
Mission at the Yellow Medicine Agency of the Sioux,
in the year 1852, which was about the best equipped of
any of them. It consisted of a good house for the mis-
sionaries, a large boarding and school house for Indian
pupils, a neat little church, with a steeple and a bell,
and all the other buildings necessar}^ to a complete mis-
sion outfit.

These good men adopted a new scheme of educa-
tion and civilization, which promised to be very success-
ful. They organized a government among the Indians,
which they called the Hazelwood Republic. To become
a member of this civic body, it was necessary that the
applicant should cut off his long hair, and put on white
men's clothes, and it was also expected that he should
become a member of the church. The republic had a

History of Minnesota, 35

written constitution, a president and other officers. It
was in 1856 when I first became acquainted with this in-
stitution, and I afterwards used its members to great ad-
vantage, in the rescue of captive women and the punish-
ment of one of the leaders of the Spirit Lake massacre,
which occurred in the northwestern portion of Iowa, in
the year 1857, the particulars of which I will relate here-
after. The name of the president was Paul Ma-za-cu-
ta-ma-ni, or "The man who shoots metal as he walks,"
and one of its prominent members was John Otherday,
called in Sioux, An-pay-tu-tok-a-cha, both of whom
were the best friends the whites had in the hour of their
great danger in the outbreak of 1862. It was these two
men who informed the missionaries and other whites at
the Yellow Medicine Agency of the impending mas-
sacre, and assisted sixty-two of them to escape before
the fatal blow was struck.

What I have said proves that much good attended
the work of the missionaries in the way of civilizing
some of the Indians, but it has always been open to
question in my mind if any Sioux Indian ever fully com-
prehended the basic doctrines of Christianity. I will
give an example which had great weight in forming my
judgment. There were among the pillars of the mis-
sion church at the Yellow Medicine Agency (or as it
was called in Sioux, Pajutazee) an Indian named Ana-
wang-mani, to which the missionaries had prefixed the
name of Simon. He was an exceptionally good man,
and prominent in all church matters. He prayed and
exhorted, and was looked upon by all interested as a
fulfillment of the success of both the church and the re-
public. Imagine the consternation of the worthy mis-
sionaries when one day he announced that a man who
had killed his cousin some eight years ago had returned

36 History of Minnesota.

from the Missouri, and was then in a neighboring camp,
and that it was his duty to kill him to avenge his cousin.
The missionaries argued with him, quoted the Bible to
him, prayed with him, — in fact, exhausted every possible
means to prevent him carrying out his purpose; but all
to no effect. He would admit all they said, assured them
that he believed everything they contended for, but he
would always end with the assertion that, "He killed my
cousin, and I must kill him.'" This savage instinct was
too deeply imbedded in his nature to be overcome by
any teaching of the white man, and the result was that
he got a double-barreled shotgun and carried out his
purpose, the consequence of which was to nearly destroy
the church and the republic. He was, however, true to
the whites all through the outbreak of 1862.

) When the Indians rebelled, the entire mission outfit
at Pajutazee was destroyed, which practically put an end
to missionary effort in Minnesota, but did not in the
least lessen the ardor of the missionaries. I remember
meeting Dr. Williamson soon after the Sioux were driv-
en out of the state, and supposing, of course, that he had
given up all hope of Christianizing them, I asked him
where he would settle, and what he would do. He did
not hesitate a moment, and said that he would hunt up
the remnant of his people and attend to their spiritual
wants.

Having given a general idea of the missionary ef-
forts that were made in Minnesota, I will sav a word
about

THE INDIANS.

The Dakotas (or as they were afterwards called, the
Sioux) and the Chippewas were splendid races of aborig-
inal men. The Sioux that occupied Minnesota were

History of Minnesota. 37

about eight thousand strong, — men, women and chil-
dren. They were divided into four principal bands,
known as the M'day-wa-kon-tons, or Spirit Lake Vil-
lagers; the Wak-pay-ku-tays, or Leaf Shooters, from
their living in the timber; the Si-si-tons, and Wak-pay-
tons. There was also a considerable band, known as
the Upper Si-si-tons, who occupied the extreme upper
waters of the Minnesota river. The Chippewas num-
bered about 7,800, divided as follows: At Lake Su-
perior, whose agency was at La Pointe, Wis., about
1,600; on the Upper Mississippi, on the east side, about
3,450; of Pillagers, 1,550; and at Red lake, 1,130. The
Sioux and Chippewas had been deadly enemies as far
back as anything was known of them, and kept up con-
tinual warfare. The Winnebagoes, numbering about
1,500, were removed from the neutral ground, in Iowa,
to Long Prairie, in Minnesota, in 1848, and in 1854 were
again removed to Blue Earth county, near the present
site of Mankato. While Minnesota was a territory its
western boundary extended to the Missouri river, and
on that river, both east and west of it, were numerous
wild and warlike bands of Sioux, numbering many thou-
sands, although no accurate census of them had ever
been taken. They were the Tetons, Yanktons, Cut-
heads, Yanktonais, and others. These Missouri Indians
frequently visited Minnesota.

The proper name of these Indians is Dakota, and
they know themselves only by that name, but the Chip-
pewas of Lake Superior, in speaking of them, always
called them, "Nadowessioux," which in their language
signifies ''enemy." The traders had a habit, when
speaking of any tribe in the presence of another, and
especially of an enemy, to designate them by some name
that would not be understood by the listeners, as they

38 History of Minnesota.

were very suspicious. When speaking of the Dakotas,
they used the last syllable of Nadowessioux, — "Sioux,"
until the name attached itself to them, and they have
always since been so called.

Charlevoix, who visited Minnesota in 1 721, in his his-
tory of New France, says : "The name 'Sioux,' that we
g-ive these Indians, is entirely of our own making; or,
rather, it is the last two syllables of the name of 'Nado-
wessioux,' as many nations call them."

The Sioux live in tepees, or circular conical tents,
supported by poles, so arranged as to leave an opening
in the top for ventilation and for the escape of smoke.
These were, before the advent of the whites, covered
with dressed bufifalo skins, but more recently with a
coarse cotton tent cloth, which is preferable on account
of its being much lighter to transport from place to
place, as they are almost constantly on the move, the
tents being carried by the squaws. There is no more
comfortable habitation than the Sioux tepee to be found
among the dwellers in tents anywhere. A fire is made
in the center for either warmth or cooking purposes.
The camp kettle is suspended over it, making cooking
easy and cleanly. In the winter, when the Indian fam-
ily settles down to remain any considerable time, they
select a river bottom where there is timber or chaparral,
and set up the tepee; then they cut the long grass or
bottom cane, and stand it up against the outside of the
lodge to the thickness of about tAventy inches, and you
have a very warm and cozy habitation.

The wealth of the Sioux consists very largely in his
horses, and his subsistence is the game of the forest and
plains and the fish and wild rice of the lakes. Minnesota
was an Indian paradise. It abounded in buffalo, elk,
moose, deer, beaver, wolves, and, in fact, nearly all wild

History of Minnesota. 39

animals found in North America. It held upon its sur-
face eight thousand beautiful lakes, alive with the finest
of edible fish. It was dotted over with beautiful groves
of the sugar maple, yielding quantities of delicious sugar,
and wild rice swamps were abundant. An inhabitant of
this region, with absolute liberty, and nothing to do but
defend it against the encroachments of enemies, cer-
tainly had very little more to ask of his Creator. But
he was not allowed to enjoy it in peace. A stronger
race was on his trail, and there was nothing left for him
but to surrender his country on the best terms he could
make. Such has ever been the case from the beginning
of recorded events, and judging from current operations,
there has been no cessation of the movement. Why
was not the world made big enough for homes for all
kinds and colors of men, and all characters of civiliza-
tion?

As the white man progressed towards the West, and
came in contact with the Indians, it became necessary
to define the territories of the different tribes to avoid
collision between them and the newcomers as much as
possible. To accomplish this end. Governor Clark of
Missouri and Governor Cass of Michigan, on the nine-
teenth day of August, 1825, convened, at Prairie du
Chien, a grand congress of Indians, representing the
Dakotas, Chippewas (then called Ojibways), Sauks,
Foxes. Menomonies, lowas, Winnebagoes, Pottawat-
omies and Ottawas, and it was determined by treaties
among them where the dividing lines between their
countries should be. This partition gave the Chippe-
was a large part of what is now Wisconsin and Minneso-
ta, and the Dakotas lands to the west of them; but it
soon became apparent that these boundary lines be-
tween the Dakotas and the Chippewas would not be ad-

40 History of Minnesota.

hered to, and Governor Cass and Mr. T. L. McKenney
were appointed commissioners to again convene the
Chippe^vas, but this time at Fond du Lac, and there,
on the fifth day of August, 1826, another treaty was en-
tered into, which, with the exception of the Fort Snell-
ing treaty, was the first one ever made on the soil of
Minnesota. By this treaty the Chippewas, among other
things, renounced all allegiance to or connection with
Great Britain, and acknowledged the authority of the
United States. These treaties were, however, rather of
a preliminary character, being intended more for the
purpose of arranging matters between the tribes than
making concessions to the whites, although the whites
were permitted to mine and carry away metals and ores
from the Chippewa country by the treaty of Fond du.
Lac.

The first important treaty made with the Sioux, by
which the white men began to obtain concessions of
lands from them, was on Aug. 29, 1837. This treaty
was made at Washington, through Joel R. Poinsette,
and to give an idea of how little time and few words
were spent in accomplishing important ends, I will quote
the first article of this treaty :

"Article i.— The chiefs and braves representing the
parties having an interest therein cede to the United
States all their land east of the Mississippi river, and all
their islands in said river."

The rest of the treaty is confined to the considera-
tion to be paid, and matters of that nature.

This treaty extinguished all the Dakota title in lands
east of the Mississippi river, in Minnesota, and opened
the way for immigration on all that side of the Missis-
sippi ; and immigration was not long in accepting the in-
vitation, for between the making of the treaty, in 1837,

History of Minnesota. 41

and the admission of the State of Wisconsin into the
Union, in 1848, there had sprung into existence in that
state, west of the St. Croix, the towns of Stillwater, St.
Anthony, St. Paul, Marine, Areola, and other lesser set-
tlements, which were all left in Minnesota when Wiscon-
sin adopted the St. Croix as its western boundary.

Most important, however, of all the treaties that
opened up the lands of Minnesota to settlement were
those of 1 85 1, made at Traverse des Sioux and Mendota,
by which the Sioux ceded to the United States all their
lands in Minnesota and Iowa, except a small reservation
for their habitation, situated on the upper waters of the
Minnesota river.

(The Territory of Minnesota was organized in 1849.
and immediately presented to the world a very attrac-
tive field for immigration. The most desirable lands in
the new territory were on the west side of the Mississip-
pi, but the title to them was still in the Indians. The
whites could not wait until this was extinguished, but at
once began to settle on the land lying on the west bank
of the Mississippi, north of the north line of Iowa, and in
the new territory'. These settlements extended up the
Mississippi river as far as St. Cloud, in what is now
Steams county, and extended up the Minnesota river
as far as the mouth of the Blue Earth river, in the neigh-
borhood of Mankato. These settlers were all trespas-
sers on the lands of the Indians, but a little thing like
that never deterred a white American from pushing his
fortunes towards the setting sun. It soon became ap-
parent that the Indians must yield to the approaching
tidal wave of settlement, and measures were taken to
acquire their lands by the United States, In 1851,
Luke Lea, then commissioner of Indian affairs, and Al-
exander Ramsey, then governor of the Territory of Min-

42 History of Minnesota.

nesota and ex-officio superintendent of Indian affairs,
were appointed commissioners to treat with the Indians
at Traverse des Sioux, and, after much feasting and
talking-, a treaty was completed and signed, on the twen-
ty-third day of July, 1851, between the United States
and the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands of Sioux, where-
by these bands ceded to the United States a vast tract
of land lying in Minnesota and Iowa, and reserved for
their future occupation a strip of land on the upper Min-
nesota, ten miles wide on each side of the center line of
the river. For this cession they were to be paid $1,665,-
000, which was to be paid, a part in cash to liquidate
debts, etc., and five per cent per annum on the balance
for fifty years, the interest to be paid annually, partly in
cash and partly in funds for agriculture, civilization, ed-
ucation, and in goods of various kinds; which payments,
when completed, were to satisfy both principal and in-
terest, the policy and expectation of the government
being that at the end of fifty years the Indians would
be civilized and self-sustaining.

Amendments were made to this treaty in the senate,
and it was not fully completed and proclaimed until Feb.

24, 1853-

Almost instantly after the execution of this treaty,

and on Aug. 5, 1851, another treaty was negotiated by
the same commissioners with two other bands of Sioux
in Minnesota, the M'day-wa-kon-tons and Wak-pay-
koo-tays. By this treaty these bands ceded to the
United States all their lands in the Territory of Minne"-
sota or State of Iowa, for which they were to be paid
$1,410,000, very much in the same way that was pro-
vided in the last-named treaty with the Sissetons and
Wak-pay-tons. This treaty, also, was amended by the
senate, and not fully perfected until Feb. 24, 1853.

History of Minnesota. 43

Both of these treaties contained the provision that
*'The laws of the United States, prohibiting the intro-
duction and sale of spirituous liquors in the Indian coun-
try, shall be in full force and effect throughout the ter-
ritory hereby ceded and lying in Minnesota until other-
wise directed by congress or the president of the United
States." I mention this feature of the treaty because it
gave rise to much litigation as to whether the treaty
making power had authority to legislate for settlers on
the ceded lands of the United States. The power was
sustained. These treaties practically obliterated the In-
dian title from the lands composing Minnesota, and its
extinction brings us to the

TERRITORIAL PERIOD.

It must be kept in mind that, during the period
which we have been attempting to review, the people
who inhabited what is now Minnesota were subject to a
great many different governmental jurisdictions. This,
however, did not in any way concern them, as they did
not, as a general thing, know or care anything about
such matters ; but as it may be interesting to the retro-
spective explorer to be informed on the subject, I will
briefly present it. Minnesota has two sources of par-
entage. The part of it lying west of the Mississippi
was part of the Louisiana purchase, made by President
Jefferson from Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803, and the
part east of that river was part of the Northwest Terri-
tory, ceded by Virginia, in 1784, to the United States.
I will give the successive changes of political jurisdic-
tion, beginning on the west side of the river.

First, it was part of New Spain, and Spanish. It
was then purchased from Spain by France, and became
French. On June 30, 1803, it became American, by

44 History of Minnesota.

purchase from France, and was part of the Province of
Louisiana, and so remained until March 26, 1804, when
an act was passed by congress, creating the Territory
of Orleans, which included all of the Louisiana purchase
south of the thirty-third degree of north latitude. This
act gave the Territory of Louisiana a government, and
called all the country north of it the District of Louisi-
ana, which was to be governed by the Territory of In-
diana, which had been created in 1800 out of the North-
west Territory, and had its seat of government at Vin-
cennes, on the Wabash.

On June 4, 18 12, the District of Louisiana was
erected into the Territory of Missouri, where we re-
mained until June 28, 1834, when all the public lands
of the United States lying west of the Mississippi, north
of the State of Missouri, and south of the British line,
were, by act of congress, attached to the Territory of
Michigan, under whose jurisdiction we remained until
April 10, 1836, when the Territory of Wisconsin was
created. This law went into effect July 3, 1836. and
Wisconsin took in our territory lying west of the ^lis-
sissippi, and there it remained until June 12, 183S, when
the Territory of Iowa was created, taking us in and hold-
ing us until the State of Iowa was admitted into the
Union, on March 3, 1845, which left us without any gov-
ernment west of the Mississippi.

The part of Minnesota lying east of the Mississippi
was originally part of the Northwest Territory. On May
7, 1800, it became part of the Indiana Territor}% and
remained so until April 26, 1836, when it became part
of the Wisconsin Territory ; and so continued until May
29, 1848, when Wisconsin entered the Union as a state,
with the St. Croix river for its western boundary. By
this arrangement of the western boundary of Wisconsin

History of Minn£sota. 45

all the territory west of the St. Croix and east of the
Mississippi, like that west of the river, was left without
any government at all.

One of the curious results of the many governmental
changes which the western part of Minnesota underwent
is illustrated in the residence of Gen. Henry H. Sibley,
at Mendota. In 1834, at the age of twenty-two, Mr.
Sibley commenced his residence at Mendota, as the
agent of the American Fur Company's estabhshment.
At this point Mr. Sibley built the first private residence
that was erected in Minnesota. It was a large, com-
fortable dwelHng. constructed of the blue hmestone
found in the vicinity, with commodious porticos on the
river front. The house was built in 1835-36, and was
then in the Territory of Michigan. Mr. Sibley lived in
it successively in Michigan, Wisconsin. Iowa, and the
Territory and State of Minnesota. He removed to St.
Paul in the year 1862. Every distinguished visitor who
came to Minnesota in the early days was entertained by
Mr. Sibley in this hospitable old mansion, and, together
with its genial, generous and refined proprietor, it con-
tributed much towards planting the seeds of those
aesthetic amenities of social life that have so generally
flourished in the later days of Minnesota's history and
given it its deserved prominence among the states of the
West. The house still stands, and has been occupied at
different times since its founder abandoned it as a Cath-
olic institution of some kind and an artists' summer
school. The word Mendota is Sioux, and means "The
meeting of the waters."

It was the admission of Wisconsin into the Union in
1848 that brought about the organization of the Terri-
tory of Minnesota. The peculiar situation in which all
the people residing west of the St. Croix found them-

46 History of Minnesota.

selves set them to devising ways and means to obtain
some kind of government to live under. It was a de-
batable question whether the remnant of Wisconsin
which was left over when the state was admitted carried
with it the territorial government, or whether it was a
"no man's Jand,"' and different views were entertained
on the subject. The question was somewhat embar-
rassed by the fact that the territorial governor, Gover-
nor Dodge, had been elected to the senate of the United
States from the new state, and the territorial secretary,
Mr. John Catlin, who would have become governor ex-
officio when a vacancy occurred in the office of gover-
nor, resided in Madison, and the delegate to congress,
Mr. John H. T\veedy, had resigned ; so, even if the ter-
ritorial government had, in law, survived, there seemed
to be no one to represent and administer it.

There was no lack of ability among the inhabitants
of the abandoned remnant of Wisconsin. In St. Paul
dwelt Henry M. Rice, Louis Roberts, J. W. Simpson,
A. L. Larpenteur. David Lambert, Henry Jackson, Ve-
tal Guerin, David Herbert, Oliver Rosseau, Andre God-
frey, Joseph Rondo, James R. Clewell, Edward Phalen,
William G. Carter, and many others. In Stillwater and
on the St. Croix were Morton S. Wilkinson, Henry L.
Moss, John AlcKusick, Joseph R. Brown, etc. In Men-
dota resided Henry H. Sibley. In St. Anthony, Wil-
liam R. Marshall ; at Fort Snelling, Franklin Steele. I
could name many others, but the above is a representa-
tive list. It will be observed that many of them were
French.

An initial meeting was held in St. Paul, in July of
1848, at Henry Jackson's trading house, to consider the
matter, which was undoubtedly the first public meeting
ever held in Minnesota. On the fifth day of August, in

History of Minnesota. 47

the same year, a similar meeting was held in Stillw ater.
and out of these meetings grew a call for a convention.
to be held at Stillwater, on August 26th, which was held
accordingly. There were present about sixty delegates.

At this meeting a letter from Hon. John Catlin, the
secretary of Wisconsin Territory, was read, giving it as
his opinion that the territorial government of Wisconsin
still existed, and that if a delegate to congress was elect-
ed he would be admitted to a seat.

A memorial to congress was prepared, setting forth
the peculiar situation in which the people of the remnant
found themselves, and praying relief in the organization
of a territorial government.

During the session of this convention there was a
verbal agreement entered into between the members, to
the effect that when the new territory was organized the
capital should be at St. Paul, the penitentiary at Still-
water, the university at St. Anthony,and the delegate to
congress should be taken from Mendota. I have had
reason to assert publicly this fact on former occasions,
and so far as it relates to the university and the peniten-
tiary, my statement was questioned by Minnesota's
greatest historian, Rev. Edward D. Neill, in a published
article, signed "Iconoclast ;" but I sustained my position
by letters from surviving members of the convention,
which I published, and to which no answer was ever
made. The same statement can be found in Williams'
"History of St. Paul," published in 1876, at page 182.

The result of this convention was the selection of
Henry H. Sibley as its agent or delegate, to proceed to
Washington and present the memorial and resolutions to
the United States authorities. It was curiously enough
stipulated that the delegate should pay his own expenses.

Shortly after this event the Hon. John H. Tweedy,

48 History of Minnesota.

who was the regularly elected delegate to congress from
the Territory of Wisconsin, no doubt supposing his of-
ficial career was terminated, resigned his position, and
Mr. John Catlin, claiming to be the governor of the ter-
ritory, came to Stillwater, and issued a proclamation on
Oct. 9, 1848, ordering a special election to fill the va-
cancy caused by the resignation of Delegate Tweedy.
The election was held on the thirtieth day of October.
Mr. Henry H. Sibley and Mr. Henry M. Rice became
candidates, neither caring very much about the result,
and Mr. Sibley was elected. There was much doubt en-
tertained as to the delegate being allowed to take his
seat, but in November he proceeded to Washington, and
was admitted, after considerable discussion.

On the 3d of March, 1849, the delegate succeeded in
passing an act organizing the Territory of Minnesota,
the boundaries of which embraced all the territory be-
tween the western boundary of Wisconsin and the Mis-
sissippi river, and also all that was left unappropriated
on the admission of the State of Iowa, which carried our
western boundary to the Missouri river, and included
within our limits a large part of what is now North and
South Dakota.

The passage of this act was the first step in the crea-
tion of Minnesota. No part of the country had ever be-
fore borne that name. The word is composed of two
Sioux words, "Minne," which means water, and "Sota,"
which means the condition of the sky when fleecy white
clouds are seen floating slowly and quietly over it. It
has been translated, "sky tinted," giving to the word
Minnesota the meaning of sky-tinted water. The name
originated in the fact that, in the early days, the river
now called Minnesota used to rise very rapidly in the
spring, and there was constantly a caving in of the banks,

History of Minnesota. 49

which disturbed its otherwise pellucid waters, and gave
them the appearance of the sky when covered with the
lig-ht clouds I have mentioned. The similarity was
heightened by the current keeping the disturbing ele-
ment constantly in motion. There is a town just above
St. Peter, called Kasota, which means "cloudy sky;" not
stormy or threatening, but a sky dotted with fleecy white
clouds. The best conception of this word can be found
by pouring a few drops of milk into a glass of clear wa-
ter, and observing the cloudy disturbance.

The principal river in the territory was then called
the St. Peters river, but the name was changed to the
Minnesota.

EDUCATION.

An act organizing a territory simply creates a gov-
ernment for its inhabitants, limiting and regulating its
powers, executive, legislative and judicial, and in our
country they generally resemble each other in all essen-
tial features. But the organic act of Minnesota contained
one provision never before found in any that preceded it.
It had been customary to donate to the territory and fu-
ture state, one section of land in each surveyed township
for school purposes, and section i6 had been selected as
the one, but in the Minnesota act, the donation was
doubled, and sections i6 and 36 in each township were
reserved for the schools, which amounted to one-eigh-
teenth of all the lands in the territory ; and when it is un-
derstood that the state as now constituted contains 84,-
287 square miles, or about 53,943,379 acres of land, it will
be seen that the grant was princely in extent and incal-
culable in value. No other state in the Union has been
endowed with such a magnificent educational foundation.
I may except Texas, which came into the Union, not as a
4

50 History of jMinnesota.

part of the United States' public domain, but as an inde-
pendent republic, owning all its lands, amounting to 237,-
504 square miles, or 152,002,560 acres, a vast empire in
itself. I remember hearing a distinguished senator, in
the course of the debate on its admission into the Union,
describe its immensity by saying, "A pigeon could not
fly across it in a week."

It affords every citizen of Minnesota great pride to
know that, under all phases and conditions of our terri-
tory and state, whether in prosperity or adversity, the
school fund has always been held sacred, and neither ex-
travagance, neglect nor peculation has ever assailed it,
but it has been husbanded with jealous care from time to
time since the first dollar was realized from it until the
present, and has accumulated until the principal is esti-
mated at $20,000,000. The state auditor, in his last re-
port of it, says :

"The extent of the school land grant should ultimate-
ly be about three million acres, and as the average price
of this land heretofore sold is $5.96 per acre, the
amount of principal alone should yield the school fund
not less than $17,000,000. To this must be added the
amount received from sales of timber, and for lease and
royalty of mineral lands, which will not be less than $3,-
000,000 more. It is not probable that the average sale
price of this land will be reduced in the future, but it
may increase, especially in view of the improved method
of sale inaugurated by the new land law."

The general method of administering the school fund
is to invest the proceeds arising from the sale of the
lands, and distribute the interest among the counties of
the state according to the number of children attending
school ; the principal always to remain untouched and in-
violate.

History of Minnesota. 51

Generous grants of land have also been made for a
state university, amounting- to 92,558 acres; also, for an
agricultural college to the extent of one hundred thou-
sand acres, which two funds have been consolidated, and
together they have accumulated to the sum of $1,159,-
790.73, all of which is securely invested.

The state has also been endowed with five hundred
thousand acres of land for internal improvements, and
all its lands falling within the designation of swamp
lands. An act of congress, of Feb. 26, 1857, also gave
it ten sections of land for the purpose of completing pub-
lic buildings at the seat of government, and all the salt
springs, not to exceed twelve, in the state, with six sec-
tions of land to each spring, in all seventy-two sections.
The twelve salt springs have all been discovered and lo-
cated, and the lands selected. The salt spring lands
have been transferred to the regents of the university, to
be held in trust to pay the cost of a geological and nat-
ural history survey of the state. It is estimated that the
salt spring lands will produce, on the same valuation as
the school lands, the sum of $300,000. Large sums will
also be gained by the state from the sale of timber
stumpage, and the products of its mineral lands. Some
idea of the magnitude of the fund to be derived from the
mineral lands of the state may be learned from the report
of the state auditor for the year 1896, in which he says
that during the years 1895-96 there was received from
and under all mineral leases, contracts and royalties,
$170,128.83.

It will be seen from this statement that the educa-
tional interests of Minnesota are largely provided for
without resort to direct taxation, although up to the
present time that means of revenue has to some extent
been utilized to meet the expenses of the grand system
prevailing throughout the state.

52 History of MiNxVaSOTA.

THE FIRST TERRITORIAL, GOVERNMENT.

The organization of the territory was completed by
the appointment of Alexander Ramsey of Pennsylvania
as governor, Aaron Goodrich as chief justice, and David
Cooper and Bradley B. Meeker as associate justices, C.
K. Smith as secretary, Joshua L. Taylor as marshal,
and Henry L. Moss as district attorney.

On the 27th of May, 1849, the governor and his fam-
ily arrived in St. Paul ; but there being no suitable ac-
commodations for them, they became the guests of Hon.
Henry H. Sibley, at Mendota, whose hospitality, as
usual, was never failing, and for several weeks there re-
sided the four men who have been perhaps more promi-
nent in the development of the state than any others, —
Henry H. Sibley, Alexander Ramsey, Henry M. Rice
and Franklin Steele, all of whom have been honored by
having important counties named after them and by
being chosen to fill high places of honor and trust.

The governor soon returned to the capital, and on
the 1st of June, 1849, issued a proclamation, declar-
ing the territory duly organized. On the nth of June
he issued a second proclamation, dividing the territory
into three judicial districts. The county of St. Croix,
which was one of the discarded counties of Wisconsin,
and embraced the present county of Ramsey, was made
the first district. The second was composed of the coun-
ty of La Pointe (another of the Wisconsin counties).
and the region north and west of the Mississippi river,
and north of the Minnesota, and of a line running due
west from the head waters of the Minnesota to the Mis-
souri. The country west of the Mississippi and south of
the Minnesota fonned the third district. The chief jus-
tice was assigned to the first. Meeker to the second and
Cooper to the third, and courts were ordered held in

History of Minnesota. 53

each district as follows : At Stillwater, in the first dis-
trict, on the second Monday, at the Falls of St. Anthony
on the third Monday, and at Mendota on the fourth
Monday, in August.

A census was taken of the inhabitants of the terri-
tory, in pursuance of the requirements of the organic
act, with the following result. I give here the details of
the census, as it is interesting to know what inhabited
places there were in the territory at this time, as well as
the number of inhabitants :

Total
Inhabitants.

Stillwater 609

Lake St. Croi.x 211

Marine Mills I73

St. Paul 840

Little Canada and St. Anthony 571

Crow Wing and Long Prairie 35^

Osakis Rapids I33

Falls of St. Croix 16

Snake River 82

La Pointe County 22

Crow Wing I74

Big Stone Lake and Lac qui Parle 68

Little Rock 35

Prairieville 22

Oak Grove 23

Black Dog Village 18

Crow Wing (east side) ." 70

Mendota 122

Red Wing Village 33

Wabasha and Root River 114

Fort Snelling 38

Soldiers, women and children in forts 317

Pembina 637

Missouri River 85

Total 4,764

On the seventh day of July the governor issued a
proclamation, dividing the territory into seven council

54 History of Minnesota.

districts, and ordering an election for a delegate to con-
gress, nine councillors, and eighteen representatives, to
constitute the first territorial legislature, to be held on
the first day of August. At this election Henry H. Sib-
ley was again chosen delegate to congress.

COURTS.

The courts were held in pursuance of the governor's
proclamation, the first one convening at Stillwater. But
before I relate what there occurred, I will mention an at-
tempt that was made by Judge Irwin, one of the terri-
torial judges of Wisconsin, to hold a term in St. Croix
county, in 1842. Joseph R. Brown, of whom I shall
speak hereafter as one of the brightest of Minnesota's
early settlers, came to Fort Snelling as a fifer boy in the
regiment that founded and built the fort in 1819. He
was discharged from the army about 1826, and had be-
come clerk of the courts in St. Croix county. He had
procured from the legislature of Wisconsin an order for
a court in bis county for some reason only known to
himself, and in 1842 Judge Irwin came up to hold it. He
arrived at Fort Snelling, and found himself in a country
which indicated that disputes were more frequently set-
tled with tomahawks than by the principles of the com-
mon law. The officers of the fort could give him no in-
formation, but in his wanderings he found Mr. Norman
W. Kittson, who had a trading house near the Falls of
Minnehaha. Kittson knew Clerk Brown, who was then
living on the St. Croix, near where Stillwater now
stands, and furnishing the judge a horse, directed him
how to find his clerk. After a ride of more than twenty
miles, Brown was discovered, but no preparations had
been made for a court. The judge took the first boat
down the river, a disgusted and angry man.

History of Minnesota. 55

After the lapse of five years from this futile attempt
the first court actually held within the bounds of Minne-
sota was presided over by Judge Dunn, then chief justice
of the Territory of Wisconsin. The court convened at
Stillwater in June, 1847, ^^d is remembered not only
as the first court ever held in Minnesota, but on account
of the trial of an Indian chief, named "Wind," who was
indicted for murder. Samuel J. Crawford of Mineral
Point was appointed prosecuting attorney for the term,
and Ben C. Eastman of Plattville defended the prisoner.
''Wind" was acquitted. This was the first jury trial in
Minnesota.

It should be stated that Henry H. Sibley was in fact
the first judicial officer who ever exercised the functions
of a court in Minnesota. Wliile living at St. Peters
(Mendota), he was commissioned a justice of the peace
in 1835 or 1836 by Governor Chambers of Iowa, with a
jurisdiction extending from twenty miles south of Prairie
du Chien to the British boundary on the north, to the
White river on the west and the Mississippi on the east.
His prisoners could only be committed to Prairie du
Chien. Boundary lines were very dimly defined in
those days, and minor magistrates were in no danger of
being overruled by superior courts, and tradition asserts
that the writs of Sibley's court often extended far over
into Wisconsin and other jurisdictions. One case is re-
called which will serve as an illustration. A man named
Phalen was charged with having murdered a sergeant
in the United States army in Wisconsin. He was ar-
rested under a warrant from Justice Sibley's Iowa court,
examined and committed to Prairie du Chien, and no
questions asked. Lake Phalen, from which the city of
St. Paul derives part of its water supply, is named after
this prisoner. Whatever jurisdictional irregularities

56 History of Minnesota.

Justice Sibley may have indulged in, it is safe to say that
no injustice ever resulted from any decision of his.

The first court-house that was erected within the pres-
ent limits of Minnesota was at Stillwater, in the year
1847. A private subscription was taken up, and $1,200
was contributed. This sum was supplemented by a suf-
ficient amount to complete the structure, from the treas-
ury of St. Croix county. It was perched on the top of
one of the high bluffs in that town, and much private
and judicial blasphemy has been expended by exhausted
litigants and judges in climbing to its lofty pinnacle. I
held a term in it ten years after its completion.

This court-house fell within the first judicial district
of the Territory of Minnesota, under the division made
by Governor Ramsey, and the first court under his
proclamation was held within its walls, beginning the
second Monday of August, 1849. It was presided over
by Chief Justice Goodrich, assisted by Judge Cooper, the
term lasting one week. There were thirty-five cases on
the calendar. The grand jury returned thirty indict-
ments, one for assault with intent to maim, one for per-
jury, four for selling liquor to Indians, and four for
keeping gambling houses. Only one of these indict-
ments was tried at this term, and the accused, Mr. Wil-
liam D. Phillips, being a prominent member of the bar,
and there being a good deal of fun in it, I will give a
brief history of the trial and the defendant.

Mr. Phillips was a native of Maryland, and came to
St. Paul in 1848. He was the first district attorney of
the county of Ramsey. He became quite prominent as
a lawyer and politician, and tradition has handed down
many interesting anecdotes concerning him. The in-
dictment charged him with assault with intent to maim.
In an altercation with a man, he had drawn a pistol on

History of Minnesota. 57

him, and his defense was that the pistol was not loaded.
The witness for the prosecution swore that it was, and
added that he could see the load. The prisoner, as the
law then was, was not allowed to testify in his own be-
half. He was convicted and fined $25. He was very
indig"nant at the result, and explained the assertion of
the witness, that he could see the load, in this way. He
said he had been electioneering' for Mr. Henry M. Rice,
and from the uncertainty of getting- his meals in such
an unsettled country, he carried crackers and cheese in
the same pocket with his pistol, a crumb of which had
gotten into the pistol, and the fellow was so scared when
he looked at it, that he thought it was loaded to the
muzzle.

Another anecdote which is related of him shows that
he fully understood the fundamental principle which un-
derlies success in the practice of law — that of always
charging for services performed. Mr. Henry M. Rice
had presented him with a lot in St. Paul, upon which to
build an ofBce, and when he presented his next bill to
Mr. Rice there was in it a charge of four dollars for draw-
ing" the deed.

The territorial courts as originally constituted, being
composed of only three judges, the trial terms were held
by single judges, and the supreme court by all three sit-
ting in bank, where they would review each others de-
cisions on appeal.

When the state was admitted into the Union the ju-
diciary was made to consist of a chief justice and two
associate justices, who constituted the supreme court,
with a jurisdiction exclusively appellate, and a district
judge for each district. As the state has grown in pop-
uJation and business, the supreme court judges have
been increased to five and the judicial districts to eigh-

58 History of Minnesota.

teen in number, two of which, the second and the fourth,
have six judges each, the eleventh three, the first and
seventh two each, and the remainder one each.

The practice adopted by the territorial legislature
was generally similar to that of the New York code, with
such differences as were necessary to conform it to a very
new country. From a residence in the territory and
state of forty-seven years, nearly all of which has been
spent either in practice at the bar or as a judge on the
bench, I take pride in saying that the judiciary of Minne-
sota, in all its branches, both territorial and state, has,
during its fifty years of existence, equalled in ability,
learning and integrity that of any state in the West,
which is well attested by the seventy-seven well filled
volumes of its reported decisions.

Nearly all of the old lawyers of Minnesota were ad-
mitted to practice at the first term held at Stillwater,
among whom were Morton S. Wilkinson, Henry L.
Moss, Edmund Rice, Lorenzo A. Babcock, Alexander
Wilkin, Bushrod W. Lott, and many others. Of the
whole list, Mr. Moss is the sole survivor.

FIRST TERRITORIAL LEGISLATURE.

The first legislature convened at St. Paul on Mon-
day, the 3d of September, 1849, ^^ the Central House,
which for the occasion served for both capitol and hotel.
The quarters were limited, but the legislature was small.
The council had nine members and the house of repre-
sentatives eighteen. The usual officers were elected,
and on Tuesday afternoon both houses assembled in the
dining-room of the hotel. Prayer was offered by the
Rev. E. D. Neill, and Governor Ramsey delivered his
message, which was well received both at home and
abroad.

History of Minnesota.

59

It may be interesting to give the names of the men
constituting this body, and the places of their nativity.
The councillors were:

James S. Norris, .
Samuel Burkleo, .
William H. Forbes,
James McBoal,
David B. Loomis,
John Rollins. . .
David Olmsted,
William Sturgis, .
Martin McLeod, .

Maine.

Delaware.

Montreal.

Pennsylvania.

Connecticut.

Maine.

Vermont.

Upper Canada.

Montreal.

The members of the House were :

Joseph W. Furber, New Hampshire.

James Wells, New Jersey.

M. S. Wilkinson, New York.

Sylvanus Trask New York.

Mahlon Black, Ohio.

Benjamin W. Bronson, Michigan.

Henry Jackson Virginia.

John J. Duvey, New York.

Parsons K. Johnson, Vermont.

Henry F. Stetzer, Missouri.

William R. Marshall, Missouri.

William Dugas, Lower Canada.

Jeremiah Russell, Lower Canada.

L. A. Babcock, Vermont.

Thomas A. Holmes, Pennsylvania.

Allen Morrison, Pennsylvania.

Alexis Bailly, Michigan.

Gideon H. Pond, Connecticut.

David Olmsted was elected president of the council,
with Joseph R. Brown as secretary. In the House, Jo-
seph W. Furber was elected speaker, and W. D. Phillips
clerk.

Many of these men became very prominent in the
subsequent history of the state, and it is both curious and

60 History of Minnesota.

interesting to note the varied sources of their nativity,
which shows that they were all of that peculiar and pic-
turesque class known as the American pioneer.

The work of the first legislature was not extensive,
yet it performed some acts of historical interest. It cre-
ated eight counties, named as follows: Itasca, Waba-
shaw, Dakota, Wahnahtah. Mankato, Pembina, Wash-
ington, Ramsey and Benton. The spelling of some of
these names has since been changed.

A very deep interest was manifested in the school
system. A joint resolution was passed ordering a slab
of red pipestone from the famous quarry to be sent to the
Washington monument association, which was done,
and now represents Minnesota in that lofty monument
at the national capital.

This was done at the suggestion of Henry H. Sibley,
who furnished the stone. It will be remembered that I
have referred to the visit of George Catlin, the artist, to
Minnesota, in 1835, and that his report was unreliable.
Among other things, he said that he was the first white
man who had visited this quarry, and induced geologists
to name the pipestone "Catlinite." Mr. Sibley, in his
communication to the legislature presenting this slab, in
answer to this pretension, says :

"In conclusion, I would beg leave to state, that a
late geological work of high authority by Dr. Jackson,
designates this formation as Catlinite, upon the errone-
ous supposition that Mr. George Catlin was the first
white man who had ever visited that region ; whereas it
is notorious that many whites had been there and exam-
ined the quarry long before he came to the country.
The designation, therefore, is clearly improper and un-
just. The Sioux term for the stone is, Eyan-Sha (red
stone), by which, I conceive, it should be known and
classified."

History of Minnesota. 61

In my opinion, the greatest achievement of the first
legislature was the incorporation of the Historical So-
ciety of Minnesota. It established beyond question that
we had citizens, at that early day, of thought and culture.
One would naturally suppose that the first legislative
body of an extreme frontier territory would be engaged
principally with saw logs, peltries, tow^n sites, and other
things material ; but in this instance we find an expres-
sion of the highest intellectual prevision, the desire to
record historical events for posterity, even before their
happening-. And what affords even greater satisfaction
to the present citizens of Minnesota is, that from the
time of the conception of this grand idea there have
never been men wanting to appreciate its advantages,
and carry it out, until now our state possesses its greatest
intellectual and moral treasure in a library of historical
knowledge of sixty-three thousand volumes, which is
steadily increasing, a valuable museum of curiosities, and
a gallery of historical paintings.

This legislature recommended a device for a great
seal. It represented an Indian family with lodge and
canoe, encamped ; a single white man visiting them, and
receiving from them the calumet of peace. The design
did not meet with general approval, and nothing came of
it. The next winter Governor Ramsey and the delegate
to congress prepared a seal for the territory, the design
of which was the Falls of St. Anthony in the distance,
a farmer plowing land, his gun and powder horn leaning
against a newly cut stump, a mounted Indian, surprised
at the sight of the plow, lance in hand, fleeing toward
the setting sun, with the Latin motto, "Quae sursum
volo videre," ("I wish to see what is above"). A blun-
der was made by the engraver, in substituting the word
"Quo" for "Quae," in the motto, which destroyed its

62 History op Minnesota.

meaning. Some time after, it was changed to the
French motto, "L'Etoile du Nord" ("Star of the
North"), and thus remains until the present time.

While speaking of seals, I will state that the seal of
the supreme court was established when the first term
of the court convened, in 1858. The design adopted
was a female figure, representing the goddess of liberty,
holding the evenly-balanced scales of justice in one hand
and a sword in the other, with the somewhat hackneyed
motto, "Fiat justitia ruat coelum" ("Let justice be done
if the heavens fall"). I remember that, soon after it ap-
peared, some one asked one of the judges what the new
motto meant, and he jocularly answered, "Those who fy
at justice will rue it when we seal 'em."

The seal was changed to the same device as that of
the state, with the same motto and the words, "Seal of
the Supreme Court, State of Minnesota."

IMMIGRATION.

When the first legislature convened, the governor,
on the second day of the session (Sept. 4, 1849), deliv-
ered his message. It was a well-timed document, and
admirably expressed to attract attention to the new ter-
ritory. After congratulating the members upon the en-
viable position they occupied as pioneers of a great pros-
pective civilization, which would carry the American
name and American institutions, by the force of superior
intelligence, labor and energy, to untold results, he
among other things said :

"I would advise you, therefore, that your legislation
should be such as will guard equally the rights of labor
and the rights of property, without running into ultra-
isms on either hand ; as will recognize no social distinc-
tions except those which merit and knowledge, religion

History of Minnesota. 63

and morals unavoidably create ; as will suppress crime,
encourage virtue, give free scope to enterprise and in-
dustry ; as will promptly and without delay administer to
and supply all the legitimate wants of the people — laws,
in a word, in the proclamation of which will be kept
steadily in view the truth that this territory is designed
to be a great state, rivalling in population, wealth and
energy her sisters of the Union, and that consequently
all laws not merely local in their objects should be
framed for the future as well as the present. * * *

"Our territory, judging from the experience of the
few months since public attention was called to its many
advantages, will settle rapidly. Nature has done much
for us. Our productive soil and salubrious climate will
bring thousands of immigrants within our borders ; it is
of the utmost moment that the foundation of our legis-
lation should be healthful and solid. A knowledge of
this fact will encourage tens of thousands of others to
settle in our midst, and it may not be long ere we may
with truth be recognized throughout the political and
the moral world as indeed the "Polar Star" of the re-
publican galaxy. * * *

"No portion of the earth's surface perhaps combines
so many favorable features for the settler as this terri-
tory,— watered by the two greatest rivers of our conti-
nent, the Missouri sweeping its entire western border,
the Mississippi and Lake Superior making its eastern
frontier, and whilst the States of Wisconsin and Iowa
limit us on the south, the possessions of the Hudson Bay
Company present the only barrier to our domain on the
extreme north; in all embracing an area of 166,000
square miles, a country sufficiently extensive to admit
of the erection of four states of the largest class, each
enjoying in abundance most of the elements of future

64 History of Minnesota.

.g^reatness. Its soil is of the most productive character,
yet our northern latitude saves us from malaria and
death, which in other climes are so often attendant on a
liberal soil. Our people, under the healthful and brac-
ing influences of this northern climate, will never sink
into littleness, but continue to possess the vigor and the
energy to make the most of their natural advantages."

This message, while not in the least exaggerating the
actual situation, w^as well calculated to attract immigra-
tion to this region. It was written in a year of great
activity in that line. Gold had been discovered in Cali-
fornia, and the thoughts of the pioneer were attracted in
that direction, and it needed extraordinary inducements
to divert the stream to any other point. It was exten-
sively quoted in the eastern papers, and much comment-
ed upon, and succeeded beyond all expectations in
awakening interest in the Northwest. It was particu-
larly attractive in Maine, where the people were expe-
rienced in lumbering, and many of them flocked to the
Valley of the St. Croix and the Falls of St. Anthony,
and inaugurated the lumbering business, which has since
grown to such immense proportions. The valleys of the
St. Croix, the Rum, and the Upper Mississippi rivers,
with their tributaries, soon resounded with the music of
the woodman's axe. Saw mills were erected, and Min-
nesota was recognized among the great lumber pro-
ducing regions.

Although immigration continued to be quite rapid
during the years 1850-54, it was not until about the year
1855 that it acquired a volume that was particularly no-
ticeable. The reader must remember that Minnesota
was on the extreme border of America, and that it rep-
resented to the immigrant only those attractions inci-
dent to a new territory possessing the general advan-

History of Minnesota. 65

tages of good climate, good soil and good government
as far as developed. There was no gold, no silver, nor
other special inducements. The only way of reaching it
was by land on wheels, or by the navigable rivers.
There was not a railroad west of Chicago. To give an
idea of the rush that came in 1855, I quote from the
"History of St. Paul," by J. Fletcher Williams, for many
years secretary of the Minnesota Historical Society,
published in 1876. Speaking of the immigration of
1855, he says:

"Navigation opened on April 17th, the old favorite,
'War Eagle,' leading the van with 814 passengers.
The papers chronicled the immigration that spring as
unprecedented. Seven boats arrived in one day, each
having brought to Minnesota two hundred to six hun-
dred passengers. Most of these came through St. Paul
and diverged hence to other parts of the territory. It
was estimated by the packet company that they brought
thirty thousand immigrants into Minnesota that season.
Certainly 1855, 1856 and 1857 were the three great
years of immigration in our territorial days. Nothing
like it has ever been seen."

In the early fifties, the Mississippi up to, and even
for a long distance above, the Falls of St. Anthony was
navigable for steamboats. A fine boat, the "Ans.
Northrup," once penetrated as far as the Falls of Poke-
gama, where she was dismantled and her machinery
transported to the Red River of the North, and four or
five boats regularly navigated the stream above the falls.

The Minnesota river, during all the period of our
early history, and far into the sixties, was navigable for
large steamers up to Mankato, and in one instance, a
steamboat carrying a large cargo of Indian goods was
taken by Culver and Farrington, Indian traders, as far
5

66 History of Minnesota.

as the Yellow Medicine river, and into that river, so that
the goods were delivered at the agency, situated a few
miles above its mouth. I mention this fact because a
wonderful change has taken place in the watercourses
and lakes of the state in the past twenty odd years,
which I propose to account for on the only theory that
seems to me to meet the conditions. Up to about
twenty years ago, as soon as the ice went out of the
Minnesota river in the spring, it would rise until it over-
ran its banks and covered its bottoms for miles on each
side of its channel, and would continue capable of car-
rying large steamers until late in August. Since that
time it has rarely been out of its banks, and navigation
of its waters has entirely ceased. The same phenomenon
is observable in relation to many of our lakes. Hun-
dreds of the smaller ones have entirely dried up, and
most of the larger ones have become reduced in depth
several feet. The rainfall has not been lessened, but, if
anything, has increased. My explanation of the change
is, that in the advance of civilization, the water sheds or
basins of these rivers and lakes having been plowed up,
the rainfall which formerly found its way quickly into
the streams and lakes over the hard natural surface is
now absorbed into the soft and receptive ground, and is
returned by evaporation. This change is generally at-
tributed to the destruction of forests, but in this case
that cause has not progressed sufficiently to have pro-
duced the result, and our streams do not rise in moun-
tains.

The trend of immigration toward Minnesota encour-
aged the organization of transportation companies, by
boat and stage, for passengers and freight, and by 1856
it was one of the liveliest communities to be found any-
where, and, curious as it may seem, this era of prosperity
was the cause of Minnesota's first great calamity.

History of Minnesota. 67

The object of the immigrant is, always, the better-
ment of his condition. He leaves old communities,
where competition in all branches of industry is great,
in the hope of "getting in on the ground floor/' as we
used to say, when he arrived in a new country, and every
American, and, in fact, everybody else, wants to get rich
by head work instead of hand work, if he can. The bulk
of the immigration that first came to Minnesota re-
mained in the cities ; there was no agriculture worthy of
the name. I may say that we had nothing at all to sell.
and everything we needed to buy. I can remember
that as late as 1853, and even after, we imported hay in
bales from Dubuque to feed the horses of St. Paul,
when there were millions of tons of it growing in the
Minnesota valley, within a few miles of the city.

In the progress of emigration to the West, the terri-
tories have always presented the greatest attractions.
The settler expects to have a better choice of lands, and
at original government prices. Society and politics are
both in the formative condition, and very few emigrants
omit the latter consideration from their hopes and ex-
pectations. In fact, political preferment is a leading-
motive with many of them.

Under the influence of this great rush of immigra-
tion it is very natural that the prevailing idea should be
that lands would greatly increase in value in the near
future, and everybody became a speculator. Tov/ns and
cities sprang into existence like mushrooms in a night.
Scarcely anyone was to be seen without a town-site map
in his hands, the advantages and beauties of which ficti-
tious metropolis he was ready to present in the most elo-
quent terms. Everything useful was neglected, and
speculation was rampant. There were no banks of is-
sue, and all the money that was in the country' was bor-

68 History of Minnesota.

rowed in the East. In order to make borrowing easy,
the law placed no restrictions on the rate of interest, and
the usual terms were three per cent per month, with the
condition that if the principal was not paid at maturity,
the interest should be increased to five per cent per
month. Everybody was in debt on these ruinous terms ;
which, of course, could not last long before the inevita-
ble explosion. The price of lands, and especially town
lots, increased rapidly, and attained fabulous rates; in
fact, some real property in St. Paul sold in 1856 for more
mone}^ than it has ever since brought.

THE PANIC.

The bubble burst by the announcement of the failure
of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company, which
reached St. Paul on Aug. 24, 1857. The failure of this
financial institution precipitated a panic all over the
country. It happened just on the recurrence of the
twenty year period which has marked the pecuniary dis-
asters of the country, beginning with 1837. Its effects
on Minnesota were extremely disastrous. The eastern
creditors demanded their money, and the Minnesota
debtors paid as long as a dollar remained in the country,
and all means of borrowing more being cut ofif, a most
remarkable condition of things resulted. Cities like St.
Paul and St. Anthony, having a population of several
thousands each, were absolutely without money to carry
on the necessary commercial functions. A temporary
remedy was soon discovered, by every merchant and
shopkeeper issuing tickets marked "Good for one dollar
at my, store," and every fractional part of a dollar, down
to five cents. This device tided the people for a while,
but scarcely any business establishment in the territory
weathered the storm, and many people who had con-
sidered themselves beyond the chance of disaster were

History of Minnesota. 69

left without resources of any kind and hopelessly bank-
rupt. The distress was g'reat and universal, but it was
bravely met, and finally overcome.

Dreadful as this affliction was to almost everyone in
the territory, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
It compelled the people to abandon speculation, and
seek honest labor in the cultivation of the soil and the
development of the splendid resources that generous na-
ture had bestowed upon the country. Farms were
opened by the thousands, everybody went to work, and
in ten or a dozen years, Minnesota had a surplus of forty
millions of bushels of wheat with which to supply the
hungry world.

LAND TITLES.

All the lands of Minnesota were the property of the
United States, and title to them could only be obtained
through the regular methods of preemption, town-site
entry, public sales, or private entries. One event oc-
curred on Aug. 14, 1848, which illustrates so clearly the
way in which western men protect their rights that I
will relate it. The recognized price of public lands was
one dollar and a quarter per acre, and all pioneer set-
tlers were willing to pay that sum, but when a public
sale was made, any one could bid whatever he was will-
ing to pay. Under the administration of President
Polk, a public sale of lands was ordered to be made at
the land office at St. Croix Falls, of lands lying partly in
Minnesota and partly in Wisconsin. The lands adver-
tised for sale included those embraced in St. Paul and
St. Anthony. The settlers selected Henry H. Sibley as
their trustee, to buy their lands for them, to be con-
veyed to them subsequently. It was a high offense un-
der the United States laws to do any act that would tend

70 History of Minnesota.

to prevent persons bidding- at the sales. Mr. Sibley
appeared at the sale, and bid off every tract of land that
was occupied by an actual settler at the price of $1.25
per acre. The g-eneral, in a paper he read before the
Historical Society, says of this affair:

"I was selected by the actual settlers to bid off por-
tions of the land for them, and when the hour for busi-
ness arrived, my seat was universally surrounded by a
number of men with hug-e bludgeons. What was meant
by the proceeding, I could, of course, only surmise, but
I would not have envied the fate of the individual who
would have ventured to bid against me."

It has always been assumed in the far West, and I
think justly, that the pioneers who first settle the land
and give it value should enjoy every advantag^e that
flows from such priority, and the violation of laws that
impede such opportunity is a very venial offense. So
universal was the confidence reposed in Mr. Sibley, that
many of the French settlers, the title to whose lands be-
came vested in him, by his purchase at this sale, insisted
that it should remain in him, and he found it quite diffi-
cult in many cases to get them to accept deeds from him.

THE FIRST NEWSPAPER.

Although the first message of the governor went a
great way in introducing Minnesota to the world, she
was particularly fortunate in the establishment of her
first newspapers. The Stillwater convention of 1848.
of which I have spoken, first suggested to Dr. A. Ran-
dall, who was an attache of Dr. Owen's geological corps,
then engag-ed in a survey of this region by order of the
government, the necessity of a newspaper for the new
territory. He was possessed of the means and enter-
prise to accomplish the then rather difficult undertaking,

HisTCRY OF Minnesota. 71

and was promised ample support by leading men of the
territory. He returned to his home in Cincinnati in
the fall of 1848, intendino; to purchase the plant and start
the paper that year, but the navig-ation of the rivers
closed earlier than usual, and he was foiled in his at-
tempt. He. however, set up his press in Cincinnati,
and got out a number or two of his paper there. It was
then called the "Minnesota Register," and appeared as of
the date of April 27, 1849, ^^^ ^s printed in St. Paul.
It was in fact printed in Cincinnati about two weeks
earlier. It contained valuable articles from the pens of
H. H. Sibley and Henry M. Rice. These articles, added
to Mr. Randall's extensive knowledge of the country,
made the first issue a great local success. It was the
first Minnesota paper ever published, and bears date
just one day ahead of the Pioneer, subsequently pub-
lished by James M. Goodhue, which was actually printed
in the territory. Dr. Randall did not carry out his in-
tention, but was caught in the California vortex, and did
not return to Minnesota.

James M. Goodhue of Lancaster, Wis., who was
editing the Wisconsin Herald, when he heard of the or-
ganization of the new territory, immediately decided to
start a paper in St. Paul, and as soon as navigation
opened in the spring of 1849, he came up with his press
and type. He met with many difificulties and obstruc-
tions, necessarily incident to a new place in a venture
such as was his, but he succeeded in issuing the first
number of his paper on the twenty-eighth day of April,
1849. His first inclination was to call his paper the
"Epistle of St. Paul," but on sober reflection he was con-
vinced that the name might shock the religious sensi-
bilities of the community, especially as he did not pos-
sess many of the attributes of our patron saint, and he
decided to call his paper "The Minnesota Pioneer."

72 History of Minnesota.

In his first issue he speaks of his establishment of
that day, as follows:

"We print and issue this number of the Pioneer in a
building through which out-of-doors is visible by more
than five hundred apertures: and as for our type, it is
not safe from being pied on the galleys by the wind."
The rest can be imagined.

Mr. Goodhue was just the man to be the editor of
the first paper of a frontier territory. He was energetic,
enterprising, brilliant, bold and belligerent. He con-
ducted the Pioneer with great success and advantage to
the territory until the year i8qi. when he published an
article on Judge Cooper, censuring him for absenteeism,
which is a very good specimen of the editorial style of
that day. He called the judge "a. sot," "a brute." "an
ass," "a profligate vagabond." and closed his article in
the following language :

"Feeling some resentment for the wrongs our terri-
tory has so long suffered by these men, pressing upon us
like a dispensation of wrath, — a judgment — a curse — a
plague, unequalled since Egypt went lousy, — we sat
down to write this article with some bitterness, but our
very gall is honey to what they deserve."

In those fighting days, such an article could not fail
to produce a personal collision. A brother of Judge
Cooper resented the attack, and in the encounter be-
tween them, Goodhue was badly stabbed and Cooper
was shot. Neither wound proved fatal at the time, but
it was always asserted by the friends of each combatant,
and generally believed, that they both died from the ef-
fects of these wounds.

The original Minnesota Pioneer still lives in the Pio-
neer Press of to-day, which is published in St. Paul. It
has been continued under several names and edited by

History of Minnesota. 73

different men, but has never been extinguished or lost
its relation of lineal descendant from the original Pio-
neer.

Nothing tends to show the phenomenal growth of
Minnesota more than the fact that this first newspaper,
issued in 1849, has been followed by the publication of
579 papers, which is the number now issued in the state
according to the last ofBcial list obtainable. They ap-
pear daily, weekly and monthly, in nearly all written
languages, English, French, German, Swedish, Norwe-
gian, Danish, Bohemian, and one in Icelandic, published
in Lyon county.

BANKS.

With the first great increase in immigration business
was necessarily enlarged, and banking facilities became
a necessity. Dr. Charles W. Borup, a Danish gentle-
man, who was engaged in the fur trade at Lake Su-
perior as an agent for the American Fur Company, and
Mr. Charles H. Oakes, a native of Vermont, came to St.
Paul, and established a bank in 1853. They were broth-
ers-in-law, having married sisters. They did a private
banking business, under the name of Borup & Oakes,
which adapted itself to the needs of the community, in-
cluding real estate, and almost any other kind of venture
that offered. The house of Borup & Oakes was the
first banking establishment in Minnesota, and weathered
all the financial storms that swept over the territory in
its early history.

They were followed by Truman M. Smith, but he
went down in the panic of 1857-58. Then came Bid-
well's Exchange Bank, followed by C. H. Parker and A.
Vance Brown. Mackubin & Edgerton opened a bank
in 1854, which was the ancestor of the present Second

74 History of Minnesota.

National Bank, and always legitimate. I think Erastus
S. Edgerton may justly be said to have been the most
successful banker of all that were early engaged in the
business. An enumeration of the banks and bankers
which succeeded each other in these early times would
be more appropriate in a narrative of the localities where
they operated than in a general history of the state. It
is sufBcient to say that nearly all, if not all, of them suc-
cumbed to the financial disasters in 1857-58, and there
was no banking worthy of the name until the passage of
the banking law of July 26, 1858. But this act was a
mere makeshift to meet a financial emergency, and it
was not based upon sound financial principles. It al-
lowed the orp^anization of banks and the issue of circu-
lating bank notes upon securities that were capable of
being fraudulently overvalued by misrepresentation,
and, as a matter of course, advantage was taken of the
laxity of the provisions of the law, and securities which
had no intrinsic value in fact were made available as the
foundation of bank issues, with the inevitable result of
disaster.

Another method of furnishing the community with
a circulating medium was resorted to by a law of July
2^, 1858. The state auditor was authorized to issue his
warrants for any indebtedness which the state owed to
any person in small sums, and the warrants were made
to resemble bank notes, and bore twelve per cent
interest. The credit of the state was not sufficiently
well established in the public confidence to make these
warrants, which were known as "state scrip," worth
much over sixty-five or seventy cents on the dollar.
They were taken by the money changers at that valua-
tion, and when the state made its first loan of $250,000,
they were all redeemed in gold at par, with interest at
twelve per cent.

History of Minnesota. 75

In this uncertain way, the financial interests of the
territory were cared for until the breaking out of the
Civil War, and the establishment of the national and
state systems which still exist.

Another evidence of the growth of the state may be
found in the fact that at the present time the state has
within its Hmits banks in good standing as follows:
State banks, 172 in number, with a paid-in capital stock
of $6,736,800, and sixty-seven national banks, with a
capital stock paid in of $11,220,000. This statement
does not include either the surplus or the undivided
profits of these banks, nor the capital employed by pri-
vate banking concerns which do not fall under the su-
pervision of the state, which latter item can safely be es-
timated at $2,000,000.

THE FUR TRADE.

The first legitimate business of the territory was the
fur trade, and the carrying business resulting therefrom.
Prior to the year 1842 the Northwestern Fur Company
occupied the territory which is now Minnesota. In 1842
it sold out to, and was merged into, the American Fur
Company, which was owned by P. Choteau & Company.
This company had trading stations at Prairie du Chien
and Mendota, Henry H. Sibley being their chief factor
at the latter. The goods imported into the Red river
settlements and the furs exported therefrom all came
and went through the difficult and circuitous route by
way of Hudson Bay. This route was only navigable for
about two months in the year, on account of the ice.
The catch of furs and bufifalo robes in that region was
practically monopolized by the Hudson Bay Company.
The American Fur Company soon became well estab-
lished in the Northwest. In 1844 this company sent

76 History of Minnesota.

Mr. Norman \\'. Kittson from the Mendota outfit to es-
tablish a trading post at Pembina, just south of the Brit-
ish possessions, with the design of diverting some of the
fur trade of that region in the direction of the navigable
waters of the Mississippi. The company, through Mr.
Kittson, invested some $2,000 in furs at Pembina, and
had them transported to Mendota in six Pembina carts,
which returned loaded with merchandise of the charac-
ter needed by the people of that distant region. This
venture was the beginning of the fur trade with the Red
river country, but did not prove a financial success. It
entailed a loss of about $600, and similar results attended
the next two years' operations, but the trade increased,
notwithstanding the desperate efiforts of the Hudson
Bay Company to obstruct it. This company had en-
joyed a monopoly of the trade without any outside in-
terference for so long that it looked upon this new en-
terprise as a direct attack on its vested rights. But Mr.
Kittson had faith in being able in the near future to work
up a paying trade, and he persevered. By the year 1850
the business had so far increased as to involve a con-
sumption of goods to the extent of $10,000, with a re-
turn of furs to the amount of $15,000. Five years later
the goods sent to Pembina amounted in value to $24,-
000, and the return of furs to $40,000. In 1851 the firm
of Forbes & Kittson was organized, and also "The St.
Paul Outfit," to carry on the supply business. When
St. Paul became of some importance in 1849 the termi-
nus and supply depot was removed to that point, and the
trade rapidly increased in magnitude, and made St. Paul
one of the largest fur markets in America, second only
to St. Louis, the trade of which city consisted mostly
of bufifalo robes, which was always regarded as a distinct
branch of the business, in contrast with that of fine furs.

History of Minnesota. 77

In the early days the Indians and a few professional
trappers were about all who caught fur animals, but as
the country became more settled the squatters added to
their incomes by such trapping as their environments
afiforded, which increased the market at St. Paul by the
addition of all Minnesota, which then included both of
the Dakotas, and northern Wisconsin.

The extent and value of this trade can better be un-
derstood by a statement of the increase of the number of
carts engaged in it between 1844 and 1858. In the first
year mentioned six carts performed all the required
service, and in 1858 six hundred carts came from Pem-
bina to St. Paul. After the year 1858 the number of
carts engaged in the traffic fell off, as a steamer had
been put in operation on the Red river, which reduced
the land transportation to 216 miles, which had formerly
been 448 miles, J. C. & H. C. Burbank having estab-
lished a line of freight trains connecting with the steam-
er. In 1867, when the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad
reached St. Cloud, the caravans of carts ceased their
annual visits to St. Paul. St. Cloud then became the
terminus of the traffic, until the increase of freight lines
and the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad to
the Red river drove these most primitive of all transpor-
tation vehicles out of business. Another cause of the
decrease in the fur trade was the imposition of a duty of
twenty-five per cent on all dressed skins, which included
buffalo robes, and from that time on robes that formerly
came to St. Paul from the British possessions were di-
verted to Montreal.

The extent and value of this trade to Minnesota,
which was then in its infancy, can easily be judged by a
brief statement of its growth. In 1844 it amounted to
$1,400 and in 1863 to $250,000, All the money paid

78 History of Minnesota.

out for these furs, and large sums besides, would be ex-
pended in St. Paul for merchandise, in the shape of gro-
ceries, liquors, dry goods, blankets, household utensils,
guns and ammunition, and, in fact every article de-
manded by the needs of a primitive people. Even
threshers and mowers were included, which were taken
apart and loaded on the return carts. This trade was
the pioneer of the great commercial activity which now
prevails.

I cannot permit this opportunity to pass without de-
scribing the Red river cart, and the picturesque people
who used it. as their Hke will never be seen again. The
inhabitants of the Pembina country were principally
Chippewa half breeds, with an occasional white man,
prominently Joseph Rolette, of whom I shall hereafter
speak as the man who vetoed the capital removal bill,
by running away with it, in 1857. Their principal busi-
ness was hunting the buffalo, in connection with small
farming, and defending themselves against the invasions
of their hereditary enemies, the Sioux. They were a
bold, free race, skilled in the arts of Indian war, fine
horsemen, and good fighters.

The Red river cart was a home invention. It was
made entirely of wood and rawhide. It moved upon
two wheels, of about a diameter of five feet six inches,
with shafts for one animal, horse or ox, — generally the
latter. The wheels were without tires, and their tread
about three and a half or four inches wide. They would
carry a load of six to eight hundred pounds, which
would be protected by canvas covers. They were
especially adapted to the condition of the country, which
was largely interspersed with swamps and sloughs,
which were impassable for any other character of vehicle.
Their lightness, the width of the surface presented by

History of Minnesota. 79

the tread of the wheel and the careful steps of the edu-
cated animal which drew them, enabled them to go
where anything else would flounder. The trail which
they left upon the prairie was deeply cut, and remained
for many years after they were disused.

