CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND GIVEN IN 189I BY HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE Cornell University Library F 612G6 H23 3 1924 028 912 959 olin The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028912959 D O o >- h z O o X a o o a She needs no skeptic's puny hands, While near the school the church spire stands; Nor fears the bigot's blinded rule, While near the church spire stands the school. —J. G. Whlttier. Goodhue County, MINNESOTA, PAST AND present: % BY AN OLD SETTLER. u 1893, RED WINQ PRINTINa CO. RBD WINQ, MIHN. t ' f) I ' I ' I i I tlNIVPUf^f 1 Y fL l-l,M;AUY CONTENTS. PAGE Introduction 1-2 CHAPTER I. The French Occupation — Indian Trade — Two Objects — A Win- ter Resort for Gentlemen — LeSueur — Charlevoix — Fort Beauharnois — High Water— Fort Rebuilt — Abandoned in 1753— Two Cannon Balls Found— St. Pierre— Geo. Wash- ington .3-9 CHAPTER II. Earliest County History — Description of Surface — Water — Timber — Fruits — Wheat Raising — Mounds — Evidence of Former Inhabitants 10-20 CHAPTER III. Early Settlers' Experiences — Benefit of Hardships — Difficult Traveling — Oxen safer than Horses — Trip by water from Traverse des Sioux to Fort Snelling in 1851 21-31 CHAPTER IV. Experiences Continued — Skillful Hunters — A Bear Story — Canoe Traveling — Dr. Sweney's Experience — A Wedding- Raising Potatoes— Fishing 32-46 CHAPTER V. Missionary Experiences — Mission to the Indians — Journey from New York to Red Wing — Arrival among the Natives- First Death of a Missionary at the Village 47-54 IV CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. First lMt>EEssioNs— S. J. Willard's First Experiences Breaking Up Prairie— Snake Story— C. J. F. Smith's Experiences- Mosquitoes — Laying out the Road — Winter Amusements — An Evening Party of Young People 55-63 CHAPTER VII. Trials and Triumphs op Early Settlers — Jumping Claims — Cold Winter — Rev. J. G. Johnson — Itinerating — Going to Mill — Dogs Disturb — Mr. John Stowe— Girls Trapping the Gophers — Bachelor's Hall — Making Bread — Cooking Beans — Hans Mattson — A Pioneer Wagon — Lewis Johnson —Sleeping Quarters — Carrying Eggs and Butter to Market 6i -73 CHAPTER VIII. The Aborigines — Dakotas and their Language — Indian Mother's Lament— Speech of a Dakota Warrior— Indian Corn Fields — War Parties —Scalp Dance — Raw-Fish Dance — Medicine Feast — Healing the Sick — Courtship and Marriage — Modes of Burial— Spilling the Whiskey— The Wild Girl— Hawley, the Whiskey Seller 74-92 CHAPTER IX. Danger Apprehended — Chippewas Coming— Council at Fort Snelling — Spirit Lake Massacre 93-99 CHAPTER X. Political History — County Organization — County Seat decided upon— First Election— First Meeting of the County Com- missioners—Building Court House — Political Parties Speeches of Hon. W. W. Phelps, Chas. McClure, and C C Graham— Rev. Mr. Sorin's Speech at the Indignation Meeting 10„_j^g CHAPTER XI. The Halp-Brbed TRAOT—Boundaries— Scrip Issued—Settle ' Rights Vindicated— Speculators Vanquished 119-124 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XII. Reminiscences — Judge Wilder's Reminiscences — Practical Jokes — A. W. Pratt and the Bell Boys— Pig in the Fence — Catch- ing Fish through the Ice — Prairie Chicken Hunting— John Jordan's Narrative— "My Boy's Pictures" 125-135 CHAPTER XIII. The Civil War — Number Enlisted— Goodhue Volunteers— De- parture for the War — Money Raised — Two Instances of Re- markable Bravery — Corinth — Gettysburg — Letters from the Seat of War — W. Colvill — Martin Maginnis — Obituary of A. B. Welch' — Names of tublio Servants for the State and County 136-165 CHAPTER XIV. Educational — First Schools and School Houses'^Later Im- provements of same — Parochial School — Hamline Univer- sity — Collegiate Institute — Red Wing Academic and Theo- logical Seminary — Business Colleges — Villa Maria Convent — Orphans' Home — State Reform School 166-180 CHAPTER XV. Red Wing— First White Settlers — Hotel Built— Land Office- Newspaper — Land Sale— First Manufactory — Horsepower — Burning of the Steamer Galena — Gold — Petroleum — Great Fires 181-212 CHAPTER XVI. Red Wing Continued — System of Water Workg — Mills— Manu- factories — ^Furniture Companies— Stoneware — Sewer Pipe — Iron Foundry — Churches — Oakwood 213-234 CHAPTER XVII. Red Wing Continued — Natural Advantages— Social Organiza- tions— Insurance— City Hospital — Beneficence — Reception of Distinguished Visitors— Sea Wing Disaster 235-248 VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER XVIII . Towns and Villages — Belvidere 249 Belle Creek 250 Burnside 253 Cannon Falls 256 Central Point 261 Cherry Grove 266 Featherstone 268 Florence 270 Goodhue 273 Hay Creek 275 Holden 277 Kenyon 280 Leon 281 Minneola 28i Pine Island 287 Rosooe 290 Stanton 292 Vasa 294 Wacouta 304 Wanamingo 308 Warsaw 316 Welch 317 Zumbrota 319 Appendix 341 In Memoeiam — W. W. Phelps 342 P. Sandford 343 W. W. Sweney 344 C. C. Graham 34g W. W. DeKay 34:8 INTRODUCTION. " Some one has said that pioneering tended to bar- barism. This may be true in some cases; It depends upon the character of those who do the pioneering. This book is mainly a history of the work of pio- neers. One who has seen their work and the results of the same, ought to be able to judge of the character of the principal actors. It is now between thirty and forty years since this county was taken possession of by civilized men, and many of those most interested and active in laying the foundations of society here have passed a-way; but their works do follow them. It becomes those who now enjoy the fruits of their labors to imitate their virtues and preserve the memory of their sterling deeds. At a meeting of the Old Settlers' Association in Eed Wing a few years ago, the desire was expressed by a leading member tliat a correct history of the early days in Goodhue county might be written. It was that expression that led me to undertake the collection of the facts. and events herein recorded. I have spared neither time nor pains to make a record of all the important events that have transpired within the limits prescribed. How well I have succeeded, a generous public will determine for themselves. I have collected, as far as possible, the history of the French occupation in its relation to this locality; 2 iNTEODUCTloU. have given some account of the original inhabitants, who lived by hunting and fishing, and of missionary labors among them ; and chiefly the events connected with the settlement of white people ; and the subse- quent growth and prosperity of the county. I have related, to some extent, the trials and triumphs incident to pioneer life by facts which have been given me by those who experienced such trials and afterwards en- joyed the triumphs. I have taken extracts from the county records to give a brief mention of our political affairs, and' the men who have labored in the public service from time to time ; also the part borne by our citizens in the late civil war -^ some reminiscences of self-denial and personal sacrifices for the preservation of the Union. The establishment of institutions of learning and religion ; reformatory and charitable en- terprises ; advancements in aigriculture, manufacturing and trade which have been made, have also a place in this record. The work of the local historian, seemingly unim- portant, is of great value to the writers of general history, who must necessarily write of events which transpired during a former generation, of which they have no personal knowledge. To the old settlers who have so kindly assisted me by information of their personal experiences, and to all who have encouraged the publication of this work by their patronage, I hereby express my sincere thanks. J. W. Hancock. HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. OHAPTEE I. THE FRENCH OCCUPATION. It is well known that the first white men who visited the northwestern portion of the United States were from France. That nation was the first to plant colonies in Canada along the river St. Lawrence, and they grad- ually pushed their explorations beyond the great lakes, to the head waters of the Mississippi. Trading with the native Indians for furs became a very lucrative business in the history of the French occupation. The traders jurnished fire-arms, pow- der and lead to the natives in exchange for peltries. Being accustomed to live by hunting and fishing these Indians soon learned to use such articles as required less labor to obtain the necessaries of life, giving them more time for their favorite pursuit of war than when confined? to the use of the bow and arrow. It was natural enough that they welcomed the traders to their country ; for besides the implements they brought for use in hunting and carrying on war with other tribes successfully, the traders furnished them with rum and tobacco, which are considered great luxu- ries by savage men in all climes. 4 HISTOBY OP GOODHUE COtJNT^. Trading posts were early established at suitable points throughout this fur-producing region. Though built of logs and roofed with sod and wild grass, there was a space of ground around these log-cabins inclosed with pickets. These posts have been named forts, and were sometimes called factories, for the reason that when fully manned, soldiers and the agents or factors of some mercantile house were quartered therein, and in some cases missionaries, each class having separate cabins within the enclosure. An army officer was placed in authority over all. There were three distinct objects evidently in view in establishing these posts, namely: To extend the dominion of France, to gain by trade, and to convert the natives. Two such posts were once, occupied within the present limits of Goodhue county. The history of one of them, so far as I am able to find, is very short. It was built on the largest island between Lake Pepin and the mouth of the St. Croix river by LeSueur in 1695 ; therefore, Prairie Island was the site. Charlevoix relates that the object of the establishment of this post was to interpose a barrier between the Dakotas and Chippewas, and maintain peaceful relations between them which had then been created. He speaks of the island as "having a beautiful prairie," and that "the French of Canada have made it a centre of commerce for the western parts. Many pass the winter here because it is a good country for hunting." From this account I conclude that men who were well-to-do were accustomed to spend their winter vacations in this region. The above named Charlevoix visited this region in HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 5 1721 under the auspices of the Government of France, and upon his return to Europe urged the establishment of a trading post, and sending two missionaries among the