Full text of "Minnesota and Dacotah : in letters descriptive of a tour through the North-west, in the autumn of 1856 ; with information relative to public lands, and a table of statistics"

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MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII :

IN THE AUTUMN OF 1856.

WITH

INFORMATION RELATIVE TO PUBLIC LANDS,

AXD

A TABLE OF STATISTICS.

By C. C. ANDREJVS,

COUNSELLOR AT LAW; EDITOR OF THE OFFICIAL OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEYS GENERAL

OF THE UNITED STATES.

' From the forests and the prairies,
From the great lakes of the Northland,
From the land of the Ojibways,
From the land of the Dacotahs."

Longfellow.

WASHINGTON:

ROBERT FARNHAM.

1857._

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Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year 1857, by

C. C. ANDREWS,

In the Clerk's OfiQce of the District Court of the United States, in and
for the District of Columbia.

PHIL.VDELPHIA :
STEREOTYPED BY E. B. MEAR8.
PRINTED BY C. SHERMAN" & SON.

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Cheo^ud
May 1913

THESE

'%xWml J^onb |iaorbs'

ARE

RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED

TO THB

YOUNG MEN OF MINNESOTA.

INTRODUCTION.

The object of publishing these letters can be very
briefly stated.

Durino' the last autumn I made a tour into
Minnesota, upwards of a hundred and thirty miles
north-west of St. Paul, to satisfy myself as to the
character and prospects of the territory. All I
could learn from personal observation, and other-
wise, concerning its society and its ample means
of greatness, impressed me so favorably as to the
advantages still open to the settler, that I put down
in the form of letters such facts as I thought would
be of general interest. Since their publication — in
the Boston Post — a few requests, which I could not
comply with, were made for copies of them all. I
was led to believe, therefore, that if I revised them
and added information relative to unoccupied lands,
the method of preemption, and the business interests
of the territory, they would be worthy of publication
in a more permanent form. Conscious that what I

Vlll INTRODUCTION.

have written is an inadequate description of that
splendid domain, I shall be happy indeed to have
contributed, in ever so small a degree, to advance
its growth and welfare.

Here I desire to acknowledcje the aid which has
been readily extended to my undertaking by the
Delegate from Minnesota — Hon. Henry M. Rice —
whose faithful and unwearied services — I will take
the liberty to add — in behalf of the territory, merit
the highest praise. I am also indebted for valuable
information to Earl S. Goodrich, Esq., editor of
the Daily Pioneer (St. Paul) and Democrat.

In another place I give a list of the works which
I have had occasion to consult or refer to.

C. C. Andrews.

Washington, January 1, 1857.

LIST OF WORKS

WHICH HAVE BEEN CONSULTED OR REFERRED TO IN THE PRE-
PARATION OF THIS WORK.

Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi, by Major Z. M. Pike.
1 vol. Philadelphia : 1S07.

Travels to the Source of the Missouri River, by Captains Lewis
and Clarke. 3 vols. London : 1815.

Expedition to the Source of the St. Peter's River, Lake Winnepek,
&c., under command of Major Stephen H. Long. 2 vols. Philadel-
phia: 1824.

British Dominions in North America. By Joseph Bouchette,
Esq. 3 vols. London: 1832.

History of the Colonies of the British Empire. By R. M. Martin,
Esq. London : 1S43.

Report on the Hydrographical Basin of the Upper Mississippi, by
J. N. Nicollet. Senate Document 237, 2d Session, 26th Congress.
Washington: 1843.

Report of an Exploration of the Territory of Minnesota, by Brevet
Captain Joiix Pope, Corps Topographical Engineers. Senate Docu-
ment 42, 1st Session, 31st Congress. Washington : 1850.

Sketches of Minnesota. By E. S. Seymour. New York : 1850.

Report on Colonial and Lake Trade, by Israel D. Andrews, Con-
sul General of the United States for the British Provinces. Executive
Document 113. 1st Session, 32d Congress. Washington: 1852.

History of the Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi River.
By J. G. Shea. New York : 1852.

Minnesota and its Resources. By J. Wesley Bond. New York :
1853.

Discovery of the Sources of the Mississippi River. By Henry R.
Schoolcraft. Philadelphia: 1855.

Exploration and Surveys for a Ptailroad Route from the Mississippi
River to the Pacific Ocean, made under the direction of the Secretary
of War in 1853-4, (including Reports of Gov. Stevens and others.)
Washington: 1855.

The Emigrant's Guide to Minnesota. By an Old Resident. 1 vol.
St. Anthony : 1856.

(9)

CONTENTS.

LETTER I, BALTisroRE to Chicago. page

Anecdote of a preacher — Monopoly of seats in the cars — Deten-
tion in the night — Mountain scenery on the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad — Voting in the cars — Railroad refreshments —
Political excitement — The Virginian and the Fremonters — A
walk in Columbus — Indianapolis — Lafayette — Michigan City
— Chicago 17

•o^

LETTER IL Chicago to St. Paul.
Railroads to the Mississippi — Securing passage on the steam-
boat— The Lady Franklin — Scenery of the Mississippi — Has-
tings— Growth of settlements 28

LETTER IIL City of St. PArL.

First settlement of St. Paul — Population — Appearance of the
city — Fuller Hous-e — Visitors — Roads — Minneapolis — St. An-
thony— Suspension Bridge 35

LETTER IV. The Bar.
Character of the Minnesota bar — Effect of connecting land busi- -
ness with practice — Courts — Recent legislation of Congress as
to the territorial judiciary — The code of practice — Practice in
land cases — Chances for lawyers in the West — Charles O'Con-
nor— Requisite qualifications of a lawyer — The power and

(11)

Xll COXTENTS.

PAGE

usefulness of a great lawyer — Talfourd's character of Sir Wil-
liam Follett — Blending law with politics — Services of lawyers
in deliberative assemblies 41

LETTER V. St. Paul to Crow Wing in Two Days.
St<ages — Roads — Rum River — Indian treaty — Itasca — Sauk Ra-
pids— Watab at midnight — Lodging under difficulties — Little
Rock River — Character of Minnesota streams — Dinner at Swan
River — Little Falls — Fort Pwipley — Arrival at Crow Wing 58

LETTER VL The Town of Cuow Wing.
Scenery — First settlement of Crow Wing — Red Lake Indians —
Mr, Morrison — Prospects of the town — Upper navigation — Mr.
Beaulieu — Washington's theory as to Norfolk — Observations
on the growth of towns 65

LETTER VII, Chippewa Indians, — Hole-in-the-day.
Description of the Chippewa tribes — Their habits and customs —
Mission at Gull Lake — Progress in farming — Visit to Hole-in-
the-day — His enlightened character — Reflections on Indian
character, and the practicability of their civilization — Their
education — Mr, Manypenny's exertions . . . .72

LETTER VIIL Lumbering Interests.

Lumber as an element of wealth — Quality of Minnesota lumber —
Locality of its growth — The great pineries — Trespasses on
government land — How the lumbermen elude the government
— Value of lumber — Character of the practical lumberman —
Transportation of lumber on rafts . . . . .82

LETTER IX, Shores of Lake Superior.

Description of the country around Lake Superior — Minerals —
Locality of a commercial city^ — Xew land districts — Buchanan
— Ojibeway — Explorations to the sources of the Mississippi —
Henry R, Schoolcraft — M, Nicollet's report — Resources of the
country above Crow Wing ... .... 90

LETTER X, Valley of the Red River of the North.

Climate of Minnesota — The settlement at Pembina — St. Joseph
— Col. Smith's expedition — Red River of the North — Fur trade

CONTENTS. Xlll

PAGE

— Red River Settlement — The Hudson's Bay Company — Ex-
Gov. Ramsey's observations — Dacotati .... 100

LETTER XI. The tuue Pioneer.

Energy of the pioneer — Frontier life — Spirit of emigration — Ad-
vantages to the farmer in moving West — Advice in regard to
making preemption claims — Abstract of the preemption law —
Hints to the settler — Character and services of the pioneer 114

LETTER XIL Speculatiox and Business.

Opportunities to select farms — Otter Tail Lake — Advantages of
the actual settler over the speculator — Policy of new states as
to taxing non-residents — Opportunities to make money — Anec-
dote of Col, Perkins — Mercantile business — Price of money —
Intemperance — Education — The free school . . . 126

LETTER XIIL Crow Wing to St. Cloud.

Pleasant drive in the stage — Scenery — The past — Fort Ripley
Ferry — Delay at the Post Office — Belle Prairie — A Catholic
priest — Dinner at Swan River — Potatoes — Arrival atWatab —
St. Cloud 135

LETTER XIV. St. Cloud.— The Pacific Trail.

Agreeable visit at St. Cloud — Description of the place — Causes
of the rapid growth of towns — Gen, Lowry — The back country
— Gov. Stevens's report — Mr. Lambert's views — Interesting
account of Mr. A. W. Tinkham's exploration . . . Ml

LETTER XV. St. Cloud to St. Paul.
Importance of starting early — Judge Story's theory of early
rising — Rustic scenery — Horses and mules — Surveyors — Hum-
boldt— Baked fish — Getting off the track — Burning of hay
stacks — Supper at St. Anthony — Arrival at the Fuller House 156

LETTER XVL Progress.

Rapid growth of the North-West — Projected railroads — Terri-
torial system of the United States — Inquiry into the cause of
Western progress — Influence of just laws and institutions —
Lord Bacon's remark 164

XIV

C0^' TENTS.

The proposed New Territory of Dacotah.

Organization of Minnesota as a state — Suggestions as to its
division — Views of Captain Pope — Character and resources of
the new territory to be left adjoining — Its occupation by the
Dacotah Indians — Its organization and name . . .173

Post Offices and Postmasters
Land Offices and Land Officers
Newspapers published in Minnesota
Table of Distances
Pre-emption for City or Town Sites

191
194
196
198
203

>/(/'

PART I.
LETTERS ON MINNESOTA.

(15)

MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

LETTER I.

BALTIMORE TO CHICAGO.

Anecdote of a preacher — Monopoly of seats in the cars — Detention
in the night — Mountain scenery on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road— Voting in the cars — Railroad refreshments — Political excite-
ment— The Virginian and the Fremonters — A walk in Columbus —
Indianapolis — Lafayette — Michigan City — Chicago.

CniCAGO, October, 1856.
I SIT down at the first place where a pen can be
used, to give you some account of my trip to Minne-
sota. And if any one should complain that this is
a dull letter, let me retain his good-will by the
assurance that the things I expect to describe in my
next will be of more novelty and interest. And
here I am reminded of a good little anecdote which
I am afraid I shall not have a better chance to tell.
An eminent minister of the Gospel was preaching
in a new place one Sunday, and about half through
his sermon when two or three dissatisfied hearers
got up to leave. "My friends," said he, "I have
one small favor to ask. As an attempt has been
made to prejudice my reputation in this vicinity, I
2* (17)

18 MIN^^ESOTA A^'D DACUTAH.

beg you to be candid enough, if any one asks how
you liked my sermon, to say you didn't stop to hear
me through."

Stepping into the cars on the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad a few evenings ago — for I am not going to
say anything of my trip further east — I saw as great
an exhibition of selfishness as one often meets in
travelling. This was in the rear car, the others be-
ing all crowded. The seats were spacious, and had
high backs for night travelling. A gentleman enter-
ed the car and proposed to sit in a seat in which
was only one child, but he was informed by a femi-
nine voice in the rear that the whole seat was taken
— so he advanced to the next seat, which was occu-
pied by another child, a boy about eight years old —
again the same voice, confirmed by one of the other
sex, informed him in very decided terms that that
also was wholly occupied. The gentleman of course
did not attempt to take a seat with this lady, but
advancing still further, in a seat behind her he saw
another child the only occupant. His success here
was no better. The fact was, here was a family
of a husband, wife, and three children occupying
five entire seats. The traveller politely asked if
it would not be convenient for two of the children
to sit together. "No," said the lady and her hus-
band (and they spoke together, though they didn't
sit together), " the children want all the room so as
to sleep." The traveller betrayed no feeling until
the husband aforesaid pointed out for him a seat

BALTIMORE TO CHICAGO. 19

next to a colored woman who sat alone near the
door of the car, some little distance off. It was
quite apparent, and it was the fact, that this
colored woman was the servant of the family ; and
the traveller appeared to think that, although as an
"original question" he might not object to the
proffered seat, yet it was not civil for a man to
offer him what he would not use himself. The
scene closed by the traveller's taking a seat with
another gentleman. I mention this incident be-
cause it is getting to be too common for people to
claim much more room than belongs to them, and
because I have seen persons who are modest and
unused to travelling subjected to considerable annoy-
ance in consequence. Moreover, conductors are
oftentimes fishing so much after popularity, that
they wink at misconduct in high life.

Somewhere about midnight, along the banks of
the Potomac, and, if I remember right, near the
town of Hancock, the cars were detained for three
hours. A collision had occurred twelve hours before,
causing an extensive destruction of cars and freight,
and heavy fragments of both lay scattered over the
track. Had it not been for the skilful use of a
steam-engine in dragging off the ruins, we must
have waited till the sun w as up. Two or three large
fires were kindled with the ruins, so that the scene
of the disaster was entirely visible. And the light
shining in the midst of the thick darkness, near the
river, with the crowd of people standing around,

20 MINNESOTA A'SD DACOTAH .

was not very romantic, perhaps not picturesque —
but it was quite novel ; and the novelty of the scene
enabled us to bear with greater patience the gloomy
delay.

The mountain scenery in plain sight of the travel-
ler over the Baltimore and Ohio road is more exten-
sive and protracted, and I think as beautiful, as on
any road in the United States. There are as wild
places seen on the road across Tennessee from Nash-
ville, and as picturesque scenes on the Pennsylvania
Central road — perhaps the White Mountains as seen
from the Atlantic and St. Lawrence road present a
more sublime view — but I think on the road I speak
of, there is more gorgeous mountain scenery than on
any other. On such routes one passes through a
rude civilization. The settlements are small and
scattered, exhibiting here and there instances of
thrift and contentment, but generally the fields are
small and the houses in proportion. The habits of
the people are perhaps more original than primitive.
It was along the route that I saw farmers gathering
their corn on sleds. The cheerful scene is often
witnessed of the whole family — father, mother, and
children — at work gathering the crops. These
pictures of cottage life in the mountain glens, with
the beautiful variegated foliage of October for
groundwork, are objects which neither weary nor
satiate our sight.

The practice of taking a vote for presidential
candidates in the cars has been run into the ground.

BALTIMORE TO CillCAGO. 21

By this I mean that it has been carried to a ridi-
culous excess. So far I have had occasion to vote
several times. A man may be indifferent as to
expressing his vote when out of his state ; but a
man's curiosity must have reached a high pitch
when he travels through a train of cars to inquire
how the passengers vote. It is not uncommon, I
find, for people to carry out the joke by voting ivith
their real opponents. Various devices are resorted
to to get a unanimous vote. For example, a man
will say, " All who are in favor of Buchanan take
off their boots ; all in favor of Fremont keep them
on." Again, when there are several passengers on
a stage-coach out west, and they are passing under
the limbs of a tree, or low bridge, as they are called,
it is not unusual for a Fremont man to say, "All
in favor of Fremont bow their heads."

I have a word to say about refreshments on rail-
road routes. It is, perhaps, well known that the
price for a meal anywhere on a railroad in the United
States is fifty cents. That is the uniform price.
Would that the meals were as uniform ! But alas !
a man might as well get a quid of tobacco with his
money, for he seldom gets a quid 'pro quo. Once
in a couple of days' travel you may perhaps get a
wholesome meal, but as a general thing what you
get (when you get out of New England) isn't worth
over a dime. You stop at a place, say for breakfast,
after havincr rode all night. The conductor calls
out, " Twenty minutes for breakfast." There is a

22 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

great crowd and a great rush, of course. Well, the
proprietor expects there will be a crowd, and ought
to be prepared. But how is it ? Perhaps you are
lucky enough to get a seat at the table. Then your
chance to get something to eat is as one to thirteen :
for as there is nothing of any consequence on the
table, your luck depends on your securing the ser-
vices of a w^aiter who at the sanae time is being called
on by about thirteen others as hungry as yourself.
Then suppose you succeed ! First comes a cup of
black coffee, strong of water ; then a piece of tough
fried beef steak, some fried potatoes, a heavy biscuit
— a little sour (and in fact everything is sour but
the pickles). You get up when you have finished
eating — it would be a mockery to say when you have
satisfied your appetite — and at the door stand two
muscular men (significantly the proprietor is aware
of the need of such) with bank bills drawn through
their fingers, who are prepared to receive your 50c.
It is not unusual to hear a great deal of indignation
expressed by travellers on such occasions. No man
has a right to grumble at the fare which hospitality
sets before him. But when he buys a dinner at a
liberal price, in a country where provisions are
abundant, he has a right to expect something which
will sustain life and health. Those individuals who
have the privilege of furnishing meals to railroad
travellers probably find security in the reflection that
their patronage does not depend on the will of their
patrons. But the evil can be remedied by the pro-

BALTIMORE TO CHICAGO. 23

prietors and superintendents of the roads, and the
public will look for a reformation in dinners and
suppers at their hands.

I might say that from Benwood, near Wheeling —
where I arrived at about four in the afternoon, having
been nearly twenty-four hours coming 375 miles — I
passed on to Zanesville to spend the night ; thinking
it more convenient, as it surely was, to go to bed at
eleven at night and start the next morning at eight,
than to go to bed at Wheeling at nine, or when I
chose, and start again at two in the morning. The
ride that evening was pleasant. The cars were filled
with lusty yeomen, all gabbling politics. There
was an overwhelming majority for Fremont. Under
such circumstances it was a virtue for a Buchanan
man to show his colors. There was a solid old A^ir-
ginian aboard ; and his open and intelligent counte-
nance— peculiar, it seems to me, to Virginia —
denoted that he Avas a good-hearted man. I was
glad to see him defend his side of politics with so
much zeal against the Fremonters. He argued
against half a dozen of them with great spirit and
sense. In spite of the fervor of his opponents,
however, they treated him with proper respect and
kindness. It was between eleven and twelve when
I arrived at Zanesville. I hastened to the Stacy
House with my friend, J. E. B. (a young gentleman
on his way to Iowa, whose acquaintance I regard it
as good luck to have made). The Stacy House
could give us lodgings, but not a mouthful of re-

24 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAU.

freshments. As the next best thing, we descended
to a restaurant, which seemed to be in a very drowsy
condition, where we soon got some oysters and
broiled chicken, not however Avithout paying for it
an exorbitant price. I rather think, however, I
shall go to the Stacy House again when next I visit
Zanesville, for, on the whole, I have no fault to find
with it. Starting at eight the next morning, we
were four hours making the distance (59 miles) from
Zanesville to Columbus. The road passes through
a country of unsurpassed loveliness. Harvest fields,
the most luxuriant, were everywhere in view. At
nearly every stopping-place the boys besieged us
with delicious apples and grapes, too tempting to be
resisted. We had an hour to spend at Columbus,
which, after bookins: our names at the Neil House
for dinner — and which is a capital house — we partly
spent in a walk about the city. It is the capital of
the state, delightfully situated on the Scioto river,
and has a population in the neighborhood of 20,000.
The new Capitol there is being built on a scale of
great magnificence. Though the heat beat down
intensely, and the streets were dusty, we were " bent
on seeing the town." AVe — my friend B. and my-
self— had walked nearly half a mile down one of
the fashionable streets for dwellings, when we came
to a line which was drawn across the sidewalk in
front of a residence, which, from the appearance,
might have belonged to one of the upper-ten. The
line was in charge of two or three little girls, the

BALTIMORE TO CHICAGO. 25

eldest of whom was not over twelve. She was a
bright-eyed little miss, and had in her face a good
share of that metal which the vulgar think is indis-
pensable to young lawyers. We came to a gradual
pause at sight of this novel obstruction. " Bucha-
nan, Fillmore, or Fremont?" said she, in a tone of
dogmatical interrogatory. B. was a fervid Fre-
monter — he probably thought she w^as — so he ex-
claimed, " Fremont for ever !" I awaited the sequel
in silence. "Then you may go round," said the
little female politician. " You may go round," and
round we went, not a little amused at such an exhi-
bition of enthusiasm. I remember very well the
excitement during the campaign of 1840 ; and I did
my share with the New Hampshire boys in getting
up decoy cider barrels to humbug the Whigs as they
passed in their barouches to attend some great con-
vention or hear Daniel Webster. But it seems to
me there is much more political excitement during
this campaign than there was in 1840. Flag-staffs
and banners abound in the greatest profusion in
every village. Every farm-house has some token
of its politics spread to the breeze.

At twenty minutes past one — less or more — we
left Columbus, and after travelling 158 miles, via
Dayton, Ave came to Indianapolis, the great " Rail-
road City," as it is called, of the west. It was half
past nine when we arrived there. I did not have
time to go up to the Bates House, where I once had
the pleasure of stopping, but concluded to get sup-

26 ' MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

per at a hotel near the depot, where there was
abundant time to go through the ceremony of eating.
It strikes me that Indianapolis would be an agreeable
place to reside in. There are some cities a man
feels at home in as soon as he gets into them ; there
are others which make him homesick ; just as one
will meet faces which in a moment make a good
impression on him, or which leave a dubious or dis-
agreeable impression. That city has 16,000 people.
Its streets are wide, and its walks convenient. All
things denote enterprise, liberality, and comfort. It
is 210 miles from Indianapolis to this city, via La-
fayette and Michigan City. We ought to have
made the time in less than twelve hours, and, but for
protracted detentions at Lafayette and Michigan
City, we would have done so. We reached the
latter place at daylight, and there waited about the
depot in dull impatience for the Detroit and Chicago
train. It is the principal lake harbor in Indiana.

It is about two years since I was last in Chicago ;
and as I have walked about its streets my casual
observation confirms the universal account of its
growth and prosperity. I have noticed some new
and splendid iron and marble buildings in the course
of completion. Chicago is a great place to find old
acquaintances. For its busy population comprises
citizens from every section of the United States,
and from every quarter of the globe. The number
of its inhabitants is now estimated at 100,000.
Everybody that can move is active. It is a city of

BALTIMORE TO CHICAGO. 27

activity. Human thoughts are all turned towards
wealth. All seem to be contending in the race for
riches : some swift and daring on the open course ;
some covertly lying, low for a by-path. You go
along the streets by jerks: down .three feet to the
street here ; then up four slippery steps to the side-
walk there. Here a perfect crowd and commotion —
almost a mob — because the drawbridge is up. You
would think there was a wonderful celebration com-
ino" off at twelve, and that everybody was hurrying
through his work to be in season for it. Last year
20,000,000 bushels of grain were brought into Chi-
cago. Five years ago there were not a hundred
miles of railroad in the state of Illinois. Now there
are more than two thousand. Illinois has all the
elements of empire. Long may its great metro-
polis prosper !

LETTER 11.

CHICAGO TO ST. PAUL.

Railroads to the Mississippi — Securing passage on the steamboat —
The Lady Franklin — Scenery of the Mississippi — Hastings —
Growth of settlements.

St. Pal'l, October, 1856.
How short a time it is since a railroad to the Mis-
sissippi was thought a wonder ! And now within
the state of Illinois four terminate on its banks.
Of course I started on one of these roads from Chi-
cago to get to Dunleith. I think it is called the
Galena and Chicago Union Road. A good many
people have supposed Galena to be situated on the
Mississippi river, and indeed railroad map makers
have had it so located as long as it suited their con-
venience— (for they have a remarkable facility in
annihilating distance and in making crooked ways
straight) — yet the town is some twelve miles from
the great river on a narrow but navigable stream.
The extent and importance of Rockford, Galena,
and Dunleith cannot fail to make a strong impres-
sion on the traveller. They are towns of recent
gro^Yth, and well illustrate that steam-engine sort of
progress peculiar now-a-days in the west. Ap-
proaching Galena we leave the region of level prai-

(28)

CHICAGO TO ST. PAUL. 29

rie and enter a mineral country of naked bluffs or
knolls, where are seen extensive operations in the
lead mines. The trip from Chicago to Dunleith at
the speed used on most other roads would be per-
formed in six hours, but ten hours are usually occu-
pied, for what reason I cannot imagine. However,
the train is immense, having on board about six or
seven hundred first class passengers, and two-thirds
as many of the second class. Travelling in the cars
out west is not exactly what it is between Phila-
delphia and New York, or New York and Boston,
in this respect : that in the West more families are
found in the cars, and consequently more babies and
carpet bags.

It may not be proper to judge of the health of a
community by the appearance of people who are
seen standing about a railroad station ; yet I have
often noticed, when travelling through Illinois, that
this class had pale and sickly countenances, showing
too clearly the traces of fever and ague.

But I wish to speak about leaving the cars at
Dunleith and taking the steamboat for St. Paul.
There is a tremendous rush for the boats in order to
secure state-rooms. Agents of different boats ap-
proach the traveller, informing him all about their
line of boats, and depreciating the opposition boats.
For instance, an agent, or, if you please, a runner
of a boat called Lucy — not Long — made the as-
sertion on the levee with great zeal and perfect im-
punity that no other boat but the said Lucy would
3*

80 MINNESOTA AXD DACOTAH.

leave for St. Paul within twentj-four hours ; when
it must have been known to him that another boat
on the mail line would start that same evening, as
was actually the fact. But the activity of the run-
ners was needless ; for each boat had more passen-
gers than it could well accommodate. I myself
went aboard the " Lady Franklin," one of the mail
boats, and was accommodated with a state-room.
But what a scene is witnessed for the first two hours
after the passengers begin to come aboard ! The
cabin is almost filled, and a dense crowd surrounds
the clerk's office, just as the ticket office of a theatre
is crowded on a benefit night. Of course not more
than half can get state-rooms and the rest must
sleep on the cabin floor. Over two hundred cabin
passengers came up on the Lady Franklin. The
beds which are made on the floor are tolerably
comfortable, as each boat is supplied with an extra
number of single mattresses. The Lady Franklin
is an old boat, and this is said to be its last season.^
Two years ago it was one of the excursion fleet to
St. Paul, and was then in its prime. But steamboats
are short lived. We had three tables set, and those
who couldn't get a seat at the first or second sat at
the third. There was a choice you may believe, for
such was the havoc made with the provisions at the
first table that the second and third were not the most
inviting. It was amusing to see gentlemen seat them-

^Three weeks after this trip the Lady Franklin was snagged, and
became a total toss.

CHICAGO TO ST. PAUL.

selves in range of the plates as soon as they were laid,
and an hour before the table was ready. But the offi-
cers were polite — as is generally the case on steam-
boats till you get down to the second mate — and in the
course of a day or two, when the passengers begin to
be acquainted, the time wears away pleasantly. We
were nearly four days in making the trip. The line
of boats of which the Lady Franklin is one, carries
the mail at fifty dollars a trip. During the boating
season I believe the fare varies from seven to ten
dollars to St. Paul.^ This season there have been
two lines of boats running to Minnesota. All of
them have made money fast ; and next season many
more boats will run. The "Northern Belle" is the
best boat this season, and usually makes the trip up
in two days. The advertised time is thirty hours.

The scenery on the upper Mississippi is reputed
to be beautiful. So it is. Yet all river scenery is
generally monotonous. One gets tired of looking
at high rocky ridges quite as quickly as at more

iThe following is a table of distances from Galena to St. Paul

Di'nique, . .
Duiileitli, . .
Potosi Landing,
"Waupatou,
Buena Vista, .
Cassville, . .
Guttenberg,
Clayton, . .
Wy ill using,
McGregor's,
Prairie du Chien,
Ked Houso,
Johnson's Landing,
Lafayette, .
Columbus,
Lansing,
De Soto,
Victory,

. 24

. I

. 14

. 10

. 4

. 10

. 12

. 5

. 6

. 5

100

g, 2

102

. 30 132 1

. 2

134

. 1

135

. 6 141

. 10 151

Badaxe City, . . 10 161

AVarner's Lauding, 6 167

Brownsville, . . 10 177

La Crosse, ... 12 189

Daeotah, ... 12 201

Richmond, . . 6 207

Monteville, . . 5 212

Homer, . . 10 222

Winona, ... 7 229

Fountain City, . 12 241

Mount Vernon, . 14 255

Minneiska, . . 4 259

Alma, ... 15 274

W.abashaw, . . 10 284

Nelson's Landing, 3 287

Reed's Landing, . 2 289
Foot of Lake Pepin, 2 291

North Pepiu, . . 6 297

Johnstown,
Lake Cit}-,
Central Point,
Florence, . .
Maiden Rock,
Wcsterville,
Wacouta, . .
Red Wing, . .
Thing's Landing,
Diamond Bluff,
Prescott, . .
Point Douglass,
Hastings, . .
Grey Cloud,
Pine Bend,
Red Rock, . .
Kaposia, . .
St. Paul, . .

aul:

. 2 299

. 5 304

. 2 306

. 3 309

. 3 312

. 3 315

. 12 327

. 6 333

7 340

. 8 348

. 13 361

. 1 362

. 3 365

. 12 377

. 4 381

. 8 3S9

. 3 392

. 5 397

32 MIX^'liSOTA AND DACOTAH.

tame and tranquil scenery. The bluffs on either
side of the Mississippi, for most of the way bet^yeen
Dunleith and St. Anthony's Falls, constitute some
of the most beautiful river scenery in the world. It
is seldom that they rise over two hundred feet from
the water level, and their height is quite uniform,
so that from a distant point of view their summit
resembles a huge fortification. Nor, as a general
thing, do they present a bold or rocky front. The
rise from the river is gradual. Sometimes they rise
to a sharp peak, towards the top of which crops out
in half circles heavy ridges of limestone. The ra-
vines which seem to divide them into separate ele-
vations, are more thickly wooded, and appear to
have been grooved out by the rolling down of deep
waters. The most attractive feature of these bluffs —
or miniature mountains, as they might be called — is
their smooth grassy surface, thinly covered over
with shade trees of various kinds. Whoever has
seen a large orchard on a hill side can imagine how
the sides of these bluffs look. At this season of the
year the variegated foliage of the trees gives them a
brilliant appearance. It is quite rare to see a bluff
which rises gradually enough to admit of its being
a good town site. Hence it is that settlements on
the banks of the river will never be very numerous.
Nature has here interposed against that civilization
which adorns the lower Mississippi. It appears to
me that all the available points for town sites on
the river are taken up as far as the bluffs extend ;

CHICAGO TO ST. PAUL. 33

and some of these will require a great amount of
excavation before thej can grow to importance.

But there are several thrifty and pleasant villages
in Minnesota, on the river, before reaching St. Paul.
The first one of importance is Brovrnsville, where,
for some time, was a United States land ofSce. It
is 153 miles above Dunleith. Winona, 53 miles
further up, is a larger town. It is said to contain
5000 population. There is a land ofiice there also.
But the town stands on land which, in very high
water, will run too much risk of inundation. Pass-
ing by several other landings and germs of towns,
we come to Wacouta, ninety-eight miles above,
which is a successful lumber depot. Six miles fur-
ther on is Red Wing, a place which delighted me on
account of its cheerful location. It is growing quite
fast, and is the seat of a large Methodist seminary.
But the town of Hastings, thirty-two miles above,
eclipses everything but St. Paul. It is finely
located on rising ground, and the river is there nai'-
row and deep. The boat stopped here an hour, and
I had a good opportunity to look about the place.
The town appears to have considerable trade with
the back country. Its streets are laid out with re-
gularity ; its stores and buildings are spacious, du-
rable, and neat. I heard that over $2000 were
asked for several of the building lots. A little way
into the interior of the town I saw men at work on
a stone church ; and approaching the spot, I deter-
mined to make some inquiries of a boy who was

3-i MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

briskly planing boards. First, I asked hoTv much
the church vras going to cost ? About §3000, he
replied.

" Are there any other churches in the place ?"

"Yes, up there, where they are building."

" What denomination is that ?"

"I don't know," he responded. "I only came
into the place yesterday."