When a brigade of them was ready to leave from
Pembina for St. Paul, it would be manned by one driver
for four carts, the train being arranged in single file with
the animals hitched to the cart before them, so that one
driver could attend to that number of carts. Their
speed was about fifteen miles a day, which made the voy-
age last about a month. When night overtook them
they formed a circular corral with their carts, the shafts
pointing inward, with the camp in the center, which
made a strong fort in case of attack. The animals were
allowed to graze on the outside, but were carefully
watched to prevent a stampede. When they reached
St. Paul they went into camp near some lake, and were
a great source of interest to all the newcomers. During
their stay the town would be thronged with the men,
who were dressed in vari-colored costumes, always in-
cluding the sash of Pembina, a beautiful girdle, giving
them a most picturesque appearance. The only truth-
ful representation of these curious people that has been
preserved is found in two full length portraits of Joe
Rollette, one in the gallery of the Minnesota Historical
Society and the other on the walls of the Minnesota
Club, in St. Paul, both of which are the gift of a very
dear friend of the original.

During the progress of this peculiar traffic many
people not connected with the estabHshed fur compa-
nies, engaged in the Indian trade, prominently Culver
and Farrington, Louis Roberts, and Nathan Myrick. I
remember that Mr. John Farrington made an improve-

80 History of Minnesota.

ment in the construction of the Red river cart, by put-
ting an iron box in the hub of the wheel, which pre-
vented the loud squeaking noise they formerly made,
and so facilitated their movements that they carried a
thousand pounds as easily as they had before carried
eight hundred.

The early fur trade in the Northwest, carried on by
canoes and these carts, was very appropriately called by
one of our first historians of Minnesota, "The heroic age
of American commerce."

PEMMICAN.

One of the principal sources of subsistence of these
frontier people in their long journeys through unin-
habited regions was pemmican. This food was especial-
ly adapted to extreme northern countries, where in
the winter it was sometimes impossible to make fires to
cook with, and the means of transportation was by dog-
trains, as it was equally good for man and beast. It
was invented among the Hudson Bay people, many
years ago, and undoubtedly from necessity. It was
made in this way : The meat of the buffalo, without the
fat, was thoroughly boiled, and then picked into shreds
or very small pieces. A sack was made of bufifalo skin,
with the hair on the outside, which would hold about
ninety pounds of meat. A hole was then dug in the
ground of sufficient size to hold the sack. It was filled
with the meat thus prepared, which was packed and
pounded until it was as hard as it could be made. A
kettle of boiling hot bufifalo fat, in a fluid state, was then
poured into it, until it was thoroughly permeated, every
interstice from center to circumference being filled, un-
til it became a solid mass, perfectly impervious to the air,
and as well preserved against decomposition as if it had

History of Minnesota. 81

been enclosed in an hermetically sealed g"lass jar. Here
you had a most nutritious preparation of animal food,
all ready for use for both man and dog. An analysis of
this compound proved it to possess more nutriment to
the pound weight than any other substance ever manu-
factured, and with a winter camp appetite, it was a very
palatable dish. Its great superiority over any other kind
of food was its not requiring preparation and its porta-
bility.

TRANSPORTATION AND EXPRESS.

With the increase of trade and business naturally
came the need of greater transportation facilities, and
the men to furnish them were not wanting. John C.
Burbank of St. Paul may be said to have been the pio-
neer in that line, although several minor lines of stages
and ventures in the livery business preceded his efforts.
Willoughby & Powers. Allen & Chase, M. O. Walker
& Company of Chicago, and others, were early engaged
in this work. In 1854 the Northwestern Express Com-
pany was organized by Burbank & Whitney, and in
1856 Captain Russell Blakeley succeeded Mr. Whitney,
and the express business became well established in
Minnesota. In 1858-59 Mr. Burbank got the mail con-
tract down the river, and established an express line
from St. Paul to Galena, in connection with the A.meri-
can Express Company, whose lines extended to Galena
as its western terminus. Steamboats were used in sum-
mer and stages in winter. In the fall of 1859 the Min-
nesota Stage Company was formed by a consolidation
of the Burbank interests with those of Allen & Chase,
and the line extended up the Mississippi to St. Anthony
and Crow Wing. Other lines and interests were pur-
chased and united, and in the spring of i860 Col. John
6

82 History of ^Minnesota.

L. Merriam became a member of the firm, and for more
than seven years Messrs. Burbank, Blakeley & Merriam
constituted the firm and carried on the express and stage
business in Minnesota. This business increased rapidly,
and in 1865 this firm worked over seven hundred horses,
and employed two hundred men.

During- this staging period the railroads from the
East centered in Chicago, and gradually reached the
Mississippi river from that point ; first at Rock Island,
next at Dunleith, opposite Dubuque, then at Prairie du
Chien, next at Prairie La Crosse, — each advance carry-
ing them nearer Minnesota. The Prairie du Chien ex-
tension was continued across the river at McGregor in
Iowa, and thence up through Iowa and Southern Min-
nesota to Minneapolis and St. Paul. In 1872 the St.
Paul & Chicago Railroad was finished from St. Paul
down the west bank of the Mississippi to Winona and
was purchased by the Milwaukee & St. Paul Company,
and by that company was, in 1873, extended still further
down the river to La Crescent, opposite to La Crosse,
which completed the connection with the eastern trains.
This road was popularly known as the "River Road."
Various other railroads were soon completed, covering
the needs of the settled part of the state, and the princi-
pal stage lines either withdrew to the westward, or gave
up their business.

The growth in the carrying line has since become im-
mense throughout the state, and may be judged when
I say that there are now five strong daily lines to Chi-
cago, the Burlington, the Omaha, the Milwaukee, the
Wisconsin Central and the Chicago Great Western, and
three transcontinental lines departing daily for the Pa-
cific Coast, the Northern Pacific, the Great Northern
and the Sault Ste. Marie (connecting with the Canadian

History of Minnesota. 83

Pacific). Besides these prominent trains, there are in-
numerable lesser ones connecting with nearly every part
of the state. More passenger trains arrive at, and de-
part from, the St. Paul Union Depot than at any other
point in the state. They aggregate 104 in, and the same
number out every day. Many — perhaps the most — of
these trains go to Minneapolis. The freight trains pass-
ing these points are, of course, less regular in their
movements than the scheduled passenger trains, but
their number is great, and their cargoes of incalculable
value.

LUMBER.

A large portion of Minnesota is covered with excep-
tionally fine timber. The northern section, traversed
by the Mississippi and its numerous branches, the St.
Croix, the St. Louis, and other streams, was covered
with a growth of white and Norway pine of great value,
and a large area of its central western portion with hard
timber. At a very early day in the history' of our state
these forests attracted the attention of lumbermen from
different parts of the country, principally from Maine,
who erected sawmills at the Falls of St. Anthony, Still-
water and other points, and began the cutting of logs
to supply them. Nearly all the streams were navigable
for logs, or were easily made so, and thus one of the
great industries of the state had its beginning. Quite
an amount of lumber was manufactured at Minneapolis
in the fifties, but no official record of the amounts were
kept until 1870. An estimate of the standing pine in
the state was made by the United States government for
the census of 1880, which was designed to include all
the standing pine on the streams leading into the Mis-
sissippi, the Rainy Lake river, the St. Croix, and the

84 History of Minnesota.

head of Lake Superior; in fact, the whole state. The
estimate was 10,000,000,000 feet. When this estimate
was made, it was accepted by the best informed kimber-
men as approximately correct. The mills at Minneapo-
lis and above, in the St. Croix valley, and in what was
called the Duluth district, were cutting about 500,000,-
000 feet a year. It was expected that there would be
a gradual increase in the consumption of lumber made
by Minnesota mills, and it was therefore estimated that
in about fifteen years, all the white pine in the state
would be cut into lumber and sold; but such has not
proved to be the case, although the production has rap-
idly increased as was expected. But this difference be-
tween the estimate and the result is not of much conse-
quence, as there is nothing more unreliable than an esti-
mate of standing timber, and especially is such the case
when covering a large area of country. Since 1880 the
production of lumber in the state has increased from
year to year, until it is at the present time fully 1,629,-
110,000 feet of pine logs every year. The cut made by
the Minneapolis mills alone in 1898 was 469,701,000
feet, with a corresponding amount of laths and shin-
gles. But this pace cannot be kept up much longer,
and apprehensions of the entire destruction of the forests
of the state are becoming quite prevalent among the
people. These fears are taking the shape of associations
for the promotion of scientific forestry, and the estab-
lishment of large forest reserves near the headwaters of
our streams, which are to serve also the purpose of na-
tional parks. In assigning a cause for the lowering of
our streams, and the drying up of many of our lakes,
in a former part of this work, I attribute it to the plow-
ing up of their valleys and watersheds, and not to the de-
struction of the forests, because I do not think that the

History of Minnesota. 85

latter reason has sufficiently progressed to produce the
result, although it is well known that the destruction of
growing timber about the head Avaters of streams oper-
ates disastrously upon the volume of their waters and
the regularity of its flow. Minnesota is the best watered
state in the Union, and every precaution should he taken
to maintain this advantage. From the extent of the in-
terest displayed in the direction of forest reserves and
their scientific administration, we have every reason to
hope for speedy and final success. The state and inter-
state parks already established will be noticed hereafter.

RELIGION.

The growth of the religious element of a new coun-
try is always one of its interesting features, and I will en-
deavor to give a short account of the progress made in
this line in Minnesota from the mission period, which
was directed more particularly to the Christianizing of
the Indians. I will begin with the first structure ever
erected in the state, designed for religious purposes. It
was a very small beginning for the prodigious results
that have followed it. I speak of the little log "Chapel
of Saint Paul," built by the Rev. Lucian Galtier, in Oc-
tober, 1 84 1, in what is now the city of St. Paul.

Father Galtier was a French priest of the Church of
Rome. He was sent by the ecclesiastic authorities of
Dubuque to the Upper Mississippi country, and arrived
at Fort Snelling in April, 1840, and settled at St. Peters
(now Mendota), where he soon tired of inaction, and
sought a larger field among the settlers who had found
homes further down the river, in the neighborhood of
the present St. Paul. He decided that he could facih-
tate his labors by erecting a church at some point acces-
sible to his parishioners. Here he found Joseph Rondo,

86 History of Minnesota.

Edward Phalen, Vetal Guerin, Pierre Bottineau, the
Gervais Brothers, and a few others. The settlers en-
couraged the idea of building a church, and a question
of much importance arose as to where it should be
placed. I will let the good father tell his own story as
to the selection of a site. In an account of this matter,
which he prepared for Bishop Grace in 1864, he says:

"Three different points were offered, one called La
Pointe Basse, or Pointe La Claire (now Pig's Eye) ; but
I objected because that locality was the very extreme
end of the new settlement, and in high water, was ex-
posed to inundation. The idea of building a church
which might at any day be swept down the river to St.
Louis did not please me. Two miles and a half further
up, on his elevated claim (now the southern point of
Dayton's Bluff), Mr. Charles Mouseau offered me an
acre of his ground, but the place did not suit my pur-
pose. I was truly looking ahead, thinking of the fu-
ture as well as the present. Steamboats could not stop
there; the bank was too stecD, the place on the summit
of the hill too restricted, and communication difficult
with the other parts of the settlement up and down the
river.

"After mature reflection, I resolved to put up the
church at the nearest possible point to the cave, because
it would be more convenient for me to cross the river
there when coming from St. Peters, and because it
would be also the nearest point to the head of naviga-
tion, outside of the reservation line. Mr, B. Gervais
and Mr. Vetal Guerin, two good, quiet farmers, had the
only spot which appeared likely to answer the purpose.
They consented jointly to give me the ground necessarx'
for a church site, a garden and a small graveyard. I
accepted the extreme eastern nart of Mr. Vetal's claim.

History of Minnesota. 87

and the extreme west of Mr. Gervais'. According-ly, in
the month of October, 1841, logs were prepared and a
church erected, so poor that it well reminded one of the
stable of Bethlehem. It was destined, however, to be the
nucleus of a great city. On the first day of November,
in the same year, I blessed the new basilica,a.nd dedicated
it to Saint Paul, the apostle of nations. I expressed a wish,
at the same time, that the settlement would be known
by the same name, and my desire was obtained. I had,
previously to this time, fixed my residence at St. Peters,
and as the name of Paul is generally connected with that
of Peter, and the Gentiles being well represented at the
new place in the persons of Indians, I called it St. Paul.
The name "Saint Paul," appUed to a town or city
seemed appropriate. The monosyllable is short, sounds
well, and is understood by all denominations of Christi-
ans. When Mr, Vetal was married, I published the
banns as those of a resident of St. Paul. A Mr. Jackson
put up a store, and a grocery was opened at the foot of
Gervais' claim. This soon brought steamboats to land
there. Thenceforth the place was known as 'Saint Paul
Landing,' and later on as Saint Paul."

The chapel was a small log structure — one story
high, one door, and no windows in front, with two win-
dows on each side, and one in the rear end. It had on
the front gable end a large wooden cross, which pro-
jected above the peak of the roof some six or eight feet.
It occupied a conspicuous position, on the top of the
high bluff overlooking the Mississippi, some six or eight
hundred feet below the point where the Wabasha street
bridge now spans the river, I think, between Minnesota
and Cedar streets.

The region thus named was formerly known by the
appellation of "Pig's Eye," The state owes Father

88 History of Minnesota.

Galtier a debt of gratitude for having changed it. as it
seems impossible that the capital city could ever have at-
tained its present majestic proportions, numerous and
cultivated population, and many other advantages and
attractions, under the handicap of such a name.

In the first New Year's address ever printed in Min-
nesota, on Jan. i, 1850, supposed to be by Editor Good-
hue, the following lines appeared :

"Pig's Eye, converted thou shall be, like Saul:
Arise, and be, henceforth, SAINT PAUL."

Father Galtier died Feb. 21, 1866.

The chapel of Saint Paul, after having been the first
to greet all newcomers by way of the Mississippi for fif-
teen years, was taken down in 1856.

The next representative of the Catholic church to
come to Minnesota was the Rev. Augustin Ravonx, who
arrived in the fall of 1841. He went up the St. Peter's
river to Traverse des Sioux, where he commenced the
study of the Sioux language. Soon after he went to Lit-
tle Rock, on the St. Peters, and thence to Lac qui Parle.
After the removal of Father Galtier to Keokuk, in Iowa,
he had under his charge, Mendota, St. Paul, Lake Pepin
and St. Croix, until the second day of July, 1851, when
the Right Reverend Bishop Cretin came to St. Paul,
and assumed charge of church matters in Minnesota.
Father Ravoux is still living in St. Paul at the advanced
age of eighty-five years. His venerable and priestly
form may often be seen upon the streets, in excellent
health. I

At the time of the coming of Father Galtier the
country on the east side of the Mississippi, in what is
now Minnesota, was under the direct jurisdiction of the
Bishop of Milwaukee, and the part lying west of the
river was in the diocese of Dubuque. 1

History of Minnesota. 89

The growth of the church kept up with the rapid set-
tlement of the country. In August, 1859, the Right
Reverend Thomas L. Grace succeeded Bishop Cretin as
bishop of St. Paul, and was himself succeeded by the
Right Reverend John Ireland, in July, 1884. So im-
portant had Minnesota become to the Catholic Church
in America that, in May of 1888, the see of St. Paul was
raised to metropoHtan dignity and Archbishop Ireland
was made its first Archbishop, which high office he now
holds.

I will not attempt even a short biography of Arch-
bishop Ireland. His fame is world-wide ; he is a church-
man, statesman, diplomat, orator, citizen and patriot, —
in each of which capacities he excels. He has carried the
fame of Minnesota to all parts of the world where the
Church is known, and has demonstrated to the Pope in
Rome, to the Catholics in France, and to the Protestants
in America that there can be perfect consistency and
harmony between Catholicism and republican govern-
ment. A history of Minnesota without a fitting tribute
to Archbishop John Ireland would be incomplete indeed.

The representatives of the Protestant faith have not
been behind their Catholic brethern in providing re-
ligious facilities for their adherents. They followed im-
migration closely, and sometimes accompanied it.
Scarcely would an aggregation of people congregate at
any one point in sufficient numbers to gain the name of
a village, or a settlement, before a minister would be
called and a church erected. The church went hand in
hand with the schoolhouse, and in many instances one
building answered for both purposes. There came
Lutherans from Germany and Scandinavia, Episcopali-
ans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Cal-
vinists. UniVersalists, Unitarians, and every sect into

90 History of Minnesota.

which Protestantism is divided, from New England and
other Eastern States. They all found room and encour-
agement, and dwelt in harmony. I can safely say, that
few Western States have been peopled by such law-
abiding, industrious, moral and religious inhabitants as
were the first settlers of Minnesota. There was nothing
to attract the ruffianly element, — no gold, silver, or
other mines ; the chief industry being peaceful agricul-
ture. So free from all disturbing or dangerous elements
did we consider our territory that I have on several oc-
casions taken a wagon loaded with specie, amounting
to nearly one hundred thousand dollars, from St. Paul
to the Indian agencies at the Redwood and Yellow Med-
icine rivers, a distance of two hundred miles, through a
very sparsely settled country, without any guard except
myself and driver, with possibly an Indian picked up on
the road, when I was entitled to a squad of dragoons for
the asking.

In the early days the Episcopal Church in Minnesota
was within the diocese of Wisconsin, and its functions
administered by the venerable Bishop Kemper, who oc-
casionally made us a visit, but in 1859 the church had
expanded to such an extent that the state was organized
into a separate diocese, and the Rev. Henry B. Whip-
ple, then rector of a church in Chicago, was elected
bishop of Minnesota, and still retains that high office.
Bishop Whipple, by his energy, learning, goodness and
universal popularity, has built up his church in this state
to a standard surpassed by none in the respect in which
it is held and the influence for good which it exerts.
The official duties of the bishop have been so enlarged
by the growth of his church as to necessitate the ap-
pointment of a bishop coadjutor to assist him in their
performance, which latter office is filled by the Rev.

History of Minnesota. 91

Mahlon N, Gilbert, who is especially well qualified for
the position.*

It would be impossible in a brief history like this to
go very deeply or particularly into the growth of the
religious element of the state. A general presentation
of the subject in two grand divisions, Catholic and
Protestant, is enough. SufBce it to say, that every sect
and subdivision of the latter has its representative in the
state, w'ith the one exception of Mormonism, if that can
be classified as a Protestant church. There are enough
of them to recall the answer of the French traveler in
America, when asked of his opinion of the Americans.
He said : "They are a most remarkable people ; they
have invented three hundred religions and only one
sauce." No matter how their creeds may be criticised,
their joint efforts, Catholic and Protestant, have filled
the state with religious, charitable, benevolent and edu-
cational institutions to an extent rarely witnessed out of
it, so that if a Minnesotan g-oes wrong, he can blame no
one but himself.

RAILROADS.

In the year 1857, on the third day of March, the con-
gress of the United States made an extensive grant of
lands to the territory to aid in the construction of rail-
roads. It consisted of every alternate section of land,
designated by odd numbers, for six sections in width,
on each side of the roads specified, and their branches.
The grant mapped out a complete system of roads for
the territory, and provided that the land granted for each
road should be applied exclusively to such road, and no
other purpose whatever. The lines designated in the
granting act were as follows: '

*Bishop Gilbert died within a few months.

92 History op Minnesota.

From Stillwater, by the way of St. Paul and St. An-
thony to a point between the foot of Big Stone lake and
the mouth of the Sioux Wood river, with a branch via
St. Cloud and Crow Wing to the navigable waters of the
Red River of the North, at such point as the legislature
of the territory may determine.

From St. Paul and from St. Anthony via Minneapo-
lis to a convenient point of junction west of the Missis-
sippi to the southern boundary of the territory, in the
direction of the mouth of the Big Sioux river, with a
branch via Faribault to the north line of the state of
Iowa, west of range i6.

From Winona via St. Peter to a point on the Big
Sioux river, south of the forty-fifth parallel of north lati-
tude.

Also from La Crescent via Target lake up the valley
of the Root river, to a point east of range 1 7.

The territory or future state was authorized to sell
one hundred and twenty sections of this land whenever
twenty continuous miles of any of the roads or branches
was completed. — the land so sold to be contiguous to
the completed road. The right of way or road bed of
any of the subsidized roads was also' granted through
any of the government lands. The roads were all to be
completed within ten years, and if any of them were not
finished by that time the lands applicable to the unfin-
ished portions were to revert to the government. The
lands granted by this act amounted to about 4.500,000
acres. An act was subsequently passed on March 2,
1865, increasing the grant to ten sections to the mile.
Various other grants were made at different times, but
they do not bear upon the subject I am about to present.

This grant came at a time of great financial depres-
sion, and when the territory was about to change its de-
pendent condition for that of a sovereign state in the

History of Minnesota. 93

Union. It was greeted as a means of relief that might
lift the territory out of its financial troubles, and insure
its immediate prosperity. The people did not take into
consideration the fact that the lands embraced in the
grant, although as good as any in the world, were re-
mote from the habitation of man, lying in a country ab-
solutely bankrupt, and possessing no present value what-
ever. Nor did they consider that the whole country
was laboring under such financial depression that all
public enterprises were paralyzed ; but such was, unfor-
tunately, the monetary and business condition.

On the twenty-third of February, 1857, an act had
passed the congress of the United States authorizing
the people of Minnesota to form a constitution prepara-
tory to becoming a state in the Union. Gen. Willis A.
Gorman, who was then governor of the territory, called
a special session of the legislature to take into considera-
tion measures to carry out the land grant and enabling
acts. The extra session convened on April 27th. In
the meantime Governor Gorman's term of office had ex-
pired, and Samuel Medary of Ohio had been appointed
as his successor, and had assumed the duties of his of-
fice. He opened the extra session with an appropriate
message. The extra session adjourned on the 23d of
May. and in accordance with the provisions of the en-
abling act of congress, an election was held on the first
Monday in June for delegates to a constitutional con-
vention, which was to assemble at the capitol on the sec-
ond Monday in July. The constitutional convention is
an event in the history of Minnesota sufftciently impor-
tant and unique to entitle it to special treatment, which
will be given hereafter.

An act was passed at the extra session, on the 19th
day of May, 1857, by which the grant of lands made to

94 History o-p Minnesota.

the territor}^ was formally accepted, "upon the terms»
conditions and restrictions" contained in the granting
act.

On the twenty-second day of May, at the extra ses-
sion, an act was passed to execute the trust created by
the land grant act, by which a number of railroad com-
panies were incorporated to construct roads on the lines
indicated by the act of congress, and to aid in the build-
ing of these roads, and the lands applicable to each were
granted to it. The companies were to receive title to
the lands as the construction progressed, as provided in
the granting act. They also had conferred upon them
powers to issue bonds, in the discretion of the directors,
and to mortgage their roads and franchise to secure
them.

These railroad companies were organized upon the
hope that the aid extended to them by the grants of land
would enable them to raise money sufficient to build
their several roads. They had nothing of their own, and
no security but the roads and lands upon which to nego-
tiate loans. The times, and the novel idea of building
railroads in unpeopled countries, were all against them,
and, of course, nothing could be done.

The constitutional convention met and framed an in-
strument for the fundamental law of the new state which
was very conservative, and, among other things, con-
tained the following clause, which was enacted in section
5 of article IX. :

"For the purpose of defraying extraordinary ex-
penses the state may contract debts, but such debts shall
never in the aggregate exceed two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars." And another clause found in section
ID, which is as follows: "The credit of the state shall
never be given or loaned in aid of any individual, asso-
ciation or corporation."

History of Minnesota. 95

It was the intention of the framers of the constitu-
tion to prevent the legislature from ever using the credit
or funds of the state in aid of any private enterprise, and
these provisions effectually accomplished that end.

The people were deeply disappointed when they be-
came convinced that the roads could not be built with
the aid that congress had extended, and as this work
was also looked upon as the only hope of financial relief.
the case became a desperate one, which could only be
remedied by the most extreme measures. The promo-
ters of the railroads soon discovered one, in an amend-
ment of the section of the constitution which prohibited
the credit of the state being given or loaned to anyone,
and at the first session of the first legislature, which con-
vened on Dec. 3, 1857, an act was passed proposing such
amendment, to be submitted to the people for ratifi-
cation. The importance of this amendment, and its ef-
fect and consequences upon the future of the state, de-
mands that I give it nearly in full. It changed section
10 as it was originally passed, and made it read as fol-
lows:

"Section 10. The credit of that state shall never be
given or loaned in aid of any individual association or
corporation, except that, for the purpose of expediting
the construction of the lines of railroads, in aid of which
the congress of the United States has granted lands to
the Territory of Minnesota, the governor shall cause to
be issued and dehvered to each of the companies in
which said grants are vested by the legislative assembly
of Minnesota the special bonds of the state, bearing an
interest of seven per cent per annum, payable semi-an-
nually in the city of New York, as a loan of public credit.
to an amount not exceeding twelve hundred and fifty
thousand dollars, or an aggregate amount to all of said

96 History of Minnesota.

companies not exceeding five millions of dollars, in man-
ner following, to-wit:"

The amendment then prescribes that, whenever ten
miles of railroad was graded so as to be ready for the
superstructure, it should receive $100,000 of the bonds,
and when ten miles should be completed with the cars
running, the company so completing should receive an-
other $100,000 of the bonds until each company had re-
ceived its quota. The bonds were to be denominated
"State Railroad Bonds," for the payment of which the
faith and credit of the state was to be pledf^ed. The
railroad companies were to pay the principal and inter-
est of the bonds, and to secure such payment they were
to pledge the net profits of their respective roads, and to
convey to the state the first two hundred and forty sec-
tions of land they received, and to deliver to the state
treasurer an amount of their first mortgage bonds equal
to the amount of bonds received by them from the state,
and mortgage to the state their roads and franchises.
This was all the security the companies could give, but
the underlying difficulty was that it had no value what-
ever. There were no roads, no net or other profits.
The lands had no value whatever except such as lay in
the future, which was dependent on the construction of
the roads and the settlement of the country. The bonds
of the companies, of course, possessed only such value as
the property they represented, which was nothing, and
the mortgages were of the same character. The whole
scheme was based upon hopes, which the slightest ap-
plication of sober reasoning would have pronounced im-
possible of fulfillment. But the country was hungry,
and wilhng to seize upon anything that offered a sem-
blance or shadow of relief.

The proposed amendment was to be submitted to the

History of Minnesota. 97

people for adoption or rejection, at an election to be held
on the fifteenth day of April, 1858. In order to fully
comprehend the condition of the public mind, it should
be known that the constitution, with all the safeguards
that I have mentioned, had only been in force since Oct.
13, 1857, a period of about six months, and had been
carried by a vote of 30,055 for to 571 against its adop-
tion.

The campaign preceding the election was a very ac-
tive one. The railroad people flooded the state with
speakers, documents, pictures, glee clubs singing songs
of the delights of "Riding on the Rail," and every con-
ceivable artifice was resorted to to carry the amendment.
It was carried by a vote of 25,023 in favor of its passage,
to 6,733 against.

To give an idea of the intense feeling that was ex-
hibited in this election, it is only necessary to state that
at the city of Winona there were 1,102 votes cast in favor
of the amendment and only one vote against it. This
negative vote, to his eternal honor be it said, was cast by
Thomas Wilson, afterwards chief justice of the state, and
now a citizen of St. Paul.

In the execution of the requirements of the amend-
ment, the railroad companies claimed that they could is-
sue first mortgage bonds on their properties to an indefi-
nite amount and exchange them with the state for its
bonds, bond for bond, but the governor, who was Hon.
Henry H. Sibley, construed the amendment to mean
that the first mortgage bonds of the companies which
the state was to receive must be an exclusive first lien
on the lands and franchises of the company. He there-
fore declined to issue the bonds of the state unless his
views were adopted. The Minnesota & Pacific Railroad
Company, one of the land grant corporations, applied to

98 History of Minnesota.

the supreme court of the state for a writ of mandamus,
to compel the governor to issue the bonds. The case
was heard, and two members of the court holding the
views of the applicants, the writ was issued. I was a
member of the court at that time, but entertaining op-
posite views from the majority, I filed a dissenting opin-
ion. Anyone sufficiently interested in the question can
find the case reported in Volume II. of the Minnesota
Reports, at page 13. This decision was only to be ad-
visory, as the courts have no power to coerce the execu-
tive.

The railroad companies entered into contracts for
grading their roads, and a sufficient amount of grading
was done to entitle them to about $2,300,000 of the
bonds, which were issued accordingly, and went into
the hands of the contractors to pay for the work done.
It, however, soon became apparent that no completed
railroad would ever result from this scheme, even if the
whole five millions of bonds were issued. What should
have been known before was made clear when any of
these state bonds were put on the market. The credit
of the state was worthless, and the bonds were valueless.
The people became as anxious to shake ofif the incubus
of debt they had imposed upon their infant state as they
had been to rush into it.

Governor Sibley, in his message, delivered to the
second legislature in December, 1859. said, in speaking
of this issue of bonds :

"I regret to be obliged to state that the measure has
proved a failure, and has by no means accomplished what
was hoped for it, either in providing means for the issue
of a safe currency, or of aiding the companies in the com-
pletion of the roads." >

At the election, held on Nov. 6, i860, the constitu-

History of Minnesota. 99

tion was again amended, by expunging from it the
amendment of 1858 authorizing the issue of the state
railroad bonds, and prohibiting any further issue of
them. An amendment was also made to section 2 of
Article IX. of the constitution at the same time, by pro-
viding that no law levying a tax, or making any other
provisions for the payment of interest or principal of
the bonds already issued, should take effect or be in
force until it had been submitted to the people, and
adopted by a majority of the electors.

It was very proper to prohibit the issuance of any
more of the bonds, but the provision requiring a vote
of the people before those already out could be paid was
practically repudiation, and the state labored under that
damaging stigma for over twenty years. Attempts were
made to obtain the sanction of the people for the pay-
ment of these bonds, but they were defeated, until it be-
came unpleasant to admit that one was a resident of
Minnesota. Whenever the name of Minnesota was
heard on the floor of congress as an applicant for favors,
or even for justice, it was met by the charge of repudia-
tion. This was an era in our history very much to be
regretted, but the state grew steadily in material wealth.

On March 2, 1881, the legislature passed an act, the
general purpose of which was to adjust, with the con-
sent of the holders, the outstanding bonds, at the rate
of fifty cents on the dollar, and contained the curious
provision that the supreme court should decide whether
it must first be submitted to the people in order to be
valid or not, and if the supreme court should not so de-
cide, then an equal number of the judges of the district
court should act. The supreme court judges declined
to act, and the governor called upon the district court
judges to assume the duty. Before any action was taken

100 History op Minnesota.

by the latter, the attorney general applied to the su-
preme court for a writ of prohibition to prevent them
from taking any action. The case was most elaborately
discussed, and the opinion of the supreme court was de-
livered by Chief Justice Gilfillan, which is most exhaus-
tive and convincing. The court holds that the act of
1881 is void, by conferring upon the judiciary legislative
power, and that the amendment to the constitution pro-
viding that no bonds should be paid unless the law au-
thorizing such payment was first submitted to and
adopted by the people was void, as being repugnant to
the clause in the constitution of the United States, that
no state shall pass any law impairing the obligation of
contracts. With these impediments to a just settlement
of this question removed, the state was at liberty to make
such arrangements with its bond creditors as was satis-
factory. John S. Pillsbury was governor at that time.
He had always been in favor of paying the bonds, and
removing the stain from the honor of the state, and find-
ing his hands free, it did not take him long to arrange
the whole matter satisfactorily, and to the approval of all
the parties. The debt was paid by the issue of new bonds,
at the rate of fifty per cent of the principal and interest of
the outstanding ones and the surrender of the latter.
This adjustment ended a transaction that was conceived
and executed in folly, and was only prevented from
eventuating in crime by the persistent efiforts of our most
honorable and thoughtful citizens throughout the state.
The transaction has often been called by those who ad-
vocated repudiation, "An old Territorial fraud," but
there was nothing in it but a bad bargain, made under
the extraordinary pressure of financial difificulties.

History of Minnesota. 101

the first railroad actually built.

The state was restored to all the lands and franchises
of the various companies by means of foreclosure, and on
March 8, 1861, passed an act to facilitate the construc-
tion of the Minnesota & Pacific Railroad, by which act
the old railroad was rehabilitated, and required to con-
struct and put in operation its road from St. Paul to St.
Anthony on or before the first da^^ of January, 1862.
The company was required to deposit with the governor
$10,000 as an earnest of good faith. Work was soon
commenced, and the first ten miles constructed as re-
quired. This was the first railroad ever built and oper-
ated in Minnesota. The first locomotive engine was
brought up the river on a barge, and landed at the St.
Paul end of the track in the latter part of October, 1861.
This pioneer locomotive was called the "William
Crooks," after an engineer of that name who was very
active and instrumental in the building of the road.
This first ten miles of road cost more energy and brain
work than all the rest of the vast system that has suc-
ceeded it. It was the initial step in what is now known
as the Great Northern Railway, a road that spans the
continent from St. Paul to the Pacific, and reflects upon
its enterprising builders all the credit due to the pioneer.

It was not long before the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company was incorporated by act of congress, passed
on July 2, 1864. This road was to extend from the head
of Lake Superior to Puget Sound, on a line north of the
forty-fifth degree of north latitude, with a branch via
the valley of the Columbia river to Portland, Ore. The
company had a grant of land of twenty alternate sections
through the states. It was commenced shortly after its
incorporation, but met with financial disaster, and was
sold under foreclosure of a mortgage, and underwent

102 History of Minnesota.

many trials and tribulations, until it was finally com-
pleted on the eig-hth day of September, in the year 1883,
and has been in successful operation ever since. As the
Northern Pacific has its eastern terminus and general
offices in St. Paul, it is essentially a Minnesota road.
The same may be said of the Great Northern, although
both are transcontinental roads.

From the small beginning- of railroad construction in
1862 have grown thirty-seven distinct railroad corpora-
tions, operating in the state of Minnesota 6,062.69 miles
of main tracks, according to the official reports of 1898,
with quite a substantial addition in course of construc-
tion. These various lines cover and render accessible
nearly every city, town and village in the state.

The method of taxation of railroad property adopted
by the state is a very wise and just one. It iniDOses a
tax of three per cent upon the gross earnings of the
roads, which, in 1896, yielded the comfortable sum of
$1,037,194.40, the gross earnings of all amounting to
$36,918,741,71. This plan of taxation gives the state a
direct interest in the prosperity of the roads, as its taxes
are increased when business is good and the roads are re-
lieved from oppressive taxation in time of business de-
pression. '>

The grading which was done and for which the bonds
of the state were issued was, as a general thing, utilized
in the final construction of the roads.

THE SPIRIT LAKE MASSACRE.

In 1842 the country north of Iowa and west of the
Mississippi as far north as the Little Rapids, on the Min-
nesota river, was occupied by the M'day-wa-kon-ton and
Wak-pe-ku-ta bands of Sioux. The Wak-pe-ku-ta band
was at war with the Sacs and Foxes, and was under the

History op Minnesota. 1(j3

leadership of two principal chiefs, named Wam-di-sapa
(the "Black Eagle") and Ta-sa-gi. Wam-di-sapa and
his band were a lawless, predatory set, whose depreda-
tions prolonged the war with the Sacs and Foxes, and
finally separated him and his band from the Wak-pe-ku-
tas. They moved west towards the Missouri, and occu-
pied the valley of the Vermillion river, and so thorough
was the separation that the band was not regarded as
part of the Wak-pe-ku-ta when the latter, together with
the M'day-wa-kon-tons, made their treaty with the gov-
ernment at Mendota in 1851.

By 1857 all that remained of Wam-di-sapa's strag-
gling band was about ten or fifteen lodges under the
chieftainship of Ink-pa-du-ta, or the "Scarlet Point," or
the "Red End." They had planted near Spirit lake,
w^hich lies partly in Dickinson county, Iowa, and partly
in Jackson county, Minnesota, prior to 1857, and ranged
the country from there to the Missouri, and were con-
sidered a bad lot of vagabonds.

Between 1855 and 1857 a small settlement had
sprung up about forty miles south of Spirit lake, on the
In-yan-yan-ke or Rock river. ;

In the spring of 1856 Hon. William Freeborn of Red
Wing (after whom the county of Freeborn in this state
is called) had projected a settlement at Spirit lake, which,
by the next spring, contained six or seven houses, with
as many families. '.

About the same time another settlement was started
some ten or fifteen miles north of Spirit lake, on the
head waters of the Des Moines, and a town laid out
which was called Springfield. In the spring of 1857
there were two stores and several families at this place.

These settlements were on the extreme frontier, and
very much isolated. There was nothing to the west of

104 History of Minnesota.

them until you reached the Rocky Mountains, and the
nearest settlements on the north and northeast were on
the Minnesota and Watonwan rivers, while to the south
lay the small settlement on the Rock river, about forty
miles distant. All these settlements, although on ceded
lands, were actually in the heart of the Indian country,
and absolutely unprotected and defenseless.

In 1857 I was United States Indian agent for the
Sioux of the Mississippi, but had lived on the frontier
long enough before to have acquired a general knowl-
edge of Ink-pa-du-ta's reputation and his whereabouts.
I was stationed on the Redwood and Yellow Medicine
rivers, near where they empty into the Minnesota, and
about eighty miles from Spirit lake.

Early in March, 1857, Ink-pa-du-ta's band was hunt-
ing in the neighborhood of the settlement on the Rock
river, and one of them was bitten by a dog belonging to
a white man. The Indian killed the dog. The owner
of the dog assaulted the Indian, and beat him severely.
The white men then went in a body to the camp
of the Indians and disarmed them. The arms were
either returned to them or they obtained others, I have
have never ascertained which. They were probably
given back to them on condition that they should leave,
as they at once came north to Spirit lake, where they
must have arrived about the 6th or 7th of March. They
proceeded at once to massacre the settlers, and killed all
the men they found there, together with some women,
and carried into captivity four women, three of whom
were married and one single. Their names were Mrs.
Noble, Mrs. Marble, Mrs. Thatcher and Miss Gardner.
They came north to the Springfield settlement, where
they killed all the people they found. The total number
killed at both places was forty-two.

History op Minnesota. 105

I was the first person to receive notice of this affair.
On the 9th of March a Mr. Morris Markham, who had
been absent from the Spirit lake settlement for some
time, returned, and found all the people dead or miss-
ing-. vSeeing signs of Indians, he took it for granted that
they had prepetrated the outrage. He at once went to
Springfield, and reported what he had seen. Some of
the people fled, but others remained, and lost their lives
in consequence. It has always been my opinion that,
being in the habit of trading with these Indians occa-
sionally, they did not believe they stood in any danger ;
and, what is equally probable, they may not have be-
lieved the report. Everyone who has lived in an Indian
country knows how frequently startling rumors are in
circulation, and how often they prove unfounded.

The people of Springfield sent the news to me by
two young men, who came on foot through the deep
snow. The story was corroborated in a way that con-
vinced me that it was true. They arrived on the i8th
of March, completely worn out and snow-blind. I at
once made a requisition on Colonel Alexander, com-
manding at Fort Ridgely, for troops. There were at
the fort five or six companies of the Tenth United States
Infantry, and the colonel promptly ordered Capt. Bar-
nard E. Bee of Company "A" to proceed with his com-
pany to the scene of the trouble. The country between
the fort and Spirit lake was uninhabited, and the dis-
tance from eighty to one hundred miles. I furnished
two experienced guides from among my Sioux half-
breeds. They took a pony and a light traineau, put
on their snowshoes, and were ready to go anywhere.
Not so with the soldiers, however. They were equipped
in about the same manner as they would have been in
campaigning in Florida, their only transportation being

106 History of Minnesota.

heavy wheeled army wagons, drawn by six mules. It soon
became apparent that the outfit could not move straight
to the objective point, and it became necessary to follow a
trail down the Minnesota to Mankato and up the Waton-
wan in the direction of the lake, which was reached after
one of the most arduous marches ever made by troops, on
which for many miles the soldiers had to march ahead
of the mules to break a road for them. The Indians, as
we expected, were gone. A short pursuit was made,
but the guides pronounced the camp fires of the Indians
several days old, and it was abandoned. The dead were
buried, and after a short stay, the soldiers returned to
the fort.

When this afifair became known throughout the ter-
ritory it caused great consternation and apprehension,
most of the settlers supposing it was the work of the
Sioux nation. Many of the most exposed abandoned
their homes temporarily. Their fears, however, were
allayed by an explanation which I publisheci in the news-
papers.

I at once began tO' devise plans for the rescue of the
white women. I knew that any hostile demonstration
would result in their murder. While thinking the mat-
ter out an event occurred that opened the way to a solu-
tion. A party of my Indians had been hunting on the
Big Sioux river, and having learned that Ink-pa-du-ta
was encamped at Lake Chan-pta-ya-tan-ka, and that he
had some white women prisoners, two young brothers
visited the camp and succeeded in purchasing Mrs. Mar-
ble, and brought her into the Yellow Medicine agency,
and delivered her to the missionaries, who turned her
over to me. I received her on the 21st of March, and
learned that two of the other captives were still alive.
Of course, my first object was to rescue the survivors,
and to encourage the Indians to make the attempt, I

,■ History of Minnesota. 107

paid the brothers who had brought in Mrs. Marble $500
each. I could raise only $500 at the agency in money,-
and to make up the deficiency I resorted to a method,
then novel, but which has since become quite general.
I issued a bond, which, although done without author-
ity, met with a better fate than many that followed it, —
it was paid at maturity.

As it was the first bond ever issued in what is now
Minnesota, the two Datokas, Montana, and, I may add,
the whole Northwest; it may be interesting to give it
in full :

"I, STEPHEN R. RIGGS, Missionary among the
Sioux Indians, and I, CHARLES E. FLANDRAU,
United States Indian agent for the Sioux, being satis-
fied that Mak-piya-ka-ho-ton and Si-ha-ho-ta, two Sioux
Indians, have performed a valuable service to the Terri-
tory of Minnesota and humanity, by rescuing from cap-
tivity Mrs. Margaret Ann Marble, and delivering her to
the Sioux agent, and being further satisfied that the
rescue of the two remaining white women who are now
in captivity among Ink-pa-du-ta's band of Indians de-
pends very much on the liberality shown towards the
said Indians who have rescued Mrs. Marble, and having
full confidence in the humanity and liberality of the Ter-
ritory of Minnesota, through its government and citi-
zens, have this day paid to said two above named In-
dians, the sum of five hundred dollars in money, and do
hereby pledge to said two Indians that the further sum
of five hundred dollars will be paid to them by the Terri-
tory of Minnesota or its citizens within three months
from date hereof.

"Dated, May 22, 1857, at Pa-ju-ta-zi-zi, M. T.

"STEPHEN R. RIGGS,

"Missionary, A. B. C. F. M.
"CHAS. E. FLANDRAU,
"U. S. Indian Agent for Sioux."

108 History of Minnesota.

I immediately called for volunteers to rescue the re-
maining two women, and soon had my choice. I se-
lected Paul Ma-za-ku-ta-ma-ni, the president of the
Hazelwood Republic, An-pe-tu-tok-cha, or John Other-
day, and Che-tan-ma-za, or the Iron Hawk. I gave
them a large outfit of horses, wagons, calicos, trinkets of
all kinds, and a general assortment of things that tempt
the savage. They started on the twenty-third day of May,
from the Yellow Medicine agency, on their important
and dangerous mission. I did not expect them to re-
turn before the middle of June, and immediately com-
menced preparations to punish the marauders. I went
to the fort, and together with Colonel Alexander, we
laid a plan to attack Ink-pa-du-ta's camp, with the en-
tire garrison, and utterly annihilate them, which we
would undoubtedly have accomplished had not an un-
expected event frustrated our plans. Of course, we
could not move on the Indians until my expedition had
returned with the captives, as that would have been cer-
tain death to them; but just about the time we were
anxiously expecting them, a couple of steamboats ar-
rived at the fort with peremptory orders for the whole
garrison to embark for Utah to join Gen. Albert Sydney
Johnson's expedition against the Mormons, and that
was the last I saw of the Tenth for ten years.

My expedition found that Mrs. Thatcher and Mrs.
Noble had been killed, but succeeded in bringing in Miss
Gardner, who was forwarded to me at St. Paul, and by
me formally delivered to Governor Medary on June 23,
1857, She was afterwards married, and is now a widow,
Mrs. Abbie Gardner Sharpe, and resides in the house
from which she was abducted by the savages, forty-three
years ago. I paid the Indians who rescued her $400
each for their services. The territory made an appro-

History of Minnesota. 109

priation on the fifteenth day of May, 1857, of $10,000
to rescue the captives, but as there were no telegraphs
or other speedy means of communication, the work was
all done before the news of the appropriation reached the
border. My outlay, however, was all refunded from
this appropriation. I afterwards succeeded, with a
squad of soldiers and citizens, in kiUing one of Ink-pa-
du-ta's sons, who had taken an active part in the mas-
sacre, and that ended the first serious Indian trouble that
Minnesota was aflflicted with.

CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.

By the end of the year 1856 the Territory of Minne-
sota had attained such growth and wealth that the ques-
tion of becoming a state within the Union began to at-
tract attention. It was urged by the government at
Washington that we were amply capable of taking care
of ourselves, and sufficiently wealthy to pay our ex-
penses, and statehood was pressed upon us from that
quarter. There was another potent influence at work
at home. We had several prominent gentlemen who
were convinced that their services were needed in the
senate of the United States, and that their presence there
would strengthen and adorn that body, and as no posi-
tive opposition was developed, the congress of the
United States, on the 26th of February, 1857, passed an
act, authorizing the territory to form a state govern-
ment. It prescribed the same boundaries for the state
as we now have, although there had been a large num-
ber of people who had advocated an east and west divi-
ion of the territory, on a line a little north of the forty-
fifth parallel of north latitude. It provided for a con-
vention to frame the constitution of the new state, which
was to be composed of two delegates for each member

110 History of Minnesota.

of the territorial legislature, to be elected in the repre-
sentative districts on the first Monday in June, 1857.
The convention was to be held at the capital of the ter-
ritory, on the second Monday of July following. It sub-
mitted to the convention five propositions to be ans-
wered, which, if accepted, were to become obligatory on
the United States and the State of Minnesota. They
wxre in substance as follows :

I. Whether sections 16 and 36 in each township
should be granted to the state for the use of schools.

2., Whether seventy-two sections of land should be
set aside for the use and support of a state university.

3. Whether ten sections should be granted to the
state in aid of public buildings.

4.. Whether all salt springs in the state, not exceed-
ing- twelve, with six sections of land to each, should be
granted to the state.

5. Whether five per centum of the net proceeds of
the sales of all the pubhc lands lying within the state,
which should be sold after its admission, should be paid
to the state for the purpose of roads, and internal im-
provements.

All the five propositions, if accepted, were to be on
the condition, to be expressed in the constitution or an
irrevocable ordinance, that the state should never inter-
fere with the primary disposal of the soil within the state
by the United States, or with any regulations congress
should make for securing title to said lands in bona fide
purchases thereof, and that no tax should be imposed on
lands belonging to the United States, and that non-resi-
dent proprietors should never be taxed higher than resi-
dents. (

These propositions were all accepted, ratified and
confirmed by section 3 of Article II. of the constitution.

History of Minnesota. Ill

The election for delegates took place as provided for.
and on the day set for the convention to meet, nearly all
of them had assembled at the capital. Great anxiety
was manifested by both the Democrats and the Repub-
licans to capture the organization of the convention.
Neither party had a majority of all the members pres-
ent, but there were a number of contested seats on both
sides, of which both contestant and contestee were pres-
ent, and these duplicates being counted, were sufficient
to give each party an apparent majority. It was obvious
that a determined fight for the organization was immi-
nent. The convention was to meet in the house of rep-
resentatives, and to gain an advantage, the Republicans
took possession of the hall the night before the opening
day, so as to be the first on hand in the morning. The
Democrats, on learning of this move, held a caucus to
decide upon a plan of action. Precedents and authori-
ties were looked up, and two fundamental points deci-
ded upon. It was discovered that the secretary of the
territory was the proper party to call the convention to
order, and as Mr. Charles L. Chase was the secretary, and
also a Democratic delegate, he was chosen to make the
call. It was further found that when no hour was desig-
nated for the meeting of a parliamentary body, that noon
of the day appointed was the time. Being armed
with these points, the Democrats decided to wait until
noon, and then march into the hall in a body with Dele-
gate Chase at their head, and as soon as he reached the
chair he was to spring into it and call the convention to
order. General Gorman was immediately to move an
adjournment until the next day at 12 o'clock M., which
motion was to be put by the chair, the Democrats feel-
ing sure that the Republicans being taken by surprise
would vote no, while the Democrats would all vote aye.

112 History of Minnesota.

and thus commit more than a majority of the whole to
the organization under Mr. Chase. On reaching the
chair, Mr. Chase immediately sprang into it, and called
the convention to order. General Gorman moved the
adjournment, which was put by the chair. All the Dem-
ocrats loudly voted in the affirmative and the Republi-
cans in the negative. The motion was declared carried,
and the Democrats solemnly marched out of the hall.

The above is the Democratic version of the event.
The Republicans, however, claim that John W. North
reached the chair first, and called the convention to or-
der, and that as the Republicans had a majority of the
members present, the organization made under his call
was the only regular one. Nothing can be determined
as to which is the true story from the records kept of the
two bodies, because they are each made up to show
strict regularity, and as it is utterly immaterial in any
substantial point of view, I will not venture any opinion,
although I was one of the actors in the drama, — or farce,
— as the reader may see fit to regard it.

The Republicans remained in the hall, and formed a
constitution to suit themselves, sitting until August 29th,
just forty-seven days. The Democrats on the next day
after their adjournment, at 12 o'clock M., went in a body
to the door of the house of representatives, where they
were met by Secretary and Delegate Chase, who said to
them : "Gentlemen, the hall to which the delegates ad-
journed yesterday is now occupied by a meeting of citi-
zens of the territory, who refuse to give possession to
the constitutional convention."

General Gorman then said : "I move the convention
adjourn to the council chamber." The motion was car-
ried, and the delegates accordingly repaired to the coun-
cil chamber, in the west wing of the capitol, where Mr.

History op Minnesota. 113

Chase called the convention to order. Each branch of
the convention elected its officers. The Republicans
chose St. A. D. Balcombe for their president, and the
Democrats selected Hon. Henry H. Sibley. Both bod-
ies worked diligently on a constitution, and each suc-
ceeded in making one so much like the other that, after
sober reflection, it was decided that the state could be
admitted under either, and if both were sent to congress
that body would reject them for irregularity. So to-
wards the end of the long session a compromise was ar-
rived at, by the formation of a joint committee from each
convention, who were to evolve a constitution out of
the two for submission to the people ; the result of which,
after many sessions, and some fisticuffs, was the instru-
ment under which the state was finally admitted.

A very curious complication resulted from two pro-
visions in the constitution. In section 5 of the schedule
it was provided that "All territorial officers, civil and
military, now holding their offices under the authority
of the United States or of the Territory of Minnesota
shall continue to hold and exercise their respective of-
fices until they shall be superseded by the authority of
the state/' and section 6 provided that "The first session
of the legislature of the State of Minnesota shall com-
mence on the first Wednesday of December next," etc.

These provisions were made under the supposition
that the state would be admitted as soon as the consti-
tution would be laid before congress, which it was pre-
sumed would be long before the date fixed for the hold-
ing of the first state legislature ; but such did not turn
out to be the case. The election was held as provided
for on the thirteenth day of October, 1857, for the adop-
tion or rejection of the constitution, and for the election

of all the state officers, members of congress and of the
8

114 History of Minnesota.

legislature. The constitution was adopted by a vote of
36,240 for, and 700 against, and the whole Democratic
state ticket was also chosen : and to be sure not to lose
full representation in congress, three members of the
house of representatives were also chosen, who were all
Democrats.

The constitution was duly presented to congress,
and admission for the state demanded. Much to the dis-
appointment of our people, all kinds and characters of
objections were raised to our admission ; one of which
I remember was, that as the term of office of the state
senators was fixed at two years, and as there was noth-
ing said about the term of the members of the house
they were elected for life, and consequently the govern-
ment created was not republican. Alexander Stevens
of Georgia seriously combatted this position, in a learned
constitutional argument, in which he proved that a state
had absolute control of the subject, and could fix the
term of all its officers for life if it so preferred, and that
congress had no right to interfere. Many other equally
frivolous points were made against our admission, which
were debated until the eleventh day of May, 1858, when
the federal doors were opened and Minnesota became a
state. The act admitting the state cut down the con-
gressional representation to two. The three gentlemen
who had been elected to these positions were compelled
to determine who would remain and who should surren-
der. History has not recorded how the decision was
made, whether by cutting cards, tossing a coin, or in
some other way, but the result was that George L.
Becker was counted out, and W. W. Phelps and James
M. Cavanaugh took the prizes.

It was always thought at home that the long delay
in our admission was not from anv disinclination to let

History of Minnesota. 115

us in, but because the house was quite evenly divided
politically between the Democrats and the Republicans,
and there bein^ a contested seat from Ohio, between
Mr. Valandingham and Mr. Lew Campbell, it was feared
by the Republicans that, if Minnesota came in with three
Democratic members, it might turn the scale in favor of
Valandingham.

This delay created a very perplexing condition of
things. The state legislature elected under the consti-
tution met on the first Wednesday of December, before
the constitution was recognized by congress, and while
the territorial government was in full force. It passed a
book full of laws, all of which were state laws, approved
by a territorial governor. Perhaps in some countries
it would have been dif^cult to harmonize such irregulari-
ties, but our courts were quite up to the emergency, and
straightened them all out the first time the question was
raised, and the laws so passed have served their purpose
up to the present time.

The first governor of the state was Henry H. Sibley,
a Democrat. He served his term of two years, and the
state has never elected a Democrat to that office since,
unless the choice of Hon. John Lind, in 1898, may be so
classified.

ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THE CAPITAL,.

At the eighth session of the legislative assembly of
the territory, which convened on Jan. 7, 1857, a bill was
introduced, the purpose of which was the removal of the
seat of government from St. Paul to St. Peter, a small
village which had recently come into existence on the
Minnesota river about one hundred miles above its
mouth. There could be no reason for such action ex-
cept interested speculation, as the capitol was already

116 History of Minnesota.

built in St. Paul, and it was much more accessible, and
in every way more convenient than it would be at St.
Peter; but the movement had sufficient personal and
political force behind it to insure its success, and an act
was passed making such removal. But it was destined
to meet with unexpected obstacles before it became a
law. When it passed the house it was sent to the coun-
cil, where it only received one majority, eight voting for
and seven against it. It was, on the 27th of February,
sent to the enrolling committee for final enrollment. It
happened that Councillor Joseph Rolette, from Pembina,
was chairman of this committee, and a great friend of
St. Paul. Mr. Rolette decided he would veto the bill
in a way not known to parliamentary law, so he put it
in his pocket and disappeared. On the 28th, not being
in his seat, and the bill being missing, a councillor of-
fered a resolution that a copy of it be obtained from Mr.
Wales, the second in order on the committee. A call
of the council was then ordered and Mr. Rolette not be-
ing in his seat, the sergeant-at-arms was sent out to
bring him in, but not being able to find him, he so re-
ported. A motion was then made to dispense with the
call, but by the rules it required a two-third vote of fif-
teen members, and in the absence of Mr. Rolette only
fourteen were present. It takes as many to make two-
thirds of fourteen as it does to make two-thirds of fifteen,
and the bill had only nine friends. During the pendency
of a call no business could be transacted, and a serious
dilemma confronted the capital removers ; but, nothing-
daunted, Mr. Balcombe made a long argument to prove
that nine was two-thirds of fourteen. Mr. Brisbin, who
was president of the council and a graduate of Yale, pro-
nounced the motion lost, saying to the mover, who was
also a graduate of Yale, "Mr. Balcombe, we never fig-

History of Minnesota. 117

ured that way at Yale." This situation produced a dead-
lock, and no business could be transacted. The session
terminated on the fifth day of March by its own limita-
tion. The serg^eant-at-arms made daily reports con-
cerning the whereabouts of the absentee, sometimes lo-
cating him on a dog-train, rapidly moving towards Pem-
bina, sometimes giving a rumor of his assassination, but
never producing him. Matters remained in this condi-
tion until the end of the term, and the bill was lost.

It was disclosed afterwards that Rolette had carefully
deposited the bill in the vault of Truman M. Smith's
bank, and had passed the time in the upper story of the
Fuller House, where his friends made him very com-
fortable. Some ineffectual efforts have been made since
to remove the capital to Minneapolis and elsewhere, but
the treaty, made by the pioneers in 1849, locating it at
St. Paul, is still in force.

CENSUS.

One of the provisions of the enabling act was that
in the event of the constitutional convention deciding in
favor of the immediate admission of the proposed state
into the Union, a census should be taken with a view of
ascertaining the number of representatives in congress
to which the state would be entitled. This was accord-
ingly done in September, 1857, and the population was
found to be 150,037.

GRASSHOPPERS.

The first visitation of grasshoppers came in 1857,
and did considerable damage to the crops in Stearns
and other counties. Relief was asked from St. Paul for
the suffering poor, and notwithstanding the people of
the capital city were in the depths of poverty, from the

118 History of Minnesota.

financial panic produced by over-speculation, they re-
sponded liberally. The grasshoppers of this year did
not deposit their eggs, but disappeared after eating up
everything that came Avithin their reach. The state was
not troubled with them again until the year 1873, when
they came in large flights, and settled down in the west-
ern part of the state. They did much damage to the
crops, and deposited their eggs in the soil, where they
hatched out in the spring, and greatly increased their
number. They made sad havoc with the crops of 1874,
and occupied a larger part of the state than in the pre-
vious year. They again deposited their eggs, and ap-
peared in the spring of 1875 in increased numbers. This
was continued in 1876, when the situation became so
alarming that Gov. John S. Pillsbury issued a proclama-
tion, addressed to the states and territories which had
suffered most from the insects, to meet him by dele-
gates at Omaha, to concert measures for united protec-
tion. A convention was held, and Governor Pillsbury
was made its president. The subject was thoroughly
discussed, and a memorial to congress was prepared and
adopted, asking for scientific investigation of the sub-
ject, and a suggestion of preventive measures.

Many appeals for relief came from the afflicted reg-
ions, and much aid was extended. Governor Pillsbury
was a big-hearted, sympathetic man. and fearing the suf-
ferers might not be well cared for, he travelled among
them personally, incognito, and dispensed large sums
from his private funds.

In 1877 the governor, in his message to the legisla-
ture, treated the subject exhaustively, and appropria-
tions were made to relieve the settlers in the devastated
regions. In the early spring of 1877, the religious bod-
ies and people of the state asked the governor to issue a

History of Minnesota. 119

proclamation appointing a day of fasting and prayer,
asking Divine protection, and exhorting the people to
greater humility and a new consecration in the service
of a merciful Father. The governor, being of Puritan
origin, and a faithful believer in Divine agencies in this
world's affairs, issued an eloquent appeal to the people
to observe a day named as one of fasting and prayer for
deliverance from the grasshoppers. The suggestion was
quite generally approved, but the proclamation natu-
rally excited much criticism and some ridicule, but, curi-
ous as it may seem, the grasshoppers, even before the
day appointed for prayer arrived, began to disappear,
and in a short time not one remained to show they had
ever been in the state. They left in a body; no one
seemed to know exactly when they went, and no one
knew anything about where they went, as they were
never heard of again on any part of the continent. The
only news we ever had from them came from ships cross-
ing the Atlantic westward bound, which reported hav-
ing passed through large areas of floating insects. They
must have met a western gale when well up in air, and
have been blown out into the sea and destroyed. The
people of Minnesota did not expend much trouble or
time to find out what had become of them.

The crop of 1877 was abundant, and particularly so
in the region which had been most seriously blighted by
the pests.

Before the final proclamation of Governor Pillsbury
every source of ingenuity had been exhausted in de-
vising plans for the destruction of the grasshoppers.
Ditches were dug around the fields of grain, and ropes
drawn over the grain to drive the hoppers into them,
with the purpose of covering them with earth. Instru-
ments called "hopperdozers" were invented, which had

120 History op Minnesota.

receptacles filled with hot tar, and were driven over the
ground to catch them as flies are caught with tanglefoot
paper, and many millions of them were destroyed in this
way, but it was about as effectual as fighting a North-
western blizzard with a lady's fan, and they were all
abandoned as useless and powerless to cope with the
scourge. Nothing proved effectual but the governor's
proclamation, and all the old settlers called it "Pills-
bury's Best," which was the name of the celebrated
brand of flour made at the governor's mills.

Prof. N. H. Winchell, the state geologist, in his geo-
logical and natural history report, presents a map which,
by red lines, shows the encroachments of the grasshop-
pers for the years 1873-76. To gain an idea of the ex-
tent of the country covered by them up to 1877, draw a
line on a state map from the Red River of the North
about six miles north of Moorhead, in Clay county, in a
southeasterly direction, through Becker, Wadena, Todd
and Morrison counties, crossing the Mississippi river
near the northern line of Benton county, continuing
down the east side of the Mississippi, through Benton,
Sherburne and Anoka counties, there recrossing the Mis-
sissippi, and proceeding south, on the west side of the
river, to the south line of the state in Mower county. All
the country lying south and west of this line was for sev-
eral years devastated by the grasshoppers to the extent
that no crops could be raised. It became for a time a
question whether the people or the insects would con-
quer the state.

MILITIA.

During the territorial times there were a few volun-
teer militia companies in St. Paul, conspicuously the
"Pioneer Guard," an infantry company, which, from its

History of Minnesota. 121

excellent organization and discipline, became a source
of supply of officers when regiments were being raised
for the Civil War. To have been a member of that
company was worth at least a captain's commission in
the volunteer army, and many officers of much higher
rank were chosen from its members.

There was also a company of cavalry at St. Paul,
commanded by Capt. James Starkey, called the "St. Paul
Light Cavalry" ; also, the "Shields Guards," commanded
by Capt. John O'Gorman. There may have been oth-
ers, but I do not remember them. The services of the
pioneer guards and the cavalry company were called into
requisition on two occasions, once in 1857 and again in
1859. During the summer of 1857 the settlers near
Cambridge and Sunrise complained that the Chippewas
were very troublesome. Governor Medary ordered
Captain Starkey tO' take part of his company and arrest
the Indians who were committing depredations, and
send the remainder of them to their reservation. The
captain took twenty men, and, on Aug. 24, 1857, started
for the scene of the trouble. On the 28th he overtook
some six or seven Indians, and in their attempt to escape
a collision occurred, in which a young man, a member
of Starkey's company, named Frank Donnelly, was in-
stantly killed. The troops succeeded in killing one of
the Indians, wounding another, and capturing four more,
when they returned to St. Paul, bringing with them the
dead, wounded, and prisoners. The dead were buried,
the wounded healed, and the prisoners discharged by
Judge Nelson on a writ of habeas corpus.

The general sentiment of the community was that
the expedition was unnecessary, and should never have
been made. This affair was facetiously called the "Corn-
stalk War."

122 History of Minnesota.

the wright county war.

In the fall of 1858 a man named Wallace was killed
in Wright county. Oscar F. Jackson was tried for the
murder in the spring of 1859, and acquitted by a jury.
Public sentiment was against him, and he was warned
to leave the county. He did not heed the admonition,
and on April 25th a mob assembled, and hung Jackson
to the gable end of Wallace's cabin. Governor Sibley
offered a reward for the conviction of any of the lynch-
ers. Shortly afterwards one, Emery Moore, was arrest-
ed as being implicated in the affair. He was taken to
Wright county for trial, and at once rescued by a mob.
The governor sent three companies of the militia to
Monticello to arrest the offenders and preserve order,
the Pioneer Guards being among them. This force,
aided by a few special officers of the law, arrested eleven
of the lynchers and rescuers, and turned them over to
the civil authorities, and on the nth of August, 1859,
having completed their mission, returned to St. Paul.
As there was no war or bloodshed of any kind connected
with this expedition, it was called the "Wright County
War."

Gov. Sibley, having somewhat of a military tend-
ency, appointed as his adjutant general, Alexander C.
Jones, who was a graduate of the Virginia Military
Academy, and captain of the Pioneer Guards. Under
this administration a very complete militia bill was
passed, on the twelfth day of August, 1858. Minnesota
from that time on had a very efficient militia system, un-
til the establishment of the national guard, which made
some changes in its general character, supposed to be
for the better.

History of Minnesota. 123

THE CIVIL WAR.

Nothing- of any special importance occurred during
the years 1859 and i860 in Minnesota. The state con-
tinued to grow in population and wealth at an extra-
ordinary pace, but in a quiet and unobtrusive way. The
politics of the nation had been for some time much dis-
turbed between the North and the South, on the ques-
tion of slavery, and threats of secession from the Union
made by the slave-holding states. The election of
Abraham Lincoln to the presidency of the United States,
in i860, precipitated the impending revolution, and on
the fourteenth day of April, 1861, Fort Sumter, in the
harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, was fired upon by
the revolutionists, which meant war between the two
sections of the country. I will only relate such events
in connection with the Civil War which followed as are
especially connected with Minnesota.

When the news of the firing upon Fort Sumter reached
Washington, Alexander Ramsey, then governor of Min-
nesota, was in that city. He immediately called on the
president of the United States, and tendered the services
of the people of Minnesota in defense of the republic,
thus giving to the state the enviable position of being the
first to come to the front. The offer of a regiment was
accepted, and the governor sent a dispatch to Lieut.
Gov. Ignatius Donnelly, who, on the i6th of April, is-
sued a proclamation, giving notice that volunteers would
be received at St. Paul for one regiment of infantry com-
posed of ten companies, each of sixty-four privates, one
captain, two lieutenants, four sergeants, four corporals
and one bugler, and that the volunteer companies al-
ready organized, upon complying with these require-
ments as to the numbers and officers, would be entitled
to be first received.