tribe of Indians which he called "Sioux." The arguments he used for the establishment of such a post were : The missionaries to learn the language of the Indians and teach them religion ; and that through the country then occupied by this tribe a route to the Pacific Ocean could be discovered. His suggestions were favorably considered, but some delay ensued in carrying out the project on account of the hostility of other tribes occupying the country between the great lakes and the Mississippi valley. In 1726 a treaty with these latter tribes was consummated, and traders al- lowed to pass unmolested to the country of the Sioux. A company was soon formed for trading and other pur- poses among them. Eene Boucher was the command- ant of this company. Louis Ignatius Guignas and De Gonor were the chaplains or missionaries. They left Montreal on the 16th of June, 1727, and reached the enlargement of the Mississippi, the picturesque Lake Pepin, the 17th of September. The name of Pepin is first given to this lake in the journal of LeSueur in the year 1700, and was probably given in compliment to Stephen Pepin who was with LeSueur on the shores of Lake Superior as early as 1679. Immediately after arriving at this lake, Boucher selected a site upon a low point about the middle of the southwestern shore, nearly opposite the bold bluff now known as Maiden Eock. Here he ordered the erection of a stockade of pickets forming a square of one hundred feet with two bastions. The pickets were twelve feet long. Within the enplosure were a log hoiise for the commandant, a 6 HISTOBY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. residence for the two missionaries, and a store house, all of which were completed by the last of October. The fort was named Beauharnois, in compliment to the then governor of Canada. In a letter from this new fort, Father Guignas thus writes : " In the evening of November 14 we celebrated by shooting off some very beautiful rockets and made the air resound with a hun- dred shotits of 'Vive le Roy,' and 'Vive Charles de Beaiiharnois.' That which contributed a great deal to the merriment was the fright of the Indfans who wit- nessed the scene. When these poor people saw the fire- works in the air like stars falling from: the sky, the. women and children fled, and the more courageous of the men cried for mercy, begging earnestly that we would stop the astonishing play of the terrible fire- works (medicine)." The following spring, in the month of April, the water rose so high in the lake that the fort had to be abandoned for several weeks. In dispatches sent to France in October, 1729, by the Canadian Government, the following reference is made to Fort Beauharnois. They report that the fort built among the Sioux, on the border of Lake Pepin, is badly situated on account of freshets, but the Indians assure that the water rose higher than ever before in the spring of 1728 ; and this is credible, inasmuch as it did not so much as reach the fort this year. We learn from the records that this fort was rebuilt on higher ground, in rear of the first site, about the year 1735 with increased dimensions, but was soon after abandoned, as it is recorded that in view of the hostility of the Indians, the commandant and hia second concluded with Father Guignas to burn the fort an^ desceij4 the Mississippi which tjiey did May 13 HISTOBY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 7 1737. Bat it was again rebuilt ten years later. The records show that the Sioux Indians, through their dep- uties, entreated the governor of Canada to re-establish the post in the year 1747, which was accordingly done. The name of the last commandant of this post was St. Pierre who remained here till the summer of 1753 and was then called to the command of Fort Duquesne, a French post in western Pennsylvania. There is no account of the fort on Lake Pepin being occupied after it was abandoned by St. Pierre one hun- dred and thirty-eight years ago ! It is no matter of wonder that it is now difficult to find the exact spot where it stood. Quite recently two cannon balls have been found in plowing, one of six and the other of four pound caliber, near Frontenac station, which have been deposited with the Minnesota Historical Society. These balls furnish additional interest to the history of the old fort. They were undoubtedly found by the Indians soon after the fort was abandoned, and buried as worth- less to them. There are a few facts relating to St. Pierre after he left this post, which will doubtless be interesting to the people of this county. It appears that he went directly to Montreal, arriving there in October, 1753, and on the third of November following, the Marquis Duquesne wrote to the minister of war in France that he had sent the Sieur de St. Pierre to succeed Marin in command of the army of the Ohio. St. Pierre did not reach the stockade at French Greek, which was afterward called Fort Duquesne, till the first week in December, and only seven days after his arrival there, young George Washington came, bear- ing a letter from Governor Dinwiddle, of Yirginia, 8 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. to the commander of the fort. After courteous treat- ment by St. Pierre for several days, Washington was sent back with the following note to Governor Dinwiddle : Sik: — I have the honor to be here the commander-in-chief. M. Washington delivered to me the letter which you wrote to the commander of the French troops. I should have been pleased had you given him the order, or that he had been dis- posed to go to Canada to see our General, to whom it better be- longs than to me to set forth the evidence of the incontestable rights of the King, my Master, to the lands along the Ohio; and to refute the pretentions of the King of Great Britain thereto. I shall transmit your letter to M. the Marquis Duquesne. His reply will be law to me, and if he shall order me to communicate with you, you may be assured that I shall not fail to act promptly. As to the summons you send me to retire, I do not think I am obliged to obey. Whatever may be your instructions, I am here by order of my general, and I beg you not to doubt for a moment but that I am determined to conform with the exactness and resolution which becomes a good officer. I do not know that in the progress of this campaign anything has passed which can be regarded an act of hostility or contrary to the treaties between the two crowns, the continuation of which pleases us much as it does the English. If you had been pleased to enter into particu- lars as to the facts which caused your complaint, I should have been honored to give you as full and satisfactory reply as possi- ble. I have made it a duty to receive M. Washington with distinction on account of your dignity and his personal worth. I have the honor to be, Monsieur, your very humble and very obedient servant, L- DB St. Pierre. At the Fort, December 15, 1753. In the history of the French and Indian war, after Braddock's defeat, we learn that this same St. Pierre was fatally wounded in a battle near Lake George while leading the Indian allies of the French army' HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 9 His last words were: "Fight on, boys; tbis is Johnson, not Braddock." From this circumstance we learn that the last com- mandant of the French fort on Lnke Pepin had the privilege of meeting George Washington a second time, while the latter served under General Braddock in his unsuccessful expedition against Fort Duquesne. CHAPTER II. EARLIEST COUNTY HISTORY. Goodhue county was named in honor of James M. Goodhue, the pioneer editor and printer of the State. Minnesota was organized by act of Congress, as a Terri- tory of the United States, March 3, 184!). Nine days from that date Mr. Goodhue had arrived in St. Paul with press, type, etc., ready to commence the publica- tion of a weekly newspaper. This paper was called The Minnesota Pioneer, which he edited with marked ability until his early death in 1852. Dr. E. D. Neill, in his History of Minnesota, thus describes the pioneer editor: "The editor of the Pioneer was unlike other men. Every action and every line he wrote marked great individuality. He could imitate no man iu his manners, nor in his style; neither could any man imitate him. Attempts were sometimes made but the failure was always very great. Impetuous as the whirlwind, with perceptive powers that gave to his mind the eye of a lynx; with a vivid imagination that made the very stones of Minnesota speak her praise; with an intellect as vigorous and elastic as a Damascus blade, he penned editorials which the people of this territory can never blot out from memory." The territorial legislature did well in a few years after his death to connect his name with one of the new counties, HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 11 This county lies along the west side of the Missis- sippi river the distance of about thirty miles, which includes half the southwest border of Lake Pepin, and from Wabasha county on the south to Dakota county on the north. It is bounded on the east and south by the Mississippi river, Wabasha, Olmsted and Dodge counties; on the west, by Eice county and a part of Dakota county; on the north, by Dakota couaty. The surf&ce is chiefly rolling prairie, but is divided by streams and lowlands which furnish excellent drain- age and abundance of pure water. The principal streams of water are: The Mississippi river, the Cannon river, and the north and middle branches of the Zumbro river. The smaller streams lying wholly within the county are: Prairie creek. Little Cannon river. Belle creek, Spring creek. Hay creek and Wells creek. The water power on all the last named streams has been utilized to a greater or less extent for mills. Lake Pepin is a wide and deep section of the Mis- sissippi ; there is no other lake in the county. Numer- ous springs abound in all parts, furnishing constant supply of water for the use of the people and to fill the streams. With the exception of a few drifts of sand in the northern part of the county, Ihe soil is of the very best quality for purposes of agriculture. All kinds of grain and vegetables adapted to this latitude are easily grown in abundance. For many years in the early history of this state, Goodhue was the banner county in the pro- duction of wheat. The raising of this cereal for some fifteen years after the settlement, was the chief end and aim of the farmer. Other crops were raised but only as 12 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. was sufficient for home consumption. Wheat was the only product which would bring in money. From thirty to forty bushels per acre of the best quality was then a; common yield. In the year 