I thoucrht he was doinoj well to be^in to build

C DO

churches so soon after his arrival. And from his
countenance, I have no doubt he will do well, and
become a useful citizen of the state. Hastings has its
democratic press — the Dakota Journal, edited by J.
C. Dow, a talented young man from New Hamp-
shire. The population of the town is about two
thousand. It is thirty-two miles below St. Paul,
on the v.-est side of the river. Tiiere is nothing of
especial interest between the two places.

The great panorama which time paints is but a
species of dissolving views. It is but as yesterday
since the present sites of towns and cities on the
shores just referred to showed only the rude huts
of Indian tribes. To-day, the only vestige left
there of the Indian are his burying-grounds. Here-
after the rudeness of pioneer life shall be exchanged
for a more genial civilization, and the present, then
the past, will be looked back to as trivial by men
still yearning for the future.

LETTER III.

CITY OF ST. PAUL.

First settlement of St, Paul — Population — Appearance of the city —
Fuller House — Visitors — Roads — Minneapolis — St. Anthony — Sus-
pension Bridge.

Fuller House, St. Paul, October, 1856.
The circumstance of finding a good spring of
"vrater first led to the settlement of Boston. It
would not be unreasonable to suppose that a similar
advantage induced the first settler of St. Paul to
locate here ; for I do not suppose its pioneers for a
long while dreamed of its becoming a place even of
its present importance. And here let me mention
that St. Paul is not on the west side of the Missis-
sippi, but on the east. Though it is rather too
elevated and rough in its natural state to have been
coveted for a farm, it is yet just such a spot as a
pioneer would like to plant himself upon, that he
might stand in his door and have a broad and beau-
tiful view towards the south and west. And when
the speculator came he saw that it was at the head
of navigation of what he thought was the Upper
Mississippi, but which in reality is only the Middle
Mississippi. Then stores were put up, small and

rude, and trade began to increase with settlers and

(35)

of) MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

hunters of furs. Then came the oro;anization of the
territory, and the location of the capital here, so
that St. Paul began to thrive still more from the
crumbs which fell from the government table, as
also by that flood of emigration which nothing ex-
cept the Rocky Mountains has ever stayed from
entering a new territory. And now it has passed
its doubtful era. It has passed from its wooden to
its brick age. Before men are certain of the suc-
cess of a town, they erect one story pine shops ; but
Avhen its success appears certain, they build high
blocks of brick or granite stores. So now it is
common to see four and five story brick or stone
buildings going up in St. Paul.

I believe this city numbers at present about
10,000 population. It is destined to increase for a
few years still more rapidly than it has heretofore.
But that it will be a second Chicago is what I do
not expect. It would certainly seem that the high
prices demanded for building lots must retard the
progress of the place ; but I am told the prices have
always been as high in proportion to the business
and number of population. $500 and upwards is
asked for a decent building lot in remote parts of
the town.

I have had an agreeable stroll down upon the
bluff, south-east from the city, and near the elegant
mansion of Mr. Dayton. The first engraving of St.
Paul was made from a view taken at that point. As
I stood looking at the city, I recalled the picture in

CITY OF ST. PAUL. 37

Mr. Bond's work, and contrasted its present with the
appearance it had three or four years ago. What a
change ! Three or four steamers were lying at the
levee ; steam and smoke were shooting forth from
the chimneys of numerous manufactories ; a ferry
was plying the Mississippi, transporting teams and
people ; church steeples and domes and great ware-
houses stood in places which were vacant as if but
yesterday ; busy streets had been built and peopled ;
rows of splendid dwellings and villas, adorned with
delightful terraces and gardens, had been erected.
I went out on Sunday morning too, and the view
was none the less pleasant. Business was silent ;
but the church bells were rini2;ino; out their sweet
and solemn melody, and the mellow sunlight of
autumn glittered on the bright roofs and walls in the
city. The whole scene revealed the glorious image
of that ever advancing civilization which springs
from well rewarded labor and 2;eneral intelligence.
Like all new and groAving places in the west, St.
Paul has its whiskey shops, its dusty and dirty
streets, its up and down sidewalks, and its never-
ceasing whirl of business. Yet it has its churches,
well filled ; its spacious school-houses ; its daily
newspapers ; and well-adorned mansions. There
are many cottages and gardens situated on the most
elevated part of the city, north and west, which
would not suffer by a comparison with those cheer-
ful and elegant residences so numerous for six to
ten miles around Boston. From the parlors of these
4

38 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

homes one may look down upon the city and upon
the smooth bosom of the river. In the streets, too,
you see much evidence of opulence and luxury, in
the shape of handsome carriages, which are set out
to advantage by a first-rate quality of horses.

One element of the success of this city is the
public spirit of its leading business men. They have
put their hands deep into their pockets to improve
and advance the place. In all their rivalry there is
an amicable feeling and boundless liberality. They
help him that tries to help himself, and help each
other in a way that will help them all together ; and
such kind of enterprises produces grand results.
Why, here is a new hotel (the Fuller House) at which
I stop, which is surpassed but by very few hotels in
the country. It is a first-class house, built of brick,
five stories high, and of much architectural beauty.
The building itself cost upwards of §100,000, and
its furniture over $30,000. Its proprietor is Mr.
Long, who has already had good success in this sort
of business. One can well imasrine the comfort of
finding such a house at the end of a long and tedious
journey in a new country.

It is estimated that 28,000 people have visited and
left St. Paul during the present season. During
July and August the travel diminishes, but as soon
as autumn sets in it comes on again in daily floods.
It is really a novel and interesting state of things
one finds on his arrival at the hotel. There are so
many people from so many difi'erent places ! Then

CITY OF ST. PAUL. 39

everybody is a stranger to almost everybody, and
therefore quite willing to get acquainted with some-
body. Everybody wants a bit of information on
some point. Everybody is going to some place
where he thinks somebody has been or is going, and
so a great many new acquaintances are made with-
out ceremony or delay; and old acquaintances are
revived. I find people who have come from all sec-
tions of the country — from the east and the west,
and from the south — not adventurers merely, but
men of substance and means, wdio seek a healthier
climate and a pleasant home. Nor can I here omit
to mention the meeting of my friend, Col. A. J.
Whitney, who is one of the pioneers of Minnesota,
and with wdiom I had two years before travelled
over the western prairies. A. S. Marshall, Esq.,
of Concord, N. H., well known as a popular speaker,
is also here on a visit.

But what are the roads leading from St. Paul, and
what are the facilities of travel to places beyond ?
These are questions which I suppose some would like
to have answered. There is a road to Stillwater,
and a stage, which I believe runs daily. That is
the route now often taken to Lake Superior. This
morning three men came in on that stage from Su-
perior, who have been a week on the journey. The
great highway of the territory extends as far as
Crow Wing, 130 miles north of here. It passes St.
Anthony and several important towns on the eastern
bank of the Mississippi. In a day or two I intend

40 :mix>'esota and dacotah.

to take a journey as far as Crow Wing, and I can
then write with more knowledge on the subject.

A very pretty drive out of St. Paul is by the cave.
This is an object worth visiting, and is about two
miles out of the city. Three or four miles beyond
are the beautiful falls of Minnehaha, or laughing
water. The drive also takes in Fort Snelling. St.
Anthony is on the east side of the Mississippi;
Minneapolis is opposite, on the west side. Both
places are now large and populous. The main
street of St. Anthony is over a mile in length. One
of the finest water powers in the Union is an ele-
ment of growth to both towns. The lumber which
is sawed there is immense. A company is under-
taking to remove the obstructions to navigation in
the river between St. Paul and St. Anthony.
§20,000 were raised for the purpose ; one-half by
the Steamboat Company, and the other half by the
people of St. Anthony. The suspension bridge
which connects Minneapolis with St. Anthony is
familiar to all. It is a fit type of the enterprise of
the people. I forget the exact sum I paid as toll
when I walked across the bridge — perhaps it was
a dime ; at any rate I was struck with the answer
given by the young man who took the toll, in reply
to my inquiry as I returned, if my coming back
wasn't included in the toll paid going over ? " No,"
said he, in a very good-natured way, " we don't
know anything about coming back ; it's all go ahead
in this country.''

LETTER IV.

THE BAR.

Character of the Minnesota bar — EiFect of connecting land business
with practice — Courts— Recent legislation of Congress as to the
territorial judiciary — The code of practice — Practice in land cases —
Chances for lawyers in the West — Charles O'Connor — Requisite
qualifications of a lawyer — The power and usefulness of a great
lawyer — Talfourd's character of Sir William Follett — Blending law
with politics — Services of lawyers in deliberative assemblies.

St. Paul, October, 1856.
I HAVE not yet been inside of a court of justice,
nor seen a case tried, since I have been in the terri-
tory. But it has been my pleasure to meet one of
the judges of the supreme court and several promi-
nent members of the bar. My impression is, that
in point of skill and professional ability the Minne-
sota bar is a little above the average of territorial
bars. Here, as in the West generally, the practice
is common for lawyers to mix with their profession
considerable miscellaneous business, such as the
buying and selling of land. The law is too jealous
a mistress to permit any divided love, and there-
fore it cannot be expected that really good lawyers
will be found in the ranks of general business
agents and speculators. In other words, a broker's
4* (41)

42 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

office is not a lawyer's office. There are some law-
yers here who have attended strictly to the profes-
sion, who are ornaments of it, and who have met
with good success. The idea has heen common, and
as fatal as common, that success in legal practice
could be easily attained i7i the West with a small
amount of skill and learning. It is true that a poor
lawyer aided by some good qualities will sometimes
rise to affluence and eminence, though such cases are
exceptions. There are able lawyers in the West,
and, though practice may be less formal and subtle
than in older communities, ability and skill find
their relative advancement and reward, while igno-
rance and incapacity have their downward tendency
just as they do everywhere else. The fees for pro-
fessional services are liberal, being higher than in
the East. Before an attorney can be admitted to
practise he must have an examination by, or under
the direction of, one of the judges of the supreme
court. The provisions of the territorial statutes
are quite strict in their tendency to maintain up-
right practice.

An act of the present congress has created a
revolution in the courts of the territory. The or-
ganic act, § 9, provided that the territory should be
divided into three judicial districts; "and a dis-
trict court shall be held in each of said districts by
one of the justices of the supreme court, at such
times and places as may he presci'ihed hy law.''
This meant, I suppose, at such times and places as

THE BAR. 43

tlie territorial legislature should prescribe. Accord-
ingly, as population increased and extended, and as
counties were established, the territorial legislature
increased the places in each district for holding the
district court. Either on account of the expense
or for some other cause congress has just stepped
aside from the doctrine of non-intervention (ch. 124,
sec. 5), and abrogated the territorial legislation so
far as to provide that there shall be but one place
in each of the three districts for holding a district
court. The act applies to all territories. In a
territory of five or six hundred miles in extent it is
of course inconvenient to have but three places for
holding courts. The Minnesotians complain that it
is an interference "with popular sovereignt3^ It is
possible the legislature might have gone to an ex-
treme in creating places for holding courts ; and I
suppose the judges were kept on the march a good
deal of the time. It also looks as if the remedy by
congress was extreme. The people say it is a co-
ercive measure to drive them into a state organi-
zation.

The administration of justice is secured by a sys-
tem which is now common to all the territories, with
the exception of Kansas. The supreme court con-
sists of the three district judges in full bench. They
hold nisi prius terms in their respective districts,
which are called district courts. The judges have
a salary of $2000 each, and are appointed for a
term of four years, subject to removal by the Presi-

44: MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

dent. The district courts have chancery jurisdic-
tion in matters where there is not a plain, adequate,
and complete remedy at law. (Stat, of Min. ch. 9-i,
sec. 1.) There are also probate courts. Each
county has two justices of the peace, who are elect-
ed by the people. And I cannot but remark how
much better the practice is to elect or appoint a few
justices of the peace rather than to allow the office
to be degraded by wholesale appointments, as a
matter of compliment, according to the usage too
common in some Eastern States. The justices of
the peace have jurisdiction in civil cases where the
amount in question docs not exceed §100 ; and
when the amount at issue is over $20 either party
may demand a jury of six men to try the case.
But there would be little demand for juries if all
magistrates were as competent as our enlightened
friend Judge Russell.

Special pleading never flourished much in the
West. It was never " a favorite with the court" out
this way ; while the regard which the lawyers have
cherished for it has been "distant and respectful."
It has been laid on the shelf about as effectually as
bleeding in the practice of medicine. The science
of special pleading, as it is known in these days —
and that in some of the older states — exists in a
mitigated form from what it did in the days of Coke
and Hale. The opportunities to amend, and the
various barriers against admitting a multiplicity of
pleas, have rendered the system so much more

THE BAR. 45

rational than it once was, that it is doubtful if some
of the old English worthies could now identify it.
Once a defendant could plead to an action of assump-
sit just as many defences as he chose ; first, he could
deny the whole by pleading the general issue ; then
he could plead the statute of limitations, infancy,
accord and satisfaction, and a dozen other pleas, by
which the plaintiff would be deprived of any clue to
the real defence. I suppose it was this practice of
formal lying which has given rise to the popular
error that a lawyer is in the habit of lying, or is
obliged to lie, in his arguments. Many people do
not know the diiference between pleading — which is
a process in writing to bring the parties to an issue —
and the oral arguments of counsel in courts. It is
ridiculous to suppose that it is easy or profitable for
lawyers to make false statements in their arguments.
The opposing counsel is ready to catch at anything
of the kind ; and if he misstates the evidence, the
jury are aware of it ; while if he states what is not
law, the court generally knows it. So there is no
opportunity for lying even if a lawyer should be so
disposed. The practice in civil actions as provided
by the statutes of Minnesota is similar — if not
actually the same — to the New York code of prac-
tice. There is but one form of action, called an
action of contract. The only pleading on the part
of the plaintiff is, 1st, the complaint ; 2d, the reply.
On the part of the defendant, 1st, demurrer ; or 2d,
the answer. (Stats, ch. 70, sec. 58.) The com-

46 MI.NNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

plaint must contain, 1st, the title of the cause,
specifying the name of the court in which the action
is brought and the names of the parties to the action,
plaintiff and defendant ; 2d, a statement of the facts
constituting the cause of action in ordinary and
concise language, without repetition, and in such a
manner as to enable a person of common under-
standing to know what is intended ; 3d, a demand
of the relief to which the plaintiff supposes himself
entitled. If the recovery of money be demanded
the amount must be stated. (Ibid. sec. 59.)

While testifying my approval of this code of prac-
tice as a whole, I cannot resist saying that in many
respects it is not so systematic as the Massachusetts
code, which was devised by Messrs. Curtis (now Mr.
Justice), Lord, and Chapman. That code is one of
the best in the world. And if I may be allowed
one word more about special pleading, I would say
that there is no branch of law which will better
reward study. Without mentioning the practice in
the U. S. courts, which requires, certainly, a know-
ledge of special pleading, no one can read the old
English reports and text books with much profit,
who is ignorant of the principles of that science.

A class of business peculiar to new territories and
states arises from the land laws. A great many
pre-emption cases are contested before the land ofiS-
cers, in which the services of lawyers are required.
This fact will partly explain why there are, gene-
rally, so many lawyers located in the vicinity of a

THE BAR. 47

land office. In a community that is newly settled
the title to property must often be in dispute ; and
however much averse people may be to going to law,
they find it frequently indispensable, if they wish to
have their rights settled on a firm basis.

The opinion prevails almost universally in the East
that a law^yer can do best in the West. In some
respects he can. If he cannot do a good deal better,
he is not compensated for going. I had the pleasure
of a conversation last summer with one of the most
eminent members of the New York bar (Mr. O'Con-
nor), on this very subject. It was his opinion that
western lawyers begin sooner to enjoy their reputa-
tion than the lawyers in the eastern cities. This is
true ; and results from there being less competition
in newer communities. " A lawyer among us," said
Mr. O'Connor, "seldom acquires eminence till he
begins to turn gray." Nevertheless, there is no
field so great and so certain in the long run, in which
one may become really a great lawyer, as in some
of our large comm.ercial cities, whether of the East
or the West. To admit of the highest professional
eminence there must be a large and varied business ;
and a lawyer must devote himself almost exclusively
to law. And then, when this great reputation is
acquired, what does it amount to ? Something now,
but not much hereafter. The great lawyer lives a
life of toil and excitement. Often does it seem to
"break on the frao-ments of a reviviniz dream."
His nerves are worn by the troubles of others ; for

48 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

the exercise of the profession, as has been said by
a brilliant lawyer, " involves intimate participation
with the interests, hopes, fears, passions, affections,
and vicissitudes of many lives." And yet merely
as a lawyer, he seldom leaves any durable vestige
of his fame behind him — hardly a fortune. But if
his fame is transient and mortal, there is some equi-
valent in the pleasure of triumph and the conscious-
ness of power. There is no man so powerful as the
great lawyer. The wealth and the character of his
fellow men often depend upon him. His clients are
sometimes powerful corporations, or cities, or states.
Crowded courts listen to his eloquence year after
year ; and no one has greater freedom of speech
than he. The orator and politician may be wafted
into a conspicuous place for a brief period,, and fall
again when popular favor has cooled ; yet the lawyer
is risinor still hio;her, nor can the rise and fall of
parties shake him from his high pedestal ; for the
tenure of his power is not limited. He is, too, one
of the most serviceable protectors of the liberties of
his country. It was as a lawyer that Otis thundered
against writs of assistance. The fearless zeal of
Somers, in defence of the seven bishops, fanned the
torch of liberty at the beginning of the great Eng-
lish revolution. Erskine and Brougham did more
as lawyers to promote freedom of the press, than
as statesmen.

I cannot refrain from inserting here Mr. Justice
Talfourd's interesting analysis of the professional

THE UAR. * 41)

abilities of Follett : " It may be well, while the ma-
terials for investigation remain, to inquire into the
causes of success, so brilliant and so fairly attained
by powers which have left so little traces of their
progress. Erskine was never more decidedly at the
head of the common law bar than Follett; com-
pared with Follett he was insignificant in the house
of commons ; his career was chequered by vanities
and weaknesses from which that of Follett was free ;
and yet even if he had not been associated with the
greatest constitutional questions of his time and
their triumphant solution, his fame would live by
the mere force and beauty of his forensic eloquence
as long as our language. But no collection of the
speeches of Follett has been made ; none will ever
be attempted ; no speech he delivered is read, ex-
cept perchance as part of an interesting trial, and
essential to its story, and then the language is felt
to be poor, the cadences without music, and the
composition vapid and spiritless ; although, if studied
with a view to the secrets of forensic success, with
a 'learned spirit of human dealing,' in connexion
with the facts developed and the diflSculties encoun-
tered, will supply abundant materials for admiration
of that unerring skill which induced the repetition
of fortunate topics, the dexterous suppression of the
most stubborn things when capable of oblivion, and
the light evasive touch with which the speaker ful-
filled his promise of not forgetting others which

could not be passed over, but which, if deeply con-
5

50 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

sidered, might be fatal. If, however, there was no
principle of duration in his forensic achievements,
there can be doubt of the esteem in which they were
held or the eagerness with which they w^ere sought.
His supremacy in the minds of clients was more
like the rage of a passion for a youthful Roscius or
an extraordinary preacher, than the result of deli-
berate consideration ; and yet it prevailed, in ques-
tions not of an evening's amusement, but of penury
or riches, honor or shame. Suitors were content,
not only to make large sacrifices for the assured
advantage of his advocacy, but for the bare chance
— the distant hope — of having some little part (like
that which Phormio desires to retain in Thais) of
his faculties, with the certainty of preventing their
opposition. There was no just ground, in his case,
for the complaint that he received large fees for
services he did not render ; for the chances were
understood by those who adventured in his lottery ;
in which after all there were comparatively few
blanks. His name was ' a tower of strength,' which
it was delightful to know that the adverse faction
wanted, and which inspired confidence even on the
back of the brief of his forsaken junior, who bore
the burden and heat of the day for a fifth of the fee
which secured that name. Will posterity ask what
were the powers thus sought, thus prized, thus re-
w^arded, and thus transient ? They will be truly
told that he was endowed, in a remarkable degree,
with some moral qualities which smoothed his course

THE BAR. 51

and charmed away opposition, and with some phy-
sical advantages which happily set oif his intellec-
tual gifts ; that he was blessed with a temper at
once gentle and even ; with a gracious manner and
a social temperament; that he was without jealousy
of the solid or showy talents of others, and willingly
gave them the amplest meed of praise ; that he
spoke with all the grace of modesty, yet with the
assurance of perfect mastery over his subject, his
powers, and his audience ; and yet they will scarcely
recognise in these excellencies sufficient reasons for
his extraordinary success. To me, the true secret
of his peculiar strength appeared to lie in the pos-
session of two powers which rarely co-exist in the
same mind — extraordinary subtlety of perception
and as remarkable simplicity of execution. In the
first of these faculties — in the intuitive power of
common sense, which is the finest essence of expe-
rience, whereby it attains ' to something of prophetic
strain' — he excelled all his contemporaries except
Lord Abinger, Avith whom it was more liable to be
swayed by prejudice or modified by taste, as it was
adorned with happier graces. The perfection of
this faculty was remarkably exemplified in the fleet-
ing visits he often paid to the trials of causes which
he had left to the conduct of his juniors ; a few
words, sometimes a glance, sufficed to convey to
his mind the exact position of complicated afi*airs,
and enabled him to decide what should be done or
avoided ; and where the interference of any other

52 MIX^'ESOTA AND DACOTAII.

advocate would have been dangerous, he often ren-
dered good service, and, which v.as raore extraor-
dinary, never did harm. So his unrivalled aptitude
for leffal reasoninor, enabled him to deal with autho-
rities as he dealt with facts ; if unprepared for an
argument, he could find its links in the chaos of an
index, and make an imposing show of learning out
of a page of Harrison ; and with the aid of the in-
terruptions of the bench, which he could as dexter-
ously provoke as parry, could find the right clue and
conduct a luminous train of reasoning to a trium-
phant close. His most elaborate arguments, though
not comparable in essence with those of his chief
opponent, Lord Campbell — which, in comprehen-
sive outline, exact logic, felicitous illustration, and
harmonious structure, excelled all others I have
heard — were delivered in tones so nicely adapted
to the minds and ears of the judges, with an ear-
nestness so winning, and a confidence so contagious,
that they made a judgment on his side not only a
necessity, but a pleasure.

" The other faculty, to which, in combination with
his subtlety of understanding, the excellence of his
advocacy may be attributed, is one more rarely pos-
sessed— and scarcely ever in such association — the
entire singleness of a mind equally present in every
part of a cause. If the promotion of the interest
of the client were an advocate's highest duty, it
would be another name for the exactest virtue ; and
inasmuch as that interest is not^ like the objects of

THE BAR. 53

moral zeal, fixed in character, but liable to frequent
change, the faculty of directing the whole power of
the understanding to each shifting aspect of the
cause in its minutest shadowings without the guid-
ance of an inflexible law, is far more wonderful, if
far less noble, than a singleness of devotion to right.
It has an integrity of its own, which bears some
affinity to that honesty which Baillie Nichol Jarvie
attributes to his Highland kinsman. Such honesty
— that is, the entire devotion of all the faculties to
the object for which it was retained, without the
lapse of a moment's vanity or indolence, with un-
limited vision and unceasing activity — was Follett's
beyond all other advocates of our time. To the pre-
sentment of truth, or sophism, as the cause might
require, he gave his entire mind with as perfect
oblivion of self as the most heroic sufferer for prin-
ciple. The faculty which in Gladstone, the states-
man, applied to realities and inspired only by the
desire to discover the truth and to clothe it in lan-
guage, assumes, in the minds of superficial observers,
the air of casuistry from the nicety of its distinctions
and the earnest desire of the speaker to present truth
in its finest shades — in Follett, the advocate, applied
indiscriminately to the development of the specious
shows of things as of their essences, wore all the
semblance of sincerity ; and, in one sense, deserved
it. No fears, no doubts, no scruples shook him.
Of the license which advocacy draws from sym-
5 "

o4 MIXXESOTA AND DACOTAH.

pathy ^vith the feelings of those it represents,
he made full use, with unhesitating power ; for his
reason, of 'large discourse,' was as pliable as the
affections of the most sensitive nature. Nor was he
diverted from his aim by any figure or fancy : if he
neither exalted his subject by imagination, nor illus-
trated it by wit, nor softened its details by pathos,
he never made it the subject of vain attempts at
the exhibition of either. He went into the arena
stripped of all encumbrance, to win, and contended
studious only and always of victory. His presence
of miyid was not merely the absence of external dis-
traction, nor the capacity of calling up all energies
on an emergency, but the continued application of
them equally to the duty of each moment. There
are few speakers, even of fervid sincerity and zeal,
whose thoughts do not frequently run before or
beside the moment's purpose ; whose wits do not
sometimes wander on to some other part of the case
than that they are instantly discussing ; who do not
anticipate some future effect, or dally with some
apprehension of future peri], while they should
consider only the next word or sentence. This
momentary desertion of the exact purpose never
occurred to Follett; he fitted the thought to its
place ; the word to the thought ; and allowed the
action only to take care of itself, as it always will
with an earnest speaker. His, therefore, was rather
the artlessness than the art of advocacy — its second

THE BAR. OD

nature — -justly appreciated by those to whose inter-
ests it was devoted ; but not fully understood even
by the spectator of its exertion ; dying with the
causes in which it was engaged, and leaving no
vestiges except in their success. Hence the blank
which is substituted for the space he filled in human
affairs. The modest assurance, the happy boldness,
the extemporaneous logic, all that ' led but to the
grave,' exist, like the images of departed actors,
only in the recollection of those who witnessed them,
till memory shall fade into tradition, and tradition
dwindle down to a name." (Supplement to Vacation
Rambles, p. 115.) The eagerness with which the
talents of Sir William Follett were sought, forcibly
illustrates the truth of a remark, made to me in the
course of some friendly advice, by one who may be
ranked among the most brilliant advocates who have
adorned the American Bar (now in the highest ofBce
in the nation), that to attain the highest rank in the
legal profession, a lawyer must have such abilities
and character as will "compel" patronage.

He, however, who enters the profession here or
elsewhere merely as a stepping stone to political
preferment, need not expect great success, even
though he may acquire some temporary advance-
ment. The day is past when lawyers could mo-
nopolize every high place in the state. The habit
of public speaking is not now confined to the learned
professions. Our peculiar system of education has

56 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

trained up a lefrion of orators and politicians outside
of the bar. Xow-a-days a man must have other
qualifications besides the faculty of speech-making
to win the prize in politics. He must be a man of
comprehensive ability, and thoroughly identified with
the interests of the people, before he can secure
much popular favor, or else he must be possessed of
such shining talents and character that his fellow
men will take a pride in advancing him to con-
spicuous and responsible trusts. Let a man have a
part or all of these qualifications, however, and with
them the experience and tact of a laAvyer, and he
will of course make a more valuable public servant,
especially if he is placed in a deliberative body.
The British cabinets have always relied vastly on
the support aff'orded them in the house of commons
by their attorneys and solicitors general, whether it
consisted in the severe and solemn lo";ic of Romillv,
in the cool and ready arguments of Scarlett, or the
acute and irresistible oratory of Sir William Follett.
The education of a lawyer ; — his experience as a
manager; his art of covering up weak points : his
ready and adroit style of speaking; — all serve to
make him peculiarly valuable to his own party, and
dangerous to an opposition in a deliberative body.
But the fact that a man is a lawyer does not advance
him in politics so much as it once did. Fortunate
it is so ! For thoufih learnino; will always have its
advantages, yet no profession ought to have cxclu-

TUE BAR. 57

sive privileges. Nor need the lawyer repine that it
is so, inasmuch as it is for his benefit, if he desires
success in the profession, to discard the career of
politics. The race is not to the swift, and he can
aftbrd to wait for the legitimate honors of the bar.
1 will conclude by saying that I regard ^linnesota
as a good field for an upright, industrious, and com-
petent lawyer. For those of an opposite class, I
have never yet heard of a very promising field.

LETTER V.

ST. PAUL TO CROW WIXG IX TWO DAYS.

Stages— Roads — Rum River — Indian treaty — Itasca — Sauk Rapids —
Watab at midnijrht — Lod^ins under difficulties — Little Rock River
— Character of Minnesota streams — Dinner at Swan River — Little
Falls — Fort Ripley — Arrival at Crow Wing.

Crow "NVixg, October, 1856.

Here I am, after two days drive in a stage, at
the town of Crow Wing, one hundred and thirty
miles, a little west of north, from St. Paul. I will
defer, however, any remarks on Crow Wing, or the
many objects of interest hereabout, till I have men-
tioned a few things which I saw coming up.

Between St. Paul and this place is a tri-weekly
line of stages. The coaches are of Concord manu-
facture, spacious and comfortable ; and the entire
equipage is well adapted to the convenience of tra-
vellers. Next season, the enterprising proprietors,
Messrs. Chase and Allen, who carry the mail, intend
establishing a daily line. I left the Fuller House
in the stage at about five in the morning. There
was only a convenient number of passengers till we
arrived at St. Anthony, where we breakfasted; but
then our load was more than doubled, and we drove

out with nine inside and about seven outside, with

(58)

ST. PAUL TO CROW WING IN TWO DAYS. 59

any quantity of baggage. The road is very level
and smooth ; and with the exception of encounter-
ing a few small stumps where the track has been
diverted for some temporary impediment, and also
excepting a few places where it is exceedingly sandy,
it is an uncommonly superior road. It is on the
eastern bank of the Mississippi, and was laid out
very straight. But let me remark that everybody
who travels it seems conscious that it is a govern-
ment road. There are several bridges, and they are
often driven over at a rapid rate, much to their
damage. When Minnesota shall have a state gov-
ernment, and her towns or counties become liable
for the condition of the roads, people will doubtless
be more economical of the bridges, even though the
traveller be not admonished to walk his horse, or to
"keep to the right," &c.

Emerging from St. Anthony, the undulating
aspect of the country ceases, and we enter upon an
almost unbroken plain. A leading characteristic of
the scenery is the thin forests of oak, commonly
called oak openings. The soil appears to be rich.

Seven miles from St. Anthony is a tidy settle-
ment called Manomin, near the mouth of Rice river.
But the first place of importance which we reached
is Anoka, a large and handsome village situated on
Rum river. It is twenty-five miles from St. Paul.
The river is a large and beautiful stream and affords
good water-power, in the development of which
Anoka appears to thrive. A vast number of pine

60 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

logs are annually floated down the river and sawed
into lumber at the Anoka mills. The settlers are
principally from Maine. By the treaty of 22d Feb-
ruary, 1855, with three bands of the Chippewa In-
dians, an appropriation of $5000 was set apart for
the construction of a road from the mouth of Rum
river to Mille Lac. The road is half completed.

AVe took an earlv dinner at Itasca, havintz; come
thirty-two miles. Itasca is quite an unassuming
place, and not so pretty as its name. But I shall
always cherish a good-will for the spot, inasmuch as
I got a first-rate dinner there. It was all put upon
the table before we sat down, so that each one could
help himself; and as it consisted of very palatable
edibles, each one did help himself quite liberally.
We started on soon afterwards, with a new driver
and the third set of horses ; but with the disagree-
able consciousness that we had still before us the
largest part of the day's journey. In about three
hours we came to Big Lake, or, as it is sometimes
called, Humboldt. The lake is anything but a big
lake, being the size of a common New England
pond. But then all such sheets of w^ater are called
lakes in this part of the country. It is a clear body
of w&ter, abounding with fine fish, and has a beau-
tiful shore of pebbles. Several similar sheets of
water are passed on the journey, the shores of which
present a naked appearance. There is neither the
trace of a stream leading from or to them, nor, with
few exceptions, even a swamp in their vicinity.

ST. PAUL TO CROW WING IN TWO DAYS. (11

Sauk Rapids is 44 miles from Itasca, and it was
late when we reached there. But, late as it was,
we found a large collection of people at the post
office waiting for the mail. Thej appeared to have
had a caucus, and were discussing politics with much
animation. There is at Sauk Rapids a local land
office. That is of more advantage to a place than
being the county seat. In a short time, however,
some of the land offices will be removed further
west for the convenience of settlers. The village
is finely situated on rising ground, and contains
some handsome residences.