124 History of Minnesota.

Immediately following this announcement, which, of
course, meant war, great enthusiasm was manifested all
over the state. PubHc meetings were held in all the
cities; almost every man capable of doing soldier duty
wanted to go, and those who were unable, for any rea-
son, to go in person, subscribed funds for the support
of the families of those who volunteered. The only dif-
ficulty the authorities met with was an excess of men
over those needed. There were a good many Southern-
ers residing in the state, who were naturally controlled
in their sentiments by their geographical affinities, but
they behaved very well, and caused no trouble. They
either entered the service of the South or held their peace.
I can recall but one instance of a Northern man who had
breathed the free air of Minnesota going over to the
South, and the atrocity of his case was aggravated by
the fact that he was an officer in the United States army.
I speak of Major Pemberton, who at the breaking out
of the war was stationed at Fort Ridgely in this state,
in command of a battery of artillery. He was ordered
to Washington to aid in the defense of the capital, but
before reaching his destination resigned his commission,
and tendered his sword to the enemy. I think he was
a citizen of Pennsylvania. It was he who surrendered
Vicksburg to the United States army on July 4, 1863.

The first company raised under the call of the state
was made up of young men of St. Paul, and commanded
by William H. Acker, who had been adjutant general
of the state. He was wounded at the first battle of Bull
Run, and killed at the battle of Shiloh, as captain of a
company of the Sixteenth Regular Infantry. Other
companies quickly followed in tendering their services.

On the last Monday in April a camp for the First Reg-
iment was opened at Fort Snelling, and Capt. Anderson

History of Minnesota. 125

D. Nelson of the United States army mustered the regi-
ment into the service. On the 27th of April John B.
Sanborn, then adjutant general of the state, in behalf of
the governor, issued the following order :

"The commander-in-chief expresses his gratification
at the prompt response to the call of the president of the
United States upon the militia of Minnesota, and his
regret that, under the present requisition for only ten
companies, it is not possible to accept the services of all
the companies offered."

, The order then enumerates the ten companies which
had been accepted, and instructs them to report at Fort
Snelling, and recommends that the companies not ac-
cepted maintain their organization and perfect their drill,
and that patriotic citizens throughout the state continue
to enroll hemselves, and be ready for any emergency.

The governor, on May 3d, sent a telegram to the
president, offering a second regiment.

The magnitude of the rebellion becoming rapidly
manifest at Washington, the secretary of war, Mr. Cam-
eron, on the 7th of May, sent the following telegram to
Governor Ramsey:

"Tt is decidedly preferable that all the regiments
from your state not already actually sent forward should
be mustered into the service for three years, or during
the war. If any persons belonging to the regiments al-
ready mustered for three months, but not yet actually
sent forward, should be unwilling to serve for three
years, or during the war, could not their places be filled
by others willing to serve?"

A great deal of correspondence passed between Lieu-
tenant Governor Donnelly at St. Paul and Governor
Ramsey at Washington over the matter, which resulted
in the First Minnesota Regiment being mustered into

126 History of Minnesota.

the service of the United States for three years, or dur-
ing the war. on the eleventh day of May, 1861. Willis
A. Gorman, second governor of the territory, was ap-
pointed colonel of the First. The colonel was a veteran
of the Mexican War. The regiment when first mus-
tered in was without uniform, except that some of the
companies had red shirts arid some blue, but there was
no regularity whatever. This was of small consequence,
as the material of the regiment Avas probably the best
ever collected into one body. It included companies of
lumbermen, accustomed to camp life, and inured to
hardships; men of splendid physique, experts with the
axe; men who could make a road through a forest or
swamp, build a bridge over a stream, run a steamboat,
repair a railroad, or perform any of the duties that are
ihrust upon an army on the march and in the field.
There are no men in the world so well equipped natu-
rally and without special preparation for the life of a
soldier as the American of the West. He is perfectly
familiar with the use of firearms. From his varied ex-
perience, he possesses more than an average intelligence.
His courage goes without saying, and, to sum him up,
he is the most all-around handy man on earth.

On May 25th the ladies of St. Paul presented the
regiment with a handsome set of silk colors. The pre-
sentation was made at the state capitol by Mrs. Ramsey,
the wife of the governor. The speech was made on be-
half of the ladies by Captain Stansbury of the United
States army, and responded to by Colonel Gorman in a
manner fitting the occasion.

On the 2 1 St of June the regiment, having been or-
dered to Washington, embarked on the steamers. North-
ern Belle and War Eagle, at Fort Snelling. for their jour-
ney. Before leaving the fort the chaplain. Rev. Edward

History of Minnesota. 127

D. Neill, delivered a most impressive address, conclud-
ing as folloiws :

"Soldiers: If you would be obedient to God, you
must honor him who has been'ordained to lead you forth.
Your colonel's will must be your will. If, like the
Roman centurion, he says 'Go,' you must go. If he
says 'Come,' come you must. God grant you all the
Hebrew's enduring faith, and you will be sure to have
the Hebrew's valor. Now, with the Hebrew's benedic-
tion, I close : 'The Lord bless you and keep you. The
Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to
you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and
given you peace.' Amen."

The peace thegood chaplain asked the Lord to give to
the regiment was that peace which flows from duty well
performed and a conscience free from self-censure.
Judging from the excellent record made by that regi-
ment, it enjoyed this kind of peace to the fullest extent,
but it had as little of the other kind of peace as any regi-
ment in the service.

The regiment reached Washington early in July, and
went into camp near Alexandria, in Virginia. It took
part in the first battle of the war, at Bull Run, and from
there to the end of the war was engaged in many battles,
always with credit to itself and honor to its state. It
was conspicuously brave and useful at the great conflict
at Gettysburg, and the service it there performed made
its fame world-wide. In what I say of the first regiment,
I must not be understood to lessen the fame of the other
ten regiments and other organizations that Minnesota
sent to the war, all of which, with the exception of the
Third, made for themselves records of gallantry and sol-
dierly conduct, which Minnesota will ever hold in the
highest esteem. But the First, probably because it was

128 History of Minnesota.

the first, and certainly because of its superb career, will
always be the pet and especial pride of the state.

The misfortunes of the Third regiment will be spoken
of separately.

The first conception of the rebellion by the authori-
ties in Washington was that it could be suppressed in a
short time; but they had left out of the estimate the
fact that they had to deal with Americans, who can al-
ways be counted on for a stubborn fight when they de-
cide to have one. And as the magnitude of the war im-
pressed itself upon the government, continuous calls for
troops were made, to all of which Minnesota responded
promptly, until she had in the field the following military
organizations: Eleven full regiments of infantry; the
first and second companies of sharpshooters ; one regi-
ment of mounted rangers, recruited for the Indian war;
the Second Regiment of cavalry ; Hatche's Independent
Battalion of Cavalry for Indian war; Brackett's bat-
talion of cavalry ; one regiment of heavy artillery ; and
the First, Second and Third Batteries of Light Artillery,

There were embraced in these twenty-one military
organizations, 22,970 officers and men, who were with-
drawn from the forces of civil industry, and remained
away for several years. Yet notwithstanding this ab-
normal drain on the industrial resources of so young a
state, to which must be added the exhaustive effects of
the Indian war which broke out within her borders in
1862, and lasted several years, Minnesota continued to
grow in population and wealth throughout it all, and
came out of these war afflictions strengthened and invig-
orated.

THE THIRD REGIMENT.

Recruiting for the Third Regiment commenced early
in the fall of 1861, and was completed by the 15th of No-

History of Minnesota. 129

vember, on which day it consisted of 901 men all told,
including officers. On the 17th of November, 1861, it
embarked at Fort Snelling for its destination in the
South, on the steamboats Northern Belle, City Belle,
and Frank Steele. It landed at St. Paul and marched
through the city, exciting the admiration of the people,
it being an unusually fine aggregation of men. It em-
barked on the same day, and departed for the South, car-
rying with it the good wishes and hopes of every citizen
of the state. It was then commanded by Lieutenant
Colonel Smith, and afterwards by Col. Henry C. Lester,
who was promoted to its command from a captaincy in
the First, and joined his regiment at Shepardsville. Col-
onel Lester was a man of prepossessing appearance,
handsome, well informed, modest and attractive. He
soon brought his regiment up to a high standard of drill
and discipline, and especially devoted himself to its ap-
pearance for cleanliness and deportment, so that his regi-
ment became remarkable in these particulars. By the
twelfth day of July, the Third became brigaded with the
Ninth Michigan, the Eighth and Twenty-third Ken-
tucky, forming the Twenty-third Brigade, under Col. W.
W. Duffield of the Ninth Michigan, and was stationed
at Murfeesboro, in Tennessee. For two months Col-
onel Duffield had been absent, and the brigade and other
forces at Murfreesboro had been commanded by Colonel
Lester. A day or two before the 13th Colonel Duffield
had returned and resumed command of the brigade, and
Lester was again in direct command of his regiment. In
describing the situation at Murfreesboro on the thir-
teenth day of July, 1861, Gen. C. C. Andrews, the author
of the "History of the Third Regiment," in the state
war book, at page 152. says :

"The force of enlisted men fit for duty at Murfrees-

130 History of Minnesota.

boro was fully one thousand. Forest reported that the
whole number of enlisted men captured, taken to Mc-
Minnville and paroled was between i,ioo and 1,200.
Our forces, however, were separated. There were five
companies, 250 strong, of the Ninth Michigan in camp
three-fourths of a mile east of the town, on the Liberty
turnpike (another company of the Ninth Michigan, for-
ty-two strong, occupied the court-house as a provost
guard). Near the camp of the Ninth Michigan were
eighty men of the Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, under
Major Seibert ; also, eighty-one men of the Fourth Ken-
tucky Cavalry, under Captain Chilson. More than a
mile distant, on the other side of the town, on undulat-
ing, rocky and shaded ground, near Stone river, were
nine companies of the Third Minnesota, five hundred
strong. Near it, also, were two sections (four guns) of
Hewitt's Kentucky Field Artiller3^ with sixty-four men
for duty. Forty-five men of Company C, Third Regi-
ment, under Lieutenant Grummons, had gone the after-
noon of July 1 2th, as the guard on a supply train, to
Shelbyville, and had not returned the thirteenth."

Murfreesboro was on the Nashville & Chattanooga
railroad. It was a well built town, around a square, in
the center of which was the court-house. There were in
the town valuable military stores.

On July 13th, at daybreak, news arrived at Murfrees-
boro that the rebel general. Forest, was about to make
an attack on the place, which news was verified by Gen-
eral Forest capturing the picket guard and dashing into
the town soon after the news arrived, with a mounted
force of 1,500 men. A part of this force charged upon
the camp of the Seventh Pennsylvania, then reformed,
and charged upon the Ninth Michigan Infantry, which
made a gallant defense and repulsed the enemy's re-

History of Minnesota. 131

peated charges, suffering- a loss of eleven killed and
eighty-nine wounded. The enemy suffered considerable
loss, including a colonel killed, up to about noon, when
the Ninth Michigan surrendered. General Crittenden
was captured in his quarters, about eight o'clock. Al-
most simultaneous with the first attack, a part of For-
est's force moved toward the Third Minnesota, which
had sprung up at the first sound of the firing, formed
into line, Colonel Lester in command, and with two
guns of Hewitt's Battery on each flank, marched in the
direction of Murfreesboro. It had not gone more than
an eighth of a mile when about three hundred of the
enemy appeared approaching on a gallop. They were
moving in some disorder, and appeared to fall back when
the Third Regiment came in sight. The latter was at
once brought forward into line and the guns of Hewitt's
Battery opened fire. The enemy retired out of sight,
and the Third advanced to a commanding position in
the edge of some timber. A continuous fire was kept
up by the guns of Hewitt's Battery, with considerable
effect upon the enemy. Up to this time the only
ground of discontent that had ever existed in this regi-
ment was that it had never had an opportunity to fight.
Probably no regiment was ever more eager to fight in
battle than this one. Yet while it was there in line of
battle from daylight until about noon, impatiently wait-
ing for the approach of the enemy, or what was better,
to be led against him, he was assailing an inferior force
of our troops, and destroying valuable commissary and
quartermaster's stores in town, which our troops were,
of course, in honor bound to protect. The regiment
was kept standing or lying motionless hour after hour,
even while plainly seeing the smoke rising from the
burning depot of the United States supplies. While this

132 History of Minnesota.

was going on, Colonel Lester sat upon his horse, and
different officers went to him and entreated him to march
the regiment into town. The only response he gave
was, "We will see." The enemy made several ineffect-
ual attempts to charge the line held by the Third, but
were driven off with loss, which only increased the ardor
of the men to get at them. The enemy attacked the
camp of the Third, which was guarded by only a few
convalescents, teamsters and cooks, and met with a stub-
born resistence, but finally succeeded in taking it, and
burning the tents and property of the officers, after
which they hastily abandoned it. The firing at the camp
was distinctly heard by the Third Regiment, and Captain
Hoyt of Company B asked permission to take his com-
pany to protect the camp, but was refused. While the
regiment was in this waiting position, having at least
five hundred effective men, plenty of ammunition, and
burning with anxiety to get at the enemy, a white flag
appeared over the crest of a hill which proved to be a
request for Colonel Lester to go into Murfreesboro for a
consultation with Colonel Duffield. General Forest
carefully displayed his men along the path by which
Colonel Lester was to go in a manner so as to impress
the colonel with the idea that he had a much larger force
than really existed, and in his demand for surrender he
stated that, if not acceded to, the whole command would
be put to the sword, as he could not control his men.
This was an old trick of Forest's, which he played suc-
cessfully on other occasions. From what is known, he
had not over one thousand men with which he could
have engaged the Third that day.

When Colonel Lester returned to his regiment his
mind was fully made up to surrender. A consultation
was held with the officers of the regiment, and a vote

History op Minnesota. 133

taken on the question, which resulted in a majority be-
ing in favor of fighting and against surrender, but the
matter was reopened and reargued by the colonel, and
after some of the officers who opposed surrender had
left the council and gone to their companies, another vote
was taken, which resulted in favor of the surrender. The
officers who, on this final vote, were against surrender,
were Lieutenant Colonel Griggs and Captains Andrews
and Iloyt. Those who voted in favor of surrender were
Captains Webster, Gurnee, Preston, Clay and Mills of
the Third Regiment, and Captain Hewitt of the Ken-
tucky Battery.

On December ist an order was made, dismissing
from the service the five captains of the Third who voted
to surrender the regiment, which order was subsequently
revoked as to Captain Webster.

The conduct of Colonel Lester on this occasion has
been accounted for on various theories. Before this he
had been immensely popular with his regiment, and also
at home in Minnesota, and his prospects were most bril-
liant. It is hard to believe that he was actuated by cow-
ardice, and harder to conceive him guilty of disloyalty
to his country. An explanation of his actions which
obtained circulation in Minnesota was, that he had fallen
in love with a rebel woman, who exercised such influ-
ence and control over him as to completely hypnotize
his will. I have always been a convert to that theory,
knowing the man as well as I did, and have settled the
question as the French would, by saying "Cherchez la
femme."

General Buell characterized the surrender in general
orders as one of the most disgraceful examples in the
history of war.

What a magnificent opportunity was presented to

134 History of Minnesota.

some officer of that regiment to immortalize himself by
shooting the colonel through the head while he was ig-
nominously dallying with the question of surrender, and
calling upon the men to follow him against the enemy.
There can be very little doubt that such a movement
would have resulted in victory, as the men were in splen-
did condition physically, thoroughly well armed, and
dying to wipe out the disgrace their colonel had inflicted
upon them. Of course, the man whO' should inaugu-
rate such a movement must win, or die in the attempt,
but in America death with honor is infinitely preferable
to life with a suspicion of cowardice, as all who partici-
pated in this surrender were well aware.

The officers were all held as prisoners of war, and
the men paroled on condition of not fighting against the
Confederacy during the continuance of the war. The
Indian war of 1862 broke out in Minnesota very shortly
after the surrender, and the men of the Third were
brought to the state for service against the Indians.
They participated in the campaign of 1862 and following
expeditions. For a full and detailed account of the sur-
render of the Third, consult the history of that regiment
in the volume issued by the state, called "Minnesota in
the Civil and Indian Wars."

It would please the historian to omit this subject en-
tirely, did truth permit; but he finds ample solace in the
fact that this is the only blot to be found in the long-
record of brilliant and glorious deeds that compose the
military history of Minnesota.

A general summary will show that Minnesota did
her whole duty in the Civil War, and that her extreme
youth was in no way a drawback to her performance.
She furnished to the war, in all her military organiza-
tions, a grand total of 22,970 men. Of this number, 607

History of Minnesota. 135

were killed in battle and 1,647 ^i^^ of disease, making a
contribution of 2,254 lives to the cause of the Union on
the part of Minnesota.

Our state was honored by the promotion from her
various organizations of the following officers :

C. P. Adams, Brevet Brigadier General.

C. C, Andrews, Brigadier and Brevet Major General.

John T. Averill, Brevet Brigadier General.

James H. Baker, Brevet Brigadier General.

Theodore E. Barret, Brevet Brigadier General.

Judson W. Bishop, Brevet Brigadier General.

William Colville, Brevet Brigadier General.

Napoleon J. T. Dana, Major General,

Alonzo J. Edgerton, Brevet Brigadier General.

Willis A. Gorman, Brigadier General.

Lucius F. Hubbard, Brevet Brigadier General.

Samuel P. Jennison, Brevet Brigadier General.

William G. Le Due, Brevet Brigadier General.

William R. Marshall, Brevet Brigadier General.

Robert B. McLaren, Brevet Brigadier General.

Stephen Miller, Brigadier General.

John B. Sanborn, Brigadier and Brevet Major Gen-
eral.

Henry H. Sibley, Brigadier and Brevet Major Gen-
eral.

Minor T. Thomas, Brevet Brigadier General.

John E. Tourtellotte, Brevet Brigadier General.

Horatio P. Van Cleve, Brevet Brigadier General.

George N. Morgan, Brevet Brigadier General.

THE INDIAN WAR OP 1862 AND FOLLOWING YEARS.

In 1862 there were in the State of Minnesota four
principal bands of Sioux Indians — the M'day-wa-kon-
tons, Wak-pa-koo-tas, Si-si-tons and Wak-pay-tons. The

136 History of Minnesota.

first two bands were known as the Lower Sioux and
the last two bands as the Upper Sioux. These designa-
tions arose from the fact that, in the sale of their lands
to the United States by the treaties of 1851, the lands
of the Lower Sioux were situate in the southern part
of the state, and those of the upper bands in the more
northern part, and when a reservation was set apart for
their future occupation on the upper waters of the Min-
nesota river they were similarly located thereon. Their
reservation consisted of a strip of land, ten miles wide,
on each side of the Minnesota river, beginning at a point
a few miles below Fort Ridgely and extending to the
headwaters of the river. The reservation of the lower
bands extended up to the Yellow Medicine river; that
of the upper bands included all above the last named
river. An agent was appointed to administer the affairs
of these Indians, whose agencies were established at
Redwood for the lower and at Yellow Medicine for the
upper bands. At these agencies the annuities were
paid to the Indians, and so continued from the mak-
ing of the treaties to the year 1862. These bands
were wild, very little progress having been made in their
civilization, the very nature of the situation preventing
very much advance in that line. The whole country to
the north and west of their reservation was an open,
wild region, extending to the Rocky Mountains, inhab-
ited only by the buffalo, which animals ranged in vast
herds from British Columbia to Texas. The buffalo
was the chief subsistence of the Indians, who naturally
frequented their ranges, and only came to the agencies
when expecting their payments. When they did come,
and the money and goods were not ready for them,
which was frequently the case, they suffered great in-
convenience, and were forced to incur debt with the

History op Minnesota. 137

white traders for their subsistence, all of which tended to
create bad feelings between them and the whites. The
Indian saw that he had yielded a splendid domain to the
whites, and that they were rapidly occupying it. They
could not help seeing that the whites were pushing them
gradually — I may say rapidly — out of their ancestral
possessions and towards the West, which knowledge
naturally created a hostile feeling towards them. The
Sioux were a brave people, and the young fighting men
were always makmg comparisons between themselves
and the whites, and bantering each other as to whether
they were or were not afraid of them. I made a study
of these people for several years, having had them in
charge as their agent, and I think understood their feel-
ings and standing towards the whites as well as any one.
Much has been said and written about the immediate
cause of the outbreak of 1862, but I do not believe that
anything can be assigned out of the general course of
events that will account for the trouble. Delay, as usual,
had occurred in the arrival of the money for the pay-
ment, which was due in July, 1862. The war was in full
force with the South, and the Indians saw that Minne-
sota was sending thousands of men out of the state to
fight the battles of the Union. Major Thomas Gal-
braith was their agent in the summer of 1862, and being
desirous of contributing to the volunteer forces of the
government, he raised a company of half-breeds on the
reservation and started with them for Fort Snelling, the
general rendezvous, to have them mustered into service.
It was very natural that the Indians who were seeking
for trouble should look upon this movement as a sign of
weakness on the part of the government, and reason
that, if the United States could not conquer its enemy
without their assistance, it must be in serious difficulties.

138 History of Minnesota.

Various things of similar character contributed to create
a feelino among the Indians that it was a good time to
recover their country, redress all their grievances, and
reestabhsh themselves as lords of the land. They had
ambitious leaders. Little Crow was the principal insti-
gator of war on the whites. He was a man of greater
parts than any Indian in the tribe. I had used him on
many trying occasions, as the captain of my bodyguard,
and my ambassador to negotiate with other tribes, and
always found him equal to any emergency; but on this
occasion his ambition ran away with his judgment, and
led him to fatal results. With all these influences at
work, it took but a spark to fire the magazine, and that
spark was struck on the seventeenth day of August,
1862.

A small party of Indians were at Acton, on August
17th, and got into a petty controversy about some eggs
with a settler, which created a difference of opinion
among them as to what they should do, some advocating
one course and some another. The controversy led to
one Indian saying that the other was afraid of the white
man, to resent which, and to prove his bravery, he killed
the settler, and the whole family was massacred. When
these Indians reached the agency, and related their
bloody work, those who wanted trouble seized upon the
opportunity, and insisted that the only way out of the
difficulty was to kill all the whites, and on the morning
of the 1 8th of August the bloody work began.

It is proper to say here that some of the Indians who
were connected with the missionaries, conspicuously
An-pay-tu-tok-a-cha, or John Otherday, and Paul Ma-
za-ku-ta-ma-ni, the president of the Hazelwood Repub-
hc, of which I have spoken, having learned of the inten-
tion of the Indians, informed the missionaries on the

History of Minnesota. 139

night of the 17th, who, to the number of about sixty,
fled eastward to Hutchinson, in McLeod county, and
escaped. The next morning, being the i8th of August,
the Indians commenced the massacre of the whites, and
made clean work of all at the agencies. They then sep-
arated into small squads of from five to ten and spread
over the country to the south, east and southeast, at-
tacking the settlers in detail at their homes and contin-
ued this work during all of the i8th and part of the 19th
of August, until they had murdered in cold blood quite
one thousand people — men, women and children. The
way the work was conducted, was as follows : The party
of Indians would call at the house, and, being well
known, would cause no alarm. They would await a
good opportunity, and shoot the man of the family;
then butcher the women and children, and, after carry-
ing ofif everything that they thought valuable to them,
they would burn the house and proceed to the next
homestead and repeat the performance. Occasionally
some one would escape, and spread the news of the
massacre to the neighbors, and all who could would es-
cape to some place of refuge.

The news of the outbreak reached Fort Ridgely
(which was situated about thirteen miles down the Min-
nesota river) from the agencies about eight o'clock on
the morning of the i8th, by means of the arrival of a
team from the Lower Agency, bringing a badly wounded
man : but no details could be obtained. The fort was
in command of Capt. John Marsh, of Company "B,"
Fifth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. He had eighty-
five men in his company, from which he selected forty-
five, leaving the balance, under Lieut. T. F. Gere, to
defend the fort. This little squad, under command of
Captain Marsh, with a full supply of ammunition, pro-

140 History of Minnesota.

visions, blankets, etc., accompanied by a six-mule team,
left the fort at 9:00 a. m., on the i8th of August, for
the Lower Sioux Agency, which was on the west side of
the Minnesota river, the fort being on the east, which
necessitated the crossing of the river by a ferry near the
agency. On the march up the command passed nine
or ten dead bodies, all bearing evidence of having been
murdered by the Indians, one of which was Dr. Hum-
phrey, surgeon at the agency. On reaching the vicinity
of the ferry no Indians were in sight, except one on the
opposite side of the river, who tried to induce them to
cross over. A dense chaparral bordered the river on
the agency side, and tall grass covered the bottom on
the side where the troops were. Suspicion of the pres-
ence of Indians was aroused by the disturbed condition
of the water of the river, which was muddy and con-
tained floating grass. Then a group of ponies was seen.
At this point, and without any notice whatever, Indians
in great numbers sprang up on all sides of the troops,
and opened upon them a deadly fire. About half of the
men were killed instantly. Finding themselves sur-
rounded, it became with the survivors a question of
sauve qui pent. Several desperate hand-to-hand encoun-
ters occurred, with varying results, when the remnant
of the command made a point down the river, about
two miles from the ferry, Captain Marsh being of the
number. Here they attempted to cross, but the captain
was drowned in the effort. Only from thirteen to fif-
teen of the command reached the fort alive. Among
those killed was Peter Quinn, the United States interpre-
ter, an Irishman, who had been in the Indian territory
for many years. He had married into the Chippewa
tribe. He was a man much esteemed by the army and
all old settlers.

History of Minnesota. 141

Much criticism has been indulged in as to whether
Captain Marsh, when he became convinced of the gen-
eral outbreak, should not have retreated to the fort. Of
course, forty-five men could do nothing against five or
six hundred warriors, who were known to be at or about
the agency. The Duke of Wellington, when asked as
to what was the best test of a general, said, "To know
when to retreat, and to dare to do it." Captain Marsh
cannot be justly judged by any such criterion. He was
not an experienced general. He was a young, brave,
and enthusiastic soldier. He knew little of Indians.
The country knows that he thought he was doing his
duty in advancing. I am confident, whether this judg-
ment is intelligent or not, posterity will hold in warmer
esteem the memory of Captain Marsh and his gallant lit-
tle band than if he had adonted the more prudent course
of retracing his steps. Gen. George Custer was led into
an ambush of almost the exact character, which was pre-
pared for him! by many of the same Indians who at-
tacked Marsh, and he lost five companies of the Seventh
United States Cavalry, one of the best fighting regi-
ments in the service, not a man escaping.

Immediately previous to the outbreak Lieut. Timothy
J. Sheehan, of Company "C," Fifth Minnesota, had been
sent, with about fifty men of his company, to the Yellow
Medicine Agency, on account of some disorder prevail-
ing among the Indians ; but having performed his duty,
he had been ordered to Fort Ripley, and had on the 17th
left Fort Ridgley, and on the i8th had reached a point
near Glencoe, distant from Fort Ridgley about forty
miles. As soon as Captain Marsh became aware of the
outbreak, he sent the following dispatch to Lieutenant
Sheehan, which reached him on the evening of the i8th :
"Lieutenant Sheehan:

142 History of Minnesota.

"It is absolutely necessary that you should return
with your command immediately to this post. The In-
dians are raising hell at the Lower Agency. Return as
soon as possible." ''

Lieutenant Sheehan was then a young Irishman, of
about the age of twenty-five years, with immense physi-
cal vigor, and corresponding enthusiasm. He imme-
diately broke camp and returned to the fort, arriving
there on the 19th of August, having made a forced march
of forty-two miles in nine and one-half hours. He did
not arrive a moment too soon. Being the ranking officer
after the death of Captain Marsh, he took command of
the post. The garrison then consisted of the remnant of
Marsh's Company "B," fifty-one men. Sheehan's Com-
pany "C," fifty men, and the Renville Rangers, fifty men.
This latter company was the one raised by Major Gal-
braith, the Sioux agent at the agencies, and was com-
posed principally of half-breeds. It was commanded by
Capt. James Gorman. On reaching St. Peter, on its
way down to Snelling to be mustered into the service of
the United States, it learned of the outbreak, and at
once returned to Ridgley, having appropriated the arms
of a militia company at St. Peter. There was also at
Ridglev, Sergeant Jones of the regular artillery, who had
been left there in charge of the military stores. He was
quite an expert gunner, and there were several field-
pieces at the fort. Besides this garrison, a large num-
ber of people from the surrounding country had sought
safety at the fort, and there was also a party of gentle-
men, who had brought up the annuity money to pay
the Indians, who, learning of the troubles, had stopped
with the money, amounting to some $70,000 in specie.
I will here leave the fort for the present, and turn to
other points that became prominent in the approaching
war.

History op Minnesota. 143

On the night of the i8th of August, the day of the
outbreak, the news reached St. Peter, and, as I have be-
fore stated, induced the Renville Rangers to retrace
their steps. Great excitement prevailed, as no one could
tell at what moment the Indians might dash into the
town, and massacre the inhabitants.

The people at New Ulm, which was situated about
sixteen miles below Fort Ridgely, on the Minnesota
river, dispatched a courier to St. Peter as soon as they
became aware of the trouble. He arrived at 4 o'clock
a. m. on the 19th, and came immediately to my house,
which was about one mile below the town, and informed
me that the Indians were killing people all over the
country.. Having lived among the Indians for several
years, and at one time had charge of them as their agent,
I thoroughly understood the danger of the situation, and
knowing that, whether the story was true or false, the
frontier was no place at such a time for women and chil-
dren, I told him to wake up the people at St. Peter, and
that I would be there quickly. I immediately placed my
family in a wagon, and told them to flee down the river,
and taking all the guns, powder and lead I could find in
my house, I arrived at St. Peter about 6 a. m. The men
of the town were soon assembled at the court-house, and
in a very short time a company was formed of 1 16 men, of
which I was chosen as captain, William B. Dodd as first,
and Wolf H. Meyer as second lieutenant. Before noon
two men, Henry A, Swift, afterwards governor of the
state, and William C. Hayden, were dispatched to the
front in a buggy to scout, and locate the enemy if he
was near, and about noon sixteen mounted men under
L. M. Boardman, sheriff of the county, were started on a
similar errand. Both these squads kept moving until
they reached New Ulm, at about 5 p. m.

144 History of Minnesota.

Great activity was displayed in equipping the main
body of the company for service. All the guns of the
place were seized, and put into the hands of the men.
There not being any large game in this part of the coun-
try, rifles were scarce, but shot-guns were abundant. All
the blacksmith shops and gun shops were set at work
moulding bullets, and we soon had a gun in every man's
hand, and he was supplied with a powder horn or a
whiskey flask full of powder, a box of caps and a pocket-
full of bullets. We impressed all the wagons we needed
for transportation, and all the blankets and provisions
that were necessary for subsistence and comfort. While
these preparations were going on a large squad from Le
Sueur, ten miles further down the river, under the com-
mand of Captain Tousley, sheriff of Le Sueur county,
joined us. Early in the day a squad from S\van lake,
under an old settler named Samuel Coffin, had gone to
New Ulm to see what was the matter.

Our advance guard reached New Ulm just in time to
participate in its defense against an attack of about one
hundred Indians who had been murdering the settlers
on the west side of the river, between the town and Fort
Ridgely. The inhabitants of New Ulm were almost ex-
clusively German, there being only a few English-speak-
ing citizens among them, and they were not familiar with
the character of the Indians, but the instinct of self-pres-
ervation had impelled them to fortify the town with bar-
ricades to keep the enemy out. The town was built in
the usual way of western towns, the principal settlement
being along the main street, and the largest and best
houses occupying a space of about three blocks. Some
of these houses were of brick and stone, so with a strong
barricade around them, the town was quite defensible.
Several of the people were killed in this first attack, but

History of Minnesota. 145

the Indians, knowing of the coming reinforcements,
withdrew, after firing five or six buildings.

The main body of my company, together with the
squad from Le Sueur, reached the ferry about two miles
below the settled part of New Ulm, about 8 p. m.,
having made thirty-two miles in seven hours, in a
drenching rainstorm. The blazing houses in the distance
gave a very threatening aspect to the situation, but we
crossed the ferry successfully, and made the town with-
out accident. The next day we were reinforced by a
full company from Mankato under Capt. William Bier-
bauer. Several companies were formed from the citizens
of the town. A full company from South Bend arrived
on the 20th or 21st, and various other squads, greater
or less in numbers, came in during the week, before Sat-
urday, the 23d, swelling our forces to about three hun-
dred men, but nearly all very poorly armed. We im-
proved the barricades and sent out daily scouting parties
who succeeded in bringing in many people who were in
hiding in swamps, and who would have undoubtedly
been lost without this succor. It soon became apparent
that, to maintain any discipline or order in the town,
some one man must be placed in command of the entire
force. The officers of the various companies assembled
to choose a commander-in-chief, and the selection fell
to me. A provost guard was at once established, order
inaugurated, and we awaited events.

I have been thus particular in my description of the
movements at this point because it gives an idea of the
defenseless condition in which the outbreak found the
people of the country, and also because it shows the in-
tense energy with which the settlers met the emergency,
at its very inception, from which I will deduce the con-
clusion at the proper time that this prompt initial action
10

146 History of Minnesota.

saved the state from a calamity, the magnitude of which
is unrecorded in the history of Indian wars.

Having described the defensive condition of Fort
Ridgely and New Ulm, the two extreme frontier posts,
the former being on the Indian reservation and the latter
only a few miles southeast of it, I will take up the sub-
ject at the capital of the state. The news reached Gov-
ernor Ramsey, at St. Paul, on the 19th of August, the
second day of the outbreak. He at once hastened to
Mendota, at the mouth of the Minnesota river, and re-
quested ex-Governor Sibley to accept the command of
such forces as could be put in the field, to check the ad-
vance of and punish the Indians. Governor Sibley had
a large experience with the Sioux, perhaps more than
any man in the state, having traded and lived with them
since 1834, and besides that, was a distinguished citizen
of the state, having been its first governor. He accepted
the position, with the rank of colonel in the state militia.
The Sixth Regiment was being recruited at Fort Snell-
ing for the Civil War, and, on the 20th of August, Col-
onel Sibley started up the valley of the Minnesota with
four companies of that regiment, and arrived at St.
Peter on Friday, the 22d. Capt. A. D. Nelson of the
regular army had been appointed colonel of the Sixth,
and William Crooks had been appointed lieutenant col-
onel of the Seventh. Colonel Crooks conveyed the or-
ders of the governor to Colonel Nelson, overtaking him
at Bloomington Ferry. On receipt of his orders, find-
ing he was to report to Colonel Sibley, he made the point
of military etiquette, that an officer of the regular army
could not report to an officer of militia of the same rank,
and turning over his command to Colonel Crooks, he re-
turned to St. Paul and handed in his resignation. It
was accepted, and Colonel Crooks was appointed colonel

History of Minnesota. 147

of the Sixth. Not knowing much about miHtary eti-
quette, I will not venture an opinion on the action of
Colonel Nelson in this instance, but it always seemed to
me that, in the face of the enemy, and especially con-
sidering the high standing of Colonel Sibley, and the
intimate friendship that existed between the two men, it
would have been better to have waived this point, and
unitedly fought the enemy, settling all such matters
afterwards.

On Sunday, the 24th, Colonel Sibley's force at St.
Peter, was augmented by the arrival of about two hun-
dred mounted men, under the command of William J
Cullen, formerly superintendent of Indian affairs, called
the Cullen Guard. On the same day six more companies
of the Sixth arrived, making up the full regiment, and
also about one hundred more mounted men, and sev-
eral squads of volunteer militia. The mounted men were
placed under the command of Col. Samuel McPhail. By
these acquisitions Colonel Sibley's command numbered
about 1,400 men. Although the numerical strength was
considerable, the command was practically useless. The
ammunition did not fit the guns of the Sixth Regiment,
and had to be all made over. The horses of the mount-
ed men, were raw and undisciplined, and the men
themselves were inexperienced and practically un-
armed. It was the best the country afforded, but was
probably about as poorly equipped an army as ever en-
tered the field — and to face what I regard as the best
warriors to be found on the North American continent ;
but fortunately the ofifiicers and men were all that could
be desired. The leaders of this army were the best of
men, and being seconded by intelligent and enthusiastic
subordinates, they soon overcame their physical diffi-
culties ; but they knew nothing of the strength, position

148 History of Minnesota.

or nrevious movements of the enemy, no news having
reached them from either Fort Ridgely or New Ulm.
Any mistake made by this force, resulting in defeat,
would have been fatal. No such mistake was made.
Having now shown the principal forces in the field, we
will turn to the movements of the enemy. The Indians
felt that it would be necessary to carry Fort Ridgely and
New Ulm, before they extended their depredations fur-
ther down the valley of the Minnesota, and concentrated
their forces for an attack on the fort. Ridgely was in no
sense a fort. It was simply a collection of buildings,
principally frame structures, facing in towards the par-
ade ground. On one side was a long stone barrack and a
stone commissary building, which was the only defensi-
ble part of it.

THE ATTACK OX FORT RIDGELY.

On the 20th of August, at about 3 p. m., an attack
was made upon the fort by a large body of Indians. The
first intimation the garrison had of the assault was a vol-
ley poured through one of the openings between the
buildings. Considerable confusion ensued, but order
was soon restored. Sergeant Jones attempted to use his
cannon, but to his utter dismay, he found them disabled.
This was the work of some of the half-breeds belonging
to the Renville Rangers, who had deserted to the enemy.
They had been spiked by raming old rags into them.
The sergeant soon rectified this difficulty, and brought
his pieces into action. The attack lasted three hours,
when it ceased, with a loss to the garrison of three killed
and eight wounded.

On Thursday, the 21st, two further attacks were
made on the fort, one in the morning and one in the
afternoon, but with a reduced force, less earnestness, and

History of Minnesota. 149

little damage. On Friday, the 22d, the savages seemed
determined to carry the fort. About eight hundred or
more, under the leadership of Little Crow, came down
from the agency. Concentrating themselves in the ra-
vines which lay on several sides of the fort, they made
a feint, by sending about twenty warriors out on the
prairie for the purpose of drawing out the garrison from
the fort, and cutting them off. Such a movement, if
successful, would have been fatal to the defenders; but
fortunately there were men among them of much expe-
rience in Indian warfare, who saw through the scheme,
and prevented the success of the maneuver. Then fol-
lowed a shower of bullets on the fort from all directions.
The attack was continued for nearly five hours. It was
bitterly fought, and courageously and intelligently re-
sisted. Sergeant Jones and other artillerists handled the
guns with effective skill, exploding shells in the outlying
buildings, and burning them over the heads of the In-
dians, while the enemy endeavored to burn the wooden
buildings composing the fort, by shooting fire arrows on
their roofs. One of the most exposed and dangerous
duties to be performed was covering the vv^ooden roofs
with earth to prevent fire. One white man was killed
and seven wounded in this engagement. Lieutenant
Sheehan, who commanded the post through all these
trying occurrences. Lieutenant Gorman, of the Renville
Rangers, Lieutenant Whipple, and Sergeants Jones and
McGrew, all did their duty in a manner becoming vet-
erans, and the men seconded their efforts handsomely.
The Indians, after this effort, being convinced that they
could not take the fort, and anticipating the coming of
reinforcements, withdrew, and, concentrating all their
available forces, descended upon New Ulm the next
morning, August 23d, for a final struggle. In the offi-

150 History of Minnesota.

cial history (written for the state) of this battle at Fort
Ridgely, I place the force of the Indians as 450, but have
learned since from reliable sources that it was as above
stated.

BATTLE OF NEW ULM.

We left New Ulm, after the arrival of the various
companies which I have named on the 21st of August,
strengthening its barricades and awaiting events. I had
placed a good glass on the top of one of the stone build-
ings within the barricades for the purpose of observa-
tion, and always kept a sentinel there to report any
movement he should discover in any direction through-
out the surrounding country. We had heard distinctly
the cannonading at the fort for the past two days, but
knew nothing of the result of the fight at that point. I
was perfectly familiar, as were many of my command,
with the country between New Ulm and the fort, on
both sides of the river, knowing the house of every set-
tler on the roads.

Saturday, the 23d of August, opened bright and
beautiful, and early in the morning we saw column after
column of smoke rise in the direction of the fort, each
smoke being nearer than the last. We knew to a cer-
tainty that the Indians w^ere approaching in force, burn-
ing every building and grain or hay stack they passed.
The settlers had either all been killed, or had taken re-
fuge at the fort or New Ulm, so we had no anxiety about
them. About 9:30 a. m. the enemy appeared in great
force, on both sides of the river. Those on the east side,
when they reached the neighborhood of the ferry,
burned some stacks as a signal of their arrival, which
was responded to by a similar fire in the edge of the tim-
ber, about two miles and a half from the town on the west

History of Minnesota. 151

side. Between this timber and the town, was a beauti-
ful open prairie, with considerable descent towards the
town. Immediately on seeing the smoke from the ferry
the enemy advanced rapidly, some six hundred strong,
many mounted and the rest on foot. I had determined
to meet them on the open prairie, and had formed my
men by companies in a long line of battle, with intervals
between them, on the first level plateau on the west side
of the town, thus covering its whole west front. There
were not over twenty or thirty rifles in the whole com-
mand, and a man with a shotgun, knowing his antago-
nist carries a rifle, has very little confidence in his fight-
ing ability. Down came the Indians in the bright sun-
light, galloping, running, yelling, and gesticulating in
the most fiendish manner. If we had had good rifles
they never would have got near enough to do much
harm, but as it was we could not check them before their
fire began to tell on our line. They deployed to the
right and left until they covered our entire front, and
then charged. My men, appreciating the inferiority of
their armament, after seeing several of their comrades fall,
and having fired a few ineffectual volleys, fell back on the
town, passing some buildings without taking possession
of them, which mistake was instantly taken advantage of
by the Indians, who at once occupied them, but they did
not follow us into the town proper, no doubt thinking
our retreat was a feint to draw them among the build-
ings, and thus gain an advantage. I think if they had
boldly charged into the town and set it on fire, they
would have won the fight ; but, instead, they surrounded
it on all sides, the main body taking possession of the
lower end of the main street below the barricades, from
which direction a strong wind was blowing towards the
center of the town. From this point they began firing

152 History of Minnesota.

the houses on both sides of the street. We soon rallied
the men, and kept the enemy well in the outskirts of the
town, and the fighting became general on all sides. Just
about this time, my first lieutenant, William B. Dodd,
galloped down the main street, and as he passed a cross
street the Indians put three or four bullets through him.
He died during the afternoon, after having been re-
moved several times from house to house as the enemy
crowded in upon us.

On the second plateau, there was an old Don Quix-
ote windmill, with an immense tower and sail-arms about
seventy-five feet long, which occupied a commanding
position, and had been taken possession of by a company
of about thirty men, who called themselves the Le Sueur
Tigers, most of whom had rifles. They barricaded them-
selves with sacks of flour and wheat, loopholed the build-
ing and kept the savages at a respectful distance from the
west side of the town, A rifle ball will bury itself in a
sack of flour or wheat, but will not penetrate it. During
the battle the men dug out several of them, a'nd brought
them to me because they were the regulation Minie bul-
let, and there had been rumors that the Confederates
from Missouri had stirred up the revolt and supplied the
Indians with guns and ammunition. I confess I was
astonished when I saw the bullets, as I knew the Indians
had no such arms^ but I soon decided that they were
using against us the guns and ammunition they had
taken from the dead soldiers of Captain Marsh's com-
pany. I do not believe the Confederates had any hand
in the revolt of these Indians.

W^e held several other outposts, being brick build-
ings outside the barricades, which we loopholed, and
found very effective in holding the Indians aloof. The
battle raged generally all around the town, every man

History of Minnesota. 153

doing his best in his own way. It was a very interesting
fight on account of the stake we were contending for.
We had in the place about twelve or fifteen hundred
women and children, the lives of all of whom, and of
ourselves, depended upon victory perching on our ban-
ners ; for in a fight like this, no quarter is ever asked or
given. The desperation with which the conflict was con-
ducted can be judged from the fact that I lost sixty men
in the first hour and a half, ten killed and fifty wounded,
out of less than 250, as my force had been depleted by
the number of about seventy-five by Lieutenant Huey
taking that number to guard the approach to the ferry.
Crossing to the other side of the river he was cut off,
and forced to retreat toward St. Peter. It was simply a
mistake of judgment to put the river between himself
and the main force, but in his retreat he met Capt. K. St.
Julian Cox, with reinforcements for New Ulm, joined
them, and returned the next day. He was a brave and
willing officer. The company I mentioned as having
arrived from South Bend, having heard that the Winne-
bagoes had joined in the outbreak, left us before the final
attack on Saturday, the 23d of August, claiming that
their presence at home was necessary to protect their
families, and on the morning of the 23d, when the enemy
was in sight, a wagon load of others left us and went
down the river. I doubt if we could have mustered over
two hundred guns at any time during the fight.

The enemy, seeing his advantage in firing the build-
ings in the lower part of the main street, and thus grad-
ually nearing our barricades with the intention of burn-
ing us out, kept up his work as continuously as he could
with the interruptions we made for him by occasionally
driving him out; but his approach was constant, and
about 2 o'clock a roaring conflagration was raging on

154 History op Minnesota.

both sides of the street, and the prospect looked dis-
couraging. At this juncture Asa White, an old frontiers-
man, connected with the Winnebagoes, whom I had
known for a long time, and whose judgment and expe-
rience I appreciated and valued, came to me and said:
"Judge, if this goes on, the Indians will bag us in about
two hours." I said: "It looks that way; what remedy-
have you to suggest." His answer was, "We must make
for the Cottonwood timber." Two miles and a half lay
between us and the timber referred to, which, of course,
rendered his suggestion utterly impracticable with two
thousand non-combatants to move, and I said : "White,
they would slaughter us like sheep should we undertake
such a movement. Our strongest hold is in this town,
and if you will get together fifty volunteers, I will drive
the Indians out of the lower town and the greatest dan-
ger will be passed." He saw at once the propriety of
my proposition, and in a short time we had a squad
ready, and sallied out, cheering and yelling in a manner
that would have done credit to the wildest Comanches.
We knew the Indians were congregated in force down
the street, and expected to find them in a sunken road,
about three blocks from where we started, but they had
worked their way up much nearer to us, and were in a
deep swale about a block and a half from our barricades.
There was a large number of them, estimated at about
seventy-five to one hundred, some on ponies and some
on foot. When the conformation of the ground dis-
closed their whereabouts, we were within one hundred
feet of them. They opened a rapid fire on us, which we
returned, while keeping up our rushing advance. When
we were within fifty feet of them, they turned and fled
down the street. We followed them for at least half a
mile, firing as well as we could. This took us beyond

History of Minnesota. 155

the burning houses, and finding a large collection of
saw logs, I called a halt and we took cover among them,
lying flat on the ground. The Indians stopped when we
ceased to chase them, and took cover behind anything
that afforded protection, and kept up an incessant fire
upon us whenever a head or hand showed itself above
the logs. We held them, however, in this position, and
prevented their return toward the town by way of the
street. I at once sent a party back with instructions to
burn every building, fence, stack or other object that
would afford cover between us and the barricades. This
order was strictly carried out, and by six or seven o'clock
there was not a structure standing outside of the barri-
cades in that part of the town. We then abandoned our
saw logs and returned to the town, and the day was won,
the Indians not daring to charge us over an open coun-
try. I lost four men killed in this exploit, one of whom
was especially to be regretted. I speak of Newell
Houghton. In ordinary warfare, all men stand for the
same value as a general thing ; but in an Indian fight, a
man of cool head, an exceptionally fine shot, and armed
with a reliable rifle, is a loss doubly to be regretted.
Houghton was famous as being the best shot and deer
hunter in all the Northwest, and had with him his choice
rifle. He had built a small steamboat with the proceeds
of his gun, and we all held him in high respect as a fine
type of frontiersman. We had hardly got back to the
town before a man brought me a rifle which he had
found on the ground near a clump of brush, and handing
it to me said, "Some Indian lost a good gun in that run."
It happened that White was with me, and saw the gun.
He recognized it in an instant, and said : "Newell
Houghton is dead. He never let that gun out of his
hands while he could hold it." We looked where the

156 History of Minnesota.

gun was picked up, and found Houghton dead in the
brush. He had been scalped by some Indian who had
seen him fall, and had sneaked back and scalped him.

That night we dug a system of rifle pits all along the
barricades on the outside, and manned them with three
or four men each, but the firing was desultory through
the night, and nothing much was accomplished on either
side.

The next morning (Sunday) opened bright and beau-
tiful, but scarcely an Indian was to be seen. They had
given up the contest, and were rapidly retreating north-
ward up the river. We got an occasional shot at one,
but without effect except to hasten the retreat. And so
ended the second and decisive battle of New Ulm.

In this fight between ourselves and the enemy we
burned one hundred and ninety buildings, many of them
substantial and valuable structures. The whites lost
some fourteen killed and fifty or sixty wounded. The
loss of the enemy is uncertain, but after the fight we
found ten dead Indians in burned houses, and in chapar-
ral where they escaped the notice of their friends. As
to their wounded we knew nothing, but judging from
the length and character of the engagement, and the
number of their dead found, their casualties must have
equalled, if not exceeded ours.

About noon of Sunday, the 24th, Capt. E. St. Julien
Cox arrived with a company from St. Peter, which had
been sent by Colonel Sibley to reinforce us. Lieutenant
Huey, who had been cut off at the ferry on the previous
day, accompanied him with a portion of his command.
They were welcome visitors.

There were in the town at the time of the attack on
the 23d, as near as can be learned, from 1,200 to 1,500
noncombatants, consisting of women and children, refu-

History of Minnesota. 157

gees and unarmed citizens, all of whose lives depended
upon our success. It is difficult to conceive a much
more exciting stake to play for, and the men seemed
fully to appreciate it, and made no mistakes.

On the 25th we found that provisions and ammuni-
tion were becoming scarce, and pestilence being feared
from stench and exposure, we decided to evacuate the
town and try to reach Mankato. This destination was
chosen to avoid the Minnesota river, the crossing of
which we deemed impracticable. The only obstacle be-
tween us and Mankato was the Big Cottonwood river,
which was fordable. We made up a train of 153 wagons,
which had largely composed our barricades, loaded them
with women and children, and about eighty wounded
men, and started. A more heart-rending procession was
never witnessed in America. Here was the population
of one of the most flourishing towns in the state aban-
doning their homes and property, starting on a journey
of thirty odd miles, through a hostile country, with a
possibility of being massacred on the way, and no hope
or prospect but the hospitality of strangers and ultimate
beggary. The disposition of the guard was confided
to Captain Cox. The march was successful; no In-
dians were encountered. We reached Crisp's farm,
which was about half way between New Ulm and Man-
kato, about evening. I pushed the main column on,
fearing danger from various sources, but camped at this
point with about 150 men, intending to return to New
Ulm, or hold this point as a defensive measure for the
exposed settlements further down the river. On the
morning of the 26th we broke camp, and I endeavored
to make the command return to New Ulm or remain
where they were — my object, of course, being to keep
an armed force between the enemy and the settlements.

158 History of Minnesota.

The men had not heard a word from their famihes for
more than a week, and declined to return or remain. I
did not blame them. They had demonstrated their will-
ingness to fight when necessary, but held the protection
of their families as paramount to mere military' possibil-
ities. I would not do justice to history did I not record,
that, when I called for volunteers to return. Captain Cox
and his whole squad stepped to the front, ready to go
where I commanded. Although I had not then heard
of Captain Marsh's disaster, I declined to allow so small
a command as that of Captain Cox to attempt the reoc-
cupation of New Ulm. My stafif stood by me in this
effort, and a gentleman from Le Sueur county. Mr.
Freeman Talbott, made an impressive speech to the
men, to induce them to return. The train arrived safe-
ly at Mankato on the 25th, and the balance of the com-
mand on the following day, whence the men generally
sought their homes.

I immediately, on arriving at Mankato, went to St.
Peter, to inform Colonel Sibley of the condition of
things in the Indian country. I found him, on the night
of August 26th, in camp about six miles out of St. Peter,
and put him in possession of everything that had hap-
pened to the westward. His mounted men arrived at
Fort Ridgely on the 27th of August, and were the first
relief that reached that fort after its long siege. Sibley
reached the fort on the 28th of August. Intrenchments
were thrown up about the fort, cannon properly placed,
and a strong guard maintained. All but ninety men of
the Cullen Guard, under Captain Anderson, returned
home as soon as they found the fort was safe. The gar-
rison was soon increased by the arrival of forty-seven
men under Captain Sterritt, and on the ist of Septem-
ber, Lieut. Col. William R. Marshall of the Seventh Reg-

History o? Minnesota. 159

iment arrived, with a portion of his command. This
force could not make a forward movement on account
of a lack of ammunition and provisions, which were long
delayed.

BATTLE OF BIRCH COULIE.

On the 31st of August a detail of Captain Grant's
company of infantry, seventy men of the Cullen Guard,
under Captain Anderson, and some citizens and other
soldiers, in all about 150 men, under command of Major
Joseph R. Brown, with seventeen teams and teamsters,
were sent from Fort Ridgely to the Lower Agency, to
feel the enemy, bury the dead, and perform any other
service that might arise. They went as far as Little Crow's
village, but not finding any signs of Indians, they re-
turned; and on the ist of September they reached Birch
CouHe, and encamped at the head of it. Birch Coulie
is a ravine extending from the upper plateau to the river
bottom, nearly opposite the ferry where Captain Marsh's
company was ambushed.

The Indians, after their defeat at Fort Ridgely and
New Ulm, had concentrated at the Yellow Medicine
river, and decided to make one more desperate effort to
carry their point of driving the whites out of the country.
Their plan of operation was, to come down the Minne-
sota valley in force, stealthily, passing Sibley's command
at Ridgely, and attacking St. Peter and Mankato simul-
taneously. They congregated all their forces for this at-
tempt, and started down the river. When they reached
the foot of Birch Coulie they saw the last of Major
Brown's command going up the coulie. They decided
to wait and see where they encamped, and attack them
early in the morning. The whites went to the upper end
of the Coulie, and camped on the open prairie, about

160 History of Minnesota.

250 feet from the brush in the coulie. On the other
side of their camp there was a roll in the prairie, about
four or five feet high, which they probably did not no-
tice. This gave the enemy cover on both sides of the
camp, and they did not fail to see it and take advantage
of it. The moment daylight came sufficiently to dis-
close the camp, the Indians opened fire from both sides.
The whites had ninety horses hitched to a picket rope
and their wagons formed in a circular corral, with their
camp in the center. The Indians soon killed all the
horses but one, and the men used their carcasses as
breastworks, behind which to fight. The battle raged
from the morning of September 2d to September 3d,
when they were relieved by Colonel Sibley's whole com-
mand, and the Indians fled to the west.

Major Joseph R. Brown was one of the most expe-
rienced Indian men in the country, and would never
have made the mistake of locating his camp in a place
that gave the enemy such an advantage. He did not
arrive until the camp was selected, and should have re-
moved it at once. I have always supposed that he was
lulled into a sense of security by not having seen any
signs of Indians in his march; but the result proved
that, when in a hostile Indian country, no one is ever
justified in omitting any precautions. The firing at Birch
Coulie was heard at Fort Ridgely, and a relief was sent,
under Colonel McPhail, which was checked by the In-
dians a few miles before it reached its destination. The
colonel sent a courier to the fort for reinforcements, and
it fell to Lieutenant Sheehan to carry the message. With
his usual energy he succeeded in getting through, his
horse dying under him on his arrival. Colonel Sibley
at once started with his whole command, and when he
reached the battle ground the Indians left the field.

History of Minnesota. 161

This was one of the most disastrous battles of the
war. Twenty-three were killed outright or mortally
wounded, and forty-five were severely wounded, while
many others received slight injuries. The tents were, by
the shower of bullets, made to resemble lace work, so
completely were they perforated. One hundred and
four bullet holes were counted in one tent. Besides the
continual shower of bullets that was kept up by the In-
dians, the men suffered terribly from thirst, as it was im-
possible to get water into the camp. This fight forms
a very important feature in the Indian war, as, notwith-
standing its horrors, it probably prevented awful massa-
cres at St. Peter and Mankato, the former being abso-
lutely defenseless, and the latter only protected by a
small squad of about eighty men, which formed my
headquarters guard at South Bend, about four miles
distant.

OCCURRENCES IN MEEKER COUNTY AND VICINITY.

While these events were passing, other portions of
the state were being prepared for defense. In the re-
gion of Forest City in Meeker county, and also at Hut-
chinson and Glencoe, the excitement was intense. Capt.
George C. Whitcomb obtained in St. Paul seventy-five
stand of arms and some ammunition. He left a part of
the arms at Hutchinson, and with the rest armed a com-
pany at Forest City, of fifty-three men, twenty-five of-
whom were mounted. Capt. Richard Strout, of Com-
pany "B," Ninth Regiment, was ordered to Forest City,
and went there with his company. Gen. John H. Stevens
of Glencoe was commander of the state militia for the
counties of McLeod, Carver, Sibley and Renville. As
soon as he learned of the outbreak he erected a very

substantial fortification of saw-logs at Glencoe, and that
11

162 History of Minnesota.

place was not disturbed by the savages. A company of
volunteers was formed at Glencoe, under Capt.. A. H.
Rouse. Company "F" of the Ninth Regiment, under
Lieut. O. P. Stearns, and Company "H" of the same
regiment (Capt. W. R. Baxter), an independent com-
pany from Excelsior, and the Goodhue County Rangers
(Capt. David L. Davis), all did duty at and about Glen-
coe during the continuance of the trouble. Captains
Whitcomb and Strout, with their companies, made ex-
tensive reconnoisances into the surrounding counties,
rescuing many refugees, and having several brisk and
sharp encounters with the Indians, in which they lost
several in killed and wounded. The presence of these
troops in this region of countr\% and their active opera-
tions, prevented its depopulation, and saved the towns
and much valuable property from destruction.

PROTECTION OF THE SOUTHERN FRONTIER.

On the 29th of August I received a commission from
the governor of the state, instructing and directing me
to take command of the Blue Earth country, extending
from New Ulm to the north line of Iowa, embracing the
then western and southwestern frontier of the state. My
powers were general — to raise troops, commission offi-
cers, subsist upon the country, and generally to do what
in my judgment was best for the protection of this fron-
tier. Under these powers I located my headquarters at
South Bend, being the extreme southern point of the
Minnesota river, thirty miles below New Ulm, four from
Mankato, and about fifty from the Iowa line. Here I
maintained a guard of about eighty men. We threw up
some small intrenchments. but nothing worthy of men-
tion. Enough citizens of New Ulm had returned home
to form two companies at that point. Company "E," of

History of Minnesota. 163

the Ninth Regiment, under Capt. Jerome E. Dane, was
stationed at Crisp's farm, about half way between New
Ulm and South Bend. Col. John R. Jones of Chatfield
collected about three hundred men, and reported to me
at Garden City. They were organized into companies un-
der Captains N. P. Colbum and Post, and many of them
were stationed at Garden City, where they erected a serv-
iceable fort of saw-logs. Others of this command were
stationed at points along the Blue Earth river. Capt.
Cornelius F. Buck of Winona raised a company of fifty-
three men, all mounted, and started west. They reached
Winnebago City, in the county of Faribault, on the 7th
of September, where they reported to me, and were sta-
tioned at Chain Lakes, about twenty miles west of Win-
nebago City, and twenty of this company were after-
wards sent to Madelia. A stockade was erected by this
company at Martin Lake. In the latter part of August
Capt. A. J. Edgerton of Company "B," Tenth Regi-
ment, arrived at South Bend, and having made his re-
port, was stationed at the Winnebago agency, to keep
watch on those Indians and cover Mankato from that
direction. About the same time Company "F," of the
Eighth Regiment, under Capt. L. Aldrich, reported, and
was stationed at New Ulm. E. St. Julien Cox, who had
previously reinforced me at New Ulm, was commis-
sioned a captain, and put in command of a force which
was stationed at Madelia. in Watonwan county, where
they erected quite an artistic fortification of logs, with
bastions. While there an attack was made upon some
citizens who had ventured beyond the safe limits, and
several whites were killed.

It will be seen by the above statement that almost
immediately after the evacuation of New Ulm, on the
25th of August, the most exposed part of the southern

164 History of Minnesota.,

frontier was occupied by quite a strong force. I did
not expect that any serious incursions would be made
along this line, but the state of alarm and panic that pre-
vailed among the people rendered it necessary to estab-
lish this cordon of military posts to prevent an exodus of
the inhabitants. No one who has not gone through the
ordeal of an Indian insurrection can form any idea of
the terrible apprehension that takes possession of a de-
fenseless and noncombatant population under such cir-
cumstances. There is an element of mystery and un-
certainty about the magnitude and movements of this
enemy, and a certainty of his brutality, that inspires ter-
ror. The first notice of his approach is the crack of his
rifle, and no one with experience of such struggles ever
blames the timidity of citizens in exposed positions when
assailed by these savages. I think, all things being con-
sidered, the people generally behaved very well. If a
map of the state is consulted, taking New Ulm as the
most northern point on the Minnesota river, it will be
seen that the line of my posts covered the frontier from
that point down the river to South Bend, and up the
Blue Earth, southerly, to Winnebago City, and thence
to the Iowa line. These stations were about sixteen
miles apart, with two advanced posts, at Madelia and
Chain Lakes, to the westward. A system of couriers
was established, starting from each end of the cordon
every morning, with dispatches from the commanding
officer to headquarters, stopping at every station for
an indorsement of what was going on, so I knew every
day what had happened at every point on my line. By
this means, the frontier population was pacified, and no
general exodus took place.

In September Major General Pope was ordered to
Minnesota to conduct the Indian war. He made his

History of Minnesota. 165

headquarters at St. Paul, and by his high rank took com-
mand of all operations, though not exerting any visible
influence on them, the fact being that all imminent dan-
ger had been overcome by the state and its citizens be-
fore his arrival. In the latter part of September the citi-
zen troops under my command were anxious to return
to their homes, and on presentation of the situation to
General Pope, he ordered into the state a new regiment
just mustered into the service in Wisconsin — the Twen-
ty-fifth— commanded by Col. M. Montgomery, who was
ordered to relieve me. He appeared at South Bend on
the 1st of October, and after having fully informed him
of what had transpired, and given him my views as to
the future, I turned my command over to him in the fol-
lowing order: I give it, as it succinctly presents the
situation of affairs at the time. i

"HEADQUARTERS INDIAN EXPEDITION
SOUTHERN FRONTIER,

SOUTH BEND, October 5, 1862.

To the Soldiers and Citizens zvho have been, and are now
engaged in the defense of the Southern Frontier:

"On the eighteenth day of August last your frontier
was invaded by the Indians. You promptly rallied for
its defense. You checked the advance of the enemy
and defeated him in two severe battles at New Ulm.
You have held a line of frontier posts extending over a
distance of one hundred miles. You have erected six
substantial fortifications, and other defensive works of
less magnitude. You have dispersed marauding bands
of savages that have hung upon your lines. You have
been uniformly brave, vigilant and obedient to orders.
By your efforts, the war has been confined to the bor-

166 History of Minnesota.

der; without them, it would have penetrated into the
heart of the state.

"Major General Pope has assumed command of the
Northwest, and will control future operations. He
promises a vigorous prosecution of the war. Five com-
panies of the Twenty-fifth Wisconsin Regiment and five
hundred cavalry from Iowa are ordered into the region
now held by you, and will supply the places of those
whose terms of enlistment shortly expire. The depart-
ment of the southern frontier, which I have had the
honor to command, will, from the date of this order, be
under the command of Colonel M. Montgomery of the
Twenty-fifth Wisconsin, whom I take pleasure in intro-
ducing to the troops and citizens of that department as
a soldier and a man to whom they may confide their in-
terests and the safety of their country, with every assur-
ance that they will be protected and defended.

"Pressing public duties of a civil nature demand my
absence temporarily from the border. The intimate and
agreeable relations we have sustained toward each other,
our union in danger and adventure, cause me regret in
leaving you, but will hasten my return.

"CHAS. E. FLANDRAU,
"Colonel Commanding Southern Frontier."

This practically terminated my connection with the
war. All matters yet to be related took place in other
parts of the state, under the command of Colonel Sibley
and others.

COLONEL SIBLEY MOVES UPON THE ENEMY

We left Colonel Sibley, on the 4th of September, at
Fort Rideely, having just relieved the unfortunate com-
mand of Major Joseph R, Brown, after the fight at Birch

History of Minnesota. 167

Coulie. Knowing that the Indians had in their posses-
sion many white captives, and having their rescue aHve
uppermost in his mind, the colonel left on the battlefield
at Birch Coulie the following communication, attached
to a stake driven in the ground, feeling assured that it
would fall into the hands of Little Crow, the leader of the
Indians.

"If Little Crow has any proposition to make, let
him send a half-breed to me, and he shall be protected in
and out of camp.

"H. H. SIBLEY,
"Colonel Commanding Military Expedition."

The note was found, and answered by Little Crow
in a manner rather irrelevant jto the subject most de-
sired by Colonel Sibley. It was dated at Yellow Medi-
cine, September 7th, and delivered by two half-breeds.

Colonel Sibley returned the following answer by the
bearers :

"Little Crow, you have murdered many of our peo-
ple without any sufficient cause. Return me the prison-
ers under a flag of truce, and I will talk with you like a
man."