1873 the wheat buyers of Red Wing made the statement that they had paid out for wheat in the aggregate the sum of two njillion dol- lars. During the same year much wheat grown in the county had been sold in Cannon Falls, Lake City and Hastings. The whole crop raised within the county that year could not have been less than three million bushels. From that year the chinch-bug began its depredations. Two other causes tended to diminish the amount of wheat raised about the same time, the price of wheat falling and the amount that could be raised per acre on the same land, decreasing. The wheat producing elements of the soil were becoming slowly exhausted, and a change of crops or the use of fertiliz- ers was found to be a necessity. Diversified farming has since taken the place of wheat raising alone. The raising of beef, mutton and pork for market; the improvement of stock of all kinds; and dairy farm- ing, are now claiming the attention of farmers generally throughout the county. The past two years have proved that wheat can be still produced here of a superior quality in the absence of the chinch-bugs. Timber for building purposes was not plenty at the first settlement, being found only in small groves and along the banks of the larger streams of water. Conse- quently, the lands first claimed were along the borders of those wooded streams. Among the forest trees more abundant were the red, black and burr oaks, white birch maple, elm, poplar, box elder and ash. There were a few groves of white pine, and also black walnut and MiSTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 13 butternut trees on the Cannon and Zambro rivers, but the demand for building materials was so great when the white settlers first came that all these finest of trees were soon removed. Since that time lumber for build- ing and manufacturing purposes has been obtained from the northern part of the state, and from Wisconsin. Where groves of maplej poplar and box elder have been planted for a few years on prairie farms they afford great protection for stock during the cold storms of winter, and valuable shade for protection from the heat of summer. These groves now surround the buildings of nearly all the farms in this county; many are now so large as to furnish the wood for the faniily use. Where twenty or thirty years ago there was nothing but prairie grass, may now be seen fine houses and barns surrounded by beautiful groves. Since annual prairie fires have ceased, natural groves have sprung up in un- cultivated portions to such extent that timber for fenc- ing and firewood is more plenty than formerly. Fruit as well as forest trees are easily grown. Apple orchards seem to decay after bearing abundant fruit a few years. This is thought to be owing to the rapid growth of the trees. Crab-apples, plums, grapes, goose- berries, strawberries and blackberries are indigenous, and by the aid of proper cultivation all these fruits are produced in abundance. There were settlements begun here in several places before the county was organized. Very soon after the Indian title had been extinguished by treaty in 1852, settlers began to coriie and mark off their claims. Town- sites were selected along the Mississippi at all points where it was supposed steamboats could conveniently make a landing. 14 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COtJNTlf. James Wells, an Indian trader, had been living for several years on the shore of Lake Pepin. At the head of the same lake, George W. BuUard, another Indian trader, had established himself for the ostensible pur- pose of dealing with the Indians as early as 1850. Mr. Wells sold his improvements and left with the removal of the Indians. Mr. BuUard remained and laid out a town around his trading post, naming it Wacouta. The charming summer retreat at the head of the lake now occupies the same locality, and bears the same name. The only Indian village within the limits of what is now Goodhue county, was Red Wing's village, the site now occupied by the city of Red Wing. Several fami- lies came and began work, anticipating a future town at this place, iu the autumn of 1852. The first towns laid out along the river were Red Wing, Wacouta and Cen- tral Point. The Pakota Indians had for some time occupied the southern part of the now State of Minnesota, when the whites began to settle here. This tribe are often called Sioux, a name given them by their first ^traders, the French. The northern portion of the state had been claimed by the Chippewa tribe. These tribes were deadly enemies to each other. For a long series of years, their numbers had doubtless diminished rather than otherwise, on account of the frequent raids made by war parties into each others' dominions. So abund- ant were fish and all kinds of game found iu the country that this people indulged in war as a pastime. In the whole tract of land now called Goodhue county, there was only one village of Dakotas, and the population of this village was about three hundred. Such small vil- HiS'TOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. l5 lages, from forty to fifty miles apart, left large room for wild animals, and afforded ample sustenance to the few inhabitants, who lived chiefly by hunting and fishing. But there are evidences that these savage tribes had been preceded by a more peaceful people. A dense population had once occupied this part of the county; perhaps up to the first landing of Columbus, or a few years later. The numerous earthworks and mounds which were found here furnish these evidences. As the farmer's plow has nearly obliterated these mounds and other marks of human tribes now passed away, a de- scription of some, which were found in this county, will be given. These earthworks were quite numerous in the vicin- ity of Eed Wing's village, but the Dakotas professed they knew nothing of their origin. When we came in 1849 there were several mounds enclosed in the Indian cornfield, and the plat where West End Driving Park now is was pretty generally covered with them. Dr. W. W. Sweney, who came in 1852, made some investigations of these artificial remains, the results of which are substantially as follows: Evidences of the occupation of the country by a race of people, whose habits in some respects differed from the Dakotas, were numerous. On the sharp hill points in the vicinity of the Cannon river and Spring creek, were a number of cairns or stone mounds. These were on the highest points where shell rock outcropped and always overlooked the lower plateaus or valleys, on which were situated large groups of earthen tumuli. The cairns were of various sizes, ranging from six to twelve feet in diameter at the base. Their shape was conical, and some of those in the best state of preserva- 16 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. tion had an elevation of from eight to ten feet. The base was on the bare rock and all the loose stones in the vicinity had evidently been gathered to complete the structure. The first layer was in the form of a circle, and by inlapping towards the centre in every succeed- ing layer an apex was finally reached. A majority of these structures had fallen in, leaving a circle of rude masonry from three to four feet high, while the remains of the upper portion laid in a mass inside the wall, showing very conclusively they had been built hollow. Being very desirous of ascertaining the pur- pose for which they had been built, I selected two of the most perfect for a minute examination. The larger caii:n was at least twelve feet in diameter and nine feet high. It had settled considerably, pressing upon the cavity. After an hour's hard work we were in a situa- tion to observe the condition of its foundation. A few handfuls of black mould scattered over the bare rock base, a fragment of bone, three inches long, a muscle shell nearly in powder, and two remnants of wood distant from each other about six feet, in the east and west direction of the cairn, was all it contained. Of the bone there was hardly enough left to determine conclusively as to the species of animal to which it be- longed; but I think it was a portion of the upper arm- bone of an adult human being. When found the wooden fragments were standing upright as stakes sup- ported by rock and were dryrotted to points. With a knife I cut off all the decayed wood, the centre being a mere splinter, but enough to distinguish it to be swamp, or blue oak. The other mound did not yield the same amount of discoveries; a little mould and traces of what were supposed to be decayed bones or shells was all filSTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 1? that repaid our labor. I searched very thoronghly for teeth, as my opinion was and is that these cairns were burial places, but no teeth were to be found. I think these cairns were the burial places of distinguished personages. The material of which they were com- posed secui-ed them against the depredations of wild animals. Their number, however, would lead to the conclusion tliat it was not the common mode of sepulture. The groups of earth mounds overlooked by these cairns were counted by hundreds, and I think were once human habitations, and if my conjectures are in the right direction, these isolated cemeteries could not alone contain the mortuary remains of as numerous a people as the evidences then to be observed indicated. These rock structures were found nowhere else in this county but on those bluffs between Hay creek and Cannon river, overlooking the valley of the Mississippi. And nowhere else in our state have I seen remains of a similar character. On breaking up the land where the earth mounds existed, large quantities of broken pottery and muscle shells were found. The fragments of pottery appeared to be a combination of tenacious clay and pulverized shells. It had a thickness of about one-fourth of an inch, and on the outside were rudely delineated figures of men, animals, foliage and other objects. The representation of a weapon of war or the chase was not to be found; which would have been dif- ferent had the habits of the makers been similar to those of the modern Dakotas. This earthenware ap- peared to have been sun dried as there was no trace of the action of heat to redden the clay. In digging into several of these hillocks I have invariably found in the centre of the base charcoal and earth reddened by the 18 HISTORY Of GOODHUE COtJNTlf. action of heat. On the Wisconsin shore, opposite Ked Wing, there were vast numbers of mounds dotting the plain between the river and the bluffs. Some of these deviated from the regular circular form, being composed of a main bodj^ of an oblong shape with wings, resem- bling the prostrate form of a bird with wings out- stretched. On the