It was midnio-ht when we arrived at Watab, where
we were to lodoje. The weather had been delightful
during the day, but after nightfall a high wind rose
and filled the air with dust. I descended from the
stage — for I had rode upon the outside — with self-
satisfied emotions of havino- come eii]^htv-tAvo miles
since mornino:. The stage-house was crowded. It
is a two-story building, the rooms of which are small.
I went to bed, I was about to say, without any sup-
per. But that was not so. I didn't get any supper,
it is true, neither did I get a bed, for they were all
occupied. The spare room on the floor was also
taken. The proprietor, however, was accommodat-
ing, and gave me a sort of a lounge in rather a small
room where three or four other men, and a dog,
were sleeping on the floor. I fixed the door ajar
for ventilation, and with my overcoat snugly but-
toned around me, though it was not cold, addressed
6

<'>2 MIXXESOTA AXD DACOTAII.

myself to sleep. In the morning I found that one
of the occupants was an ex-alderman from the fifth
■ward of New York ; and that in the room over me
slept no less a personage than Parker H. French.
I say I ascertained these facts in the morning. Mr.
French came to Watab a few weeks ago with a com-
pany of mechanics, and has been rushing the place
ahead with great zeal. He appears to make a good
impression on the people of the town.

A heavy rain had fallen during the night ; the
stage was but moderately loaded, and I started out
from ^yatab, after breakfast the next morning, in
bright spirits. Still the road is level, and at a slow
trot the team makes better time than a casual ob-
server is conscious of. Soon we came to Little Rock
River, which is one of the crookedest streams that
was ever knoAvn of. We are obliged to cross it twice
within a short space. Twelve miles this side we
cross the beautiful Platte River. It would make
this letter much more monotonous than it is, I fear,
were I to name all the rivers we pass. They are
very numerous : and as they increase the delight
of the traveller, so are they also a delight and a
convenience to the settler. Like the rivers of New
England, they are clear and rapid, and furnish
abundant means for water-power. The view which
we catch of the Mississippi is frequent, but brief,
as the road crosses its curves in the most direct
manner. Much of the best land on either side of

ST. PAUL TO CROW WING IN TWO DAYS. Go

the road is in the hands of speculators, who pur-
chased it at public sale, or afterwards plastered it
over with land warrants. There is evidence of this
on the entire route ; for, although we pass populous
villages, and a great many splendid farms, the
greater part of the land is still unoccupied. The
soil is dark colored, but in some places quite mealy ;
everywhere free from stones, and susceptible of easy
cultivation.

We arrived at Swan River at about one o'clock,
where we dined on wild ducks. That is a village
also of considerable importance ; but it is not so
large as Little Falls, which is three miles this side.
At that place the Mississippi furnishes a good water-
poAver. It has a spacious and tidy hotel, several
stores, mechanics' shops, a saw-mill, &c. At Belle
Prairie we begin to see something of the Chippewas.
The half-breeds have there some good farms, and
the school-house and the church denote the progress
of civilization. It was near sunset when we reach-
ed Fort Ripley. The garrison stands on the west
bank of the Mississippi, but the reservation extends
several miles on both sides. The stage crosses the
river on the ferry to leave the mail and then re-
turns. The great flag was still flying from the high
staff", and had an inspiring influence. Like most of
our inland military posts. Fort Ripley has no stone
fortifications. It is neatly laid out in a square,
and surrounded by a high protective fence. Three

64: MIXNE.-UTA AND DACUT.MI.

or four field-pieces stand upon the bank of tlio
river fronting it, and at some distance present a
warlike attitude. The rest of tlie trip, being about
five miles, was over the reservation, on which, till
we come to Crow Wing, are no settlements. Here
I gladly alighted from the coach, and found most
comfortable and agreeable entertainment at a house
which stands on the immediate bank of the river.

LETTER VI.

THE TOWN OF CROW WING.

Scenery — first settlement of Crow Wing — Red Lake Indians — Mr.
Morrison — Prospects of the town — Upper navigation — Mr. Beau-
lieu — Washington's theory as to Norfolk — Observations on the
growth of towns.

Crow AVixg, October, 1856.

I AM highly gratified with the appearance of this
place. Mr. Burke says — " In order that Ave
should love our country, our country sliould first be
lovely," and there is much wisdom in the remark.
Nature has done so much for this locality that one
could be contented to live here on quite a moderate
income. The land is somewhat elevated, near tbe
bank of the Mississippi, affording a pleasant view
over upon the western side, both above and below
the two graceful mouths of the Crow Wing River.
Towards the east and north, after a few miles, the
view is intercepted by a higher ridge of land covered
with timber ; or, by the banks of the Mississippi
itself, as from this point we begin to ascend it in a
northeasterly course.

Crow Wing was selected as a trading post up-
wards of twenty years ago. Mr. McDonnald, who
G^:^ (05)

6(3 MIN^'ESOTA AND DACOTAH.

Still resides here, was, I believe, the first white set-
tler. Till within a recent period it was the head-
quarters of the Mississippi tribe of Chippewas, and
the principal trading depot with the Chippewas
generall}^ Here they brought their furs, the fruits
of their buffalo and their winter hunts, and their
handicraft of beads and baskets, to exchange for
clothing and for food. Thus the place was located
and settled on long before there was a prospect of
its becoming a populous town. Mr. Rice, the dele-
gate in congress, if I mistake not, once had a branch
store here with several men in his employ. The
principal traders at present are Mr. Abbee and Mr.
Eeaulieu, who have large and well selected stocks
of goods. The present population of white persons
probably numbers a hundred souls. The place now
has a more populous appearance on account of the
presence of a caravan of Red Lake Indians, who
have come down about four hundred miles to trade.
They are encamped round about in tents or birch
bark lodges, as it may happen to be. In passing
some of them, I saw the squaws busily at work on
the grass outside of the lodge in manufacturing flag
carpets. The former Indian residents are now re-
moved to their reservation in the fork of the Mis-
sissippi and Crow Wing rivers, where their agency
is now established.

The houses here are very respectable in size, and
furnished in metropolitan style and elegance. The
farms are highly productive, and the grazing for

THE TOWN OF CROW WIXG. 67

Stock unequalled. There is a good ferry at the
upper end of the town, at a point where the river is
quite narrow and deep. You can be taken over
with a horse for twenty-five cents ; with a carriage,
I suppose, the tariff is higher.

Perhaps one cause of my favorable impression of
Crow Wing is the excelle it and home-like hotel ac-
commodations which I have found. The proprietor
hardly assumes to keep a public-house, and yet pro-
vides his guests with very good entertainment ; and
I cannot refrain from saying that there is no public-
house this side of St. Paul where the traveller will
be better treated. Mr. Morrison — for that is the
proprietor's name — came here fifteen years ago,
hashing first come into this region in the service of
John Jacob Astor. He married one of the hand-
somest of the Chippewa maidens, who is now his
faithful wife and housekeeper, and the mother of
several interesting and amiable children. Mr. M.
is the postmaster. He has been a member of the
territorial legislature, and his name has been given
to a large and beautiful county. I judge that soci-
ety has been congenial in the town. The little
church, standing on an eminence, indicates some
union of sentiment at least, and a regard for the
higher objects of life. Spring and summer and
autumn must be delightful seasons here, and bring
with them the sweetest tranquillity. Nor are the
people shut out from the world in winter ; for then
there is travel and intercourse and traffic. So are

G8 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

there pleasures and recreation peculiar to the sea-
son.

But the serene and quiet age of the settlement is
near its close. Enterprise and speculation, "with
their bustle and turmoil, have laid hold of it. The
clank of the hammer, the "whistle of steamboats, the
rattling of carts, heaps of lumber and of bricks,
excavations and gradings, short corners and rough
unshapen walks, -will usurp the quiet and the regu-
larity of the place. Indeed a man ou^ht to make
a fortune to compensate for residing in a town dur-
ing the first years of its rapid building. The streets
appear, on the map, to be well laid out. A number
of purchasers of lots are preparing lo build ; and a
few new buildings are already going up. As near
as I am able to learn, the things which conduce to
its availability as a business place are these — First,
it is the beginning of the Upper Mississippi naviga-
tion. From this point steamboats can go from two
to three hundred miles. But they cannot pass be-
low, on account of the obstructions near Fort Bipley,
at Little Falls, and at Sauk Rapids. This of course
is a great element in its future success, as the coun-
try above in the valley of the river is destined to
be thickly settled, and boats will run between this
point and the settlements along the river. It will
also be a large lumber market, for the pine forests
begin here and extend alono; the river banks for
hundreds of miles, while the facility of getting the
logs down is unexceptionable. The territory north

THE TOWN OF CHOW V/IXG. 60

of Crow Wing is now open for settlers to a great
distance, the Indian title having; been extinguished.
Two land districts have also been established, which
will be an inducement for fresh emigration. There
is no other place but this to supply these settle-
ments ; at least none so convenient. A great deal
of timber will also come down the Crow Winor River,
which is a large stream, navigable three months in
the year. Arrangements are complete for building a
steamboat the ensuing winter, at this very place, to
begin running in the spring as far up as OjibcAvay.
Next season there will be a daily line of stages be-
tween this and St. Paul. I understand also that it
is intended next summer to connect Crow Winir
with the flourishing town of Superior by stage. It
will require considerable energy to do this thing ;
but if it can be done, it will be a great blessing to
the traveller as well as a profit to the town. The
journey from St. Paul to Lake Superior via Crow
Wing can then be performed in three days, while on
the usual route it now occupies a week. Such are
some of the favorable circumstances which corrobo-
rate the expectation of the growth of this place.
The southern or lower portion of the town is in-
cluded within the Fort Ripley reserve, and though
several residences are situated on it, no other build-
ings can be put up without a license from the com-
manding officer ; nor can any lots be sold from that
portion until the reserve is cut down. With the
upper part of the town it is different. Mr. C. H.

70 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

Beaulieu, long a resident of the place, is the pro-
prietor of that part, and has already, I am informed,
made some extensive sales of lots. He is one of
those lucky individuals, who have sagacity to locate
on an available spot, and patience to wait the open-
ing of a splendid fortune.^

My observation and experience in regard to town
sites have taught me an important fact : that as much
depends on the public spirit, unity of action, and zeal
of the early proprietors, as upon the locality itself.
The one is useless without these helps. General
Washington wrote an able essay to prove the avail-
ability of Norfolk, Va., as the great commercial
metropolis of the country. He speculated upon its
beino; the (xreat market for the West. His imacrina-
tion pictured out some such place as New York now
is, as its future. The unequalled harbor of Norfolk,
and the resources of the country all around it, ex-
tending as far, almost, as thought could reach, might
well have encouraged the theory of Washington.
But munificence and energy and labor have built up
many cities since then, which had not half the
natural advantasxes of Norfolk, while Norfolk is far
behind. A little lack of enterprise, a little lack of
harmony and liberality, may, in the early days of
a town, divert business and improvements from a
good location, till in a short time an unheard-of and

^ Since tbis letter was written, Mr. Thomas Cathcart has purchased
a valuable claim opposite Crow Wing at the mouth of the riven,
which I should think was an available town site.

THE TOWN OP CROW WIXG. 71

inferior place totally eclipses it. KnoAving this to
be the case, I have been careful in my previous let-
ters not to give too much importance to many of the
town sites which have been commended to me alonoj
my journey. I do not discover any of these retard-
ing circumstances about Crow Wing. I must con-
clude at this paragraph, however, in order to take
a horseback ride to the Chippewa agency. In my
next I intend to say something about the Indians,
pine timber, and the country above here in general.

LETTER YIL

CHrPPE^YA IXDIAXS.— HOLE-IX-TIIE-DAY.

Description of the Chippewa tribes — Their habits and customs —
Mission at Gull Lake — Progress in farming — Visit to Hole-in-
the-day — Ilis enlightened character — Reflections on Indian cha-
racter, and the practicability of their civilization — Their educa-
tion— ]Mr. Manypenny's exertions.

Crow Wing, October, 1856.
I CONSIDER myself exceedingly fortunate in hav-
ing had a good opportunity for observing the con-
dition of the Chippewa Indians. Sometime ago I
saw enough of the Indians in another part of the
country to gratify my curiosity as to their appear-
ance and habits ; and as I have always felt a pecu-
liar interest in their destiny, my present observations
have been with a view to derive information as to
the best means for their improvement. The whole
number of Chippewas in Minnesota is not much over
2200. They are divided into several bands, each
band being located a considerable distance from the
other. The Mississippi band live on their reserva-
tion, which begins a few miles above here across the
river, while the Pillager and Lake AVinnibigoshish
bands are some three hundred miles further north.
The nsency of the Chippewas is on the reservation

(72)

THE CHIPPEWA INDIANS. 73

referred to, a little north of the Crow Wing River,
and six miles distant from this town. To come
down more to particulars, however, and adopt words
Avhich people here would use, I might say that the
agency is on Gull River, a very clear and pretty
stream, which flows from a lake of that name, into
the Crow Wing. I passed the agency yesterday,
and two miles beyond, in order to visit Pug-o-na-
ke-shick, or Hole-in-the-day, the principal and
hereditary chief of the Chippewas. Mr. Herriman,
the agent, resides at the agency, in compliance with
the regulation of the Indian bureau, which requires
agents to reside among the Indians. I strongly
suspect there are many people who would think it
unsafe to travel alone among the Chippewas. But
people who live about here would ridicule the idea
of being afraid of violence or the slightest molesta-
tion from them, unless indeed the fellows were
intoxicated. For my part, a walk on Boston com-
mon on a summer morning could not seem more
quiet and safe than a ramble on horseback among
the homes of these Indians. I spoke to a good
many. Though naturally reserved and silent, they
return a friendly salutation with a pleasant smile.

Their old costume is still retained as a general
thing. The blanket is still worn instead of coats.
Sometimes the men wear leggins, but often go with
their legs naked. A band is generally worn upon
the head with some ornament upon it. A feather
of the war eagle worn in the head-band of a brave,
7

<-± MINNESOTA AXD DACOTAH.

denotes that lie has taken the scalp of an enemy or
performed some rare feat of daring. An Indian
does not consider himself in full dress without his
■war hatchet or weapons. I meet many with long-
stemmed pipes, which are also regarded as an orna-
mental part of dress. They appear pleased to have
anything worn about them attract attention. They
are of good size, taller than the Winnebagoes, and
of much lighter complexion than tribes living five
hundred miles further south. Herein the philosopher
on the cooking of men is confirmed. Their hair is
black, long, and straight ; and some are really good-
looking. There are but few who still paint. Those
in mourning paint their faces black. What I have
seen of their houses raises high hopes of their ad-
vancement in civilization. We can now begin to
lay aside the word lodge and say house. Over a
year ago, Mr. Herriman promised every one a good
cooking stove who would build himself a comfortable
house. This promise had a good effect, for several
houses were built. But the want of windows and
several other conveniences, which are proper fix-
tures, gives their dwellings a desolate appearance
to one who looks to a higher standard of comfort.
Of course I saw a few of the men at the store (for
there is a store at the agency), spending their time,
as too many white men do in country villages.
Eight miles beyond the agency, on Gull Lake, is a
mission. It has been under the charge of Rev. J.
L. Break, a gentleman of high culture, and whose

THE CHIPPEWA INDIANS. 75

enlightened and humane exertions in behalf of the
Indians have received much commendation both
from the agent and Gov. Gorman, the Superin-
tendent. He has been at the mission four years.
While he had the benefit of the school-fund, he had
in his school, under his own roof, 35 pupils ; since
that was withheld, the number of pupils has been
22. Mr. Breck will soon remove to Leech Lake,
and will be succeeded by a gentleman who comes
well recommended from a theological institution in
Wisconsin. I desired very much to go as far as
the mission, but from Crow Wing and back it would
have been thirty miles, and it was otherwise incon-
venient on account of the rain. The Indians are
beginning to farm a little. They begin with gar-
dens. Their support is chiefly from the annuities
paid by the United States, which are principally
received in some sort of dry goods. The goods are
furnished by contract, and the price paid for them
is about enough, if all stories are true. Thev also
derive some support from their fur hunts and by fish-
ing. Buffaloes are still hunted successfully beyond
the Red River of the North. They bring home the
furs, and also the best parts of the meat. The
meat is preserved by being partially cooked in buf-
falo fat, cut into small pieces^ and sewed up very
tight in the hide of the animal. It is called i^em-
mican, and sells here for twenty-five cents a pound.
It is broken to pieces like pork scraps, and the
Indians regard it as a great luxury.

ib MIX^ESOTA AND DACOTAII.

From the agency I hastened on to see Hole-in-
the-day (Pug-o-na-ke-shick, his Indian name, means,
literally, Hole-in-the-sky). He is a famous chief,
having in his youth distinguished himself for bold
exploits and severe endurance. But what most en-
titles him to attention is the very exemplary course
he has pursued in attempting to carry out the wishes
of the government in bringing his race to the habits
of civilized life. It was principally through his in-
fluence that a treaty was made between his tribe
and the United States, and after it went into effect
he turned his attention to farming. Previous to
the treaty he was supported as chief by the tribal
revenue. He has succeeded well. Over a year
ago the receipts of what he sold from his farm,
aside from what his household needed, amounted to
over two hundred dollars. At length, after I'iding a
mile and a half without passing a habitation, over a
fertile prairie, I came in sight of his house. He
lives near a small lake, and north of him is a large
belt of heavy pine timber. He has an excellent
farm, well fenced and well cultivated. His house
is in cottage style, and of considerable length ;
spacious, neat, and well furnished. Arriving at
the door I dismounted, and inquired of his squaw
if he was at home. She sent her little girl out into
the field to call him. There, indeed, in his corn-
field, was he at work. He met me very cordially,
and invited me into a room, where he had an inter-
preter. We held a protracted and agreeable con-

A VISIT TO HOLE-IN-THE-DAY. 77

versation on Indian matters. He invited me to
dine witli him, and nothing but want of time pre-
vented my accepting his polite invitation. He Avas
very neatly dressed, and is quite prepossessing in
his appearance. He is younger than I supposed
before seeing him. I judge him to be about thirty-
four. He is a man of strono; sense, of 2;reat sao-a-
city, and considerable ambition.

There is no reason why the Indians should not
speedily become civilized. Those who have longest
lived amongst them, and who best understand their
character, tell me so. I fully believe it. The In-
dian follows his wild habits because he has been
educated to do so. The education of habit, familiar
from infancy, and the influence of tradition, lead him
to the hunt, and as much to despise manual labor.
He does what he has been taught to consider as
noble and honorable, and that is what the most en-
lightened do. Certainly his course of life is the
most severe and exposed; it is not for comfort that
he adheres to his wild habits. He regards it as
noble to slay his hereditary foe. Hence the troubles
which occasionally break out between the Chippewas
and the Sioux. To* gain the applause of their tribe
they will incur almost any danger, and undergo
almost any privation. Thus, we see that for those
objects which their education has taught them to
regard as first and best, they will sacrifice all their
comforts. They have sense enough, and ambition
enough, and fortitude enough. To those they love

78 Mi.N.NE.SUTA AND DACOTAH.

they are affectionate almost to excess. Only direct
their ambition in the proper way, and they will at
once rise. Teach them that it is noble to produce
something useful by their labor, and to unite with
the great family of man to expand arts and to im-
prove the immortal mind — teach them that it is
noble, that there is more applause to be gained by
it, as well as comfort, and they will change in a
generation. They will then apply themselves to
civilization with Spartan zeal and with Spartan
virtues.

In a communication to the secretary of war by
Gen. Cass in 1821, relative to his expedition to the
sources of the Mississippi, he makes the following
interesting extract from the journal of Mr. Doty,
a gentleman who accompanied the expedition : —
" The Indians of the upper country consider those
of the Fond-du-Lac as very stupid and dull, being
but little given to war. They count the Sioux their
enemies, but have heretofore made few war excur-
sions.

" Having been frequently reprimanded by some
of the more vigilant Indians of the north, and
charged with cowardice, and an utter disregard for
the event of the war, thirteen men of this tribe,
last season, determined to retrieve the character of
their nation, by making an excursion against the
Sioux. Accordingly, without consulting the other
Indians, they secretly departed and penetrated far
into the Sioux country. Unexpected))'., at night.

THE CHIPPEWA INDIANS. 79

they came upon a party of the Sioux, amounting to
near one hundred men, and immediately began to
prepare for battle. They encamped a short distance
from the Sioux, and durinfz; the nio;ht duo; holes in
the ground into which they might retreat and fight
to the last extremity. They appointed one of their
number (the youngest) to take a station at a distance
and witness the struggle, and instructed him, when
they were all slain, to make his escape to their own
land, and relate the circumstances under which they
had fallen.

" Early in the morning they attacked the Sioux
in their camp, who, immediately sallying out upon
them, forced them back to the last place of retreat
they had resolved upon. They fought desperately.
]\Iore than twice their own number were killed before
they had lost their lives. Eight of them were
tomahawked in the holes to which they had retreat-
ed ; the other four fell on the field. The tJiirteenth
returned home, according to the directions he had
received, and related the foregoino; circumstances to
his tribe. They mourned their death ; but delighted
with the bravery of their friends, unexampled in
modern times, they were happy in their grief.

" This account I received of the very Indian who
was of the party and had escaped." — [See School-
craft, p. 431.]^

1 Pride is a characteristic trait in Indian character. On a recent
occasion when several bands of the Chippewas were at Washington
to negotiate a treaty with the United States, they had an interview

80 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

Ill the contest between the Athenians and the
Dorians, an oracle had declared that the side would
triumph whose king should fall. Codrus the Athe-
nian king, to be more sure of sacrificing himself,
' assumed the dress of a peasant, and was soon killed ;
and the event soon spread dismay among the ene-
mies of Athens. His patriotism was accounted so
great, that the Athenians declared that there was
no man worthy to be his successor, and so abolished
the monarchy. I think the history of the Indians
would show instances of heroism as praiseworthy
as can be found in the annals of the ancients. Let
it be remembered, too, that the Spartans knew that
an imperishable literature would hand down their
valor to the praise of the world through all the
future. But the Indian looked for the preservation
of his exploits only in the songs and the traditional
stories of his tribe.

I allude to these traits because I think it will be
agreed, that whatever race possesses those elements
of character which lead them to pursue with zeal
and courage things they have been taught to regard

^vith their Great Father the President. He received them in the
spacious East Room of the executive mansion, in the presence of a
large collection of gentlemen who had gathered to witness the occa-
sion. Each chief made a speech to the President, which was inter-
preted as they spoke. "When it came to the turn of Eshkibofjikoj
(Flat Mouth) that venerable chief began with great dignity, saying:
" Father I Tico great men have met J" Here he paused to let the sen-
tence be interpreted. His exordium amused not only the whites but
the Indians.

THE CHIPPEWA INDIANS. 81

most creditable, is capable of being civilized. We
now pay the Indian for his lands in agricultural
tools, in muskets and powder, in blankets and cheap
calico — and in education; but the smallest item is
education. If half the money which the govern-
ment is liable to pay for Indian troubles during
the last year, could be appropriated to a proper
system of education, we should hear of no more
serious Indian wars. But I have not time to pur-
sue the subject. I will say, however, that the pre-
sent commissioner of Indian affairs, Mr. Manypenny,
is doing a very good work in advancing their con-
dition. The press ought to bestow some attention
on the subject. There are nearly 400,000 Indians
within the United States and territories. If the
philanthropy of the age could spare the blacks for
a little while, and help civilize the Indians, it would
be better for all parties. Here is an enterprise
for genuine humanity.

LETTER yill.

LUMBERING INTERESTS.

Lumber as an element of wealth — Quality of Minnesota lumber —
Locality of its growth — The great pineries — Trespasses on govern-
ment land — How the lumbermen cUule the government — Value of
lumber — Character of the practical lumberman — Transportation of
lumber on rafts.

Crow AVixg, October, 1856.
It seems to have been more difficult for countries
"vvhich abound in precious metals to attain to great
prosperity than for a rich man to secure eternal fe-
licity. Witness, for instance, the sluggish growth
and degenerate civilization of the South American
states. But timber is a fundamental element of co-
lonial growth. The mines of Potosi cannot com-
pare with it in value. An abundance of timber and
a superabundance of it are two very different
tilings. Some of the Middle, and what were once
Western States, were originally covered with forests.
So of the greater part of New England. In Ohio
and in Michigan timber has been an encumbrance ;
for there was great labor to be performed by the
settler in clearing the land and preparing it for the
plough; and at this day we see in travelling through

each of those states, as well as in Kentuckv, Ten-

(82)

LUMBERING INTERESTS. 83

nessee, and Missouri, fields planted amidst heavy
timber trees which have been belted that they may
wither and die. By an abundance of timber I mean
an ample supply not only for domestic but foreign
market ; and with this understanding of the word I
will repeat what has often been said, and what I
suppose is well known, that Minnesota has an
abundance of excellent timber. Unlike the gorgeous
forests in New Hampshire, which behind high cliffs
and mountain fastnesses defy the Avoodman, the
timber of Minnesota grows in the valleys of her
great rivers and upon the banks of their numerous
tributaries. It is thus easily shipped to a distant
market ; while the great body of the land, not en-
cumbered with it, but naked, is ready for the plough
and for the seed. Most of the timber which grows
in the region below this point is hard wood, such as
elm, maple, oak, and ash.

There is considerable scrub oak also thinly scat-
tered over large portions of fertile prairie. To a
casual observer these oaks, from their stunted ap-
pearance, would be taken as evidence of poor soil.
But the soil is not the cause of their scrubby looks.
It is the devouring fires which annually sweep over
the plains with brilliant though terrific aspect, and
which are fed by the luxuriant grass grown on that
same soil. If the oaks did not draw uncommon
nourishment from the soil, it must be difiScult for
them to survive such scorchings. It is a consoling
thought that these fires cease in proportion as the ♦

84 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

country is settled up. The rock maple is indige-
nous to the soil ; and the Indians have long been in
the habit of making sugar from its sap. The tim-
ber most used for fences is tamarack. The pineries
may be said to begin at the mouth of the Crow
Wing River ; though there is a great supply on the
Rum River. For upwards of a hundred miles above
here on the Mississippi — more or less dense, the
pine forests extend. Captain John Pope, in the in-
teresting report of his expedition to the Red River
of the North, in 1849, says — " The pineries of the
upper Mississippi are mostly upon its tributaries,
and I think are not found on the west side further
south than the parallel of 46° jS". latitude." (The
latitude of this place is 46° 16' 50'^) ''They
alternate, even where most abundant, with much
larger tracts of fertile country." Again he says —
"As might be expected from its alluvial character,
there is no pine timber in the valley of the Red
River, but the oak and elm there attain to a size
which I do not think I have ever seen elsewhere." In
another place he remarks that " the pineries along
the Crow Wins; River are among the most extensive
and valuable found on the tributaries of the Missis-
sippi." Mr. Schoolcraft says of this river, "the
whole region is noted for its pine timber." In
speaking of the country on the St. Louis River, a
few miles from where it empties into Lake Superior,
the same gentleman remarks : " The growth of the
forest is pines, hemlock, spruce, birch, oak, and

LUMBERING INTERESTS. 85

maple." I had heard considerable about Minnesota
lumber, it is true, but I was not prepared to see the
pine timber so valuable and heavy as it is above and
about here. The trees are of large growth, straight
and smooth. They are not surpassed by

" The tallest pine,
Hewn on Norwegian hills to be the mast
Of some great admiral."

Ciijus est solum ejus est usque ad coelum — whose
the soil, his to the sky-^is a maxim in these pine
regions of literal importance. There is something
besides utility also to be mentioned in this connec-
tion. With the exception of swamps, which are few
and far between, the timber land has all the beauty
of a sylvan grove. The entire absence of under-
brush and decayed logs lends ornament and attrac-
tion to the woods. They are more like the groves
around a mansion in their neat and cheerful appear-
ance ; and awaken reflection on the Muses and the
dialogues of philosophers rather than apprehension
of wild beasts and serpents.

The relative importance of the lumber business
would hardly be estimated by a stranger. It has
been carried on for at least six years ; and consid-
erable has found its way as far down as St. Louis.
It will be asked, I imagine, if all this timber land,
especially the pine, has been sold by the govern-
ment ; and if not, how it happens that men cut it
down and sell it ? I will answer this. The great
region of pineries has not yet been surveyed, much
8

86 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

less sold by the government. But notwithstanding
this, men have cut it in large quantities, sold it into
a greedy market, and made money, if not fortunes
in the business. As a sort of colorable excuse for
cutting timber, those employed in the business often
make a preemption claim on land covered with it,
and many people suppose they have the right to cut as
much as they please after the incipient steps towards
preemption. But this is not so. All that a claim-
ant can do in this respect is to cut wood enough for
his fuel, and timber enouo;h for his own buildincr
purposes, until he receives a patent from the gov-
ernment. Of course it is altogether reasonable and
proper that men should be precluded from doing so
until their title in the soil is complete. Because, until
a preemption claim is perfect, or, until the land has
been acquired by some legal title, it is not certain
that the claimant will ultimately secure it or pay
any money to the government. But does not the
government do anything to prevent these tres-
passes ? Yes, but all its attempts are baffled.

For example, last spring a large quantity of
splendid lumber was seized by the United States
marshal and sold at public auction. It w^as bid off
by the lumbermen themselves, who had formed a
combination to prevent its falling into the hands of
other purchasers. This combination had no resist-
ance as I am aware of in the public opinion of the
territory, and the timber was sold to those who had
it cut at a price so far below its value that it didn't

LUMBERING INTERESTS. 87

pay the expense of the legal proceedings on the part
of the government. This is accounted for in the
fact of the exhaustless quantity of pine timber
towards the north ; in the demand for it when
sawed ; and in the disposition to protect enter-
prising men, though technically trespassers, who
penetrate into the forest in the winter at great ex-
pense, and whose standing and credit are some
guaranty of their ultimate responsibility to the
government, should they not perfect their titles.
The business of getting out the timber is carried on
in the winter, and affords employment for a large
number of athletic young men. The price of timber,
I ascertained of Mr. P. D. Pratt, a dealer at St.
Paul, is, for the best, $30 per M. ; for common, §20.
Most people have seen or been told something of
the lumbermen of Maine. Allowino; this to be so, it
w^ill not be difficult to comprehend the condition and
character of the lumbermen of Minnesota and the
northwest. But if there is anybody who fancies
them to be a set of laborers, such as build our rail-
roads and dig coal and minerals, he is greatly mis-
taken. The difference is in birth and education ;
between foreigners and native-born citizens. A
difference not in rights and merits, so much as in
habits and character. Born on American soil, they
have attended our common schools, and have the
bearing and independence of sovereigns. None but
very vigorous men can endure, or at least attempt
to endure, the exposure of living in the woods all

88 MIXXESOTA AND DACOTAH.

Aviiiter and swinging the axe ; though by proper
care of themselves, such exercise is conducive to
health and strength. Accordinslv we find the lum-
berman — I mean of course the practical lumber-
man— to be a thick-set, muscular young man, with
a bright eye and florid cheek : in short, one whom
we would call a double-fisted fellow. He is not one
of your California boys, but more affable and do-
mestic, with a shorter beard, and not so great a pro-
fusion of weapons. His dress is snug and plain —
the regular pioneer costume of boots over the pants,
and a thick red shirt in lieu of a coat. His capital
stock is his health and his hands. When in em-
ployment he is economical and lays up his wages.
When out of employment and in town, his money
generally goes freely. As a class, the lumbermen
are intelligent. They are strong talkers, for they
put in a good many of the larger sort of words ;
and from their pungent satire and sledge-hammer
style of reasoning, are by no means very facile dis-
putants. They are preeminently jokers. This is
as they appear on their way to the woods. During
the season of their active labor they usually spend
the evening, after a day of hard work, in story-
telling or in a game of euchre. Their wages amount
to about two dollars a dav, exclusive of board.
They have good living in the woods, the provisions,
which are furnished on an ample scale, being served
by male cooks.