No response was received to this letter until Septem-
ber 1 2th, when Little Crow sent another, saying that he
had 155 prisoners, not including those held by the Sis-
setons and Wakpaytons, who were at Lac qui Parle, and
were coming down. He also gave assurances that the
prisoners were faring well. Colonel Sibley, on the 12th
of September, sent a reply by Little Crow's messengers,
saying that no peace could be made without a surrender
of the prisoners, but not promising peace on any terms,
and charging the commission of nine murders since the
receipt of Little Crow's last letter. The same messen-
ger that brought this letter from Little Crow also de-

168 History op Minnesota.

livered, quite a long one from Wabasha and Taopee, two
lower chiefs who claimed to be friendly, and desired a
meeting with Colonel Sibley, suggesting two places
where it could be held. The Colonel replied that he
would march in three days, and was powerful enough to
crush ail the Indians ; that they might approach his col-
umn in open day with a flag of truce, and place them-
selves under his protection. On the receipt of this note
a large council was held, at which nearly all the annuity
Indians were present. Several speeches were made by
the Upper and Lower Sioux, some in favor of continu-
ance of the war and "dying in the last ditch," and some
in favor of surrendering the prisoners. I quote from a
speech made by Paul Ma-za-ku-ta-ma-ni, who will be
remembered as one of the Indians who volunteered to
rescue the white captives from Ink-pa-du-ta's band, in
1857, and who was always true to the whites. He said
among other things :

"In fighting the whites, you are fighting the thunder
and lightning. You say you can make a treaty with the
British government. That is not possible. Have you
not yet come to your senses? They are also white men,
and neighbors and friends to the soldiers. They are
ruled by a petticoat, and she has the tender heart of a
squaw. What will she do for the men who have com-
mitted the murders you have?"

This correspondence was kept up for several days,
quite a number of letters coming from the Indians to
Colonel Sibley, but with no satisfactory results. On the
1 8th of September, Colonel Sibley determined to move
upon the enemy, and on that day camp was broken at
the fort, a boat constructed, and a crossing of the Minne-
sota river effected near the fort, to prevent the possi-
biHty of an ambuscade. Colonel Sibley's force consisted

History of Minnesota. 169

of the Sixth Regiment under Colonel Crooks, about
three hundred men of the Third under Major Welch,
several companies of the Seventh under Col. William R.
Marshall, a small number of mounted men under Col-
onel McPhail, and a battery under the command of Capt.
Mark Hendricks. The expedition moved up the river
without encountering any opposition until the morning
of the twenty-third of September. Indians had been in
sight during all the march, carefully watching the move-
ments of the troops, and several messages of defiance
were found attached to fences and houses.

THE BATTLE OF WOOD LAKE.

On the evening of the 22d the expedition camped
at Lone Tree lake, about two miles from the Yellow
Medicine river, and about three miles east from Wood
lake. Early next morning several foraging teams be-
longing to the Third Regiment were fired upon. They
returned the fire, and retreated toward the camp. At
this juncture the Third Regiment without orders, sal-
lied out, crossed a deep ravine and soon engaged the
enemy. They were ordered back by the commander,
and had not reached camp before Indians appeared on
all sides in great numbers, many of them in the ravine
between the Third Regiment and the camp. Thus be-
gan the battle of Wood Lake. Captain Hendricks
opened with his cannon and the howitzer under the di-
rect command of Colonel Sibley, and poured in shot and
shell. It has since been learned that Little Crow had
appointed ten of his best men to kill Colonel Sibley at all
hazards, and that the shells directed by the colonel's
own hand fell into this special squad and dispersed them.
Captain Hendricks pushed his cannon to the head of the
ravine, and raked it with great effect, and Colonel Mar-

170 History of Minnesota.

shall, with three companies of the Seventh and Captain
Grant's company of the Sixth, charged down the ravine
on a double quick, and routed the Indians. About eight
hundred of the command were engaged in the conflict,
and met about an equal number of Indians. Our loss was
about nine killed and between forty and fifty wounded.
Major Welch of the Third was shot in the leg, but not
fatally. The Third and the Renville Rangers under
Capt. James Gorman bore the brunt of the fight, which
lasted about an hour and a half, and sustained the most
of the losses. Colonel Sibley, in his official report of
the encounter, gives great credit to his stafif and all of
his command. An-pay-tu-tok-a-cha, or John Otherday,
was with the whites, and took a conspicuous part in the
fray.

Thus ended the battle of Wood Lake. It was an
important factor in the war, as it was about the first time
the Indians engaged large forces of well organized
troops in the open country, and their utter discomfiture
put them on the run. It will be noticed that I have not
in any of my narratives of battles, used the stereotyped
expression, "Our losses were so many, but the losses of
the enemy were much greater, but as they always carry
off their dead and wounded, it is impossible to give ex-
act figures." The reason I have not made use of this
common expression is, because I don't believe it. The
philosophy of Indian warfare is. to kill your enemy and
not get killed yourself, and they can take cover more
skillfully than any other people. In all our Indian wars,
from the Atlantic westward, with regulars or militia, I
believe it would not be an exaggeration to say that the
whites have lost ten to one in killed and wounded. But
the battle of Wood Lake was quite an open fight, and so
rapidly conducted and concluded that we have a very ac-

History of Minnesota. 171

curate account of the loss of the enemy. He had no time
or opportunity to withdraw his dead. Fifteen dead were
found upon the field, and one wounded prisoner was
taken. No doubt many others were wounded who were
able to escape. After this fight Colonel Sibley retired
to the vicinity of an Indian camp, located nearly oppo-
site the mouth of the Chippewa river, where it empties
into the Minnesota, and there encamped. This point
was afterwards called "Camp Release," from the fact
that the white prisoners held by the enemy were here
delivered to Colonel Sibley's command. We will leave
Colonel Sibley and his troops at Camp Release, and nar-
rate the important events that occurred on the Red
River of the North, at and about

FORT ABERCROMBIE.

The United States government, about the year 1858,
erected a military post on the west side of the Red River
of the North, at a place then known as Graham's Point,
between what are now known as the cities of Brecken-
ridge and Fargo. Like most of the frontier posts of that
day, it was not constructed with reference to defense, but
more as a depot for troops and military stores. It was
then in the midst of the Indian country, and is now in
Richland county. North Dakota. The troops that had
garrisoned the fort had been sent south to aid in sup-
pressing the Southern rebellion, and their places had
been supplied by one company of the Fifth Regiment of
Minnesota Volunteers, which was commanded by Capt.
John Van der Horck. There was a place down the river,
and north of the fort, about fifty miles, called George-
town, at which there were some settlers, and a depot of
stores for the company engaged in the navigation of the
river. At the commencement of the outbreak Captain

172 History of Minnesota.

Van der Horck had detached about one-half of his com-
pany, and sent them to Georgetown, to protect the in-
terests centered at that point.

About the 20th of August news reached Abercrom-
bie from the Yellow Medicine agency that trouble was
expected from the Indians. An expedition was on the
way to Red lake to make a treaty with the Chippewa In-
dians, consisting of the government commissioners and
party, accompanied by a train of thirty loaded wagons
and a herd of two hundred cattle. On the 23d of Au-
gust, news reached Fort Abercrombie that a large body
of Indians were on the way to capture this party. A
courier was at once dispatched to the train, and it sought
refuge in the fort. Runners were also sent to all the set-
tlements in the vicinity, and the warning spread of the
approaching danger. Happily nearly all of the sur-
rounding people reached the fort before the arrival of
the enemy. The detachment stationed at Georgetown
was also called in. A mail coach that left the fort on
the 22d, fell into the hands of the Indians, who killed
the drivf^r and destroved the mail.

The garrison had been strengthened by about fifty
men capable of duty from the refugees, but they were
unarmed. Captain Van der Horck strengthened his
post by all means in his power, and endeavored to ob-
tained reinforcements. Captain Freeman, with about
sixty men, started from St. Cloud, on the Mississippi, to
relieve the garrison at Abercrombie, but on reaching
Sauk Center the situation appeared so alarming that it
was deemed imprudent to proceed with so small a force.
and no addition could be made to it at Sauk Center.
Attempts were made to reinforce the fort from other
points. Two companies were sent from Fort Snelling.
and got as far as Sauk Center, but the force was even

History o? Minnesota. 173

then deemed inadequate to proceed to Abercrombie.
Part of the Third Regiment was also dispatched from
SnelHng to its reUef on September 6th. Another expe-
dition, consisting of companies under command of Cap-
tains George Atkinson and Rollo Banks, with a small
squad of about sixty men of the Third Regiment, under
command of Sergeant Dearborn, together with a field
piece under Lieutenant Robert J. McHenry, was formed,
and placed under the command of Capt. Emil A. Burger.
This command started on September loth, and after a
long and arduous march, reached the fort on the 23d of
September, finding the wearied and anxious garrison
still in possession. Captain Burger had been rein-
forced at Wyman's station, on the Alexandria road, on
the 19th of September, by the companies under Captains
Freeman and Barrett, who had united their men on the
14th, and started for the fort. The relief force amounted
to quite four hundred men by the time it reached its
destination.

While this long delayed force was on its way the lit-
tle garrison at the fort had its hands full to maintain its
position. On the 30th of August a large body of In-
dians made a bold raid on the post, and succeeded in
stampeding" and running off nearly two hundred head of
cattle and one hundred head of horses and mules which
were grazing on the prairie. Some fifty of the cattle
afterwards escaped, and were restored to the post by a
scouting party. This band of marauders did not, how-
ever, attack the fort. No one who has not experienced
it can appreciate the mortification of seeing an enemy
despoil you of your property when you are powerless
to resist. An attack was made on the fort on the 3d of
September, and some stacks burned and a few horses
captured. Several men were killed on both sides, and

174 History of Minnesota.

Captain Van der Horck was wounded in the rig-ht arm
from an accidental shot from one of his own men. On
September 6th a second attack was made by a large force
of Indians, which lasted nearly all day, in which we lost
two men and had several wounded. No further attack
was made until the 26th of September, when Captain
Freeman's company was fired on while watering their
horses in the river. These Indians were routed and pur-
sued by Captain Freeman's company, and a squad of the
Third Regiment men, with a howitzer. Their camp was
captured, which contained quite an amount of plunder.
A light skirmish took place on the 29th of September,
in which the enemy was routed, and this affair ended
the siege of Fort Abercrombie.

CAMP RELEASE.

Colonel Sibley's command made Camp Release on
the 26th of September. This camp was in the near
vicinity of a large Indian camp of about 150 lodges.
These Indians were composed of Upper and Lower
Sioux, and had generally been engaged in all the mas-
sacres that had taken place since the outbreak. They
had with them some 250 prisoners, composed of women
and children, whites and half-breeds. Only one white
man was found in the camp, George Spencer, who had
been desperately wounded at the Lower Agency, and
saved from death by an Indian friend of his.

The desire of the troops to attack and punish these
savages was intense, but Colonel Sibley kept steadily in
mind that the rescue of the prisoners was his first duty,
and he well knew that any demonstration of violence
would immediately result in the destruction of the
captives. He therefore wisely overruled all hostile in-
clinations. The result was a general surrender of the

History of Minnesota. 175

whole camp, together with all the prisoners. As soon
as the safety of the captives was assured, inquiry was in-
stituted as to the participation of these Indians in the
massacres and outrages which had been so recently
perpetrated. Many cases were soon developed of par-
ticular Indians, who had been guilty of the grossest
atrocities, and the commander decided to form a mili-
tary tribunal to try the offenders.

TRIAL, OF THE INDIANS.

The state has reason to congratulate itself on two
things in this connection. First, that it had so wise and
just a man as Colonel Sibley to select this important
tribunal, and, second, that he had at his command such
admirable material from which to make his selection.
It must be remembered that this court entered upon its
duties with the lives of hundreds of men at its absolute
disposal. Whether they were Indians or any other kind
of people, the fact must not be overlooked that they
were human beings, and the responsibility of the tribunal
was correspondingly great. Colonel Sibley at this date
sent me a dispatch, declaring his intention in the matter
of the result of the trials. It is as follows :

"Camp Release, nine mieES below Lac qui ParlE,

Sept. 25, 1862.

"Colonel: [x\fter speaking of a variety of matters
concerning the disposition of troops who were in my
command, the battle of Wood Lake (which he charac-
terized as "A smart conflict we had with the Indians"),
the rescue of the prisoners and other matters, he adds:]

"N. B. — I am encamped near a camp of 150 lodges
of friendly Indians and half-breeds, but have had to

176 History of Minnesota.

purge it of suspected characters. I have apprehended
sixteen supposed to have been connected with the late
outrages, and have appointed a miHtary commission of
five officers to try them. If found guilty they will be
forthwith executed, although it will perhaps be a stretch
of my authority. If so, necessity must be my justifica-
tion.

"Yours,

"H. H. SIBLEY."

On the 28th of September an order was issued con-
vening this court martial. It was composed of William
Crooks, colonel of the Sixth Regiment, president ; Wil-
liam R. Marshall, lieutenant colonel of the Seventh Reg-
iment ; Captains Grant and Baily of the Sixth, and Lieu-
tenant Olin of the Third. Others were subsequently
added as necessity required. All these men were of ma-
ture years, prominent in their social and general stand-
ing as citizens, and as well equipped as any persons could
be to engage in such work. What I regard as the most
important feature in the composition of this most extra-
ordinary court is the fact that the Hon. Isaac V. D.
Heard, an experienced lawyer of St. Paul, who had been
for many years the prosecuting attorney of Ramsey
county, and who was thoroughly versed in criminal law,
was on the staff of Colonel Sibley, and was by him ap-
pointed recorder of the court. Mr. Heard, in the per-
formance of his duty, was above prejudice or passion,
and could treat a case of this nature as if it was a mere
misdemeanor. Lieutenant Olin was judge advocate of
this court, but as the trials progressed the evidence was
all put in and the records kept by Mr. Heard. Some
changes were made in the personnel of the court from
time to time as the officers were needed elsewhere, but

History of Minnesota. 177

none of the changes lessened the dignity or character of
the tribunal. I make these comments because the trials
took place at a period of intense excitement, and persons
unacquainted with the facts may be led to believe that
the court was "organized to convict," and was unfair
in its decisions.

The court sat some time at Camp Release, then at
the Lower Agency, and Mankato, where it investigated
the question whether the Winnebagoes had participated
in the outbreak ; but none of that tribe were imphcated,
which proves that the court acted judicially, and not
upon unreliable evidence, as the country was full of
rumors and charges that the Winnebagoes were impli-
cated. The court terminated its sittings at Fort Snell-
ing, after a series of sessions lasting from Sept. 30 to
Nov. 5, 1862, during which 425 prisoners were arraigned
and tried. Of these 321 were found guilty of the of-
fenses charged, of whom 303 were sentenced to death,
and the rest to various terms of imprisonment according
to the nature of their crimes. The condemned prison-
ers were removed to Mankato, where they were confined
in a large guardhouse, constructed of logs for the pur-
pose, and were guarded by a strong force of soldiers.
On the way down, as the party having charge of the
prisoners passed through New Ulm they found the in-
habitants disinterring the dead, who had been hastily
buried in the streets where they fell during the fights
at that place. The sight of the Indians so enraged the
people that a general attack was made on the wagons
in which they were chained together. The attacking
force was principally composed of women, armed with
clubs, stones, knives, hot water and similar weapons.
Of course, the guard could not shoot or bayonet a wom-
an, and they got the prisoners through the town with
the loss of one killed and many battered and bruised.
12

178 History op Minnesota.

While this court martial was in session the news of
its proceedings reached the eastern cities, and a great
outcry was raised, that Minnesota was contemplating a
dreadful massacre of Indians. Many influential bodies
of well-intentioned but ill-informed people beseeched
President Lincoln to put a stop to the proposed execu-
tions. The president sent for the records of the trials,
and turned them over to his legal and military advisors
to decide which were the more flagrant cases. On the
sixth day of December, 1862, the president made the
following order :

"Executive Mansion, Washington, D. C,

"Dec. 6, 1862.
"Brigadier General Henry H. Sibley, St. Paul, Minn.:

"Ordered, that of the Indians and half-breeds sen-
tenced to be hanged by the military commission, com-
posed of Colonel Crooks, Lieutenant Colonel Marshall,
Captain Grant, Captain Bailey and Lieutenant Olin, and
lately sitting in Minnesota, you cause to be executed on
Friday, the nineteenth day of December, instant, the
following named, to-wit :

(Here follow the names of thirty-nine Indians, and
their numbers on the record of conviction.)

"The other condemned prisoners you will hold, sub-
ject to further orders, taking care that they neither es-
cape nor are subjected to any unlawful violence,

"ABRAHAM LINCOLN,
"President of the United States."

Colonel Sibley had been appointed, by President
Lincoln, a brigadier general, on the 29th of September,
1862, on account of his success at the battle of Wood
Lake, the announcement of his promotion being in a
telegram, as follows :

History of Minnesota. 179

"Washington, D. C, Sept. 29, 1862.
"Major General Pope, St. Paid, Minn.,

"Colonel Henry H. Sibley is made a brigadier gen-
eral for his judicious fight at Yellow Medicine. He
should be kept in command of that column, and every
possible assistance sent to him.

"H. W. HALLECK,
"General in Chief."

His commission as brigadier general was not issued
until March 26, 1864, but, of course, this telegram
amounted to an appointment to the position, and if ac-
cepted, as it was, made him subject to the orders of the
president ; so, notwithstanding his dispatch to me, stat-
ing that the Indians, if convicted, would be forthwith
executed, he could not very well carry out such an ex-
treme duty without first submitting it to the federal au-
thorities, of which he had become a part.

My view of the question has always been that, when
the court martial was organized, Colonel Sibley had no
idea that more than twenty or twenty-five of the Indians
would be convicted, which is partly inferrable from his
dispatch to me, in which he said he had "apprehended
sixteen supposed to have been connected with the late
outrages." But when the matter assumed the propor-
tions it did, and he found on his hands some three hun-
dred men to kill, he was glad to shift the responsibility
to higher authority. Any humane man would have
been of the same mind. I have my own views, also,
of the reasons of the general government in eliminating
from the list of the condemned all but thirty-nine. It
was not because these thirty-nine were more guilty than
the rest, but because we were engaged in a great civil
war, and the eyes of the world were upon us. Had
these three hundred men been executed, the charge

IQQ History of Minnesota.

would have undoubtedly been made by the South, that
the North was murdering prisoners of war, and the au-
thorities at Washington, knowing full well that the other
nations were not capable of making the proper discrimi-
nation, and perhaps not anxious to do so if they were,
deemed it safer not to incur the odium which might fol-
low from such an accusation.

EXECUTION OF THE THTRTT-EIGHT CONDEMNED INDIANS.

The result of the matter was that the order of the
president was obeyed, and on the 26th of December,
1862, thirty-eight of the condemned Indians were exe-
cuted, by hanging, at Mankato, one having been par-
doned by the president. Cotemporaneous history, or,
rather, general public knowledge, of what actually oc-
curred, says that the pardoned Indian was hanged, and
one of the others Hberated by mistake. As an historian,
I do not assert this to be true, but as a citizen, thor-
oughly well informed of current events at the time of
this execution, I believe it to be a fact. The hanging of
the thirty-eight was done on one gallows, constructed in
a square form, capable of sustaining ten men on each
side. They were placed upon a platform facing inwards,
and dropped all at once by the cutting of a rope. The
execution was successful in all its details, and reflects
credit on the ingenuity and engineering skill of Captain
Burt of Stillwater, who was intrusted with the construc-
tion of the deadly machine. The rest of the condemned
Indians were, after some time, taken down to Daven-
port in Iowa, and held in confinement until the excite-
ment had generally subsided, when they were sent west
of the Missouri and set free. An Indian never forgets
what he regards as an injury, and never forgives an en-
emy. It is my opinion that all the troubles that have

History of Minnesota. 181

taken place since the liberation of these Indians, with
the tribes inhabiting the western plains and mountains,
up to a recent date, have grown out of the evil counsels
of these savages. The only proper course to have pur-
sued with them, when it was decided not to hang them,
was to have exiled them to some remote post, — say, the
Dry Tortugas, — where communication with their peo-
ple would have been impossible, set them to work on
fortifications or other public works, and allowed them
to pass out by life limitation.

The execution of these Indians practically terminated
the campaign for the year 1862, no other event worthy of
detailed record having occurred ; but the Indian war was
far from being over, and it was deemed prudent to keep
within the state a sufficient force of troops to success-
fully resist all further attacks, and to inaugurate an ag-
gressive campaign in the coming year. The whole of
the Sixth, Seventh and Tenth Regiments, the Mounted
Rangers, some artillery organizations, scouts and other
troops were wintered in the state at various points along
the more exposed frontier, and in 1863 a formidable ex-
pedition, under command of General Sibley, was sent
from Minnesota to crush the enemy, which was to be
aided and cooperated with, by another expedition, un-
der Gen. Alfred Sully, of equal proportions, which was
to start from Sioux City, on the Missouri. After the
attack at Birch Coulie and its relief, Little Crow, with
a large part of his followers, branched off, and went to
the vicinity of Acton, and there attacked the command
under Capt. Richard Strout, where a severe battle was
fought, in which several of Captain Strout's men were
killed. On the 3d of July, 1863, Crow ventured down
to the neighborhood of Hutchinson, with his young son,
probably to get something which he had hidden, or to

182 History of Minnesota.

Steal horses, and while he was picking berries, a farmer
named Lamson, who was in search of his cows, saw him
and shot him dead. His scalp now decorates the walls
of the Minnesota Historical Society.

THE CAMPAIGN OF 1863.

The remnant of Little Crow's followers were sup-
posed to be rendezvoused at Devil's lake, in Dakota Ter-
ritory, and reinforced by a large body of the Upper
Sioux. An expedition against them was devised by
General Pope, to be commanded by General Sibley.
It was to assemble at a point near the mouth of the
Redwood river, some twenty-five miles above Fort
Ridgely. On the 7th of June. 1863, General Sibley
arrived at the point of departure, which was named
Camp Pope, in honor of the commanding general. The
force composing the expedition was as follows : One
company of pioneers, under Captain Chase ; ten com-
panies of the Sixth Regiment, under Colonel Crooks;
eight companies of the Tenth Regiment, under Colonel
Baker; nine companies of the Seventh, under Lieuten-
ant Colonel Marshall ; eight pieces of artillery, under
Captain Jones ; nine companies of Minnesota Mounted
Rangers, under Colonel McPhail ; seventy-five Indian
scouts under Major Brown, George McLeod and Major
Dooley; in all 3,052 infantry, 800 cavalry and 148 artil-
lerymen. The command, from the nature of the coun-
try it had to traverse, was compelled to depend upon its
own supply train, which was composed of 225 six-mule
wagons. The staff was complete, consisting of Adjutant
General Olin, Brigade Commissary Forbes, Assistant
Commissary and Ordnance Officer Atchison, Commis-
sary Clerk Spencer, Quartermaster Corning, Assistant
Quartermaster Kimball, Aides-de-camp Lieutenants

History of Minnesota. 183

Pope, Beever. Hawthorne and A. St. Clair Flandrau,
Chaplain, Rev. S. R. Riggs.

The column moved from Camp Pope on June i6,
1863. The weather was intensely hot, and the country-
over which the army had to march was wild and unin-
habited. At first the Indians retreated in the direction
of the British line, but it was discovered that their course
had been changed to the direction of the Missouri river.
They had probably heard that General Sully had been
delayed by low water and hoped to be able to cross to
the west bank of that stream before his arrival to inter-
cept them, with the future hope that they would, no
doubt, be reenforced by the Sioux inhabiting the country
west of the Missouri. On the 4th of July the expedition
reached the Big Bend of the Cheyenne river. On the
17th of July Colonel Sibley received reliable information
that the main body of the Indians was moving toward
the Missouri, which was on the 20th of July confirmed
by a visit at Camp Atchison of about three hundred
Chippewa half-breeds, led by a Catholic priest named
Father Andre. On becoming satisfied that the best
fruits of the march could be attained by bending towards
the Missouri, the general decided to reHeve his command
of as much impedimenta as was consistent with comfort
and safety and would increase the rapidity of its move-
ments. He therefore established a permanent post at
Camp Atchison, about fifty miles southeasterly from
Devil's lake, where he left all the sick and disabled men,
and a large portion of his ponderous train, with a suffi-
cient guard to defend them if attacked. He then im-
mediately started for the Missouri, with 1,436 infantry,
520 cavalry, 100 pioneers and artillerymen, and twenty-
five days' rations. On the 22nd he crossed the James
river, forty-eight miles west of Camp Atchison, and on

184 History of Minnesota.

the 24th reached the vicinity of Big Mound, beyond
the second ridge of the Missouri coteau. Here the
scouts reported large bodies of Indians, with Red Pknne
and Standing Buffalo among them.

BATTLE OP BIG MOUND.

The general, expecting an attack on the 24th, cor-
ralled his train, and threw up some earthworks to en-
able a smaller force to defend it. The Indians soon ap-
peared. Dr. Weiser, surgeon of the First Rangers, sup-
posing he saw some old friends among them, approached
too close and was instantly killed. Lieutenant Free-
man, who had wandered some distance from the camp,
was also killed. The battle opened at three p. m., in the
midst of a terrific thunderstorm, and after some sharp
fighting, the Indians, numbering about fifteen hundred,
fled in the direction of their camp, and were closely pur-
sued. A general panic ensued, the Indian camp was
abandoned, and the whole throng, men, women and chil-
dren, fled before the advancing forces. Numerous
charges were made upon them, amidst the roaring of the
thunder and the flashing of the lightning. One private
was killed by lightning, and Colonel McPhail's saber was
knocked out of his grasp by the same force.

The Indians are reported to have lost in this fight,
eighty killed and wounded. They also lost nearly all
their camp equipment. They were pursued about fif-
teen miles, and had it not been for a mistake in the de-
livery of an order by Lieutenant Beever, they would un-
doubtedly have been overtaken and destroyed. The or-
der was to bivouac where night caught the pursuing
troops, but was misunderstood to return. This unfor-
tunate error gave the Indians two days' start, and they
put a wide gap between themselves and the troops. The

History of Minnesota. 185

battle of Big Mound, as this engagement was called,
was a decided victory, and counted heavily in the scale
of advantage, as it put the savages on the run and dis-
abled them from prosecuting further hostilities.

BATTLE OP DEAD BUFFALO LAKE.

On the 26th the command again moved in the direc-
tion of the fleeing Indians. Their abandoned camp was
passed on that day early in the morning. About noon
large bodies of the enemy were discovered, and a brisk
fight ensued. Attacks and counter attacks were made,
and a determined fight kept up until about three p. m.,
when a bold dash was made by the Indians to stampede
the animals which were herded on the banks of a lake,
but the attempt was promptly met and defeated. The
Indians, foiled at all points, and having lost heavily in
killed and wounded, retired from the field. At night
earthworks were thrown up to prevent a surprise, but
none was attempted, and this ended the battle of Dead
Buffalo Lake. '

The general was now convinced that the Indians
were going toward the Missouri, with the intention of
putting the river between them and his command, and,
expecting General Sully's force to be there to intercept
them, he determined to push them on as rapidly as possi-
ble, inflicting all the damage he could in their flight.
The campaign was well conceived, and had Sully arrived
in time, the result would undoubtedly have been the
complete destruction or capture of the Indians. But
low water delayed Sully to such an extent that he failed
to arrive in time, and the enemy succeeded in crossing
the river before General Sibley could overtake them.

186 History of Minnesota,

battle of stony lake.

On the 28th of July Indians were again seen in large
numbers. They endeavored to encircle the troops. They
certainly presented a force of two thousand fighting men,
and must have been reinforced by friends from the west
side of the Missouri. They were undoubtedly fighting
to keep the soldiers back until their families could cross
the river. The troops were well handled. A tremen-
dous effort was made to break our lines, but the enemy
was repulsed at all points. The artillery was effective,
and the Indians finally fied in a panic and rout towards
the Missouri. They were hotly pursued, and, on the
29th, the troops crossed Apple creek, a small stream a
few miles from the present site of Bismarck, the capital
of North Dakota, and pushing on, struck the Missouri
at a point about four miles above Burnt Boat Island.
The Indians had succeeded in crossing the river with
.their families, but in a very demoralized condition as
to supplies and camp equipage. They were plainly
visible on the bluflfs on the opposite side. It was here
that Lieutenant Beever lost his life while carrying an
order. He missed the trail and was ambushed and
killed. He was a young Englishman who had volun-
teered to accompany the expedition, and whom General
Sibley had placed upon his staff as an aide.

Large quantities of wagons and other material, aban-
doned by the Indians in their haste to cross the river,
were destroyed. The bodies of Lieutenant Beever and
a private of the Sixth Regiment, who was killed in the
same way, were recovered and buried. It was clear that
the Indians, on learning of the magnitude of the exnedi-
tion. never contemplated overcoming it in battle, and
made their movements with reference to delaying its

History op Minnesota. 187

progress, while they pushed their women and children
toward and across the river, knowing there was no rest-
ing place for them on this side. They succeeded ad-
mirably, but their success was solely attributed to the
failure of General Sully to arrive in time. General Sib-
ley's part of the campaign was carried out to the letter,
and every man in it, from the commander to the private,
is entitled to the highest praise.

On August 1st the command broke camp for home.
As was learned afterwards. General Sully was then dis-
tant down the river i6o miles. His delay was no fault of
his, as it was occasioned by insurmountable obstacles.
The march home was a weary but uneventful one. The
campaign of 1863 may be summed up as follows: The
troops marched nearly 1,200 miles. They fought three
well-contested battles. They drove from eight to ten
thousand Indians out of the state, and across the Mis-
souri river. They lost only seven killed and three
wounded, and inflicted upon the enemy so severe a loss
that he never again returned to his old haunts. For his
meritorious services General Sibley was appointed a
major general by brevet on Nov. 29, 1865, which ap-
pointment was duly confirmed by the senate, and he was
commissioned on April 7, 1866.

In July, 1863, a regiment of cavalry was authorized
by the secretary of war to be raised by Major E. A. C.
Hatch, for duty on the northern frontier. Several com-
panies were recruited and marched to Pembina, on the
extreme northern border, where they performed valua-
ble services, and suffered incredible hardships. The
regiment was called Hatch's Battalion.

CAMPAIGN OF 1864.

The government very wisely decided not to allow
the Indian question to rest upon the results of the cam-

188 History of Minnesota.

paign of 1863, which left the Indians in possession of
the country west of the Missouri, rightly supposing that
they might construe their escape from General Sibley
the previous year into a victory. It therefore sent out
another expedition in 1864, to pursue and attack them
beyond the Missouri. The plan and outfit were very
similar to those of 1863. General Sully was again to pro-
ceed up the Missouri with a large command, and meet a
force sent out from Minnesota, which forces when com-
bined were to march westward, and find and punish the
savages if possible. The expedition, as a whole, was
under the command of General Sully. It consisted of
two brigades, the first composed of Iowa and Kansas in-
fantry and cavalry, and Brackett's Batallion, to the num-
ber of several thousand, which was to start from Sioux
City and proceed up the Missouri in steamboats. The
second embraced the Eighth Regiment of Minnesota
Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Thomas, mounted on
ponies; the Second Minnesota Cavalry, under Colonel
MacLaren ; the Third Minnesota Batter}^ under Captain
Jones. The Second Brigade was commanded by Col-
onel Thomas. This brigade left Fort Snelling on June
1st, and marched westward. General Sibley and staf¥
accompanied it as far as Fort Ridgely. On the 9th of
June it passed Wood Lake, the scene of the fight in
1862. About this point it overtook a large train of
emigrants on their way to Idaho, who had with them 160
wagon loads of supplies. This train was escorted to the
Missouri river safely. The march was wearisome in the
extreme, with intensely hot weather and very bad water,
and was only enlivened by the appearance occasionally
of a herd of buffalo, a band of antelope, or a straggling
elk. The movements of the command were carefully
watched by flying bands of Indians during its whole

History of Minnesota. 189

march. On July ist the Missouri was reached at a point
where now stands Fort Rice. General Sully and the
First Brigade had arrived there the day before. The
crossing- was made by the boats that brought up the
First Brigade. The column was immediately directed
toward Cannon Ball river, where i,8oo lodges of Indians
were reported to be camped. The Indians fled before
the approaching troops. On the last of July the Heart
river was reached, where a camp was formed, and the
tents and teams left behind. Thus relieved, the com-
mand pressed forward for an Indian camp eighty miles
northward. On the 2d of August the Indians were found
in large numbers on the Big Knife river, in the Bad
lands. These were Unca-Papa Sioux, who had mur-
dered a party of miners from Idaho the year before, and
had given aid and comfort to the Minnesota refugee In-
dians. They were attacked, and a very spirited engage-
ment ensued in which the enemy was badly beaten and
suffered severe losses. The place where this battle was
fought was called Ta-ka-ho-ku-tay, or "The blufT where
the man shot the deer."

On the next day, August 3d, the command moved
west through the Bad Lands, and just as it emerged
from this terribly ragged country it was sharply attacked
by a large body of Indians. The fight lasted through
two days and nights, when the enemy retired in haste.
They were very roughly handled in this engagement.

General Sully then crossed to the west side of the
Yellowstone river, where the weary soldiers found two
steamboats awaiting them, with ample suppHes. In
crossing this rapid river the command lost three men and
about twenty horses. From this point they came home
by the way of Forts Union, Berthold and Stevenson,
reaching Fort Rice on the 9th of September.

190 History of Minnesota.

On this trip General Sully located Forts Rice. Stev-
enson and Berthold.

On reaching Fort Rice, considerable anxiety was
felt for Colonel Fisk, who, with a squad of fifty troops,
had left the fort as an escort for a train of Idaho immi-
grants, and had been attacked i8o miles west of the fort,
and had been compelled to intrench. He had sent for
reenforcements, and General Sully sent him three hun-
dred men, who extricated him from his perilous posi-
tion.

The Minnesota brigade returned home by way of
Fort Wadsworth, where they arrived on September 27th,
Here Major Rose, with six companies of the Second
Cavalry, was left to garrison the post, the balance of the
command reaching Fort Snelling on the 12th of Octo-
ber.

In June, 1865, another expedition left Minnesota for
the west, under Colonel Callahan of Wisconsin, which
went as far as Devil's lake. The first, second and fourth
sections of the Third Minnesota battery accompanied it.
Again, in 1866, an expedition started from Fort Aber-
crombie, which included the first section of the Third
Battery, under Lieutenant Whipple. As no important
results followed from these two latter expeditions. I only
mention them as being parts of the Indian war.

The numbers of Indians engaged in this war, to-
gether with their superior fighting qualities, their arma-
ment, and the country occupied by them gives it rank
among the most important of the Indian wars fought
since the first settlement of the country on the Atlantic
coast. But when viewed in the light of the number of
settlers massacred, the amount of property destroyed,
and the horrible atrocities committed by the savages, it
far surpasses them all.

History of Minnesota. 191

I have dwelt upon this war to such an extent be-
cause I regard it as the most important event in the his-
tory of our state, and desire to perpetuate the facts more
especially connected with the gallant resistance offered
by the settlers in its inception. Not an instance of tim-
idity is recorded. The inhabitants engaged in the peace-
ful pursuits of agriculture, utterly unprepared for war,
sprang to the front on the first indication of danger, and
checked the advance of the savage enemy in his initial
efforts. The importance of battles should never be
measured by the number engaged, or the Hsts of killed
and wounded, but by the consequences of their results.
I think the repulse of the Indians at Fort Ridgely and
New Ulm saved the State of Minnesota from a disaster
the magnitude of which cannot be estimated. Their
advance was checked at the very frontier, and they were
compelled to retreat, thus affording time and opportu-
nity for the whites to organize for systematic action.
Had they not met with this early check, it is more than
probable that the Chippewas on the Upper Mississippi
and the Winnebagoes in the Lower Minnesota valley
would have joined them, and the war have been carried
into the heart of the state. Instances of a similar char-
acter have occurred in our early wars which illustrate
my position. The battle of Oriscany, which was fought
in the Revolutionary War in the valley of the Mohawk,
between Rome and Utica, was not more of an encounter
than Ridgely or New Ulm, yet it has been characterized
as one of the decisive battles of the world, because it pre-
vented a junction of the British forces under St. Ledger
in the west and Burgoyne in the east, and made Ameri-
can independence possible. The State of New York
recognized the value of Oriscany just one hundred years
after the battle was fought, by the erection of a monu-

192 History of Minnesota.

ment to commemorate it. The State of Minnesota has
done better, by erecting imposing monuments on both
the battlefields of Ridgely and New Ulm, the inscrip-
tions on which give a succinct history of the respective
events.

The state also presented each of the defenders of Fort
Ridgely with a handsome bronze medal, especially struck
for the purpose, the presentation of which took place at
the time of the dedication of the monument, on the twen-
tieth day of August, 1896.

The medal has a picture of the fort on its obverse
side, surrounded by the words, "Defender of Fort Ridge-
ly, August 18-27, 1862." Just over the flag staff, in a
scroll, is the legend, in Sioux, "Ti-yo-pa-na-ta-ka-pi,"
which means, "It shut the door against us," referring to
the battle having obstructed the further advance of the
Indians. This was said by one of the Indians in the at-
tacking party in giving his view of the effect of the re-
pulse, and adopted by the committee having charge of
the preparation of the medal as being appropriate and
true. On the reverse side are the words, "Presented bv

the State of Minnesota to — ^ ," encircled by a wreath

of moccasin flowers, which is the flower of the state.

The state has also placed monuments at Birch Coulie,
Camp Release and Acton. I regret to be compelled to
say that a majority of the committee having charge of
the building of the Birch Coulie monument so far failed
in the performance of their duties as to the location of
the monument and formulating its inscriptions that the
legislature felt compelled to pass an act to correct their
errors. The correction has not yet been made, but in
the cause of true history it is to be hoped that it will be in
the near future. The state also erected a handsome
monument, in the cemetery of Fort Ridgely, to Captain

History of Minnesota. 193

Marsh and the twenty-three men of his company that
were killed at the ferry, near the Lower Sioux Agency,
on Aug. 1 8, 1862, and, by special act, passed long after
at the request of old settlers, added the name of Peter
Quinn, the interpreter, who was killed at the same time
and place. The state also built a monument in the same
cemetery in remembrance of the wife of Dr. Muller, the
post surgeon at Ridgely during the siege, on account
of the valuable services rendered by her in nursing the
wounded soldiers.

A LONG PERIOD OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY.

After the stirring events of the Civil and Indian wars
Minnesota resumed its peaceful ways, and continued to
grow and prosper for a long series of years, excepting
the period from 1873 to 1876, when it was afflicted with
the plague of grasshoppers. Possessed of the many ad-
vantages that nature has bestowed upon it, there was
nothing else for it to do. The state, as far as it was then
developed, was exclusively agricultural, and wheat was
its staple production, although almost every character of
grain and vegetable can be produced in exceptional
abundance. Potatoes of the first quality were among its
earliest exports, but that crop is not sufficiently valuable
or portable to enter extensively into the catalogue of its
productions, beyond the needs of domestic use.

INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW PROCESS OF MILLING WHEAT.

The wheat raised in Minnesota was, and always has
been, of the spring variety, and up to about the year
1874 was regarded in the markets of the world as an in-
ferior article of grain, when compared with the winter
wheat of states further south, and the flour made from

it was also looked upon as much less valuable than its
13

194 History of Minnesota.

competitor, made from winter wheat. The state labored
under this disability in realizing upon its chief product
for many years, both in the wheat, and the flour made
from it. Many mills were erected at the Falls of St. x^^n-
thony, with a very great output of flour, which, with the
lumber manufactured at that point, composed the chief
export of the state. The process of grinding wheat was
the old style, of an upper and nether millstone, which
left the flour of darker color, less nutritious, and less de-
sirable than that from the winter wheat made in the same
way. About the year 1871 it was discovered that a new
process of manufacturing flour was in operation on the
Danube and at Budapest. Mr. George H. Christian, a
partner of Gov. C. C. Washburn in the milling business
at Minneapolis, studied the invention, which consisted of
crushing the wheat by means of rollers made of steel and
porcelain, instead of grinding it, as of old, to which the
French had added a new process of eliminating the bran
specs from the crushed product, bv means of a flat oscil-
lating screen or bolt with an upward blast of air through
it, upon which the crushed product was placed and
cleansed of all bran impurities. In 1871 Gen. C. C.
Washburn and Mr. Christian introduced this French in-
vention into their mills in Minneapolis, and derived from
it great advantage in the appearance and value of their
flour. This was called a "middlings purifier." In 1874
they introduced the roller crushing process, and the re-
sult was, that the hard spring wheat returned a flour su-
perior to the product of the winter wheat, and placed
Minnesota upon more than an equality with the best
flour-producing states in the Union. This process has
been universally adopted throughout the United States
in all milling localities, with great advantage to that in-
dustry.

History of Minnesota. 195

It is a rather curious fact that, as all our milling
knowledge was originally inherited from England, which
country is very sluggish in the adoption of new
methods, it was not until our improved flour reached
that country that the English millers accepted the new
method, and have since acted upon it. It is a case of
the pupil instructing his preceptor.

I regard the introduction of these improvements in
the manufacture of fiour into this state as of prime im-
portance to its growth and increase of wealth and
strength. It is estimated by the best judges that the
value of our spring wheat was increased at least twenty
per cent by their adoption, and when we consider that
the state produced, in 1898, 78,418,000 bushels of wheat,
its magnitude can be better appreciated. It formerly
required five bushels of wheat to make a barrel of flour ;
under the new process it only takes four bushels and
seven pounds to make a barrel of the same weight — 196
pounds.

The only record that is kept of flour in Minnesota is
for the two points of Minneapolis and the head of the
lakes ; the latter including Duluth, and Superior, in Wis-
consin. The output of Minneapolis for the crop year of
1898-99 was 15,164,881 barrels, and for Duluth-Superior
for the same period 2,637,035 barrels. The estimate for
the whole state is 25,000,000 barrels. These figures are
taken from the Northwestern Miller, a reliable publica-
tion in Minneapolis.

The credit of having introduced the Hungarian and
French processes into Minnesota is due primarily to the
late Gov. C. C. Washburn of La Crosse, Wis., who was
greatly aided by his partner at the time, Mr. George H.
Christian of Minneapolis.

While I am convinced that the credit of first having

196 History of Minnesota.

introduced these valuable inventions into Minnesota be-
long-s to Gov. C. C. Washburn and his partner Mr.
George H. Christian, I am in justice bound to add that
Gov. John S. Pillsbury and the late Mr. Charles A.
Pillsbury, who were large and enterprising millers at
Minneapolis, owning the Excelsior Mills, immediately
after its introduction adopted the process, and put it
into their mills, and by employing American skilled arti-
zans and millers to set up and operate their machinery,
succeeded in securing the first absolutely perfect auto-
matic mill of the new kind in the country. General
Washburn, having imported Hungarian millers to start
and operate his experimental mills, found himself some-
what handicapped by their inefificiency and sluggishness
in adopting American ways and customs.

THE DISCOVERY OF IRON.

From the earliest days of the territory the people
had predicted the growth of cities at several points. At
St. Paul, because it was the head of navigation of the
Mississippi river; at St. Anthony, on account of its great
water power ; at Superior, as being the head of naviga-
tion of the Great Lakes system ; and at Mankato, from
its location at the great bend of the Minnesota river. It
must be remembered that when these prophesies were
made Minneapolis and Duluth had no existence, and
Superior was the natural outlet of the St. Louis river
into Lake Superior, and had its land titles not been so
complicated when the railroad from St. Paul to the head
of the lakes was projected, there is no doubt Superior
would have been the terminus of the road; but it was
found to be almost impossible to procure title to any
land in Superior, on account of its having been sold by
the proprietors in undivided interests to parties all over

History of Minnesota. 197

the country, and it was situated in Wisconsin, so the rail-
road people procured the charter of the company to
make its northern terminus on the Minnesota side of
the harbor, where Duluth now stands, and founded that
town as the terminus of the road. Some years after
Minnesota Point was cut by a canal at its base, or shore
end, and the entrance to the harbor changed from its
natural inlet, around the end of the point, to this canal.
This improvement has proved to be of vast importance
to the city of Duluth and to the shipping interests of
the state, as the natural entrance was difficult and dan-
gerous.

Duluth increased in importance from year to year
by reason of the natural advantages of its situation, as
the outlet of much of the exports of the state and the
inlet of a large portion of its imports. As railroads
progressed, it became connected with the wheat produc-
ing areas of the state, which resulted in the erection of
elevators for the shipment of wheat and mills to grind
it. As nearly all the coal consumed in the state came
in by the gateway of Duluth, immense coal docks were
constructed, with all the modern inventions for unload-
ing it from ships and loading it on cars for distribution.
Duluth soon attained metropolitan proportions. About
the year 1870 Mr. George C. Stone became a resident of
the city, and engaged in business.

In 1873 Jay Cooke, who had been an important
factor in the construction of the Northern Pacific Rail-
road, failed, which was a serious blow to Duluth. Mr.
Stone had given his attention largely to the investiga-
tion of the mineral resources of the Lake Superior re-
gion in Minnesota, and had become convinced of the
presence of large beds of iron ore in its northeastern
portion, now known as the Vermillion Range. When

198 History of Minnesota.

he first made known his discovery, the location of the
ore was so remote from civilization that he found it diffi-
cult to interest any one in his enterprise. Few shared
his faith, but undismayed by lack of support, he under-
took, with steady persistence, the task of securing the
capital necessary to develop what he was convinced was
a great natural wealth-producing field. Comparatively
alone, and with little encouragement at home, he visited
the money centers of the country, and assiduously la-
bored to induce men of capital to embark in the enter-
prise, but found it to be uphill work.

The first men whose support he secured were
Charlemagne Tower of Potts ville. Pa., and Samuel A.
Munson of Utica, N. Y., both men of education and
great wealth. They became sufficiently interested to
secure a proper test of the matter. Professor Chester
of Hamilton College was sent out on two occasions.
Mr. Munson died, and after the lapse of a few years
Charlemagne Tower, then a resident of Philadelphia,
undertook to furnish the necessary funds to make the
development, which involved the expense of $4,000,000
in building a railroad eighty miles in length, with docks
and other operating facilities.

The railroad was opened in July, 1884, and there
was shipped that season 62,124 tons of ore, and in 1885
the shipment reached 225,000 tons. In 1886 304,000
tons were shipped; in 1887, 394,000 tons; in 1888, 512,-
000. The output of the iron mines at and about the
head of the lakes had, by 1898, grown to the enormous
quantity of 5,871,801 tons. The grade of the ore is the
highest in the market. This product is one of the most
important in the state, and seems destined to expand
indefinitely.

No better idea of the growth and importance of Du-

History of Minnesota. 199

luth, and, in the same connection, the advance of the
state, since the war, can be presented than by a state-
ment of a few aggregates of different industries centered
at the head of the lakes. The most recent record ob-
tainable is for the year 1898, For example :

Lumber cut 544,318,000 feet.

Coal received 2,500,000 tons.

Number of vessels arrived and cleared 12,150

Wheat received, and flour as wheat 82,118,129 bushels.

Other grain 19,428,622 bushels.

Flour manufactured 2,460,025 barrels.

Capacity of elevators 24,650,000 bushels.

Capacity of flour mills per day 22,000 barrels.

Many other statistics could be given, but the above
are sufificient to show the unexampled growth of the
state in that vicinity.

COMMERCE THROUGH THE ST. MARY'S FALLS CANAL.

Another very interesting and instructing element in
considering the growth of Minnesota is the commerce
passing through the St. Mary's Canal, which connects
Lake Superior with Lakes Huron and Michigan, the
greater part of which is supplied by Minnesota. No rec-
ord of the number of sailing vessels or steamers passing
through the canal was kept until the year 1864. Dur-
ing that year there were 1,045 sailing vessels, and 366
steamers. The last report for the year 1898 shows an
increase of sailing vessels to 4,449 and of steamers to
12,461. The first record of the net tons of freight pass-
ing the canal was opened in 1881, which showed an ag-
gregate of 1,567,741 net tons of all kinds of freight. In
i8g8 it had grown to the enormous sum of 21,2^4,664
tons. These fip-ures, like distances in astronomical cal-
culations, require a special mental ©fTort to fully compre-

200 History of Minnesota.

hend them. An incident occurred in September, 1899,
in connection with this canal traffic, that assists in un-
derstanding its immense proportions. By an accident
to a steamer, the channel of the river was blocked for a
short time, until she could be removed, during which
time a procession of waiting steamers was formed forty-
miles in length.

I have been unable to obtain any reliable figures
with which to present a contrast between the commerce
of this canal and that o-f the Suez, connecting the Medi-
terranean with the Red Sea, but it is generally estimated
that the St. Mary's largely exceeds the Suez, although
the commerce of the world with the Orient and Aus-
tralia largely passes through the latter.

AGRICULTURE.

In the early days of Minnesota its agricultural popu-
lation was largely centered in the southeastern portion
of the state. The soil was exceptionally fertile, and
produced wheat in unusual abundance. The Western
farmer of early days was a careless cultivator, thinking
more of the immediate results than permanent preserva-
tion of his land. Even if he was of the conservative old
New England stock, the generous soil of the West, the
freedom from social restraint, and the lessened labors
of the farm, led him into more happy-go-lucky methods
than he had been accustomed to in the East. It was
Mark Twain who once said that if you plant a New Eng-
land deacon in Texas, you will find him in about a year
with a game chicken under his arm, riding a mule on
Sunday to a cock-fight. When farms were opened in
the southeastern counties of Minnesota it was not an
unusual thing to be rewarded with a crop of from thirty
to forty bushels of wheat to the acre. The process of

History of Minnesota. 201

cultivation was simple, and required scarcely any capital,
so it was natural that the first comers should confine
their efforts to the one product of wheat. They did so,
regardless of the fact that the best soil will become ex-
hausted unless reenforced. They became accustomed
to think that land could always be had for the taking^
and in twenty or twenty-five years, the goose that laid
the golden eggs died, and six or eight bushels was all
they could extract from their lands. About 1877 or
1878 they practically abandoned the culture of wheat
and tried corn and hogs. This was an improvement, but
not a great success. Many of the farmers of the pio-
neering and roving class sold out, and went west for
fresh lands.

DAIRYING.

About this time the dairy business had become quite
profitable in Iowa, and the Minnesota farmers turned
their attention to that branch of industry. Their lands
were excellent for pasturing purposes and hay raising.
They began in a small way, with cows and butter-mak-
ing, but from lack of experience and knowledge of the
business their progress was slow ; but it improved from
year to year, and now, in the year 1899, it has become
one of the most important, successful and profitable in-
dustries in the state, and the farmers of southern Minne-
sota constitute the most independent and well-to-do
class of all our citizens. It was not very long ago when
a mortgage was an essential feature of a Minnesota farm,
but they have nearly all been paid off, and the farmer
of southern Minnesota is found in the ranks of the stock-
holders and depositors of the banks, and if he has any-
thing to do with mortgages, he is found on the winning
side of that dangerous instrument. A brief statement

202 History of Minnesota.

of the facts connected with the dairy business will dem-
onstrate its magnitude. There are in the state :

Creameries, about 700

Creamery patrons 5S.OOO

Capital invested $3,000,000

Cows supplying milk 410,000

Pounds of milk received in 1898 1,400,000,000

Pounds of butter made, 1898 63,000,000

Pounds of butter exported 50,000,000

Gross receipts, 1898 $10,400,000

Operating expenses, 1898 $i,xoo,ooo

Paid to patrons $8,600,000

Since 1884 Minnesota butter has been exhibited, in
competition with similar products from all the states in
the Union and the butter-making- countries of the world,
at all the princinal fairs and expositions that have been
held in the United States, and has taken more prizes
than any other state or country. Its cheese has kept
pace with its butter. There are in the state, in active
operation, ninety-four cheese factories. This industry
is constantly on the increase, and Minnesota is certainly
destined to surpass every other state in the Union in this
department of agriculture.

While this new and valuable branch of industry was
gradually superseding that of wheat in southern Minne-
sota, the latter was not being extinguished by any
means, but simply changing its habitat. About the
time that wheat culture became unprofitable in southern
Minnesota, the valley of the Red River of the North be-
gan to attract attention, and it was at once discovered
that it was the garden of the world for wheat culture.
An intelligent and experienced farmer, Mr. Oliver Dal-
rymple, may be said to have been the pioneer of that
enterprise. Lands in the valley were cheap, and he

History of Minnesota. 203

succeeded in gaining control of immense tracts, and un-
limited capital for their development. He opened these
lands up to wheat culture, and gave to the world a new
feature in agriculture, which acquired the name of the
"Bonanza Farm." Some of these farms embraced sixty
and seventy thousand acres of land, and were divided
by roads on the section lines. They were supplied with
all the buildings necessary for the accommodation of the
army of superintendents and employes that operated
them; also, granaries and buildings for housing ma-
chinery, slaughter houses to provision the operatives,
telephone systems to facilitate communication between
distant points, and every other auxiliary to perfect an
economic management. These great farms, of course,
produced wheat at much lower rates than could the
lesser ones, but did not materially interfere with wheat
production by the smaller farmers, as the output of 1898
of nearly 79,000,000 bushels sufficiently proves. There
seems to be no need of apprehension about the lands
of the Red River Valley becoming exhausted, as they
appear to be as enduring as those in the valley of the
Nile.

THE UNIVERSITY OP MINNESOTA AND ITS SCHOOL OF

AGRICULTURE.

The University of Minnesota, for the establishment
of which the United States donated to the state nearly
100,000 acres of land, and the agricultural college, which
was similarly endowed, have been consolidated, and both
have long been in successful operation. The university
proper opened its doors for the admission of students
about the year 1869, and has since attained such propor-
tions as to entitle it to a place among the leading edu-
cational institutions of the United States, its roll of stu-

204 History op Minnesota.

dents for the last college year numbering over three
thousand. Its curriculum embraces all studies gener-
ally taught in the colleges of this country, professional
and otherwise. The state of efficiency and high stand-
ing of the University of Minnesota is largely attributable
to the work of its president, Hon. Cyrus Northrop, a
graduate of Yale, who had attained eminence in the edu-
tional world before being called to the university.

The school of agriculture is of the highest impor-
tance to the welfare of the state, the influence of which
will soon remove its chief industry from dependence on
the crude methods of the uneducated Western farmer,
and place it upon a basis of scientific operation and man-
agement. Every branch of the art of farming is taught
in this institution, from a knowledge of the chemical
properties of the soil and its adaptation to the dififer-
ent vegetable growths, to the scientific breeding and
economical feeding of stock. Much of the success in
the dairy branch of farming is the direct result of knowl-
edge gained at this school. It is well patronized by the
young men of the state who intend to devote themselves
to agriculture as a profession. Quite recently a new de-
partment has been added to the institution, for the in-
struction of women in all that pertains to the proper
education of the mistress of the farm. It goes without
saying that when Minnesota farming is brought under
the management and control of men and women of scien-
tific and practical education in that particular line there
will be a revolution for the better.

The methods of instruction in this school are not
merely theoretical. It possesses three experimental
farms for the practical illustration and application of its
teachings, the principal one of which is situated at St.
Anthony Park, and the other two respectively at Crooks-

History of Minnesota. 205

ton and Grand Rapids. Work is also done in an ex-
perimental way in Lyon county, but the state does not
own the station.

THE MINNESOTA STATE AGRICULTURAL, SOCIETY.

This society dates its corporate existence from the
year 1868, although for many years previous to that
date, even back to the territorial days, a society had been
in existence covering the main features of this organiza-
tion. In 1867 the state recognized this society by ap-
propriating $1,000 for its encouragement. Its object
was the promotion of agriculture, horticulture and the
mechanic arts. The society held annual fairs in differ-
ent localities in the state, with varying success, until
1885, when the county of Ramsey offered to convey to
the State of Minnesota, forever, two hundred acres of
land adjoining the city limits of St. Paul, for the pur-
pose of holding annual exhibitions thereon, under the
management of the society, of all matters pertaining to
agriculture, human art, industry or skill. The state met
this munificent donation with the same liberal spirit that
characterized the offer, and appropriated $100,000 for
permanent improvements.

The board of managers proceeded immediately to
erect the necessary buildings for the first exhibition, but
found the appropriation inadequate by about $32,000,
which was readily supplied by pubhc spirited citizens of
St. Paul and Minneapolis. The state being again ap-
pealed to in 1887, made a further appropriation of $50,-
000.

In 1887 the society was reorganized by act of the
legislature, and its membership designated and made to
consist of the following persons :

First — Three delegates from each of the county
and district agricultural societies.

206 History of Minnesota.

Second — Honorary life members, prominent by rea-
son of eminent services in agriculture, or in the arts and
sciences connected therewith, or of long and faithful
services in the society, or of benefits conferred upon it.

Third — The presidents ex-ofificio of the Horticultural
Society, the Amber Cane Society, the State Dair^-men's
Association, the Southern Minnesota Fair Association,
the State Poultry Association, the State Bee-Keepers'
Association, and the president and secretary' of the
Farmer's Alliance.

Fourth — The president of any society having for its
object the promotion of any branch of agriculture,
stock raising or improving, or mechanics relating to
agriculture.

By this selection of membership it will be seen that
the society is composed of the leading agriculturists of
the state. It holds annual meetings in St. Paul for the
transaction of its business. The state appropriates
$4,000 annually to aid in the payment of premiums to ex-
hibitors.

The society is in a prosperous condition, and holds
annual fairs, in the month of September, on its grounds,
which have been extensively improved. Each year there
is a marked increase in the magnitude and variety of
exhibits, and extended interest and attendance. Its
financial statement for the year 1898 was: Receipts,
$62,523.70; expenditures, $56,850.83. It has just
closed its fair for the year 1899, which in extent and per-
fection of its exhibits and financial results surpassed any
of its previous attempts.

There are in the state the following named societies,
all more or less connected with agriculture, and all in
flourishing condition : The State Horticultural Society,
the State Forestry Association, the Dairj-men's Asso-

History of Minnesota. 207

ciation, the State Butter and Cheese Makers' Associa-
tion, the State Farmers' Institute, the State Poultry As-
sociation, the State Bee-Keepers' Association, and per-
haps others. These associations have done much in the
promotion of the agricultural interests of the state, and
by their intelligent guidance will, no doubt, soon make
it the leading agricultural state in the Union.

THE SOLDIERS' HOME.

In the year 1887 it became apparent that the Civil
War and the Minnesota Indian War had left a large
number of soldiers of the state in dependent circum-
stances from old age, wounds and other disabling causes.
The state, recognizing its obligation to these men, de-
termined to provide a home for their comfort and main-
tenance. By an act of the legislature, passed March 2d
of that year, provision was made for the purchase of a
site and the erection of suitable buildings for that pur-
pose. The act provided for bids for the purpose of a
site, and also authorized the acceptance of donations for
that purpose. Minneapolis responded handsomely, by
offering fifty-one acres of its beautiful Minnehaha park
as a donation. It was accepted, and is one of the most
beautiful and picturesque locations that could have been
found in the state, being near the Mississippi river and
the Falls of Minnehaha. The beginning of the home
was small, one old house being used for the first six
months, and then, from year to year, handsome and
commodious brick houses were erected, until the home
became adequate to accommodate all those who were
entitled to its hospitality. The conditions of admission
are : Residence in Minnesota, service in the Mexican
War, or in some Minnesota organization in the Civil or
Indian Wars, honorable discharge, and indigent circum-

208 History op Minnesota.

stances. As there are no accommodations for the wives
and families of the old soldiers and sailors at the home,
provision is made for relief being furnished to married
soldiers at their own homes, so as to prevent the separa-
tion of families. There were in the home at the date of
the last report (August 3, 1899) 362 beneficiaries. The
home is conducted by a board of trustees, consisting of
seven members, whose election is so arranged that they
serve for six years. This beneficent establishment is to
be commended as an evidence of the generosity and pa-
triotism of the state.

OTHER STATE INSTITUTIONS.

I have been somewhat explicit in mentioning the in-
stitutions of the state which are connected with its
prominent and permanent industry — agriculture; but it
must not be supposed that it has not provided for the
many other interests that require regulation and control
to constitute a perfectly organized state government.
There are, besides those I have mentioned, four normal
schools (located at Winona, Mankato, St. Cloud and
Moorhead), all devoted to the education of teachers,
state high and graded schools scattered all over the
state, a state board of corrections and charities, and
state hospitals for the insane (of which there are three),
located as follows : One at St. Peter, one at Rochester,
and one at Fergus Falls, and a fourth in contemplation.
According to the latest report, these hospitals contained
3,302 patients, as follows: St. Peter, 1,045 ! Rochester,
1,196; and Fergus Falls, 1,061. For a small, new state,
this showing would seem alarming, and indicate that a
very large percentage of the population was insane, and
that the rest were preparing to become so. The truth
is that a case of insanity originating in Minnesota is

History of Minnesota. 209

quite as exceptional and rare as other diseases, and can
usually be accounted for by some self-abuse of the pa-
tient. The population is drawn from such diverse
sources, and the intermarriages are crossed upon so
many different nationalities that hereditary insanity
ought to be almost unknown. The climate and the gen-
eral pursuits of the people all militate against the preva-
lence of the malady.

The explanation of the existence of the numerous
cases is, as I am informed by the very highest authority
on the subject, that in nearly all European countries it
has become the habit of families afflicted with insanity
to export their unfortunates to America as soon as any
symptoms appear, and thus provide for them for the
rest of their lives. I cannot say that the governments
whence these people emigrate participate in the fraud,
but it is not reasonable to suppose that they would in-
terpose any serious objections even should they have
knowledge of the fact. A comparison of the nationali-
ties of the patients found in these hospitals with the
American element, given by the census of the state,
proves my statement, and an inquiry of the medical au-
thorities of these institutions will place the question be-
yond doubt.

MINNESOTA INSTITUTES FOR DEFECTIVES.

There are also state schools for the deaf, dumb, blind,
and the feeble-minded. These institutions are all lo-
cated at Faribault, in Rice county, and each has a very
handsome, commodious, and in every way suitable build-
ing, where these unfortunates are instructed in every
branch of learning and industry of which they are capa-
ble. During the last two years there have been enrolled
275 deaf and dumb children in the school especially de-
U

210 History of Minnesota.

voted to them, where they receive the best education
that science and experience can provide. This school
has already been instrumental in preparing- hundreds of
deaf and mute youth to be useful and intellig-ent citizens
of the state, and vear bv vear a few are srraduated, well
prepared to take their places beside the hearing- and
speaking- youth who leave the public schools. About
one-third of the time is devoted to manual training.

The school for the blind is entirely separate from
that of the deaf and dumb, and is equipped with all the
appliances of a modern special school of this character.
It makes a specialty of musical instruction and industrial
training, such as broom-making, hammock weaving,
bead work and sewing. The course of study embraces
a period of seven years, beginning with the kindergar-
ten, and ending with the ordinary studies of English
classes in the high schools. The school is free to all
blind children in the state between the ages of eight and
twenty-six, to whom board, care and tuition are fur-
nished. The average number of pupils at this school for
the past few years is between seventy and one hundred.

There is also a

STATE SCHOOL FOR DEPENDENT AND NEGLECTED

CHILDREN.

This school is located at Owatonna, in Steele county,
and is one of the most valuable of all the many estab-
lishments which the state has provided for the encour-
agement of good citizenship. There are eleven build-
ings, which comprise all the agencies that tend to make
abandoned children useful citizens and rescue them from
a life of vagrancy and crime.

The object of this institution is to provide a tempo-
rary home and school for the dependent and neglected

History o^ Minnesota. 211

children of the state. No child in Minnesota need go
without a home if the officers of the several counties do
their duty. There is not a semblance of any degrading
or criminal feature in the manner of obtaining admit-
tance to this school. Under the law, it is the duty of
every county commissioner, when he finds any child de-
pendent, or in danger of becoming so, to take steps to
send him to this school. The process of admission wisely
guards against the separation of parent and child, but
keeps in view the ultimate good of the latter. Once ad-
mitted it becomes the child of the state, all other au-
thority over it being canceled. Every child old enough
to work has some fitting task assigned to it, to the end
of training it mentally, morally and physically for useful
citizenship. They are sent from the school into famili-
lies wanting them, but this does not deprive them of the
watchful care of the state, which, through its agents,
visits them in their adopted homes, and sees that they
are well cared for.

On Jan. i, 1899, there had been received into the
school, from seventy-two counties, 1,824 children, of
whom 1,131 were boys and 693 were girls. Of these
233 were then in the school, the others having been
placed in good homes. It is known that eighty-three
per cent of these children develope into young men and
women of good character,

THE MINNESOTA STATE TRAINING SCHOOL.

This institution was formerly "The Minnesota State
Reform School," and was located in St. Paul. In 1895 the
legislature changed its name to "The Minnesota State
Training School for Boys and Girls," and its location
has been changed to Red Wing, in the county of Good-
hue. This institution has to do with criminals, and the

212 History of Minnesota.

statute provides, "That whenever an infant over the age
of eight years and under the age of sixteen years shall
have been duly convicted of any crime punishable with
imprisonment, except the crime of murder, or shall be
convicted of vagrancy or of incorrigibly vicious con-
duct," the sentence shall be to the guardianship of the
board of managers of this school. Here they are given
a good common school education and instructed in the
trades of cabinet making, carpenter work, tailoring,
shoemaking, blacksmithing, printing, farming, garden-
ing, etc.

The inmates are furloughed under proper condi-
tions, but the state watches over them through an
agent, who provides homes for the homeless and em-
ployment for those who need help.

MINNESOTA STATE REFORMATORY.

This institution was established in 1887, and is lo-
cated at St. Cloud. It is designed as an intermediate
correctional school between the training school and the
state prison, the object being to provide a place for
young men and boys from sixteen to thirty years of age,
never before convicted of crime, where they may, under
as favorable circumstances as possible, by discipline and
education best adapted to that end, form such habits
and character as will prevent their continuing in crime,
fit them for self-support, and accomplish their reforma-
tion.

The law provides for an indeterminate sentence, al-
lowing of parole when earned by continuous good con-
duct, and final release when reformation is strongly
probable.

Honest labor is required every day of each inmate.
Almost every occupation and employment is carried on

History of Minnesota. 213

in a practical way, and each inmate is learning to fill
some honest place and to do useful work. The work-
ings of this reformatory have been very satisfactory, and
have undoubtedly rescued many young people from a
life of crime.

THE MINNESOTA STATE PRISON.