farm of Charles Spates, near Cnnnon river, was the largest collection of tumuli in a given space I ever saw, rendering it difficult to bring the ground into proper shape for cultivation. I could fancy when I first saw this locality, on which were some three hujidred mounds, that a little ravine ruuning down to the water's edge had been worn to that conditiou, by the- constant tread of a busy multitude, and the appearance really indicated the fact without calling on the imagination to assist in forming conclusious. I have as yet not found the first trace of a warlike people in the remains above described; not even an arrowhead of flint, which would be imperishable. The Dakotas used them ; but I have never seen one taken from a mound, or from close proximity thereto. These earth works have been found in all parts of our country, west of the Alleghany mountains, and have been the subject of much speculation as to their origin. We frequently find in books and papers the express siou, "mound builders," conveying the idea that the country had formerly been inhabited by a race of people whose occupatiou was to build mounds. It is mv opinion that these conical hillocks, once so numerous on the upper Mississippi and its branches, are the sites of ancient towns and villages of a race who lived and built tl.eir shelters in very much the same manner as IltSTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNT't. 19 our Indians did here when the white people first oame among them. These mounds were always found in clusters of from thirty up to hundreds in a single locality, in distances apart about the same as the Dakota bark houses were in tlieir villages. They were generally of a uniform size, being al).)ut twenty feet in diameter at the base and ri.sing to eight or ten feet high in the centre. It doubtless seems strange to some that the present tribes did not pretend to give account of the origin of these moundrf. But when we consider that the different tril)es of barbai'ous men were almost constantly at war with each other ; that whole tribes were often driven from their former homes, or perished by pestilence, it does not appear so wonderful. I noticed that there was seldom any depression in the surface of the ground immediately surrounding those mounds, which proves, I think, that they were not thrown up by human hands. When entirely removed it is seldom anything is found except a few traces of ashes at the bottom on a level with the surrounding ground. A partly decayed bone has sonietimes been found. Those who have observed ilie spot where a house once stood and was left to rot down, the ground not having been disturbed for many years, will remember there is a depression which marks where the cellar was. Yet around this cellar hollow is a ridge several feet higher than the land adjacent. The material of the building, if of wood, is all decayed ; if of brick or stone, it is covered with earth, grass and shrubs ; and the cel- lar is also nearly filled. Now whence all this accumu- lation of earth? It is evidently the result of time and natural causes. 20 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. When an old house is left to decay it soon becomes a ruinous heap. A thick growth of tall, rank weeds spring up every summer. Among this luxuriant growth the floating sands and dry leaves of autumn are lodged from year to year by the driving winds. After a few scores of years the weeds will have run out and grass, shrubs or trees grow up in their place. Apply this work to dwellings once occupied by a people who never have any cellars and we have a solution of the problem, Whence came these mounds? There were occasionally found mounds of a differ- ent shape and size from those described, which were the remains of rude fortifications or burial places for the dead. CHAPTEE III. EARLY settlers' EXPERIENCES. There appears to be no limit to human progress. Its onward march is often retarded, however, by those who, having obtained positions of power and influence, begin to flatter themselves that they are the people and 7 j1 wisdom Avill surely die with them. A life of ease and ~ —^ . luxury opposes real progress. It is a life of toil, the r^j^Jj^ ) meeting of disappointments and trials, which makes for - ~ — > higher and better things. - --* In recurring to the events of former days we enjoy "^ the contrast between those days and the present time. .^ \ ^ "" To those who saw the land now comprising this coun- ty, forty years ago, and can look upon it today, the ; contrast must be indeed gratifying. The changes that -J have been wrought, and improvements made, are simply wonderful. A waste, howling wilderness has become a fruitful field. The desert has been made to bud and blossom. A country v?hich had been roamed over for centuries by wild beasts and a few savage men, has become dotted over with towns and villages, wherein are the homes of thousands of intelligent inhabitants, engaged in trade and the manufacturing of articles of commerce. The puffing of steam engines, the hum of machinery, the voices of children playing in the streets on their way to the scl^ool-houses, and the church-going 22 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. bells, are heard on every side. Besid^'s all these, and of still greater importance, is the progress of improve- ment to be seen on all the broad stretches of laud sar- roauding the villages; the valleys and plains covered with neatly cultivated fields of gcowiug crops, and green pastures wherein cattle, sheep and horses are grazing ; the beautiful farm houses, the large and con- venient barns, surrouaded by shade trees and shrubs bearing fruits and flowers, and also, at pi-oper intervals, the country churches and district school-houses. It is evident that such a change has not been brought about by magic, nor by any evolution of natiire; but chiefly by earnest, honest labor'. Through patient toil and the endurance of privation and suffering on the part of somebody, has this change come. The history of a county should contain tiie personal experiences of some o': its pioneers, and we shall devote a few chapters to such experiences as I have been able to gather, knowing that many others might be given which would be equally interesting had we the means of obtaining them. Bat many of our pioneers have passed away from this world. We can relate the per- sonal experiences of only a few. The difiijulties of going from one point to another in a country where there are neither roads nor bridges, hotels nor farm houses, are among tlie most formidable that first settlers have to encounter. I started, in Sep- tember 1849, alone on horse-back, to go from Eed Wing's village to another Indiau village on the Minne- sota river, to attend the annual meeting of the Dakota mission. I was to follow the Mississippi river up to the mouth of the Minnesota river, and then the latter §trean} son^e eighty miles to my place of destination HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 23 which was near the place now called St. Peter. The first day I expected to reach Kaposia, which was an Indian village a little below St. Paul. Dr. T. S. VVilliamsou was the missionary stationed there, and from that point I was to have his company the re- mainder of the journey. Thpre were no human habita- tious between Red Wing and Kaposia at that time. The morning was warm and sultry on the day I set out. I was directed to follow "the trail." After fording Hay creek I was convinced that my horse had not been accustomed to follow an Indian trail. The marshy ground on the sides of the creek was rather soft for- his weight. The grass had grown so tall that season as to hide the trail entirely in many places, and I found it the only safe way to lead my horse over the marshy ground. At the crossing of the Cannon river the same difficulty occurred. The tall grass there reached above my shoulders while I sat on my horse. Where I crossed that stream it was so deep for a short distance that the water took in the horse except his head and a part of his neck. After reaching the high prairie between the Cannon and Vermillion rivers, and then crossing the latter without trouble, I could see a long stretch of prairie before me, and knowing there were no more rivers to cross that day I began to feel that I should reach Ka- posia in due time. Occasionally I could see plainly a mark where the Indian ponies had traveled, and tried to keep the same direction. But the sun was shaded with clouds and a storm came on at about four o'clock. The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed. Soon the rain fell in torrents and I could no longer see the trail. The prairie grass covered it. There was a grove 24 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. apparently at some distance on the left, and I made to- wards it. The distance was greater than I expected, but I finally reached, not a grove, but a few oak trees scattered widely apart, affording uo shelter from the wind and rain. I rode on. Shower followed shower; night came on and still it rained. Finally I reached a grove where the trees stood near together and were filled in by underbrush. It was now so dark that it was im- possible to go further with safety. I stood there under the forest through several thunder showers holding my horse by the bridle waiting for the morning. The ground was too wot to think of lying down and 1 leaned my back against a tree and got some sleep. Morning dawned at last and the clouds had dispersed. My horse was still near me, biting the herbage. Ee- connoitering the ground, I found a path, and by a streak of light, which showed where the sun was going to rise, I knew the points of compass. Following the path in a northwesterly direction about a mile, I should judge, 1 came to the village of Mendota, at that time a trading post for the American Fur Company. There I was shown a trail that led to Kaposia, some five or six miles below on the Mississippi river. I took that trail and soon after arrived at the Kaposia mission. Both horse and rider were weary, wet and hungry; and thanks to missionary hospitality our wants were supplied. For the remainder of the trip I had the company of those who knew the way, and had experience in the methods of traveling. Many strange incidents occurred to me during that journey, but the trials of that first day were the most severe. It was the occasion of the annual meeting of the Dakota mission. Once a year all the missionaries to that tribe were accustomed to meet for HISTOBY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 25 two or three days and consult together at; one of the sta- tions. At this meeting at Traverse des Sioux I first made acqaaintance with tlie older missionaries and learned much of their