While on the subject of lumber, which may possi-

LUMBERING INTERESTS. 89

bly interest some people who wish to redeem the
fortunes they have lately lost in Maine lumber, I
ought not to leave unmentioned the valuable car-
goes of it which are floated down the Mississippi.
When coming up in the boat I was astonished to see
such stupendous rafts. Large logs are transported
by being made into rafts. At a landing where the
boat stopped, I on one occasion attempted to esti-
mate the number of logs comprised in one of these
marine novelties, and found it to be about eight
hundred ; the logs were large, and were worth from
five to six dollars each. Here then was a raft of
timber worth at least $4000. They are navigated
by about a dozen men, with large paddles attached
at either end of the raft, which serve to propel and
steer. Often, in addition to the logs, the rafts are
laden with valuable freights of sawed lumber.
Screens are built as a protection against wind, and
a caboose stands somewhere in the centre, or accord-
ing to western parlance it might be called a cabin.
Sometimes the raft will be running in a fine current ;
then only a couple of hands are on the watch and at
the helm. The rest are seen either loitering about
observing the country, or reclining, snugly wrapped
up in their blankets. Some of these rafts must cover
as much as two acres. Birnam Wood coming to

Dunsinane was not a much greater phenomenon.
8*

LETTER IX.

SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR.

Description of the country around Lake Superior — Minerals — Locality
of a commercial city — New land districts — Buchanan — Ojibeway —
Explorations to the sources of the Mississippi — Henry R. School-
craft— M. Nicollet's report — Resources of the country above Crow
Wing.

Crott Wing, October 7, 1856.
There is one very important section of this ter-
ritory that I have not yet alluded to. I mean that
part -wliich borders on Lake Superior. This calls
to mind that there is such a place as Superior City.
But that is in Wisconsin, not in Minnesota. From
that city (so called, yet city in earnest it is like to
be) to the nearest point in this territory the distance
by "Water is twelve miles. The St. Louis River is the
dividing line for many miles between Minnesota and
Wisconsin. The country round about this greatest
of inland seas is not the most fertile. It is some-
what bleak, on the northern shore especially, but is
nevertheless fat in minerals. On the banks of the
St. Louis River the soil is described, by the earliest
explorers as well as latest visiters, to be good. The
river itself, thouo;h it contains a laro:e volume of
water, is not adapted to navigation, on account of
its rapids.

(90)

SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 91

Those who have sailed across Lake Superior to
the neighborhood of Fond-du-Lac appear to have
been charmed by the scenery of its magnificent
islands and its rock-bound shores. Most people,
I suppose, have heard of its beautiful cluster of
islands called the Twelve Apostles. One peculiar
phenomenon often mentioned is the boisterous con-
dition of its waters at the shore, which occurs when
the lake itself is perfectly calm. The water is said
to foam and dash so furiously as to make it almost
perilous to land in a small boat. This would seem
to be produced by some movement of the waters
similar to the flow of the tide ; and perhaps the
dashing after all is not much more tumultuous
than is seen on a summer afternoon under the rocks
of Nahant, or along the serene coast at Phillips
Beach.

The resources of that part of the territory border-
ing on the lake, however, are sufficient to induce an
extensive, if not a rapid, settlement of the country.
The copper mines aiford occupation for thousands
of people now. I have known a young man to clear
.^40 a month in getting out the ore. But the labor
is hard. Somewhere near Fond-du-Lac is destined
to be a great commercial city. Whether it will be
at Superior, which has now got the start of all other
places, or whether it will be at some point within
this territory, is more than can be known at present.
But a great town there is to be, sooner or later ; and
for this reason, that the distance from Buffalo to

92 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

Fond-du-Lac by navigation is about the same as from
Buffalo to Chicago, affording, therefore, as good
facilities for "water transportation of merchandise
between Fond-du-Lac and the East, as between Chi-
cago and the East. Moreover, the development of
this new agricultural world will tend to that result.
A railroad will then run from that point directly
west, crossing the upper Mississippi as also the Red
River of the North at the head of its navigation,
which is at the mouth of the Sioux Wood River.

Durincr the last summer, conf^ress established two
new land districts in the upper part of the territory,
called the north-eastern and the north-western. The
former includes the country lying on Lake Superior,
and its land office has been located at Buchanan, a
new place just started on the shore of the lake.
The land office for the north-western district has
been located at Ojibeway, a town site situated sixty
miles above here, on the Mississippi, near the mouth
of Muddy River. This district includes the head
waters of the Mississippi, and extends west as far
as the Red River of the North. The surveyors have
been engaged in either district only a few weeks.
I don't expect there will be any land offered for sale
in either district till spring. While on the subject
of land offices, let me observe that the appointments
in them are among the most lucrative under the
j^atronage of the general government. There is a
register and receiver for each office. They have,
each, $500 per annum and fees ; the whole not to

SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 93

exceed $3000. Aside from the official fees, they
get much more for private services. They have
more or less evidence to reduce to writing in nearly
every preemption case, for Avhicli the general land
office permits them to receive private compensation.
It is rather necessary that the local land officers
should be lawyers, as they have frequent occasion
to decide on litigated land claims.

Many explorations have been made of the region
around the head w^aters of the Mississippi, the re-
ports of which have conveyed to the world attractive
information of the country, but information which
only approximated to accuracy. In 1806, Lieut.
Pike explored the river as far as Turtle Lake, and
returned, thinking, good easy man, full surely he
had discovered the real source of the river, and yet
the source of the river Avas more than a hundred
miles off in another direction. LcAvis and Clarke
had ascended the river previously. In 1820, Gene-
ral Cass, accompanied by Mr. Schoolcraft, explored
the river to Cass Lake ; being obliged to stop there
on account of the low stage of water which they
heard existed a few days' journey beyond. Again,
in 1832, Mr. Schoolcraft, then superintendent of
Indian affairs, made another expedition, which re-
sulted in his discovery of the true sources of the
river ; it being a lake which he named Itasca. It
has been said that he manufactured this beautiful
word out of the last syllables of Veritas and the first
syllable of caput (the true head). But I have been

D4 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

told that the word was suggested to his mind by an
Indian word signifying breast. Dr. Johnson says,
that a traveller in order to brinor back knowledcre
should take knowledge with him. That is, that he
should have posted himself up to some extent on
the country he visits. I hope it will not require
an affidavit for me to prove that I availed myself
of the suggestion. But I must say I have found
great pleasure and profit in perusing Mr. School-
craft's narratives of both his expeditions. Though
he had the encouragement of the government, his
undertaking was surrounded by many obstacles and
some dangers. His account of the whole country
is pleasant and instructive to the reader, and shows
that all he saw produced on his mind a favorable
impression. The arduous services of this gentleman
as an explorer have been of great advantage to the
country, and his fine literary talents have given his
adventures an historic fame. Kot less deserving of
applause either have been his efforts to promote the
Avelfare of the Indians. He now lives in affluent
circumstances at Washington, and, though suffering
under some bodily infirmities, appears (or did when
I saw him) to enjoy life with that serene and ra-
tional happiness which springs from useful employ-
ment, and a consciousness that past opportunities
have been improved.

"For he lives twice who can at once employ
The present well and e'en the past enjoy."

SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 95

There have been other explorations of this part
of the country at different times by Messrs. Long,
Nicollet, and Pope. M. Nicollet was accompanied
and assisted by Mr. (then Lieutenant) Fremont. The
reports made of these explorations afford informa-
tion which, if extensively known among the people,
would tend to direct a laro-er emia;ration into the
upper part of the territory. They often launch off
into exclamations as to the beautiful surface of the
country ; while their account of native fruits and
the bracing climate and fertile soil picture to the
imagination all the elements of a home.

M. Nicollet was a foreign gentleman who pos-
sessed superior scientific knowledge and a rare zeal
to prosecute researches. He made an exploration
through the valley of the St. Peter's and the Mis-
souri ; and from thence to the sources of the Missis-
sippi, in the year 1839. The ofiicial report which
he made is a valuable document, but difficult to be
obtained. I shall therefore make a few extracts
from it. I should here remark that M. Nicollet died
before he liH-A completed the introduction to his re-
port. "The Mississippi," he says, "holds its own
from its very origin ; for it is not necessary to sup-
pose, as has been done, that Lake Itasca may be
supplied with invisible sources, to justify the charac-
ter of a remarkable stream, which it assumes at its
issue from this lake. There are five creeks that fall
into it, formed by innumerable streamlets oozing
from the clay-beds at the bases of the hills, that

96 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

consist of an accumulation of sand, gravel, and clay,
intermixed with, erratic frao-ments ; beino; a more
prominent portion of the great erratic deposit pre-
viously described, and -^vhicli here is kno'wn by the
name of '■ Hauteurs des Terres — heights of land.

" These elevations are commonly flat at top, va-
rying in height from 85 to 100 feet above the level
of the surrounding waters. They are covered with
thick forests, in which coniferous plants predomi-
nate. South of Itasca Lake, they form a semicir-
cular region with a boggy bottom, extending to the
south-west a distance of several miles ; thence these
Hauteurs des Terres ascend to the north-west and
north ; and then, stretching to the north-east and
east, through the zone between 47° and 48° of lati-
tude, make the dividino; ridcre between the waters
that empty into Hudson's Bay and those which dis-
charge themselves into the Gulf of Mexico. The
principal group of these Hauteurs des Terres is
subdivided into several ramifications, varying in ex-
tent, elevation, and course, so as to determine the
hydrographical basins of all the innumerable lakes
and rivers that so peculiarly characterize this region
of country.

" One of these ramifications extends in a south-
erly direction under the name of Coteau du Grand
Bois ; and it is this which separates the Mississippi
streams from those of the Red River of the North.

" The waters supplied by the north flank of these
heights of land — still on the south side of Lake

SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 97

Itasca — give origin to the five creeks of which I
have spoken above. These are the waters which I
consider to be the utmost sources of the Mississippi.
Those that flow from the southern side of the same
heights, and empty themselves into Elbow Lake,
are the utmost sources of the Red River of the
North ; so that the most remote feeders of Hudson's
Bay and the Gulf of Mexico are closely approxima-
ted to each other."

Of the country above Crow Wing, he makes the
followino; observations, which are not less interesting:
than instructive: "Over the whole route which I
traversed after leaving Crow AVing River, the country
has a different aspect from that Avhich the banks of
the Mississippi above the falls present. The forests
are denser and more varied ; the soil, which is alter-
nately sandy, gravelly, clayey, and loamy, is, gene-
rally speaking, lighter excepting on the shores of
some of the larger lakes. The uplands are covered
with white and yellow pines, spruce and birch ; and
the wet lowlands by the American larch and the
willow. On the slopes of sandy hills, the American
aspen, the canoe birch (white birch), with a species
of birch of dwarfish growth, the alder, and wild
rose, extend to the very margin of the river. On
the borders of the larger lakes, where the soil is
generally better, we find the sugar maple, the black
and bar oaks (also named overcup white oak, but
differing from the white oak), the elm, ash, lime tree,
&c. Generally speaking, however, this wood-land
9

98 MI^'^ESOTA AND DACOTAH.

does not extend back farther than a mile from the
hikes. The white cedar, the hemlock, spruce, pine,
and fir, are occasionally found ; but the red cedar
is scarce throughout this region, and none, perhaps,
are to be seen but on islands of those lakes called
by the Indians Red Cedar Lakes. The shrubbery
consists principally of the wild rose, hawthorn, and
wild plum ; and raspberries, blackberries, straw-
berries, and cranberries are abundant.

*' The aspect of the country is greatly varied by
hills, dales, copses, small prairies, and a great num-
ber of lakes ; the whole of which I do not pretend
to have laid down on my map. =^ * * '-^^ The lakes
to which I have just alluded are distributed in sepa-
rate groups, or are arranged in prolonged chains
along the rivers, and not unfrequently attached to
each other by gentle rapids. It has seemed to me
that they diminish in extent on both sides of the
Mississippi, as vre proceed southwardly, as far as
43° of north latitude ; and this observation extends
to the Arctic region, commencing at Bear's Lake,
or Slave Lake, Winnipeg Lake, &c. It may be
further remarked that the basins of these lakes have
a sufficient depth to leave no doubt that they will
remain characteristic features of the country for a
long time to come. Several species of fish abound
in them. The white fish [Corregonus alhus) is found
in all the deep lakes west of the Mississippi — and,
indeed, from Lake Erie to the Polar Sea. That
which is taken in Leech Lake is said by amateurs

SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 99

to be more liiglily flavored than even that of Lake
Superior, and weighs from three to ten pounds. * * *
Of all the Indian nations that I have visited, the
Chippewas, inhabiting the country about the sources
of the Mississippi, are decidedly the most favored.
Besides their natural resources (to which I have
already referred] of fish, wild rice, and maple sugar,
with the addition of an abundance of game, the
climate is found to be well adapted to the culture
of corn, wheat, barley, oats, and pulse. The potato
is of superior quality to that of the Middle States
of the Union. In a trading point of view, the hunt
is very profitable. The bear, the deer and elk, the
wolf, the fox, the wolverine, the fisher racoon, musk-
rat, mink, otter, marten, weasel, and a few remain-
ing beavers, are the principal articles of this trafiic."
(pp. 58, 64.) To those who are desirous of perusing
this valuable report, and who have access to the
congressional documents, I would say that it may
be found in Senate Document 237, 2d Session of
26th Congress.

LETTER X.

VALLEY OF THE RED RIVER OP THE NORTH.

Climate of Minnesota — The settlement at Pembina — St. Joseph —
Col. Smith's expedition — Red River of the Xorth — Fur trade — Red
River Settlement — Tho Hudson's Bay Company — Ex-Gov. R,am-
sey's observations — Dacotah.

Croav Wing, October, 185G.
A CELEBRATED geographer of the first century
wrote, " Germany is indeed habitable, but is unin-
habited on account of the cold." I am not so cer-
tain, but some people have a similar idea of the
upper portion of Minnesota. If there are any,
however, thus distrustful of its climate, they proba-
bly live out of the territory. I have no means of
knowing what the climate is here in winter, except
from hearsay and general principles. It seems to
be an approved theory, that the farther we approach
the west in a northern latitude the milder becomes
the winter. The stage-drivers tell me that the snow
does not fall to such a depth as in the northern
part of New England ; that the weather is tolera-
bly uniform ; and that the roads are at all times
kept open and much travelled. After all, it is a

creat way before we come to the home of the Escjui-

(100)

VALLEY OF RED RIVER OF THE NORTH. 101

maux, and the desert of ice where Sir John Frank-
lin perished.

I will here subjoin the following extract from a
letter addressed to Gov. Stephens by the Hon.
Henry M. Rice, the able delegate from Minnesota.
It is dated 3d June, 1854 :

" Navigation of the Mississippi River closes from
the 10th to the 25th of November, and opens from
the 1st to the 10th of April. That of the Red
River of the North closes from the 1st to 15th No-
vember, and opens from 10th to 25th April. I have
often travelled in the winter from St. Paul to Crow
Wing, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles,
with a single horse and sled, without a track, and
have never found the snow deep enough to impede
my progress. I have also gone from Crow Wing,
beyond the head waters of the Mississippi, to the
waters of the Hudson's Bay, on foot and without
snow-shoes. I spent one entire winter travelling
through that region, and never found the snow over
eighteen inches deep, and seldom over nine inches.

" For several years I had trading-posts extending
from Lake Superior to the Red River of the North,
from 46° to 49° north latitude, and never found the
snow so deep as to prevent supplies being trans-
ported from one post to another with horses. One
winter, north of Crow Wing, say 47° north latitude,
I wintered about sixty head of horses and cattle
w^ithout giving them food of any kind except such

as they could procure themselves under the snow.

102 MINNESOTA A^D DACOTAII.

Between the 45th and 49th degrees north latitude,
the snow does not fall so deep as it does between
the 40th and 45th degrees ; this is easily accounted
for upon the same principle that in the fall they
have frosts much earlier near the 40th than they
do near the 45th degree. I say this in reference to
the country watered by the Mississippi River. Owing
to its altitude the atmosphere is dry beyond belief,
which accounts for the absence of frosts in the fall,
and for the small quantity of snow that falls in a
country so far north. Voyageurs traverse the terri-
tory from Lake Superior to the Missouri the entire
winter with horses and sleds, having to make their
own roads, and yet with heavy loads are not de-
tained by snow. Lumbermen in great numbers
winter in the nine regions of Minnesota with their
teams, and I have never heard of their finding the
snow too deep to prosecute their labors. I have
known several winters when the snow at no time
was over six inches deep."

The Hon. H. H. Sibley, ex-delegate from Min-
nesota, in a letter dated at Mendota says : " As our
country is for the most part composed of prairie, it
is of course much exposed to the action of the Avinds.
It is, however, a peculiarity of our climate, that
calms prevail during the cold weather of the winter
months ; consequently, the snow does not drift to
anything like the extent experienced in New Eng-
land or northern New York. I have never believed
that railroad communication in this territory would

VALLEY OF RED RIVER OF THE KORTII. 103

be seriously impeded by the depth or drift of snow,
unless, perhaps, in the extreme northern portion of
it." (See Explorations and Surveys for the Pacific
Railroad, L, 400.)

A few facts in regard to the people who live four
or five hundred miles to the north, will best illustrate
the nature of the climate and its adaptedness to
a2;riculture.

It is common to say that settlements have not ex-
tended beyond Crow Wing. This is only technically
true. There is a settlement at Pembina, where the
dividing line between British America and the United
States crosses the Red River of the North. It
didn't extend there from our frontier, sure enough.
If it extended from anywhere it must have been
from the north, or along the confines of that mystic
region called Rainy Lake. Pembina is said to have
about 600 inhabitants. It is situated on the Pem-
bina River. It is an Indian-French word meaning
cranberry. Men live there who were born there,
and it is in fact an old settlement. It was founded
by British subjects, who thought they had located
on British soil. The greater part of its inhabitants
are half-breeds, who earn a comfortable livelihood
in fur hunting and in farming. It sends two repre-
sentatives and a councillor to the territorial legisla-
ture. It is 460 miles north-west of St. Paul, and
330 miles distant from this town. Notwithstanding
the distance, there is considerable communication
between the places. West of Pembina, about thirty

lOi MINNESOTA AND DA COT All.

miles, is a settlement called St. Joseph, situated near
a large mythological body of Avater called Mini-
wakan, or Devil's Lake ; and is one of the points
where Col. Smith's expedition was intending to stop.
This expedition to which I refer, started out from
Fort Snelling in the summer, to explore the country
on both sides of the Red River of the North as far
as Pembina, and to report to the war department
the best points for the establishment of a new military
post. It is expected that Col. Smith will return by
the first of next month ; and it is probable he will
advise the erection of a post at Pembina. When
that is done, if it is done, its effect will be to draw
emigrants from the Red River settlement into Min-
nesota.

Now let me say a word about this Red River of
the North, for it is beginning to be a great feature
in this upper country. It runs north, and empties
into Lake Winnipeg, which connects with Hudson's
Bay by Nelson River. It is a muddy and sluggish
stream, navigable to the mouth of Sioux Wood River
for vessels of three feet draught for four months in
the year. So that the extent of its navigation
within the territory alone (between Pembina and the
mouth of Sioux Wood River) is 417 miles. Buf-
fiiloes still feed on its western banks. Its tributaries
are numerous and copious, abounding with the
choicest kinds of game, and skirted with a various
and beautiful foliage. It cannot be many years
before this magnificent valley shall pour its products

VALLEY OF RED RIVER OF THE NORTH. 105

into our markets, and be the theatre of a busy and
genial life.

One of the first things which drew my attention
to this river was a sight of several teams travelling
towards this vicinity from a north-westerly direction.
I observed that the complexion of those in the cara-
van was a little darker than that of pure white Min-
nesotians, and that the carts were a novelty. "Who
are those people? and where are they from?" I in-
quired of a friend. " They are Red River people,
just arrived — they have come down to trade." Their
carts are made to be drawn by one animal, either an
ox or a horse, and are put together without the use
of a particle of iron. They are excellently adapted
to prairie travelling. How strange it seems ! Here
are people who have been from twenty to thirty days
on their journey to the nearest civilized community.
This is their nearest market. Their average rate of
travelling is about fifteen miles a day, and they gene-
rally secure game enough on the way for their living.
I have had highly interesting accounts of the Red
River settlement since I have been here, both from
Mr. Ross and Mr. jNIarion, gentlemen recently from
there. The settlement is seventy miles north of
Pembina, and lies on both sides of the river. Its
population is estimated at 10,000. It owes its origin
and growth to the enterprise and success of the
Hudson's Bay Company. Many of the settlers came
from Scotland, but the most were from Canada.
They speak English and Canadian French. The

10(3 MINNESOTA AND DACUTAII.

English style of society is -well kept up, -whether vre
regard the church with its bishop, the trader with
his wine cellar, the scholar with his library, the offi-
cer with his sinecure, or their paper currency. I
find they have everything but a hotel, for I was
particular on that point, though not intending just
yet to go there. Probably the arrivals do not justify
such an institution, but their cordial hospitality will
make up for any such lack, from all I hear. They
have a judge who gets a good house to live in, and
£1000 sterlino: a year; but he has nothino; of con-
sequence to do. He was formerly a leading lawyer
in Canada.

The great business of the settlement, of course,
is the fur traffic. An immense amount of buffalo
skins is taken in the summer and autumn, while
in the winter smaller but more valuable furs are
procured. The Indians also enlist in the hunts ; and
it is estimated that upwards of $200,000 worth of
furs are annually taken from our territory and sold
to the Hudson's Bay Company. It is high time in-
deed that a military post should be established
somewhere on the Red River by our government.
The Hudson's Bay Company is now a powerful mo-
nopoly. Not so magnificent and potent as the East
India Company, it is still a powerful combination,
showering opulence on its members, and reflecting
a peculiar feature in the strength and grandeur of
the British empire — a power, which, to use the elo-
quent language of Daniel Webster, " has dotted

VALLEY OF RED RIVER OF THE NORTH. 107

over the ^vhole surface of the globe with her posses-
sions and military posts — whose morning drum-beat,
following the sun, and keeping company with the
hours, circles the earth daily with one continuous
and unbroken strain of martial music." The com-
pany is growing richer every year, and its jurisdic-
tion and its lands will soon find an availability never
dreamed of by its founders, unless, as may possibly
happen, popular sovereignty steps in to grasp the
fruits of its long apprenticeship. Some time ago I
believe the Canadas sought to annex this broad ex-
panse to their own jurisdiction. There are about
two hundred members in the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany. The charter gives them the power to legis-
late for the settlement. They have many persons
in their employ in England as well as in British
America. A clerk, after serving the company ten
years, with a salary of about §500 per annum, is
considered qualified for membership, with the right
to vote in the deliberations of the company, and
one share in the profits. The profits of a share last
year amounted to §10,000 ! A factor of the com-
pany, after serving ten years, is entitled to mem-
bership with the profits of two shares. The aristo-
cracy of the settlement consists principally of retired
factors and other members of the company, who
possess large fortunes, dine on juicy roast beef, with
old port, ride in their carriages, and enjoy life in a
very comfortable manner. Two of the company's
ships sail up into Hudson's Bay every year to bring

108 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

merchandise to the settlement and take away furs. ^
Bu' the greatest portion of the trade is done with
Minnesota. Farming is carried on in the neighbor-
hood of the settlement with cheerful ease and grand
success. I was as much surprised to hear of the
nature of their agriculture as of anything else con-
cerning the settlement. The same kind of crops
are raised as in Pennsylvania or Maine ; and this
in a country, be it remembered, five hundred miles
and upwards north of St. Paul. Stock must be
easily raised, as it would appear from the fact that
it is driven down here into the territory and sold at
a great profit. Since I have been here, a drove of
fine-looking cattle from that settlement passed to
be sold in the towns below, and a drove of horses is
expected this fall. The stock which comes from
there is more hardy than can be got anywhere else,
and therefore is preferred by the Minnesotians.

The following extract from Ex- Govern or Ram-
sey's address, recently delivered before the annual
fair at Minneapolis, wherein he gives some results
of his observations of the Red River settlement
during his trip there in 1851, will be read with
much interest : —

" Re-embarking in our canoes, we continued de-
scending the river for some fifteen miles further,
through the French portion of the settlement, lining

1 "The Hudson's Bay Company allows its servants, while making
a voyage, eight pounds of meat a day, and I am told the allowance is
none too much." (Lieutenant ITowison's Pvcport on Oregon, p. 7.)

vai.li-:y of red river of the north. 109

mainly the west or left bank of the river, until we
arrived about the centre of the colony, at the
mouth of the Assinniboin tributary of Red River,
where we landed and remained a few days, viewing
the colony and its improvements. I was at that
time, and am even now, when I look back upon it,
lost in wonder at the phenomena w^hich that settle-
ment exhibits to the world, considering its location
in an almost polar region of the North. Imagine a
river flowing sluggishly northward through a flat
alluvial plain, and the west side of it lined continu-
ously for over thirty miles with cultivated farms,
each presenting those appearances of thrift around
them w^hich I mentioned as surrounding the first
farms seen by us ; but each farm with a narrow
frontage on the river of only twenty-four rods in
width, but extending back for one or two miles, and
each of these narrow farms having; their dwellino;s and
the farm out-buildings spread only along the river
front, with law^ns sloping to the water's edge, and
shrubbery and vines liberally trained around them,
and trees intermingled — the whole presenting the
appearance of a long suburban village — such as you
might see near our eastern sea-board, or such as
you find exhibited in pictures of English country
villages, with the resemblance rendered more strik-
ing by the spires of several large churches peeping
above the foliage of the trees in the distance, white-
washed school-houses glistening here and there
amidst sunlight and green ; gentlemen's houses of
10

110 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

pretentious dimensions and grassy lawns and ela-
borate fencing, the seats of retired officers of the
Hudson's Bay Company occasionally interspersed ;
here an English bishop's parsonage, with a board-
ing or high school near by ; and over there a Ca-
tholic bishop's massive cathedral, with a convent
of Sisters of Charity attached ; whilst the two large
stone forts, at which reside the officers of the Hud-
son's Bay Company, or of the colony once called
Upper Fort Garry, and situated at the mouth of the
Assinniboin, and the other termed the Lower Fort
Garry, which is twenty miles farther down the river,
helped to give additional picturesqueness to the
scene. I had almost forgotten to mention what is,
after all, the most pvominent and peculiar feature
of that singular landscape, singular from its loca-
tion— and that is the numerous wind-mills, nearly
twenty in all, which on every point of land made
by the turns and bends in the river, stretched out
their huge sails athwart the horizon, and seemingly
looked defiance at us as invading strangers, that
were from a land where steam or water mills mono-
polize their avocation of flour making. One morn-
ing as we passed down the principal high road, on
our way to Lower Fort Garry, the wind, after a
protracted calm, began to blow a little ; when pres-
to ! each mill veered around its sails to catch the
propitious breeze, and as the sails began to revolve,
it was curious to observe- the numerous carts that
shot out from nearly every farm-house, and hurried

VALLlilY OF RED RIVER OF THE NORTH. Ill

along the road to these mills, to get ground their
grists of spring wheat, with which they were re-
spectively loaded.

" Another incident during the same trip that
struck us oddly, was seeing two ladies driving hy
themselves a fine horse hitched to a buggy of mo-
dern fashion, just as much at home apparently as
if they were driving through the streets of St. Paul,
or St. Anthony, or Minneapolis, instead of upon
that remote highway towards the North Pole ; but
this was not a whit more novel than to hear the
pianoforte, and played, too, with both taste and
skill. While another ' lion' of those parts that met
our view was a topsail schooner lying in the river
at the lower fort, which made occasional trips into
Great Lake Winnepeg of the North, a hundred
miles below.

" I took occasion during my visit to inquire what
success the farmers met with in securing good crops,
and the profits of farmers generally. As to wheat,
I learned that the yield of the spring variety was
quite equal in quantity and quality to the crop of
that grain on any more southern farms ; that in
raising barley they could almost surpass the w^orld ;
and the cereals generally, and all the esculent roots,
were easily raised. Indian corn was not planted
as a field crop, though it was grown in their gardens.
In a word, the capacity of their land to produce al-
most everything plentifully and well, was establish-
ed ; but for all this, farming did not afford much

112 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

profit for want of a sufficient market ; beyond a.
small demand bj the Hudson's Bay Company, there
was no outlet for their superabundance ; and to use
an Austrian phase in regard to Hungarians, the
Selkirkers are metaphysically ' smothering in their
own fat.' To remedy this state of things they
were beginning, when I was there, to turn their at-
tention towards raising cattle and horses, for which
their country is well calculated : and the first fruits
of this new decision given to their farming ener-
gies, we have already experienced in the droves of
both which have recently been driven from thence
and sold in this vicinity."

I think the facts which I have herein hastily set
down will dispel any apprehension as to the successful
cultivation of the soil in the northern part of the
territory. It has a health-giving climate which be-
fore long, I predict, will nourish as patriotic a race of
men as gave immortality to the noble plains of Helve-
tia. There is one thing I would mention which seems
to auspicate the speedy development of the valley of
the North Red River. Next year Minnesota will pro-
bably be admitted as a state ; and a new territory
organized out of the broad region embracing the
valley aforesaid and the head waters of the Mis-
sissippi. Or else it will be divided by a line north
and south, including the western valley of that river,
and extending as far to the west as the Missouri
River. I understand it will be called Dacotah,
thouo-h I at first thoui^ht it would be called Pern-

VALLEY OF RED RIVER OF THE NORTH. 113

bin a. There is always a rush into new territories,
and the proposed new territory of Dacotah will
present sufficient inducements for a large immigra-
tion. When the valley of the North Red River
shall be settled, and splendid harvest fields adorn
its banks ; when great factories take the place of
wind-mills, and when railroads shall take the place
of Red River carts, then we will have new cause
to exclaim,

" Westward the ccurse if empire takes its way !"

LETTER XL

THE TRUE PIONEER.

Energy of the pioneer — Frontier life — Spirit of emigration — Advan-
tages to the farmer in moving West — Advice in regard to making
preemption claims — Abstract of the preemption law — Hints to
the settler — Character and services of the pioneer.

Crow Wing, October, 1856,
I DESIRE in this letter to say something about the
pioneer, and life on the frontier. And by pioneer
I mean the true pioneer who comes into the West to
labor and to share the vicissitudes of new settle-
ments ; not the adventurer, who would repine at toil,
and gather where he has not sown.

As I have looked abroad upon the vast domain
of the AVest beyond the dim Missouri, or in the
immediate valley of the Mississippi. I have wonder-
ed at the contrast presented between the compara-
tively small number who penetrate to the frontier,
and that great throng of men who toil hard for a
temporary livelihood in the populous towns and
cities of the Union. And I have thought if this
latter class were at all mindful of the opportunities
for gain and independence which the new territories
afforded, they would soon abandon — in a great mea-
sure at least — their crowded alleys in the city, and
aspire to be cultivators and owners of the soil. Why

(114)

THE TRUE PIONEER. 115

there has not been a greater emigration from cities
I cannot imagine, unless it is owing to a misappre-
hension of Western life. Either it is this, or the
pioneer is possessed of a very superior degree of
energy.

It has been said that the frontier man always
keeps on the frontier ; that he continues to emigrate
as fast as the country around him becomes settled.
There is a class that do so. ISTot, however, for the
cause which has been sometimes humorously assign-
ed— that civilization was inconvenient to them —
but because good opportunities arise to dispose of
the farms they have already improved ; and because
a further emigration secures them cheaper lands.
The story of the pioneer who was disturbed by so-
ciety, w^hen his nearest neighbor lived fifteen miles
off, even if it be true, fails to give the correct rea-
son for the migratory life of this class of men.

It almost always happens that w^herever we go
somebody else has preceded us. Accident or enter-
prise has led some one to surpass us. Many of the
most useful pioneers of this country have been at-
tracted hither by the accounts given of its advan-
tages by some one of their friends who had pre-
viously located himself here. Ask a man w^hy he
comes, and he says a neighbor of his, or a son, or
a brother, has been in the territory for so many
months, and he likes it so well I concluded to come
also. A very respectable gentleman from Maine,
a shipowner and a man of wealth, who came up on

116 MINNESOTA AXD DACOTAII.

the boat with me to St. Paul, said his son-in-law
was in the territory, and he had another son at home
who was bound to come, and if his wife was willing
he believed the whole family would co^ey Indeed
the excellent state of society in the territory is to
be attributed very much to the fact that parents have
followed after their children.