All prisons where criminals are sent to work out sen-
tences for crimes committed are alike on general princi-
ples, and the Minnesota prison, situated at Stillwater,
dififers only in the fact that it combines in its adminis-
tration all the modern discoveries of sociological re-
search which tend to ameliorate the condition of the
prisoner and fit him for the duties of good citizenship
when discharged.

The plant is extensive and thorough. The labor of
the prisoners is now devoted to three industries: the
manufacture of binding twine, high school scientific ap-
paratus on state account, and the manufacture of boots
and shoes.

The discipline and management of the prison are the
best. The most advanced principles of penology are in
force. Sentences are reduced by good conduct, and
everything is done to reform as well as punish the pris-
oner. A newspaper is published by the convicts, and a
library of five thousand volumes is furnished for their
mental improvement. Nothing known to modern so-
cial and penal science is omitted from the management.

THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL. SOCIETY.

This society, as I have said before in speaking of the
work of the first territorial legislature, was organized by
that body in 1849, ^md has been of incalculable value to
the state. The officers of the society are a president,

214 History of Minnesota.

two vice presidents, a treasurer and a secretary, and it is
g"Overned by an executive council of thirty-six members,
which embraces the governor, Heutenant governor, sec-
retary, auditor, treasurer of state and attorney general
as ex-ofificio members. The state makes an annual ap-
propriation in aid of the society. The executive council
meets once a month for the transaction of its business,
at which meetings, and at its annual meetings, interest-
ing papers and essays are delivered on historical sub-
jects, which are preserved, and with other matter are
published in handsomely bound volumes when sufficient
material is accumulated.

The society, in the manner prescribed in its by-laws,
may establish the following separate departments :

Department of Annals and General History of Min-
nesota.

Department of Geology of Minnesota.

Department of Zoology of Minnesota.

Department of Botany of Minnesota.

Department of Meteorology of Minnesota.

Department of Northwestern Geography and Chart-
ology.

Department of American History.

Department of Oriental History.

Department of European History.

Department of Genealogy and Heraldry.

Department of Ethnology and Anthropology.

It has corresponding members all over the world,
and official connections with nearly all the historical and
learned societies of Europe and America, with which it
interchanges publications. It has a membership of 142
life and '^'j annual members. It may receive donations
from any source.

History of Minnesota. 215

Its property, real and personal, is exempt from taxa-
tion of any kind. It has accumulated a splendid library
of about 63,000 volumes of all kinds of historical, genea-
logical, scientific and general knowledge, all of which
are open and free to the public. It also has a gallery of
pictures of historical scenes in Minnesota, and portraits
of men and women who have been prominent in, or who
have contributed to, the history or growth of the state,
together with an extensive museum of Indian and other
curiosities having some relation to Minnesota. One of
its most valuable attractions is a newspaper department,
in which are complete files of all newspapers which have
been and are published in the state, except a very few
unimportant ones. The number of our state papers,
daily, weekly and monthly, received at the beginning of
the year 1899 is 421. These papers are all bound in
substantial volumes, for preservation for the use of fu-
ture generations. On Sept. i, 1899, the society had on
the shelves of its fire-proof vault 4,250 of these volumes.
Its rooms are in the capitol at St. Paul, and are entirely
inadequate for its accommodation, but ample space has
been allowed it in the new capitol now in the course of
construction.

STATE INSTITUTIONS MISCELLANEOUS IN THEIR

CHARACTER.

Besides the general state boards and associations
having special reference to the leading products of the
state, and those of a reformatory and educational char-
acter, there are many others, regulating business of va-
rious kinds among the inhabitants, all of which are im-
portant in their special spheres, but to name them is all
I can say about them in my limited space. Their num-
ber and the subjects which they regulate shows the care

216 History of Minnesota.

with which the state watches over the welfare of its citi-
zens. I present the following catalogue of the state de-
partments :

The Insurance Commission.

The Public Examiner.

The Dairy Food Commission.

The Bureau of Labor.

The Board of Railroad and Warehouse Commission-
ers.

The Board of Game and Fish Commissioners.

The State Law Library.

The State Department of Oil Inspection.

The State Horticultural Society.

The State Forestry Association.

The Minnesota Dairyman's Association.

The State Butter and Cheese Maker's Association.

The State Farmer's Institutes.

The Red River Valley Drainage Commission.

The State Drainage Commission.

The Commission of Statistics.

The State Board of Health and Vital Statistics.

The State Board of Medical Examiners.

The State Board of Pharmacy.

The State Board of Dental Examiners.

The State Board of Examiners in Law.

The Bureau of Public Printing.

The Minnesota Society for the Prevention of Cru-
elty.

The Geological and Natural History Survey.

The State Board of Equalization.

Surveyors of Logs and Lumber.

The Board of Pardons.

The State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation.

The State Board of Investment.

History of Minnesota. 217

The State Board of Examiners of Barbers.

The State Board of Examiners of Practical Plumb-
ing.

The Horseshoers' Board of Examiners.

The Inspection of Steam Boilers.

It is difficult to conceive of any other subject over
which the state could assume jurisdiction, and the great
number which are embraced already within its super-
vision would lead one who is not in touch with our state
administration to believe that state paternalism domi-
nated the business industries of the people ; but nothing
is further from the truth, and no state in the Union is
freer from governmental interference in the ordinary
channels of industry than Minnesota.

STATE FINANCES.

Since the settlement of the debt created by the old
railroad bonds that I have heretofore mentioned, the
finances of the state have always been in excellent condi-
tion. When the receipts of an individual or a state ex-
ceed expenditures the situation is both satisfactory and
safe. At the last report, up to July 31, 1898, the re-
ceipts of the state from all sources were $5,429,240.32,
and the expenditures were $5,208,942.05, leaving a bal-
ance on the right side of the ledger of $220,298.27. To
the receipts must be added the balance in the treasury
at the beginning of the year of $2,054,314.26, which left
in the treasury on July 31, 1898, the large sum of $2,-
184,612.53.

The original indebtedness arising from the adjust-
ment of the state railroad bonds was $1,659,000; other
bonds, $300,000.00. This indebtedness has been re-
duced by payments to the sum of $1,475,647.22, on July
31, 1898, the date of the last report. If this debt had

218 History of Minnesota.

matured, it could at once be paid by the funds on hand,
leaving the state entirely free from all indebtedness.

The taxable property of the state by last assessment,
in 1897, including real and personal property, was $570,-
598,813.

THE MONETARY AND BUSINESS FLURRY OF 1873 AND PANIC

OF 1893.

It has been customary in the United States to expect a
disturbance in monetary and business affairs about once
in every twenty years, and the expectation has not been
disappointed since the panic of 1837. I have described
the effect of the panic of 1857 on the Territory and State
of Minnesota, and the difficulties of recuperating from
the shock. The next similar event was not due until 1877,
but there is always some special disaster to precipitate
such occurrences. In 1857 it was the failure of the Ohio
Life Insurance and Trust Company, and in 1873 it was
the failure of Jay Cooke & Co., of Philadelphia. This
house had been very prominent in placing the bonds of
the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, and in the con-
struction of the road, and was relied upon by man}'^
classes of people to invest their money for them, and
when their failure was announced, its effect in the East
was disastrous, but here in Minnesota it only affected us
in a secondary or indirect way, in stopping railroad
building and creating general alarm in business circles.
We had been diligently at work for sixteen years, en-
deavoring to recuperate from the disaster of 1857, and
had to a great extent succeeded. Real estate had par-
tially revived, but had not reached the boom feature,
and the state was on a sound financial basis. Fortu-
nately we had not recovered sufficiently to become in-
vestors in railroad securities to any great extent, and

History of Minnesota. 219

land speculation had not reached its usual twenty years'
mark. We had, also, on hand a local affliction, in the
presence of grasshoppers, so that, although it disturbed
business generally, it did not succeed in producing
bankruptcy, and we soon shook it off.

This periodical financial disturbance has been attrib-
uted to various causes. From the regularity of its ap-
pearance, it must be the result of some impelling force
of a generally similar character. My opinion is, that the
period of twenty years being the average time of man's
active business life, the actors of the second period have
not the benefit of the experience gained by those of the
previous one, and they repeat the same errors that pro-
duced the former disasters ; but be that as it may, when
the period extending from 1873 to 1893 had passed, the
same result had occurred, and with quite as much force
as any of its predecessors. Land speculation had reach-
ed the point of absolute insanity. Everybody thought
he could become rich if he only bought. Values, al-
ready ridiculously expanded, continued to increase with
every sale. Anyone who had money enough to pay
down a small amount as earnest and intelligence enough
to sign a note and mortgage for the balance of the pur-
chase price became purchasers to the limit of their cred-
it. When a party whose credit was questioned needed
an indorser, he found many requiring the same assist-
ance who were ready to swap indorsements with him.
Everyone became deeply in debt. The country was
flooded with paper, which was secured on the impossi-
bility of values continuing. The banks became loaded
with alleged securities, and when the bubble was strain-
ed to the bursting point, and some one of supposed
financial soundness was compelled to succumb to the
pressure, the veil was lifted, which opened the eyes of

220 History of Minnesota.

the community and produced a rush for safety, which in-
duced, and was necessarily followed, by a general col-
lapse. In 1888 and 1889 banks suspended, money dis-
appeared, and in 1893, in the expressive language of
the West, everybody who was in debt, and all stock-
holders and depositors in defunct banks "went broke."
Had the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis been cap-
tured by an enemy and a ransom of ten million dollars
been demanded from each, paid and carried away, the
consequences upon business would not have been worse.
It was much the same in all the large cities of the state,
as land speculation was more active there than in the
rural districts, and no matter what may happen, some
value always remains to farm lands, while under such a
collapse as that of 1893 the greater part of city property
becomes utterly valueless for the present, and much of
it forever.

There was, however, a great difference between the
consequences of 1893 and the previous disasters of 1857
and 1873. Although the disturbance was great, we
were better prepared to meet it. Population had in-
creased immensely. The area of civilization and produc-
tion had kept pace with immigration. Manufactures of
many kinds had been introduced, and although we were
seriously wounded, our hopes of recovery had solid
grounds to rest upon, and we were not dismayed. The
only remedy in such cases — industry and economy —
was applied, through necessity if not from choice, and
recovery has been slowly progressing up to the present
time (1900), when we may be classed as convalescent.

Will this experience serve to prevent a recurrence of
the follies of the past? Most assuredly not. Those
who have reaped wisdom will have surrendered the spec-
ulative arena to others before the financial cycle rolls

History of Minnesota. 221

around, and history will repeat itself, notwithstanding
the state never had a better future outlook than at pres-
ent. It does not follow that the panic due about 1913
will be caused by over speculation in real estate. It is
more likely to be produced by the excessive and fraudu-
lent capitalization of all sorts of corporations, called
trusts, which will, of course, succumb to the first serious
blow.

With the exception of the events I have narrated, in-
cluding the financial troubles of 1873 and 1893, nothing
of special importance to the state has happened, except
a few occurrences of minor moment.

MINOR HAPPENINaS.

Sept. 5, 1878, President Hayes made a short visit to
the state, and delivered an address at the state agri-
cultural fair.

On the 7th of September, 1876, an organized gang
of bandits, which had been terrorizing the State of Mis-
souri and surrounding states with impunity, entered this
state, and attacked a bank in the town of Northfield, in
Rice county, with the intent of looting it. The cashier,
Mr. Haywood, resisted, and they shot him dead. The
people of the town, hearing of the raid, turned out, and
opened fire on the robbers, who fled, with the loss of
one killed. In their flight they killed a Swede before
they got out of the town. The people of the counties
through which their flight led them, turned out, and be-
fore any of them passed the border of the state, two
more of them were killed and three captured. Two es-
caped. The captured were three brothers named
Younger, and those who escaped were supposed to be
the notorious James Brothers of Missouri. The three
Younger Brothers pleaded guilty to a charge of murder,

222 History of Minnesota.

and on account of a peculiarity in the law, that only al-
lowed the death sentence to be imposed by a jury, they
were all sentenced to imprisonment for life. One of
them has since died, and the other two remain in prison.

The manner in which this raid was handled bv our
citizens was of immense value to the state, as it proved
a warning to all such desperadoes that Minnesota was a
bad field for their operations, and we have had no more
trouble from that class of offenders.

In 1877 the constitution was amended by providing
for biennial, instead of annual, sessions of the legislature.

On May 2, 1878, a very singular and disastrous event
took place at Minneapolis. Three large flouring mills
were blown up by a dust explosion, and eighteen men
killed. It was inexplicable for a time, but it was after-
wards discovered that such explosions had occurred be-
fore, and prompt measures were taken to prevent a repe-
tition of the trouble.

On the 15th day of November, 1880, a portion of
the large insane asylum at St. Peter was destroyed by
fire, and eighteen of the inmates were burned, others
dying of injuries received. The pecuniary loss amounted
to $150,000.

On the first day of March, 1881, the old capitol
burned, while the legislature was in session. That body
moved their sittings to the St. Paul market house, which
had just been finished, where they remained until the
present capitol building was erected upon the site of the
one destroyed.

On the twenty-fifth day of January, 1884, the state
prison at Stillwater was partially burned.

On the fourteenth day of September, 1886, St. Cloud
and Sauk Rapids were struck by a cyclone. Scores of

History op Minnesota. 223

buildings were destroyed, and about seventy of the in-
habitants killed.

In the year 1889 the Australian system of voting at
elections was introduced in cities of ten thousand in-
habitants and over, and in 1892 the system was made
general throughout the state.

On the seventh day of April, 1893, the legislature
passed an act for the building of a new state capitol in
the city of St. Paul, and appointed commissioners to
carry out the object. They selected an eligible and con-
spicuous site between University avenue. Cedar and
Wabasha streets, near the head of Wabasha. They
adopted for the materials which were to enter into it —
granite for the lower and Georgia white marble for the
upper stories. The whole cost was not to exceed $2,-
000,000. The comer stone of the building was laid on
the twenty-seventh day of July, 1898, with appropriate
and very imposing ceremonies, in the presence of an
immense throng of citizens from all parts of the state.
Senator Davis delivered the oration, and ex-Gov. Alex-
ander Ramsey laid the corner stone. The building has
reached the base of the dome, and will be a very beauti-
ful and serviceable structure.

On Sept. I, 1894, there was a most extensive and
disastrous fire in Pine county. Four hundred square
miles of territory were burned over by a forest fire,
the towns of Hinckley and Sandstone were totally de-
stroyed, and four hundred people burned. The money
loss was estimated at $1,000,000. This disaster was ex-
actly what was needed to awaken the people of the state
to the necessity of providing means for the prevention of
forest and prairie fires and the preservation of our for-
ests. Shortly after the Hinckley fire a state convention
was held at the Commercial Club in St. Paul, to devise

224 History of Minnesota.

legislation to accomplish this desirable end, which re-
sulted in the passage of an act, at the session of the legis-
lature in 1895, entitled, "An act for the preservation of
forests of this state, and for the prevention and sup-
pression of forest and prairie fires." Under this act the
state auditor was made the forest commissioner of the
state, with authority to appoint a chief fire warden. The
supervisors of towns, mayors of cities and presidents of
village councils are made fire wardens of their respective
local jurisdictions, and the machinery for the prevention
of fires is put in motion that is of immense value to the
state. The forest commissioner appointed Gen. C. C.
Andrews chief fire warden, one of the best equipped men
in the state for the position, and no serious trouble has
since occurred in the way of fires.

On the ninth day of February, 1887, the Minnesota
Historical Society passed a resolution, declaring that
the pretenses made by Capt. Willard Glazier to having
been the discoverer of the source of the Mississippi river
were false, and very little has been heard from him since.

On the tenth day of October, 1887, President Cleve-
land visited the state, and made a short stay.

This enumeration of passing events looks a little
like a catalogue of disasters (except the building of the
new capitol and the visits of Presidents Hayes and
Cleveland), but it must be remembered that Minnesota
is such an empire in itself, that such happenings scarcely
produce a ripple on the surface of its steady and continu-
ous progress. It is because these events can be particu-
larized and described that they assume proportions be-
yond their real importance, but when compared with the
colossal advances made by the state during the period
covering them, they dwindle into mere points of educa-
tional experience, to be guarded against in the future,

History of Minnesota. 225

while the many blessings showered upon the state, con-
sisting- of the health and wealth imparting sunshine, the
refreshing and fructifying rains and dews of heaven,
which, like the smiles of providence and the life-sustain-
ing air that surrounds us. are too intangible and in-
definable for more than thankful recognition. Our trib-
ulations were really blessings in disguise. The bold in-
vasion of the robbers proved our courage; the storms
and fires proved our generosity to the distressed, and
taught us lessons in the wisdom of prevention. Minne-
sota has as much to be thankful for and as little to regret
as any state in the West, and our troubles only prove
that we have a very robust vitality, difificult to perma-
nently impair.

THE WAR WITH SPAIN.

For many years there has been a growing sentiment
in the United States that Spain was governing Cuba and
her other West Indian colonies in an oppressive and un-
just manner, and the desire to interfere in behalf of the
Cuban people received a good deal of encouragement,
and its general expression succeeded in creating
very strained relations between Spain and the United
States. It is a well known fact that the Spanish people,
from the north line of Mexico to Cape Horn, as well as
the inhabitants of the Spanish Islands, hate the Ameri-
cans most heartily. Why, I do not know ; except that
our social, governmental and religious habits, customs
and beliefs are radically different from their own; but
that such is the case no one doubts who knows these
people. In 1897 some effort at conciliation was made,
and Spain sent one of her warships to New York on a
friendly visit; but she did not stay long, and got away
as soon as she decently could. The United States sent
15

226 History of Minnesota.

the battleship Maine to Havana on the same friendly
mission, where she was officially conveyed to her anchor-
age. She had been there but a short time when she was
blown up, on Feb. 15, 1898. and 260 American seamen
murdered. There was an official investigation to de-
termine the cause of the explosion, but it found no so-
lution of the disaster. Various theories were advanced of
internal spontaneous explosion, but no one was misled.
The general sentiment of Americans was that the Span-
ish in Cuba deliberately exploded a submarine torpedo
under her, to accomplish the result that followed. Pre-
vious to this cowardly act there was much difference of
opinion among the people of all sections of the country
as to the propriety of declaring war against Spain, but
public sentiment was at once unified in favor of war on
the announcement of this outrage. On the 25th of
April, 1898, congress passed an act declaring that war
against Spain had existed since the 21st of the same
month. A requisition was made on Minnesota for its
quota of troops immediateh^ after war was declared, and
late in the afternoon of the twenty-eighth day of April
the governor issued an order to the adjutant general to
assemble the state troops at St. Paul. The adjutant gen-
eral, on the 29th, issued the following order, by tele-
graph, to the different commands :

"The First, Second and Third Regiments of infantry
are hereby ordered to report at St. Paul on Friday morn-
ing, April 29, 1898, not later than eleven o'clock, with
one day's cooked rations in their haversacks."

The order was promptly obeyed, and all the field,
staff and company officers, with their commands, re-
ported before the time appointed, and on the afternoon
of that day went into camp at the state fair grounds,
which was named Camp Ramsey. Such promptness on

History of Minnesota. 227

the part of the state miHtia was remarkable, but it will be
seen that they had been prepared for the order of the ad-
jutant general before its final issue, who had anticipated
the declaration of war.

On April i8th he had issued the following order:

"The commanding officers of the infantry companies
and artillery batteries composing the national guard will
immediately take steps to recruit their commands up to
one hundred men each. All recruits above the maxi-
mum peace footing of seventy-six men will be carried
upon the muster roll as provisional recruits, to be dis-
charged in case their services are not needed for field
service."

On the 25th of April the adjutant general issued the
following order :

"In obedience to orders this day received from the
honorable secretary of war, calling upon the State of
Minnesota for three regiments of infantry as volunteers
of the United States, to serve two years or less, and as
the three national guard regiments have signified their
desire of entering the service of the United States as vol-
unteers, the First, Second, and Third Regiments of In-
fantry of the national guard of the State of Minnesota
will immediately make preparations to report to these
headquarters upon receipt of telegraphic orders, which
will be issued later."

This commendable action on the part of our military
authorities resulted in the Minnesota troops being the
first to be mustered into the service of the United States
in the war with Spain, thus repeating the proud distinc-
tion gained by the state in 1861, when Minnesota was
the first state to offer troops for the defense of the Union
in the Civil War. It is a curious as well as interesting
coincidence, that the First Minnesota Regiment for the

228 History of Minnesota.

Civil War was mustered in on April 29, 1861, and the
first three regiments for the Spanish War were mobilized
at St. Paul on April 29, 1898.

The mustering in of the three regiments was com-
pleted on the eighth day of May, 1898, and they were
designated as the Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth
Regiments of Infantry, Minnesota Volunteers. This
classification was made because the state had furnished
eleven full regiments of infantry for the Civil War, and it
was decided to number them consecutively.

The Twelfth and Fourteenth left Camp Ramsey on
the sixteenth day of May for Camp George H. Thomas
in Georgia, and the Thirteenth departed for San Fran-
cisco on the same day. The Thirteenth was afterwards
ordered to Manila. The others did not leave the coun-
try, and were subsequently mustered out. The Thir-
teenth did gallant service in the Philippines, in many
battles, was mustered out in San Francisco, and, on Oct.
12, 1899, returned to our state. A warm welcome was
given it in Minnesota, where it will always be regarded
with the same pride and affection formerly bestowed
upon the old First, of patriotic memory.

President McKinley and several of his cabinet ar-
rived in St. Paul at the time of the arrival of the
Thirteenth, and assisted in welcoming them to their
homes.

There was a second call for troops, under which the
Fifteenth Regiment was mustered in, but was not called
upon for active duty of any kind. It is to be hoped that
the war may be ended without the need of more volun-
teers from Minnesota, but should another call be made
on our people no doubt can be entertained of their
prompt response. Having given the part taken in the
war against Spain and the Philippines by Minnesota, its

History of Minnesota. 229

further prosecution against the latter becomes purely a
federal matter, unless we shall be called into it in the
future.

When Spain sued for peace, soon after the destruc-
tion of her second fleet ofif Santiago de Cuba, a commis-
sion to negotiate a treaty of peace with her was appoint-
ed by the president, and Minnesota was honored by the
selection of its senior senator, Hon. Cushman K. Davis,
chairman of the senate committee on foreign relations,
as one of its members. The commission consisted of
William R. Day, secretary of state of the United States,
Cushman K. Davis of Minnesota, William P. Frye of
Maine, George Gray of Delaware, and Whitelaw Reid
of New York. It met at Paris, and concluded its labors
the tenth day of December, 1898, when the treaty was
signed by the commissioners of both contracting parties.
It is hardly necessary to add that the influence exerted
on the result by the distinguished and learned represen-
tative from Minnesota was controlling.

THE INDIAN BATTLE OF LEECH LAKE.

Early in October, 1898, there was an Indian battle
fought at Leech lake, in this state, the magnitude of the
result of which gives it a place in the history of Minne-
sota, although it was strictly a matter of United States
cognizance and jurisdiction. In Cass county there is a
Chippewa Indian reservation, and like all other Indian
reservations, there are to be found there turbulent peo-
ple, both white and red. There is a large island out in
Leech lake, called Bear island, which is inhabited by the
Indians. On Oct. i, 1897, one Indian shot another on
this island. A prominent member of the tribe named
Pug-on-a-ke-shig was present, and witnessed the shoot-
ing. An indictment was found in the United States

230 History of Minnesota.

district court against the Indian who did the shooting,
but before any trial could be had the matter was settled
among the Indians in their own way, and they thought
that was the last of it. A subpoena was issued for Pug-
on-a-ke-shig and a deputy marshal served it. He disre-
garded the subpoena. An attachment was then issued
to arrest him and bring him into court. A deputy
United States marshal tried to serve it, and was resisted
by the Indian and his friends on three different occa-
sions, and once when the Indian was arrested he was
rescued from the custody of the marshal. Warrants
were then issued for the arrest of twenty-one of the res-
cuers. This was in the latter part of August, 1898.
Troops were asked for to aid the marshal in making his
arrests, and a lieutenant and twenty men were sent
from Fort Snelling for that purpose. This was simply
a repetition of the many mistakes made by the military
authorities in such matters. If troops were necessary
for any purpose, twenty men were simply useless, and
worse than none, and when the time came for the appli-
cation of military force would, of course, have been an-
nihilated. The United States marshal, with a squad of
deputies, accompanied the troops. It soon became ap-
parent that there would be trouble before the Indians
could be brought to terms, and General Bacon, the of-
ficer in command of the Department of Dakota, with
headquarters at St. Paul, ordered Major Wilkinson of
Company "E," of the Third Regiment of United States
Infantry, stationed at Fort Snelling, with his company
of eighty men, to the scene of the troubles. General
Bacon accompanied these troops as far as Walker, on
the west bank of Leech lake, more in the capacity of an
observer of events and to gain proper knowledge of the
situation than as part of the force. On the 5th of Octo-

History of Minnesota. 231

ber, 1898, the whole force left Walker in boats for a place
on the east bank of the lake, called Sugar Point, where
there was a clearing of several acres and a log house, oc-
cupied by Pug-on-a-ke-shig. They were accompanied
by R. T. O'Connor, the United States marshal of Min-
nesota, and several of his deputies, among whom was
Col. Timothy J. Sheehan, who knew the Indians who
were subject to arrest. This officer was the same man
who, as Lieutenant Sheehan, had so successfully com-
manded the forces at Fort Ridgely, during the Indian
War of 1862, since when he had fought his way through
the Civil War with distinction. When the command
landed, only a few squaws and Indians were visible. The
deputy marshals landed, and wath the interpreters went
at once to the house, and while there discovered an In-
dian whom Colonel Sheehan recognized as one for
whom a warrant was out, and immediately attempted to
arrest and handcufif him. The Indian resisted vigorous-
ly, and it was only with the aid of three or four soldiers
that they succeeded in arresting him. He was put on
board of the boat. The whole force then skirmished
through the timber in search of Indians, but found none,
and about noon returned to the clearing and were or-
dered to stack arms preparatory to getting dinner. They
had scouted the surrounding country and had seen no
Indians or signs of Indians, and did not believe there
were any in the vicinity, when in fact the Indians had
carefully watched their every movement, and were close
to their trail, waiting for the most advantageous mo-
ment to strike. It was the same tactics which the In-
dians had so often adopted with much success in their
warfare with the whites. While stacking arms, a new
recruit allowed his gun to fall to the ground, and it was
discharged accidentally. The Indians who were silently

232 History of Minnesota.

awaiting their opportunity, supposing it was the signal
of attack, opened fire on the troops, and a vicious bat-
tle began. The soldiers seized their arms, and returned
the fire as best they could, directing it at the points
whence came the shots from the invisible enemy, con-
cealed in the dense thicket. The battle raged for sev-
eral hours. General Bacon, with a gun in his hands,
was everywhere, encouraging the men. Major Wilkin-
son, as cool as if he had been in a drawing room, cheered
his men on, but was thrice wounded, the last hit proving
fatal. Colonel Sheehan instinctively entered the fight,
and took charge of the right wing of the line, charging
the enemy with a few followers and keeping up a rapid
fire. The colonel was hit three times, two bullets pass-
ing through his clothes, grazing the skin, without seri-
ous injury, and one cutting a painful but not dangerous
wound across his stomach. The result of the fight was
six killed and nine wounded on the part of the troops.
One of the Indian police was also killed, and seven citi-
zens wounded, some seriously. No estimate has ever
been satisfactorily obtained of the loss of the enemy.
The most reliable account of the number of his forces
engaged is from nineteen to thirty, and if I should ven-
ture an estimate of his losses, based upon my experience
of his ability to select a vantage ground, and take care
of himself, I would put it at practically nothing.

The killed and wounded were brought to Fort Snell-
ing, the killed buried with military honors, and the
wounded properly cared for. This event adds one more
to the long list of fatal errors committed by our military
forces in dealing with the Indians of the Northwest.
They should never be attacked without a force sufficient
to demonstrate the superiority of the whites in all cases
and under all circumstances. Many a valuable life has
been thus unnecessarily lost.

History of Minnesota. 233

Major Wilkinson, who lost his life in this encounter,
was a man who had earned an enviable record in the
army, and was much beloved by his many friends and
acquaintances in Minnesota.

The principal Indian engaged in this fight has been
called, in every newspaper and other reports of it, Bug-a-
ma-ge-shig; but I have succeeded in obtaining his real
name from the highest authority. The name, Pug-on-
a-ke-shig, is the Chippewa for "Hole-in-the-day."

Shortly after the return of the troops to Fort Snelling
the settlers about Cass and Leech lakes became uneasy,
and deluged the governor with telegrams for protection.
The national guard or state troops had nearly all been
mustered into the United States service for duty in the
war with Spain, but the Fourteenth Regiment was in St.
Paul, awaiting muster out, and the governor telegraphed
to the war department at Washington to send enough
of them to the front to quiet the fears of the settlers.
This was declined, and the governor at once ordered out
two batteries of artillery, all the state troops that were
available, and sent them to the scene of the troubles, and
then sent his celebrated telegram to the war department,
which may be called the "Minnesota Declaration of In-
dependence." It ran as follows :

"Oct. 8. 1898.
"H. C. Corbin, Adjutant General, Washington, D. C:

"No one claims that reinforcements are needed at
Walker. I have not been asked for assistance from that
quarter. Although I do not think General Bacon has
won the victory he claims, other people do not say so.
The Indians claim to have won, and that is my opinion.
The people all along the Fosston branch of railroad are
very much alarmed, and asking for protection, which I

234 History of Minnesota.

have asked of the war department. The soldiers are
here, and ready and wilHng to go, but as you have re-
voked your order of yesterday, you can do what you Hke
with your soldiers. The State of Minnesota will try to
get along without any assistance from the war depart-
ment in the future.

"D. M. CLOUGH,

''Governor."

Rumor says that the telegram which was forwarded
is very much modified from that originally dictated by
the governor.

The United States government concluded to with-
draw its refusal, and send troops to the front, and sev-
eral companies of the Fourteenth were dispatched to the
line of the Fosston branch railroad, and' distributed
along the line of that road.

In the meantime the commissioner of Indian affairs
had arrived at Walker, and was negotiating with the In-
dians, and when it became known that matters were ar-
ranged to the satisfaction of the government and the
Indians and no outbreak was expected the soldiers were
all withdrawn, and the incident, so far as military opera-
tions were concerned, was closed. There were some sur-
renders of the Indians to the ofhcers of the court, but
nothing further of consequence occurred.

POPULATION.

One of the most interesting features of a new coun-
try is the character and the nativity of its population.
The old frontiersman who has watched the growth of
new states, and fully comprehended the efifect produced
upon their civilization and character by the nativity of
their immigrants, is the only person competent to judge

History op Minnesota. 235

of the influences exerted in this Hne. It is a well known
fact that the immigration from Europe into America is
generally governed by climatic influences. These peo-
ple usually follow the line of latitude to which they have
been accustomed. The Norseman from Russia, Sweden,
Germany and Norway comes to the extreme Northwest-
ern States, while the emigrants from southern Europe
seek the more southern latitudes. Of course, these are
very general comments, and only relate to emigration
in its usual directions, as the people of all parts of Europe
are found in all parts of America. It is generally be-
lieved that the emigrants from northern Europe are
more desirable than those from further south, and a
presentation of the status of our population in point of
nativity will afford a basis from which to judge of their
general attributes for good or bad. There is no nation
on earth that has not sent us some representative. The
following table, while it will prove that we have a most
heterogeneous, polyglot population, will also prove that
we possess vast powers of assimilation, as we are about
as harmonious a people as can be found in all the Union.
Our governor is a Swede, one of our United States sen-
ators is a Norwegian, and our other state officers are
pretty generally distributed among the various nationali-
ties. Of course, in the minor poHtical subdivisions, such
as counties, cities and towns, the ofBce holding is gen-
erally governed by the same considerations.

I give the various countries from which our popula-
tion is drawn, with the numbers from each country, and
the number of native born and foreign born, which, ag-
gregated, constitute our entire population. These fig-
ures are taken from the state census of 1895 •

236 History of Minnesota.

England 12,941 Ireland 26,106

Scotland 5.344 Wales 1,246

Germany 133,768 France 1,492

Denmark 16,143 Sweden II9,554

Norway 107,319 Russia 6,286

Canada 49,231 Bohemia 10,327

Poland 8,464 Finland 7,652

Iceland 454 All other countries 11,205

Total native born 1,057,084

Total foreign born 517,535

Total population 1,674,619

The total native born of our population is verv large-
ly composed of the descendants of foreign emigrants.
These figures afford a large field for thought and future
consideration, when emigration problems are under
legislative investigation.

The census from which these figures are taken being
five years old, I think it is safe to add a sufficient number
of increase to bring our population up to two millions.
The census of 1900 will demonstrate whether or not my
estimate is correct.

t

THE STATE FLAG.

Up to the year 1893 the State of Minnesota had no
distinctive state flag. On April 4, 1893, an act was
passed by the legislature entitled, "An act providing for
the adoption of a state flag." This act appointed by
name a commission of six ladies, to adopt a design for
a state flag. Section 2 of the act provided that the de-
sign adopted should embody, as near as may be, the fol-
lowing facts:

"There shall be a white ground with reverse side of
blue. The center of the white ground shall be occupied
by a design substantially embodying the form of the

History of Minnesota. 237

seal employed as the state seal of Minnesota at the time
of its admission into the Union. * * * f h^ said
design of the state seal shall be surrounded by appropri-
ate representations of the moccasin flower, indigenous to
Minnesota, surrounding said central design, and appro-
priately arranged on the said white ground shall be nine-
teen stars, emblematic of the fact that Minnesota was the
nineteenth state to be admitted into the Union after its
formation by the thirteen original states. There shall
also appear at the bottom of the flag, in the white
ground, so as to be plainly visible, the word 'Minneso-
ta.' "

The commission prepared a very beautiful design for
the flag, following closely the instructions given by the
legislature, which was adopted, and is now the author-
ized flag of the state. The flag-staff is surmounted by a
golden gopher rampant, in harmony with the popular
name given to our state. May it ever represent the
principles of liberty and justice, and never be lowered to
an enemy ! The original flag, artistically embroidered in
silk, can be seen at the office of the governor at the state
capitol.

THE OFFICIAL FLOWER OF THE STATE, AND THE METHOD

OF ITS SELECTION.

On the twentieth day of April, 1891, the legislature
of the state passed an act entitled "An act to provide for
the collection, arrangement and display of the products
of the State of Minnesota at the World's Columbian Ex-
position of one thousand eight hundred and ninety-
three, and to make an appropriation therefor." This
act created a commission of six citizens of the state, to
be appointed by the governor, and called "The Board of
World's Fair Managers of Minnesota." The women of

238 History of Minnesota.

the state determined that there should be an opportunity
for them to participate in the exposition on the part of
Minnesota, and a convention of delegates from each
county of the state was called, and held at the People's
Church, in St. Paul, on Feb. 14. 1892. This convention
elected one woman delegate and one alternate, from
each of the seven congressional districts of the state.
There were also two national ladv managers from Min-
nesota, nominated by the two national representatives
from Minnesota and appointed by the president of the
United States, who were added to the seven delegates
so chosen, and the whole was called "The Woman's
Auxiliary to the State Commission.'' The women so
chosen took charge of all the matters properly pertain-
ing to the women's department of the fair.

At one of the meetings of the ladies, held in St. Paul,
the question of the selection of an official flower for the
state was presented, and the sentiment generally pre-
vailed that it should at once be decided by the assem-
blage; but Mrs. L. P. Hunt, the delegate from Man-
kato, in the second congressional district, wisely sug-
gested that the selection should be made by all the ladies
of the state, and thev should be given an opportunity to
vote upon the proposition. This suggestion was ap-
proved, and the following plan was adopted: Mrs.
Hunt was authorized to appoint a committee, of which
she was to be chairman, to select a list of flowers to be
voted on. Accordingly she appointed a subcommittee,
who were to consult the state botanist, Mr. Conway
MacMillan, who was to name a number of Minnesota
flowers from which the ladies were to choose. He pre-
sented the following:

Lady Slipper (Moccasin Flower — Cypripedium Spcc-
tabile).

History of Minnesota. 239

Silky Aster.

Indian Pink.

Cone Flower (Brown-eyed Susan).

Wild Rose.

The plan was to send out printed tickets, to all the
women's organizations in the state, with these names on
them, to be voted upon, which was done, with the result
that the moccasin flower received an overwhelming ma-
jority, and has ever since been accepted as the official
flower of the state. That the contest was a very spir-
ited one can be judged from the fact that Mrs. Hunt
sent out in her district at least ten thousand tickets, with
indications of her choice of the moccasin flower. She
also maintained lengthy newspaper controversies with
parties in Manitoba, who claimed the prior right of that
province to the moccasin flower, all of whom she van-
quished.

The choice was a very wise and appropriate one.
The flower itself is very beautiful, and peculiarly adapted
to the purposes of artistic decoration. It has already
been utilized in three instances of an official character,
with success and approval. The Minnesota state build-
ing at the Columbian Exposition was beautifully deco-
rated with it. It is prominently incorporated into the
state flag, and adorns the medal conferred by the state
upon the defenders of Fort Ridgely.

The botanical name of the flower is Cypripedium.,
taken from Greek words meaning the shoe of Venus.
It is popularly called "Lady's Slipper," "Moccasin
Flo'N^er" and "Indian Shoe."

About twenty-five species of cypripedium are known,
belonging to the north temperate zone and reaching
south into Mexico and northern India. Six species oc-
cur in the northern United States and Canada, east of

240 History of Minnesota.

the Rocky Mountains, all of these being found in Min-
nesota, and about a dozen species occur on this conti-
nent. They are perennial herbs, with irregular flowers,
which grow singly or in small clusters, the colors of
some of which are strikingly beautiful. The species
adopted by the women of the State of Minnesota is the
Cypripedmm Spectabile, or the showy lady slipper.

The ladies naturally desired that their choice should
be ratified by the state legislature, and one of their num-
ber prepared a report of their doings, in a petition to
that body, asking its approval. \Mioever drew the pe-
tition named the flower chosen by the ladies as "Cypri-
pediiim Calceolons," a species which does not grow in
Minnesota, but is purely of European production. The
petition was presented to the senate on the fourth day of
February, 1893. The journal of the senate shows the
following record, which is found on page 167:

"Mr. Dean asked the unanimous consent to present
a petition from the Women's Auxiliary to the World's
Fair, relative to the adoption of a state flower and em-
blem, which was read.

"Mr. Dean offered the following concurrent resolu-
tion, and moved its adoption :

" 'Be it resolved by the senate, the house of repre-
sentatives concurring, that the wild Lady Slipper, or
Moccasin Flower {'Cypripedium Calceoloiis). be, and the
same is hereby, designated and adopted as the state
flower or emblem of the State of Minnesota,' which was
adopted."

In the Legislative Manual of 1893 appears, on page
606, the following:

History of Minnesota. 241

"the state flower.

"On April 4, 1893 [should be February], a petition
from the Women's Auxiliar\^ to the World's Fair was
presented to the senate, relative to the adoption of a
state flower. By resolution of the senate, concurred in
by the house (?), the Wild Lady Slipper, or Moccasin
Flower (Cypripediiim) was designated as the state flower
or floral emblem of the State of Minnesota."

The word "Calceolons" means a little shoe or slip-
per; but, as I said before, the species so designated in
botany is not indigenous to Minnesota, and is purely a
foreigner. As we have in the course of our growth as-
similated so many foreigners successfully, we will have
no trouble in SAvallowing this small shoe, especially as
the house did not concur in the resolution, and while the
mistake will in no way militate against the progress or
prosperity of Minnesota, it should be a warning to all
committees and Western legislators to go slow when
dealing with the dead languages.

We now have the whole body of cypripediums to
choose from, and may reject the calceolous.

If the house of representatives ever concurred in the
senate resolution, it left no trace of its action, either in
its journal or published laws, that I have been able to
find.

Among the many valuable achievements of the Wo-
men's Auxiliary one deserves special mention. Mrs.
H. F. Brown, one of the delegates at large, suggested a
statue for the Woman's Building, to be the production
of Minnesota's artistic conception and execution. The
architect of the state building had disallowed this fea-
tt re, and there was no public fund to meet the expense,
which would be considerable. The ladies, however, de-
16

242 History of Minnesota.

cided to procure the statue, and rely on private sub-
scription to defray the cost. jMrs. L. P. Hunt thought
that sufficient funds might be raised from the school
children of the state, through a penny subscription.
Enough was raised, however, to secure a plaster cast of
great beauty, representing Hiawatha carrying Minne-
haha across a stream in his arms, illustrating the Hues in
Longfellow's poem:

"Over wide and rushing rivers

In his arms he bore the maiden."

This Statue adorned the porch of the Minnesota
building during the fair. It was designed and made by
a very talented young Norwegian sculptor, then resid-
ing in Minneapolis — the late Jakob Fjelde. It is pro-
posed to cast the statue in bronze and place it in Min-
nehaha park, Minneapolis, at some future day.

ORIGIN OF THE NAME "GOPHER STATE."

Most of the states in the Union have a popular name.
New York is called the "Empire State," Pennsylvania
the "Keystone State," etc. As you come west they seem
to have taken the names of animals. Michigan is called
the "Wolverine State," Wisconsin the "Badger State,"
and it is not at all singular that Minnesota should have
been christened the "Gopher State." These names
never originate by any recognized authority. They arise
from some event that suggests them, or from some im-
portant utterance that makes an impression on the pub-
lic mind. In the very early days of the territory — say,
as early as 1854 or 1855, — the question was discussed
among the settlers as to what name should be adopted
by Minnesota, and for a time it was called by some the
"Beaver State." That name seemed to have the great-

History of Minnesota. 243

est number of advocates, but it was always met with the
objection that the beaver, although quite numerous in
some of our streams, was not sufficiently so to entitle
him to characterize the territory by giving it his name.
While this debate was in progress the advocates of the
beaver spoke of the territory as the beaver territory,
but it never reached a point of universal adoption. It
was well known that the gopher abounded, and his name
was introduced as a competitor with the beaver; but
being a rather insignificant animal, and his nature being
destructive, and in no way useful, he was objected to by
many, as too useless and undignified to become an em-
blem of the coming great state, — for we all had, at that
early day, full confidence that Minnesota was destined
to be a great and prominent state. Nothing was ever
settled on this subject until after the year 1857. As I
have before stated, in that year an attempt was made to
amend the constitution by allowing the state to issue
bonds in the sum of $5,000,000 to aid in the construc-
tion of the railroads which the United States had sub-
sidized with land p-rants, and the campaign which m-
volved this amendment was most bitterly fought. The
oprtonents of the measure published a cartoon to bring
the subject into ridicule, which was very generally cir-
culated throughout the state, but failed to check the
enthusiasm in favor of the proposition. This cartoon
represented ten men in a hne, with heads bowed down
with the weight of a bag of gold hung about their necks,
marked "$10,000." They were supposed to represent
the members of the legislature who had been bribed to
pass the act, and were called "Primary Directors." On
their backs was a railroad track, upon which was a train
of cars drawn by nine gophers, the three gophers in the
lead proclaiming, "We have no cash, but will give you

244 History of Minnesota.

our drafts." Attached to the rear of the train was a
wheelbarrow, with a barrel on it, marked "Gin," fol-
lowed by the devil, in great glee, with his thumb at his
nose. In the train were the advocates of the bill, fiying
a flag bearing these words : "Gopher train ; excursion
train ; members of extra session of legislature, free. We
develop the resources of the country." Over this was
a smaller flag, with the words : "The $5,000,000 Loan
Bill."

In another part of the picture is a rostrum, from
which a gopher is addressing the people with the legend :
"I am right; Gorman is wrong." In the right hand
corner of the cartoon is a round ball, with a gopher in it,
coming rapidly down, with the legend : "A Ball come
from Winona." This was a pun on the name of Mr. St.
A. D. Balcombe from Winona, who was a strong advo-
cate of the measure. Under the whole group was a dark
pit, with the words, "A mine of corruption."

The bill was passed, and the state was saddled with a
debt of $5,000,000, under which it staggered for over
twenty years, and we never even got a gopher train out
of it.

This cartoon, coming just at the time the name of
the state was under consideration, fastened upon it the
nickname of "Gopher," which it has ever since retained.
The name is not at all inappropriate, as the animal has
always abounded in the state. In a work on the mam-
mals of Minnesota, by C. L. Herrick, 1892, he gives the
scientific name of our most common species of gopher,
"Spermophilns Tridecemlineatus," or thirteen-striped
gopher, and says : "The species ranges from the Sas-
katchawan to Texas, and from Ohio to Utah. Minne-
sota is the peculiar home of the typical form, and thus
deserves the name of the 'Gopher State.' "

History of Minnesota. 245

Although the name originated in ridicule and con-
tempt, it has not in any way handicapped the common-
wealth, partly because very few people know its origin,
but for the greater reason, that it would take much more
than a name to check its predestined progress.

STATE PARKS.

ITASCA STATE PARK.

In a previous part of this work, under the head of
"Lumber," I have referred to the fact that a great na-
tional park and forest reserve is in contemplation by the
United States at the headwaters of the Mississippi, and
made reference to the state park already established at
that point. I will now relate what has been done by the
state in this regard. In 1875 an official survey of the
land in and about Lake Itasca was made by the surveyor
general of the United States for Minnesota, which
brought these lands under the operation of the United
States laws, and part of them were entered. A por-
tion of them went to the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company under its land grant. The swamp and school
lands went to the state, and much to private individuals
under the various methods of making title to govern-
ment lands.

On the 20th of April, 1891, the legislature passed an
act entitled, "An act to establish and create a pubHc
park, to be known and designated as the Itasca State
Park, and authorizing the condemnation of lands for
park purposes." This act sets apart for park purposes
19,702 acres of land, and dedicates them to the perpetual
use of the people. It places the same under the care
and supervision of the state auditor, as land commis-
sioner. It prohibits the destruction of trees, or hunting

246 History of Minnesota.

within its limits. It provides for a commission to ob-
tain title to such of the lands as belong to private indi-
viduals, either by purchase or condemnation.

On the third day of August, 1892, the United States
granted to the state all the unappropriated lands within
the limits of the park, upon this condition :

"Provided, the land hereby granted shall revert to
the United States, together with all the improvements
thereon, if at any time it shall cease to be exclusively
used for a public state park, or if the state shall not pass
a law or laws to protect the timber thereon."

The state, at the session of the legislature in 1893,
accepted the grant, but as yet has made no provision for
the extinguishment of the title of private owners, of
which there are 8,823 acres. This divided ownership of
the lands within the limits of the park endangers the
whole region by lumbering operations, and consequent
forest fires after the timber is cut. Fires are not to be
feared in natural forests until they are cut over. The
acquisition of title to all these lands by the state should
not be delayed any longer than is necessary to perfect
it, no matter at what cost. The state has already erected
a house on the bank of Itasca lake, and has a resident
commissioner in charge of the park.

The effect of the law prohibiting hunting in the park
has already greatly increased the numbers of animals
and fowls that find in it a safe refuge.

The extent of the park is seven miles long by five
miles wide, and is covered with a dense forest of pine,
oak, maple, basswood, aspen, balsam fir, cedar and
spruce, which is nearly in a state of nature. It is much
to be hoped that in the near future this park will be en-
larged to many times its present size by additional
grants.

History of Minnesota. 247

interstate park— the dalles of the st. croix.

One of the most, if not the most, beautiful and
picturesque points in the Northwest is the Dalles of the
St. Croix river. Here the state has acquired the title
to about 150 acres of land on the Minnesota side of the
river, and dedicated it for park purposes. This v^as
done under the authority of chapter 169 of the Laws of
1895. The point on the Minnesota side is called Tay-
lor's Falls, and on the Wisconsin side St. Croix Falls.
Between these two towns the St. Croix river rushes rap-
idly, forming a cataract of great beauty. The blufifs are
precipitate and rocky, forming a narrow gorge through
which the river plunges. The name of the river is
French, ''Sainte Croix," meaning "The holy cross," and
the name of this particular point, the "Dalles," was
given on account of the curious formation of the rocky
banks, which assume wonderful shapes. One, looking
down stream, presents a perfect likeness of a man, and
is called "The Old Man of the Dalles." Another curi-
ous rock formation is called the "Devil's Chair." There
are many others equally interesting. It is generally sup-
posed that the word "Dalles" has the same meaning as
the English word "Dell" or "Dale" signifying a narrow
secluded vale or valley, but such is not the case as ap-
plied to this peculiar locality. The word "Dalles" is
French, and means a slab, a flag or a flagstone, and is
appropriate to the peculiar character of the general rock
formation of the river banks at this point and vicinity.

The State of Minnesota has already done a good deal
of work towards making it attractive, and it has become
quite a resort for pleasure seekers in the summer time.
Wisconsin has acquired title to a larger tract on the east
side of the river than is embraced in the Minnesota park

248 History of Minnesota.

on the west side, but as yet has not done much in the
way of improvement. The two tracts are united by a
graceful bridge which spans the river between them.
The Minnesota park is under the charge of a state cus-
todian, who cares for and protects it from despoilment.

POLITICS.

In writing the history of a state, no matter how short
or limited such history may be, its politics seem to be an
essential element of presentation, and, on this assump-
tion alone, I will say a very few words concerning that
subject. I do not believe that the question of which po-
litical party has been dominant in the state has exerted
any considerable influence on its material prosperity.
The great "First Cause" of its creation was so generous
in its award of substantial blessings that it placed the
state beyond the ability of man or his politics to seri-
ously injure or impede its advance towards material suc-
cess in any of the channels that promote greatness. Soil,
climate, minerals, facilities for commerce and transpor-
tation, consisting of great rivers, lakes and harbors, —
all these combine to defy the destructive tendencies so
often exerted by the ignorance and passions of man. It
has resisted every folly of its people, and they have been
many; every onslaught of its savage inhabitants, and
they have been more formidable than those experienced
by any other state ; and even the cataclysms with which
it has occasionally been visited arising from natural
causes. The fact is, Minnesota is so rock-rooted in all
the elements of material greatness that it must advance,
regardless of all known obstructions.

When the territory was organized in 1849, Gen.
Zachary Taylor, a Whig, was the president of the United

History of Minnesota. 249

States, and he appointed Alexander Ramsey, also a
Whig-, as governor, to set its political machinery in mo-
tion. He remained in office until the national adminis-
tration changed in 1853, and Franklin Pierce, a Demo-
crat, was chosen president. He appointed Gen. Willis
A. Gorman, a Democrat, as governor to succeed Gov-
ernor Ramsey. On the 4th of March, 1857, James Bu-
chanan, a Democrat, succeeded President Pierce, and
appointed Samuel Medary, a Democrat, as governor of
Minnesota. He held this position until the state was
admitted into the Union, in May, 1858, when Henry H.
Sibley, a Democrat, was elected governor for the term
of two years, and served it out. '

On the admission of the state into the Union, two
Democratic United States senators were elected, Henry
M. Rice and Gen. James Shields. General Shields serv-
ed from May 12, 1858, to March 3, 1859, and Mr. Rice
from May 12, 1858, to March 3, 1863, he having- drawn
the long- term. The state also elected three members
to the United States house of representatives, all Demo-
crats, James M. Cavanaugh, W. W. Phelps and George
L. Becker, but it was determined that we were only en-
titled to two, and Mr. Phelps and Mr. Cavanaugh were
admitted to seats. With this state and federal repre-
sentation we entered upon our political career. At the
next election for governor, in the fall of 1859, Alexander
Ramsey, Republican, was chosen, and there has never
been a governor of the state of any but Republican poli-
tics since, until John Lind was elected in the fall of 1898.
Mr. Lind was chosen as a Democrat, with the aid of
other political organizations, which united with the
Democracy. Mr. Lind now fills the office of governor.
It will be seen that for thirty-nine years the state has
been wholly in the hands of the Republicans. During

250 History of Minnesota.

the interval between the administration of Governor
Sibley and Governor Lind the state has had twelve gov-
ernors, all Republican.

In its federal representation, however, the Demo-
crats have fared a trifle better. The growth of popula-
tion has increased our membership in the federal house
of representatives to seven, and occasionally a Demo-
crat, or member of some other party, has succeeded in
breaking- into congress. From the first district W. H.
Harries, a Democrat, was elected in 1890. From the
Third district Eugene M. Wilson, Democrat, was elect-
ed in 1868; Henry Poeler, Democrat, in 1878; John L.
McDonald, Democrat, in 1886; and O. M. Hall, Demo-
crat, in 1890, and again in 1892. From the Fourth dis-
trict Edmund Rice, Democrat, was elected in 1886, and
James N. Castle, Democrat, in 1890. From the Sixth
district M. R. Baldwin, Democrat, was elected in 1892.
From the Fifth district Kittle Halverson, Alliance, was
elected in- 1890. From the Seventh district Haldor E-
Boen People's Party, was elected in 1892.

Since Henry M. Rice and James Shields, all the
United States Senators have been Republican. They
were Morton S. Wilkinson, Alexander Ramsey, Daniel
S. Norton, William Windom, O. P. Stearns, S. J. R.
McMillin, A. J. Edgerton, D. M. Sabin, C. K. Davis,
W. D. Washburn and Knute Nelson. Some of these
have served two terms, and some very short terms, to
fill vacancies.

Of course, the state had its compliment of other of-
ficers, but as their duties are more of a clerical and busi-
ness character than political, it is unnecessary to par-
ticularize them.

It is a subject of congratulation to all citizens of Min-
nesota that, out of all the state officers that have come

History of Minnesota. 251

and gone in the forty years of its life, there has been
but one impeachment, which was of a state treasurer,
Mr. William Seeger, who was elected in 1871. Al-
though he was convicted, I have always believed, and
do now, that he was personally innocent, and suffered
for the sins of others.

The State of Minnesota has always, since the adjust-
ment of its old railroad bond debt, held a conservative
position in the Union, — financially, socially, patriotical-
ly and commercially. Its credit is the best, its prospects
the brightest, and it makes very little difference which
political party dominates its future so long as it is free
from the taint of anarchy and is guided by the principles
of honor and justice. The only thing to be feared is
that some political party may gain control of the gov-
ernment of the nation, and either degrade its currency,
involve it in disastrous complications and wars with
other nations, or commit some similar folly which may
reflectively or secondarily act injuriously on Minnesota
as a member of the national family of states. Other-
wise Minnesota can defy the vagaries of poHtics and
politicians. She has very little to fear from this remote
apprehension, because the American people, as they ever
have been, will no doubt continue to be, on second
thought, true to the teachings and traditions of the
founders of the republic.

Minnesota, for so young a state, has been quite lib-
erally remembered in the way of diplomatic appoint-
ments. Gen. C. C. Andrews represented the United
States as minister to Sweden and Norway, and the Hon.
Samuel R. Thayer and Hon. Stanford Newell at The
Hague, the latter of whom now fills the position. Mr.
Newell was also a member of the World's Peace Com-
mission recently held at The Hague. Lewis Baker rep-

252 History of Minnesota.

resented the United States as minister to Nicaragua,
Costa Rica and San Salvador.

The state has also been honored by the appointment
of the following named gentlemen from among its citi-
zens as consuls general to various countries : Gen. C.
C. Andrews to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ; Hon. Hans Matt-
son to Calcutta, India; Dr. J. A. Leonard to Calcutta,
and also to Shanghai, China; and Hon. John Goode-
now to Shanghai, China.

We have had a full complement of consuls to all
parts of the world, the particulars of which are unneces-
sary in this connection.

The state has also had three cabinet officers. On
Dec. ID, 1879, Alexander Ramsey was appointed secre-
tary of war by President Hayes, and again on Dec. 20,
1880, he was made secretary of the navy. The latter
office he held only about ten days, until it was filled by
a permanent appointee.

William Windom was appointed secretary of the
treasury by President Garfield, and again to the same
position by President Harrison. He died in the office.

Gen. William G. Le Due was appointed commis-
sioner of agriculture by President Hayes, which was a
quasi cabinet position, and was afterwards made a full
and regular one. The general was afterwards made a
member of the National Agricultural Society of France,
of which Washington, Jefferson and Marshall were
members.

Senator Cushman K. Davis, who was chairman of
the committee on foreign relations of the senate, was
appointed by President McKinley one of the commis-
sioners on the part of the United States to negotiate the
treaty of peace with Spain after the recent Spanish war.

Gov. William R. Merriam was appointed by Presi-

History of Minnesota. 253

dent McKinley as director of the census of 1900, and is
now busily engaged in the performance of the arduous
duties of that office. They are not diplomatic, but ex-
ceedingly important.

President Cleveland appointed John W. Riddle as
secretary of legation to the embassy at Constantinople,
where he has remained to the present time.

BIBLIOGRAPiyiY.

Necessity has compelled me, in the preparation of
this history, to be brief, not only in the subjects treated
of, but also in the manner of such treatment. Details
have usually been avoided, and comprehensive generali-
ties indulged in. Those who read it may find many
things wanting, and in order that they may have an op-
portunity to supply my deficiencies without too much
research and labor, I have prepared a list of all the works
which have ever been written on Minnesota, or any par-
ticular subject pertaining thereto, and append them
hereto for convenience of reference. Any and all of
them can be found in the library of the Minnesota His-
torical Society in the state capitol.

So much of what I have said consists of personal ex-
periences and observations that it more resembles a nar-
rative than a history, but I think I can safely vouch for
the accuracy and truthfulness of all I have thus related.

BOOKS WHICH HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED RELATING TO MIN-
NESOTA.

The following will be found in "Collections of the
Minnesota Historical Society, volume i, St. Paul, 1872:"

I. The French Voyageurs to Minnesota during the
Seventeenth Century, by Rev. E. D. Neill.

254 History of Minnesota.

2. Description of Minnesota (1850), by Hon. Henry

H. Sibley.

3. Our Field of Historical Research, by Hon. Alex-

ander Ramsey.

4. Early Courts of Minnesota, by Hon. Aaron Good-

rich.

5. Early Schools of Minnesota, by D. A. J. Baker.

6. Religious Movements in Minnesota, by Rev. C.

Hobart.

7. The Dakota Language, by Rev. S. R. Riggs.

8. History and Physical Geography of Minnesota,

by H. R. Schoolcraft.

9. Letter of Mesnard, by Rev. E. D. Neill.

10. The Saint Louis River, by T. M. Fullerton.

11. Ancient Mounds and Memorials, by Messrs.

Pond, Alton and Riggs.

12. Schoolcraft's Exploring Tour of 1832, by Rev.

W. T. Boutwell.

13. Battle of Lake Pokegama, by Rev. E. D. Neill.

14. Memoir of Jean Nicollet, by Hon. Henry H. Sib-

ley.

15. Sketch of Joseph Renville, by Rev. E. D. Neill.

16. Department of Hudson's Bay, by Rev. G. A. Bel-

court.

17. Obituary of James M. Goodhue, by Rev. E. D.

Neill.

18. Dakota Land and Dakota Life, by Rev. E. D.

Neill.

19. Who were the First Men, by Rev. T. S. William-

son.

20. Louis Hennepin, the Franciscan, and Du Luth,

the Explorer.

21. Le Sueur, the Explorer of the Minnesota River.

22. D'Iberville ; An Abstract of his Memorial.

History of Minnesota. 255

22i. The Fox and Ojibway War.

24. Captain Jonathan Carver and his Explorations.

25. Pike's Explorations in Minnesota.

26. Who Discovered Itasca Lake, by William Morri-

son.
2.^. Early Days at Fort Snelling.

28. Running the Gauntlet, by William T. Snelling.

29. Reminiscences, Historical and Personal.

Volume 2 :

30. Voyage in a Six-oared Skiff to the Falls of St.

Anthony in 181 7, by Major Stephen H. Long.

31. Early French Forts and Footprints of the Valley

of the Upper Mississippi, by Rev. E. D. Neill.

32. Occurrences in and around Fort Snelling from

1819 to 1840, by Rev. E. D. Neill.
"^2^- Religion of the Dakotas (Chapter VI. of James
W. Lynd's Manuscripts).

34. Mineral Regions of Lake Superior, from Their

First Discovery in 1865, by Hon. Henry M.
Rice.

35. Constantine Beltrami, by Alfred J. Hill.

36. Historical Notes on the U. S. Land Office, by

Hon. Henry M. Rice.
2^^. The Geography of Perrot, so far as it relates to
Minnesota, by Alfred J. Hill.

38. Dakota Superstitions, by Rev. Gideon H. Pond.

39. The Carver Centenary; an account of the Cele-

bration, May I, 1867, of the One Hundredth
Anniversary of the Council and Treaty of Capt.
Jonathan Carver with the Nadowessioux, at
Carver's Cave in St. Paul, with an address by
the Rev. John Mattocks.

256 History of Minnesota.

40. Relation of M. Penticant, translated by Alfred J.

Hill, with an introductory note by the Rev. E.

D. Neill.

41. Bibliography of Minnesota, by J. Fletcher Wil-

Hams.

42. A Reminiscence of Fort Snelling, by Mrs. Char-

lotte O. Van Cleve.

43. Narrative of Paul Ma-za-koo-to-ma-ne. Trans-

lated by Rev. S. R. Riggs.

44. Memoir of Ex-Governor Henry A. Swift, by J.

Fletcher Williams.

45. Sketch of John Otherday, by Hon. Henry H, Sib-

ley.

46. A Coincidence, by Mrs. Charlotte O. Van Cleve

47. Memoir of Hon. James W. Lynd, by Rev. S. R.

Riggs.

48. The Dakota Mission, by Rev. S. R. Riggs.

49. Indian Warfare in Minnesota, by Rev. S. W.

Pond.

50. Colonel Leavenworth's Expedition to Establish

Fort Snelling in 1819, by Major Thomas For-
syth.

51. Memoir of Jean Baptiste Faribault, by Gen. H.

H. Sibley.

52. Memoir of Captain Martin Scott, by J. Fletcher

Williams.

53. Na-peh-shnee-doo-ta, a Dakota Christian, by Rev.

T. S. Williamson.

54. Memoir of Hercules L. Dousman, by Gen. Henry

H. Sibley.

55. Memoir of Joseph R. Brown, by J. F. Williams,

E. S. Goodrich, and J. A. Wheelock.

56. Memoir of Hon. Cyrus Aldrich, by J. F. Williams.

History of Minnesota. 257

57. Memoir of Rev. Lucian Galtier, by Bishop John

Ireland.

58. Memoir of Hon. David Olmsted, by J. F. Wil-

liams.

59. Reminiscences of the Early Days of Minnesota,

by Hon. H. H. Sibley.

60. The Sioux or Dakotas of the Missouri River, by

Rev. T. S. WiUiamson.

61. Memoir of Rev. S. Y. McMasters, by Earle S.

Goodrich.

62. Tributes to the Memory of Rev. John Mattocks,

by J. F. WilHams, Hon. Henry H. Sibley,
John B. Sanborn and Bishop Ireland.

63. Memoir of Ex-Governor Willis A. Gorman, com-

piled from press notices, and eulogy by Hon.
C. K. Davis.

64. Lake Superior, Historical and Descriptive, by

Hon. James H, Baker.

65. Memorial Notices of Rev. Gideon H. Pond, by

Rev. S. R. Riggs, Hon. H. H. Sibley and Rev.
T. S. Williamson.

66. In Memory of Rev. Thomas S. Williamson, by

Rev. S. R. Riggs and A. W. Williamson.

67. The Ink-pa-du-ta Massacre of 1857, by Hon.

Charles E. Flandrau.

Volume 4:

68. History of the City of St. Paul and County of

Ramsey, Minnesota, by J. Fletcher Williams,
containing a very full sketch of the first settle-
ment and early days of St. Paul, in 1838, 1839
and 1840, and of the territory from 1849 to
1858; hsts of the early settlers and claim own-

17

258 History of Minnesota.

ers ; amusing events of pioneer days ; biograph-
ical sketches of over two hundred prominent
men of early times; three steel portraits and
forty-seven woodcuts (portraits and views) ;
lists of federal, county and city officers since
1849.

Volume 5 :

69. History of the Ojibway Nation, by \Mlliam W.

Warren (deceased) ; a valuable work, contain-
ing the legends and traditions if the Ojibways,
their origin, history, costumes, religion, daily
life and habits, ideas, biographies of leading
chieftains and orators, vivid descriptions of
battles, etc. The work was carefully edited by
Rev. Edward D. Neill, who added an appendix
of 116 pages, giving an account of the Ojib-
ways from official and other records. It also
contains a portrait of Warren, a memoir of him
by J. Fletcher Williams, and a copious index.

Volume 6:

70. The Sources of the Mississippi; their Discovery,

Real and Pretended, by Hon. James H. Baker.

71. The Hennepin Bicentenary; Celebration by the

Minnesota Historical Society of the 200th an-
niversary of the Discovery of the Falls of St.
Anthony in 1680, by Louis Hennepin.

^2. Early Days at Red River Settlement and Fort
Snelling ; reminiscences of Mrs. Ann Adams.

j^i- Protestant Missions in the Northwest, by Rev.
Stephen R. Riggs, with a memoir of the au-
thor, by J. F. Williams.

History of Minnesota. 259

74. Autobiography of Major Lawrence Taliaferro, In-

dian Agent at Fort Snelling, 1820 to 1840.

75. Memoir of General Henry Hastings Sibley, by J.

F. Williams.

-/d. Mounds in Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin, by
Alfred J. Hill.

yy. Columbian Address, delivered by Hon. H. W.
Childs before the Minnesota Historical Socie-
ty, Oct. 21, 1892.

78. Reminiscences of Fort Snelling, by Col. John

Bliss.

79. Sioux Outbreak of 1862; Mrs. J. E. DeCamp's

Narrative of her Captivity.

80. A Sioux Story of the War; Chief Big Eagle's

Stor>^ of the Sioux Outbreak of 1862.

81. Incidents of the Threatened Outbreak of Hole-in-

the-day and other Ojibways at the time of the
Sioux Massacre in 1862, by George W. Sweet.

82. Dakota Scalp Dances, by Rev. T. S. Williamson.

83. Earliest Schools in Minnesota Valley, by Rev. T.

S. Williamson.

84. Traditions of Sioux Indians, by Major William H!.

Forbes.