methods of procedure. I learned afterward that oxen were more safe and reliable for traveling through the country than horses. The Red river trade was then carried on between the United States and Canada chiefly by means of oxen. For transportation they used two-wheeled carts, each drawn by one ox. In the spring of 1852 I started for Lac qui Parle, the mission station among the Dakotas farthest distant from Red Wing. A young man who was engaged to go there to assist the missionaries accompanied me. Having some baggage, consisting of a small cloth tent and a few blankets for the night rests, some carpenter's tools, pro- visions for ten days, and the mail for the miFsion fami- lies at Lac qui Parle, which had been accumulating at Fort Snelling all winter, we loaded all into an ox cart and traveled in Red river style. We were nine days go- ing from Traverse des Sioux to our destination, and no sign of civilization did we meet on the way. There were plenty of sloughs to cross, streams to ford and rainy days and nights to endure. Sometimes we were mired down in a marsh. But our ox was patient. He could rest awhile and then use his strength again. Of- ten did we lift at the wheels to help release them from the mud. The rains and melting snow had raised all the streams to full banks and swimming was the last resort in order to cross some of thom which in ordinary times could easily have been forded. We came at last to -what was then called the Chippeway river. This was skirted with timber and the water was flowing over the 26 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. timbered bottom. We could not tell where the regular chanuel was. It seemed to be at least three-fourths of a mile across that valley covered by a swift rushing stream. We considered ways aad means. Finding a tree in such a position as to be obtained we cut it down and con- structed a small raft with sections of the trunk fastened side by side and branches spread on the top. But this raft would only carry one of us at a time; it was now near night and after crossing this stream, it would be five miles to the mission and our provisions were ex- hausted or nearly so. My companion agreed to stay there with the ox and cart until another day, while I should go over on our raft and walk to the station where we could get help. I took the satchel which contained the mail with me and placed it upon some brush near the middle of the raft, and with a pole in my hands, standing close behind the satchel, I commenced the perilous voyage. Had some hard hits against standing trees for a time, and when I reached the real bed of the river my frail vessel was carried down stream with a rush. I could only use my pole like an oar, and I went down much faster than across, till I came to a fallen tree, the top of which was partly out of water. I tried to steer the raft around it but the current sucked me under and I was struck off into the stream, while my raft swung around under the tree top. I caught hold of the satchel and followed the raft by clinging to the upper branches and before it had become disentangled from the tree top I was on board again. I had evident- ly now crossed the main channel and by clinging to passing trees I made the opposite shore. Walking along up the stream till I found the track, I pursued my way through a. storm of sleet, five miles, to the mis. HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 27 sion, arriving sometime after dark. The next day, by means of a boat belonging at the station, my companion in travel was relieved. I remained at Lac qui Parle more than a week, hoping the waters would assuage, which was the case to some extent. On returning we had a yoke of oxen attached to a lumber wagon, for our means of conveyance as far as Traverse des Sioux. Mission supplies were sent up to •that point in boats; and to convey a load of such supplies to the mission it was necessary for this team to go down at that season, which was in the early part of May. I was entrusted with management of the team and, as I had only a light load, expected to enjoy the trip. The distance, as then traveled, between the two stations was a little over one hundred miles. No human habitation, not even an Indian hut to be seen all that distance. The streams were forded on this occasion without diffi- culty. Although the water would sometimes reach the backs of the oxen and leak into the wagon box, there was a solid bed for our team to walk on. Not so accom- modating were many of the marshes or sloughs. When once you broke through the turf you went down, at least as far as legs would reach. There seemed to be no bot- tom. On coming to the edge of a slough it was neces- sary to halt and reconnoitre. It was never safe to follow any former track; there the turf would be already brok- en. If there could be no way found to get around we ventured in and tried to keep the team up on an untrod way. But just at that season, before the new grass had started the old turf was very tender and very frequently our team went down, so as to be obliged to wallow, until the wagon, (narrow-rimmed wheels) would sink to the tubs, when the oxen would become discouraged and the 28 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. whole concern would cease to move. The next thing to do was to "rope out." A strong rope sixty or seventy feet long, was an indespensible article to carry coiled up in one corner of the wagon box. Thanks to the more experienced, we were provided with one. "Un- loose the team from the wagon and drive them ahead to a piece of firm ground; fasten the rope to the end of the tongue and the other end to the ring of the ox-yoke. Now you can perhaps draw your load out of the mud." This was called roping out, a process which I had be- come pretty well accustomed to at the end of this joui- upy. Once we were so completely fast that I had to un- yoke the team and let each ox get out by himself. Then I yoked them, but before I could get them to draw the wagon out I was obliged to unload and carry the load- ing to a dry place on my shoulders. I took the wagon box off and the team drew it out first. Then uncoupled the wheels and by the strength of the oxen, drew each pair out separately. It took time and patience to travel in those days. If I remember rightly we were eleven days performing that trip. Sleeping under our wagon for ten nights in succession. I could never since consider camping out much of a pleasure. Traveling by canoes and steam- boats in those days was a more comfortable mode than by land. We could only avail ourselves of the last-named craft when we wished to go to the head of navigation on the Mississippi. For two years and a half our nearest post-office was Point Douglas, twenty-five miles by river from Eed \/ Wing. After learning how to manage a log canoe, I / could go that distance in one with pleasure. The missionaries on the upper Minnesota in conjunct HlSTOKY OF GOODHTJE COUNTY. 29 tiou with the Indian traders, used a large boat, carrying several tons, for transporting their goods and supplies from Fort Snelling to their several stations during the summer. In September, 1851, I had the pleasure of a trip on the boat, named Winona, on its return from Tra- verse des Sioux to the fort. It had been raining for a week or more and early in the morning of the day fixed upon for starting the rain was still pattering upon the roof of the mission house. By eight o'clock the storm ceased and the clouds began to disperse. Preparations were immediately made for em- barkation. By nine o'clock our party were all snugly packed on board the Winona, a barge of eight tons bur- den. The party consisted of twenty -four persons; nine- teen were missionaries and their children. Some were returning to their several stations at Shakopee, Oak Grove, Kaposia and Red Wing, after having attended the annual meeting. To complete the number there were two Frenchmen, employes of the traders and three Dakotas. For freight we had three horses, sixteen packs of furs- and a considerable quantity of baggage belong- ing to one of the mission families who were on their way to visit friends in Ohio. When all were ready, farewells were exchanged with those left behind and our little vessel moved out upon the bosom of the charming river. It seemed to me that nothing on earth could have exceeded the variety and beauty of the scenery, by which we were surrounded as we glided down the "sky colored water." The dark rain clouds had disappeared and the golden-edged fleeces which appeared in their stead were moving in majesty, adorning the great arch- way with the richest drapery, while sheltering the trav- eler from the too constant heat of the sun. In conse- 30 HISTORY OE 600DHUE COUNTS. quence of the great rain, the banks of the river were full and in many places overflowing. No ghastly forms of uprooted trees, no shelves of dropping mud, nor bars of yellow sand were visible. Every object that could be thought disagreeable was covered by the flowing wa- ters. We sailed on, in our winding course, throxigh banks of living green. The willows which skirted the stream in abundance, bending under the force of the current, seemed to be bowing their heads and kissing the water, like things of intelligence expressing their gratitude for favors received. Our course for that day was bounded for many miles by dense forests; occasion- ally, however, we were greeted by an opening meadow covered with tall wild grass. We had a view of nature unalloyed by the hand of art. Night came on at last and it was not considered safe to continue our journey in the dark. Our barge was directed to the shore and made fast to a stately elm. After evening prayers our cheerful company spread their blankets, some on the grassy bank, some on board the boat and laid them- selves down to rest. A little past midnight our rest was disturbed. The moon had appeared above the hor- izon in all its brightness. The land-sleepers were aroused and summoned on board, the line was hauled in and the boat began again to move down the bold cur- rent. Before sunrise we were in sight of what was then called "Prairieville Station," the village of the chief called Little Six, now Shakopee. On arriving near the mission house our boat was again tied to a tree and all accompanied Eev. Mr. Pond to his house where Ave par- took of a warm breakfast, seated at a table once more. After tarrying at that place some two hours, having parted with some of our company, we re-embarked and HISTOE? OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 31 ■Wfended our way down the river. The day was fine and the views most enchanting. We had left the big woods and the country was a rolling prairie, but no human habitation nor cultivated fields were to be seen, until we