It is pretty obvious too why men will leave poor
farms in New England, and good farms in Ohio, to
try their fortunes here. The farmer in New Eng-
land, it may be in New Hampshire, hears that the
soil of Minnesota is rich and free from rocks, that
there are other favorable resources, and a salubrious
climate such as he has been accustomed to. He
concludes that it is best to sell out the place he has,
and try ploughing where there are no rocks to ob-
struct him. The farmer of Ohio does not expect
to find better soil than he leaves ; but his induce-
ments are that he can sell his land at forty or fifty
dollars an acre, and preempt as good in Minnesota
for a dollar and a quarter an acre. This operation
leaves him a surplus fund, and he becomes a more
opulent man, with better means to adorn his farm
and to educate his children.

Those who contemplate coming West to engage in
agricultural employment should leave their families,
if families they have, behind till they have selected
a location and erected some kind of a habitation ;
provided, however, they have no particular friend
whose hospitality they can avail themselves of till

THE TRUE PIONEER. 11

their preliminary arrangements are effected. It will
require three months, I judge, for a man to select a
good claim (a quarter section, being 160 acres), and
fence and plough a part of it and to erect thereon
a cabin. There is never a want of land to preempt
in a new country. The settler can always get an
original claim, or buy out the claim of another very
cheap, near some other settlers. The liberal policy
of our government in regard to the disposal of public
lands is peculiarly beneficial to the settler. The
latter has the first chance. He can go on to a
quarter section which may be worth fifteen dollars
an acre, and preempt it before it is surveyed, and
finally obtain it for $1.25 an acre. Whereas the
speculator must wait till the land is surveyed and
advertised for sale ; and then he can get only w4iat
has not been preempted, and at a price which it
brings at auction, not less than $1.25 an acre.
Then w^hat land is not sold at public sale is open to
private entry at $1.25 an acre. It is such land
that bounty warrants are located on. Thus it is
seen the pioneer has the first choice. Why, I have
walked over land up here that would now bring from
ten to twenty dollars an acre if it was in the market,
and which any settler can preempt and get for $1.25
an acre. I am strongly tempted to turn farmer
myself, and go out and build me a cabin. The
speculation would be a good one. But to acquire a
title by preemption I must dwell on the soil, and
prove that I have erected a dwelling and made other

118 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

improvements. In other words, before a man (or
any head of a family) can get a patent, he must
satisfy the land officers that he is a dweller in good
faith on the soil. It is often the case, indeed, that
men get a title by preemption who never intend to
live on their quarter section. But they do it by
fraud. They have a sort of mental reservation, I
suppose, when they take the requisite oaths. In
this way many valuable claims are taken up and
held along from month to month, or from year to
year, by mock improvements. A j^retender will
make just improvements enough to hinder the actual
settler from locating on the claim, or will sell out
to him at a good profit. A good deal of money is
made by these fictitious claimants. It is rather
hard to prevent it, too, inasmuch as it is difficult to
disprove that a man intends some time to have a
permanent home, or, in fact, that his claim is not
his legal residence, though his usual abiding place
is somewhere else. Nothino; could be more delio;ht-
ful than for a party of young men who desire to
farm to come out together early in the spring, and
aid each other in preempting land in the same
neighborhood. The preemptor has to pay about
five dollars in the way of fees before he gets through
the entire process of securing a title. It is a j^opu-
hir error (m.uch like the opinion that a man cannot
swear to vrhat he sees through glass) that improve-
ments of a certain value, say fifty dollars, are re-
quired to be made, or that a certain number of acres

THE TRUE PIONEER. 119

must be cultivated. All that is required, however,
is evidence that the party has built a house fit to
live in, and has in good faith proceeded to cultivate
the soil. The law does not permit a person to pre-
empt 160 acres but once ; yet this provision is often
disregarded, possibly from ignorance, I was about to
say, but that cannot be, since the applicant must
make oath that he has not before availed himself
of the right of preemption.

I will insert at this place an abridgment of the
preemption act of 4th September, 1841, which I
made two years ago ; and which was extensively
published in the new states and territories. I am
happy to find, also, that it has been thought worth
copying into one or more works on the West.

I. Lands siihject to loreemption. By sec. 10 of
said act it is provided that the public lands to which
the Indian title had been extinguished at the time
of the settlement, and which had also been surveyed
prior thereto, shall be subject to preemption, and
purchase at the rate of one dollar and twenty-five
cents per acre. And by the act of 22d July, 1854,
sec. 12, the preemption of tmsurveyed lands is re-
cognised as legal. Lands of the following descrip-
tion are excepted : such as are included in any re-
servation, by any treaty, law, or proclamation of the
President of the United States, or reserved for sa-
lines or for other purposes ; lands included within the
limits of any incorporated town, or which have been
selected as the site for a city or town ; lands actu-

120 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

ally settled and occupied for the purposes of trade
and not agriculture ; and lands on Avliich are situ-
ated any known salines or mines.

II. The amount designated is any number of acres
not exceeding one hundred and sixty.

III. TFAo may preempt. "Every person being
the head of a family, or widow, or single man over
the age of twenty-one years, and being a citizen of
the United States, or having filed his declaration of
intention to become a citizen, as required by the
naturalization laws." But no person shall be en-
titled to more than one preemptive right, and no
person who is the proprietor of three hundred and
twenty acres of land in any state or territory of
the United States, and no person who shall quit or
abandon his residence on his own land to reside on
the public land in the same state or territory, shall
acquire any right of preemption.

IV. TJie metliod to perfect the right. The pre-
emptor must make a settlement on the land in per-
son ; inhabit and improve the same, and erect thereon
a dwelling. And when the land has been surveyed
previous to settlement the preemptor shall, within
thirty days of the date of the settlement, file with the
register of the proper district a written statement de-
scribing the land settled upon, and declaring the in-
tention of such person to claim the same under the
provisions of the preemption law. And within twelve
months of the date of the settlement such person
shall make the requisite proof, afiidavit, and payment.

THE TRUE PIONEER. 121

When unsurvejed lands are preempted (act of 1854),
notice of the specific tracts claimed shall be filed
with the surveyor general, within three months after
the survey has been made in the field. And when
two or more persons shall have settled on the same
quarter section, the right of preemption shall be in
him or her who made the first settlement; and
questions arising between different settlers shall be
decided by the register and receiver of the district
within which the land is situated, subject to an
appeal to and revision by the Secretary of the In-
terior of the United States.

And the settler must make oath before the re-
ceiver or register that he or she has never had the
benefit of any right of preemption under the pre-
emption act : that he or she is not the owner of three
hundred and twenty acres of land in any state or
territory of the United States, nor hath he or she
settled upon and improved said land to sell the
same on speculation, but in good faith to appropri-
ate it to his or her own exclusive use or benefit :
and that he or she has not directly or indirectly
made any agreement or contract in any way or
manner vritli any person or persons whatsoever, by
which the title which he or she might acquire from
the o-overnment of the United States should enure
in whole or in part to the benefit of any person
except himself or herself; and if any person taking
such oath shall swear falsely in the premises, he or
she shall be subject to all the pains and penalties
11

122 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

of perjury, and shall forfeit the money which he or
she may have paid for such land, and all right and
title to the same ; and any grant or conveyance
which he or she may have made, except in the
hands of bona fide purchasers for a valuable con-
sideration, shall be null and void.

Proof of the requisite settlement and improve-
ment shall be made by the preemptor to the satis-
faction of the register and receiver, in the district
in which the lands so claimed lie, who shall each be
entitled to receive fifty cents from each applicant
for his services rendered as aforesaid ; and all as-
signments and transfers of the right hereby secured
prior to the issuing of the patent, shall be null and
void. (See U. S. Stat, at Large, vol. 5, 453-458.)

But I was on the point of advising the settler
what he should bring with him into a new country
and what leave behind. He should not bring much
furniture. It is very expensive and troublesome to
have it transported. Nor will he need much to be-
gin with, or have room for it. It will cost nearly
as much to transport it seventy miles through the
territory as it will to bring it from whence he
started within the limits of the territory. Let him
pack up in a small compass the most precious part
of his inanimate household, and leave it ready
for an ag:ent to start it after he shall have found
a domicil. This will save expensive storage.
Then let his goods be directed to the care of some
responsible forwarding merchant in a river town

THE TRUE PIONEER. 123

nearest to their final destination, that they may be
taken care of and not be left exposed on the levee
when they arrive. St. Paul is now a place of so
much mercantile importance and competition that
one may buy provisions, furniture, or agricultural
tools cheaper there than he can himself bring them
from the East. The professional man, however,
vv^ill do well to bring his books with him.

Let us assume now that the settler has got his
house up, either a frame house or of logs, with a
part of his farm fenced ; and that he has filed his
application for preemption at the land office in the
district in which he resides. Let us suppose further,
that he is passing his first autumn here. His house,
if he is a man of limited means, has but two rooms,
and they are botli on the basement story. He has
just shelter enough for his stock, but none for his
hay, which is stacked near by. The probability is,
that he lives in the vicinity of some clear stream or
copious spring, and has not, therefore, needed to
dig a well. The whole establishment, one would
think, who was accustomed to the Eastern style of
living, betrayed downright poverty.

But let us stop a moment ; this is the home of a
pioneer. He has been industrious, and everything
about him exhibits forethouG^ht. There is a corn-
field all fenced in with tamarack poles. It is paved
over with pumpkins (for pumpkins flourish wonder-
fully in Minnesota), and contains twenty acres of
ripe corn, which, allowing thirty-five bushels to an

12-i: MIXXESOTA AND DACOTAII.

acre, is worth at ninety cents per bushel the sum of
§630. There are three acres of potatoes, of the
very best quality, containing three hundred bushels,
■which, at fifty cents a bushel, are Avorth 8150.
Here then, off of two crops, he gets §780, and I
make a moderate estimate at that. Next year he
will add to this a crop of oats or wheat. The true
pioneer is a model farmer. lie lays out his work
two weeks in advance. Every evening finds him
further ahead. If there is a rainy day, he knows
what to set himself about. He lays his plans in a
systematic manner, and carries them into execution
with energy. He is a true pioneer, and therefore
he is not an idle man, nor a loafer, nor a weak
addle-headed tippler. Go into his house, and
though you do not see elegance, you can yet behold
intelligence, and neatness, and sweet domestic bliss.
The life of the pioneer is not exposed to such hard-
ships and delays as retarded the fortunes of the
settlers in the older states. They had to clear
forests ; here the land is ready for the plough. And
though '' there is society Avhere none intrude," yet
he is not by any means beyond the boundaries of
good neighborhood. In many cases, however, he
has left his dearest friends far away in his native
village, where his affections still linger. He has to
endure painful separations, and to forego those
many comforts which spring from frequent meetings
under the parental roof, and frequent converse with
the must attractive scenes of youth. But to com-

THE TRUE PIONEER. 125

pensate for these things he can feel that the labor
of the pioneer, aside from its pecuniary advantage
to himself, is of service to the state, and a helpmate
to succeeding generations.

" There are, who, distant from their native soil,
Still for their own and country's glory toil :
While some, fast rooted to their parent spot,
In life are useless, and in death forgot!"

11*

LETTER XII.

SPECULATION AND BUSINESS.

Opportunities to select farms — Otter Tail Lake — Advantages of the
actual settler over the speculator — Policy of new states as to taxing
non-residents — Opportunities to make money — Anecdote of Col.
Perkins — Mercantile business — Price of money — Intemperance —
Education — The free school.

Crow "Wing, October, 1856.

It is maintained by the reviewers, I believe, that
the duller a writer is, the more accurate he should
be. In the outset of this letter, I desire to testify
my acquiescence in the justice of that dogma, for
if, like neighbor Dogberry, '' I were as tedious as a
king," I could not find it in my heart to bestow it
all without a measure of utility.

I shall try to answer some questions which I
imagine might be put by different classes of men
W"ho are interested in this part of the west. My
last letter had some hints to the farmer, and I can
only add, in addition, for his benefit, that the most
available locations are now a considerable distance
above St. Paul. The valley of the St. Peter's is pretty
much taken up ; and so of the valley of the Missis-
sippi for a distance of fifteen miles on either side to

a point a hundred miles above St. Paul. One of

(126)

SPECULATION AND BUSINESS. 127

tlie land officers at Minneapolis informed me that
there were good preemption claims to be had fifteen
miles west, that being as far as the country was
thickly settled. One of the finest regions now un-
occupied, that I know of, not to except even the
country on the Crow Yv^ing River, is the land bor-
dering on Otter Tail Lake. For forty miles all round
tliat lake the land is splendid. More than a dozen
disinterested cve-witnesses have described that
region to me in the most glowing terms. In beauty,
in fertility, and in the various collateral resources
which make a farming country desirable, it is not
surpassed. It lies south of the picturesque high-
lands or Itauteurs des ten'es, and about midway
between the sources of the Crow Wino; and North
Red Rivers. From this town the distance to it is
sixty miles. The lake itself is ten miles long and
five miles in width. The water is clear and deep,
and abounds with white fish that are famous for
their delicious flavor. The following description,
which I take from Captain Pope's official narrative
of his exploration, is a reliable description of this
delightful spot, now fortunately on the eve of being
settled — " To the west, north-west, and north-east,
the whole country is heavily timbered with oak, elm,
ash, maple, birch, bass, &c., &c. Of these the
sugar maple is probably the most valuable, and in
the vicinity of Otter Tail Lake large quantities of
maple sugar are manufactured by the Indians. The
wild rice, which exists in these lakes in the most

128 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

lavish profusion, constitutes a most necessary article
of food with the Indians, and is gathered in large
quantities in the months of September and October.
To the east the banks of the lake are fringed ^vith
heavy oak and elm timber to the width of one mile.
The whole region of country for fifty miles in all
directions around this lake is amonsj the most beau-
tiful and fertile in the world. The fine scenery of
lakes and open groves of oak timber, of winding
streams connecting them, and beautifully rolling
country on all sides, renders this portion of Minne-
sota the garden spot of the north-west. It is impos-
sible in a report of this character to describe the
feeling of admiration and astonishment with which
we first beheld the charming country in the vicinity
of this lake ; and were I to give expression to my
own feelings and opinions in reference to it, I fear
they would be considered the ravings of a visionary
or an enthusiast."-^ But let me say to the specu-
lator that he need not covet any of these broad
acres. There is little chance for him. Before that
land can be bought at public sale or by mere pur-
chasers at private sale, it will, I feel sure, be entirely
occupied by actual settlers. And so it ought to be.
The good of the territory is promoted by that

1 To illustrate the rapid progress which is going on constantly, I
would remark that in less than a month after leaving Crow Wing, I
received a letter from there informing me that Messrs. Crittenden,
Cathcart, and others had been to Otter Tail Lake and laid out a town
which they call Otter Tail City, The standing and means of the men
engaged in the enterprise, arc a sure guaranty of its success.

SPECULATION AND BUSINESS. 129

beneficent policy of our public land laws which gives
the actual settler the first and best chance to acquire
a title by preemption.

Speculators have located a great many land war-
rants in Minnesota. Some have been located on
lakes, some on swamps, some on excellent land. Of
course the owner, who, as a general thing, is a non-
resident, leaves his land idle for something to " turn
up" to make it profitable. There it stands doing
no good, but on the contrary is an encumbrance to
the settler, who has to travel over and beyond it
without meetino; the face of a neifi-hbor in its vici-
nity. The policy of new states is to tax non-resi-
dent landholders at a high rate. When the terri-
tory becomes a state, and is obliged to raise a
revenue, some of these fellows outside, who, to use
a phrase common up here, have plastered the coun-
try over with land warrants, will have to keep a
lookout for the tax-o-atherer. Now I do not mean
to discourage moneyed men from investing in Min-
nesota lands. I do not wish to raise any bugbears,
but simply to let them know that hoarding up
large tracts of land without making improvements,
and leaving it to increase in value by the toil and
energy of the pioneer, is a way of doing things
which is not popular with the actual settlor. But
there is a great deal of money to be made by judi-
cious investments in land. Buying large tracts of
land I believe to be the least profitable speculation,
unless indeed the purchaser knows exactly what he

130 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

is buying, and is on hand at the public sale to get
the benefit of a second choice. I say second choice,
because the preemptor has had the first choice long
ago, and it may be before the land was surveyed.
What I would recommend to speculators is to pur-
chase in some good town sites. Buy in two or three,
and if one or two happen to prove failures, the pro-
fits on the other will enable you to bear the loss. I
know of a man who invested §6000 at St. Paul six
years ago. He has sold over §30,000 worth of the
land, and has as much more left. This is but an
ordinary instance. The advantage of buying lots
in a town arises from the rapid rise of the value of
the land, the ready market, and withal the mode-
rate prices at which they can be procured during
the early part of its history.

To such persons as have a desire to come West,
and are not inclined to be farmers, and who have
not capital enough to engage in mercantile business,
there is sufficient employment. A new country
always opens avenues of successful business for
every industrious man and woman ; more kinds even
than I could well enumerate. Every branch of
mechanics needs workmen of all grades ; from the
boy who planes the rough boards to the head work-
man. Teaming affords good employment for young
men the year round. The same may be said of the
saw-mills. A great deal of building is going on
constantly; and those who have good trades get
$2.50 per day. I am speaking, of course, of the

SPECULATION AND BUSINESS. 131

territory in general. One of the most profitable
kinds of miscellaneous business is surveying. This
art requires the services of large numbers ; not only
to survey the public lands, but town sites and the
lands of private individuals. Labor is very high
everywhere in the West, whether done by men,
v.omen, or children ; — even the boys, not fourteen
years old, who clean the knives and forks on the
steamboats, get §20 a month and are found. But
the best of it all is, that when a man earns a few dol-
lars he can easily invest it in a piece of land, and
double his money in three months, perhaps in one
month. One of the merchant princes of Boston,
the late Col. T. H. Perkins, published a notice in a
Boston paper in 1789, he being then 25, that he
would soon embark on board the ship Astrea for
Canton, and that if any one desired to commit an
"adventure" to him, they might be assured of his
exertions for their interests. The practice of send-
ing '' adventures" " beyond the seas" is not so com-
mon as it was once ; and instead thereof men invest
their funds in western prizes. But let me remark
in regard to the fact I relate, that it shows the true
pioneer spirit. Col. Perkins was a pioneer. His
energy led him beyond his counting-room, and he
reaped the reward of his exertions in a great for-
tune.

I have now a young man in my mind who came
to a town ten miles this side of St. Paul, six months
ago, with §500. He commenced trading, and has

1-^)2 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

already, by good investments and the profits of his
business, doubled his money. Everything that one
can eat or wear brings a high price, or as high as
it does in any part of the West. The number of
visitors and emigrants is so large that the produc-
tions of the territory are utterly inadequate to sup-
ply the market. Therefore large quantities of pro-
visions have to be brought up the river from the
lower towns. At Swan River, 100 miles this side
of St. Paul, pork is worth §35. Knowing that
pork constitutes a great part of the "victuals" up
this way, though far from being partial to the ar-
ticle, I tried it when I dined at Swan River to see
if it was good, and found it to be very excellent.
Board for laboring men must be about four dollars
a week. For transient guests at Crow Wing it is
one dollar a day.

I have heard it said that money is scarce. It is
possible. It certainly commands a high premium ;
but the reason is that there are such splendid op-
portunities to make fortunes by building and buying
and selling city lots. A man intends that the rent
of a house or store shall pay for its construction in
three years. The profits of adventure justify a
man in paying high interest. If a man has money
enough to buy a pair of horses nnd a wagon, he can
defy the world. These are illustrations to show
why one is induced to pay interest. I do not
think, however, money is "tight." I never saw

SPECULATION AND BUSINESS. 138

people so free with their money, or appear to have
it in so great abundance.

There is one drawback which this territory ha?
in common with the greater part of the West, and
in fact of the civilized world. It is not only a
drawback, but a nuisance anywhere ; I mean drink-
ing or whiskey shops. The greater proportion of
the settlers are temperate men, I am sure ; but
in almost every village there are places where
the meanest kind of intoxicating liquor is sold.
There are some who sell liquor to the Indians.
But such business is universally considered as the
most degraded that a mean man can be guilty of.
It is filthy to see men staggering about under the
influence of bad whiskey, or of any kind of Avhiskey.
He who sends a young husband to his new cabin
home intoxicated, to mortify and torment his family;
or who sells liquor to the uneducated Indians, that
they may fight and murder, must have his conscience
— if he has any at all — cased over with sole leather.
Mr. Gough is needed in the West.

Minnesota is not behind in education. Ever since
Governor Slade, of Vermont, brought some bright
young school mistresses up to St. Paul (in 1849),
common school education has been difi'using its pre-
cious influences. The government wisely sets apart
two sections of land — the 16th and 36th — in every
township for school purposes. A township is six

miles square ; and the two sections thus reserved in
12

134 min>:esota and dacotah.

each township comprise 1280 acres. Other territo-
ries have the same provision. This affords a very
good fund for educational uses, or rather it is a
great aid to the exertions of the people. There are
some flourishing institutions of learning in the ter-
ritory. But the greatest institution after all in the
country — the surest protection of our liberties and
our laws — is the free school.

LETTER XIII.

CROW WING TO ST. CLOUD.

Pleasant drive in the stage — Scenery — The past — Fort Ripley Ferry —
Delay at the Post Office — Belle Prairie — A Catholic priest — Dinner
at Swan River-^Potatoes — Arrival atWatab — St. Cloud.

St. Cloud, October, 1856.
Yesterday morning at seven I took mj departure,
on the stage, from Crow Wing. It was a most de-
lightful morning, the air not damp, but bracing;
and the welcome rays of the sun shed a mellow lus-
tre upon a scene of "sylvan beauty." The first
hour's ride was over a road I had passed in the
dark on my upward journey, and this was the first
view I had of the country immediately below Crow
Wing. No settlements were to be seen, because the
regulations of military reservations preclude their
being made except for some purpose connected with
the public interests. A heavy shower the night be-
fore had effectually laid the dust, and we bounded
along on the easy coach in high spirits. The view
of the prairie stretching "in airy undulations far
away," and of the eddying current of the Missis-
sippi, there as everywhere deep and majestic, with
its banks skirted with autumn-colored foliage, was
enough to commend the old fashioned system of

stages to more general use. Call it poetry or what

(135)

loij MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

you please, yet tlie man "who can contemplate with
indifference the wonderful profusion of nature, un-
developed by art — inviting, yet never touched by
the plough — must lack some one of the senses. In-
deed, this picture, so characteristic of the new lands
of the West, seems to call into existence a new
sense. The view takes in a broad expanse which
has never produced a stock of grain ; and which
has been traversed for ages past by a race whose
greatest and most frequent calamity was hunger.
If w^e turn to its past there is no object to call back
our thoughts. All is oblivion. There are no ruins
to awaken curious images of former life — no vestige
of humanity — nothing but the present generation
of nature. And yet there are traces of the past
generations of nature to be seen. The depressions
of the soil here and there to be observed, covered
with a thick meadoAV grass, are unmistakeable indi-
cations of lakes wdiich have now "vanished into
thin air." That these gentle hollows were once
filled with water is the more certain from the ap-
pearance of the shores of the present lakes, where
the low water mark seems to have grown lower and
lower every year. But if the past is blank, these
scenes are suggestive of happy reflections as to the
future. The long perspective is radiant with busy
life and cheerful husbandry. New forms spring
into being. Villages and towns spring up as if by
mag-ic, alons: whose streets thrones of men are
passing. And thus, as " coming events cast their

CROW WING TO ST. CLOUD. 137

shadows before," does the mind wander from the
real to the probable. An hour and a half of this
sort of revery, and we had come to the Fort Ripley
ferry, over which we were to go for the mail.
That ferry (and I have seen others on the river
like it) is a marvellous invention. It is a flat-boat
which is quickly propelled either way across the
river by means of the resistance which it offers to
the current. Its machinery is so simple I will try
to describe it. In the first place a rope is stretched
across the river from elevated objects on either side.
Each end of the boat is made fast to this line by
pullies, which can be taken up or let out at the
fastenings on the boat. All that is required to start
the boat is to bring the bow, by means of the pully,
to an acute angle with the current. The after
part of the boat presents the principal resistance to
the current by sliding a thick board into the water
from the upper side. As the water strikes against
this, the boat is constantly attempting to describe a
circle, which it is of course prevented from doing by
the current, and so keeps on — for it must move
somewhere — in a direction where the obstruction is
less. It certainly belongs to the science of hydrau-
lics, for it is not such a boat as can be propelled by
steam or wind. I had occasion recently to cross
the Mississippi on a similar ferry, early in the
morning, and before the ferryman was up. The
proprietor of it was with me ; yet neither of us
knew much of its practical operation. I soon pulled

138 MINNESOTA AXD DACOTAII.

the head of the boat towards the current, but left
down the resistance board, or whatever it is called,
at the bow as well as at the stern. This, of course,
impeded our progress ; but we got over in a few
minutes ; and I felt so much interested in this new
kind of navigation, that I would have been glad to
try the voyage over again.

On arriving within the square of the garrison, I
expected to find the mail ready for delivery to the
driver ; but we had to wait half an hour. The mail
is only weekly, and there was nothing of any con-
sequence to change. We repaired to the post office,
which was in a remote corner of a store-room,
where the postmaster Avas busy making up his mail.
Some of the officers had come in with documents
Avhich they wished to have mailed. And while, we
stood waiting, corporals and privates, servants of
other officers brought in letters which Lieutenant
So-and-so *' was particularly desirous of having
mailed this morning;." Tlie driver was ma^nani-
mous enough to submit to me whether we should
wait. We all felt accommodating — the postmaster
I saw was particularly so — and we concluded to wait
till everything was in, and perhaps we would have
waited for some one to write a letter. I could not
but think it would be a week before another mail
day ; and still I could not but think these unneces-
sary morning hindrances were throwing a part of
our journey into the night hours. Returning again
to the eastern bank of the river by our fine ferry.

CROW WING TO ST. CLOUD. 139

we soon passed the spacious residence of Mr. Olm-
sted, a 2^1'ominent citizen of the territory. We
made a formal halt at his door to see if there were
any passengers. Mr. Olmsted has a large farm
under good cultivation, and several intelligent young
men in his service. In that neighborhood are some
other as handsome farms as I ever saw ; but I think
they are on the reservation, and are cultivated under
the patronage of the vrar department. The winter
grain was just up, and its fresh verdure afforded an
agreeable contrast with the many emblems of decay-
ing nature. It was in the middle of the forenoon
that we reached Belle Prairie, along which are many
good farm houses occupied by half-breeds. There
is a church and a school-house. In the cemetery
is a large cross painted black and white, and from
its imposing appearance it cannot fail to make a so-
lemn impression on minds which revere any tangible
object that is considered sacred. A very comfort-
able-looking house was pointed out to me as the
residence of a Catholic priest, who has lived for
many years in that section, spreading among the
i"-norant a knowledo;e of Christianity, and minister-
ing to their wants in the hour of death. And
though I am no Catholic, I could not but regard the
superiority of that kind of preaching — for visiting
the sick, consoling the afflicted, and rebuking sin
by daily admonitions, is the true preaching of the
Gospel — over the pompous declamation which now
too often usurps the pulpit.

140 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

The dinner was smoking hot on the table when
we drove up to the hotel at Swan River ; and ao
charming a drive in the pure air had given me a-
keen appetite. The dinner (and I speak of these
matters because they are quite important to travel-
lers) was in all respects worthy of the appetite. The
great staple article of Minnesota soil appears to be
potatoes, for they vrere never known to be better
anywhere else — Eastport not excepted — and at our
table d'hote they were a grand collateral to the beef
and pork. The dessert consisted of nice home
made apple pies served with generosity, and we had
tea or milk or water, as requested, for a beverage.
After partaking of a dinner of this kind, the rest
of the day's journey was looked forward to with no
unpleasant emotions. The stage happened to be
lightly loaded, and we rolled along with steady pace,
and amidst jovial talk, till we reached the thriving, but
to me not attractive, town of Watab. Three houses
had been put up vrithin the short time since I had
stopped there. We got into Mr. Oilman's tavern
at sundown. I was rejoiced to find a horse and
carriage waiting for me, which had been kindly sent
by a friend to bring me to St. Cloud. It is seven
miles from Watab to this town. It was a charming
moonlight evening, and I immediately started on
with the faithful youth who hud charge of the car-
riage, to enjoy my supper and lodging under the
roof of my hospitable friend at St. Cloud.

LETTER XIV.

ST. CLOUD.— THE PACIFIC TRAIL.

Agreeable visit at St. Cloud — Description of the place — Causes of the
rapid growth of towns — Gen. Lowry — The back country — Gov.
Stevens's report — Mr. Lambert's views — Interesting account of
Mr. A. W. Tinkham's exploration.

St. Cloud, October, 1856.
If I follow the injunction of that most impartial
and worthy critic, Lord Jeffrey, which is, that tour-
ists should describe those things which make the
pleasantest impression on their own minds, I should
begin with an account of the delio-htful entertain-
ment which genuine hospitality and courtesy have
here favored me with. I passed Blannerhasset's
Island once, and from a view of the scenery, sought
something of that inspiration which, from reading
Wirt's glowing description of it, I thought would be
excited ; but the reality was far below my anticipa-
tion. If applied to the banks of the Mississippi
River, however, at this place, where the Sauk
Rapids terminate, that charming description would
be no more than an adequate picture. The resi-
dence of my friend is a little above the limits of St.
Cloud, midway on the gradual rise from the river to

the prairie. It iij a neat white two-story cottage,

(141)

142 MIxVXESOTA AXB DACOTAH.

Avitli a piazza in front. The yard extends to the
water's edge, and in it is a grove of handsome shade
trees. Xow that the leaves have fallen, we can sit
on the piazza and have a full view of the river
through the branches of the trees. The river is
here very clear and swift, with a hard bottom ; and
if it were unadorned with its cheerful foliage-
covered banks, the view of it would still add a
charm to a residence. There is a mild tranquillity,
blended with the romance of the scene, admirably
calculated to raise in the mind emotions the most
agreeable and serene. For nature is a great in-
structor and purifier. As Talfourd says in that
charming little volume of Vacation Rambles, " to
commune with nature and grow familiar with all her
aspects, surely softens the manners as much, at the
least, as the study of the liberal arts."

St. Cloud is favorably located on the west bank of
the river, seventy-five miles above St. Paul. It is
just enough elevated to have good drainage facilities,
should it become densely populous. For many years
it was the seat of a trading post among the Winne-
bagoes. But the date of its start as a town is not
more than six months ago ; since when it has been
advancing with unsurpassed thrift, on a scale of
aflluence and durability. Its main street is surely
a street in other respects than in the name ; for it
has on either side several neatly built three-story
blocks of stores, around which the gathering of
teams and of people denotes such an activity of

ST. CLOUD. — THE PACIFIC TRAIL. 143

business as to dispel any idea that the place is got
up under false pretences. The St. Cloud advertise-
ments in the St. Paul daily papers contain the cards
of about forty different firms or individuals, which
is a sort of index to the business of the place. A
printing press is already in the town, and a paper
will in a few days be issued. There are now two
hotels ; one of which (the Stearns House), it is said,
cost $9000. A flourishing saw-mill was destroyed by
fire, and in a few weeks another one was built in its
place. An Episcopal church is being erected. The
steamer " H. M. Rice" runs between here and St.
Anthony. It is sometimes said that this is the head
of the Upper Mississippi navigation, but such is not
the case. The Sauk Rapids which terminate here
are an obstruction to continuous navigation between
St. Anthony and Crow Wing, but after you get to
the latter place (where the river is twenty feet deep)
there is good navigation for two hundred miles.
There are several roads laid out to intersect at St.
Cloud, for the construction of which, I believe, the
governmeu!: has made some appropriation. Town
lots are sold on reasonable terms to those who in-
tend to make improvements on them, which is the
true policy for any town, but the general market
price ranges from §100 to §1000 a lot. The town
is not in the hands of capitalists, though moneyed
men are interested in it. General Lowry is a large
proprietor. He lives at Arcadia, just above the town
limits, and has a farm consisting of three hundred

144: MINNESOTA AND DACOTATI.

acres of the most splendid land, Avhicli is well stocked
with cattle and durably fenced. A better barn, or
a neater farm-yard than he has, cannot be found
between Boston and Worcester. And while speak-
ing of barns I would observe that the old New
England custom of having good barns is better
observed in Minnesota than anywhere else in the
West. General Lowry has been engaged in mer-
cantile business. He was formerly a member of
the territorial council, and is a very useful and valu-
able citizen of the territory.