85. Death of a Remarkable Man ; Gabriel Franchere,

by Hon. Benjamin P. Avery.

86. First Settlement on the Red River of the North in

18 12, and its Condition in 1847, by Mrs. Eliza-
beth T. Ayres.

87. Frederick Ayer, Teacher and Missionary to the

Ojibway Indians, 1829 to 1850.

88. Captivity among the Sioux; Story of Nancy Mc-

Clure.

89. Captivity among the Sioux; Story of Mary

Schwandt.

260 History of Minnesota.

90. Autobiography and Reminiscences of Philander

Prescott.

91. Recollections of James M. Goodhue, by Colonel

John H. Stevens.

92. History of the Ink-pa-du-ta Massacre, by Abbie

Gardner Sharp.

Volume 7 :

93. The Mississippi River and Its Source ; a narrative

and critical history of the river and its head-
waters, accompanied by the results of detailed
hydrographic and topographic surveys; illus-
trated with many maps, portraits and views of
the scenery; by Hon. J. V. Brower, Commis-
sioner of the Itasca State Park, representing
also the State Historical Society. With an
appendix : How the Mississippi River and the
Lake of the Woods became instrumental in the
establishment of the northwestern boundary of
the United States, by Alfred J. Hill.

Volume 8:

94. The International Boundary between Lake Su-

perior and the Lake of the Woods, by Ulysses
Sherman Grant.

95. The Settlement and Development of the Red

River Valley, by Warren Upham.

96. The Discovery and Development of the Iron Ores

of Minnesota, by N. H. Winchell, State Geol-
ogist.

97. The Origin and Growth of the Minnesota His-

torical Society, by the President, Hon. Alex-
ander Ramsey.

History of Minnssota. 261

98. Opening of the Red River of the North to Com-

merce and Civilization, with plates, by Capt.
Russell Blakeley.

99. Last days of Wisconsin Territory, and Early

Days of Minnesota Territory, by Hon. Henry
L. Moss.

100, Lawyers and Courts of Minnesota, Prior to and
During its Territorial Period, by Judge
Charles E. Flandrau.

loi. Homes and Habitations of the Minnesota His-
torical Society, by Charles E. Mayo.

102. The Historical Value of Newspapers, by J. B.

Chaney.

103. The United States Government Publications, by

D. L. Kingsbury.

104. The First Organized Government of Dakota, by

Gov. Samuel J. Albright, with a preface by
Judge Charles E. Flandrau.

105. How Minnesota became a State, by Prof. Thomas

F. Moran.

106. Minnesota's Northern Boundary, by Alexander

N. Winchell.

107. The Question of the Sources of the Mississippi

River, by Prof. E. Lavasseur. (Translated by
Col. W. P. Clough.)

108. The Source of the Mississippi, by Prof. N. H.

Winchell.

109. Prehistoric Man at the Headwaters of the Missis-

sippi River (with plates), and an addendum re-
lating to the early visits of Mr. Julius Cham-
bers and the Rev. J. A. Gilfillan to Itasca Lake,
by Hon. J. V. Brower.

110. History of Minnesota, by Edward D. Neill. First

Edition, 1858; has gone through four editions.

262 History of Minnesota.

111. Concise History of the State of Minnesota, by

Edward D. Neill, 1887.

112. Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars, 1S61-

1865, prepared under the supervision of a com-
mittee appointed by the legislature, 1890-1893,
in two volumes.

113. History of the Sioux War and Massacres of 1862-

1863, by Isaac V. D. Heard, 1865.

1 14. A History of the Great Massacre by the Sioux In-

dians in Minnesota, by Charles S. Bryant and
Abel B. Murch, 1872.

115. Minnesota Historical Society Collections, in eight

volumes, 1850 to 1898, containing many of the
above named works and papers.

116. History of St. Paul, Minnesota, by Gen. Christo-

pher C. Andrews, 1890.

117. History of the City of Minneapolis, by Isaac At-

water, in two volumes.

118. Pen Pictures of St. Paul, Minnesota, and Bio-

graphical Sketches of Old Settlers, by T. M.
Newson.

119. Fifty Years in the Northwest, by W. H. C. Fol-

som, 1888.

120. The United States Biographical Dictionary and

Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self-Made
Men, Minnesota Volume by Jeremiah Clem-
mens, assisted by J. Fletcher Williams, 1879.

121. Progressive Men of Minnesota, Biographical

Sketches and Portraits, together with an his-
torical and descriptive sketch of the state, by
Marion D. Shutter and J. S. McLain, 1897.

122. Biographical History of the Northwest, by Alon-

zo Phelps, 1890.

History of Minnesota. " 263

123. A Histon- of the Republican Party, to which is

added a political history of Minnesota from a
Republican point of view, and biographical
sketches of leading Minnesota Repubhcans, by
Eugene V. Smalley.

124. There are also many quarto histories of counties

in Minnesota and of larger districts of the
state, mostly published during the years 1880
to 1890, including twenty counties, namely,
Dakota, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Free-
born, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, McLeod,
Meeker, Olmsted, Pope, Ramsey, Rice, Steele,
Stevens, Wabasha, Waseca, Washington, and
Winona, and five districts, namely, The St.
Croix Valley, the Upper Mississippi Valley,
the Minnesota Valley, the Red River Valley
and Park Region, and Southern Minnesota.

125. Winona and its Environs, by L. H. Bunnell, 1897,

with maps and portraits.

Among the Earliest Publications are:

126. Minnesota and its Resources, by J. Wesley Bond,

1853-

127. Minnesota Year Books, 185 1, 1852, 1853, by Wil-

liam G. Le Due.

128. Floral Home, or First Years of Minnesota, 1857,

by Harriet E. Bishop.

129. Narratives and Reports of Travels and Explora-

tions, by Hennepin, Carver. Long and Keat-
ing, Beltrami, Featherstonhaugh, Schoolcraft,
Nicollet, Owen, Oliphant, Andrews, Seymour
and others.

264 History of Minnesota.

130. For Geographic and Geologic descriptions of

Minnesota, the reports of the geological and
natural history survey are the most complete
sources of information, by Prof. N. H. Win-
chell, State Geologist, assisted by Warren Up-
ham, Ulysses Sherman Grant, and others. The
annual reports comprise twenty-three volumes,
1872 to 1894, with another to be published.
Several other volumes have been issued as bul-
letins of the survey, on iron, mining, birds,
mammals, and fishes.

131. Four thousand two hundred and fifty bound vol-

umes of Minnesota newspapers, embracing
complete files of nearly all the newspapers ever
published in Minnesota from first to last.

132. One thousand seven hundred and two books and

about fifteen hundred pamphlets relating in
some way to Minnesota history. All these
books can be found in the library of the Min-
nesota Historical Society, which is always
open to the public, free.

133. Much historical and other information is contain-

ed in the messages of the governors and re-
ports of the various state officers, and especial-
ly in the Legislative Manuals prepared for the
use of the members of the legislature by the
secretary of state, under chapter 122 of the
General Laws of 1893. and former laws. These
Manuals, and especially that of 1899, are re-
plete with valuable statistics concerning the
state, its history and resources.

134. Illustrated History of Minnesota, by T. H. Kirk,

M. L., 1887.

History of Minnesota. 265

135. Ancestry, Life and Times of Henry Hastings Sib-

ley, by Nathaniel West, D. D., 1889.

136. Minnesota and Dacotah in Letters descriptive of

a Tour through the Northwest in the Autumn
of 1856, with information relative to public
lands and a table of statistics, by General C. C.
Andrews.

137. Lights and Shadows of a Long Episcopate by the

Rt. Rev. Henry Benjamin Whipple, D. D., L.
L. D., Bishop of Minnesota.

138. Reminiscences, Memoirs and Lectures of Mon-

signor A. Ravoux, V. G. 1890.

139. Encyclopedia of Biography of Minnesota, with a

History of Minnesota, by Judge Charles E.
Flandrau.

Finis.

TALES

OF THE

FRONTIER.

TALES OF THE FRONTIER.

HUNTING WOLVES IN BED.

FORTY-SIX years ago, almost immediately after my
arrival in St. Paul, I accepted an offer to explore the
valley of the Minnesota river and its tributaries, with
reference to finding out the character of its soil, timber,
steamboat landings and other natural features, bearing
upon the founding of a city. My attention was particu-
larly directed to the point where St. Peter now stands,
which had then acquired the name of Rock Bend, from
a turn in the river in front of the prairie, with a rocky
wall which presented a fine landing for steamboats. Of
course, the valley was not a terra incognito when I en-
tered it, but settlement was very sparse, and very little
was known about it. Town-site speculation was rife,
and any place that looked as if it would ever be settled
was being pounced upon for a future city. There was
not a railroad west of Chicago, and every town location
was, of course, governed by the rivers. As strange as
it may seem to the residents of the present day, the Min-
nesota was then a navigable stream, capable of carrying
large side wheel steamers several hundred miles above
its mouth, and afterwards bore an immense commerce.

270 Tales op the Frontier.

As soon as the ice broke up in the spring:, the river
would rise and overflow its banks clear to the bluffs on
each side, making a stream of from five to six miles
wide, and deep enough to float boats anyAvhere within
its limits.

A man by the name of William B. Dodd, better
known as Captain Dodd in those days, had selected a
claim at Rock Bend, covering the landing, and had laid
out a road from the Mississippi to this point. He want-
ed to interest capitalists to start a town on his claim,
and had succeeded in gaining the attention of Willis A.
Gorman, then governor of the territory, and several
other gentlemen, but none of them had ever been up
the valley, and reliable information was difficult to ob-
tain. It was true that Tom Holmes had laid out Shako-
pee, and Henr}'^ Jackson and P. K. Johnson, with a syn-
dicate behind them, had selected Mankato, and I think
there was a settler or two at Le Sueur, but the whole val-
ley may be said to have been at that time in the posses-
sion of Indians, Indian traders and missionaries.

The St. Paul gentlemen who had been approached
by Captain Dodd engaged me to go, up the valley of the
Minnesota river, and follow out all its tributaries, witli
the idea of reporting upon its general characteristics and
prospects, with reference to the founding of a city at
Rock Bend. I was delighted to do anything, or go any-
where, that promised work or adventure. It was to me
what the Klondike has been to thousands recently.
They furnished me with a good team, and away I went.
It was in the winter, but I succeeded in reaching Tra-
verse des Sioux, where I found a collection of Indian
trading houses, where flourished Louis Roberts, Major
Forbes, Nathan Myrick, Madison Sweetzer and others,
who drove a trade with the Sioux. There was also at

Tai.es of the Frontier. 271

this point a missionary station, with a schoolhouse, a
church, and a substantial dweUing house, occupied by
the Rev. Moses N. Adams, who had been a missionary
among the Sioux, having been transferred from the sta-
tion at Lac qui Parle, where he had lived for many years,
to this point. But the best find that I made was a
young Scotchman by the name of Stuart B. Garvie, who
had a shanty on the prairie about midway between Tra-
verse des Sioux and my objective point, Rock Bend. I
think that Garvie went up there from St. Anthony, un-
der some kind of a promise from Judge Chatfield, that
if ever the courts were organized in that region he would
be made clerk. Garvie was delighted to discover me,
and I being in search of information, we soon fraterniz-
ed, and he agreed to go with me on my tour of explora-
tion. We went up the Blue Earth, the Le Sueur, the
Watonwan, and, in fact, visited all the country that was
necessary to convince me that it was, by and large, a
splendid agricultural region, and I decided so to report
to my principals.

When I was about to leave for down the river, Garvie
insisted that I should return and take up my abode at
Traverse des Sioux. The proposition seemed too ab-
surd to me to be seriously entertained, and I said: "I
am destitute of funds, and how can a lawyer subsist
where there are no people? How can I get a living?"
This dilemma, which seemed to me to be insuperable,
was easily answered by my new found friend. "Why,"
he said, "That is the easiest part of it. We can hunt a
living, and I have a shack and a bed." The proposition
was catching, having a spice of adventure in it, and I
promised to consider it.

After making my report, in which I recommended

272 Tales of the Frontier.

Rock Bend as a promising place for a great city, I told
the parties who proposed to purchase Captain Dodd's
claim that I would confirm my faith in the success of the
enterprise by returning and living at the point. I did
so, and found myself farther west than any lawyer in the
United States east of the Rocky Mountains, unless he
was in the panhandle of Texas. And now comes the
singular way in which I made my first fee, if I may call
it by that name. It was my first financial raise, no mat-
ter what you call it.

Garvie and I had gotten quietly settled in our shanty
on the prairie, when one excessively cold night an Indian
boy, about thirteen years of age, saw our light, and came
to the door, giving us to understand that his people were
encamped about four or five miles up the river, and that
he was afraid to go any further lest he should freeze to
death. He was mounted on a pony, had a pack of furs
with him, and asked us to take him in for the night. We
of course did so, and made him as comfortable as we
could by giving him a buffalo robe on the floor. But
we had no shelter for his pony, and all we could do was
to hitch him on the lee side of the shanty, and strap a
blanket on him. When morning came he was frozen to
death. We got the poor little boy safely off on the way
to his people's camp, and decided to utilize the carcass
of the pony for a wolf bait.

In order to present an intelligent idea of the situa-
tion, I will say that the river made an immense detour in
front of the future town, having a large extent of bot-
tom laiid, covered with a dense chaparral, which was
the home of thousands of wolves, and as soon as night
came they would start out in droves in search of prey.

We hauled the dead pony out to the back of the
shanty, and left it about two rods distant from the win-

Tales of the Frontier. 273

dow. The moment night set in the wolves in packs
would attack the carcass. At first we would step out-
side and fire into them with buck shot from double-bar-
relled shotguns, but we found they were so wary that the
mere movement of opening the door to get out would
frighten them, and we had very limited success for the
first few nights. Another difficulty we encountered was
shooting in the dark. If you have never tried it, and
ever do, you will find it exceedingly difficult to get any
kind of an aim, and you have to fire promiscuously at the
sound rather than the object.

We remedied this trouble, however, by taking out a
light of glass from the back window, and building a rest
that bore directly on the carcass, so that we could poke
our guns through the opening, settle them on the rest,
and blaze away into the gloom. We brought our bed
up to the window, so that we could shoot without get-
ting out of it, while snugly wrapped up in our blankets.
After this our luck improved, and after each discharge
we would rush out, armed with a tomahawk, dispatch
the wounded wolves, and collect the dead ones, until
we had slaughtered forty-two of them. We skinned
them, and sold the pelts to the traders for seventy-five
cents a piece, which money was the first of our earn-
ings.

It was not long before we ceased to depend on wolf
hunting for a living, as immigration soon poured in,
and money became plenty. I remember soon after of
having seventeen hundred dollars in gold buried in an
oyster can under the shanty.

I Hved on this prairie for eleven years, and never was
happier at any period of my life, and feel assured that I
can safely say that no other man ever enjoyed the lux-
ury of hunting wolves in bed.
18

274 Tales of the Frontier.

The pleasure of narrating such adventures for the
present generation is, in this instance, marred by the re-
flection that both Captain Dodd and my old friend Gar-
vie were killed by the Indians in 1862, the former while
gallantly fighting at the battle of New Ulm, and the lat-
ter at the Yellow Medicine Agency, on the first day of
the outbreak.

Tales ov the Frontier. 275

THE POISONED WHISKY.

I WAS told by a gentleman at my club the other day
that he had read in some magazine that the British
army had blown open the tomb of the Mahdi in upper
Africa, and had mutilated the body, cutting oiT the head
and sending it to England in a kerosene can. I could
hardly believe the story, but he vouched for having read
it in a reputable publication, and being a strong hater of
the English, affirmed his unqualified faith in the state-
ment. Notwithstanding his position, it seemed to me
incredible that such an act of barbarism could be perpe-
trated by the disciplined soldiery of a civilized nation in
the nineteenth century. The conversation so impressed
me that I could not drive it out of my mind, and I kept
revolving' it and making comparisons with events in my
own experience, until I concluded that it is more than
probable that it took place as related, and have since
learned that it actually occurred.

I have seen a good deal of ferocity and savagism, and
it was not at all confined to people acknowledged to be
barbarians. I remember an instance where I came very
near being a party to a scheme, the brutality of which
would have made the mutilation of the dead Mahdi com-
mendable in comparison ; but fortunately my better na-
ture and second thought overcame my passions, and I
was spared the perpetration of the awful crime, the re-
membrance of which, had it been committed, would un-
doubtedly have haunted me through life.

Many of the older settlers of Minnesota will remem-
ber the horrors of the Indian massacre and war of 1862,

276 Tales of the Frontier.

when the Sioux attacked our exposed frontiers, and in
a day and a half massacred quite a thousand people.
They spared neither age nor sex. It was like all such
savage outbreaks, — a war against the race and the
blood. These atrocities extended over a large and
sparsely inhabited area of country, and were usually per-
petrated at the houses of the settlers by the slaughter of
the entire family, sometimes varied by the seizure of
the women, and carrying them off into captivity, which
in most instances was worse than death. Every char-
acter of mutilation and outrage that could be suggested
by the inflamed passions of a savage were resorted to,
and so horrible were they that it would shock and dis-
gust the reader should I attempt to describe them. This
condition of things was no surprise to me, because it
was to be expected from savages ; but the more we saw
and heard of it, the more exasperated and angered we
became, and the more we vowed vengeance should the
opportunity come.

I resided on the frontier at the time the outbreak oc-
curred, and murders were committed within eight miles
of my home before I heard of it, which was on the morn-
ing of the second day. I, of course, immediately, after
disposing of my impedimenta in the shape of women and
children, took the field against the enemy, and by nine
o'clock in the evening of the same day that I heard of
the trouble I found myself at the town of New Ulm, a
German settlement on the frontier, the extreme outpost
of civilization, in command of over one hundred men,
armed and ready for battle. We had raised and equipped
the company and travelled thirty-two miles since the
morning.

When we entered the town it was being attacked by
a squad of Indians, about one hundred strong, who had

Tales of the Frontier. 277

already burned a number of houses and were firing upon
the inhabitants, having- already killed several. We soon
dislodged the enemy, put out the fires, and settled down
to await events. This was on Tuesday, the 19th of Au-
gust. We strengthened the barricades about the town,
and did all we could to prepare for a second attack,
which we knew would certainly come, and from the
combined forces of the enemy, and which did come on
the following Saturday. While waiting, numerous
squads of whites from the surrounding country reen-
forced us, and it soon became apparent that someone
must be put in command of the whole force, to prevent
disorders on the part of the men, as whisky was abun-
dant and free. The honor of the command fell upon me
by election of the officers of the various companies, and
in the choice of a rank for myself my modesty restrained
me to that of colonel. I have often thought since that
I lost the opportunity of my life, as I might just as easily
have assumed the title of major general.

Every day we sent out scouting expeditions, and
brought in refugees, men, women and children, who
were in hiding or wounded, and in the most pitiable con-
dition. From these we learned of many additional
atrocities, which kept our passions and desire for re-
venge at fever heat. On Saturday, the 23d, the Indians
who had been all the week besieging Fort Ridgely,
abandoned that quest, and came down upon us in full
force. The attack commenced about half-past nine
o'clock on Saturday morning, and the fight raged hotly
and viciously for about thirty hours without cessation.
I lost in the first hour and a half ten killed and fifty
wounded, out of a command of not more than 250 guns.
On the afternoon of the next day the Indians gradually
disappeared toward the north, and gave us a breathing

278 Tales of the Frontier.

spell, and then a relief company arrived and the fis^hting
ceased.

On Monday ammunition and provisions were get-
ting short, and fearing a renewal of the attack, I decided
to evacuate the town, and go down the Minnesota river
to Mankato, a distance of about thirty miles over an
open prairie. We had nearly fifteen hundred women
and children to take care of, and about eighty wounded
men. The caravan consisted of 153 wagons, drawn by
horses and oxen; the troops being on foot, and so dis-
posed as to make a good defense if attacked.

Everything being ready for a start, some one sug-
gested to me to set a trap for the Indians, when they
should enter the town after our departure, as we all sup-
posed they would, there beinsf an immense amount of
loot left behind, — stores full of goods of all kinds, and
many other things of value to the savage.

I had, the day before, put a stop to some of the
3^ounger men scalping the eight or ten dead Indians who
had been dragged into the town from where they had
been killed, regarding it as barbarous. The boys would
take off a small piece of scalp, and with its long black
hair, tie it into their button-holes, as a souvenir to take
home with them.

What do you think was the nature of the trap that
was proposed to catch the Indians? It makes my blood
run cold to think of it, and so disgraceful and diabolical
was it that, in all I have said and written about this war
in the last thirty-six years, I have never had courage to
mention^ it. Yet as awful as it was, so incensed was I at
all the devilish cruelty that had been perpetrated on our
people that I at first consented to it, and we went so far
as actually to set the trap.

It was proposed to expose a barrel of whisky in a

Tales of the Frontier. 279

conspicuous place, and put enough strychnine in it to
destroy the whole Sioux nation, and then label it "poi-
son" in all the languages spoken in our polyglot coun-
try, so that should the first comers be whites they would
avoid it, but if Indians, we might have the satisfaction
of exterminating them. We actually went so far as to
place the barrel where it would attract anyone who
should be looking about the main street, which was all
that was left of the town, and labelled it in French, Eng-
Hsh, German, Italian, Swedish and Norwegian, and then
put into it eight or ten bottles of strychnine, prepared
for destroying wolves, and were about leaving when the
thought flashed through my mind: "Suppose a reHef
squad should be sent to us, and should think the whole
matter a joke to cheat them out of a drink, and should
sample it and die, as they certainly would, we never
could forgive ourselves, and would be really their mur-
derers." My knowledge of the fact that a soldier who
had made a long march on a hot day would take big
chances for a drink, heightened my apprehension on this
view of the subject, and the more I thought the matter
over, the more devilish it appeared to me, even if we
caught only Indians. I actually felt as though I would
be ashamed to meet the spirit of even a savage enemy
whom I had disposed of in such a cowardly manner,
should we finally be consigned to the same happy hunt-
ing grounds, so I took an axe and knocked the head of
the barrel in, and let the contents into the street. While
I deeply regretted the loss of so much good whisky, I
have never thought of the occurrence since without in-
wardly rejoicing that my better nature and judgment
prevented me from committing such an offense against
all the laws of honor, humanity and civilization. It
turned out that the first arrival was a squad sent by Gen-

280 Tales op the Frontier.

eral Sibley to our relief, and from what I know of some
of the men composing it, I am quite certain that the
warning- would have been disregarded. The circum-
stance, however, proves how deeply the savage instinct
is imbedded in human nature, whatever the color of the
skin. "Give us strength to resist temptation," has been
my prayer ever since.

Tales of the Frontier. 281

FUN IN A BLIZZARD.

THE winter of 1856, in Minnesota, was characterized
by the usual amount of cold weather, snow and
storms, and people operating on the frontier were com-
pelled to exercise great care and caution to prevent disas-
ters. All old timers who have had occasion to live be-
yond the settlements and travel long distances in an open
prairie country well know that the danger of being over-
taken by storms is one of the most terrible that one can
be exposed to. Most of the casualties, however, that re-
sult from being caught in these storms may be attri-
buted to want of experience, and consequent lack of
preparation to meet and contend with them. I have em-
ployed many men of all nationalities in teaming long
distances on the prairie frontier in the winter season,
and while the American is always reliable and dexterous
in emergencies, I have found the French Canadian al-
ways the best equipped for winter prairie work, in his
knowledge in this line that can only be gained by ex-
perience. His ancestors served the early fur companies
from Montreal to McKenzie's river, from Hudson's bay
to the Pacific, and knew how to take care of themselves
with the unerring instinct of the cariboo and the moose,
and the generation of them that I came in contact with
had inherited all these characteristics.

I have known a brigade of teams, manned by Ger-
mans, Englishmen and Irishmen (the Scandinavians had
then just begun to make their appearance in the North-
west) to be caught in a winter storm, and result in the
amputation of fingers, toes, feet and hands from freez-

282 Tales of the Frontier.

ing, but I cannot remember ever losing a Canadian
Frenchman. I recall one instance, where a train was
overtaken by a severe storm just about evening, where
no timber was in sight. The men built barricades with
their sleds and loads, and took refuge to the leeward of
them, where they passed quite a comfortable night for
themselves and their teams. With the coming of the
morning light they discovered a timber island not very
far of¥, and started for it with their horses, to make fires,
feed the teams, and get breakfast. The storm had
abated, and the sun shone brilliantly. One young
American lad shouldered a sack of oats, and not realiz-
ing that it was very cold, did not put on his mittens, but
seized the neck of the sack with his bare hand. When
he arrived at the timber all his fingers were frozen, and
had to be amputated. It was merely one of the cases of
serious injury I have known arising from ignorance.

No one who has not encountered a blizzard on the
open prairie can form an adequate idea of the almost
hopelessness of the situation. The air becomes filled
with driving, whirling snow to such an extent that it
is with dilifiiculty you can see your horses, and the effect
is the same as absolute darkness in destroying all con-
ception of direction. You may think you are going
straight forward when in fact you are moving in a small
circle; the only safety is to stop and battle it out.

I remember a case which happened in this region be-
fore it became Minnesota which fully proves the dangers
of a blizzard to a traveler on the open prairie. Martin
McLeod and Pierre Bottineau, together with an Eng-
lishman and a Pole, started from Fort Garry for the
headwaters of the Minnesota river. They were well
equipped in all respects, having a good dog train, and,
in Bottineau, one of the most experienced guides in the

Tales of the Frontier. 283

Nortliwest. While the party was in sight of timber it
was suddenly enveloped in a blizzard, and, of course,
wanted to reach the timber for safety. Here a contro-
versy arose as to the direction to be taken to find it, the
Englishman and the Pole insisting on one line, and Mc-
Leod and Bottineau on another. They separated. Mc-
Leod took the dogs, and he and they soon fell over a
precipice and were covered up in a deep snow drift,
where they remained quite comfortably through the
night. Bottineau through his instincts reached the tim-
ber, and was safe, where he was joined the next morning
by McLeod. The Englishman was afterwards discov-
ered so badly frozen that he died, while the Pole was
lost. The only trace of him that was ever discovered
was his pistols, which were found on the prairie the next
spring, the wolves having undoubtedly disposed of his
remains.

The remedy for these dangers is to avoid them by a
close scrutiny of the weather, and by never venturing on
a big prairie if you can by any means avoid it, and always
being abundantly supplied with food for yourself and
animals, whether horses or dogs, besides fuel, matches,
blankets, robes, and all the paraphernalia of a snow
camp, should you have to make one. No people are
more careful in these particulars than the Indians them-
selves, from whom the French voyageurs undoubtedly
learned their lessons.

To give an idea of how treacherous the weather may
be, and of what dangers frontier people are subjected to,
T will relate an adventure in which I participated when
living in the Indian country, which, however, turned out
pleasantly. I had been at my Redwood agency for sev-
eral days, and it became important that I should visit my
upper agency, situated on the Yellow Medicine river,

284 Tales of the Frontier.

about thirty miles distant, up the Minnesota river. After
crossing- the Redwood river, the road led over a thirty-
mile prairie, without a shrub on it as big as a walking
stick. The day was bright and beautiful, and the ride
promised to be a pleasant one, so I invited my surgeon,
Dr. Daniels, and his wife to accompany me. They
gladly accepted, and Mrs. Daniels took her baby along.
(By the way, this baby is now the elder sister of the wife
of one of our most distinguished attorneys, Mr. John
V. I. Dodd.) Mr. Andrew Myrick, a trader at the
agency, learning that we were going, decided to ac-
company us, and got up his team for the purpose, tak-
ing some young friends with him, and off we went.

I had early taken the precaution to construct a
sleigh especially adapted to winter travel in this expos-
ed region. It had recesses where were stowed away
provisions, fuel, tools, and many things to meet possi-
ble emergencies. The cushions were made of twelve
pairs of four-point Mackinaw blankets, and the side
rails were capable of carrying two carcasses of venison
or mutton, so I felt quite capable of conquering a bliz-
zard.

I may say here that I had a surgeon at each agency,
who were brothers, Dr. Asa W. Daniels at the lower
agency and Dr. Jared Daniels at the upper, and this ex-
cursion presented a pleasant opportunity for the fami-
lies to meet. The upper agency was in charge of my
chief farmer, a Scotch gentleman by the name of Rob-
ertson. He was a mystery which I never unravelled, —
a handsome, aristocratic, highly educated man about
seventy years of age, with the manners of a Chesterfield.
He had been in the Indian country for many years, had
married a squaw, and raised a numerous family of chil-
dren, and had been in the employment of the govern-

Tales of the Frontier. 285

ment ever since the making of the treaties. I always
thought he once was a man of fortune, who had dissi-
pated it in some way, after travelhng the world over,
and had sought oblivion in the wilds of America.

There was a large comfortable log house at the Yel-
low Medicine agency, occupied by Robertson, which
answered for all his purposes, both business and domes-
tic, and furnished a home and office for me when I hap-
pened to be there; and on one occasion, during the
Ink-pa-du-ta excitement, I found it made a very efifi-
cient fort for defense against the Indians.

Our trip was uneventful, and we arrived in the even-
ing. That night a blizzard sprang up that exceeded in
severity anything of the kind in my experience, and I
have had nearly half a century of Minnesota winters.
It raged and rampaged. It piled the snow on the prai-
rie in drifts of ten and twenty feet in height. It filled
the river bottoms to the height of about three feet on
the level. It lasted about ten days, during which time, we
of course, did not dream of getting out, but amused our-
selves as best we could. It was what the French called
a poitdre de ris, where there is more snow in the air than
on the ground. Although I have been entertained in
many parts of the world, and by many various kinds of
people, I can say that I never enjoyed a few weeks more
satisfactorily than those we spent under compulsion at
the Yellow Medicine river on that occasion.

Personal association with Mr. Robertson was not
only a delight, but an education. He had been every-
where, and knew everything. He was charming in con-
versation and magnificent in hospitality, and the unique
nature of his entertainment under his savage environ-
ments lent an additional charm to the situation. He
soon became aware that we needed something exciting

286 Tales of the Frontier.

to sustain us in our enforced imprisonment, and he pro-
duced fiddlers and half-breed women for dancing. He
gave us every day a dinner party composed of viands
unknown outside of the frontier of North America. One
day we would have the tail of the beaver, always regard-
ed as a great delicacy on the border ; the next, the paws
of the bear soused, which, when served on a white dish,
very much resembled the foot of a negro, but were
good ; then, again, roasted muskrat, which in the winter
is as delicate as a young chicken ; then fricasseed skunk,
which, in season, is free from all offensive odor, and ex-
tremely delicate, — all served with le riz sauvage. In
fact, he exhausted the resources of the country to make
us happy.

But Robertson's menu was the least part of it.
Every evening he would assemble us, and read Shakes-
peare and the poetry of Burns to us. I never under-
stood or enjoyed Burns until I heard it read and ex-
pounded by Robertson.

The time passed in this pleasant fashion until we
commenced to think we were "snowed in" for the win-
ter, and I began to devise ways and means for getting
out. I had to get out ; but how, was the question. To
cross the prairie was not to be thought of ; we could not
get an Indian to venture over it on snowshoes. let alone
driving over it. Nothing had been heard of us below,
and, as we learned afterwards, the St. Paul papers had
published an account of our all being frozen to death,
with full details of Andrew Myrick being found dead in
his sleigh, with the lines in his hands and his horses
standing stifT before him.

I decided that an expedition might work its way
through on the river bottoms, and we could follow in
its trail. So I sent out a party with several heavy sleds.

Tales of the Frontier. 287

loaded with hay, and each drawn by four or five yoke of
oxen to beat a track. They returned after several days'
absence, and reported that the thing was impossible,
and they could not get through. I then called for vol-
unteers, and the French Canadians came to the front.
I allowed them to organize their own expedition. They
took their fiddles with them, and the agreement was,
that if we didn't hear from them in five days, we were to
consider that they were through, and we could follow.
The days passed one after the other, and at the expira-
tion of the time, we all started, and laboriously followed
the trail they had beaten. We noticed their camps from
day to day, and saw that they had not been distressed,
and found them, at the end of the journey, as jolly as
such people always are, whether in sunshine or storm.

It is much more agreeable to write about blizzards
than to encounter them.

288 Tai^es of the Frontier.

LAW AND LATIN.

IN the beginning of the settlement of the Minnesota
valley, in the early fifties, a man named Tom Cowan
located at Traverse des Sioux. His name will be at once
recognized by all the old settlers. He was a Scotch-
man, and had been in business in Baltimore. Financial
difificulties had driven him to the West, to begin life
anew and grow up with the country. He was a very
well read and companionable man, and exceedingly
bright by nature, and at once became very popular with
the people. His first venture was in the fur trade, but
not knowing anything about it, his success was not
brilliant. I remember that he once paid an immense
price for a very large black bearskin, thinking he had
struck a bonanza. He kept it on exhibition, until one
day John S. Prince, who was an experienced fur buyer,
dropped in, and after listening to Cowan's eulogy on his
bear skin, quietly remarked: "He bear; not worth a
d — n." which decision induced Tom to abandon the fur
trade.

There being no lawyer but one at Traverse des
Sioux, and I having been elected to the supreme bench,
Mr. Cowan decided to study law, and open an office for
the practice of that profession. He accordingly pro-
posed that he should study with me, which idea I
strongly encouraged, and after about six weeks of dili-
gent reading, principally devoted to the statutes, I ad-
mitted him to the bar, and he fearlessly announced him-
self as an attorney and counselor at law. In this ven-
ture he was phenomenally successful. He was a fine

Tales of the Frontier. 289

speaker, made an excellent argument on facts, and soon
stood hig-h in the profession. He took a leading part
in politics, was made register of deeds of his county,
went to the legislature, and was nominated for lieuten-
ant STOvernor of the state after its admission into the
Union; but, of course, in all his practice he was never
quite certain about the law of his cases. This deficiency
w^as made up by dash and brilliancy, and he got along
swimmingly.

One day he came to my office and said : ''Judgey,
I am going to try a suit at Le Sueur to-morrow that in-
volves $2,500. It is the biggest suit we have ever had
in the valley, and I think it ought to have some Latin in
it, and I want you to furnish me with that ingredient."
I said : "Tom, what is it all about? I must know what
kind of a suit it is before I can supply the Latin appro-
priately, and especially as I am not very much up in
Latin myself."

He said the suit was on an insurance policy ; that he
was defending on the ground of misrepresentations
made by the insured on the making of the policy, and he
must have some Latin to illustrate and strengthen his
point.

I mulled over the proposition, looked up some
books on maxims, and finally gave him this, "Non haec
in federe vcni" which I translated to mean, "I did not
enter into this contract." He was delighted, and said
there ought to be no doubt of success with the aid of
this formidable weapon, and made me promise to ride
doAvn with him to hear him get it off. So the next day
we started, and in crossing the Le Sueur prairie. Cowan
was hailed by a man who said he was under arrest for
having kicked a man out of his house for insulting his

19

290 Tales op the Frontier.

family, and he wanted Tom to defend him. The jus-
tice's court was about a mile from the road, in a carpen-
ter shop, the proprietor of which was the justice. Tom
told him to demand a jury, and he would stop on his
way back and help him out.

When we arrived at Le Sueur we found that the case
could not be heard that day, and, starting homeward,
about four o'clock we reached the carpenter shop.
There we found the jury awaiting us. We hitched the
team, and I spread myself comfortably on a pile of shav-
ings to witness the legal encounter. The complaining
party proved his case. Cowan put his client on the wit-
ness stand, and showed the provocation. Then he ad-
dressed the jury. His defense was, want of criminal in-
tent. He dwelt eloquently on the point that the gist of
the offense was the intent with which the act was com-
mitted, and when it appeared that the act was justified,
there could be no crime. Then, casting a quizzical
glance at me, he struck a tragic attitude, and thundered
out: "Gentlemen of the jury, it is indehbly recorded
in all the works of Roman jurisprudence, 'Non haec in
federe veni,' which means there can be no crime without
criminal intent." The effect was electrical; the jury ac-
quitted the prisoner, and we drove home fully convinced
that the law was not an exact science. With what ef-
fect Tom utilized his Latin in the insurance suit I have
forgotten, or was never advised.

Tales of the Frontier. 291

INDIAN STRATEGY.

IN the summer of 1856 I had the celebrated battery
commanded by Major T. W. Sherman of the United
States Army (better known as the Buena Vista Battery,
from the good work it did in the Mexican war) on duty
in the Indian country, on account of a great excitement
which prevailed among the Indians. The officers of
the battery were Major Sherman, First Lieutenant
Ayer, and Second Lieutenant Du Barry. Its force of
men was about sixty, including noncommissioned of-
ficers. I think it had four guns, but of this I am not
certain.

One day, after skirmishing about over considerable
country, we made a camp on the Yellow Medicine river,
near a fine spring, and everything seemed comfortable.
The formation of the camp was a square, with the guns
and tents inside, and a sort of a picket line on all sides
about a hundred yards from the center, on which the
sentinels marched day and night. I tented with the
major, and seeing that the Indians were allowed to
come inside of the picket fines with their guns in their
hands, I took the liberty of saying to him that I did
not consider such a policy safe, because the Indians
could, at a concerted signal, each pick out his man and
shoot him down, and then where would the battery be?
But the major's answer was, "Oh, we must not show
any timidity." So I said no more, but it was just such
misplaced confidence that afterwards cost General Can-
by his life among the Modocs, when he was shot down
by Captain Jack. Things went on quietly, until one

292 Tales of the Frontier.

day a young soldier went down to the spring with his
bucket and dipper for water, and an Indian who desired
to make a name for himself among his fellows followed
him stealthily, and when he was in a stooping posture,
filling his bucket, came up behind him, and plunged a
long knife into his neck, intending, of course, to kill
him ; but as luck would have it, the knife struck his col-
larbone and doubled up, so the Indian could not with-
draw it. The shock nearly prostrated the soldier, but
he succeeded in reaching camp. The major immediate-
ly demanded the surrender of the guilty party, and he
was given up by the Indians. I noticed one thing, how-
ever; no more Indians were allowed inside the lines
with their guns in their hands.

When the prisoner was brought into camp a guard
tent was established, and he was confined in it, with ten
men to stand guard over him. These men were each
armed with the minie rifle which was first introduced
into the army, and which was quite an efifective weapon.

While all this was going on, we were holding pow-
pcws every day with the Indians, endeavoring to
straighten out and clear up all the vexed questions be-
tween us. The manner of holding a council was to se-
lect a place on the prairie, plant an American flag in the
center, and all hands squat down in a circle around it.
Then the speechifying would commence, and last for
hours without any satisfactory results. Anyone who
has had much experience in Indian councils is aware of
the hopelessness of arriving at a termination of the dis- •
cussion. It very much resembles Turkish diplomacy.
But the weather was pleasant, and everybody was pa-
tient.

The Indians, however, were concocting plans all this
time to effect the escape of the prisoner in the guard-

Tales of the Frontier. 293

house. So one day they su8:srested a certain place for
the holding of the council, giving some plausible reason
for the change of location, and when the time arrived,
everybody assembled, and the ring was formed. Those
present consisted of all the traders. Superintendent Cul-
len, Major Sherman, Lieutenant Ayer, — in fact, all the
white men at the agency, — and about one hundred In-
dians, everyone of whom had a gun in his hands. I had
warned the major frequently not to allow an Indian to
ccme into council with a gun, but he deemed it better
not to show any timidity, and they were not prohibited.
The council on this occasion was held about four hun-
dred yards from the battery camp, and on lower ground,
but with no obstruction between them. The scheme of
the savages was to spring to their feet on a concerted
signal and begin firing their guns all around the council
circle, so as to create a great excitement and bring ev-
eryone to his feet, and just at this moment the prisoner
in the guardhouse was to make a run in the direction
of the council, keeping exactly between the guard and
the whites in the council ring, believing that the soldiers
would not fire for fear of killing their own people. When
the time arrived every Indian in the ring jumped to
his feet and fired in the air, creating a tremendous fu-
silade, and as had been expected, the most frightful
panic followed, and everyone thinking that a general
massacre of the whites had begun, they scattered in all
directions. Instantly the prisoner ran for the crowd, and
an Indian can sprint like a deer. Contrary to expecta-
tions, every one of the ten guards opened fire on him,
and seven of them hit him, but curiously not one of the
wounds stopped his progress, and he got away; but
the bullets went over and among the whites, one
ricochetting through the coat of Major Cullen. The

294 Tales of the Frontier.

prisoner never was caught, but I heard a p"reat deal
about him afterwards. His exploit of stabbing- the sol-
dier and his almost miraculous escape made him one of
the most celebrated medicine men of his band, and he
continued to work wonders thenceforth.

After the return of the battery I was informed by
my close friends among the Indians that they had sat on
the hills overlooking the camp and concocted all kinds
of schemes to take it, the principal one of which was to
fill bladders with water, and pour them over the touch-
holes of the guns, and, as they supposed, render them
useless, and then open fire on the men. Fortunately
nothing of the kind was tried, but I was convinced that
no one can be too cautious when in the country of a
savage enemy. A good lesson can be learned from
this narrative by the people now occupying the country
of the Filipinos.

One pleasing circumstance resulted from the pres-
ence of this battery in the Indian country. About thir-
ty years after the occurrences I have been narrating I
had occasion to transact some business with the adju-
tant general of our state at his office in the capitol, and
after completing it I was about to retire, when the gen-
eral said to me : "Judge, you don't seem to remember
me." I replied: "General, did I ever have the pleas-
ure of your acquaintance?" "Not exactly," he said,
"but don't you remember the time when you had the
old Sherman Battery in the field, with its tall first ser-
geant?" I said: "I recall the event quite clearly, but
not the sergeant." He said: "One day, after a long,
hot march, I was laying out the camp, and you were sit-
ting on your horse observing the operation, when
you noticed me and called me to you, and pulling a flask
from your pocket or holster, you asked me to take a

Tales of the Frontier. 295

drink. That is a lon,^ time ag'o, but I remember it as
the best drink I ever had, and I always associate you
pleasantly with it." The tall sergeant had matured into
a most dignified and charming gentleman, with whom I
have ever since enjoyed the most agreeable relations.

The moral of this story is, that when you are in the
country of hostile savages, never accept any confidences
or take any chances, and when you have more drinks
than you can conveniently absorb, divide with your
neighbor.

296 Tales of the Frontier.

THE FIRST STATE ELECTION RETURNS
FROM PEMBINA.

THE State of Wisconsin was admitted into the Union
in the year 1848, \Yith the St. Croix river as its west-
ern boundarv\ This arrangement left St. Paul, St. An-
thony, Stillwater, Marine, Taylor's Falls and other settle-
ments, which had sprung- up in Wisconsin west of the St.
Croix, without any government. The inhabitants of
these communities immediately sought ways and means
to extricate themselves from the dilemma in which they
were placed. There were a great many men among
them of marked ability and influence — Henry AI. Rice,
Henry H. Sibley, Morton S. Wilkinson, Henry L. Moss,
John McKusick, Joseph R. Brown, Martin McLeod,
Wm. R. Marshall and others. Differences of opinion
existed as to whether the remnant of Wisconsin on the
west side of the St. Croix still remained the Territory of
Wisconsin or whether it was a kind of "no man's land,"
without a government of any kind. Governor Dodge
of the territory had been elected to the senate of the
United States for the new state. The delegate to con-
gress had resigned, and the government of the territory
had been cast upon the secretary, Mr. John Catlin, who
became governor ex-officio on the vacancy happening
in the of^ce of governor. He lived in Madison, in the
new state, and would have to move over the line into
the deserted section if he proposed to exercise the func-
tions of his office. A correspondence was opened with
him, and he was invited to come to Stillwater, and pro-
claim the existence of the territory by calling an elec-

Tales of the pRONriER. 297

tion for a delegate to congress from Wisconsin Terri-
tory. He accepted the call, moved to Stillwater, and in
the month of September, 1848, issued his proclamation.
An election was held in November following, and Hen-
ry H. Sibley was chosen delegate from Wisconsin Terri-
tory to the congress of the United States.

Sibley procured the passage of an act, on March 3,
1849, organizing the Territory of Minnesota, and we
have had regular elections ever since.

There is a little unwritten history connected with the
transaction above related. The principal citizens west
of the St. Croix fixed things up among the settlements
in a manner entirely satisfactory to themselves. They
divided the prospective spoils about as follows : Sibley
lived at Mendota, and that place was to have the dele-
gate to congress, St. Paul was to have the capital, Still-
water the penitentiary, and St. Anthony the university,
which comprised all there was to divide. The program
was faithfully carried out, and has been maintained ever
since, although various attempts have been made to
violate the treaty by the removal of the capital from St.
Paul ; but I am glad to be able to say, in behalf of hon-
esty and fair dealing, none of them have been successful.

The existence of this unwritten treaty has been de-
nied, but there are men yet living in the state who took
part in it, and have publicly affirmed its authenticity.
Judge Douglas of Illinois, when chairman of the senate
committee on territories, insisted on placing the capital
at Mendota, with the building on the top of Pilot Knob,
and had it not been for the stem integrity of Sibley,
he would have succeeded, to the everlasting inconveni-
ence and discomfort of our people.

There were really no politics worthy of the name
during the years of the territory. All the principal of-

298 Tales of the Frontier.

fices were filled by appointment by the general govern-
ment, and the rest of them determined by. personal ri-
valries. The main business of the territory was the fur
trade, carried on by warring companies, whose chief fac-
tors sought ofiice more for the sake of its influence on
their business than for the principles they represented.

I remember one year the legislature, in a spasm of
virtue, passed a prohibitory liquor law, which the su-
preme court, under the influence of a counter spasm, im-
mediately set aside as unconstitutional. Outside of the
cities, where the missionaries exerted a strong influence,
the contention was usually whisky or no whisky ; in fact,
there was very little else to fight about.

The first government was appointed by the Whigs
(the Republican party being yet unborn), and as Gov-
ernor Ramsey was from Pennsylvania, we had a great
influx of immigration from that state. The second gov-
ernor (Gorman) was appointed by the Democrats, and
came from Indiana, and the people of that state being
much more migratory than the Pennsylvanians, we
were flooded with Hoosiers. These various influences
caused differences of opinion and interests sufficient to
keep the political pot boiling quite lively, but on lines
that were necessarily personal and temporary in their
bearing. We soon, however, approached the more im-
portant subject of statehood, and, strange as it may
seem to the present generation, the question of slavery
was a strong factor. The Republican party was born
about 1854, and as its principal creed was opposition
to the extension of slavery, its followers naturally
forced the subject into the poHtics of the day. I
can, however, positively affirm that no one of any po-
litical faith had the slightest idea of introducing
slavery into Minnesota. . A constitution for the pro-

Tales of the Frontier. 299

posed state was framed in 1857, and in the fall of that
year the election for the officers of the first state govern-
ment was held, and, of course, great interest was mani-
fested as to the result. The general election was lixed by
law for November in all of the counties of the territory
except one. The county of Pembina was so distant
from the capital that it was found to be difficult to get
the returns in so as to be counted with those of the rest
of t*he state. The only transportation between the two
places was by Red River carts, drawn by oxen in the
summer, and by dog trains in the winter; the distance to
be travelled was about four hundred miles, and the time
necessary to compass it nearly or quite a month. The
legislature had, in 1853, in order to remedy this diffi-
culty, and because the population was on its annual buf-
falo hunt in November, passed an act fixing the time for
holding elections in the county of Pembina on the sec-
ond Tuesday in September in each year, thus giving
ample opportunity to get the returns to the authorities
in St. Paul in time to be counted with those from the
other districts. The result of this was that no one out-
side of Pembina ever knew how many votes had been
polled in that district until long after the rest of the ter-
ritory' had been heard from, and it became a common
saying among the Whigs that the Pembina returns were
held back until it became known how many votes were
necessary to carry the election for the Democrats, and
that they were fixed accordingly, which the Democrats
denounced as a Whig lie.

Aboiit all that was known of Pembina was that it
was inhabited by a savage looking race of Chippewa
half-breeds, and that Joe Rolette lived there, and Nor-
man W. Kittson went there occasionally. It carried on
an immense trade in furs with St. Paul, by means of

300 Tales of the Frontier.

brigades of Red River carts each summer and by dog
trains in the v.inter, and the more you saw of these peo-
ple the more you were impressed with their savage ap-
pearance and bearing.

The first state election, curious as it may appear, was
held in 1857, before the state was admitted into the
Union, which latter event was postponed until May 11,
1858, and when the votes from all the counties except
Pembina had been returned to the proper officer the re-
sult, as far as could be ascertained before the official
count was made, was somewhat in doubt, which circum-
stance naturally excited great interest in the Pembina
election, as it was well known that all the votes from
that district would be Democratic, so the great ques-
tion was, "How many?"

While the country was holding its breath in sus-
pense and expectancy, a man in the Indian trade, named
Madison Sweetzer, came to me about two o'clock one
night, or rather morning, and told me that Nat. Tyson,
who was a merchant in St. Paul and an enthusiastic Re-
publican, had just started for the north with a fast team
and an outfit that looked as if he contemplated a long
journey, and his belief was that he intended to capture
Joe Rolette and the Pembina returns. I thought such
might be the case, and we immediately began to devise
ways and means to circumvent him. We hastened to
the house of Henry M. Rice, who knew every trader
and half-breed between here and Pembina, and laid our
suspicions before him. He diagnosed the case in an
instant, and sent us to Norman W. Kittson, who lived
in a stone house well up on Jackson street, with in-
structions to him to send a mounted courier after Ty-
son, who was to pass him on the road, and either find
Rolette or Major Clitheral, who was an Alabama man

Tales of the Frontier. 301

and one of the United States land officers in the neigh-
borhood of Crow Wing- (and, of course, a reliable Dem-
ocrat), and to deliver a letter to the one first found, put-
ting him on guard against the supposed enemy. I pre-
pared the letter, and Kittson in a few moments had
summoned a reliable Chippewa half-breed, mounted him
on a fine horse, fully explained his mission, and im-
pressed upon him that he was to reach Clitheral or Ro-
lette ahead of Tyson, if he had to kill a dozen horses in
so doing. There is nothing a fine, active young half-
breed enjoys so much as an adventure of this kind; a
ride of four hundred miles had no terrors for him, and
to serve his employer, no' matter what the duty or the
danger, was his delight. When he was ready to start,
Kittson gave him a send-ofif in about the following
words: "Va, z'a, vite, et ne farrette pas, meme pour
sauver la vie'' ("Go; go quick; and don't stop even to
save your life"), and giving his horse a vigorous slap, he
was off like the wind.

The result was that he passed Tyson before he had
gone twenty miles, found Clitheral a day and a half be-
fore Tyson reached Crow Wing, if he ever did get there,
delivered his letter, and the major immediately started to
find Rolette, which he succeeded in doing, took the re-
turns and put them in a belt around his person, and hav-
ing relieved Joe of all his responsibility, left him to his
own devices, which meant painting all the towns red
that he visited on his way. We well knew that Joe
could no more resist the temptations of civilization than
an old sailor returning from a long voyage, and what we
apprehended was that he might, while in a too-convivial
mood, either lose the returns, or have them stolen from
him.

The tone of the letter was so urgent that the major

302 Tales of the Frontier.

did not know but that half the Republicans in St. Paul
might be lying in wait to capture him, so he did not
enter the town directly, but went to Fort Snelhng, and
left the returns with an officer of the army, and then
proceeded to St. Paul. When we explained to him that
no one but Rice, Kittson, Sweetzer and myself knew
anything about the matter, he was relieved, but still
cautious. He waited for a few days, and then proposed
to a lady to take a ride with him to Fort Snelling.
When they started home, he gave her a bundle and
asked her to care for it while he drove, which she unsus-
pectingly did, and that is the way the Pembina returns
of Minnesota's first state election reached the capital.
It is needless to say how many votes they represented,
but only to announce that the election went Demo-
cratic.

Whether Tyson had any idea of doing what we sus-
pected him of, I never discovered, but if that was his
purpose, he had a long ride for nothing, and as our
scheme terminated so successfully, I am willing to ac-
quit him of the charge.

Tales of the Frontier. 303

A FRONTIER STORY WHICH CONTAINS A ROB-
BERY, TWO DESERTIONS, A CAPTURE
AND A SUICIDE.

IN 1856 I was United States Indian agent for the
Sioux. My agencies were at Redwood, about thir-
teen miles above Fort Ridgely, and at Yellow Medicine,
on a river of that name, emptying into the Minnesota
about fifty miles above the fort. Under the treaties
with these Indians the government paid them large
sums of money and great quantities of goods, semi-an-
nually, at the agencies. Up to a short time before the
event which I am about to relate these payments were
made by the agent, but, for some reason best known to
the government, the making of the payment was turned
over to the superintendent of Indian afifairs having
charge of the tribes. The manner of making these pay-
ments before the change was this: I would receive
from the superintendent, at St. Paul, the money, in sil-
ver and gold (this being long before the days of green-
backs), amounting to a full wagon load, and take it up
to the agencies, while the goods would be delivered by
the contractors in steamboats, a census of the Indians
would be taken, and the money and goods equally di-
vided among them.

After this duty was v^thdrawn from the agents and
imposed upon the superintendents, of course all re-
sponsibility for the money and goods was shifted from
the former and laid upon the latter, which was to me a
great relief, as I had transported many wagon loads of
specie from St. Paul to the agencies without guard, and

304 Tales of the Frontier.

at great personal and financial risk. A payment was
due early in July, 1857, and the superintendent had
brought the money as far as Fort Ridgely. Arriving
at that point, news came of much excitement among the
Indians at the agencies, which was not at all unusual,
as thousands of savage fellows used to come in from
the Missouri river country, and make trouble for our
tribes about payment time, and the superintendent de-
cided it was prudent to leave the money at Fort Ridgely
until matters quieted down. There was no vault or
other safe place in which to deposit the money at the
fort, so it was placed in a room occupied by the quar-
termaster's clerk, a Frenchman, an enlisted man, and he.
with another soldier, a German, who was the post baker,
were put in charge of it. This Frenchman had been
selected from the ranks of Captain Sully's company and
made quartermaster's clerk on account of his superior
education, his excellent penmanship and his good char-
acter. I always have thought he was some unfortunate
young gentleman, serving under an assumed name. The
money was all in stout wooden mint boxes, holding
each $1,000 in silver, and in gold about $25,000 or more,
there being usually one or twO' boxes of gold. The
boxes were spread on the floor of the room, and the
men slept on them.

The constitutional convention to frame the organic
law for the proposed State of Minnesota had been called
to convene in St. Paul, on the thirteenth day of July,
1857, and the people of the Minnesota valley had done
me the honor to elect me a member of it. I had delayed
starting for St. Paul until a day or two before the meet-
ing of the convention, and having heard rumors that
there would be trouble in organizing it, I felt very
anxious to be there on the opening day. The only

Tales of the Frontier. 305

mode of transportation, except the river, in those days,
was the Httle canvas-covered stages of Messrs. M. O.
Walker & Co., which would hold four inside comforta-
bly, and six on a pinch. When the down stage reached
Traverse des Sioux, on the morning of the nth of July,
it was full; that is, there were five inside, three on the
back seat, and two on the front, and one man on the
seat with the driver. I insisted strenuously on going,
and said I would ride in the boot rather than not go at
all, my insistence, of course, having reference to my de-
sire to be at the opening of the convention. I was ad-
mitted, and took my place on the front seat, with my
back to the driver, and my knees interlocked with those
of the passenger on the back seat who faced me. At
this time I had heard nothing of what had happened at
the fort. The fact was that the two men who had been
placed in charge of the money had opened one of the
boxes of gold, taken out a bag containing $5,000 in
quarter eagles, and sealed it up again. When the su-
perintendent sent down for his money, and it was load-
ed into the wagon, the two soldiers immediately desert-
ed, which, of course, excited the suspicions of the of-
ficers. A courier was at once dispatched to the agency
to see if the money was all right, and the theft was soon
discovered. The superintendent, who was then Major
Cullen, had handbills struck off, giving the description
of the deserters, and offering $600 for their capture and
the return of the money. Couriers were dispatched in
all directions to effect their arrest, and one of the hand-
bills reached Henderson, which was the county seat of
Sibley county, some twenty miles down the river from
the point at which I took the stage. A deputy sheriff
of that county had started out to hunt the thieves and

secure the reward, carrying one of the handbills with
20

306 Tales of the Frontier.

him, and had proceeded up the river as far as Le Sueur,
about half wa}- between Traverse des Sioux and Hen-
derson.

It is well to state here that the stages carried the
mails, and always stopped at the post towns long
enough to deliver the incoming and receive the outgo-
ing mails, which afforded time for a bit of gossip, a
drink, and a stretch of the legs. There were two post-
offices in Le Sueur, in upper town and lower town,
about a mile and a half apart. As soon as the stage
stopped at upper town, the deputy sheriff handed me
the handbill through the window, announcing the theft
and describing the thieves. I read it right in the face
of my vis-a-vis, and after congratulating myself that I
had no responsibility for the lost money, I remarked to
the sheriff : "Of course, you don't expect to find these
fellows on the main thoroughfare. They are probably
now going down the Missouri in a canoe." Nothing
more occurred until we arrived at the lower town post-
office, where we again stopped to change the mails.

Let me here state that the man in front of me was
the Frenchman, and the man on the front seat with the
driver was the German, the deserting thieves. The
Frenchman was slight of build, but the German was a
powerful fellow, and had in his hand a double-barrelled
shotgun. I, of course, had no idea of their identity at
this time; but they, and especially the Frenchman, knew
me perfectly well, having frequently seen me about the
garrison. They had construed my anxiety to go on
the stage into the belief that I knew them, and was after
them, and had made my remark to the sheriff as a mere
blind connected with some other scheme for their cap-
ture. It must have been a trying ordeal for the man in
front of me, who was evidently watching my every

Tales of the Frontier. 307

move, and feeling the weight of his guilt, supposed I
knew all about it.

While we were waiting the change of mail at Lower
Le Sueur, the deputy sheriff asked me to get out of the
stage, and said to me: "Major [I was called major in
those days], had we not better take another look at
those fellows in the stage? They are going out of the
country when everybody is coming in. It looks to me
suspicious." I agreed with him, and took another look.
I at once discovered that they were both dressed from
head to foot in new slop-shop clothes, indicating the
necessity for an entire change of costume, and I con-
cluded from this clue there were sufficient grounds to
suspect them. So the deputy sheriff said : "You hold
the stage ten or fifteen minutes, and I'll go to Hender-
son, and take out a warrant, and arrest them on the
arrival of the stage ; so that, if we are mistaken, no par-
ticular harm will be done." He started on. I got my
hand-bag out of the boot, and buckled on my six-shoot-
er, all of which was seen by the thieves, who must have
fully understood the program ; at least, such must have
been the case with the Frenchman, as subsequent events
led me to doubt whether the German was a participant
in the theft, or more than a mere deserter. I had a
sense of uneasiness about the double-barrelled shotgun
carried by the German, but I thought I could handle
the other man. We started, and, much to my relief,
when we reached the ferry over the river, the German
fired one barrel of his gun at a pigeon, and snapped sev-
eral caps on the other, which refused to go off. As we
approached Henderson, quite a crowd had gathered at
the hotel to see the arrest, and just as the stage swung
up to the sidewalk, the Frenchman took out of his
pocket a small penknife, the largest blade of which

308 Tales of the Frontier.

could not have been over four inches long. He opened
it so quietly that it did not excite my apprehensions in
the least, although I had my right hand on my six-
shooter, intending to draw and cover him the moment
the stage stopped. He made a desperate lunge at his
breast with the knife, and handing me a carpetbag
which lay on his lap, he said, "The money is all in this
bag, sir," just as if we had been talking the whole mat-
ter over. I, fearing that he might strike at me with the
knife, drew my revolver and struck him sharply over
the knuckles, making the knife fly out of the window,
and ,seizing him by the throat with my left hand, I cov-
ered him with my pistol. The stage stopped. Retain-
ing my hold on him, and still covering him with my pis-
tol, we got out of the stage, on the sidewalk. He wa-
vered for a second, and fell dead. He had put the knife
an inch into his heart. I found in a belt on his body,
and in the bag $5,320 in gold, Avhich I deposited in the
United States land office, at Henderson, subject to the
order of Major Cullen, who got it all in good time. The
Frenchman had in his pocket some letters from a lady
in Strasburg, written in French, conveying some very
tender sentiments. I never thought he was a bad man,
but had yielded, as many do, to a strong temptation, and
had decided to die rather than be captured. It was
not more than twenty minutes before we were on our
way to St. Paul. As no evidence connected the Ger-
man with the theft, he was sent back simply as a de-
serter.

A curious question arose as to the reward. Major
Cullen insisted on giving it to me. I knew very well
that, had it not been for the superior detective sagacity
of the deputy, the thieves would never have been caught,
so I refused it, as I w^ould have done under any circum-

Tales of the Frontier. 309

stances. Then the sheriff claimed it, and finally the ma-
jor left its disposition to me, and I divided it between the
sheriff and the deputy, partly because I thought it just,
and partly to keep the peace in the sheriff's official fami-
ly. Where the extra $320 came from, or where it went,
I never knew nor cared.

310 Tales of the Frontier.

THE PONY EXPRESS.

AS western settlement progressed after the purchase of
the Louisiana territory fromFrance in 1803, it grad-
ually extended up the west side of the Mississippi, until
the State of Missouri was admitted into the Union, in
1820, which was followed by the States of Iowa and Min-
nesota, along the line of .the Mississippi, and Kansas and
Nebraska, on the Missouri. The Mexican War occurred
in 1846, and ,as one of its fruits California was ceded to
the United States, and was admitted to the Union in
1850. The territory which now composes the States of
Washington, Oregon and Idaho was finally determined
to belong to our country by the treaty with Great Bri-
tain, which was signed July 17, 1846, fixing the boun-
dary line between us and the British possessions at the
forty-ninth parallel of north latitude. These extreme
western acquisitions gave us an immense coast line on
the Pacific Ocean, leaving a stretch of country between
our Pacific and central possessions, on the Missouri, of
considerably over two thousand miles in extent, which
was uninhabited by whites, and composed the hunting-
grounds of many savage tribes of Indians and the pas-
ture ranges of countless herds of buffalo. This vast
area of country was practically unknown and unexplor-
ed, although it had been crossed by the expeditions of
Lewis and Clark, in 1805- 1806, John Jacob Astor in
181 1, Captain Bonneville in 1832, Marcus Whitman in
1836, and John C. Fremont in 1843, to which sources of
information may be added the prejudiced reports of the
Hudson Bay Company.

When California was ceded to us by Mexico, very
little was thought of it as an acquisition to our posses-

Tales of the Frontier. 311

sions. It was looked upon as a country out of which
a small trade in hides and tallow mig-ht grow, but noth-
ing more. I have heard it denounced on the floor of
the house of representatives, in Washington, by some
of the wisest statesmen of the day, as a bear garden, un-
fit for the use of civiHzed man; but prophets usually
make bad work of matters about which they know abso-
lutely nothing, which was the case with California in
1848. However, adventurous spirits soon found their
way there, as they have always done in Western Ameri-
ca, and in 1848 or 1849 .^o^d was found accidentally by
Captain Sutter, in digging a mill-race on his ranch,
which discovery at once settled the status and fortunes
of California. The news soon reached the States, and
spread like a prairie fire on a windy day. All the subse-
quent gold excitements of Frazier river, down to and
including the Klondike, have been insignificant in com-
parison. I was in New York at the time, and used to sit
on the East river wharves, and see the ships sailing away
for distant California with an insatiable boyish longing
to join in the procession.

There was no way of reaching the promised land ex-
cept by a voyage around Cape Horn or an overland
trip from western Missouri across the great American
desert, the Rocky and Sierra Nevada ranges of moun-
tains, either of which routes necessitated a weary and
dangerous trip of nine months' duration. The usual
plan adopted in the East was to form a company of about
one hundred or more men, calculate the probable ex-
pense to each, and divide it, purchase an old whaling
ship, fit her up with bunks and cooking appliances, and
get an outfit and sail. Of course, there was nothing in-
volved in the enterprise but the departure, the voyage
and the arrival at San Francisco. No steamer had ever

312 Tales of the Frontier.

crossed the ocean at this time, and all navigation was
done in sailing ships. So great was the rush that a
scarcity of ships was soon felt. I remember distinctly
on one occasion, when an old played-out vessel, pur-
chased by a party which proposed to take out a printing
press and start the first newspaper, was seized by the
maritime authorities and condemned as unseaworthy
just as she was leaving port. The next morning she was
gone, and made one of the quickest and most successful
voyages of the emigration. It is a curious fact that,
out of all the ships that enlisted in this hazardous enter-
prise, not one was lost or seriously damaged.

The overland route involved more dangers and hard-
ships than the one by sea. Many people died on the
way from exhaustion and disease, and many were killed
by the Indians, but the emigration never ceased, or even
lessened, from these reasons. I have followed the trails
made by these emigrants in the Sierra Nevadas, and it
seemed almost impossible that animals could have climb-
ed the precipitous mountain slopes they encountered.
These hardships, however, did not go unrewarded, be-
cause to enjoy the distinction of being a "Forty-niner"
was ever afterwards a badge of nobility on the Pacific
Coast.

It was not long, under this vast influx of immigra-
tion, before California became a well settled state, and
its business relations with the rest of the country, or as
it was then called, "The States," became ver>^ extensive
and important, and the difficulty of intercommunication
was seriously felt. There were no telegraphs and no
railroads, and no way for business men to correspond
with each other except across a continent on wheels or
around a continent by sea. What was to be done? It
did not take the genius of American enterprise long to

Tales op the Frontier. 313

solve the problem. The overland immig^ration and its
incidents had developed a class of men skilled in horse-
manship, Indian fightino-, and all the accomplishments
that attend the latter, such as courage, wary intellig-ence,
and a peculiar sagacity in trailing and scouting, only
learned by intercourse with wild animals and wild men.
Such men, for instance, as Col. Wm. Cody, now cele-
brated as "Buffalo Bill," and Robert Haslam, distin-
guished as "Pony Bob," are its best representatives.
This class of men much resembled the rough riders of to-
day, and could be relied upon for any enterprise that in-
volved adventure, courage and endurance. At the same
time, the country was not lacking in a higher degree of
intellect which could conceive a project that would call
into play the utmost ability of this class of men.