came to "Oak Grove Station," or Black Dog's village. Here we halted and left Kev. G. H. Pond, the mission- ary at that station. At about three o'clock in the after- noon we came to Mendota, the meeting of the waters of Minnesota and the Mississippi. When Fort Snelling was descried in the distance those missionary children be- gan to dance for joy. Having been born in an Indian vil- lage, they had only seen pictures of really civilized hab- itations before. Who can describe the feelings of those children on that occasion? Our bark was soon moored under the battlements of the fort and we pursued our way homeward by other methods of conveyance. CHAPTER IV. EXPERIENCES CONTINUED. While the Dakotas wore in possessioii we had no lack of wild fresh meat, but the advent of white hunters soon diminislied the amount of game in aJl the region. The Indians were skillful in taking their game by stealth, instead of chasing it with hounds. They were careful not to kill any more than necessary at one time. I have seen a Dakota go through the prairie grass on all fours, or rather on threes, for he held a shot-gun near the ground in one hand. At a few rods distance I should easily have taken him to be a quadruped. He was on tiie track of a deer. I have the impression that a fresh sirloin steak of elk or bear, killed by an Indian in those days was much finer than any meat I have ever eaten which came from the butcher. John Day and family were residents of Trenton, Wis- consin, for a time previous to their coming to Red Wing. The story we now relate is told by Mr. Day, the circum- stances occurring while they lived at Trenton: While seated at breakfast one morning Mrs. Day called the attention of her husband to a large black ob- ject which at first they thought to be a black hcg, but which on closer inspection proved to be a bear. Day seized a gun loaded with slugs and fired at the bear, but the slugs fell short of the mark. The bear took to the river HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 33 aud made for the Minnesota shore, leaving Mr. Day standing disappointedly watching his movements. While thus engaged a splasliing of the water near attracted hia notice aud looking in the direction he saw his wife coming towards him with a small skiff. As soon as she discovered that her husband had missed his aim and that the bear had taken to the water, with a woman's forethought she caught up an axe, and hurrying to the skiff, unmoored it, aud started to the aid of her husband, determined that the bear should not escape. As soon as the skiff touched tlie shore, Mr. Day jumped in and following bruin's wake, succeeded in heading him off and turning him towards the Wisconsin shore. When nearly opposite his home Mr. Day managed to get near enough to his game to use the axe. A short and des- perate struggle ensued, resulting in victory for Day. The bear was towed to the shore and found to weigh 400 pounds. Mr. Day was much praised by the Indians for his daring and prowess. They forgot that the credit for the success of the adventure belonged to Mrs. Day. Had it not been for her forethought in taking the axe and canoe -when she did, her husband would have stood there looking until the bear had crossed the river and made his escape. Mrs. Day was an example of the kind of stuff many of Minnesota's pioneer women were made of. The Dakotas of Eed Wing used log canoes for navi- gating the rivers. It required some skill to manage such a craft in the water. My first experiences in canoe traveling were rather ludicrous. Being at the landing one day when a man and boy were about to launch one of these vessels for a hunting excursion I asked the privilege of a ride with them, which was readily granted. 34 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. As I attempted to board the thing, it slipped from m6 so quickly that I came near falling into the stream. But the man and boy held the canoe so that I succeeded in the next attempt. We had not gone far up the stream keeping along near the shore, wheu I noticed the water Ivas not very deep and having a long stick in my hand; tvhich I had been using for a staff, I thought I might increase the speed and help the rowers. I put my stick over the side, touched the bottom and gave a good push. The stick stuck in the muddy bottom and when I pulled to get it out, quick almost as lightning the boat rolled over and all three were ducked headforemost into the water. When I regained a standing position the two Indians were fishing for their guns and powder horns from the river bottom. We soon secured all the lost baggage as the water was not more than three feet deep where the catastrophe occurred. It was fortunate for me that I had but little acquaintance with the language at that time. So the scathling rebuke which was given did not arouse my indignation. Acknowledging my ig- norance I promised to keep still iu the future and after wringing some of the water from our garments we em- barked again and finished the trip without further ac- cident. After this I learned very soon how to paddle the canoe and frequently took short journeys in one. The same vehicle could be, and was sometimes used for traveling on the land. On the Fourth of July, 1852, wo celebrated the day by an excursion down to the head of the lake, visiting with the trader, Mr. Bullard and family, at that place. The party consisted of Mr. John Bush, Indian farmer, his wife, myself, wife and one child. Mr. Bush consid- ered that it would be easier to take a team and go by HISTOBY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 35 land than to go on the river. A large canoe was brought into requisition. The oxen were hitched to one end by a log-chain. We four took seats on quilts in the canoe. Mr. Bush driving the oxen, walked by their side. The wild grass being quite tall and thick the canoe glided along where the grou id was level like a sleigh over the snow. But in many places the land was uneven. The oxen seemed in good spirits and walked rather lively. Frequently the canoe struck a stone or a sideling place and we were immediately turned out. These turnovers were often and gave us great merriment. We were thrown out at different times and found ourselves in all sorts of positions imaginable. Mr. Bush protested that he tried to find the smoothest places, but I rather sus- pected his honesty. We accomplished the trip however, had a good time and returned in the evening with the same consequences of turning over and fun. That twelve miles of riding in a canoe by land was the most laugh- able experience of my life. On the fifteenth day of June, 1869, W. W. Sweney, M. D., delivered an address in Red Wing, describing scenes and incidents attending the first settlement, well worthy of a permanent record. I have selected from his address the following extracts: "In the spring of 1852, Calvin Potter, with whom I had previously been acquainted, called at my office in St. Paul and informed me that he had bought out Mr. Snow, a licensed Indian trader at Red Wing, and in view of a treaty then in process of confirmation, he thought that point a good location for a town site; also that he would like to interest some one with him in a claim he had there. Mr. William Freeborn, being one of the old residents of St. Paul and having a large ac- 36 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. quaintance, Mr. Potter thought, would be a desirable man. From my opinion of the country, acquired by yarious conversations with an old French voyager and also from an Englishman by birth, but in language and habits a compound of English, French and Indian, who had been in the country for thirty years, I was more than anxious to take a part in the enterprise and brought about a speedy meeting between Mr. Potter and Mr. Freeborn. In our council Mr. Freeborn demurred at first, urging his inability to remove to the new El Dora- do immediately. I proposed to remove that objection by coming myself, to which he acceded. The result was that we three took the return boat and landed in Eed Wing in the early part of May. While there I purchased a claim-right from a half-breed, named Benja- min Young, of that part of the city known as Sweney's addition, as also that old weather-beaten two-story log house, known to old settlers, that stood near the ground now occupied by the La Grange Mill. This done I re- turned to St. Paul, put my business in proper shape and came back to Eed Wing with James McGinnis who concluded to try his fortune in this thea unexplored country. We made our headquarters in the venerable tenement before mentioned and 'kept back.' This was in the latter part of May or the beginning of June. "As it was not advisable to go into any farming or building operations until the treaty was ratified, we had plenty of idle time on our hands and the grand difiiculty was to know how to dispose of it. The families then here were the Eev. J. W. Hancock, of the Presbyterian mission and John Bush, Indian farmer. John Day was not far off, however. The old 'Excelsior' never made a trip up from below that John did not board her, to HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 37 bear 'about the treaty.' There were several transient persons here whose whereabouts are not now known. The only actual residents of the county previous to my coming, besides those above mentioned were George Ballard and family at Wacouta, James Wells, since killed by the Indians, who then had a trading post at what is now the village of Frontenac and a Mr. Gould who resided near the mouth of Wells creek with his family. This comprised the white population of what is now Goodhue county. Of the county back of us even for four miles I could learn nothing. Mr. Knauer, the engineer of the old military road up the river, said he rode out to the source of Hay creek and that it origin- ated in a fine tamarack marsh. It occurred to McGinnis and myself that a good tamarack swamp in a prairie country would be a fine thing to possess, and being like the caged starling, anxious to get out, we just went for Hay creek and to our intense disgust, didn't find any tamarack. In an after conversation with Mr. Knauer, I am persuaded that not following the valley of the creek all the way he mistook a popular grove, known in early times as 'Albert's grove,' for the swamp aforesaid. After the disappointment about the source of Hay creek our trips were mainly confined to the river side of the county, between the divide of the waters of the Zumbro and Mississippi. Even Belle creek was not known except as its locality and course was described to us by an Indian. It was not deemed advisable to go far from the river, as many of the Indians were de- cidedly hostile to ceding their lands and the Zumbro country was the common hunting ground for several bauds of the Mdewakantowan Dakotas, besides being in the traveling route of the Indians from the upper 38 HISTORY OE GOODHUE COUNTY. Minnesota to Wabasha, the residence of the acknowl- edged head chief of the seven bands. "Having become acquainted with the principal men among the Indians, I thought it safe to bring my fam- ily from St. Paul, which I did in July, 1852, as did also Mr. McGinnis. I have a very lively recollection of getting our household stock from the landing to our residence. A winding rugged path up the bank was the course by which we conveyed it. 