It would not be more surprising to have Eastern
people doubt some of the statements concerning the
growth of A^estern towns, than it was for the king
of Siam to doubt that there was any part of the
world where water changed from liquid to a hard
substance. His majesty knew nothing about ice.
Now, there are a good many handsome villages in
the East which hardly support one store. Not that
people in such a village do not consume as much or
live in finer style ; but the reason is that they are
old settlers who produce very much that they live
on, and who, by great travelling facilities, are able
to scatter their trading custom into some commer-
cial metropolis. Suppose, however, one of your
large villages to be so newly settled that the people
have had no chance to raise anything from their
gardens or their fields, and are obliged to buy all
they are to eat and all that is to furnish their dwell-
ings, or equip their shops, or stock their farms ;

ST. CLOUD. — THE PACIFIC TRAIL. 145

then you have a state of things which will support
several stores, and a whole catalogue of trades. It
is a state of aifairs which corresponds with every
new settlement in the West ; or, indeed, which faintly
compares with the demand for everything merchant-
able, peculiar in such places. Then again, besides
the actual residents in a new place, who have money
enough in their pockets, but nothing in their cellars,
there is generally a large population in the back
country of farmers and no stores. Such people
come to a nlace like this to trade, for fifteen or
twenty miles back, perhaps ; and it being a county
seat they have other objects to bring them. At the
same time there is an almost constant flow of set-
tlers through the place into the unoccupied country
to find preemption claims, who, of course, wish to
take supplies with them. The settler takes a day,
perhaps, for his visit in town to trade. Time is
precious with him, and he cannot come often. So
he buys, perhaps, fifty or a hundred dollars worth
of goods. These are circumstances which account
for activity of business in these river towns, and
which, though they are strikingly apparent here,
are not peculiar to this town. At first, I confess,
it was a mystery to me w^hat could produce such
startling and profitable trade in these new towns.

It was in the immediate vicinity of St. Cloud
that Gov. Stevens left the Mississippi on his explo-
ration, in 1853, of a railroad route to the Pacific.
Several crossings of the river had been previously
13

146 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

examined, and it was found that one of the favor-
able points for a railroad bridge over it was here.
I might here say that the country directly west lies
in the valley of Sauk River, and from my own ob-
servation I know it to be a good farming country ;
and I believe the land is taken up by settlers as far
back as twelve miles. It is a little upwards of a
hundred miles in a westerly direction from St. Cloud
to where the expedition first touched the Bois des
Sioux (or Sioux Wood River). Gov. Stevens says
in his report — " The plateau of the Bois des Sioux
will be a great centre of population and communi-
cation. It connects with the valley of the Red
River of the North, navigable four hundred miles
for steamers of three or four feet draught, with
forty-five thousand square miles of arable and tim-
ber land ; and with the valley of the Minnesota, also
navigable at all seasons when not obstructed by ice,
one hundred miles for steamers, and occasionally a
hundred miles further. The head of navigation of
the Red River of the North is within one hundred
and ten miles of the navigable portion of the Mis-
sissippi, and is distant only forty miles from the
Minnesota. Eastward from these valleys to the
great lakes, the country on both sides of the Missis-
sippi is rich, and much of it heavily timbered."

I will also add another remark which he makes,
inasmuch as the character of the country in this
latitude, as far as the Pacific shore, must have great
influence on this locality ; and it is this : " Proba-

ST. CLOUD. THE PACIFIC TRAIL. 147

bly four thousand square miles of tillable land is to
be found immediately on the eastern slopes of (the
Rocky Mountains) ; and at the bottoms of the differ-
ent streams, retaining their fertility for some distance
after leaving the mountains, will considerably in-
crease this amount." Mr. John Lambert, the topo-
grapher of the exploration, divides the country be-
tween the Mississippi and Columbia rivers, into
three grand divisions. The first includes the vast
prairies between the Mississippi and the base of the
Rocky Mountains. The second is the mountain
division, embracing about five degrees of longitude.
The third division comprises the immense plains of
the Columbia.

Of the first division — from here to the foot of the
Rocky Mountains — let me quote what Mr. Lambert
in his ofiicial report calls a '' passing glance."
" Undulating and level prairies, skirted with woods
of various growth, and clothed everywhere with a
rich verdure ; frequent and rapid streams, with in-
numerable small but limpid lakes, frequented by
multitudes of waterfowl, most conspicuous among
which appears the stately swan ; these, in ever-
recurring succession, make up the panorama of this
extensive district, which may be said to be every-
where fertile, beautiful, and inviting. The most
remarkable features of this region are the intervals
of level prairie, especially that near the bend of
Red River, where the horizon is as unbroken as that
of a calm sea. Nor are other points of resemblance

148 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

wanting — the long grass, which in such places is
unusuallj rank, bending gracefully to the passing
breeze as it sweeps along the plain, gives the idea
of waves (as indeed tliej are) ; and the solitary
horseman on the horizon is so indistinctly seen as
to complete the picture by the suggestion of a sail,
raising the first feeling of novelty to a character of
wonder and delight. The following outlines of the
rolling prairies are broken only by the small lakes
and patches of timber which relieve them of mono-
tony and enhance their beauty ; and though marshes
and sloughs occur, they are of too small extent and
too infrequent to affect the generally attractive cha-
racter of the country. The elevation of the rolling
prairies is generally so uniform, that even the sum-
mits between streams flowing in opposite directions
exhibit no peculiar features to distinguish them from
the ordinary character of the valley slopes."

I think I cannot do a better service to the emi-
grant or settler than to quote a part of the report
made by Mr. A. W. Tinkham, descriptive of his
route from St. Paul to Fort Union. His explora-
tion, under Gov. Stevens, was made in the summer
of 1853 ; and he has evidently given an impartial
account of the country. I begin with it where he
crosses the Mississippi in the vicinity of St. Cloud.
The part quoted embraces the route for a distance
of two hundred and ninety-five miles ; the first
seventy miles of which was due west — the rest of
the route being a little north of west.

ST. CLOUD. — THE PACIFIC TRAIL. 149

" June 9. Ferried across the Mississippi River,
here some six hundred to eight hundred feet wide —
boating the carop equipage, provisions, &c., and
swimming the animals ; through ricli and fertile
prairies, variegated with the wooded banks of Sauk
River, a short distance on the left, with the wooded
hills on either side, the clustered growth of elm,
poplar, and oak, which the road occasionally touches ;
following the 'Red River trail,' we camp at Cold
Spring Brook, with clear, cool water, good grass,
and wood.

" Ju7ie 10. Cold Spring Brook is a small brook
about ten feet across, flowing through a miry slough,
which is very soft and deep, and previous to the
passage of the wagons, had, for about two hundred
feet distance, been bridged in advance by a causeway
of round or split logs of the poplar growth near by ;
between this and the crossing of Sauk River are
two other bad sloughs, over one of which are laid
logs of poplar, and over the other the wagons were
hauled by hand, after first removing the loads.
Sauk River is crossed obliquely with a length of
ford some three hundred feet — depth of water four
and a-half to five feet ; goods must be boated or
rafted over, the river woods affording the means of
building a raft ; camped immediately after crossing ;
wood, w^ater, and grass good and abundant.

''June 11. Over rolling prairies, without wood
on the trail, although generally in sight on the right
or left, with occasional small ponds and several bad

150 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

sloufrlis, across which the "waorons were hauled over
by hand to Lake Henry — a handsome, wooded
lake ; good wood and grass ; water from small
pond ; not very good.

'''•June 13. Passing over rolling prairies to a
branch of CroAv River, the channel of which is only
some twenty feet wide and four or five feet deep ;
but the water makes back into the grass one hun-
dred feet or more from the channel as early in the
season as when crossed by the train. Goods boated
over ; wagons by hand and with ropes ; no wood on
the stream ; several small lakes, not wooded, are on
either side of the trail, with many ducks, geese, and
plovers on them : encamp at Lightning Lake, a
small and pretty lake, sufficiently well wooded on
the borders for camping purposes ; good water,
wood, and grass, and abounding with fish.

'•''June 18. Over rolling prairie with small pools
and marshes, to a swift running stream about twenty
feet wide, three feet deep, a branch of Chippewa
River ; heavily rolling ground with stony knolls and
granite boulders, to White Bear Lake, a large hand-
some lake, with mingled open and woodland.

" Broken rolling ground to camp, a mile off the
Red River trail, and near a small wooded lake.
Two small brooks have to be crossed in the inter-
val, and being somewhat deep and with abrupt
sides, are troublesome crossings.

'•''June 20. Rolling prairie country, with small
marshes and ponds to a tributary of South Branch.

ST. CLOUD. TUE PACIFIC TRAIL. 151

Swift running stream, gravelly bottom, fifteen feet
wide, three to four feet deep ; with care in selection
good crossing was obtained for the wagons ; a
'vvooded lake is a short distance to the right of trail.

^' Small rivulet, whose banks are marshy and
soft.

" Prairies, with small marshes and ponds to a
swift running brook, six feet wide.

"Prairie to Pike Lake and camp of St. Grover ;
a handsome lake of about a mile in diameter, said
to abound in pike ; well wooded on its south bor-
der ; grass, w^ater, and wood, for camping, abundant
and good.

" Rolling prairie with knolls ; several ponds and
marshes, with an intervening brook about six feet
wide, and rather difi5ci|lt of passage, from the ab-
ruptness of its banks, to a small brook, the outlet
of a small and partially wooded lake or pond.

" Rolling prairie, with grassy, swelling knolls,
small ponds and marshes, to Chippeway River ;
camp of odometer wagon on edge of river ; water
and grass good ; no w^ood.

June 24. Crossed Chippeway River, one hun-
dred and twenty-four feet wide, three to six feet
deep ; goods boated over, and the animals swimming ;
wagon hauled through the water by a rope attached
to the tongue, and wdth the aid of the mules ; camped
on Elk Lake, a small and pretty lake, well wooded,
and with luxuriant grass ; good water.

June 25. Trail passes over prairies with a rich

152 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH

heavy grass (this is a hundred miles west of the
Mississippi River), ahout eighteen inches high,
■winding between wooded lakes to a heavy ravine,
with a small and sluggish rivulet in its bottom ;
sides steep, and laborious for the wagon train.

" Prairie sloping towards the western branch of the
Chippeway River ; a stream when crossed, about one
hundred and forty feet wide, three or four feet deep,
with a marked current and firm bottom ; no wood.

" Camp on a small lake, fairly wooded, with
luxuriant grass, and good water.

" June 27. Undulating prairie, rich soil, covered
with a heavy growth of grass, with small ponds and
marshes ; woods continue in sight a short distance
on the left of Elbow Lake, a well wooded lake, of
form indicated by its name.

" Rolling prairie, with two bad sloughs, to Rabbit
River, which is crossed with the wagon with but little
difficulty, where it issues from a small lake. It is a
small stream, but spreads out from one hundred to
three hundred feet, with marshy borders ; camp on
the small lake, with good grass, wood, and water.

^^ June 28. Rolling ground, with small ponds
and marshes, to a small brook twelve feet wide ; the
Bois des Sioux prairie, a smooth, flat prairie, with-
out knoll or undulation — an immense plain, appa-
rently level, covered with a tall, coarse, dark-colored
grass, and unrelieved with the sight of a tree or
shrub ; firm bottom, but undoubtedly wet in spring ;
small brook, when the train made a noon halt.

ST. CLOUD. THE PACIFIC TRAIL. 153

" Same smooth prairie as above to Bois des Sioux
River, sometimes soft and miry ; camp on river bank ;
wood and grass good — river vrater fair ; many cat-
fish caught in the river.

" Ju7ie 29. Cross Bois des Sioux River ; seventy
feet wide, four to seven feet deep ; muddy bottom ;
steep and miry banks ; goods boated over ; wagons
hauled through, light, with ropes ; bad crossing, but
passable ; smooth flat prairie, as on the east side of
Bois des Sioux, occasionally interrupted with open
sloughs to AYild Rice River, and camp with wood,
water, and abundant grass.

" June 30. Wild Rice River, about forty feet
wide and five and a half feet deep, with muddy and
miry bottom and sides, flowing in a canal-like chan-
nel, some twenty feet below prairie level ; river skirt-
ed with elm — bridged from the steep banks, being
too miry to sustain the animals, detaining the train
but little more than half-a-day ; small brook with-
out AYOod, flowing in a broad channel cut out through
the prairie ; crossing miry, but made passable for
the wagon by strewing the bottom with mown grass.

'' Firm prairie to camp on edge of above small
stream ; good grass and water ; no wood ; elk killed
by hunter.

" July 1. Smooth prairie extending to Shayenne
River ; sand knolls, ponds, and marshes frequent
as the river is approached. The marshes were not
miry — firmer bottom ; good wagon road ; night en-
campment on bank of river ; suSicient grass for

154 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

train ; wood abundant ; river -water good ; many
catfish caught in river.

" July 2. Shayenne River, sixty feet wide, four-
teen feet deep ; river had been previously bridged
by Red River train, from the poplars and other trees
growing on the river, and this bridge we made use
of in crossing our wagons ; camp on the west bank
of the river ; w^ater, wood, and grass good.

" July 4. Prairie undulation, interrupted with
marshes, small ponds and occasional small rivulets,
to Maple River, about twenty-five feet wide, three
and a half feet deep, firm bottom, and easily passed
by the wagons ; river tolerably well wooded, and
the camp on its edge is furnished with water, wood,
and good grass. The rich black soil of the valley
of this stream is noticeable.

'' July 5. To a small stream thirty feet wide, two
feet deep, clayey bottom, easily crossed by the
wagons ; prairie high, firm, and almost level for some
thirteen miles, becoming more rolling and with small
ponds in the last seven miles of the march ; on the edge
of some of the ponds are salt incrustations ; camp
on the river ; water good ; grass good ; no wood ,
and the bois de vache is used for fuel.

" July 6. Country wet and marshy ; not a tree
in sight ; prairie with low ridges and knolls, and
great number of ponds and marshes ; night's camp
by a small pond ; no wood, but plenty of bois de
vache ; grass good.

" July 7. Approaching the Shayenne ; country as

ST. CLOUD. — THE PACIFIC TRAIL. 155

yesterday for some half dozen miles ; bordering on the
river the ground is broken with deep coulees and rav-
ines, and to keep away from them the train kept at
some distance from the river, encamping by a small
marshy pond ; no wood ; plenty of bois de vache ; grass
good ; water tolerable ; first buffalo killed to-day.

'^ July 8. Prairie swelling with ridges ; descend
to the Shavenne, which flows some one hundred and
fifty to two hundred feet below the prairie by a steep
hill ; camp in the bottom of the river ; wood and water
good; grass rather poor; the bottom of the Shay-
enne, some half a mile wide, is often soft and miry,
but when crossed by the train firm and dry.

" July 9. Cross the Shayenne, fifty feet wide,
three and a half feet deep ; immediate banks some
ten feet high, and requiring some digging to give
passage to the wagons.

" Prairie with swelling ridges and occasional
marshes to camp, to a slough affording water and
grass ; no wood ; buffalo very abundant.

" July 10. Prairie swelling into ridges and hills,
with a frequency of marshes, ponds, and sloughs;
camp at a pretty lake, near Lake Jessie ; fairly
wooded, with water slightly saline ; grass scanty,
having been consumed by the buffalo. Prairies
covered with buffalo."

I take this valuable sketch of the natural features
of the country from volume 1 of Explorations and
Surveys for the Pacific Railroad (page 353-356) ; for
which I am indebted to the learned Secretary of War.

LETTER XY.

ST. CLOUD TO ST. PAUL.

Importance of starting early — Judge Story's theory of early rising —
Rustic scenery — Horses and mules — Surveyors — Humboldt — Baked
fish — Getting off the track — Burning of hay stacks — Supper at St.
Anthony — Arrival at the Fuller House.

St. Paul, October, 1856.
I WAS up by the gray dawn of the morning of
yesterday, and after an early but excellent break-
fast, crossed the river from St. Cloud, in order to
meet the stage at Sauk Rapids. As we came up on
the main road, the sight of a freshly made rut, of
stage-wheel size, caused rather a disquieting appre-
hension that the stage had passed. But my nerves
were soon quieted by the assurance from an early
hunter, who was near by shooting prairie chickens
while they were yet on the roost, that the stage had
not yet come. So we kept on to the spacious store
where the post office is kept, where I waited and
waited for the stage to come which was to bring me
to St. Paul. It did not arrive till eight o'clock. I
thought if every one who had a part to perform in
starting off the stage from Watab (for it had started
out from there that morning), was obliged to make

the entire journey of 80 miles to St. Paul in the

(156)

ST. CLOUD TO ST. PAUL. 157

stage, they would prefer to get up a little earlier
rather than have the last part of the trip extended
into "the dead waist and middle of the night." I
remarked to the driver, who is a very clever young
man, that the stage which left St. Paul started as
early as five o'clock, and I could not see w^hy it was
not as necessary to start as early in going down,
inasmuch as the earlier we started the less of the
night darkness we had to travel in. He perfectly
agreed with me, and attributed his inability to start
earlier to the dilatory arrangements at the hotel.
When jogging along at about eleven at night be-
tween St. Anthony and the city, I could not help
begrudging every minute of fair daylight which had
been wasted. The theory of Judge Story, that it
don't make much diiference when a man gets up in
the morning, provided he is wide awake after he is
up, will do very well, perhaps, except when one is
to start on a journey in the stage.

I took a seat by the driver's side, the weather
being clear and mild, and had an unobstructed and
delightful view of every object, and there seemed to
be none but pleasant objects in range of the great
highway. Though there is, between every village,
population enough to remind one constantly that he
is in a settled country, the broad extent yet unoccu-
pied proclaims that there is still room enough.
Below Sauk Rapids a good deal of the land on the
road side is in the hands of speculators. This, it is
understood, is on the east side of the Mississippi.

158 MIXXESOTA AND DACOTAII.

On the west side there are more settlements. But
yet there are many farms, with tidy white cottages ;
and in some places are to be seen well-arranged
flower-gardens. The most attractive scenery to me,
however, was the ample corn-fields, which, set in a
groundwork of interminable virgin soil, are pictures
which best reflect the true destiny and usefulness
of an agricultural region. We met numerous teams
heavily laden with furniture or provisions, destined
for the difl"erent settlements above. The teams are
principally drawn by two horses ; and, as the road
is extremely level and smooth, are capable of taking
on as much freight as under other circumstances
could be drawn by four horses. Mules do not ap-
pear to be appreciated up this way so much as in
Missouri or Kentucky. iSI^or was it unusual to meet
light carriages with a gentleman and lady, who,
from the luggage, &c., aboard, appeared to have
been on somewhat of an extensive shopping expedi-
tion. And I might as well say here, if I havn't
yet said it, that the Minnesotians are supplied with
uncommonly good horses. I do not remember to
have seen a mean horse in the territory. I suppose,
as considerable pains are taken in raising stock,
poor horses are not raised at all ; and it will not
pay to import poor ones. A company of surveyors
whom we met excited a curiosity which I was not
able to solve. It looked odd enough to see a dozen
men walking by the side or behind a small one-horse
cart ; the latter containing some sort of baggage

ST. CLOUD TO ST. PAUL. 159

which W8,s covered over, as it appeared, with camp-
ing fixtures. It was more questionable whether the
team belono;ed to the men than that the men were
connected with the team. The men were mostly
young and very intelligent-looking, dressed with
woollen shirts as if for out door service, and I almost
guessed they were surveyors ; yet still thought they
were a party of new-comers who had concluded to
club together to make their preemption claim. But
surveyors they were.

The town of Humboldt is the county seat for
Sherburne county. It lies between the Mississippi
and Snake rivers. The part of the town which I
saw was a very small part. Mr. Brown's residence,
which is delightfully situated on the shore of a lake,
is at once the court house and the post office, besides
being the general emporium and magnate of Hum-
boldt business and society. Furthermore, it is the
place where the stage changes horses and where
passengers on the down trip stop to dine. It was
here we stopped to dine ; and as the place had been
a good deal applauded for its table-d'hote, a stand-
ard element of which was said to be baked fish,
right out of the big lake, I at least had formed very
luxurious expectations. Mr. Brown was away. We
had met his lively countenance on his way up to a
democratic caucus. Perhaps that accounted for our
not having baked fish, for fish we certainly did not
have. The dinner was substantial, however, and
yielded to appetites which had been sharpened by a

160 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

half day's inhalation of serene October air. We
had all become infused with a spirit of despatch ;
and were all ready to start, and did start, in half an
hour from the time we arrived at the house.

We had not proceeded far after dinner before
meeting the Monticello stage, which runs between
the thriving village of that name — on the west bank
of the Mississippi — and St. Paul. It carries a daily
mail. There were several passengers aboard.

One little incident in our afternoon travel I will
mention, as it appeared to afford more pleasure to
the rest of the passengers than it did to me. Where
the stage was to stop for fifteen or twenty minutes,
either to change mail or horses, I had invariably
walked on a mile, if I could get as far, for the sake
of variety and exercise. So when we came to the
pretty village of Anoka (at the mouth of Rum River),
where the mail was to be changed, I started on foot
and alone. But unfortunately and unconsciously I
took the wrong road. I had walked a mile I think
— for twenty minutes at least had expired since I
started — and being in the outskirts of the town, in
the midst of farms and gardens, turned up to a gar-
den-fence, on the other side of which a gentleman of
professional — I rather thought clerical appearance
— was feeding a cow on pumpkins. I had not seen
pumpkins so abundant since my earliest youth, when.
I used to do a similar thing. I rather thought too
that the gentleman whom I accosted was a Yankee,

ST. CLOUD TO ST. PAUL. 161

and after talking a few minutes with him, so much
did he exceed me in asking questions, that I felt
sure he was one. How thankful I ought to be that
he was one ! for otherwise it is probable he would
not have ascertained where, and for what purpose,
I was walking. He informed me I was on the
wrono; road ; that the sta2:e took a road further
west, which was out of sight ; and that I had better
go on a little further and then cross the open prai-
rie. Then for the first time did I notice that the
road I had taken was but a street, not half so much
worn as the main road. I followed his friendly
advice, and feeling some despair I hastened on at a
swift run, and as I advanced towards where I thought
the right road ought to be, though I could neither
see it nor the stage, " called so loud that all the
hollow deep of" — the prairies might have resounded.
At last, when quite out of breath and hoarse with
loud vociferation, I descried the stage rolling on at
a rapid rate. Then I renewed my calls, and brought
it up standing. After clambering over a few fences,
sweating and florid, I got to the stage and resumed
my seat, amidst the pleasant merriment of the pas-
sengers. The driver was kind enough to say that
he began to suspect I had taken the wrong road,
and was about to turn round and come after me —
that he certainly would not have left me behind, &c.
I was happy, nevertheless, that my mistake did not
retard the stage. But I do not intend to abandon
14-

162 MIXJsESOTA AND DACOTAn.

the practice of walking on before the stage when-
ever it stops to change horses.

Just in the edge of twilight, and when we were a
little way this side of Coon Creek, where we had
changed horses again, we came in sight of a large
fire. It was too much in one spot to be a prairie
fire ; and as we drove on the sad apprehension that
it was a stack of hay was confirmed. The flames
rose up in wide sheets, and cast a steady glare upon
the landscape. It was a gorgeous yet a dismal
sight. It always seems worse to see grain destroyed
by fire than ordinary merchandise. Several stacks
were burning. We saw that the usual precaution
against prairie fires had been taken. These consist
in ploughing several furrows around the stack, or by
burning the grass around it to prevent the flames
from reaching it. It was therefore suspected that
some rascal had applied the torch to the hay ; though
for humanity's sake we hoped it was not so. The
terrible prairie fires, which every autumn waste the
western plains, are frequently started through the
gross carelessness of people who camp out, and leave
their fires burning.

Some of us took supper at St. Anthony. I cannot
say much of the hotel de facto. The table was not
as good as I found on the way at other places above.
There is a hotel now being built there out of stone,
which I am confident will exceed anything in the
territory, if we except the Fuller House. It is pos-

ST. CLOUD TO ST. PAUL. 163

slble we all felt invigorated and improved by the
supper, for we rode the rest of the way in a very
crowded stage without suffering any exhibition of
ill temper to speak of, and got into St. Paul at last,
when it was not far from eleven ; and after seventy-
five miles of staging, the luxurious accommodations
of the Fuller House seemed more inviting than
ever

LETTER XVI.

PROGRESS.

Rapid growth of the North-West — Projected railroads — Territorial
system of the United States — Inquiry into the cause of Western
progress — Influence of just laws and institutions — Lord Bacon's
remark.

St. Paul, October, 1856.

The progress which has characterized the settle-
ment of the territory of Minnesota, presents to the
notice of the student of history and political econ-
omy some important facts. The growth of a fron-
tier community, so orderly, so rapid, and having so
much of the conservative element in it, has rarely
been instanced in the annals of the world. In less
time than it takes the government to build a custom
house we see an unsettled territory grown to the
size of a respectable state, in wealth, in population,
in power. A territory, too, which ten years ago
seemed to be an incredible distance from the civ-
ilized portions of the country ; and which was
thought by most people to be in a latitude that
would defeat the energy and the toil of man. To-
day it could bring into the field a larger army than
Washington took command of at the beginning of
our revolution !

(164)

PROGRESS. 165

In 1849, the year of its organization, the popula-
tion of the territory was 4780 ; now it is estimated
to be nearly 200,000. In 1852 there were 42 post
oflSces in the territory, now there are 253. The
number of acres of public land sold during the fis-
cal year ending 30th June, 1852, was 15,258.
For the year ending 30th June, 1856, the number
of acres sold was 1,002,130.

When we contemplate the headlong progress of
Western growth in its innumerable evidences of
energy, we admit the truth of what the Roman poet
said — nil mortalihus ardum est — that there is nothing
too difiicult for man. In the narrative of his explora-
tion to the Mississippi in 1820, along with General
Cass, Mr. Schoolcraft tells us how Chicago then
appeared. " We foundy' says he, '•''four or five
families living here.'' Four or five families was
the extent of the population of Chicago in 1820 !
In 1836 it had 4853 inhabitants. In 1855 its popu-
lation was 85,000. The history of many western
towns that have sprung up within ten years is cha-
racterized by much the same sort of thrift. Unless
some terrible scourge shall come to desolate the
land, or unless industry herself shall turn to sloth,
a few more years will present the magnificent spec-
tacle of the entire domain stretching from this
frontier to the Pacific coast, transformed into a
region of culture, "" full of life and splendor and

joy."

At present there are no railroads in operation in

1(36 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

Minnesota; but those wliicli are already projected
indicate, as well as any statistics, the progress which
is taking place. The Chicago, St. Paul, and Fond-
du-Lac Railroad was commenced some two years
af^o at Chicao;o, and over 100 miles of it are com-
pleted. It is to run via Hudson in Wisconsin, Still-
water, St. Paul, and St. Anthony in Minnesota to
the western boundary of the territory. Recently
it has united with the Milwaukee and La Cross Road,
which secures several millions of acres of valuable
land, donated by congress, and which will enable the
stockholders to complete the road to St. Paul and
St. Anthony within two years. A road has been
surveyed from the head of Lake Superior via St.
Paul to the southern line of the territory, and will
soon be worked. The Milwaukee and Mississippi
Raih'oad Company will in a few weeks have their
road completed to Prairie du Chien, and are extend-
ing it on the east side of the Mississippi to St. Paul.
Another road is being built up the valley of the
Red Cedar River in Iowa to Minneapolis. The
Keokuck road is in operation over fifty miles, and
will soon be under contract to St. Paul. This road
is to run via the valley of the Des Moines River,
through the rich coal fields of Iowa, and will supply
the upper Mississippi and Lake Superior region
with coal.

The Green Bay and Minnesota Railroad Company
hns been organized and the route selected. This
road will soon be commenced. The active men

PROGRESS. 167

engaged in the enterprise reside in Green Bay and
Stillwater. A company has been formed and will
soon commence a road from Winona to the Avestern
line of the territory. The St. Anthony and St.
Paul Railroad Company will have their line under
contract early the coming season. The Milwaukee
and La Cross Company propose continuing their
road west through the valley of Root River,
through Minnesota to the Missouri River. Another
company has been formed for building a road from
the head of Lake Superior to the Red River of the
North. ^ Such are some of the railroad enterprises
which are under way, and which will contribute at
an early day to develop the opulent resources of the
territory. A railroad through this part of the
country to the Pacific is among the probable events
of the present generation.

1 The following highly instructive article on navigation, I take
from The Pioneer and Democrat (St. Paul), of the 20th November :

"Growth op the Steamboating Business — The Season op 1S56.
— About ten years after the first successful attempt at steamboat navi-
gation on the Ohio River, the first steamboat that ever ascended the
Upper Mi.ssis.>ippi River to Fort Snelling, arrived at that post. This
was the 'Virginia/ a stern-wheel boat, which arrived at the Fort in
the early part of May, 1823. From 1823 to 184-4 there were but few
arrivals each j'ear — sometimes not more than two or three. The
steamers running on the Upper Mississippi, at that time, were used
altogether to transport supplies for the Indian traders and the troops
stationed at Fort Suelling. Previous to the arrival of the Virginia,
keel boats were used for this purpose, and sixty days' time, from St.
Louis to the Fort, was considered a good trip.

"By a reference to our files, we ai-e enabled to present, at a glance,
the astonishing increase in steamboating business since 1844. The
first boat to arrive that year, was the Otter, commanded by Captaia

Tear.

1844 . .

1845 . .

1846 . .

1847 . .

1848 . .

1849 . .

ISoO . .

l&Jl . .

1852 . .

1853 . .

1854 . .

1855 . .

1856 .. ,

168 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

It may be well to pause here a moment and in-
quire into the causes which contribute so wonderfully
to build up empire in our north-western domain.

Harris. The following table presents the number of arrivals since
that time : —

First Boat. iVb. of Arrivals. River Closed.

April 6 41 Nov. 23

April 6 48 Nov. 26

March 31 24 , Dee. 5

April 7 47 Nov. 29

April 7 ..... . 63 Dec. 4

April 9 ..... . 85 Dec. 7

April 9 104 Dec. 4

April 4 119 Nov. 28

April 16 171 . • Nov. 18

April 11 200 Nov. ,30

April 8 245 Nov. 27

April 17 560 Nov. 20

April 18 837 Nov. 10

"In 1851, three boats went up the Minnesota River, and in 1852,
one boat ran regularly up that stream during the season. In 1853,
the business required an average of one boat per day. In 1854, the
business had largely increased, and in 1855, the arrivals of steamers
from the Minnesota, amounted to 119.

" The present season, on the Mississippi, has been a very prosperous
one, and the arrivals at St. Paul exhibit a gratifying increase over
any preceding year, notwithstanding the season of navigation has
been two weeks shorter than last season. Owing to the unusually
early gorge in the river at Hastings, upwards of fifty steamers bound
for this port, and heavily laden with merchandise and produce, were
compelled to discharge their cargoes at Hastings and Stillwater.

"Navigation this season opened on the 18th of April. The Lady
Franklin arrived on the evening of that day from Galena. Previous
to her arrival, there had been eighteen arrivals at our landing from
the head of Lake Pepin, and twelve arrivals at the foot of the lake,
from Galena and Dubuque.

"During the present season, seventy-eight different steamers havo
arrived at our wharf, from the points mentioned in the following
table. This table we draw mainly from the books of the City Mar-
shal, and by reference to our files.