California had been, and I think was, in i860, repre-
sented in the senate of the United States by Senator
Guin, who was associated with Alexander Majors and
Daniel E. Phelps in transportation matters. They con-
ceived the project of reducing the time between the Pa-
cific Coast and the States by the establishment of an ex-
press, from St. Joseph, on the Missouri river, to Sacra-
mento in California, a distance of about two thousand
miles, which was to carry special business mails, togeth-
er with light and valuable express matter, by means of
ponies, ridden by young men rapidly for short distances,
between the two points. Of course, this scheme in-
volved an immense expenditure for stations all along the
route, horses and men to ride them, and all other ele-
ments that would necessarily enter into the scheme.
The matter was discussed fully at both ends of the route,
and found many advocates and much opposition. The
most experienced plainsmen and mountaineers pro-
nounced it impracticable, on account of the dangers to

314 Tales of the Frontier.

be met with, and the opinion was expressed that no
package risked on this Hne would ever reach its destina-
tion, and that all the riders would be murdered before a
test could be made. Sense and experience seemed to
uphold these views. It must be remembered that the
whole distance was a wilderness of desert and mountain
ranges, little known, and infested with the most savage
Indian tribes on the continent, the relations of which
with the whites were either unsettled or hostile. But,
nothing daunted, the projectors decided to carry out
their design, win or lose. They purchased six hundred
Texas bronchos, built all the necessary stations, em-
ployed all the men required to operate and defend them,
and secured seventy-five riders from the adventurous
men found on the borders. The wages paid the riders
were from $125 to $150 a month, with rations, and sin-
gular as it may seem to people of to-day, these positions
were much sought for. Danger among this class of
men has an irresistible fascination, and writing about it
recalls an incident which verifies the assertion fully.
When I lived in Carson City, Nev., the office of sheriff
of Ormsby county, in which Carson was situated, was
the most coveted position in the gift of the people, and
it was well known that there never was an incumbent of
it who had not died in his boots.

The whole arrangement was perfected with western
rapidity, and the first pony started from St. Joseph in
Missouri on the third day of April, i860. On the same
day and hour the western pony started from Sacramento
in California. The distance between the stations was
about forty miles, and was ridden in the shortest time
possible. Two minutes were allowed for refreshments
and change of horses. Each rider carried about ten
pounds, and the freight charged for the full distance was

Tales of the Frontier. 315

five dollars an ounce. The line was maintained success-
fully for about two years, without any interruption more
serious than the occasional killing of a rider bv the In-
dians, when, in June, 1862, the first transcontinental tele-
g-raph went into operation, and the pony express, being
no longer profitable, yielded, as many other things have
since, to the all-conquering- invader, electricity.

The first pony carried from the president of the Unit-
ed States a congratulatory message to the governor of
California. The best time ever made between the two
extreme points was when the last message of President
Buchanan reached Sacramento in eig-ht and one-half days
from Washington. It seems almost incredible that such
time could have been made with animals, when we re-
flect that the first expedition sent out by Mr. Astor, was
eleven months in crossing the continent.

The pony express was a success financially to its pro-
jectors, and satisfied the hungering of the people for
news from points so distant from each other, and im-
mensely facilitated the transaction of business; but, in
my opinion, it was most important in demonstrating
that the western American never shrinks from encoun-
tering and overcoming obstacles that to most people
would seem insurmountable.

316 Tales of the Frontier.

KISSING DAY.

THE Sioux Indian is an exceptionally fine specimen of
physical manhood. His whole method of life tends
to this result. He lives in the open air. He may be
said to be born with arms in his hands. From the mo-
ment he is old enough to draw a bowstring, he com-
mences warfare on birds and small animals. As he ad-
vances to manhood, he becomes familiar with the use of
firearms, and extends his warfare to the bufTalo and the
larger animals. He rides on horseback from infancy,
and excels as a daring horseman. He goes on the war-
path when half-grown, and learns strategy from the wolf
and the panther. He is a meat eater, which diet con-
duces to the growth of a lean, muscular, athletic frame,
and a bold and highly spirited temperament. He is
taught to spurn labor of any kind as unmanly, and only
fit for women. His life occupation is, in the language
of the old school histories and geographies, "hunting,
fishing and war," in each and all of which accomplish-
ments he becomes surpassingly expert.

I attribute the superiority of the Sioux over many
other tribes to their meat diet and their method of trans-
portation— the horse. This peculiarity has been noticed
by travellers and historians for many years. There is an
old and true adage which says, "We are what we eat."
Washington Irving, in his story of "Astoria," says in re-
gard to this subject:

"The effect of different modes of life upon the hu-
man frame and human character is strikingly instanced
in the contrast between the hunting Indians of the prai-
ries and the piscatory Indians of the sea coast. The

Tai.es of the Frontier. 3l7

former, continually on horseback, scouring the plains,
gaining their food by hardy exercise, and subsisting
chiefly on flesh, are generally sinewy, tall, meagre, but
well formed and of bold and fierce deportment. The
latter, lounging about the river banks, or squatting or
curved up in their canoes, are generally low in stature,
ill-shaped, with crooked legs, thick ankles, and broad
flat feet. They are inferior also in muscular power and
activity, and in game qualities and appearance, to their
hard-riding brethren of the prairies."

The general habits of the Sioux warrior tend to make
him lordly, proud, and somewhat taciturn and morose,
although he is not without a strong sense of humor. He
is a good husband and indulgent father, but not at all
demonstrative in his affections. Very little billing and
cooing is noticeable among the nearest relations, and
none between lovers. A kiss is regarded more as a cer-
emony than an endearment.

In the natural and savage state of these people, they
counted time by moons and seasons, having no division
of years, and, of course, knew nothing of our red letter
days of Christmas or New Year's, — but after the advent
of the Christian missionaries among them, they were
taught to understand the meaning of New Year's day,
and to recognize its arrival, and to distinguish it they
called it "Kissing Day," everybodv being expected to
bestow a kiss upon his or her friends in honor of the day.

In 1857 I lived among the Sioux, having them in
charge as their agent, appointed by the United States
government, and when New Year's day came around, I
found myself at the Yellow Medicine Agency, but was
ignorant of their peculiar ceremonies for the occasion.
I proposed to make the best of my isolation from my
kind, and spend the day as pleasantly as circumstances

318 Tales of the Frontier.

would permit. While debating the subject of what to
do, I was informed of the way the Indians celebrated the
event, and told that I would probably be called upon by
a numerous delegation of squaws, and that it would be
expected that I should receive them by the bestowal of
some sort of present. Not wishing to be ungallant, and
desiring to gain information of the customs and manners
of my savage wards, I ordered my baker to prepare sev-
eral barrels of ginger bread, and purchased many yards
of gaily colored calico, which I had cut into proper pieces
for women's dresses, and with this outfit, prepared to
meet the enemy.

At this point I will say a word about the Sioux girl
and woman. As a general thing, the very young girl
is by nature pretty and attractive. I have seen many at
the age of thirteen and fourteen who had graceful fig-
ures, good carriage, and very beautiful faces; but they
marry very young, and as soon as married become pack-
horses for their husbands, carrying loads on their backs,
by means of a head strap across the forehead, that it
takes two men to lift from the ground, and verv^ often
when thus loaded babies, puppies, and many other
things, will be put on top of the pack. They will trudge
fifteen or twenty miles a day with this burden, bending
forward, and staggering under its weight. The result
is to spoil the figure and gait, and deprive them of every
semblance of beauty. The awkward walk produced by
this hard labor we used to call "The Dakota shamble."
Under this treatment they soon look old, and become
wrinkled, and are called "Wakonkas," which might be
translated to mean old witches.

With this visitation in prospect, I awaited quietly
their coming. About ten in the morning they began to
assemble about the agency in groups of all sizes and

Tales of the Frontier. 319

ages. I could hear a great deal of giggling among the
girls, and scolding by the elder women. They were ap-
parently selecting someone to break the ice by making
the first assault. Presently a venerable dame opened
the door, and sidled in like a crab. She approached me
and kissed me on both cheeks, and received her pres-
ents. Then they followed in a line, old and young, pret-
ty and ugly, each giving me a hearty kiss, which, in some
cases, I returned with interest. The ceremony contin-
ued with great hilarity and much frolicksome tittering
and fun, until forty-eight squaws had kissed and been
kissed by me. They all carried ofT their presents and
seemed very happy. Whether it was all caused by the
presents or not, I am unable to say, but I was not the
srrizzled old fellow then that I have since become. I
have celebrated a good many New Year's days, both be-
fore and since, but none have left a more agreeable im-
pression than the one I have described. I have never
known the exact figures of Hobson's Kansas experience,
nor can I make a just comparison between the Sioux and
the Kansas article, but from the general reputation of
that state, I would recommend the caress of the untu-
tored aborigines.

If Hobson ever reads this story he will have to admit
that there were others.

320 Tales of the Frontier.

A POLITICAL RUSE.

ALL people who keep the run of politics will remem-
ber that the Republican party.now called the"Grand
Old Party" (I suppose on account of its extreme youth),
had its birth in the year 1854, after the death of the
Whig party, and succeeded to the position in American
politics formerly occupied by the Whigs, with a strong
tinge of abolition added. It was, of course, largely re-
cruited from the Whigs, but had quite formidable acqui-
sitions from the Free-soil Democrats. It sprang into
prominence and power with phenomenal rapidity, com-
ing very near to electing a president in 1856, and suc-
ceeding in i860. Minnesota resisted the attractions of
the new party, and remained Democratic until 1857,
when the first state election occurred, and the whole
Democratic state ticket was elected. Since then the
Democrats have never succeeded in our state, unless the
election of Governor Lind in 1898 may be called a Dem-
ocratic victory.

It was very natural that the politicians who had joined
the new party should be exceedingly zealous and en-
thusiastic for its success. Such is usually the case, and
verifies the old proverb, that "A converted Turk makes
the best Christian." This phase of political tendencies
was fully illustrated by the conduct of my old friend, Mr.
James W. Lynd of Henderson, more familiarly known
by us as "Jim Lynd," which occurred at the election of
1856, and forms the text for the present stor>^

In the early days of the territory much had been said,
and generally believed, about frauds being perpetrated
by the Democrats in the elections on the frontier. For
instance, it was asserted that, at Pembina and the Indian

Tales of the Frontier. 321

agencies, one pair of pantaloons would suffice to civil-
ize several hundred Indians, as, by putting them on, and
thus adopting the customs and habits of civilization,
they would be entitled to vote. There never was much
truth about these rumors, and being on the border, and
having charge of an Indian agency, where hundreds of
men were employed, I knew a good deal about how
these matters were conducted, and I can conscientiously
say that there never was much truth in them. The near-
est approach to a violation of the election laws that I
ever discovered was at Pembina, and that was free from
any intention of fraud. It would come about in this
way : Election day would arrive, the polls would open,
and everybody who was at home would vote. It would
then occur to some one that Baptiste La Cour or Alexis
La Tour had not voted, and the question would be ask-
ed, why? It would be discovered that they were out on
a buffalo hunt, and the judges would say, "We all know
how they would vote if they were here," and they would
be put down as voting the Democratic ticket. Of course,
this would be a violation of the election laws, but who
can say that it was not the expression of an honest inten-
tion by a simple people. While I cannot approve such
methods in an election where the law and the necessities
of civilization require the voter to be present, I cannot
avoid the wish that we were all honest enough to make
such a course possible as the one adopted by these sim-
ple border people.

The Republicans being the "outs" and the Demo-
crats being the "ins," of course all the frauds were
charged to the latter, and every movement of either
party was watched with zealous scrutiny. The law gov-
erning the qualification of voters provided that soldiers
enlisted in other states or territories, coming into Min-
nesota under military orders, did not gain a residence,
21

322 Tales of the Frontier.

and citizens of Minnesota enlistini^ in the army did not
lose their residence or right to vote as long as they re-
mained in the territory. It so happened, in 1856 or
1857, that there were at Fort Ridgely a number of re-
cruits who had enlisted in the territory, and had not
lost their right to vote; but there was no precinct or
place to vote where they could exercise their privilege.
Knowing that they were Democrats, we had a polling
place established at the "Lone Cottonwood Tree," a
point about three miles above Fort Ridgely, for the pur-
pose of saving these votes.

Of course, it soon became known throughout the
valley, and my friend Jim Lynd, who resided at Hender-
son, about fifty miles down the river, conceived the idea
that it was the intention to vote the whole garrison for
the Democrats, and he determined to checkmate it by
challenging every soldier who cast his vote, laboring, as
he did, under the erroneous impression that an enlist-
ment in the army disqualified the soldiers as voters. So
when the election day arrived, Jim, who had walked all
the way from Henderson, was on the ground early, fully
determined to exclude all soldiers from voting.

It so happened that I was at my Indian agency, at
Redwood, and on the morning of the election was to
start for St. Paul. The agency was about ten miles up
the river from the "Lone Tree," and, starting early in the
morning, brought me to the voting place about the time
the polls were opened. I knew evei"ybody in the valley
and everybody knew me, and we never passed each other
on the road without a stop and a chat. When I arrived
at the polls all hands came out to greet me, and after
the usual inquiries as to how the election was progress-
ing, the judges told me that Lynd had challenged the
first soldier who offered his vote, and they, being in

Tales of the Frontier. 323

doubt as to the law, had agreed to leave it to me. I
gave my version of it, but Lynd still disputed it, and in-
sisted that an enlistment in the army disqualified the
man as a voter. Being" unable to convince him, I, with
a significant wink to the judges, suggested that he
should g'et into my wag^on and go down to the post
(where I knew the sutler had a copy of the statutes), and
we could readily settle the controversy. He consented
willingly to this proposition, and we started for the post.
When we arrived, I gave my team to the quartermaster's
sergeant, and we looked up the law in the sutler's store.
I then began a game of billiards with some of the of-
ficers, and accepted an invitation to lunch. As noon
approached, Lynd began to sho'w signs of impatience,
and he asked me when I proposed to take him back to
the polls. I quietly informed him that my route lay in
the opposite direction, and that I would not go back at
all. Instantly it flashed upon him that I had taken him
away from the polls for a purpose, and he fled like a
scared deer over the road we had just travelled, leaving"
me to pursue my journey alone in the other direction.
I afterwards learned that in the interval between Lynd's
departure and return, all the soldiers had voted the Dem-
ocratic ticket without challenge or obstruction. Wheth-
er my friend Lynd walked back to Henderson or not, I
never certainly ascertained. I was sufficiently satisfied
with the success of my ruse not to desire to inflict any
discomfort on my dear enemy.

This was the only political trick I remember of hav-
ing perpetrated on the enemy during my long participa-
tion in active politics, and I don't believe any of my read-
ers will regard it as transgressing the proverb that "all
is fair in love or war."

My friend Lynd was, like most of the characters in
my frontier experience, killed by the Indians in the out-
break of 1862.

324 TaIvES of the Frontier.

THE HARDSHIPS OF EARLY LAW PRACTICE.

PRIOR to 1855 the public lands of Minnesota were un-
surveyed, and no title could be acquired to them.
About that time, however, four United States land dis-
tricts were established, with a land ofifice in each of them.
The districts were straight tracts of country extending-
from the Mississippi due west to the Missouri, the ex-
terior lines of which were parallel to each other. The of-
fices were at Brownsville, Winona, Red Wing and Min-
neapolis. I was then living in Traverse des Sioux, which
place, together with Mankato, fell within the Winona
district, so that any land business we had in our region
of the country compelled a trip to Winona, a distance
of nearly three hundred miles by water, or one hundred
and fifty by land. After the closing of the rivers by
winter there was no other way of getting there except
to journey across the country.

At the time I refer to there was little or no settlement
between Traverse des Sioux and Winona, and no roads.
I remember that there were one or two settlers on the
Straight river, where now stands Owatonna, and about
the same number on the Zumbro, where now is Roches-
ter, and one house at a point called Utica, about fifty
miles west of Winona, and a small settlement at Stock-
ton, on a trout stream which flows through the blufifs a
few miles west of Winona. The latter place, being on
the Mississippi and easy of access, was quite a flourish-
ing town.

That fall I had been elected to the upper house of the
territorial legislature, called the council, and the news

Tales of the Frontier. 325

reached us that there would be a contested seat in the
council from some district in the southern part of the
territory, but we had no particulars as to the locality or
the person, and gave the matter very little attention.

A controversy had arisen between parties at Man-
kato as to the right to enter a quarter section of land
which was part of the town site, and ultimately became a
very valuable part of the city. I represented one side of
the fight, but cannot recall the name of my adversary.
It was customary in those days to lump matters by mak-
ing up a party of those who had claims to prove up be-
fore the land office, and act as witnesses for each other.
On the occasion of this Mankato contest we formed two
parties, one from Mankato and one from Traverse, and
started with two teams, on wheels, there being no snow,
and the first day we reached a point in the woods, some-
where near the present town of Elysian, and there
camped. When morning opened on us we found the
srround covered with from twelve to fifteen inches of
snow, which made it impossible to proceed further with
our wagons. We did not hesitate, but accepted the only
alternative that presented itself, and decided to foot it to
Winona. We travelled light in those days, carrying
only some blankets and a change of clothes. We cached
our wagons in the timber, packed our animals with our
impedimenta, and started. Such a tramp would seem ap-
palHng at the present time, but we were all accustomed
to hardships, and were equipped with good Red Riv-
er winter moccasins, two or three stout flannel shirts,
and thought very little of the undertaking. We drove
the horses ahead of us to aid in making a trail, and
made pretty good progress. I think it took us about
five days to accomplish the journey, which we did with-
out suffering, or even being seriously incommoded, as

326 Tales of the Frontier.

we found shelter at the Straight river, the Zumbro, Uti-
ca, and Stockton.

An amusing and interesting incident happened the
night we arrived at Utica which, as I have said, con-
sisted of one small log house. Our march that day had
been a long and tiresome one. and I felt as if a good
drink of whisky would be very supporting and accepta-
ble, our supplies in that line having become exhausted
by reason of the unexpected length of time consumed in
our journey; but the prospect of getting one was any-
thing but promising. While revolving the subject in
my mind, and having all my faculties concentrated on
the much desired end, I, by some accident, learned that
the proprietor of the shanty was a doctor. At this dis-
covery my hopes went up several degrees, and I deter-
mined to test his medicine chest. Putting on a look of
utter exhaustion, with both my hands on my abdomen,
and assuming the most plaintive voice I could muster,
I said : "Doctor, I have made a long march to-day, and
feel utterly broken up ; have you not some spirits in your
medicine chest that you could prescribe for me? I am
sure it would be a great relief." He looked me over
with suspicion, and said: "No, I am an herb doctor."
I felt that my fate was sealed for the night, and prepared
to seek my couch on the softest plank I could find, be-
tween the two men who looked the warmest of the party.
While thus preparing my toilette de niiit, in a state of
mind bordering on desperation, I heard the jingling of
sleigh-bells, and a team dash up to the door, from which
debarked two men, each comfortably full, followed by
hand-bags, blankets and a two-gallon demijohn. They
said they had driven from Winona that day, and would
stay all night. They ordered supper, and while it was
in course of preparation, indulged in a good deal of

Tales of the Frontier. 327

banter back and forth. Of course, I had formed the
determination of becoming' acquainted with the contents
of that demijohn in some way, by fair means or foul,
and became deeply interested in their conversation,
looking for a favorable chance to carry my point. I no-
ticed that one of them was very boastful about what he
was going to do when the legislature met, and the other
saying to him that "he would not be there three days
before they would kick him out and send him home."
At these words, it flashed across my mind that this must
be the man whose seat was contested, and, waiting for
a proper opportunity, when his friend was loudest in his
assertions that he would not remain long in the legis-
lature, I put in my oar, and said : "Maybe I will have
something to say about that." In an instant the legis-
lator gave me a most scrutinizing look, and said : "Are
you in the legislature?" I said "Yes." "In which
house?" he inquired. "In the council," I answered. I
saw the man was bright and intelligent, and it was a
study to watch the workings of his mind while debating
to himself how I would be afifected by his condition,
whether favorably or otherwise. Having weighed the
matter carefully, he showed his experience and good
judgment of character by saying : "My friend, won't you
take a drink?" From what I have said, it is unneces-
sary to record my answer. We spent the greater part of
the night in pleasant social intercourse, drawing inspira-
tion from the depths of the demijohn, which had seemed
so far removed from my grasp but a short time before.

The man was the famous Bill Lowry, from the Roch-
ester district. This incident made us sworn friends for
life, and singular as it may seem, when the legislature
convened, I found myself chairman of the committee on
contested elections in the council. It is unnecessary to

328 Tales of the Frontier.

go into the details of the contest. Suffice it to say that
the contestant had a very weak case, and Lowry per-
formed all he had boasted that he would do on that
eventful night in Utica.

We were engaged in trying our suit at Winona for
several days. Captain Upman was the register of the
land office, and presided at the trial. The captain was
a jolly old German from Milwaukee, and a fairlv good
drinker. There was a building in the town which had
been a church, but by the intervention of the evil one,
had been turned into a saloon, and was popularly known
as "The Church." This was the captain's favorite re-
sort when thirsty, which physical condition occurred
quite frequently, and he would always say on such oc-
casions: "The bells are ringing; come, boys, we must
go to church. It is unlawful to try cases on Sunday."

What influences dominated, I don't pretend to say,
but I won for my client three forties of the quarter sec-
tion in dispute. We returned home the way we went
down, — on foot, — with the exception that at Stockton
we constructed a small sleigh, sufficient to carry our
baggage, which much relieved the animals. My client
offered me one of the forty-acre tracts for my fee, but I
declined, and accepted a twenty dollar gold piece for my
services. The land which I refused became worth a
quarter of a million of dollars a few years afterwards, but
I had a good deal of fun out of the adventure, and never
regretted the outcome.

Taleis of the Frontier. 329

TEMPERANCE AT TRAVERSE.

THE first members of the judiciary of the Territory of
Minnesota were Aaron Goodrich, chief justice;
Bradley B. Meeker and David Cooper, associates, who
were appointed in 1849. They were Whigs, and held their
positions until a change of administration gave the Dem-
ocrats the power, when William H. Welch became chief
justice, with Andrew G. Chatfield and Moses Sherburne
as associates. The last named judges were in office when
I arrived in the territory, in 1853. Judge Chatfield pre-
sided mostly over the courts held on the west side of the
Mississippi. I made my residence at Traverse des Sioux,
in Nicollet county, which was within the territory pur-
chased from the Sioux Indians by the treaty of 185 1,
proclaimed in 1853. The fifth article of this treaty kept
in force, within the territory ceded, all the laws of the
United States prohibiting the introduction and sale of
spirituous liquors in the Indian country, commonly
known as the trade and intercourse laws. Of course,
this inhibition was intended to prevent Hquor getting to
the Indians, but as the country began to be inhabited by
whites, many of the new comers regarded it as infringing
upon their rights and privileges, and serious questions
arose as to whether the treaty-making power had any
jurisdiction of such questions after the country was
opened to white settlement. The courts, however, held
the exclusion valid, and indictments were occasionally
found against the violators of these laws. Traverse des
Sioux was a missionary center, and the feeling against
the liquor traffic was very strong, but, as it always has

330 Tales op the Frontier.

been, and probably always will be, men were found ready
to invade the sacred precincts for the expected profits,
and a saloon or two were established in defiance of law
and public sentiment.

The judges were empowered to appoint the terms of
court where and when there was any probable necessity
for them, and the sheriff would summon a grand or petit
jury as the business seemed to require. The United
States marshal was Colonel Irwin, and the United States
district attorney was Colonel Dustin, both of whom lived
in St. Paul, and, as a general thing, there were no
county attorneys in the different counties. When a
term of court was to be held in my county, or any of the
adjacent ones, the marshal would send me a deputation
to represent him, and a bag of gold to pay the jurors and
witnesses; the United States attorney would empower
me to appear for him, and on the opening of the court,
the judge would enter an order appointing me prosecut-
ing attorney for the county so the judge and I would
constitute the entire force, federal and territorial, judicial
and administrative. If I procured an indictment against
a party at one term, in my capacity of prosecutor, and
the regular attorney should appear at the next term, it
was more than likely that I would be retained to defend ;
which would look a little irregular at the present time,
but as there was no other attorney but me, as a usual
thing, no questions were asked.

At a very early day, a party not having the fear of the
law or public opinion before him opened a saloon at Tra-
verse des Sioux, much to the dismay and indignation of
the religious element of the community, and went to
selling whisky to the other element. The next grand
jury indicted him, but, before a court convened that
could try him, a squad composed of the temperance peo-

Tales of the Frontier. 331

pie headed by the sheriff, attacked his place, and de-
molished his contraband stores. Being- determined to
test the question of his rig-hts, he sued the attacking-
party, and I was retained to defend them. I devised the
plea that the country was full of savage Indians, whose
passions became inflamed by whisky, which made them
dangerous to the lives of the whites, and that saloons
were consequently a nuisance which anyone had a right
to abate. The case was tried before Judge Chatfield,
and my clients were vindicated. Of course, the suit
created a great sensation, not only on account of the
feeling engendered, but because of the novel questions
involved, and in due course of time the temperance la-
dies of the county sent to New York and purchased a
handsome combination gold pen and pencil, with a jew-
elled head, and had it inscribed, "Charles E. Flandrau :
Defender of the Right." They also procured a hand-
some family Bible for the sherifif. When all was ready,
they held a public meeting, and made the presentations,
which were accompanied by the usual speeches. These
ceremonies occurred in the latter part of the year 1854,
or early in 1855, and in the meantime a small newspa-
per, called the St. Peter Courier, had been established to
boom the city, which contained an elaborate account of
the proceedings, together with all the speeches, and dili-
gently circulated them throughout the East, where they
were caught up by Horace Greely, in his Tribune, and
many other papers, and repeated under the head of
"Moral Suasion in Minnesota," and came back to us en-
larged and improved.

Should I end the story here, it would leave me in the
possession and enjoyment of virtues which I cannot con-
scientiously claim as my own, and would deprive the tale
of its best and only amusing point ; so as a faithful nar-

332 Tales of the Frontier.

rator, I feel in duty bound to tell the other side of it.

In due course of events the trial of the indictment
against the saloonkeeper came on to be heard, and I was
acting as prosecuting attorney. Of course, I had to
prove that the prisoner had introduced liquor into the
Indian country, and, to do so, I called a French half-
breed who I knew frequented the place, and after the
preliminary questions, this examination followed :

"Q. Joe, were you ever in this saloon?

"A. Yes, many a time.

"Q. Did you ever buv and drink any liquor in
there?

"A. Yes, many a time.

"Q. Did you see anyone else buy and drink liquor
in there?

"A. Yes, many a time.

"Q. Who was it?

"A. I have seen you do it lots of times."

Of course, the laugh was heavily against me, but I
sat, as stoical as an Indian, and quietly asked him : "Any-
one else, Joe?"

I have forgotten whether the suit terminated in con-
viction or acquittal, but I never think of it without a
good laugh at the way the witness turned the tables on
me, and am also reminded of what my old friend, Van
Lowry, from the Winnebago country, once said of me:
■'That Flandrau is one of the most singular men I ever
knew. He invariably makes a temperance speech over
his whisky."

The gold pen with the jewelled head reposes among
my frontier treasures, carefully wrapped up in several
editorials cut from eastern papers, extolling my virtues
as an apostle of temperance.

Moral: Don't believe everything you read in the
papers.

Tales of the Frontier. 333

WIN-NE-MUC-CA'S GOLD MINE.

EVERY one who has lived in a mining country in its
early periods, before its resources had been pros-
pected and pretty well defined, will recall the fact that
stories and rumors of a mysterious mine of great rich-
ness, which exists somewhere, are always in circulation.
The discoverer of this mine is either dead, without hav-
ing revealed its exact location, or it is known only to the
Indians, who are compelled to secrecy by awful oaths, or
fear of death from their chief or members of their band.
At any rate, there is always a profound mystery connect-
ed with the hidden treasure, that envelops it with a
tinge of romance and a spice of danger to those who seek
to break the spell and lift the veil. There is also just
enough known about it, which has leaked out through
some obscure channel, to lend some slight probability to
the story, and many have been the attempts to discover
the bonanza by credulous and adventurous miners, but
ever without success.

When I was living in Nevada, in 1864, I became
closely associated with an old Mormon by the name of
Rose. He had been a settler in the Washoe valley long
before the discovery of the rich silver mines at Virginia
City, known as the Comstock lode, and necessarily at a
time when no one inhabited the country but Mormons
and Indians. The principal tribe of Indians were the
Piutes, whose head chief was Win-ne-muc-ca. These
Indians inhabited the country around Pyramid lake,
about ,a hundred miles to the northeast of Carson City,
where I resided. Rose was known to have been an in-

334 Tales of the Frontier.

timate friend of Win-ne-muc-ca in times past, and to
have performed some important service for him, which
had placed the chief under lasting- obligations to him,
and rumor said that in compensation he had disclosed
to Rose the whereabouts of the most valuable gold mine
on all the Pacific Coast, and that Rose was the only
white man who knew anything about it. The truth of
these rumors was fortified ,by the existence of three old
and abandoned arrastras and a twenty-five foot overshot
waterwheel, which had evidently been erected to drive
the arrastras, that stood on one of the back streets of
Carson City, and were known to have been constructed
by Rose, and as there was no stream in the neighbor-
hood to propel the arrastras, it was generally believed
that, when Rose built these works, he had a mine, the
ore of which was so rich that he could bring it on pack
animals, crush it with these machines, and divert a
stream to propel them. As quite a large sum had been
expended on these works, it was evident that they were
intended to carry out some such purpose, which had
been interrupted for sufficient reasons. At any rate, I
caught the mine fever, and after many conferences with
Rose, I and my associates, William S. Chapman and
Judge Atwater, got far enough into his confidence to
obtain an admission from him that he knew the exact lo-
cation of the mysterious mine, the secret of which he
had learned from Win-ne-muc-ca, and dare not disclose
without the consent of that chieftain, but he assured us
that it was fabulously rich. It was then learned that the
mine was within the limits of the Piute reservation, and
even if we had the consent of the Indians to work it, we
would not be allowed to do so by the United States gov-
ernment. Here were presented two formidable obsta-
cles, but we were so well satisfied that we had a fortune
within call that we determined to remove them both.

Tales of the Frontier. 335

Our first operations were upon Win-ne-muc-ca,
whom we proposed to conquer by presents and flattery,
and succeeded to the extent of ehciting- from him a
promise that, if we could obtain permission from the
United States government to enter upon the reservation
and work the mine, he would disclose its whereabouts.
All I can say about this branch of the case is, that with
a great deal of delicate and masterly diplomacy, in which
the interests of the Indians formed the principal argu-
ment used, we secured the desired permission, and pre-
pared for an expedition to the mine.

It is as well here to say, for the benefit of the unin-
itiated, that all such operations are conducted with the
greatest secrecy and mystery, because should it be dis-
covered that any such enterprise was on foot its project-
ors would be watched day and night, and followed to
their destination by half the community.

The government sent out a representative to see that
the interests of the Indians were properly protected, and
we got ready to start. The agent of the government
was also charged to look up and report upon the
progress of a mill for the Piutes, for which large appro-
priations had been made, and which was supposed to be
situated on the rapids of the Truckev river, which is the
outlet of Lake Tahoe, and runs about northeast in the
direction of the Piute reservation, along the course to be
followed by us. I mention this fact only in order to
bring into the story the terse and witty report of the
agent, said to have been made about his discoveries re-
garding the mill. He said : "He found a dam by a mill
site, but he didn't find any mill by a damn sight."

Our outfit consisted of a light farm wagon with a
four mule team, which we procured from two Mormon
brothers, who lived in the Washoe valley, and were

336 Tales of the Frontier.

skilled guides all over Nevada, both of whom we took
along as guides, cooks, and to drive and care for the
team. Rose took along a pony, which we led, and the
government agent, old Rose and myself formed the
passenger list. We were supplied with eatables and
drinkables for a long campaign, but as it rains but once
a year in that country, we never encumbered ourselves
on a march with tents, except in the rainy season. In
fact, the ground between the sage bushes and grease-
wood trees is so dry and clean that you don't need even
blankets or robes to slecD on, but they are usually car-
ried.

Our course lay down the valley of the Truckey river
to its big bend, where Rose was to leave us and go to
Pyramid lake for Win-ne-muc-ca. We accomplished
this part of the journey, a distance of about one hundred
miles, in three days, without any special incident, except
on one occasion, when we were rounding a projecting
point in the river, on a ledge of rocks, some driftwood
got entangled with the legs of our leading mules, and
came very near dumping us all into the boiling and rush-
ing current, which would inevitably have drowned the
whole party ; but we reached our destination safely. At
the big bend, which is now one of the principal stations
on the Central Pacific Railroad, we found a spacious
piece of bottom land, well supplied with grass for our
animals, and a clump of six tall stately cottonwood trees,
presenting -an inviting place to camp, which we accepted
as our resting place.

The next morning Rose mounted his pony and start-
ed for the lake, saying he would return in a couple of
days with the chief, who would guide us to the mine —
and fortune. The government agent was an old friend of
mine, a California forty-niner, and a most companionable

Tales of the Frontier. 337

fellow. The Mormons were excellent cooks, and most
efficient camp men. We had abundant camp supplies,
supplemented with fine fish brought to us by the In-
dians, so we settled down for a delightful rest. Every
night the men would make a cheerful crackHng fire of
dry driftwood from the river, hobble the mules, and fall
asleep for the night, leaving us to enjoy the soft summer
air and brilliant moonHght, while discussing our future
plans when possessed of the boundless wealth that only
awaited the coming of Rose and the chief. Before re-
tiring for the night, which only meant lying down on a
blanket, we usually reclined each against a tree, with a
demijohn between us, and by the time sleep overcame us
the fortunes of Croesus, Astor and Vanderbilt combined
were mere trifles compared with our anticipated wealth,
for were we not to be soon endowed with the magic
touch of Midas !

We revelled in our repose, seasoned with the exal-
tation of hope and the demijohn, until about four days
had glided away, when even such delights began to pall,
and became a little monotonous, and still no Rose and no
Win-ne-muc-ca. The fifth, and even the sixth day
passed, and yet they came not, and we were driven to the
conclusion that either Rose had been victimized by the
Piutes, or we had been victimized by Rose. So nothing
was left for us but to pull up stakes and wend our weary
way back to Carson. Here we found Rose, with the ex-
cuse that Win-ne-muc-ca had told him that he dared not
give up the secret of the mine for fear his band would kill
both Rose and himself, and that he had not dared to re-
turn to the camp for fear the Indians would follow him
and destroy us all. And so ended our venture.

We came out of the enterprise wiser and poorer men,
to the amount of about one thousand dollars. As we
22

338 Tales of the Frontier.

had left town at midnight, and returned at the same quiet
hour, we were able to keep our adventure to ourselves,
and escape the ridicule of more experienced miners,
many of whom, however, had passed through similar ex-
periences under varying circumstances.

I have never been able fully to satisfy myself whether
Rose acted in good faith or not, but as he had no hope
of gain outside of the mine I am inclined to believe his
story.

My next mining experience resulted much the same
way. Rich finds were reported in the Walker river
country, and a small syndicate of us outfitted a party of
old and experienced miners to visit the locality and see
what they could pick up. They started in the usual
mysterious manner, at the dead of night, and in about
two weeks returned, and brought to my office a gunny
bag full of ore, which they left, and we appointed a meet-
ing the next night at one o'clock, when the town was
supposed to be asleep, to examine the bag and pass upon
the contents. One of the prospectors tapped the sack
affectionately, and, winking at me in the most significant
manner, said : "Judge, we've got the world by the tail.
It's all pure silver, and there are a million tons of it lying
on the top of the ground." Of course, my curiosity and
expectations were aroused to the highest pitch, and I
awaited the appointed hour with impatience. Before the
party arrived, all the windows were darkened with sheets
and blankets, refreshments were prepared, and they
dropped in one at a time to avoid notice. The bag was
opened and its contents displayed upon the table. It
was a pure white and brilliant metal, about the weight
of silver, and with the assistance of the refreshments we
had convinced ourselves before daylight that it was all
pure silver.

Tales of the Frontier. 339

I took a chunk of it about the size of an orange, and,
with one of the miners, went down to the Mexican mill,
to have it assayed. The assayer took it, looked it over,
and asked if we wanted it assayed for iron. My com-
panion immediately answered, "I'll bet you a thousand
dollars there's no iron in it." The assayer replied : "We
don't bet on such things, but I will soon tell you all
about it," and, after putting it to the test, he reported :
"Magnetic iron, ninety-five per cent ; no trace of gold or
silver."

We let the world's tail go, put our own between our
legs, and went home, two of the worst disappointed men
in all Nevada, and that was the last of my mining efforts.

340 Tales of the Frontier.

A UNIQUE POLITICAL CAREER.

GEN. James Shields had a most extraordinary career. I
remember no man in the history of our country who
equals him in the diversity and extent of his public serv-
ices and office-holding. He was a general in the Mexi-
can War, and for a long time enjoyed the unique reputa-
tion of being the only man who was ever shot through
the lungs and survived. This, however, was not true.
Many others, no doubt, underwent the same experience,
and I remember a young Chippewa Indian who, while
on a war party into the Sioux country, was wounded in
exactly the same manner, and lived to a good old age as
a very robust savage.

When the general returned from the Mexican War
to Illinois, he was exceedingly popular. He was made
commissioner of the general land office of the United
States and judge of the supreme court of the State of
Illinois, and was subsequently elected to the senate of
the United States; but when he was about to take his
seat he ran up against the snag that is found in section
3 of article i of the constitution of the United States,
which provides that a senator must have been a citizen
of the United States for nine years before election, and
it appeared that the general fell short of the requisite
period. The consequence was that he was rejected, and
he had to return to his state. But the citizens of Illinois
wanted him to represent them in the senate, and as soon
as he attained the proper citizenship they returned him,
and he was admitted and served his full term. The gen-
eral found out that his chances for reelection were not

Tales of the Frontier. 341

flattering, and as Minnesota was about applyine for ad-
mission as a state in the Union, he decided to emigrate
to that territory. What his motives were I, of course,
cannot say, but as I was watching closely political events,
I concluded that he had in view an election to the senate
from the new State of Minnesota, and I kept my eye on
his movements.

It was soon announced that the general had located
the land warrant awarded to him for his services in the
Mexican War, on a quarter section of land in the neigh-
borhood of Faribault, in Rice county, in this territory,
and that he intended to settle upon it. There was a lit-
tle buncombe added to this announcement, to the effect
that this was the first case in the history of America
where a general officer had settled in person upon the
land donated to him as a reward for the services he had
rendered and the blood he had shed for his adopted
country. We always called the general's home "The
blood-bought farm."

There was an election in our territory in 1856 or
1857, I forget which, for delegate to Congress. Henry
M. Rice had received the nomination of the regular
Democratic convention for the position, and General
Gorman (then territorial governor), Henry H. Sibley
and many other leading Democrats had deliberately
bolted the judgment of the convention, and nominated
David Olmsted for delegate. The fight was on hot. I,
of course, was for Rice, the regular nominee. I then
lived well up in the Minnesota valley, at Traverse des
Sioux, and we were becoming a power in the territory
in a political sense, and I looked forward to the arrival
of such a prominent Democrat as General Shields in our
midst as an event of major political importance. He
soon landed at Hastings, on the Mississippi, with a com-

342 Tales of the Frontier.

plete outfit for a permanent settlement. A good story
is told of his advent at Hastings. In those days of
steamboating, all the belongings of an immigrant would
be landed on the levee and his freight bill would be pre-
sented to him by what we called the mud clerk, and he
would take an account of his stock and pay the freight.
Legend reports that the general had five barrels of whis-
ky among his paraphernalia, and when the first one was
rolled ashore he seated himself upon it to watch the de-
barkation, and when the bill was presented he refused to
pay it because he could see only four barrels, and de-
manded the fifth. The clerks got on to the joke, and
pretended to search for the missing barrel until the last
whistle blew, when they suggested to the general that
he was occupying the disturbing element. Whether the
contents of the barrel ever caused any other misunder-
standings history fails to record.

As soon as the general was comfortably settled on the
blood-bought farm I dispatched a courier across the
country to him, informing him of the political situation,
and imploring him to come out for the regular Demo-
cratic ticket ; but he replied in a very diplomatic way that
he was too new a comer to take any active part in the
election, and declined. Tom Cowan, George Magruder
and I, a trio which composed the leadership of the
Democracy of the Minnesota valley, decided that the
general should never go to the senate if we could prevent
it, and it so happened that when the first legislature of
the state assembled Tom Cowan was in the senate, but
all our efforts to beat him failed, and Henry M. Rice and
the general were elected to the United States Senate. It
was hard to beat a man in those days who was a Demo-
crat, an Irishman and a wounded soldier.

The only unlucky thing that the general ever en-

Tales of the Frontier. 343

countered was the fact that he drew the short term when
the lots were cast for the positions the new senators were
to assume.

The general served out his term in the senate just
about the time the Civil War broke out, and he ten-
dered his services to the country, and became a general
of volunteers. He was wounded in some battle, and I
remember reading a general order announcing that he
had sufficiently recovered to ride at the head of his bri-
gade in a buggy. I took advantage of this singular po-
sition for a military commander, and impressed into the
service of the state a splendid $2,000 team of trotters be-
longing to Harry Lamberton, with his buggy, and him-
self as driver, and rode comfortably in it until the end of
the Indian war, at the head of my brigade.

The general was not long in discovering that the po-
litical wind had taken a Republican direction in Minne-
sota, which boded him no good. So he pulled up stakes
and emigrated to Texas. There he felt the public pulse,
and not finding any immediate indications that he would
be chosen senator, and not having any pressing business
in any other line, he emigrated to California. There he
found a more favorable outlook, and almost as soon as he
srained a residence in the state he was nominated for the
United States Senate by the Democrats, and came with-
in one or two votes of an election.

The general had always been a bachelor before going
to California, but he surrendered to the charms of a lady
of that state, and married. Not being willing to remain
until the next senatorial election, he migrated to the
State of Missouri, where he was very soon elected to
congress by a substantial majority of about 3,000; but, it
being in the reconstruction period, and he being a Dem-
ocrat, the state board found no difficulty in counting him

344 Tales of the Frontier.

out, after which event very Httle was heard of the gen-
eral for some years, when he appeared on the lecture
platform, discoursing- on Mexico. This venture was not
much of a success, and the general was reputed to be
quite broken up financially.

His next appearance w^as at Washington as a candi-
date for doorkeeper of the senate, which ofifice, I believe,
is one of both dignity and profit ; but he did not succeed
in getting it, and returned to Missouri, broken in fortune
and spirit. It was just at this critical period in his career
that his luck returned, and he became famous in a direc-
tion that no other man in the United States has ever
reached. A vacancy occurred in the office of United
States senator from Missouri, either by death or some
other reason, and the governor bestowed the position
upon the general, thus making him a member of the
body of which he had so recently sought to become the
doorkeeper, and conferring upon him the peculiar and
conspicuous distinction of being the only man in the re-
public who ever represented three states in the senate
of the United States.

The general died some years ago, and the state of his
original adoption, Illinois, conferred the additional im-
mortal honor upon his memory by placing his full-length
statue in bronze in the old house of representatives at
the capitol in Washington, which has become the Ameri-
can Pantheon, in which each state is permitted to com-
memorate in this way two of its most honored sons.

Truly a most extraordinary and enviable career.

Tales of the Frontier. 345

LA CROSSE.

THERE is nothing remarkable in the fact that places
should be named for something that has happened in
or about their locality, and nothing is more natural than
that places on the upper Mississippi river should be
named after Indians and Indian occurrences. For in-
stance, we have Prairie du Chien, which is the French
for the Dog prairie. In early days an Indian chief, who
sailed under the dignified name of "The Dog," had his
headquarters at this prairie, and thus the name. It will
be observed that it has maintained its name in full,
"Prairie du Chien," and was, in days past, a military post,
called Fort Crawford, and is now quite an important
town in Wisconsin.

A little way up the river, and we have "Prairie La
Crosse," but the first part of the name is generally
dropped now, and it is known as La Crosse simply. No
old settler, however, who dates back of the fifties, ever
calls it anything but "Prairie La Crosse." This place got
its name from the fact that the Indians selected it as a
favorite point at which to play their game, known to
them as "Ta-kap-si-ka-pi," but called by the French,
"La Crosse." Anyone who has been there, and is familiar
with the prairie on which the city of La Crosse is built,
will recognize at once its superior advantages for a game
of ball of any kind. It is long, wide and level. This
game has always been a great favorite with the Sioux
Indians. It originated with them, and became what
might be called their national g-ame. From its spirited
character, it was very much liked by the Canadian-

346 Tales of the Frontier.

French, and they adopted it to such an extent that it is
called their national game, but under an entirely differ-
ent name. They called it "La Crosse," and are still de-
voted to it. In fact, it is played very generally through-
out the northern half of North x\merica. In playing the
game, the Indians used a stick made of ash about the
length of a walking cane with a circular bend at the end
most distant from the hand, in which curve was a net-
work of buckskin strings, forming a pocket, about four
inches in diameter and two inches deep. With this stick,
which is called a "Ta-ki-cap-si-cha," the ball is manipu-
lated. The ball is of wood, round, and about the size of
a hen's egg, and in the game must never be touched by
the hand. The Canadians have changed the form of
stick used by them, by making it longer, and forming
the end that takes the ball something like half of a ten-
nis racquette.

The site of La Crosse was in early years the favorite
ball ground of the Indians, and from this circumstance
acquired its present name. The game is too well known
to need a description. Sulftce it to say that the main ob-
ject is to get the ball to certain goals by two contending
parties struggling in different directions. In its main
features it resembles hockey, polo, football, and similar
games ; but with the Indians differs in point of the num-
bers who play, the whites being limited to eleven or
twelve on a side, while with the Indians a whole band
may play on each side.

When the Sioux were moved west of the Mississippi
they selected the beautiful prairie on which now stands
St. Peter, in this state, as one of their most favored ball
grounds, and many a time I have enjoyed witnessing the
game at that locality, and a most brilliant and exciting
scene it presented. The Sioux, Hke most savages, are

Tales of the Frontier. 347

great gamblers, and the first thing in the game is to put
up the stakes, which is done in this way : A committee
is appointed by each contesting party as stakeholders.
They assemble at a designated point on the prairie, and
await results. Presently up will come an Indian, and
put up a pony. He will soon be followed by a com-
petitor, who will cover his pony with another, decided to
be of the same value. Then up will come another, and
put up a rifle, or a feather headdress or a knife, all which
will be matched from the other side, until all the bets
are made. If the players are numerous, the stakes will
accumulate until almost everything known as property
in Indian life will be ventured. It sometimes takes sev-
eral days to arrange these preliminaries. A pleasant
afternoon is selected, and the contestants appear. They
are usually very nearly naked, having on only mocca-
sins, a breech-clout and a head-dress ; the two latter ar-
ticles, being susceptible of ornamentation, are usually
adorned with eagle feathers, foxtails, or a string of
sleighbells about the player's waist. The men are paint-
ed in the most grotesque and fantastic manner. It is
not unusual to see some of them painted blue or yellow
all over their persons, and before the paint has dried it
is streaked with their fingers in zig-zag fashion from
head to foot, sometimes up and down and sometimes ze-
bra fashion. A yellow face with the imprint of a black
or blue open hand diagonally upon it is much affected ;
in fact, the greater the ingenuity displayed in savage de-
sign and glaring colors, the more satisfied the subject
seems to be with himself and the more admired by oth-
ers.

When the players are all lined up they present a strik-
ing appearance. About six on each side take the cen-
ter from which the ball is to be started, and the rest scat-

348 Tales of the Frontier.

ter themselves over the prairie for half a mile in each
direction, to speed the ball, should it come their v^ay.

All ready : one, two, three, and up goes the ball into
the air, and as it falls, up goes each Ta-ki-cap-si-cha in
an endeavor to catch it, and so skillful are the men that
it is very often caught in the little pocket while in the air,
which is a great advantage, as the party catching it has
the right if he can to throw it in the direction of his
friends, and, with a free chance, it is like throwing a ball
out of a sling. I have seen one sent nearly a quarter of
a mile. If the game opens in this way, there is, of course,
a great rush by the partisans to capture the ball and keep
it moving one way or the other; but if at the first toss
up it falls to the ground, there is a tussle of all the mid-
dle men to see which one shall get it with his stick that
puts civilized football in the shade. Shins are whacked,
men are tripped and piled onto each other in the utmost
confusion, until some lucky fellow extricates the ball
from the mass, and sends it flying towards a group of
his friends. The Sioux are splendid runners, and some-
times when twenty or thirty of them will be in full chase
of the ball, a leading man will tumble, and the whole line
will pile over him ; but no matter how rough or boister-
ous the sport may be, I have never known a quarrel to
grow out of it. There must be rules to this effect gov-
erning the game, such as they have in a Japanese
wrestling match, where the parties, before tackling each
other, sprinkle salt between them, which is a pledge that
even a broken neck will not interrupt friendship. I think
I have seen more feats of wonderful skill in running,
jumping and catching in a game of this kind than in any
play of a similar nature I have ever witnessed.

No one who has seen the Indians play a good game
of Ta-kap-si-ka-pi has ever forgotten it. Major East-

Tai,es of the Frontier. 349

man of the old army, who was quite an artist, attempted
to depict the scene on canvas, and while he made an
excellent picture which would please the eye of anyone
who had not seen the real thing-, he found it impossible
to convey an adequate idea of its best points. The pic-
ture, I think, is now either in the rooms of the Wisconsin
Historical Society, or in the Cochran gallery of Wash-
ington.

One of the noticeable results of a game of this kind,
played on a virgin prairie, was the great number of huge
snakes the players would kill. I have seen as many as
would load a wagon piled up after a game, some of them
ten or twelve feet long. They were called in those days
bull snakes, and were considered of the constrictor spe-
cies, but not venomous.

350 Tales of the Frontier.

MAKING A POST OFFICE.

I HAD settled on the frontier, where Traverse des
Sioux and Mankato were the extreme border towns in
southwestern Minnesota. About the year 1854 or 1855
a German settlement was commenced at New Ulm. It
originated in Cincinnati, with an association which sent
out parties to find a site for a town, and they selected the
present site of New Ulm. The lands had not been sur-
veyed by the general government, but our delegate in
congress, Henry M. Rice, had anticipated that by ob-
taining the passage of the law allowing settlement and
preemption on unsurveyed lands. Under the law a town
site could only embrace 320 acres, but the projectors of
New Ulm laid out an immense tract, comprising thou-
sands of acres. Many of the settlers had not taken any
steps toward becoming American citizens, which was a
necessary preliminary to preemption, and everything
among them was held in a kind of common interest, the
Cincinnati society furnishing the funds.

It was not long before they discovered that they
needed legal advice in their venture, and called on me to
regulate their matters for them. I was deputy clerk of
the court, and always carried the seal and naturalization
papers with me, so that I could take the declaration of
intention of anyone who desired to become an American
citizen anywhere I happened to find him, on the prairie
or elsewhere. In this way I qualified many of the Ger-
mans for preemption, and took them by the steamboat
load down to Winona to enter their lands. I would be
furnished with a large bag of gold to pay for the lands.

Tales of the Frontier. 351

and sometimes, with the special conveniences furnished
by the land office, I would work off forty or fifty pre-
emptions in a day. I became such a necessary factor in
the building of the town that, if any difficulty occurred,
even in the running of a mill which they erected and ran
by the accumulated water of many large springs, 1 was
immediately sent for to remedy the evil.

The nearest postoffice was at Fort Ridgely, about six-
teen miles away, and it soon became apparent that one
ought to be established in the town. I was, of course,
sent for to see if it could be accomplished. It was a
very easy thing to do with the very efficient and influ-
ential delegate we had in congress, Hon. Henry M. Rice.
Having agreed upon a Mr. Anton Kouse as postmaster,
I at once wrote to Mr. Rice to give the new settlement
a postoffice. It was not long before I received an an-
swer, which contained the postmaster's commission, his
bond for execution, a key for the mail bags, and all the
requisites for a going postoffice.

The New Ulm people were a very social lot, and my
visits to the town always included a good deal of fun, so
I concluded to make a special event of the establishment
of the new postoffice, and, as the weather was fine, I in-
vited half a dozen friends to accompany me in a drive to
New Ulm, to participate in the opening ceremonies.

One of the earliest settlers in the town was Francis
Baasen, who became Minnesota's first secretary of state,
and was a gallant officer in the First Minnesota Regi-
ment, so celebrated in the War of the Rebellion, and
has recently been appointed by Governor Lind as as-
sistant adjutant general of the state. He had a claim
about two miles below the town, just where the ferry
crossed the Minnesota river, at Red Stone, and had
erected a log shanty there, in which he lived. Of

352 Tales of the Frontier.

course, we always called on Baasen on our way up, and
also on our way back, when we visited New Ulm. Baa-
sen was a charming gentleman, and while his shack was
destitute of any of the luxuries or elegancies of Hfe, there
was a door, or hatchway, in the middle of the floor, which
led to a kind of cellar, the contents of which supplied all
the deficiencies of the house, and, flavored with the gen-
erous hospitality of the proprietor, made everybody
happy.

On this occasion we stopped to take Baasen into the
party, and while discussing the great event which
brought us up, I decided to add some new features to the
inauguration of the new postmaster. Baasen had been
appointed a notary public, and was provided with large
business-like envelopes and formidable red seals, so I
wrote a letter to Mr. Kouse in about the following lan-
guage :

"Executive Mansion, Washington, D. C,

"July 20, 1855.

"Hon. Anton Kouse, Postmaster at New Ulm, Territory of
Minnesota,

"Sir : We have been informed that a flourishing set-
tlement has been founded on the waters of the upper
Minnesota river, in Minnesota Territory, which has been
named New Ulm, and that the inhabitants are suffi-
ciently numerous and intelligent to need a postoffice.
It has also been represented to us that you are a good
and true Democrat, and the choice of the people for the
office of postmaster. It is therefore our duty and pleas-
ure to appoint you to that office. It is our desire that
you locate the office in a part of the town which will ac-

Tales of the Frontier. 353

commodate its inhabitants, and see to it that they always
vote the Democratic ticket at all elections. I am,

"Yours very truly,
(Seal) "FRANKLIN PIERCE,

"President of the United States of America."

I inclosed this letter in one of Baasen's large en-
velopes, and we all drove up to the house of Mr, Kouse,
and called him out. I stood up in the wagon, and made
him a speech, informing him of the creation of the ofifice.
and that I had his bond and commission and a letter to
him from the president of the United States, which I
was instructed to deliver to him in person, and I added
that it was customary on such important occasions for
the newly appointed postmaster to propose the health of
the postmaster general.

Kouse rushed into his house, and appeared with a
brown jug and a tin cup, from which we all drank a
bumper to the health and prosperity of the postmaster
general, the town of New Ulm, and its postmaster. I
then handed him his credentials, including the letter
from the president, and the postoffice at New Ulm was
a reality.

I have never learned whether my friend Kouse
caught on to the joke, or whether he has cherished the
executive letter as an heirloom for his posterity.

23

354 Tales of the Frontier.

THE COURAGE OF CONVICTION.

IN 1864-65 I was living in Carson City, in the State of
Nevada, where, from the abnormal condition of the
inhabitants, it was nothing- remarkable that some event
should happen almost daily that otherwise would have
been startling. Many such events did take place, but,
from their frequency, were soon forgotten. There was
one, however, that impressed itself upon my memory be-
cause of the cool daring that characterized it, and it must
be understood that bravery was not an uncommon trait
in the inhabitants of Carson. Men carried their lives in
their hands, and quite frequently lost them.

In order to appreciate the situation fully, you must
know that the population of Carson City was composed
of about the roughest and most disorderly agglomera-
tion of the refuse of California that was ever assembled
at any one time or place, — gamblers, murderers, road
agents, and all sorts of unclassified toughs. They were
about evenly divided between the North and the South,
— the only politics being pronounced Unionism on one
side and outspoken rebellion on the other; but, as any
discussion between representatives of such views during
the hottest period of the war was generally concluded
with six-shooters, all parties kept pretty quiet on the
subject, and politics was about the least exciting cause
of murder, there being others sufficientlv numerous to
give us a "man for breakfast" nearly every morning.

Like all Pacific Coast mining towns, Carson had an
immense saloon, with all the sporting attachments, such
as billiards, roulette, faro, poker, etc., and at all times

Tales of the Frontier. 355

of the day and night it was frequented by hundreds of
men, who amused themselves talking, drinking, gam-
bling and reading their letters, as most of them received
their correspondence at these headquarters. It was
called the "Magnolia," and was kept by Pete Hopkins,
who, I believe, still flourishes in San Francisco.

The telegraph had reached us in 1862, and we kept
pretty well posted on what was going on in the States.
On the 14th of April, 1865, it was flashed over the wires
that President Lincoln had been assassinated, and the
excitement was intense. Men studiously avoided the
subject, for fear of being misunderstood and being
drawn into deadly conflict. The news was not credited
at first, but soon became confirmed, and generally ac-
cepted as true. The Union men determined that some
public demonstration should be made to recognize the
event. A meeting was held, and a committee appointed
to formulate a program. It was decided to put the town
in mourning, have a procession and mock funeral, an
oration and appropriate resolutions, — all of which was
the correct thing. An evening or two before the cere-
mony was to take place the committee came down to
the Magnolia, to announce publicly what it had decided
upon. The chairman mounted the bar and made his
proclamation, adding that anyone who failed to hang out
some emblem of mourning on his house or place of busi-
ness might expect to be roughly handled.

The room was crowded, and with the most inflamma-
ble material. Had a bomb been exploded on one of the
billiard tables the effect would not have stirred the rebels
to greater depths. Among them was an old Virginian,
whom we will call Captain Jones. He almost immedi-
ately accepted the challenge, and speaking up loudly, he
said : ''I am damned glad Lincoln was killed, and if any

356 Tales of the Frontier.

man attempts to put mourning on my house, or inter-
fere with me for not doing so, there will be a good many
more killed,"

Everybody knew that the old man meant just what
he said, and was always equipped to make good his
promises. The efifect was remarkable. Instead of pre-
cipitating a fight, it seemed to paralyze the crowd, and
nothing came of it that night; the captain was wise
enough quietly to disappear.

Captain Jones had a small brick building on the main
street of the town, a block or two from the Magnolia,
where he had his office, and lived in a back room.

At the proper time the procession formed on the
plaza. Bands of music were interspersed through the
line. The orator and distinguished citizens were in car-
riages, every vehicle in town being brought into requisi-
tion. There was a large cavalcade of horsemen. I rode
in a handsome buggy, with the principal gambler of the
town, and many hundred footmen followed, the China-
men bringing up the rear. It was a beautiful day, the
sun shining brightly. The procession moved ofif ma-
jestically down a back street, ofif the main thoroughfare,
and then turned into the principal street. Every house
on the line of march displayed signs of mourning on
both sides of the street. Soon appeared in the distance
Captain Jones, sitting just outside the line of the side-
walk, in the street, exactly in front of his house. His
head was bare, and his long white hair glistened in the
sunshine. He sat in an arm-chair, with an immense dou-
ble-barrelled shotgun poised quietly across his knees.
He was carelessly reading a newspaper, and not a sem-
blance of mourning was to be seen anywhere on his
premises. As the head of the procession reached him
hundreds of hands involuntarily sought their revolvers,

Tales of the Frontier. 357

and every man held his breath; even the music ceased,
and the expectation was intense. There were many in
the Hne who would have shot him if they had dared, but
they knew he had hosts of friends in the Hne who would
have resented it instantly, and to the death, and they
also knew the captain's eye was coursing- down the line
and the first shot would be answered by the contents of
both barrels of his big gun. So no one fired; no one
spoke ; hardly anyone looked. The captain never moved
a muscle, and the column passed.

I remember once of reading an incident in connec-
tion with the French army. While marching in Africa
it encountered a splendid African Hon, lying in the road,
who did not seem disposed to give the right of way. The
army halted. The circumstance was reported to the
commanding officer and instructions asked whether they
should kill the royal beast or march round him. The
orders were to march round him. I have never thought
of the incident here related without recalling the cool
braver}' of the king of beasts ; but I always award the su-
periority to my friend. Captain Jones.

358 Tales of the Frontier.

HOW THE CAPITAL WAS SAVED

'T^HE ancestors of Joe Rolette, the leading character in
-*- the story which I am about to relate, emigrated at a
very early day from Normandy, in France, to Canada.
It is believed that the celebrated Montcalm was one of
this party. Many of these emigrants became disheart-
ened by the hardships they encountered, and returned to
France; but not so the Rolettes. Jean Joseph Ro-
lette, the father of our Joseph, was born in Quebec, on
Sept. 24, 1 78 1. He was originally designed for the
priesthood, but fortunately for that holy order his in-
clinations led him in another direction, and he became an
Indian trader. His first venture in business was at Mon-
treal, next at Windsor opposite Detroit, finally winding
up at Prairie du Chien, about the year 1801 or 1802.

In the war of 181 2, with Great Britain, the Ameri-
cans captured Prairie du Chien in 18 14, and built a
stockade there, which was called Fort Shelby. The Brit-
ish, under Colonel McKay, besieged it, Rolette having
some rank in the attacking party. He was offered a
captaincy in the British army for his good behavior in
this affair, but declined it. He continued his Indian trade
successfully up to 1820, when John Jacob Astor offered
him a leading position in the American Fur Company,
which he accepted, and held until 1836, when he was
succeeded by Plercules L. Dousman. He died at Prairie
du Chien, Dec. i, 1842, leaving a widow and two chil-
dren, a son and daughter. His daughter married Cap-
tain Hood of the United States army, and was a ver}''
superior woman. His son was the hero of this story.

Tales of the Frontier. 359

Rolette senior was called by the Indians, ''Sheyo" ("The
Prairie Chicken"), from the rapidity with which he trav-
elled. Joe was called "Sheyo chehint Kii" ("The Prairie
Chicken's Son").

Joe Rolette was born on Oct. 23, 1820, at Prairie du
Chien. He received a commercial education in New
York, but having inherited the free and easy, half-sav-
age characteristics of his father, he soon gravitated to the
border, and settled at Pembina, on the Red River of the
North, near the dividing line between the United States
and Canada. At this point an extensive trade in furs
had sprung up, in opposition to the Hudson Bay people,
who had monopolized the trade for British interests for
many long years. The catch of furs was brought down
to the Mississippi every year by brigades of carts, con-
structed entirely of wood and rawhide, which were
drawn by a single horse or ox, and carried a load of
from 800 to 1,000 pounds. These vehicles were admira-
bly adapted to the country, which was in a perfectly nat-
ural state, without roads of any kind, except the trail
worn by the carts. They could easily pass over a slough
that would obstruct any other forms of wheeled carriage,
and one man could drive four or five of them, each being
hitched behind the other. They were readily constructed
on the border, by the unskilled half-breeds, where iron
was unobtainable. This trade, with an occasional ar-
rival of dog trains in the winter, was the only connecting
link between far away Pembina and St. Paul.

When the Territory of Minnesota was organized, in
1849, St. Paul was designated as the capital, and a plain
but suitable building was erected by the United States
for the purpose of the local government, and when fin-
ished the territorial legislature convened there annually.

Joe Rolette, being the leading citizen of Pembina,

360 Tales of the Frontier.

and naturally desirous of spending his winters at the
capital, had himself elected to the legislature, first to the
house of representatives in 1853, and again in 1854 and
1855. In 1856 and 1857 he was returned to the council,
which was the upper house, corresponding to the senate
as the legislature is now composed. This body consisted
of fifteen members. The sessions were limited by the
organic act to sixty days.

That the capital should be located and remain at St.
Paul had been determined by the leading citizens of this
region, as far as they could decide this question, before
the organization of the territory, but there were from the
beginning manifestations of a desire to remove it ex-
hibited in several localities. Wm. R. Marshall resided
at St. Anthony, and at the first session in 1849 worked
hard to have it removed to that point, but failed, and
no serious attempt was again made until 1857, when, on
February 6th, a bill was introduced by a councillor from
St. Cloud, to remove it to St. Peter, a town on the Min-
nesota river, which had grown into considerable im-
portance. General Gorman was the governor, and large-
ly interested in St. Peter. He gave the scheme the
weight of his influence. Winona, through its councillor,
St. A. D. Balcombe, was a warm advocate of the change,
and enough influence was secured to carry the bill in
both houses. It, however, only passed the council by
one majority, eight voting in its favor, and seven against
it.

It was at this point in the fight that Rolette proved
himself a bold and successful strategist. He was a
friend of St. Paul, and was determined that the plan
should not succeed if it was possible for him to prevent
it. He never calculated chances or hesitated at respon-
sibilities, but would undertake any desperate measure to

Tales of the FRONtiER. 361

carry a point with the same unreflecting" dash and heed-
lessness of danger that he would plunge his horse into a
herd of bufifalo, shooting right and left, trusting to luck
to extricate him. It happened that Joe was chairman of
the committee on enrolled bills of the council, and all
bills had to pass through his hands for enrollment and
comparison. On the 27th of February the removal bill
reached him, and he instantly decided that the legisla-
ture should never see it again, so he put it in his pocket
and disappeared. He had, however, foresight enough
carefully to deposit the bill in the vault of Truman M.
Smith's bank, in the Fuller House, on the corner of Sev-
enth and Jackson streets, before his vanishment.