'Mc' and I trans- formed ourselves into pack mules, until stoves, bureaus, provisions and various etceteras of two households were placed under shelter and we were at home. Within the next twenty-four hours ninety-nine hundreths of the In- dian population had called in through curiosity, and their various comments would have doubtless been edi- fying had we been able to understand them. Friendly relations were established however, and we never could complain of lack of company as long as they remained in the village. I must also say in justice to these orig- inal settlers and occupants of the soil, that I was never more kindly treated by any people, nor did I ever enjoy myself better. "The treaty being ratified by the Senate of the United States with some alterations from the original, as framed by the Dakotas and commissioners, it became necessary to convene the different bands interested therein to get their consent. Notice was accordingly given them to meet at Fort Swelling early in the fall, in consequence of which a perfect exodus of the aborigines took place, and nothing more was seen of them here until late in November, after the close of navigation. When they did return a more squalid, wretched looking set I never saw. Bitter were the complaints against the govern. HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 39 Tuent officials. Their annuities were spent in waiting at the fort. The best of the hunting season had passed, their canoes were frozen in the ice away from home and would be mainly lost. I remember well when thefiret in- stallment that came home, three families, pitched their tents in the evening near the mission house. They were worn out, cold and hungry, the children emaciated and sick from want and exposure. They were supplied by the whites with food until the men could obtain game for their sustenance. In the morning two of the men weut out hunting and as I came home in the evening unsuccessful from a similiar expedition on Hay creek, I struck their trail and in a short time overtook them, a little below where Cogels' flouring mill now is, each of them toiling through the deep snow under the burden of a deer. The men seemed ex- hausted and requested me to stop at their teepees and tell the women where they were, that they had got tado (fresh meat) and wanted them to come to their assist- ance. I hurried home to communicate the joyful intelli- gence to the inmates of those three lodges. Upon reaching them I told one of the women the good news. She im- mediately shouted forth a peculiar cry which was echoed by all in the tent. This brought out the inhabitants of the other lodges. Upon being told the cause of the com- motion, the same shout went up from all present. The women rushed about for straps, knives and blankets and the children jumped up and down for joy. After giving them proper directions three women started on a dog trot and were soon lost to view. Sometime after dark I called at the lodges and found them busily engaged in masticating large mouthfuls of venison. The cry or shout mentioned I have heard frequently and it is made 40 HISTORY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. on the occasion of the intelligence of a successful hunt. "The additions to our population that fall were John Day and family, E. C. Stevens, David Puckett, Jack Saunders, Ben. Hill and Charles Parks who came in November. The proprietors of the townsite had pro- cured lumber late in the fall for the erection of a hotel early in the spring and it was necessary to engage car- penters to prepare such material in the winter as could be done in the shop. H. B. and Joseph Middaugh were obtained and became residents of the town in De- cember^' About this time also, the first of our Scandi- navian population arrived here. Mathias Peterson (Ringdahl, ) a Norwegian by birth, and Nels Nelson, a Swede, who for a long time lived with me. These two men were the pioneers of that nationality in Goodhue county. Both these men formerly resided in St. Paul. In the spring following, Albert,' a Norwegian, settled here and made his claim in what is now Feather- stone township at Albert's Grove, now embraced in the Jimi ts of the farm of Mr. Frenn. "The winter of 1852-3 was passed very pleasantly by our little isolated community. The natives soon left on their winter's hunt after their return from the treaty ratification at the fort and we saw but little of them un- til sometime in January; in fact we saw nobody but our own residents. Communication between us and the civ- ilized world was only resumed when the frost had ren- dered traveling safe on the Mississippi river. The mail was carried from Prairie du Chien through Wisconsin, crossing the Chippewa river near Menomouee, thence to Stillwater and St. Paul. When the ice was safe trains passed frequently from below, laden with pork and flour. Our isolation was from about the middle of November HISTOKY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 41 till some time in January. Such supplies as ran short were obtained of Mr. Potter, whose establishment con- tained those articles more especially demanded by Indian trade; from G. W. Bullard, at Wacouta, whose situation at the head of the lake rendered it necessary for him to keep a more extensive assortment of goods to supply the wants of the lumbering interests; or if these stores were deficient, then St. Paul was the last resort for the winter. As it is impossible to relate all I wish to say in chronological order I may as well give a few incidents connected with our county history even though out of their proper era. "On the Wisconsin side of the river, previous to the settlement here in 1852, the land was ceded, surveyed and opened to settlement. At Diamond Bluff lived John and George Day, Allen Wilson and Jack Payne; at the mouth of theTrimbelle, 'Old Hiwley,' and Jack Meade, at Things' lauding (now Trenton) Wilson Thing, E. 0. Stevens and Mr. Dexter, all more or less engaged in get- ting out wood for the use of steamboats. The two Days and Stevens afterwards resided in this coiinty. 'Old Hawley' was rather a hard case. By his sale of whisky our community was frequently disturbed by the whoop- ing and. yelling of drunken Indians, upon which occa- sions about all the natives not engaged in the spree would flee to the houses of the whites for protection and there remain until the 'Minni Wakan' gave out and the legitimate results of a high old time had overtaken the carousers. Nothing is certainly known of Hawley's fate, but from a knowledge of his character, I would infer that he is at some side station or switch-off in that un- discovered country from whence no traveler returns. "In justice to truth and history I must say something 42 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. of Wilson Thing, a very eccentric man, a strict vege- tarian, a man of strong prejudices, but moral and up- right, a good neighbor and an honest man. He was the only justice of the peace for many miles around and consequently had a little legal business to perform. "Previous to my coming here a fair widow of this place had entered into a marriage contract with a gen- tleman of St. Paul and the time was fixed for a consum- mation of the happy event. When the time arrived and the parties to the contract were present, a grand diffi- culty occurred. Eev. Mr. Hancock, the only one author- ized to solemnize marriages, was absent. The bride- groom was impatient and the bride annoyed. Friends suggested a canoe ride to Trenton and the services of Squire Thing as the only solution of the difficulty. Of course under the circumstances, the bride and bride- groom acceded to the proposition and in a short time the bridal party was under way for the residence of the justice. They found this worthy representative of the law, as enacted and promulgated by the great state of Wisconsin, busily engaged in the rather feminine occupation of washing a two months' accumulation of dirty shirts (he being at that time a bachelor) and he was somewhat embarrassed by the sudden irruption into his sanctum. The bride, however, was plucky, and to relieve the justice and give him time to make himself presentable and con over the marriage ceremony, she proposed that herself and mother would finish the laun- dry operations while he got ready for his part of the procerdings, which was accepted, and in due time both the shirt washing and marriageceremouy were completed to the satisfaction of all concei-ned. "As winter approached it was necessary for us to look HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 43 about for a supply of vegetables for winter use, as there was none to be had on this side of the river. Upon in- quiry I found that Mr. Thing had planted four or five acres of potatoes, besides some beets and cabbage which latter we were able to purchase. The potatoes, how- ever, were not to be obtained by a regular business trans- action of cash down. In the first place they were planted on the sod, that is two rounds were plowed, the pota- toes dropped in the last furrow and covered' by the sod of the next round, and so on. The squire's field was the prairie between Trenton and the bluffs. The season was not favorable for rotting the sod and the tubers were hard to excavate. He wanted help which was hard to get. We wanted potatoes and money would not buy them. Consequently it was 'root, hog or die' with us and we went to rooting. A hard day's work un- earthed ten bushels to the man, for whicli- one bushel was given as wages. I have to this day a very acute ap- preciation of the pleasant occupation I was then engaged in. Just fancy my getting up at four o'clock in the morning, breaking my fast as soon as possible, getting into a canoe with my hoe, basket and sack and paddling up to Trenton, thence to the field. Now commence the dissection of those guttapercha sods with a plantation hoe. A little experience in another line of business en- abled me to get the hang of the thing. In getting hon- ey out of a hollow tree, the best way is to cut two carf s in- to the cavity, then split off the block of timber between. The same rule held good in the present instance, but I must sny I never saw sod so tough, potatoes so hard to get at and so small- when I got them. Bnt as an offset I have never eaten potatoes of equal excellence, and I was prouder of the ten bushels I thus acquired, than of the 44 HISTORY or GOODHUE COUNTY. biggest buck I ever arrested in his wild career through tlie woods, or the largest trout I ever lauded from the clear rushing waters of his native brook. Just think of it, ten bushels all my own, no gift, not begged, but earned. One hundred bushels torn from the rugged earth, ninety given as a peace offering, but ten my own for use and dissipation. I think I didn't dissipate. On my back I nightly bore my wages down to my gon- dola and sailed away for home. .