FROM ST. LOUIS.
BoaVi. No. of Trips. Boats. No. of Trips. Boats. No. of Trips.

Ben Coursin .... 19 Audubon 5 T^uella 8

A. G. Mason .... 8 Golden State .... 8 Cheviot 1

Metropolitan .... 13 Laclede 11 James Lyon .... 7

PROGRESS.

169

The territorial system of the United States has
some analogy, it is true, to the colonial system of
Great Britain — not the colonial system which ex-

Boats.

Ko. of Trips. Boats.

"Vienna . .
New York .
Delegate
JIanstiekl
Forest Rose
Ben Bolt
J. P. Tweed
Fire Canoe
Carrier . .
Julia Dean .
Resolute
Gossamer
Thomas Scott

5
1
1
7
1
2
1
2
1
1
2
4
6

No. of
Gipsey . . .
W. G. Woodside
York State
Mattie Wayne
Brazil . . .
Dan Convers .
Henrietta . .
Editor . .

Minnesota Belle
Rochester . .
Oakland . .
Grace Darling
ilontauk . .

Total arrivals

Tru^s.

. 2

. 1

. 5

. 1

. 4

. 1

. 4

. 5

. 8

. 2

. 7

. 4

Boats

Fairy Queen
Saint Louis
Americus
Atlanta
Jacob Traber
"White Bluffs
Areola . .
Conewag-o .
Lucie May
Badger State
Sam Young
Violet . .

from St. Louis,

FROM FULTON CITY.

Falls City
Diamond

11 H. T. Yeatman . . 11 Time and Tide
1

Total from Fulton City,

Ko of Trips.

1
1

2
1
6
1
8
10
8
5
4
1

212

FROM GALEXA ANT) DU>"XEITH.

Lady Franklin

Galena . . .
Alhambra
Royal Arch .

2.3

.30

Northern Belle
Banjo . . .
AVar Eagle
City Belle

28
1

17
30

Golden Era
Ocean "Wave ,
Granite State
Greek Slave

Total from Galena and Dunleith,

228

Excelsior
Kate Cassel
Clarion

29
11

FROM DUBUQUE.
Tishimingo .... 3
Fanny Harris ... 28

Flora 29

Hamburg 12

Total from Dubuque,

ISo

FROM MINNESOTA RIVER.

II. T. Yeatman
Globe . . .
Clarion . .
Reveille . .

4
34
12
40

H. S. Allen .
Time and Tide
"Wave . . .

10
11
29

Equator 46

ISUnnesota Valley . . 20
Berlin ..."... 10

Total from Minnesota River,
RECAPITULATION.

21G

Number of arrivals from St. Louis 212

" Fulton Citv . , 28

" Galena and Dunleith 228

" " Dubuque 1.3.5

" Minnesota River 2lfi

" " " " head of Lake Pepin 18

"Whole number of boats.

78.

Whole number of arrivals.

8.37

*'It will be seen froDi the above, that ten more steamers have been
engaged in this trade during the present year than last; while in the
15

170 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

isted in the days of tlie stamp act — but tliat "^vliich
a wiser statesmanship has more recently inaugu-
rated. The rehition between the general govern-
ment and our territories is like that of guardian and
ward — the relation of a protector, not that of a
master. Nor can we find in the history of anti-
quity any such relationship between colonies and the
mother country, whether we consider the system of
Phoenicia, where first was exhibited the doctrine of
non-intervention, or the tribute-paying colonies of
Carthage. That system which was peculiar to
Greece, " resting not on state contrivances and
economical theories, but on religious sympathies
and ancestral associations," came as near perhaps
in- spirit to ours as any on record. The patronage
which the government bestows on new territories is
one of the sources of their growth which ought not to
be overlooked. Instead of making the territory a
dependency and drawing from it a tax, the govern-
ment pays its political expenses, builds its roads,
and gives it a fair start in the world.

whole number of arrivals the increase has been tico hundred und
sixty-seven.

"The business on the Minnesota has greatly increased this year.
This was to have been expected, considering the great increase in the
population of that flourishing portion of our Territorj'.

"A thriving trade has sprung up between the southern counties
of Minnesota, and Galena and Dubuque. During the greater portion
of the summer, the War Eagle and Tishimingo run regularly to
Winona.

" On the Upper Mississippi there are now throe steamers, the Gov.
Ramsay, H. M. Rice, and North Star (new). During the season these
boats ran between St. Anthony and Sauk Rapids."

PROGRESS. 171

Another cause of the successful growth of our
territories in general, and of Minnesota in particu-
lar, is the ready market which is found in the limits
of the territory for everything which can be raised
from a generous soil or wrought by industrious hands.
The farmer has a ready market for everything that
is good to eat or to wear; the artisan is driven by
unceasing demands upon his skill. This arises from
extensive emigration. Another reason, also, for the
rapid growth of the territory, is, that the farmer is
not delayed by forests, but finds, outside of pleasant
groves of woodland, a smooth, unencumbered soil,
ready for the plough the first day he arrives.

But if a salubrious climate, a fertile soil, clear
and copious streams, and other material elements,
can be reckoned among its physical resources, there
are other elements of empire connected with its
moral and political welfare which are indispensable.
Why is it that Italy is not great ? Why is it the
South American republics are rusting into abject
decay ? Is it because they have not enough physi-
cal resources, or because their climate is not healthy ?
Certainly not. It is because their political institu-
tions are rotten and oppressive ; because ignorance
prevents the growth of a wholesome public opinion.
It is the want of the right sort of men and institu-
tions that there is

" Sloth in the mart and schism within the temple."

"Let states that aim at greatness," says Lord

172 MINNESOTA AND DACOTA il.

Bacon, '• take heed how their nobility and gentle-
men do multiply too fast ; for that maketh the com-
mon subject to be a peasant and base swain, driven
out of heart, and, in effect, but a gentleman's labo-
rer." He who seeks for the true cause of the
greatness and thrift of our northwestern states will
find it not less in the influence of just laws and the
education of all classes of men, than in the exist-
ence of productive fields and in the means of phy-
sical wealth.

" What constitutes a state ?
Not high raised battlement, or labored mound,

Thick •wall, or moated gate;
Not cities proud, with spires and turrets crowned ;

Not bays and broad armed ports,
Where, laughing at the storm, proud navies ride ;

But men, high minded men.

PART 11.
TERRITORY OF DACOTAH.

"Populous cities and states are spkixging up, as if uy exciiaxtment. from
THE BOSOM OF OUR WESTERN WILDS." — Thc FresidcnVs Annual Message for 1S56.

15* (173)

THE PROPOSED NEW TERRITORY OF

DACOTAH.

Organization of Minnesota as a state — Suggestions as to its division —
Views of Captain Pope — Character and resources of the new terri-
tory to be left adjoining — Its occupation by the Dacotah Indians —
Its organization and name.

'o'

The territory of Minnesota according to its pre-
sent boundaries embraces an area of 141,839 square
miles exclusive of water ; — a domain four times as
large as the State of Ohio, and twelve times as large
as Holland, when her commerce was unrivalled and
her fleets ruled the sea. Its limits take in three of
the largest rivers of North America ; the Missis-
sippi, the Missouri, and the Red River of the North.
Though remote from the sea board, ships can go
out from its harbors to the ocean in two if not three
different channels. Its delightful scenery of lakes
and water-falls, of prairie and woodland, are not
more allurins; to the tourist, than are its invio;ora-

O ' CD

ting climate and its verdant fields attractive to the
husbandman. It has been organized seven years ;
and its resources have become so much developed,
and its population so large, there is a general dis-
position among the people to have a state organiza-

(175)

17(3 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

tion, and be admitted into the Confederacy of the
Union.^ A measure of this kind is not now prema-
ture : on the contrary, it is not for the interest of
the general government any longer to defray the
expenses of the territory ; and the adoption of a
state organization, throwing the taxes upon the
people, would give rise to a spirit of rivalry and
emulation, a watchfulness as to the system of public
expenditures, and a more jealous regard for the pro-
per development of the physical resources of the state.
The legislature which meets in January (1857), will
without doubt take the subject into consideration, and
provide for a convention to frame a constitution.

This being the condition of things, the manner
in which the territory shall be divided — for no one
can expect the new state will embrace the whole
extent of the present territory — becomes a very in-
teresting question. Some maintain, I believe, that
the territory should be divided by a line running
east and west. That would include in its limits the
country bordering, for some distance, on the Mis-
souri River ; possibly the head of navigation of the
Red River of the North. But it is hardly probable
that a line of this description would give Minnesota
any part of Lake Superior. Others maintain that
the territory should be divided by a line running
north and south; say, for instance, along the valley

1 On the 9th of December Jlr. Rice, the delegate in congress from
Minnesota, gave notice to the house that he would in a few days in-
troduce a bill authorizing the people of the territory to hold a con-
vention for the purpose of forming a state constitution.

PxHOPOSED NEV/ TERRITORY OF DACOTAII. 177

of the Red River of the North. Such a division
would not give Minnesota any of the Missouri River.
But it wouhi have the benefit of the eastern valley
of the Red River of the North ; of the entire region
surrounding the sources of the Mississippi ; and of
the broad expanse which lies on Lake Superior.
The question is highly important, not only to Min-
nesota, but to the territory which will be left out-
side of it ; and it should be decided with a due re-
gard to the interests of both.^

^ I take pleasure in inserting here a note which I have had the
honor to receive from Captain Pope, of the Corps of Topographical
Eugineers. I have before had occasion to quote from the able and
instructive report of his exploration of Minnesota.

Washington, D. C. Dec. 10, 1856.

Dear Sir: — Your note of the 6th instant is before me; and I will
premise my reply by saying that the suggestions I shall offer to your
inquiries are based upon my knowledge of the condition of the terri-
tory in 1849, which circumstances beyond my acquaintance may have
materially modified since.

The important points to be secured for the new state to be erected
in the territory of ^Minnesota, seem to be : — first a harbor on Lake
Superior, easily accessible from the West ; second, the whole course
of the Mississippi to the Iowa line; and, third, the head of naviga-
tion of the Red River of the North. It is unnecessary to point out
the advantages of securing these features to the new state ; and to do
so without enclosing too many square miles of territory, I would
suggest the following boundaries, viz. :

Commencing on the 49th parallel of latitude, where it is intersected
by the Red River of the North, to follow the line of deepest water of
that river to the mouth of the liois des Sioux (or Sioux Wood) River;
thence up the middle of that stream to the south-west point of Lake
Traverse; thence following a due south line to the northern bound-
ary of the state of Iowa (4.3° 30' north latitude): thence along this
boundary line to the Mississippi River; thence up the middle of the
Mississippi River to the mouth of the St. Croix River; thence along

178 MIXXESOTA AXD DACOTAH.

If the division last mentioned — or one on tiiat
plan — is made, there will then be left west of the
state of Minnesota an extent of country embracing

the western boundary line of the state of Wisconsin to its intersection
with the St. Louis River; thence down the middle of that river to
Lake Superior; thence following the coast of the lake to its intersec-
tion with the boundary line between the United States and the British
possessions, and following this boundary to the place of beginning.

These boundaries will enclose an area of about 65,000 square miles
of the best agricultural and manufacturing region in the territory,
and will form a state of unrivalled advantages. That portion of the
territory set aside by the boundary line will be of little value for
many years to come. It presents features differing but little from
the region of prairie and table land west of the frontier of Missouri
and Arkansas. From this, of course, are to be excepted the western
half of the valley of the Red River and of the Big Sioux River, which
are as productive as any portion of the territory, which, with the
region enclosed between them, would contain arable land sufficient
for another state of smaller dimensions.

As you will find stated and fully explained in my report of Febru-
ary, 1850, the valley of the Red River of the North must find an out-
let for its productions towards the south, either through the great
lakes or by the Mississippi River. The necessity, therefore, of con-
necting the head of its navigation with a harbor on Lake Superior,
and a port on the Mississippi, is sufficiently apparent. As each of
these lines of railroad will run through the most fertile and desirable
portion of the territory, they will have a value far beyond the mere
object of transporting the products of the Red River valley.

The construction of these roads — in fact the mere location of them
— will secure a population along the routes at once, and will open a
country equal to any in the world.

As those views have been fully elaborated in my report of 1S50, I
refer you to that paper for the detailed information upon which these
views and suggestions are based.

I am sir, respectfully, your obedient servant,

Jxo. Pope.

C. C. Andrews, Esq.,

Washins:ton, D. C.

PROPOSED NEW TEPtRITORT OF DACOTAH. 179

more than half of the territory as it now is ; extend-
ing from latitude 42° 30' to the 49th degree ; and
embracing six degrees of longitude — 97th to 103d —
at its northern extreme. The Missouri River would
constitute nearly the whole of its western boundary.
In the northerly part the Mouse and Pembina
Rivers are amono; its laro-est streams ; in the middle
flows the large and finely wooded Shayenne, " whose
valley possesses a fertile soil and offers many induce-
ments to its settlement;" while towards the south it
would have the Jacques, the Big Sioux, the Vermillion,
and the head waters of the St. Peter's. In its supply
of copious streams, nature seems there to have been
lavish. Of the Big Sioux River, M. Nicollet says,
its Indian name means that it is continuously lined
with wood ; that its length cannot be less than three
hundred and fifty miles. " It flows through a beau-
tiful and fertile country ; amidst which the Daco-
tahs, inhabiting the valleys of the St. Peter's and
Missouri, have always kept up summer establish-
ments on the borders of the adjoining lakes, whilst
they hunted the river banks. Buffalo herds are
confidently expected to be met with here at all sea-
sons of the year." The Jacques (the Indian name
of which is Tclian-sansan) " takes its rise on the
plateau of the Missouri beyond the parallel of 47°
north ; and after pursuing nearly a north and south
course, empties into the Missouri River below 43°.
It is deemed navigable with small hunting canoes
for between five hundred and six hundred miles ; but

180 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

below OtuJiUoja, it will float mucli larger boats.
The shores of the river are generally tolerably v.'ell
wooded, though only at intervals. Along those por-
tions where it widens into lakes, very eligible situa-
tions for farms would be found." The same explorer
says, the most important tributary of the Jacques is
the Elm River, which " might not deserve any special
mention as a navigable stream, but is very well
worthy of notice on account of the timber growing
on its own banks and those of its forks." He fur-
ther observes (Report, p. 46) that " the basin of the
river Jacques, between the two coteaux and in the
latitude of OtuJiuojay may be laid down as having a
breadth of eighty miles, sloping gradually down
from an elevation of seven hundred to seven hundred
and fifty feet. These dimensions, of course, vary
in the different parts of the valley ; but what I have
said will convey some idea of the immense prairie
watered by the Tclian-sansan, which has been
deemed by all travellers to those distant regions
perhaps the most beautiful within the territory of
the United States."

The middle and northern part comprises an
elevated plain, of average fertility and tolerably
wooded. Towards the south it is characterized by
bold undulations. The valley of the Missouri is
narrow ; and the bluffs which border upon it are
abrupt and high. The country is adapted to agri-
cultural pursuits, and though inferior as a general
thing to much of Minnesota, affords promise of

PROPOSED NEW TERRITOPvY OF DACOTAH. 181

thrift and properity In its future. It is blessed ^\ith
a salubrious climate. Dr. Suckley, who accompa-
nied the expedition of Gov. Stevens through that
part of the West, as far as Puget Sound, says in his
official report : " On reviewing the whole route, the
unequalled and unparalleled good health of the
command during a march of over eighteen hundred
miles appears remarkable ; especially when we con-
sider the hardships and exposures necessarily inci-
dent to such a trip. Not a case of ague or fever
occurred. Such a state of health could only be ac-
counted for by the great salubrity of the countries
passed through, and their freedom from malarious
or other endemic disease."

Governor Stevens has some comprehensive re-
marks concerning that part of the country in his
report. " The Grand Plateau of the Bois des Sioux
and the Mouse River valley are the two keys of
railroad communication from the Mississippi River
westward through the territory of Minnesota.
The Bois des Sioux is a river believed to be navi-
gable for steamers of light draught, flowing north-
ward from Lake Traverse into the Red River of the
North, and the plateau of the Bois des Sioux may
be '^^nsidered as extending from south of Lake
Travprse to the south bend of the Red River, and
from the Rabbit River, some thirty miles east of
the Bois des Sioux River, to the Dead Colt Hillock.
This plateau separates the rivers flowing into
Hudson's Bay from those flowing into the Missis-

182 MIXXESOTA AXD DACOTA II.

sippi River. Tliu Mouse River valley, in the west-
ern portion of Minnesota, is from ten to twenty
miles broad ; is separated from the Missouri River
by the Coteau du Missouri, some six hundred feet
high, and it is about the same level as the parallel
valley of the Missouri." — (Report, ch. 4.)

M. iNicollet was a scientific or matter of fact
man, who preferred to talk about " erratic blocks"
and "cretaceous formations" rather than to indulge
in poetic descriptions. The outline which follows,
however, of the western part of the territory is
what he considers " a faint description of this beau-
tiful country." "The basin of the Upper Missisippi
is separated in a great part of its extent from that
of the Missouri, by an elevated plain ; the appear-
ance of which, seen from the valley of the St.
Peter's or that of the Jacques, looming as it were a
distant shore, has suggested for it the name of Coteau
des Prairies. Its more appropriate designation would
be that o^jylateait, which means something more than
is conveyed to the mind by the expression, a plairi.
Its northern extremity is in latitude 46°, extending
to 43° ; after which it loses its distinctive elevation
above the surrounding plains, and passes into rolling
prairies. Its length is about two hundred miles,
and its general direction N. N. W. and S. S. E.
Its northern termination (called Tete du Couteau
in consequence of its peculiar configuration) is not
more than fifteen to twenty miles across ; its eleva-
tion above the level of the Big Stone Lake is eight

PROPOSED NEW TEEllITORY OF DAC0T7^.H. 183

hundred and ninety feet, and above the ocean one
thousand nine hundred and sixteen feet. Starting
from this extremity (that is, the head of the Coteau),
the surface of the plateau is undulating, forming
many dividing ridges which separate the waters
flowing into the St. Peter's and the Mississippi from
those of the Missouri. Under the 44th degree of
latitude, the breadth of the Coteau is about forty
miles, and its mean elevation is here reduced to
one thousand four hundred and fifty feet above the
sea. Within this space its two slopes are rather
abrupt, crowned with verdure, and scolloped by
deep ravines thickly shaded with bushes, forming
the beds of rivulets that water the subjacent plains.

The Coteau itself is isolated, in the midst of
boundless and fertile prairies, extending to the west,
to the north, and into the valley of the St. Peter's.

The plain at its northern extremity is a most
beautiful tract of land diversified by hills, dales,
woodland, and lakes, the latter abounding in fish.
This region of country is probably the most elevated
between the Gulf of Mexico and Hudson's Bay.
From its summit, proceeding from its western to its
eastern limits, grand views are afforded. At its
eastern border particularly, the prospect is magnifi-
cent beyond description, extending over the im-
mense D-reen turf that forms the basin of the Red
River of the North, the forest-capped summits of
the hauteurs des terres that surround the sources of
the Mississippi, the granitic valley of the Upper

184: MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

St. Peter's, and the depressions in which are Lake
Traverse and the Big Stone Lake. There can be
no doubt that in future times this reo;ion will be the
summer resort of the wealthy of the land." (pp. 9,
10.)

I will pass over what he says of the '' vast and
magnificent valley of the Red River of the North,"
having before given some account of that region,
and merely give his description of the largest lake
which lies in the northern part of the territory :
" The greatest extension of Devil's Lake is at least
forty miles, — but may be more, as we did not, anr^
could not, ascertain the end of the north-west bay,
which I left undefined on the map. It is bordered
by hills that are pretty well wooded on one side, but
farrowed by ravines and coulees, that are taken ad-
vantage of by warlike parties, both for attack and
defence according to circumstances. The lake
itself is so filled up with islands and promontories,
that, in travelling along its shores, it is only occa-
sionally that one gets a glimpse of its expanse.
This description belongs only to its wooded side ;
for, on the opposite side, the shores, though still
bounded by hills, are destitute of trees, so as to
exhibit an embankment to the east from ten to twelve
miles long, upon an average breadth of three-quar-
ters of a mile. The average breadth of the lake
may be laid down at fifteen miles. Its waters ap-
pear to be the drainings of the surrounding hills.
We discovered no outlets in the whole extent of

PROPOSED NEW TERRITORY OF DACOTAH. 185

about three-quarters of its contour we could explore.
At all events, if there be any they do not empty
into the Red Ptiver of the North, since the lake is shut
up in that direction, and since we found its true geo-
graphical position to be much more to the north than
it is ordinarily laid down upon maps. A single de-
pression at its lower end would intimate that, in
times of high water, some discharge might possibly
take place ; but then it would be into the Shay-
en7ie." (p. 50.)

Such are some of the geographical outlines of
the extensive domain which will be soon organized
as a new territory.

What will it be called ? If the practice hitherto
followed of applying to territories the names which
they have been called by their aboriginal inhabit-
ants is still adhered to, this new territory will have
the name of Dacotah. It is the correct or Indian
name of those tribes whom we call the Sioux ; the
latter being an unmeaning Indian-French word.
Dacotah means '' united people," and is the word
which the Indians apply to seven of their bands.^

1 The following description of the Dacotahs is based on observa-
tions made in 1823. "The Dacotahs are a large and powerful nation
of Indians, distinct in their manners, language, habits, and opinions,
from the Chippewas, Sauks, Foxes, and Naheawak or Kilisteno, as
well as from all nations of the Algonquin stock. They are likewise
unlike the Pawnees and the Minnetarees or Gros Ventres. They in-
habit a large district of country which may be comprised within the
following limits : — From Prairie du Chien, on the Mississippi, by a
curved line extending east of north and made to include all the east-

16^

186 MIXXESOTA AND DACOTAII.

These tribes formerly occupied the country south
aud south-west of Lake Superior ; from "whence they
were gradually driven towards the Missouri and the
Rocky Mountains by their powerful and dreaded
enemies the Chippewas. Since which time they
have been the acknowledged occupants of the broad
region to which they have impressed a name. Seve-
ral of the tribes, however, have crossed the Missouri,
between which and the Rocky Mountains they still
linger a barbaric life. AVe may now hope to realize
the truth of Hiawatha's words : —

era tributaries of the Mississippi, to the first branch of Chippewa
Kiver ; the head waters of that stream being claimed by the Chippewa
Indians: thence by a line running west of north to the head of
Spirit Lake; thence by a westerly line to the Riviere de Corbeau;
thence up that river to its head, near Otter Tail Lake ; thence by a
westerly line to Red River, and down that river to Pembina; thence
by a south-westerly line to the Cjist bank of the Missouri near the
Mandan villages ; thence down the Missouri to a point probably- not
far from Soldier's River; thence by a line running cast of north to
Prairie du Chieu.

This immense extent of country is inhabited by a nation calling
themselves, in their internal relations, the Dacotah, which means the
Allied: but who, in their external relations, style themselves the
Ochcnte Shakoan, which signifies the nation of seven (council) fires.
This refers to the following division which formerly prevailed among
them, viz. : —

1. Mende-Wahkan-toan, or people of the Spirit Lake.

2. Wahkpa-toan, or people of the leaves.

3. Sisi-toan, or Miakechakesa.

4. Yank-toan-an, or Fern leaves.

5. Yank-toan, or descended from the Fern leaves.

6. Ti-toan, or Braggers.

7. Wahkpako-toan, or the people that shoot at leaves. — Long\ E.c-
2icdition to Sources of St. Peter's River, d'c, vol. 1, pp. 376, 378.

PROPOSED NEW TERRITORY OF DACOTAII. 187

" After many years of warfare,
Many years of strife and bloodshed,
There is peace between the Ojibways
And the tribe of the Dacotahs."

If it be asked A\hat will be done with these tribes
when the country comes to be settled, I would ob-
serve, as I have said, that the present policy of
the government is to procure their settlement on
reservations. This limits them to smaller bound-
aries ; and tends favorably to their civilization. I
might also say here, that the title which the Indians
have to the country they occupy is that of occu-
pancy. They have the natural right to occupy the
land ; but the absolute and sovereign title is in the
United States. The Indians can dispose of their
title to no party or power but the United States.
When, however, the government wishes to extinguish
their title of occupancy, it pays them a fair price
for their lands according as may be provided by
treaty. The policy of our government towards the
Indians is eminently that of protection and preserva-
tion ; not of conquest and extermination.

Dacotah is the name now applied to the western
part of Minnesota, and I am assured by the best
informed men of that section, that such will be the
name of the territory when organized.

PART III.
TABLE OF STATISTICS.

T. LIST OF POST OFFICES AND POSTMASTCllS IN MINNESOTA.
II. LAND OFFICES, &c.
III. NEWSPAPERS PUBLISHED IN MINNESOTA.
IV. TABLE OF DISTANCES.

(189)

POST OFFICES AND POSTMASTERS.

I IIAYE been furnished, at brief notice, with the
following accurate list of the Post OiSces and Post-
masters in Minnesota by my very excellent friend,
Mr. JoHX N. Oliver, of the Sixth Auditor's Office :

LIST OF POST OFFICES AND POSTMASTERS IX THE
TERRITOTY OF MINNESOTA, PREPARED FROM THE
BOOKS OF THE APPOINTMENT OFFICE, POST OFFICE
DEPARTMENT, TO DECEMBER 12, 1856.

Post Office.

Postmaster. Post Office,

Postmaster.

BENTON COUNTY.

Belle Prairie
Big Lake .
Clear Lake
Crow Wing
Elk River .
Itasca . .
Little Falls
Royaltoa
Sauk Rapids
Swau River
AVatab . .

Calvin C. Hieka.
Joseph Brown.
F. E. Baldwin.
Allen Morrison.
John Q. A. Nickerson.
John C. Bowers.
C. H. Churchill.
Rodolph's D. Kinney.
C. B. Vanstest.
James Warren.
David Oilman.

BLUE EARTH COUNTY.

Kasota . .
IMankato
Liberty .
Pajutazee .
South Bend

Isaac .Allen.
Parsons K. Johnson.
Edward Brace.
Andrew Robertson.
Matthew Thompson.

Winnebago Agency Henry Foster.

BROWN COUNTY.

New L'^lm . . . Auton Kans.
Sioux Agency . Asa W. Daniels.

CARVER COUNTY.

Carver .
Chaska .
La, Belle .

Joseph A. Sargent.
Timothy D. Smith.
Isaac Berfield.

Scandia .... A. Bergquest.
San Francisco . James B. Cotton.
Young America . R. M. Kennedy.

CHISAGO COUNTY.

Amador . .
Cedar Creek
Chippewa .
Chisago City
Hanley . .
Rushseby .
Sunrise Citv
Taylor's Falls
Wvoming . .

Lorenzo A. Lowden.
Samuel Wyatt.
J. P. Guiding.
Henry S. Cluiger.
John Hanley.
George B. Folsom.
George S. Frost.
Peter E. Walker.
Jordan Egle.

DAKOTA COUNTY.

Athens . .

Centralia .

Empire City

Farmingtou

Fort Snelling

Hampton

Hastings

Lakeville

Le Sueur

Lewiston

JMendota

Ninninger

Ottowa .

Rosemount

Vermillion

Waterford

Jacob Whittemore.
H. P. Sweet.
Ralph P. Hamilton.
Noredon Amedon.
Franklin Steele.
James Archer.
John F. Marsh.
Samuel P. Baker.
Kostum K. Peck.
Stephen N. Carey.
Hypolite Dupues.
Louis Loichot.
Frank Y. Hoflfstott.
Andrew Keegan.
Leonard Aldrich.
W'arren Atkinsoa.

(191)

102

MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

Post Office. Postmaster.

DODGE COUNTY.

Avon Noah F. Berry.

Ashland . . . George Townsend.

Claremont . . George Hitchcock.

Concord .... James M. Sumaer.

Montorville . . John H. Shober.

Wasioga . . . Eli P. Waterman.

FARIBAULT COUNTY.

Blue Earth City George B. Kingsley.
Verona .... Newell Dewey.

FILLMORE COUNTY.

Bellville .
Bis Spring
Chatfield .
Clarimona .
Deer Creek
Elkhorn .
EUiota . .
Etna . . .
Fairview
Fillmore
Forestville .
Jordan . .
Lenora . .
Lof kiig Glass
Newburg .
Odessa . .
Peterson
Pilot Mound
Preston . .
Riceford
Piichland .
Rnshford .
Spring Valley
ITxbridge .
Waukokee .

■SVilson Bell.
William Walter.
Edwin B. Gere.
Wm. F. Strong.
William S. Hill.
Jacob McQuillan.
John C. Cleghorn.
O. B. Bryant.
John G. Bouldin.
Robert Rea.
Forest Henry.
James M. Gilliss.
Chas. B. Wilford.
Eemiiel Jones.
Gabriel Gabrielson.
Jacob P. Kennedy.
Knud Peterson.
Daniel B. Smith.
L. Preston.
Wm. D. Vandoren.
Benin. F. Tillotson.
Sylvester S. Stebbins.
Condello W'ilkins.
Daniel Crowell.
John M. West.

FREEBORN COUNTY.

Albert Lea . . Lorenzo Murray.

Geneva .... John Heath.

St. Nicholas . . Saml. M. Thompson.

Shell Rock . . Edward P. Skinner.

GOODHUE COUNTY.
Burr Oak Springs IIenr_v Doyle.
Cannon River Falls George McKenzie.

Central Point
Pine Island
Poplar Grove
Ked Wing .
Spencer . .
Wacouta
Westervelt

Charles W. Hackett.
John Chance.
John Lee.
Henry C. Hoffman.
Hans JLittsou.
George Post.
Evert Westervelt.

HENNEPIN COUNTY.

Bloomington
Chanhassen
Dayton . .
Eden Prairie
Elm Creek
Harmony .
Excelsior .
Island City

Reuben B. Gibson.
Henry M. Lyman.
John Baxter.
Jonas Staring.
Charles Miles.
James A. Dunsmore.
Charles P. Smith.
William F. RusseU.

Post Office.

Maple Plain .
Medicine Lake
Minneapolis .
Minnetonka .
Gsseo ....
Perkinsville .
Watertown
Wvzata . . .

Postmaster.

Irvin Shrewsbury.

Francis Hagot.
Alfred E. Ames.
Levi W. Eastman.
Warren Samson.
N. T. Perkins.
Alexander Moore.
W. IL Chapman.

HOUSTON COUNTY.

Brownsville . ,
Caledonia . . .
Hamilton . . .
Ilacketfs Grove
Hokah . . . ,
Houston . . . .
Loretta . . . ,
Loone^'ville . ,
La Crescent . ,
Mooney Creek
Portland . .
Sheldon ...
Spring Grove . ,
San Jacinto . .
Wiscoy . . .
Yucatan . .

Charles Brown.
Wm. J. McKee.
Charles Smith
Emery Hackett.
Edward Thompson.
Ole Knudson.
Edmund S. Lore.
Daniel W' ilsou.
William Gillett.
Cyrus B. Sinclair.
Alexj. Batcheller.
John Paddock.
Embric Knudson.
George Canon.
Benton Aldrich.
T. A. Pope.

LAKE COUNTY.
Burlington . . Chas. B. Harbord.

LE SUEUR COUNTY.

Elysium . .
Graiidville
Lexington . .
W'aterville

Silas S. Munday.
Bartlet Y. Couch.
Henry Earl.
Samuel D. Drake.

Glencoe .
Hutchinson

McLEOD COUNTY.

. . . Surman G. Simmons.
. Lewis Harrington.

MEEKER COUNTY.

Forest City . . W^alter C. Bacon.

MORRISON COUNTY.
Little Falls . . Orlando A. ChurchiU.

MOWER COUNTY.

Austin . . .

Frankford . .

High Forest .

Le Roy . . .

Alanson B. A'aughan.
Lewis Patchin.
Thos. II. Armstrong.
Daniel Caswell.

NICOLLET COUNTY.
Eureka .... Edwin Clark.

Hilo William Dupraj'.

Saint Peter . . George Hezlep.
Travers des Sioux W'illlam Huey.