On the 28th Joe did not appear in his seat, and no
one seemed to know anything of his whereabouts. As
his absence was prolonged, some of the advocates of the
removal became uneasy, and sent to the enrollment com-
mittee for the bill, but none of them knew anything
about it. At this point Mr. Balcombe offered a resolu-
tion, calling on Rolette to report the bill forthwith, and
on his failure to do so, that the next member of the com-
mittee, Mr. Wales, procure another enrolled copy and
report it. He then moved the previous question on his
resolution. At this point, Mr. Setzer, a friend of St.
Paul, moved a call of the council, and Mr. Rolette, being
reported absent, the sergeant-at-arms was sent out to
find him, and bring him in.

To comprehend the full bearings of the situation, it
should be known that, under the rules, no business could
be transacted while the council was under a call, and
that it required a two-thirds vote to dispense with the
call. As I have said before, the bill was passed in the
council by a vote of eight for and seven against, which
was the full vote of the body; but in the absence of Ro-

862 Tales of the Frontier.

lette there were only fourteen present. Luckily for St.
Paul, it takes as ^nany to make two-thirds of fourteen as
it does to make two-thirds of fifteen, and the friends of
the bill could only muster nine on the jnotion to dis-
pense with the call. Mr. John B. Brisbin was president
of the council, and a strong friend of St. Paul, so no re-
laxation of the rules could be hoped for from him. In
this dilemma, the friends of removal were forced to des-
perate extremes, and Mr. Balcombe actually made an
extended argument to prove to the chair that ;iine was
two-thirds of fourteen. Both gentlemen were gradu-
ates of Yale, and, on the completion of his argument,
Air. Brisbin said, "Balcombe, we never figured that way
at Yale ; the motion is lost," and the council found itself
at a deadlock, with the call pending, and no hope of
transacting any business, unless some member of the
five yielded. They were all steadfast, however, and there
was nothing to do but to receive the daily report of the
sergeant-at-arms that Mr. Rolette could not be found.
Sometimes he would report a rumor that Rolette had
been seen at some town up the river, making for Pem-
bina with a dog train, at the rate of fifteen miles an hour ;
again, that he had been assassinated, — in fact, every-
thing but the truth, which was that he was luxuriously
quartered in the upper story of the Fuller House, hav-
ing the joUiest time of his life, surrounded by friends,
male and female, and supplied with the best the town
afforded, including buckets of champagne.

The 5th of March was the last day of the session, and
the council camped in its chamber, theoretically hand-
cuffed and hobbled, until midnight of that day, when
President Brisbin took the chair, and pronounced the
council adjourned sine die.

The sergeant-at-arms was John Lamb, well known

Tales op the Frontier. 363

to all old settlers. He was a resident of St. Paul, and
true to her interests, as his conduct proved. I don't
suppose any man ever 3pent five days and nights trying
harder how not to find his man than he did on this oc-
casion. Whether his fidelity was ever rewarded I am
unable to say.

During the deadlock the friends of removal got a
copy of the bill through, but neither the speaker of the
house nor the president of the council would sign it.
The governor, however, did approve it, but the first time
it was tested in court it was pronounced invalid, and set
aside. Other attempts at capital removal were made,
but none of them proved successful.

Rolette and I were close friends. We had served to-
gether in the council at its preceding session, and after-
wards in the constitutional convention, and always
roomed together when in St. Paul. I lived at Traverse
des Sioux, which is next door to St. Peter, at the time of
this attempt to remove the capital there, but vigorously
opposed the measure. Rolette's life was threatened by
the friends of removal, and many is the night I have
played the part of bodyguard to him, armed to the teeth ;
but fortunately he was not assailed.

As I rather admired the plucky manner in which my
friend had ,stood by St. Paul in this, the hour of her dan-
ger, I conceived the idea of preserving the event to his-
tory by presenting his portrait to the Historical Society
of the state, which I did, in April, 1890, and also hung
one in the Minnesota Club. It is a capital likeness, rep-
resenting him, full life size, in the wild and picturesque
costume of the border. A brass tablet on the frame is
inscribed with the following legend: "The Hon. Joe
Rolette, who saved the capital to St. Paul, by running
away with the bill removing it to St. Peter, in 1857."

364 Tales of the Frontier.

Joe died at Pembina, and is buried in the graveyard
of the old Catholic church of Belencourt, under a cross
of oak, which once bore the words :

"Here reposes Joseph Rolette.
"Born Oct. 23, 1820.
"Died May 16, 1871."

The simple chronicle is long- since effaced.
"Requiescat in pace!" is the wish and hope of his his-
torian and friend.

Tales of the Frontier. 365

AN EDITOR INCOG.

IN the years 1864 and 1865 I lived in Carson City, the
capital of Nevada, which recently became famous as
the place where the great prize fight between Bob Fitz-
simmons and Gentleman Jim Corbett occurred. The
racecourse which became the arena on that occasion
was during all the time of my residence there used by me
daily as a gymnasium for exercise. I had very little to
do with the actual politics of the country, because I was,
and had always been, a Democrat of the most uncompro-
mising character, and the party divisions out in that
country were between the Republicans and men from
the Southern States, who were generally outspoken
rebels ; and as it was in the midst of the Civil War, the
feeling was intense between them. I was a warm sup-
porter of the war for the Union, and found myself in the
position of a man without a party. The situation did
not incommode me, however, as I was fully occupied
outside the realm of politics.

There were two daily newspapers published in the
town, — one Republican, which was called the Carson
Daily Appeal, and the other Democratic, called the Even-
ing Post. There were no associated press dispatches,
although the telegraph had reached the Pacific Coast
and the San Francisco papers had the benefit of that
great purveyor of news.

The proprietor of the plant of the Republican paper
was an old Minnesota man, and a friend of mine, with
whom I frequently came in contact, both in a business
and social way. Under this condition of things, you

366 Tales of the Frontier.

may imagine my surprise and consternation when I tell
you that one day he rushed into my office in a great state
of excitement, and told me that his editor had left him
and gone to San Francisco, and that he could not keep
his paper going unless I would run it until he could ar-
range for another editor, adding that a failure to publish
it for a single day would ruin him. At first I looked
upon the proposition as utterly out of the question, and
said : "How can I edit a Republican newspaper, when
I am at swords' points with everything they believe and
advocate?" It was with him, however, "a groundhog
case," as we used to call such imperative occasions. He
had to get him, as he was out of meat. He was per-
sistent in his demands, and as the negotiations pro-
gressed, I began to look upon the matter as a good joke,
and finally promised that I would undertake to keep the
paper going if he would swear that he would never dis-
close my identity, which condition he promised faith-
fully to observe.

It was a matter that admitted of no delay. I had to
prepare a column and a half of editorial that night for
the next morning's issue. What I wrote about, I don't
pretend to remember, but it was well received, and its
Republican orthodoxy was never questioned, and I re-
peated the dose daily for some time with the same suc-
cess, growing more and more violent in my attacks on
the Democracy in each successive issue. Carson was a
small town, and, as the old editor was missed by his
friends, public curiosity increased as to who had suc-
ceeded him, and I enrolled myself among the guessers,
and improved every occasion to criticise publicly the ed-
itorials. It soon became very tiresome and difficult to
maintain my ground, with politics as the sole text for my
editorials, and as news was very scarce, I sought relief in

Tales of the Frontier. 367

any channel that opened a way. A great race took place
in San Francisco between Charley Brian's ever victori-
ous horse, Lodi, and a colt of the celebrated stallion Lex-
ington, named Norfolk, for which Joe Winters of Car-
son had paid fifteen thousand and one dollars to the
ov/ner of Lexington, — Lord Bob Alexander of Ken-
tucky,— especially to make the race with Lodi. The
$15,001 was exacted by the owner of Lexington, be-
cause he had been laughed at for paying $15,000 for
Lexington when he was old and blind, and had said he
would sell his colts for more than he had paid for their
sire. This race, of course, created an immense excite-
ment. At least twenty thousand people went to see it,
and everybody on the Pacific Coast from the forty-ninth
parallel to the Mexican line had a bet on the result.
Lodi was beaten, and as Nevada was the victor, and I
knew all about Lexington, I wrote several essays on
race horses in general and Norfolk in particular.

The office of sheriff of our county was a very hazard-
ous one, every incumbent of it prior to the then holder
having "died with his boots on." Tim Smith, who filled
the office when I was there, and had shown desperate
courage on several occasions in the performance of his
duties, had gained my admiration and friendship, and af-
forded me a good text, and I wrote him up.

There was an ex-governor of California residing in
Carson with whom I became intimate, and on one occa-
sion I wrote him up ; and last, but not least, I made the
acquaintance of a beautiful and accompHshed lady living
in the town, and as such a person was a phenomenon in
that rude land, I was inspired to write her up, and did
so in the following poem :

368 Tales op the Frontier.

"This descriptive epigram is dedicated to the most beautiful
woman in Carson City, by the editor:
"Gorgeous tresses, exquisitely arrayed;
Noble brow where intellect's displayed;
Liquid eyes that penetrate the heart;
Teeth of pearl, whose brilliancy impart
To the whole expression of the face
A ray of love, a fascinating sense of grace.
A bust — but here presumptuous mortal stay:
Let artist gods this beauteous bust portray;
Splendor, royalty, magnificence combined,
A Venus in Diana's arms entwined.
The tiny hand, so soft, so pure, so white,
Robs its emerald gem of half its light.
The secret charms beneath her robe-folds hidden.
Like heavens' joys to mortal eyes forbidden,
Are dimly outlined to our rapturous gaze.
Like veiled statues through a marble haze.
Her fairy foot, as in the graceful waltz it glides.
Our admiration equally divides.

And proves, that of her many charms of form and voice.
If one you had to choose, you could not make the choice.
Their perfect harmony is like the arch's span;
Displace one stone, you destroy the noble plan."

My political attacks did not seem to make much im-
pression on my Democratic cotemporary, and he paid
very little attention to what I said, feeling, no doubt, in-
different in the overwhelming majority of the Republi-
can party, but when I branched out in the line I have
indicated, he opened on me savagely in several editori-
als. He said the Appeal had discovered a soft-soap
mine, and had used it lavishly to lather governors, sher-
ififs, ladies, and a great many other people, for the pur-
pose of gaining their support and patronage, all of which
afforded me a fine opportunity of getting back at him
in a humorous, and at the same time effective manner,
so I shot at him in verse, which I will repeat; but to a
full understanding of it, I will explain that all mining
claims are measured by the number of feet the claimant
owns on the ledge, and the word "feet" became synony-
mous with the mine itself. This was my answer:

Tales of the Frontier. 369

"SOAP."

"Great renovator of the human race!

Great cleanser of the human face!

Thy potent art removes each stain

From dirtiest mortal on this sphere mundane.

'Tis sad to think thy mystic spell

Can't penetrate within the shell,

And to a soiled, perverted heart

Cleanliness and purity impart.

Thy subtle essence, heretofore confined

In bars of Windsor toilet cakes refined;

In Colgate's honey for the barber's brush,

And shapeless masses much resembling slush.

Has now, according to our evening sheet.

Been found in ledges, known as "feet."

To use the language of the Post, in fine.

The great Appeal has found a mine;

And having now much soap to spare,

Soaps governors — sheriffs — ladies fair.

How sad it is, with all this soap.

To know there's not the slightest hope

If all the Chinamen in town

Should wash it up and wash it down.

And scrub 'till it gave up the ghost,

Of making clean the Evening Post."

The effect of my shot was equal to a thirteen-inch
shell in the camp of the tntmy. The whole community
laughed, and the Post left me studiously alone until the
new editor came and relieved me. I had lots of fun out
of the experiment, besides getting the magnificent com-
pensation of twenty dollars a week for my services. I
also had the gratification of knowing that the exciting
question of "Who edits the Appealf" remained unan-
swered until I answered it myself.
24

370 Tales of the Frontier.

THE INK-PA-DU-TA WAR.

ALIv old settlers will remember what in the history of
Minnesota is known as "The Ink-pa-du-ta War." It
occurred in 1857, and, briefly described, was something
like the following-: Near the northwest corner of the
State of Iowa, in the county of Dickinson, and near the
southwest corner of the State of Minnesota, in the coun-
ty of Jackson, there are two large and very beautiful
lakes, called Spirit lake and Lake Okoboji. The coun-
try about these lakes is surpassingly beautiful and fruit-
ful, and naturally attracted settlers in a very early day.
In 1855 and 1857 a few famihes settled on a small river
which heads in Minnesota and flows southward into
Iowa, called in English Rock river, and in Sioux In-yan-
yan-ke. In 1856 Hon, William Freeborn of Red Wing,
Minn., started a settlement at Spirit lake, and near the
same time another location was made about ten or fif-
teen miles north of Spirit lake, and called Springfield.

There was a small band of Indians, numbering ten or
fifteen lodges, under the chieftainship of Ink-pa-du-ta,
or the "Scarlet Point," which had for long years fre-
quented the region of the Vermillion river, and although
Sioux, they had become separated from the bands that
made treaties with the United States in 185 1, and were
regarded as outlaws and vagabonds. This band had
planted in the neighborhood of Spirit lake prior to 1857,
and ranged the country from there to the Missouri.

Early in March, 1857, these Indians were hunting in
the neighborhood of Rock river settlement, and got
into a row with the white people from some trivial cause,

TALts OP THE Frontier. 371

and the treatment they received greatly angered them.
They proceeded north and massacred all the people at the
Spirit lake and Okoboji settlements, except four women,
whom they captured and carried off with them. They
then attacked the settlers at Springfield, and killed most
of them. The result of the massacre was forty-two
white people killed and four white women taken as cap-
tives.

I was then United States agent for the Sioux, and
the news of the trouble reached me at my agency, on the
Minnesota river, early in March, 1857, by two young
men, who had escaped, and had travelled all the way on
foot through the deep snow, a distance of nearly one
hundred miles. Although the air was always full of ru-
mors of Indian troubles in those days, I was convinced
that the news brought by these boys was true, so I made
a requisition on Colonel Alexander of the Tenth United
States Infantry, stationed at Fort Ridgely, for troops,
and he sent me Company "A," commanded by Captain
Barnard E. Bee and Lieutenant Murray. I supplied
guides and interpreters from my Indians, and after a
most laborious and painful roundabout march of many
days, we reached the scene of the troubles, only to find,
as I fully expected, the Indians gone. The dead were
buried, and the troops, after remaining for some time,
returned to the fort.

Now comes the most interesting part of the incident.
The captured women were Mrs. Noble, Mrs. Thatcher,
Mrs. Marble and Miss Gardner. The legislature of the
territory was in session, and the news of the event soon
reached St. Paul, and, as might be expected, created
great excitement, and, of course, the principal interest
centered in the rescue of the prisoners. All the legis-
lature could do was to appropriate money to defray the

372 Tales of the Frontier.

expenses of the undertaking, and as nobody knew what
to do or how to do it, they appropriated $10,000 and
wisely left the whole matter to Governor Medary, who
was then the governor of the territory, with full power
to do what he thought best about it. He, being a prac-
tical man, and having no idea at all of how to proceed in
the matter, very sensibly turned the whole business over
to me, with carte blanche to do whatever I thought best.
An accident controlled the situation, and shaped fu-
ture events. Two of my Indians, who had been hunting
on the Big Sioux river, heard that Ink-pa-du-ta was en-
camped at Skunk lake, about seventy-five miles west of
Spirit lake, and had some white captives in his camp ;
so they went to see him, and succeeded in purchasing
Mrs. Marble, for whom they paid horses and rifles, and
whatever they had, and brought her into the Yellow
Medicine agency and delivered her to me. I paid them
$500 each for their services, and immediately sent out
another expedition to try to rescue the other captives.
I say I paid these two Indians $500 each. The fact is,
I could raise but $500 in money on the reservation,
which I gave them, and resorted to a financial scheme
to get the rest, which has since become quite the fashion
when people or communities are short. I issued a ter-
ritorial bond, and as it is the first government bond that
ever was issued in all the country that lies between the
Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains, I give it in full.

"I, Stephen R. Riggs, missionary among the Sioux
Indians, and I, Charles E. Flandrau, United States In-
dian agent for the Sioux, being satisfied that Mak-pi-ya-
ka-ho-ton and Si-ha-ho-ta, two Sioux Indians, have
performed a valuable service to the Territory of Min-
nesota and humanity, by rescuing from captivity Mrs.

Tales of the Frontier. 373

Margaret Ann Marble, and delivering her to the Sioiix
agent, and being further satisfied that the rescue of the
two remaining white women who are now in captivity
among Ink-pa-du-ta's band of Indians depends much
upon the liberality shown towards the said Indians who
have recovered Mrs. Marble, and having full confidence
in the humanity and liberality of the Territory of Min-
nesota, through its government and citizens, have this
day paid to the two said above named Indians, the sum
of five hundred dollars in money, and do hereby pledge
to said two Indians that the further sum of five hundred
dollars will be paid to them by the Territory of Minne-
sota or its citizens within three months from the date
hereof.

"Dated Alay 22nd, 1857, at Pa-ju-ta Zi-zi, M. T.

"STEPHEN R. RIGGS,
"Missionary A. B. C. F. M.

"CHAS. E. FLANDRAU,

"U. S. Indian Agent for Sioux."

This bond differed materially from some that were
issued by Minnesota afterwards, in being paid promptly
at maturity, '

My expedition brought in Miss Gardner, but Mrs.
Noble and Mrs. Thatcher were killed before rehef
reached them.

All this occurred before I heard of the action of the
legislature, and was done wholly on my individual re-
sponsibility. I, however, reimbursed myself for the out-
lay from the state funds, and covered the balance of the
appropriation into the treasury.

Very shortly after the rescue of Miss Gardner, while
at the Redwood agency, I received a note from Sam
Brown, a trader at Yellow Medicine, by an Indian

374 Tales of the Frontier.

courier, which informed me that Ink-pa-du-ta and sev-
eral of his band were at the Yellow Medicine river. I at
once determined to kill or capture them, and sent word
back that I would be on hand with a proper force on the
morning of the second day, and that he must send an
Indian who knew where to find them, who would meet
me at midnight on the top of a butte half way between
the Redwood and Yellow Medicine rivers, and guide me
in.

I then made a requisition for troops on the com-
mander of the post at Ridgely, who sent me a lieuten-
ant and fifteen men. It chanced to be Lieutenant Mur-
ray, who had accompanied the expedition to Spirit lake.
While waiting for the soldiers, I raised a volunteer force
of about twenty men, among whom was a son of the
celebrated electrician, Professor Morse, and some other
young gentlemen who were visiting the agency, all of
whom insisted on going for the fun of the thing. The
balance consisted of employes, most of whom were half-
breeds. The soldiers arrived about five o'clock in the
afternoon, and I put them in wagons. I mounted my
squad on good horses, and every man was furnished
with a double-barrelled shotgun and a revolver. We
started about dark, and at midnight arrived at the butte.
I galloped to the top of it, and found sitting there in the
most composed manner possible smoking his pipe, An-
pe-tu-toka-sha, or John Otherday, who had been deputed
by Brown to guide us in. He said he knew where we
could find the enemy, and indicated six lodges standing
together about four miles above the Yellow Medicine
Agency, on the open prairie. He left the road, and
guided us through the open country to a point on the
river about a mile below the lodges, they being on the
other side of the river. We arrived at about four o'clock

Tales of the Frontier. 375

in the morning, just as the hght of day was breaking.
It was an engrossing study to observe how skillfully he
kept us concealed from view of the enemy, by keeping
rolls of the prairie between us. All his movements were
like those of a wary animal, stealthy and noiseless. The
fact is, the education of a savage is learned from the wild
animals on which he lives, and that is what makes him
such a good hunter and fighter.

The river, with a narrow stretch of bottom land and
a bluff of about thirty feet in height, lay between us and
the plateau on which was the camp where Ink-pa-du-ta
was supposed to be. Here we formed our plan of at-
tack. As soon as we crossed and attained the high
prairie, and located the enemy, we were to divide our
force into two squads, one of which was to be the sol-
diers and the other the mounted men. The soldiers
were to double-quick up the edge of the bluff, to inter-
cept a retreat into the river bottom, while the mounted
men took the open prairie to cut off escape in the other
direction. Lieutenant Murray was to lead the soldiers
and I the horsemen. I said to Otherday and my inter-
preter: "How are we to know the guilty parties?''
The answer was : "'Whoever runs from the camp you
may be sure of."

The scene presented when we reached the high land
was beautiful, inspiring, and frightfully alarming. As
far as the eye could reach there was an unbroken camp
of savages, not less than eight or ten thousand of them,
representing all the Indians of my upper bands, and
those from the Missouri who always visited us at pay-
ment time. I knew many of them were relatives of Ink-
pa-du-ta and his people, and most of them his friends,
but there was no time for balancing chances, and, at the
word, away we went for the enemy's camp, which was

376 Tales of the Frontier.

the farthest up the river of them all. The night had been
very hot, and, as is the custom, the tepees had been
rolled up at the bottom, to allow a free circulation of air,
which, of course, allowed the inmates an open view of
the prairie. When my squad got within about two or
three hundred yards of the lodges a young Indian, hold-
ing the hand of a squaw and carrying a double-barrelled
shotgun, sprang out, and made for the river blufif as fast
as his legs would carry him. All the soldiers fired at
him, but he did not seem to be hit, and disappeared
among the chaparral in the bottom. We surrounded
him. He fired four shots, and each time I looked to see
a man fall, but only one shot was effective, and that
struck the cartridge box of a young soldier, turning it
completely inside out, but without injuring the wearer.
Whenever he shot, we poured a volley into the place
indicated by the smoke, and succeeded in killing him.
We took his squaw and put her into one of the wagons,
more for the purpose of identifying the man than any-
thing else, and started down the river towards the
agency. We had to pass through the heart of all these
camps, and the squaw yelled as only a scared squaw can.
The savages swarmed about our party by the hundreds
and thousands, threatening vengeance, and flourishing
their guns in a blood-curdling manner. A shot from
one of them, or from one of us, would have sent us all
into heaven in less than a moment. The shot was not
fired, and we succeeded in reaching the agency in safe-
ty. I have always attributed our escape to the moral
force of the government that was behind us.

At the agency there were great log buildings, in
which we fortified ourselves. I sent a courier to Fort
Ridgely for reenforcements. The commandini^ officer
sent us the old Sherman Buena Vista Batterv, which as-
sisted us in letting go and getting out.

Tales of the Frontier. 377

The Indian we killed turned out to be the eldest son
of Ink-pa-du-ta, who was one of the head devils in the
Spirit lake massacre. He had ventured in to see his
sweetheart, and was the only one of the gang- that was
present when we made our attack.

The question has often been asked, why the govern-
ment allowed the massacre to go unpunished. Colonel
Alexander of the Tenth and I had a plan by which we
would have destroyed Ink-pa-du-ta and his band with-
out a doubt, but just at the moment of putting it into
execution an order came for all the companies of the
Tenth at Ridgely to leave at once for Fort Bridger, in
Utah, to join the expedition under General Albert Syd-
ney Johnson, against the Mormons, and that was the
end of it.

Our raid was about as foolhardy and reckless a one
as ever was undertaken, and our escape can only be
credited to providence or good luck.

378 Tales of the Frontier.

MUSCULAR LEGISLATION.

MY attention was once arrested by a short editorial,
under the caption of "Gold Lace Lawmaking,"
which recalled an amusing incident in my experience
that occurred in 1856. The editorial said: "When the
lawmakers of the province of Manitoba met at Winni-
peg, the occasion was something to impress the voter.
The Royal Canadian Dragoons paraded, and the Thir-
teenth field battery roared a salute. Mark the contrast.
On one side of the line, ceremony, gold lace and honor.
On the other, nothing but a few clean collars and a
camp-fire of the bobby."

It is not my intention to discuss the question of
which is the better method, but to relate an incident
which will cast some light on the views people of the two
sections take of legislative etiquette and ceremony, and
the slight effect such ideas have on the practical subject
of legislation and the conduct of the legislators.

In the year 1856 I was elected by the people of the
Minnesota valley to the territorial council, which cor-
responds to the state senate under our present political
organization. At the same election a neighbor of mine,
George McLeod, was elected to the house of representa-
tives from the same district. George was a Scotch Can-
adian, who had passed his life in that part of Canada
where French is the dominant language, and it had be-
come his most familiar tongue. He was a giant in build,
being much over six feet in height, and correspondingly
powerful. He was red headed, and although well edu-
cated, preferred his fists to any other weapons in argu-

Tales of the Frontier. 379

ment, and generally carried his points. He was fond of
good horses, boasted of his skill as a hunter, and pos-
sessed all the requisites of a successful frontiersman. He
added to these accomplishments an extensive knowledge
of Scotch poetry and a varied repertoire of choice songs,
which he sang on all appropriate occasions. On the
whole, George might be classified as an all around good
fellow. Another attribute which I must not forget to
mention was, that he was the brother of one of our most
distinguished first settlers, Martin McLeod, who was a
member of the first territorial council, which convened in
1849, ^^d also the brother of Rev. Norman McLeod, a
plucky Presbyterian preacher, who settled in Salt Lake
City in the fifties, and preached the Gentile religion when
Mormonism was at its height and its disciples were in
the habit of kiUing people who differed from them.

After the excitement of the election was over, George
naturally began to reflect upon his exalted position, and,
of course, all his conclusions were reached from a Cana-
dian point of view. Feeling a little doubt on some ques-
tions, he decided to consult me, supposing I was more
familiar with the American way of doing things than he
possibly could be ; so one day he came to see me on the
all-engrossing subject. We found each other in the regu-
lation costume of the country, which consisted of blue
flannel shirts, cheap slop-shop trowsers, Red River moc-
casins, and the whole finished off with a scarlet Hud-
son's Bay or a variegated Pembina sash, all of which was
picturesque, but carried with it no semblance of preten-
tious aristocracy. I welcomed George with great cordi-
ahty, and he at once opened his budget. He said:
"Flaundreau," giving my name the full French pronun-
ciation, "when we get down to parliament, we will have
to set up a coach." My surprise may be well imagined,

380 Tales of the Frontier.

when I tell you a journey of a hundred miles on foot was
to either of us no unusual event, and that neither Mc-
Leod nor I had been the owner of a boot or a shoe for
several years. I, however, restrained my astonishment,
and asked: ''What makes you think so?" His reply
was, that it was entirely inadmissible for a member of
parliament to walk from his hotel to the parliament
house or to ride in a public conveyance. The question
of British or Canadian etiquette flashed upon me, and
explained McLeod's meaning; but it required an im-
mense effort on my part to control my laughter, when I
had fully taken in the ludicrous features of the proposi-
tion. I would no more have given way to my inclina-
tions, however, than I would have yielded to the same
desire when some ridiculous event happens at an ofificial
Indian council. The picture of a coach with liveried
coachman and footman driving up to the door of the old
American House in St. Paul, and two half-savage look-
ing men, shod in moccasins, climbing into it, to be trans-
ported three or four blocks to the old capitol, with a
gaping crowd of half-breeds and rufifianly spectators
looking on in amazement, passed before my mind, and
made me wonder what would be the result of such a
phenomenal spectacle; but I simply said: "We had
better wait until we get there, and see what the other fel-
lows do; but there is one thing I can promise you, and
that is, that our district shall not fall behind any of the
rest of them if it takes a coach and six to hold it up."

When we arrived at the parliament, of course Mc-
Leod's ideas of etiquette and good form met with a rude
check, and that was the last I ever heard of the subject.

But it was not the last I heard of my colleague.
His convivial and belhgerent characteristics led him into
all sorts of scrapes. He was, however, usually quite

Tales of the Frontier. 381

competent to take care of himself, and we each followed
our own trails without interference, until some political
question of more than ordinary interest came up in the
house, and an evening session was agreed upon for its
discussion. McLeod was to speak on the subject, and
he spent nearly all day in preparation, which consisted in
dropping in at old Caulder's, a brother Scotchman,
about every hour and taking a drink, so when the time
arrived he was loaded to the guards with inspiration.

In the old capitol the halls of legislation were on the
second floor, the house on one side and the council on
the other, with an open hall between them and a stair-
way leading up from below. The height between the
floors was about sixteen feet. It had been arranged that
a keg of whisky should be put into the council chamber,
to be presided over by the sergeant-at-arms of the coun-
cil, who was an enormous man, larger even than Mc-
Leod.

The hour arrived, a large party attended the debate,
among whom were Joe Rolette and I, many ladies also
gracing the occasion. McLeod spoke, and after he had
finished, he sauntered over to the council chamber to re-
fresh himself. While the custodian of the keg was get-
ting him a drink, McLeod asked if he had heard his
speech, and how he liked it. The sergeant ventured a
not very flattering criticism on some remark he had
made, when George slapped him viciously across the face
with a pair of buckskin gauntlets he held in his hand.
He had hardly struck the blow, when the sergeant seized
him, and rushed him across the hall to the railing around
the staircase, reaching which, over McLeod went back-
wards to the bottom, sixteen feet below, with a crash
that could be heard all over the building. In a moment
or two, my friend, Joe Rolette, came running breath-

382 Tales of the Frontier.

lessly to me, and gasped out, "Hiawatha, Hiawatha"
[the name he always called me], "McLeod is dead." I
sprang to my feet, and rushed down stairs, where I found
McLeod laid out on a lounge in the of¥ice of the secre-
tary of the territory, with Doctor Le Boutillier, a French
member from St. Anthony, endeavoring to pacify him.
The conversation ran as follows :

Doctor : "Georges, mon ami ; ne bouge pas. tu a le

bras casse,"

McLeod: "Fiche-Moi la paix, on pent courber le
bras a un Ecossais ; on ne pent pas le lui casser."

Which translated would read :

"George, my friend, be quiet, your arm is broken."

"Stand aside, you may bend a Scotchman's arms, but
you can't break them."

Poor McLeod's right arm was broken badly, which
laid him up until the end of the session.

A short time after the legislature had dissolved
George was standing in a saloon on Third street, with
his right arm in a sling, and a glass of whisky in his left
hand, which- he v\'as about to drink, when who should
walk in but the big sergeant. Without a word George
discharged the contents of his glass into the face of the
sergeant, and prepared for battle, crippled as he was ; but
the interruption of friends and the chivalry of the ser-
geant prevented an encounter, and so ended the legisla-
tive career of the gentleman from Canada. Whether it
would have terminated otherwise had we set up our
coach and livery and changed our moccasins for patent
leather boots I leave to the decision of the reader.

He went with General Sibley's command to the Mis-
souri, where I believe he remained.

Tales of the Frontier. 383

THE VIRGIN FEAST.

IN all ages, and among all people who had progressed
beyond absolute individualism and gained any kind of
government or community interests, there must have
been some kind of law to settle disputes and controver-
sies, whether of a public or private nature, and I remem-
ber once, in the very early days of Minnesota, of witness-
ing a test which bore a close resemblance to a trial by
jury, and involved an important question of individual
character which would have been classified under our
jurisprudence as an action of slander. It occurred
among the Sioux Indians, and presented many features
of much interest that made an impression on me which
I have never forgotten. The whole proceeding was ab-
solutely natural and aboriginal in its character and con-
duct, and free from the technicalities which sometimes
obstruct the progress of the administration of justice in
modern times.

It is well known that the value of the testimony of a
witness depends very much upon his demeanor and man-
ner of dehvering it in court, and that the judge usually
tells the jury that they must take these matters into con-
sideration in giving it its true weight ; but in the case I
am about to relate there was nothing but the appear-
ance and manner of the witnesses testifying upon which
to base a judgment of their truth or falsity, and it was
this novel feature that lent additional and peculiar inter-
est to the controversy.

The Sioux Indians have a rude kind of jurisprudence
which gets at the truth by a sort of natural intuition, and
the case I witnessed convinced me that justice had been
reached with more certainty than in nine out of ten of
our jury trials. We have all heard of trial by battle, un-

384 Tales of the Frontier.

der the old English law, and the trial of witches by wa-
ter, where, if they sank and drowned they were innocent,
and if they floated they were guilty and were hanged.
But this trial was based on public sentiment or the ability
of bystanders to detect guilt or innocence from the ap-
pearance and conduct of the litigants during the trial,
which, although a crude method, is, in my judgment,
much safer than some of those practised by our ancestors
at no very remote date.

The trial I refer to is called the "Virgin Feast." It
is brought about in this way: Some gossip or scandal
is started in a band about one of the young women. It
reaches the ears of her mother. In order to test its truth
or falsity, the mother commands her daughter to give a
"Virgin Feast." The accused cooks some rice, and in-
vites all the maidens of the band to come and partake.
They appear, each with a red spot painted on each cheek,
as an emblem of virginity. They seat themselves in a
semi-circle on the prairie, and the hostess supplies each
of them with a bowl of rice which is set before her. A
boulder, painted red, is placed in front of them, about ten
feet distant, and a large knife is thrust into the ground
in front of, and close up to, the stone. All the young
men attend as spectators. This ceremony is, on the part
of the accused and any girl who takes a place in the ring,
a challenge to the world, that, if any one has aught to say
against her, he has the privilege of saying it. If nothing
is said, and the feast is eaten uninterruptedly, the maiden
who gave the feast is vindicated, and the gossip disbe-
lieved ; but if the challenge is taken up by any young
buck, he steps forward and seizes the girl he accuses by
the hand, pulls her out of the ring, and makes his
charges. She has the right of swearing on the stone
and knife to her innocence, which goes a great way in
her vindication, but is not conclusive. If she swears,

Tales of the Frontier. 385

and he persists, an altercation ensues, and public senti-
ment is formed on view of the contestants' actions.

I remember once, at one of these trials, of seeing a
young fellow of about twenty-five, step forward and
rudely grasp the hand of a girl of about sixteen, jerk her
to her feet, and make some scandalous charge against
her. The look she gave him was so full of righteous in-
dignation, scorn and offended virtue that no one could
see it without being at once enlisted in her favor. She
glared on him for a moment, with a look that only out-
raged innocence can assume, when shouts went up from
the crowd, "Swear! Swear!" She approached the stone
with the bearing of a princess, and placed her hand upon
it with an air that could not be mistaken ; then throwing
a look of triumph at the spectators, she strode back to
face her accuser with the confidence that bespeaks inno-
cence. The fellow began to weaken, and in less than a
moment was in full flight with a howling mob after him,
hurling sticks and stones at him with no gentle intent.
He disappeared, and the girl took her place in the ring
as fully vindicated as if the lord chief justice of England
had decided her case. I recollect very distinctly that my
convictions of her innocence induced by the general fea-
tures of the trial and conduct of the litigants were as
strong as any member of the court.

It probably would not do to depend upon such evi-
dence in the more complicated affairs of civilized life,
and with a people educated in dissimulation and the con-
trol of the emotions, but with a simple and natural peo-
ple I don't believe many mistakes were made in arriving
at just judgments.

"Innocence unmoved
At a false accusation doth the more
Confirm itself; and guilt is best discover'd
By its own fears."
25

386 Tales of the Frontier.

THE ABORIGINAL WAR CORRESPONDENT.

FROM the earliest days of recorded history man has
regarded his prowess in war as the most valuable
of his exploits, ^nd success in war has generally been
measured by the number of slain on the battlefield. I
don't know how the facts were arrived at in ancient
times, and whether or jiot they had war correspond-
ents who followed the armies and reported their do-
ings I can't say, but as the art of printing was un-
known, and the means of communication were very
limited, it seems doubtful if the results were arrived at
in that way. From what I know of human nature and
character, I am convinced that, if the reports were
made through the commanders in the field, the lists of
the enemy slain may fairly be discounted about seventy-
five per cent. Have we not had reports of the most ex-
aggerated character as to the number of prisoners cap-
tured and enemies killed so recently as our Civil War?
And have we ever read of a battle with the Indians or
other uncivilized people where, after giving our own
losses, we have not met with the old stereotyped report,
"that the loss of the enemy was far greater, but as they
always remove their dead and wounded, it is impossible
to ascertain the exact number?" The wars now raging
in the Philippines and Samoa form no exception to this
familiar report. So far as our fights with the American
Indians are concerned, I feel quite confident that, where
we have killed one Indian, we have lost ten whites,
take it through from the Atlantic to the Pacific; but you
can't figure out any such results from the reports which

Tales of the Frontier. 387

have made up history. The temptation to exaggerate
for the purpose of hero-making and future poHtical
preferment is too great to be resisted, and the conse-
quence is that truth suffers amazingly. Perhaps it is
better for mankind that the slaughter should be on pa-
per, rather than in fact.

Modern warfare h^s introduced the new element of
the war correspondent. He is generally either a crea-
ture of the commander, or desirous of flattering him for
personal advantage or some other consideration, and he
piles on the praises of the side he represents, diminishes
the credit due the enemy, and resolves every doubt
against him. .

Now the Indian has a way of arriving at the truth of
such matters which is infinitely more satisfactory than
that of his white brother. He knows just as well as any
one what boasters all men are on matters relating to
their own exploits, and especially those relating to war,
and in order that there shall be no humbug about such
matters, he will give no credence to any statement that
is not accompanied by the most irrefragable proof.
When a warrior comes home and says, "I killed six ene-
mies on my last raid," he is confronted with the demand
to produce his evidence, and the only evidence admissi-
ble is the scalps of the dead enemies. Should he make
such an assertion without the proof, he would be laughed
out of the camp as a silly boaster.

Most people think the practice of scalping an enemy,
generally indulged in by the Sioux, is a wanton desire
cruelly to mutilate the foe. Such is not the case at all ;
he is prompted solely by the desire of procuring proof of
his success, and he will take more chances to get a scalp
than he would for any other object in life. Among the
Sioux, and I believe most of the tribes of North Ameri-

388 Tales of the Frontier.

ca, for every enemy killed a warrior is entitled to wear
a head-dress with an eagle feather in it, which to him
fills the same place in his character and reputation as the
Victoria cross or the medal of the legion of honor, or
any other of the numerous decorations bestowed upon
white men for deeds of bravery and honor ; and to gain
this distinction he is moved by. the same impulse that
actuated Hobson in sinking the Merrimac in the harbor
of Santiago, or the actors in the thousand and one dar-
ing deeds in which men in all ages have freely risked
their lives.

Scalping is an art, and the manner in which it is
done, depends wholly upon the circumstances of the oc-
casion. A complete and perfect scalp embraces the
whole hair of the head, with a margin of skin all round
it about two and a half inches in width, including both
ears with all their ornaments. This can only be obtained
when the victor has abundant time to operate leisurely.
When he is beset by the enemy, all he can do, as a gen-
eral thing, is to seize the hair with the left hand and hold
up the scalp with it and then give a quick cut with his
knife, and get as big a piece as he can. By this hurried
process he rarely gets a piece larger than a small saucer,
and generally not bigger than a silver dollar; but no
matter how small it may be, it entitles him to his feather.
Among the Sioux the killing of a full grown grizzly bear
is equivalent to the killing of an enemy, and entitles the
victor to the same decoration. I have known Indians
who wore as many as sixteen feathers.

It is not alone the importance that these decorations
give the wearer which enters into their value. When he
returns from the war path, bearing scalps, he is received
by all his band with demonstrations of the greatest pride
and honor. If you can imagine Dewey landing at New

Tales of the Frontier. 389

York from the Philippines, you can form some idea of
the honors that would be heaped upon a victorious sav-
age. If the weather is pleasant, he strips to the waist,
and paints his body jet black. He places on the top of
his head a round ball of pure white swan's down, about
the size of a large orange, and takes in his hand a stafif,
about five feet long, with a buckskin fringe tacked on to
the upper three feet of it. On the end of each shred of
the fringe is a piece of a deer's hoof, forming a rattle,
by striking together when shaken up and down. When
arrayed in this manner he marches up and down the vil-
lage, recounting in a sort of a chant the entire history
of the events of the raid on the enemy, going into the
most minute details, and indulging in much imagination
and superstition. He tells what he dreamed, what ani-
mals he saw, and how all these things influenced his con-
duct. He continues this ceremony for days and days,
and is the admiration of all his people. I have seen four
or five of them together promenading in this way, and
have taken an interpreter and marched with them by the
hour listening to their stories.

When this part of the performance is over, the scalps
are tanned by the women, as they would tan a buffalo-
skin, the inside painted red, and the whole stretched on
a circular hoop, about the size of a barrel hoop, to which
is attached a straight handle, about four feet long, so
that it can be carried in the air above the heads of the
people. It is also decorated with all the trinkets found
on the person of the slain.

Then begins the dancing. When night comxcs the
men arrange themselves in two lines, about fifteen feet
apart, facing each other, all provided with tom-toms, and
musical instruments of all kinds known to the savage.
When everything is ready, they sing a kind of a weird

390 Tales of the Frontier.

chant, keeping time with the instruments and their feet.
Then the squaws, with the scalps held aloft, dance in be-
tween the lines of men from opposite directions, until
they meet, when they chasse to the right and left, then
dance back and forward again, every once in a while
emitting a sharp little screech which I have never known
to be successfully imitated. During the dance, the men
join in a kind of shufifle from right to left, and back
again, keeping the music going all the time. The whole
performance is one of the most savage and weird cere-
monies I have ever witnessed. It is kept up for weeks.

It was a frequent amusement for half a dozen of us
to throw blankets over our heads, and join in the dance
for half an hour or so. I have been lulled to sleep many
times by this wild music, heard from a distance of half a
mile, on a still night.

It was supposed that when the scalp was taken while
the leaves were on the trees, it was danced over until
they fell, and then buried, and when taken in winter it
was buried when the leaves came in the spring, but I
never was quite sure about this. I wanted one very
much once, and a party of us went in the night just back
of St. Peter, where we supposed they had been buried,
and dug for them, and to our horror struck the toes of a
dead Indian. That cured my desire in this direction.

Tales of the Frontier 391

BRED IN THE BONE.

IN the early days of what is now Minnesota there were
two families of missionaries livingamong the Siovtx of
the Mississippi, who, like many of their profession, de-
voted their whole lives to spreading the gospel of Christ
among the savages. They were those of Dr. William-
son and the Rev. Stephen R. Riggs, both of whom had
lived with these Indians long before I came among
them. When I first became connected with these In-
dians I found the missionaries comfortably installed
at the Yellow Medicine agency, with quite a village
around them. They had dwelling houses, and a com-
modious schoolhouse, where they took Indian children
at a very early age, with a view of civilizing and
Christianizing them. They had also a very pretty
church, with a steeple on it, and a bell in the steeple,
and all the other buildings necessary for the complete
and efficient operation of their laudable undertaking.
They were full of zeal and enthusiasm in the cause, and
bad progressed to a point where it looked to an outsider
as if success was only a question of a short time, if it was
not already an accomplished fact. The Bible had been
translated into the Sioux language, and they had hymn
books and catechisms in the same language. They had
learned to speak Sioux thoroughly, and could preach
and sing in that language. Many is the time I have at-
tended church at the little meeting house, and heard the
simple old Presbyterian hymns sung to the tunes that
have resounded for generations through the meeting
houses of New England. It was a most solemn and im-
pressive spectacle, in the heart of the Indian country, to

392 Tales of the Frontier.

see a Christian church filled with devout worshippers all
in the costume of savagery, and to listen to the oft-told
story of the Saviour who died that man might live. Such
a scene carries with it a much more convincing proof of
the universality of the Christian religion than a church
full of fashionably dressed people in a great city. It
suggests its limitless application to all the human race,
even if dwelling in the remotest part of the earth.

The experience of these good missionaries had
taught them that civilization was the most potent auxil-
iary to religion, and, for the success of either, the other
was a necessary aid and adjunct when dealing with these
primitive people. So they set themselves to work to
devise plans to instill into the Indians the elemental prin-
ciples of government based on law. They organized a
little state or community among them, through which
they endeavored to prove to them the advantages of civ-
ilized rule through the agency of officers of their own
choice and laws of their own making. They called their
state "The Hazelwood Republic," which embraced all
the missionary establishment, and all the Indians they
could induce to unite in the enterprise. They drew a
written constitution, the provisions of which were to
govern and direct the conduct of the members and the
workings of the community. Of course, the fundamen-
tal principles upon which the whole fabric rested were
similar to those taught by the ten commandments. The
Indians, with the advice of the missionaries, elected a
president for the young republic, and the choice fell upon
a wise and upright man, about fifty years of age, whose
name was Ma-za-cu-ta-ma-mi, or "The man who shoots
metal as he walks," and to give the matter a more pro-
nounced ecclesiastical aspect, they added a scriptural
name by way of a prefix to the names of all the officers.

Tales of the Frontier. 893

Foi instance, they called the president, Paul Ma-za-cu-
ta-ma-mi, and one of the deacons, Simon Ana-wang-ma-
ni, w^ich means "The man who can keep up with any
moving object;" or, as things turned out in the end, it
could well have been translated into the "Fast Man."

The first act necessary for initiation as a citizen
of the republic was cutting off the long hair universally
worn by tl\e Sioux, and if any act could be taken as in-
dicative of -sincerity, this one seemed to be conclusive.
It is quite as much of a sacrifice for an Indian to cut ofif
his hair as it would be for a young lady in society pos-
sessed of a spleidid suit of hair to cut it off short and ap-
pear at a grand ball with her head thus denuded.

The next steji was to wear a hat, and exchange the
breech-clout for pintaloons, and the blanket for a shirt
or coat. Notwitl'standing this terrible ordeal of nat-
uralization, the popi^ation of the republic increased, and
the church was well a\tended. The praying and singing
was participated in qui'e generally by the members, and
the future repubHc looked promising. One of the most
exemplary citizens and d'jvout worshippers was deacon
Simon Ana-wang-ma-mi. He led in prayer, and labored
heart and soul for the goftd of the republic 0.nd the
church. He was the last majri that anyone would have
expected to fall from grace, an-i no ,one ever thought of
such a thing ; but, strange as it may appear, he one day
sought an interview with the missionaries, and an-
nounced the astounding fact that an Indian who had
killed his cousin some eight years before had returned
from the Missouri river country, and he thought it was
his duty to kill him in retaliation. Tht astonishment of
the missionaries may be well imagined. They cited to
him the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," and dwelt
upon the awful sinfulness of such an act, and he would

394 Tales of the Frontier.

say, "I know what the Bible says, and I beheve in Sjn-
days, but he killed my cousin." Then they would attack
him on the laws of the republic of which he was a high
official, and dwell upon the dreadful example such an act
would set before the brethren of the church, and he
would reply, "Oh, yes ; I know all that ; but he killed my
cousin." Then, in despair, they would tell him that he
was no longer an Indian ; that he had become a white
man, and the laws of the white man forbid such revenge.
"I know all that," he would say, "but H killed my
cousin." As a final resort, the faithful ind believing
missionaries concluded to call in the aid a heaven to as-
sist them, and they prayed with Simon for hours, days
and nights, in all of which he joined with fervor and
unction ; but he could not divest himself of the all-per-
vading idea that his cousin had beer killed, and the sa-
cred duty had devolved upon him ^o avenge his death.
This belief had been born in him, ^nd no religion of the
white man could eradicate it. T."ue to the creed of his
ancestors, he got a double-barrelled shotgun and went
out and killed his enemy.

Of course, this murder opened up a new feud, array-
ing relative against relative, -ind destroyed Simon's influ-
ence as a deacon in the church and an officer of the re-
public to such a degree a? almost to destroy all the good
that both had accomplL^'iied. I mention this incident to
show what uncertain ground the missionaries find to
sow the seeds of Ch'istianity in when working among
savages.

Notwithstanding such discouragements as the above,
I believe much good was done through the efiforts of the
missionaries. ^n times of great trouble and excitement
I always founc? the best friends of the whites among the
Indians who iiad felt the enlightening influences of the

Tales of the Frontier. 395

missionaries, not excepting Simon, who with Paul, John
Otherday, and many others, performed heroic services
for the whites when friends were most needed; but I
have never been able to settle the question in my mind
as to whether any of them ever g-rasped the principles
of the Christian religion.

In 1862 the Sioux openly rebelled against the whites,
and it was solely through the good offices of Otherday
and Paul that these missionaries escaped massacre. All
their building-s and their labor of long years were de-
stroyed, and they were driven out of the country. Most
people would have thought that they would have had
enough of such a life. I know I thought so, but not so
with these devoted people. Shortly after the suppres-
sion of the outbreak I met Dr. Williamson, and asked
him what were his future intentions. Without the least
hesitation he answered that he would look up the rem-
nant of his tribe, and continue his work.

All the heroes are not found in the ranks of the fight-
ers.

NOTE. — The reader of both the history and the frontier
stories will notice that many of the facts stated in the history are
repeated in the stories. I decided to insert both because the differ-
ent way in which they are related led me to believe that the elim-
ination of either would detract from the interest of the work.

THE AUTHOR.

396 Tales of the Frontier.

AN ACCOMPLISHED RASCAL.

IN the late fifties a young man of very attractive man-
ners and extraordinary accomplishments appeared in
St. Peter. His name was La Croix, or at least he said
it was, and no questions were asked. We had not at
that time acquired the habit of asking newcomers what
names they went by in the States, as was the usual prac-
tice in the early settlement of Texas and California. We
were an unsuspicious people, and accepted those who
settled among us for what they said they were and ap-
peared to be.

It was soon discovered that La Croix spoke French
fluently; nearly all our first settlers were French. He
said he learned it while living in New Orleans. He soon
developed a large acquaintance with military matters,
and we made him captain of our militia company (now
the national guard), and he drilled us up to a high state
of discipline and skill in company tactics and move-
ments. I had the honor of being second lieutenant of
the company. This art, he said, he acquired as sergeant
of a company in the crack New York Seventh.

He was a graceful and adroit fencer, and could ex-
plain the difference between the French system and the
American plan as taught at West Point. I learned both
from him. Flis conversational powers and the extent of
his general knowledge surpassed anything that ever
graced the border. In a word, he possessed all the
qualities, including personal beauty, that were necessary
to make him a general favorite with both men and wo-
men. He did not fail to improve all his advantages.

He soon became the trusted bookkeeper for one of

Tales of the Frontier. 397

our business concerns, courted and married a lovely
young girl from a neighboring town, and settled down
to a life of domestic felicity, esteemed by all, questioned
by none.

Shortly after his marriage the Civil War began, and
in due course of time a baby was born to his house.
Shortly after the latter event he announced that news
had arrived that certain stock of the Chemical Bank, in
New York, which he had inherited from his father, who
had died in New Orleans, was in danger of confiscation
by the federal government as rebel property, and he was
obliged to go East and take care of it. He made the
most elaborate preparations for the comfort of his wife
and child during his absence, and departed. We gave
him a splendid send-ofif, and several of us, I among the
rest, entrusted him with commissions to perform for us
in New York, and for a long time that was the last we
heard of La Croix.

Of course, there were many who said, "I told you
so," but they had not done anything of the kind; we
were all taken in without exception. His wife was the
last to lose confidence in his return. I followed up
every clue she could give me, but without results. He
had disappeared as completely as if the ground had
opened and swallowed him up, and we forgot him.

The war was fought out, and peace returned. A
Connecticut regiment, commanded by Colonel Brevet
Brigadier General Thompson (I will call him that for
certain reasons) was mustered out in one of the chief
cities of that state, and nothing was too good for its gal-
lant commander. He was sought after socially, and by
the business community, and soon became as popular as
La Croix had been in St. Peter. He married one of the
most beautiful and aristocratic young ladies of the state,

398 Tales of the Frontier.

and was appointed to the position of general inspector
of agencies of one of the great insurance companies of
Connecticut, and he decided to improve the opportunity
of his first tour as a pleasant way of passing his honey-
moon. So he started west with his confiding wife.

I forgot to mention that, when La Croix reached St.
Paul, after leaving St. Peter, he drew and cashed a small
draft of a few hundred dollars on his employer, and ap-
propriated the proceeds.

Thompson's luck seemed to have deserted him on his
wedding trip, as, on arriving at Cleveland, Ohio, a citi-
zen of St. Peter met and recognized him as his old friend
La Croix, and not knowing he was a brigadier general
slapped him familiarly on the shoulder and said: "Hel-
lo, La Croix; I am glad to see you." The general was
immensely indignant, and spurned his new found friend,
which angered the latter exceedingly, and he at once
telegraphed to St. Peter, and received a reply to have
the party arrested and held, which he did. The general
wired to his principals, setting forth his difificulty, saying
it was all a case of mistaken identity. They instructed
their agent in Cleveland to go General Thompson's bail
for any amount required, which was done, and he at once
started for home to procure evidence, leaving his wife
to await his return, and that was the last seen of General
Thompson for many years. I believe, however, he was
once recognized in Vienna.

Time passed ; the West grew and expanded ; many
new states were added to the Union ; many immigrants
were attracted to its fertile fields and booming cities,
very few of their number haihng from either Minnesota
or Connecticut. Among them, however, was a gentle-
man of most attractive mien. He went into the real es-
tate business, and greatly prospered. His varied ac-

Tales o? the Frontier. 399

complishments soon made him the most popular man in
his state. He united with the poHtical party which held
the power. He married an attractive young woman,
and settled down to a quiet and respectable domesticity.
In the course of events a United States senator was to
be elected, and what was more natural than that this in-
telHgent, respectable and popular citizen should be con-
sidered a worthy candidate. The legislature convened,
his prospects of election were more than promising, and
he would undoubtedly have been chosen had not some
meddlesome fellow recognized him as the long lost La
Croix. Of course, he disappeared, and this time, perma-
nently.

The moral of this story is, that it is better, as a general
thing, to find out what name people went by in the
States before you either marry them or elect them to the
United States senate.

400 Tai.es of the Frontier.

AN ADVOCATE'S OPINION OF HIS OWN ELO-
QUENCE IS NOT ALWAYS RELIABLE.

IN the early days of the territory a large part of the
legal business arose out of misunderstandings about
claim Hues and the attempts of settlers to jump the
claims of other people. These suits usually took the
shape of trespass and forcible entry and detainer. In
some instances they ripened into assaults and batteries,
and were generally tried before justices of the peace.
Nearly all the people were French, and that language
was quite as usually spoken as English. The town of
Mendota was almost exclusively French and half-breed
Sioux, the latter speaking French if they deviated from
their native tongue. One of our earliest lawyers was
Jacob J. Noah, from New York. He was the son of a
very celebrated journalist of that city, and was a very
cultured and accomplished gentleman. He spoke
French like a native, which, no doubt, had a good deal
to do with his living at Mendota. That town boasted
of a justice of the peace, who occupied an exalted posi-
tion in the estimation of the French inhabitants, on ac-
count of his learning and estabhshed character for jus-
tice and fair dealing. He was a handsome old gentle-
man, with white hair and beard and impressive judicial
manner. About the year 1855, among the new arrivals
in the legal fraternity, was Mr. John B. Brisbin, also
from New York. He was a graduate of Yale, and ac-
quainted with some of the leading lawyers in St. Paul,
so his advent was announced with a good many flour-
ishes, and he soon took a leading stand in the profession.
Mr. Brisbin was a cultured and eloquent lawyer, and no

Tales of the Frontier. 401

one knew it better than himself. He settled in St. Paul.
Soon after his arrival a controversy arose between a cou-
ple of settlers in Dakota county about their claim boun-
daries, and a suit was brought before the French justice
at Mendota. Major Noah represented the plaintiff and
the defendant employed Mr. Brisbin. It being Bris-
bin's first appearance in court, he made extraordinary
preparations, intending to create a favorable impression.
He discovered some fault in the law of the plaintiff's
case, and when the parties met in court, he demurred to
the plaintiff's complaint, and made an exhaustive argu-
ment in support of his position. He was fortified with
numerous citations from English and New York cases,
all of which he read to the court. When he would be-
come particularly impressive, the court would evince
signs of deep interest, which convinced the speaker that
he was carrying ever\^thing before him. When he fin-
ished his argument, he looked at his adversary with a
confident and somewhat exultant expression, as if to
say, "Answer that if you can."

The major opened his case to the court in French,
and had hardly begun before Mr. Brisbin interposed an
objection, that he did not understand French, and that
legal proceedings in this country had to be conducted in
English. The major answered by saying: "I am only
interpreting to the court what you have been saying."
Mr. Brisbin indignantly replied: "I don't want any in-
terpretation of my argument ; I made myself perfectly
clear in what I said." "Oh, yes." said the major, "you
made a very clear and strong argument; but his honor,
the judge, does not understand a single word of Eng-
lish." which was literally true. Tradition adds that
when the court adjourned, the judge was heard to ask
the major : "Est ce qu'il y a une femme dans cette cause
la?" Whether the court decided the case on the theory
of there being a woman in it or not, history has failed to
record.

26

402 Tales of the Frontier.

A MOMENTOUS MEETING.

THE people of St. Paul have often been proud of a re-
mark which was made by Hon. Wm. H. Seward,
in a speech deHvered by him in i860, at the old capitol
on Wabasha street, where he said he believed that the
center of power on the North American continent would
be very near the spot where he stood. Everybody,
while they liked the prediction, looked upon it as a pleas-
ant way the speaker had of giving his hosts and St. Paul
a little "tafify," and nothing more. Such, however, was
not the case, and Mr. Seward, when he uttered the
prophecy, was thoroughly impressed with the truth of
what he said, as I will prove further on.

This speech was delivered on the i8th of September,
i860. If I remember correctly, Mr. Seward was on an
electioneering tour in support of Lincoln's candidacy
for the presidency, and that Hon. James W. Ney of New
York, afterwards governor of Nevada, was of the party ;
but I am not very sure of these facts, and they are not
at all material to the point I am about to make. Mr.
Seward stayed at the Merchant's Hotel, at the foot of
Jackson street, kept by our well known host, Colonel
Allen, while he remained in St. Paul.

Many of the older settlers will remember James W.
Taylor of St. Paul, who, for many years, represented the
United States as consul at Winnipeg. Mr. Taylor was
the most popular man in that city. He was not only
esteemed for his superior ability as an official, but was
beloved by all classes of the people for his gentle and
genial manners. He was a great friend of Bishop An-
derson of Rupert's Land, who, for twenty years, had

Tales of the Frontier. 403

performed the duties of missionary bishop of that far
away country. He had travelled the McKenzie river to
its mouth in the Arctic ocean. He had been all over
Alaska, up and down the Yukon, and, in fact, knew more
about the vast country that lies north and northwest of
the United States than any living man at the date we
are speaking of. It so happened that the bishop and
Consul Taylor were on a visit to St. Paul at the time of
the arrival of Mr. Seward, and were also guests at the
Merchant's Hotel. They, of course, called on the dis-
tinguished American, Mr. Seward, who became deeply
interested in the conversation of the bishop about his
travels through this vast upper region, and was so im-
pressed with the immensity and future possibilities of the
country that he forgot all about his appointment to
speak at the capitol, and kept his audience waiting for
nearly an hour before he could tear himself away from
the fascination of the bishop's conversation.

The topic Mr. Seward had selected for his speech
was one in which he was profoundly interested. It was,
''The Duty, Responsibility, and Future Power of the
Northwest," which was a magnificent subject for discus-
sion by such a thoughtful statesman. Before meeting
Bishop Anderson, Mr. Seward had conceived certain
theories on the question, as the quotation which I shall
make from his speech clearly establishes, and that these
preconceived ideas had been, by his intercourse with the
bishop, radically changed, if not thoroughly overthrown,
seems equally clear. It must be remembered that, in
i860, very little was known about Alaska and the British
possessions in the far northern regions, and it is quite
possible that even a man of Mr. Seward's learning may
not have included them in his calculations for the fu-
ture. Of course, what he said about his preconceived

404 Tales of the Frontier.

conclusions, and the subsequent changes made in them,
involved the fact of the absorption into the United
States of the whole continent, which in all probability
will happen at some future time.

When Mr. Seward arrived at the capitol, he was in-
troduced by John W. North, and, among other things,
said:

"In other days, studying what might perhaps have
seemed to others a visionary subject, I have cast about
for the future — the ultimate central power of the North
American people. I have looked at Quebec and New
Orleans, at Washington and at San Francisco, at Cin-
cinnati and St. Louis, and it has been the result of my
last conjecture that the seat of power of North America
would yet be found in the Valley of Mexico, — that the
glories of the Aztec capital would be renewed, and that
city would become ultimately the capital of the United
States of America. But I have corrected that view,
and I now believe that the last seat of power on this
great continent will be found somewhere within a radius
of not very far from the very spot where I now stand, at
the head of navigation on the Mississippi river and on
the great Mediterranean lakes."

When and where had this correction been made?
Doubtless an hour before, at the Merchant's Hotel,
through the influence of the interview with Bishop An-
derson. While at the capitol they visited the rooms of
the Historical Society, where the bishop made a short
address to Mr. Seward, to which Mr. Seward responded.
Now, all this might have happened, and been of no par-
ticular interest to the world, except as a pleasant epi-
sode between two distinguished men. But in this in-
stance it turned out to be of vital importance to three
of the greatest nations of the world. Mr. Seward was

Tales of the Frontier. 405

so deeply impressed with the St. Paul incident that, im-
mediately after his return to Washington, he opened
negotiations with the Russian government for the pur-
chase of Alaska, and persistently carried them on. until
he succeeded in acquiring that vast empire for a mere
bagatelle of seven or eight millions of dollars. This re-
markable prevision of Mr. Seward has stamped its efifect
on our present and future destiny and relations with
England, Canada, Russia and perhaps all the nations of
the Orient. Had not Mr. Seward visited St. Paul on
that exact day, would this great change have been made
in the map of North America? It certainly would not
after the discovery of gold in Alaska. So I claim that
Minnesota played an all-important role in the purchase
of Alaska.

Having spoken of my dear old friend, James W. Tay-
lor, I cannot omit to mention a most touching tribute
paid to his memory by the people of Winnipeg. The
municipality has placed upon the walls of its city hall
a fine portrait of the faithful consul, under which hangs
a basket for the reception of flowers. Every spring each
farmer entering the city plucks a wild flower, and puts it
in the basket. The great love of a people could not be
expressed in a more beautiful and pathetic manner, and
no man was more worthy of it than Consul Taylor.

406 Tales of the Frontier.

PRIMITIVE JUSTICE.

THE lands west of the Mississippi river, in Minnesota,
were the property of the Sioux Indians until treaties
were made with them in 185 1, by which they ceded them
to the United States, but these treaties were not fully
ratified until 1853, on account of amendments which de-
ferred final action. But immigration was pouring into
the territory, and it naturally found a lodgment on the
west side of the river, from the Iowa line up to Fort
Snelling, and gradually extended up the Minnesota river
to Mankato. Of course, all the settlers on the Indian
lands were trespassers, and as the lands were unsur-
veyed, no claim rights could be acquired, but the settlers
did^ the best they could to mark their claims, and gain
what right they could by possession. The usual and
best way of marking claim lines, was by running a plow
furrow around the land. When the prairie was once
broken, the line was indelible, because an entirely new
growth would spring up in the furrow that never could
be eradicated.

In 1854 a law of congress was passed, by which set-
tlers in Minnesota were given rights in unsurveyed
lands, their claims to be adjusted to the surveyed lines,
when they were run, ''as near as may be."

Of course, this condition of things gave rise to many
disputes about claim lines and rights, and as there were
no legal tribunals to appeal to, we organized claim asso-
ciations to protect our rights. In my part of the territory
we had an association that covered what is now Blue
Earth, Nicollet and Le Sueur counties, and most of the
actual settlers were members, and all were pledged to

Tales of the Frontier. 407

support each other against any one attempting to jump
the claim of any member. Protection, of course, meant
driving out the intruder and restoring the rightful owner
to his possession. The means of reaching the object
were not defined, but were understood to be adequate to
the necessities of the occasion.

I had made a claim on the second plateau, back of
what afterwards became the town site of St. Peter, and
Gibson Patch, the sherifif of Nicollet county, had settled
on the adjoining quarter section. These claims covered
the ground where the Scandinavian college now stands,
called, I think, "Gustavus Adolphus."

I was the president of the Nicollet county branch of
the claim association.

About 1855 the government survey lines were ex-
tended over our lands, and we had to adjust our lines
to those of the official surveys as best we could. It so
happened that the established lines left the shanty of
my neighbor, the sherifif, outside of the quarter section
he had always claimed, and before he discovered this
fact, a man designing to take advantage of the sherifif's
peculiar situation, and intending to jump his claim,
erected a shanty on his land and moved his family into
it. It was soon discovered, and Patch notified the claim
association, which immediately assembled and decided
that the jumper must be ejected and banished from the
county. It was winter time. A committee of one hun-
dred and fifty was delegated to perform the work at a
certain day and hour. The jumper heard of it, and in
the morning of the day fixed, he prudently fled down
the river. Being president of the association, it de-
volved upon me to lead the party. We arrived at the
house, and finding no opposition, we politely informed
the family of our mission, and offered them confortable
transportation to any point they would name for them-
selves and their portable belongings, which they ac-

408 Tales of the Frontier.

cepted. We then burned the house, and appointed two
committees of ten each to chase the jumper down each
side of the river, with full discretion to punish him as
they saw fit. They pursued him for about forty miles,
and it was fortunate for the fugitive that they did not
overtake him, because had they caught him after two
p. m., I think they would have been in a condition of
mind that would have resulted in his summary execu-
tion.

Of course, we thought no more about it, as matters
of that kind were of frequent occurrence; but that was
not the last of it. It turned out that the jumper was a
Mason of high degree, and when he got to St. Paul he
made a most pitiable complaint, charging me with de-
stroying his home, and with attempting to murder him.
I was a small Mason, and was cited before the lodge to
defend myself. I simply denied the jurisdiction, and did
not appear. I was tried, and triumphantly acquitted.

On another occasion a claim was jumped in Le
Sueur, just between upper and lower town, and the
jumper had a great many friends who rallied to his de-
fense. The associations of all three counties were called
out, and when we appeared at Le Sueur, we found about
seventy-five Irishmen, all well armed, camped on the
contested claim ready to defend it to the death. We
camped at a short distance, and negotiations were
opened between the hostile armies, which finally resulted
in some sort of a compromise, satisfactory to the con-
testing parties, one of whom (the original claimant) was
K. K. Peck, who was left in possession of the disputed
territory. Mr. Peck laid his claim out into lots, and
gave each one of the members of the association that
had come to his rescue a deed for a lot, which we called
a "land warrant," on account of services in the Peck
war; but before we could realize on our warrants, the
government surveys located a school section on the bat-
tle-field, and destroyed all our hopes.

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