OLMSTEAD COUNTY.

Dnrango . . . Samuel Brink.

Kalmar .... James A. Blair.

Oronoco .... Samuel P. Hicks.

Pleasant Grove . Samuel Barrows.

POST OFFICES AND POSTMASTERS.

193

Post Office.

Postmaster,

OLMSTEAD COUNTY.
Rochester . . . Pliineas H. Durfel.

Salem . .
Springfield
Waterloo
Zumbro . .

Cyrus Holt.
Almon H. Smith.
Robert S. Latta.
Lucy Cobb.

PEMBINA COUNTY.

Cap Lake . .
Pembina . .
Rjd Lake . .

Saint Joseph's

David B. Spencer.
Joseph Rolette.
Sela G. Wright.
George A. Belcourt.

PIERCE COUNTY.
Fort Ridgeley . . Benjn. H. Randal).
PINE COUNTY.

AHiambr.a
Mille Lac

Herman Trott.
Mark Leadbetter.

RAMSEY COUNTY.

Arthur Davis.

Charles Pettin.

John Klerman.

John P. Howard.

Walter B. Boyd.

Joseph A. Willis.

Ross Wilkinson.

Giles H. Fowler.
St. Anthony's Falls Norton II. Hemiup.
St. Paul ". . . Charles S. Cave.

RICE COUNTY.

C. Smith House.
Alexander Faribault.
Smith Johnson.
Walter Norris.
Calvin S. Short.
Joshua Tufts.
Henry M. Humphrey.
Joseph Richardson.

Anoka . . .
Centreville
Columbus . .
Howard's Lake
Litt'.e Canada
JIauomine . .
Otter Lake
Red Rock . .

Cannon City
Faribault .
Jledford
Morristown
Northtield .
Shieldsville
Union Lake
Walcott . .

SAINT LOUIS COUNTY.

Falls of St. Louis Joseph Y. Buckner.
Oneota .... Edmund F. Ely.
Twin Lakes . . George W. Perry.

SCOTT COUNTY.

Belle Plaine .
Louisville . .
Mount Pleasant
New Dublin .
Sand Creek
Shak-a-pay .

Nahum Stone.
Joseph R. Ashle}-.
John Soules.
Dominick McDermott
William Holmes.
Reuben M. Wright.

Post Office.

Postmaster,

SIBLEY COUNTY.

Henderson . . Henry Poehler.
Prairie ilound . Morgan Lacey.

STEARNS COUNTY.

Clinton . .
Neeu.ah . .
Saint Cloud

Torah . .

John H. Linneman.

Henry B. Johnson.

Joseph Edelbvook.
/Reuben M. Rloi ard-
t son.

STEELS COUNTY.

Adamsville
Aurora . .
Dodge City
Ell wood
Josco . . .
Lemond . .
Owatana
St. Mary's .
Swavesey .
Wilton . .

Hiram Pitcher.
Charles Adsit.
John Coburn.
Wilber F. Fiske.
James Hanes.
Abram Fitzsimmons.
Samuel B. Smith.
Horatio B. Morrison.
Andrew J. Boll.
David J. Jenkins.

SUPERIOR COUNTY.
Beaver Bav . . Robert McLean.

French River .
Grand .Marias
Grand Portage

F. W. Watrous.
Richard Godfrev.
H. H. McCul lough.

WABASIIAW COUNTY.

Greenville . . . Rodman Benchard.
Seth L. McCartv.
/Harvey F. William-
I. Son.
John E. Hvde.
NathanielF. Tifft.
Samuel E. Cotton.
Stephen ^I. Burns.
Fordvco S. Richard.
J. F."Byrne.
Austin R. Swan.

Independence

Lake City . .

Mazeppa . .
Minneska . .
-Minnesota City
Mount Vernon
Reed's Landing
Wabashaw
West Newton

WAIiNATAH COU.NTY.

Fort Ripley . . Solon W. Manney.
WASHINGTON COUNTY.

Cottage Grove . Stephen F. Douglass.

Lake Land . . Freeman C. Tyler,

^larine >Iills . . Orange Walker.

Milton Mills . . Lemuel Bolles.

Point Douglass . R. R. Henry.

Stillwater . . . Uarley Curtis.

"WINONA COUNTY.

Dacota .... Xathan Brown.

Eagle Bluffs . . William W. Bennett.

Homer .... John A. Torrey.

New Boston . . William .H Dwight.

Richmond . . . Samuel C. Dick.

Ridgewa}' . . . Joseph Cooper.

Saint Charles . Lewis H. Springer.

Saratoga . . . Thomas P. Dixon.

Stockton . . . William C. Dodge.

Twin Grove . . Oren Cravath.

Ftioa John W. Bentley.

Warren .... Eben B. Jewett.

Winiin.a .... John AV. Downer.
White Water Falls Miles Pease.

WRIGHT COUNTY.

Berlin . .
Buffalo . .
Clear Water
Monticello .
Northwo'id .
Rickford
Silver Creek

Charles W. Lambert.

Amasa Ackley.

Simon Stevens.

M. Fox.

A. H. Kelly.

Joel Florida.

Abram G. Descent.

II.

LIST OF LAND OFFICES AND OFFICERS

IN MINNESOTA.

General Land Office,

December 8, 1856.

Sir : Your two letters of the 6tli instant, asking for a list of the
land oflSces in Minnesota Territory, ivith the names of the oflBcers
connected therewith, — also the number of acres sold, and the amount
of fees received by such officers, during the fiscal year, ending 30th
June, 1856, have been received.

In reply, I herewith enclose a statement of the information
desired, save that the amount of fees for the fiscal year cannot bo
stated.

Very respectfully,

Thomas A. Hendricks,

Commissioner.
C. C. Andrews, Esq.

(194)

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(195)

III.

LIST OF NEWSPAPEKS PUBLISHED

IX MINNESOTA.

PiosEEu AND Democrat . . St. Paul

MixNESOTiAN St. Paul

Times St. Paul

Financial Advertiser ... St. Paul

Union Stillwater

Messenger Stillwater

Express St. Anthony

Republican St. Anthony

Democrat Minneapolis

Frontiersman Sauk Rapid

Northern Herald .... Watab

Independent Shakopee

Republican Shakopee

Democrat Henderson

Courier St. Peter

Dakota Journal Hastings

Sentinel Red "Wing

Gazette Canon Falls

Daily and Weekly
Daily and Weekly
Daily and Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly
. Weekly

(196)

NEWSPAPERS PUBLISHED IN MINNESOTA. 197

Journal . . .
Argus ....
Republican . .
Southern Herald

Democrat . . . ,
Republican . . . ,
Rice County Herald

"Wabasbaw "Weekly

Winona Weekly

Brownsville .... Weekly

Carimona Weekly

Chatfield Weekly

Faribault Weekly

St. Cloud Weekly

Owatonia Watchman and Re-
gister

Owatonia Weekly

17*

IV.

TABLE OF DISTANCES.

TABLE OF DISTANCES FROM ST. PAUL.

MILES

To St. Anthony

Rice Creek

St. Francis, or Rum River

Itasca

Elk River

Big Lake . .

Big Meadow (Sturgis)

St. Cloud (Sauk Rapids)

^yatab

Little Rock

Platte River

Swan River

Little Falls

Belle Prairie

Fort Ripley

Crow Wing River

Sandy Lake

Savannah Portage

Across the Portage

Down Savannah River to St

Fond-du-Lac

Lake Superior

Crow Wing River
Otter Tail Lake

Louis R

ver

151

106

109

114

124

130

120

250

265

270

290

350

372

130

200

(198)

TABLE OF DISTANCES.

199

Rice "River
Sand Hills River
Grand Fork, Red River
Pembina

Sandy Lake
Leech Lake
Red Lake .
Pembrina

Stillwater
Areola
Marine Mills
Falls St. Croix
Pokagema
Fond-du-Lac
Red Rock
Point Douglass
Red Wing

Winona's Rock, Lake Pepin

Wabashaw

Prairie du Chien

Cassville

Peru

Dubuque

Mouth of Fever River

Rock Island

Burlingtou

Keokuk

St. Louis

Cairo

New Orleans

Mendota

Black Dog Village

Sixe's Village

Traverse des Sioux

Little Rock

Lac Qui Pari©

M1L-E3

274

340

3S0

460

250

150

400

480

150

630

164

145

235

264

285

293

310

362

135

497

550

179

729

172

901

1040

1941

200

MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

MILES

Big Stone Lake

Fort Pierce, on Missouri

66
240

TABLE OF DISTANCES FROM ST. CLOUD.

To Minneapolis .....

Superior City, on Brott and Wilson's Road

Traverse des Sioux

Henderson

Fort Ridgley

Long Prairie

Otter Tail Lake

The Salt Springs

Fort Ripley

Mille Lac City .

DISTANCES FROM CROW Vi

To Chippeway Mi

5sion

. 15

Ojibeway

• ■ • •

Superior City

• • • •

. SO

Otter Tail City

• • • i

. 60

St. Cloud

• • • • «

.55

ING.

120

100

120

)

PART IV.

PREEMPTION FOR CITY OR TOWN SITES.

(201)

PREEMPTION FOR CITY OR TOWN SITES.

At a late momenr, and while the volume is in
press, I am enabled to present the following exposi-
tion of the Preemption Law, addressed to the Sec-
retary of the Interior by Mr. Attorney- General
Gushing. (See "Opinions of Attorneys General,"
vol. 7, 733-743— in press.)

PREEMPTION FOR CITY OR TOWN SITES.

Portions of the public lands, to the amount of three hundred and
twenty acres, mny be taken up by individuals or preemptioners for
city or town sites.

The same rules as to -proof of occujation apply in the case of muni-
cipal, as of agricultural, preemption.

The statute assumes that the purposes of a city or town have prefer-
ence over those of trade or of agriculture.

Attorney General's Office,

July 2, 185G.

Sir: Your communication of the 20th May, transmitting
papers regarding Superior City (so called) in the State of
"Wisconsin, submits for consideration three precise questions
of law ; two of them presenting inquiry of the legal rela-
tions of locations for town sites on the public domain, and
the third presenting inquiry of another matter, which, although
pertinent to the case, yet is comprehended in a perfectly dis-
tinct class of legal relations.

(203)

204 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAII.

I propose, in this communication, to reply only upon the two
first questions.

The act of Congress of April 24, 1841, entitled " An act
to appropriate the proceeds of the sales of the public lands
and to grant preemption rights," contains, in section 10th,
the following provisions : " no lands reserved for the support
of schools, nor lands acquired by either of the two last trea-
ties with the Miami tribe of Indians in the State of Indiana,
or which may be acquired of the Wyandot tribe of Indians
in tlie State of Ohio, or other Indian reservation to which the
title has been or may be extinguished by the United States
at any time during the operation of this act ; no sections of
lands reserved to the United States alternate to other sections
of land granted to any of the States for the construction of
any canal, railroad, or other public improvement ; no sections
or fractions of sections included within the limits of any
incorporated town ; no portions of the public lands which
have been selected for the site of a city or town ; no parcel
of a lot of land actually settled or occupied for the purposes
of trade and not agriculture ; and no lands on which are
situated any known salines or mines, shall be liable to entry
under or by virtue of this act." (v Stat, at Large, p. 456.)

An act passed May 23, 1844, entitled " An act for the relief
of citizens of towns upon the lands of the United States under
certain circumstances," provides as follows:

" That whenever any portion of the surveyed public lands
has been or shall be settled upon and occupied as a town
site, and therefore not subject to entry under the existing
preemption laws, it shall be lawful, in case such town or place
shall be incorporated, for the corporate authorities thereof,
and if not incorporated, for the judges of the county court for
the (bounty in which such town may be situated, to enter at
the proper land office, and at the minimum price, the land so
settled and occupied, in trust for the several use and benefit
of the several occupants thereof, according to their respective
interests ; the execution of which trust, as to the disposal of
the lots in said town, and the proceeds of the sales thereof,

(

PRE-EMPTION FOR CITY OR TOWN SITES. 205

to be conducted under such rules and regulations as may be
prescribed by the legislative authority of the state or terri-
tory in which the same is situated : Provided, that the entry
of the land intended by this act be made prior to the com-
mencement of a public sale of the body of land in which it
is included, and that the entry shall include only such land
as is actually occupied by the town, and be made in confor-
mity to the legal subdivisions of the public lands authorized
by the act of the twenty-fourth of April, one thousand eight
hundred and twenty, and shall not in the whole exceed three
hundred and twenty acres; and Provided also, that the act
of the said trustees, not made in conformity to the rules and
regulations herein alluded to, shall be void and of none
effect:'' * * * (v Stat, at Large, p. 687.)

Upon which statutes you present the following questions
of construction: "1st. What is the legal signification to be
given to the words, ' portions of the public lands which have
been selected as the site for a city or town,' which occur in
the preemption law of 1841, and which portions of the pul)-
lic lands are by said act exempted from its provisions ? Do
they authorize selections by individuals with a view to the
])uilding thereon of a city or town, or do they contemplate a
selection made by authority of some special law ?

" Do the words in the act of 23d May, 1844, ' and that the
entry shall include only such land as is actually occupied by
the town,' restrict the entry to those quarter quarter-sections,
or forty acre subdivisions, alone, on Avhich houses have been
erected as part of said town, or do they mean, only, that the
entry shall not embrace any land not shown by the survey
on the ground, or the plat of the town, to be occupied there1)y,
and not to exceed 320 acres, which is to be taken b}' legal
subdivisions, according to the public survey, and to what
species of 'legal subdivisions' is reference made in said act
of 1844?"

These questions, as thus presented by you, are al)stract
questions of law. — namely, of the construction of statutes.
18

206 MINNESOTA AND DACOTA II.

They are distinctly and clearly stated, so as not to require of
me any investigation of external facts to render them more
intelligible. Nor do they require of me to attempt to make
application of them to any actual case, conflict of right, or
controversy cither between private individuals or such indi-
viduals and the Government.

It is true that, accompanying your communication, there
is a great mass of representations, depositions, arguments, and
other papers, which show that the questions propounded by
you are not speculative ones, and that, on the contrary, they
bear, in some way, on matters of interest, public or private,
to be decided by the Department. But those are matters for
you, not for me, to determine. You have requested my opi-
nion of certain points of law, to be used by you, so far as
you see fit, in aid of such your own determination. I am
thus happily relieved of the task of examining and under-
taking to analyze the voluminous documents in the case: more
especially as your questions, while precise and complete in
themselves, derive all needful illustration from the very
instructive report in the case of the present Commissioner
of Public Lands and the able brief on the subject drawn up
in your Department.

I. To return to the questions before me : the first is in sub-
stance whether the words in the act of 1841, — " portions of
the public land which have been selected as the site for a city
or a town," — are to be confined to cases of such selection in
virtue of some special authority, or by some of&cial authority?

I think not, for the following reasons :

The statute does not by any words of legal intendment
say so.

The next preceding clause of the act, which speaks of lands
"included within the limits of any incorporated town,"
implies the contrary, in making separate provision for a town-
ship existing by special or public authority.

The nest succeeding clause, which speaks of land '*' actually
settled or occupied for the purposes of trade and not agricul-

PRE-EMPTION FOR CITY OR TOWN SITES. 207

ture," leads to the same conclusion ; for why should selection
for a town site require special authority any more than occu-
pation for the purposes of trade ?

The general scope of the act has the same tendency. Its
general object is to regulate, in behalf of individuals, the acqui-
sition of the public domain by preemption, after voluntary
occupation for a certain period of time, and under other pre-
scribed circumstances. In doing this, it gives a preference
preemption to certain other uses of the public land, by ex-
cluding such land from liability to ordinary preemption.
Among the uses thus privileged, and to which precedence in
preemption is accorded, are, 1. " Sections, or fractions of
sections included within the limits of any incorporated town ;"
2. " Portions of the public land which have been selected for
the site of a city or town ;" and, 3. " Land actually settled
or occupied for the purposes of trade, and not agriculture."
Now, it is not easy to see any good reason why, if individuals
may thus take voluntarily for the purposes of agriculture, —
they may not also take for the purposes of a city or toAvn.
The statute assumes that the purposes of a city or town have
preference over those of trade, and still more over those of
agriculture. Yet individuals may take for either of the latter
objects : a fortiori they may take for a city or town.

AVhy should it be assumed that individual action in this
respect is prohibited for towns any more than for trade or
ao-riculture ? It does not concern the Government whether
two persons preempt one hundred and sixty acres each for the
purposes of agriculture, or for the purpose of a town, except
that the latter object will, incidentally, be more beneficial to
the Government. Nor is there any other consideration of
public policy to induce the Government to endeavor to dis-
courage the formation of towns. Why, then, object to indi-
viduals taking np a given quantity of land in one case rather
than in the other ?

Finally, the act of 1844 definitively construes the act of 1841,
and proves that the " selection'' for town sites there spoken

208 MINNESOTA AXD D.iCOT.MI.

of" maybe eitlier by public authority or by individuals; —
that the word is for that reason designedly general, and with-
out qualification, but must be fixed by occupation. That act
supposes public land to be " settled upon and occupied as a
town site," and " therefore'^ not subject to entry under the
existing preemption laws. This description identifies it with
the land " selected for the site of a city or town," in the pre-
vious act. It limits the quantity so to be selected, that is,
settled or occupied, to three hundred and twenty acres, and
otherwise regulates the selection as hereinafter explained.
It then provides bow such town site is to be entered and
patented. If the town be incorporated, then the entry is to
be made by its corporate authorities. If the town be not
incorporated, then it may be entered in the name of the judges
of the county court of the county, in which the projected
town lies, " in trust for the several use and benefit of the
several occupants thereof, according to their respective inte-
rests." Here Ave have express recognition of voluntary selec-
tion and occupancy by individuals, and provision for means by
which legal title in their behalf may be acquired and patented.
I am aware that by numerous statutes anterior to the act
of 1841, provision is made for the mdhoritaUve selection of
town sites in special cases ; but such provisions do by no
means exclude or contradict the later enactment of a general
provision of law to comprebend all cases of selections for
town sites, whether authoritative or voluntary. I think the
act of 1841, construed in the light of the complementary act
of 1844, as it must be, provides clearly for both contingencies
or conditions of the subject. Among the anterior acts, how-
ever, is one of great importance and significancy upon this
point, more especially as that act received exposition at the
time from the proper departments of the Government. I
allude to the act of June 22d, 1838, entitled " An act to grant
preemption rights to settlers on the public lands." This act,
like that of 1841, contains a provision reserving certain lands
from ordinary preemption, among which are :

PRE-EMPTION FOR CITY OR TOWN SITES. 209

" Any portions of public lands, surveyed or other^Yi^e,
-^vhich have been actually selected as sites for cities or towns,
lotted into smaller quantities than eighty acres, and settled
upon and occupied for the purposes of trade, and not of agri-
cultural cultivation and improvement, or any land specially
occupied or reserved for town lots, or other purposes, by autho-
rity of the United States/' (v Stat, at Large, p. 251.)

Here the ** selection" generally, and the " selection" by
authority are each provided for eo nomine. It is obvious that
the provision in the latter case is made for certainty only ;
since, by the general rules of statute construction, no ordi-
nary claim of preemption could attach to reservations made
by authority of the United States. The effective provision
in the enactment quoted, must be selections not made by the
authority of the United States.

In point of fact the provision was construed by the Depart-
ment to include all voluntary selections : lands, says the circu-
lar of the General Land Office of July 3, 1838, " which set-
tlers have selected w^ith a view of building thereon a village
or city."

It seems to me that the same considerations which induced
this construction of the word " selection" in the act of 1838,
dictate a similar construction of the same word in the subse-
quent act. Besides which, when a word or words of a sta-
tute, which were of uncertain signification originally, but
which have been construed by the proper authority, are re-
peated in a subsequent statute, that is understood as being
not a repetition merely of the word with the received con-
struction, but an implied legislative adoption even of such
construction.

II. The second question is of the construction of the act
of 1844, supplemental to that of 1841 ; and as the construc-
tion of the elder derives aid from the language of the later
one, so does that of the latter from the former. The question
is divisible into sub-questions.

1. Does the phrase " that the entry (for a town-site) shall

210 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

include only such land as is actually occupied by the town,"
restrict the entry to those quarter quarter-sections, or forty
acre subdivisions alone, on which houses have been erected
as part of said town ?

2. What is the meaning of the phrase in the act "legal
subdivisions of the public lands," in " conformity" with which
the entry must be made ?

I put the two acts together and find that they provide for
a system of preemptions for, among other things, agricultural
occupation, commercial or mechanical occupation, and muni-
cipal occupation.

In regard to agricultural occupation, the laws provide that,
in certain cases and conditions, one person may preempt one
hundred and sixty acres, and that in regard to municipal
occupation a plurality of persons may, in certain cases and
conditions, preempt three hundred and twenty acres. In the
latter contingency, there is no special privilege as to quan-
tity, but a disability rather ; for two persons together may
preempt three hundred and twenty acres by agricultural occu-
pation, and afterwards convert the land into a town site, and
four persons together might in the same way secure six hun-
dred and forty acres, to be converted ultimately into the site
of a town ; while the same four persons, selecting land for
a town site, can take only three hundred and twenty acres.
In both forms the parties enter at the minimum price of the
public lands. The chief advantage which the preemptors
for municipal purposes enjoy, is, that they have by statute a
preference over agricultural preemptors, the land selected
for a town site being secured by statute against general and
ordinary, that is, agricultural preemption. In all other res-
pects material to the present inquiry, we may assume, for the
argument's sake at least, that the two classes stand on a
footing of equality, as respects either the conflicting interests
of third persons, or the rights of the Government.

Now, the rights of an agricultural preemptor we under-
stand. He is entitled, if he shall " make a settlement in per-

PRE-EMPTION FOR CITY OR TOWN SITES. 211

son on the public lands," and "shall inhabit and improve
the same, and shall erect a dwelling thereon,'^ to enter, " by
legal subdivisions, any number of acres not exceeding one
hundred and sixty, or a quarter-section of land, to include
the residence of such claimant." (Act of 1841, s. 10.) And
of two settlers on "the same quarter-section of land," the
earlier one is to have the preference. (Sec. 11.)

Now, was it ever imagined that such claimant must per-
sonally inhabit every quarter quarter-section of his claim ?
That he must have under cultivation every quarter quarter-
section ? That he must erect a dwelling on every quarter
quarter-section ? And that, if he fiiiled to do this, any such
quarter of his quarter-section might be preempted by a later
occupant ?

There is no pretension that such is the condition of the
ordinary preemptor, and that he is thus held to inhabit, to
cultivate, to dwell on, every quarter quarter-section, under
penalty of having it seized by another preemptor, or entered
in course by any public or private purchaser. He is to pro-
vide, according to the regulations of the Land Office or other-
wise, indicia, by which the limits of his claim shall be
known, — he must perform acts of possession or intended
ownership on the land, as notice to others ; and that suffices
to secure his rights under the statute. It is not necessary
for him to cultivate every separate quarter of his quarter-
section ; it is not necessary for him even to enclose each ; it
only needs that in good faith he take possession, with inten-
tion of occupation and settlement, and proceed in good faith
to occupy and settle, in such time and in such manner, as
belong to the nature of agricultural occupation and settlement.

Why should there be a different rule in regard to occupants
for municipal preemption ? The latter is, by the very tenor
of the law, the preferred object. Why should those interested
in it be subject to special disabilities of competing occupancy ?
I cannot conceive.

It is obvious that, in municipal settlement, as well as agri-

212 MINNESOTA AND DACOTA II.

cultural, there must be space of time between the commence-
ment and the consummation of occupation. There will be a
moment, when the equitable right of the agricultural settler
is fixed, although he have as yet done nothing more in the
way of inhabiting or improving than to cut a tree or drive a
stake into the earth. And it may be long before he improves
each one of all his quarter quarter-sections. So, in princi-
ple, it is in the case of settlement for a town. We must
deal with such things according to their nature. Towns do
not spring into existence consummate and complete. Nor
do they commence with eight houses, systematically distri-
buted, each in the centre of a fortv-acre lot. And in the
case of a town settlement of three hundred and twenty acres,
as well as that of a farm site of one hundred and sixty acres,
all which can be lawfully requisite to communicate to the
occupants the right of preemption to the block of land, in-
cluding every one of its quarter quarter-sections, — is improve-
ment, or indication of the improvement of the entire block, —
acts of possession or use regarding it, consonant with the
nature of the thing. That, in a farm, will be the erection
of a house and outhouses, cultivation, and use of pasturage
or woodland : in a town, it will be erecting houses or shops,
platting out the land, grading or opening streets, and the like
signs and marks of occupation or special destination.

The same considerations lead to the conclusion that it would
not be just to confine the proofs of occupation to facts existing
at its very incipiency. The inchoate or equitable right, as
against all others, begins from the beginning of the occupa-
tion: the ultimate sufficiency of that occupation is to be
determined in part by subsequent facts, which consummate
the occupation, and also demonstrate its hona Jides. If it
were otherwise, there would be an end of all the advantage
expressly given by the statute to priority of occupation. Take
the case of agricultural preemptions for example. A settler
enters in good faith upon a quarter-section for preemption ;
his entry, at first, attaches physically to no more than the

(

PRE-EMPTION FOR CITY OR TOWN SITES. 213

rood of land on which he is commencing to construct a
habitation. Is that entry confined in effect to a single quarter
quarter ? Can other settlers, the next day, enter upon all
the adjoining quarter quarters, and thus limit the first settler
to the single quarter quarter on which his dwelling is com-
menced ? Is all proof of occupation in his case, when he
comes to prove up his title, to be confined to acts anterior to
the date of conflict? Clearly not. The inchoate title of the
first occupant ripens into a complete one by the series of acts
on his part subsequent to the original occupation.

In the statement of the case prepared in your office, it is
averred that numerous precedents exist in the Land Office,
not only of the allowance of town preemptions as the volun-
tary selection of individuals, but also of the application to
such preemption claims of the ordinary construction of the
word "occupation'' habitually applied to agricultural pre-
emption claims. That is to say, it has been the practice of
the Government, not to consider municipal occupation "cir-
cumscribed by the forty-acre subdivisions actually built upon ;
* * but that such occupation was (sufficiently) evidenced,
either by an actual survey, upon the ground, of said town into
streets, alleys, and blocks, or the publication of a plat of the
same evidencing the connection therewith of the public sur-
veys, so as to give notice to others of the extent of the town
site:'' all this, within the extreme limits, of course, of the
three hundred and twenty acres prescribed by the statute.

I think the practice of the Land Office in this respect, as
thus reported, is lawful and proper: it being understood, of
course, that thus the acts of alleged selection, possession, and
occupation are performed in perfect good foith.

Something is hinted, in the report of the commissioner, as
to the speculation- character of the proposed town settlement,
— and, in the official brief accompanying your letter, as to the
speculation-characterof the proposed agricultural preemption.
I suppose it must be so, if the land in question has peculiar
aptitude for municipal uses. But how is that material? The

214 MINNESOTA AND DACOTAH.

object, in either mode of attaining it, is a lawful one. Two
persons may lawfully preempt a certain quantity of land
under the general law, and intend a town site without saying
so; or they may preempt avoicedly for a town site. As
between the two courses, both having the same ultimate des-
tination, it would not seem that there could be any cause of
objection to the more explicit one.

So much for the first branch of the second question. xVs
to the second branch of it, the same line of reasoning leads
to equally satisfactory results.

The municipal preemptor, like the agricultural preemptor,
is required to take his land in conformity with " the legal sub-
divisions of the public lands." I apprehend the import of the
requirement is the same in both cases. Neither class of pre-
emptors is to break the legal subdivisions as surveyed. The
preemptor of either case may take fractional sections if he
will, but he is in every case to run his extreme lines with the
lines of the surveyed subdivisions. In fine, as it seems to me,
there is nothing of the present case, in so far as appears by
the questions presented, and the ufiicial reports and statement
by which they are explained, except a conflict of claim to
two or three sectional subdivisions of land between difi"erent
sets of preemptors, one set being avowed municipal preemp-
tors, and the other professed agricultural preemptors, but
both sets having in reality the same ulterior purposes in regard
to the use of the land. The Government has no possible con-
cern in the controversy, except to deal impartially between
the parties according to law. The agricultural preemptors
contend that different rules of right as to the power of indi-
vidual or private occupation, and as to the criteria of valid
occupation, apply to them, as against their adversaries. The
municipal preemptors contend that the same rules of equal
right, inceptive and progressive, in these respects, apply to
both classes of preemptors. I think that the latter view of
the law is correct, according to its letter, its spirit, and the
settled practice of the Government.

PRE-EMPTION FOR CITY OR TOWN 8ITES. 215

The investigation of the facts of the case, and the applica-
tion of the law to the facts, are, of course, duties of your
Department.

I leave here the first and second questions ; and, proposing
to reply at an early day on the third question,
I have the honor to be, very respectfully,

c. cusinxG.

Hon. Robert McClelland,

Secretary of the Interior.

THE END.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE OFFrCIAL OPIXIOXS OF THE ATTORNEYS GENERAL
OF THE UNITED STATES. Edited by C. C. Andrews, Esq.
Volume VII. (Svo.) uow read}-. Washington : Published by K,
Farnham.

'• T;i this series the proudest names of American law have found some appro-
priate record of their hibor and their wisdom. * * No student of the lavr
can find more valuable reading than in these opinions. We would urge upon
him to turn now and then from the common place reading of the profession to
the great studies which impart to the law the dignity of a science. If less im-
mediate in the rewards they biing. they are the only studies which can win for
the legal aspirant the true glory of a great law\-er."' — Monthly Laio Ki:porte,r.

"Mr. Andrew.s is entitled to the thanks of his professional brethren for the
very satisfactoi-y manner in which he has presented these opinions." — Ameti-
can Law HerjisU'.r.

"On such examination as I have been able to give it (Volume A'l.), the vol-
ume seems to me to be full of instruction; the argument most clearly and
fairly conducted; the researches thorough, and the conclusions, in so far as I
can form a judgment, just." — Kufus Choate.

•■ But we should fail entirely in our object of calling attention to this work
if we did not particularly commend it to the notice of the statesman and the
general reader. * * The<e volumes con.'^titute a great treatise on constitu-
tional law : the work, not of one man. but of a succession of able men from the
age of Washington, who have examined and revised each other. We regard it,
therefore, as one of the uiost valuable publications which has embellished our
political and legal literature." — Xatumal Intelligencer.

A TREATISE ON THE REVENUE LAWS OF THE UNITED
STATES, in one voluiae, Svo. By C. C. Andrews, Esq. (Soon
to be published by Little, Brown and Company. See their list of
new Law Books.)

REFLECTIONS ON THE OPERATION OF THE PRESENT
SYSTEM OF EDUCATION. By C. C. Andrews, E.«q. Boston:
Crosby, Nichols and Company: ISo.'i.

"The substance of the pamphlet appeared some time since in a monthly
journal, and the aulhcr has n.iw revised it and published it in n more perm.a-
nent form. Ills views are sensible, and well deserve attention.' — Boston Daily
Adv ■rti.<e):

"This is an earnest and well written essay; designed to remedy what the
writer justly regards an important defect in the present system of education —
namely, the want of a propiT degree of moral instruction. Ilis observations
evince an enlightened mind, as well as a philanthropic spirit ; and they deserve
to be considerately pondered by all whom they may concern.'" — Puritan Re-
corder.

■• His practic.il remarks are of peculii.r value, and show that the author has
devote*! much thought to the topic of which he treats." — Boston Daily Atlas.

'■We have perused tbi.s publication with more than ordinary interest. The
object of the author is to suggest some remedies for the acknowledged defects in
the operation of our system of education. This object is pursued by a masterly
hand, in a lucid and comprehensive manner." — Everting 'Transcript.

'•This contritiution to the cause of common school education is highly
creditaVle to the author, and we have no doubt, if it can be extensively circu-
lated, '.iiil bi' p-oduclive of vi;ry beneficial results." — ^'liristiau Witness.

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Full text of "Minnesota and Dacotah : in letters descriptive of a tour through the North-west, in the autumn of 1856 ; with information relative to public lands, and a table of statistics"

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