„_^ "Among the first items of information I obtained from the Indians was that the small spring brooks con- tained an abundance of trout and the equally gratifying intelligence that they never used them as an article of food, as their religious notions tabooed their use. From the name they gave the speckled beauties I would infer they considered them too bad to eat, 'Hogan-wich- astasni,' literally, wicked-man-fish. They really believed some malign influence resided in the fish and that to eat them would be to invite disease and the anger of the gods. This feeling was very prevalent among them, and the chief Wacouta, being invited to take dinner with me at which meal I informed him there would be a dish of trout, he consented to be present provided we would lock the doors, eat dinner up-stairs, hang a cur- tain before the window, and sny nothing about what he had eaten. This was done and the old shooter made a very hearty meal, as Indians are apt to do, but I thought during the trout course, that he acted as though the morsels were hard to bolt, like a boy swallowing his first oyster. He ate frequently with me afterwards, but I cannot say that trout ever appeared to be a favorite dish with him. All the small streams within the limits of our county abounded with trout, with the exception HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 45 of the Zambro, Prairie creek and the Little Cannon. The latter stream has since been stocked and now af- fords very fine eport. I only fished in four of these streams the first two years of my residence here, to-wit: Troutbrook, Springcreek, Hay creek and Bui lard's creek. The first of these being adjacent to town, was where 1 got my supply for home use. An hour or two in the evening would net me eight or ten pounds of the fish. /\ "In the fall of 18.^)2, having a fishing seine in our pos- session, we organized a fishing party and built the nec- essary craft for running a fishery. We began this en- terprise for the purpose of supplying our own wants. Meeting with great success and having nothing else to do, salt and barrels were procured and in a short time we supplied St. Paul with forty barrels of good fish at tlie remarkably low price of six dollars per barrel. Our fishing grounds were the bay in front of Cogel's (now Betcher's) mill and a lake on the Wisconsin shore about a mile above Bay City. Large quantities were caught of all kinds inhabiting the river, but we only pre- served the best fish, rejecting pike, pickerel, bass, sturgeon, dogfish, sheephead and gars, while the rich, fat and luscious cat, buffalo and carp were carefully cleaned and salted, well repaying us for our labor. At one haul of our seine in the lake above referred to, we took out over eight barrels of fish when cleaned and packed, besides an innumerable quantity of the 'baser sort' as before indicated. These remarks may provoke satirical comments from the members of a certain fish- ing ring, who think that the mantle of old Isaac Walton has fallen on them individually and that their palates and peculiar notions should form the standard of true sport and gustatory excellence. But to these I 46 HISTORY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. would say, we only wanted such fish as would repay us in nutriment and feed for the nnimal economy, when the mercury ranged from zero to forty- below. This was supplied by our selection, some of the fish yielding over a pint of good oil. Pike, pickerel, bass and trout, as salt fish, are about as nutrient as floating-island, puffs, pastry and gimoracks, and all are measurably worthless as food to strong, hearty, working men. "In the spring of 1853 I farmed the old Indian corn- field, which occupied that portion of the city now lying between Third and Bush streets and College bluff as far west as Mr. Densmore's residence, besides breaking up that portion lying west of the latter point and extending to the John Day farm. The crop was oafs, corn, seven acres of potatoes, six of rutabagas, turnips, pumpkins, cabbages, beans, etc., all of which yielded largely. In the fall I needed help to secure the corn and potatoes, and there was no other resource than to hire native la- borers. The Indian camp was then on the Mississippi bottom near the mouth of Cannon river. I sent word to the camp that twenty women were wanted to help me, who should receive a barrel of potatoes for every four times they dug across the field. Thirteen women came the next morning accompanied by about two doz- en dogs and as many children. The day after thirty- two squaws appeared with their camp kettles, j»aek straps and hoes and this number continued until the field was finished, having gathered for me over 1,000 bushels of potatoes exclusive of their own wages."V CHAPTER V. MISSIONARY EXPERIENCES. Fifty years ago the Northwest Territory, which in- cluded the present State of Minnesota, was little known. It was sparsely inhabited by wild men, who lived chiefly by hunting and fishing. The different tribes were often engaged in war with each other, which had a tendency to diminish their numbers. A military post had been established by the United States at the junc- tion of the St. Peters' river, as the Minnesota river was then called, with the Mississippi river. A few Indian traders and Christian missionaries had in a few places raised the signals of a coming civilization. Buffalo, elk, bears and other wild animals had large and free pastures on these widely extended prairies and in the forests which bordered the numerous lakes and small streams. A stranger might then have roamed over the country for many days without seeing any signs of human habitation. The natives lived in h uts or tents which were few and far between. Their villages were situated in covert places and consisted of a few bark covered huts huddled close together and these villages were usually fifty to a hundred miles apart. It was in the early part of May, 1849, that we started for this wild region. Our whole party consisted of my- 48 HISTORY Of GOODHUE COUNTY. self, my wife and a young babe. The evening previous to our departure our friends had given us a farewell meeting at Saratoga Springs, N. Y. We traveled by rail to Buffalo, thence by steamer through the lakes to Chicago. At that time no cars were running from Chi- cago further west. The construction of the first rail- road pointing towards the Mississippi had been com- menced. Having been informed that a horse and light wagon would be a great convenience at ihe mission and that it would be advisable to purchase such an outfit in Chicago we waited there several days in order to obtain them. Stages were then running from Chicago to Ga- lena to accommodate travelers, but we had some extra baggage which the stage would not accommodate. After some delay we obtained a horse and wagon, put all our luggage aboard and started for Galena. Unfortunately for us, it was a rainy time and the roads were in a very soft condition. That part of the country was then new and sparsely settled. Sometimes we "got stuck" in the mire and were obliged to go quite a distance for help. We gained some experience which was valuable to us afterwards, but the journey was a tedious one. We got through to Galena in the course of a week, all safe and well. I remember that my sleeves were pretty well plastered with Illinois mud, gained by frequently lift- ing at the wheels when we drove up at the hotel. i> At y\Galena we spent several days in preparation for theTast stage of the journey, which was by a steamboat up the river to our destined Indian village. I purchased a cow, some provisions, groceries and some articles of furniture for house-keeping while in Galena. These and all our other stores were taken on board the steam- boat "Franklin," on which we secured passage. This fitSTOKY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 4S trip was a pleasant one. There were some other pas- sengers on the boat who were going to the new towns of St. Paul and Stillwater. Among others with whom we had formed acquaintance was Henry M. Eice, after- wards Senator Rice. He pointed out to us the top of Barn bluff while our steamer was somewhere in Lake Pepin, and told us that it marked the place where we were to land. Peculiar sensations were felt by ub at the sight of that bold bluff staading in the middle of the great valley through which our steamer was plow- ing its way. But there was not much time to indulge in sentiment. It was incumbent upon us to gather up our loose and scattered belongings that we might be ready for debarkation. The idea of cutting loose from all the enjoyments of civilized life and spending one's whole energies in the midst of a heathen people, seemed at that moment a little absurd to our fellow passengers, I think. We kept cheerful as possible while making preparations and saying good bye to our companions in travel. The bell rang to announce that the boat would soon make a short stop. As it began to draw near the shore strange faces began tp appear. Nearly the whole village came down to the landing place to give us a wel- come. Some were fantastically dressed and oramented with feathers and paint, while othei's were almost desti- tute of clothing. Two pale faces soon appeared among the motly crowd, our former friends. Rev. J. F. Alton and John Bush. The boat hands made short work in dumping out our luggage upon the beach. But when the turn came for the live stock, especially the horse and cow, that was labor. Both those animals strongly objected to going ashore. The admiring ci'owd of men, women and children had no attraction for them. No coaxing could 50 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. prevail. Human strength and skill finally accomplished the work. We had a long handshaking with our new friends who gave us a very hearty welcome. They kindly helped us in moving oar things up to the mission house. The only road up the river bank seemed a sort of guUey through a thicket of bushes. A large tree which had been broken down by the wind somewhat obstructed our way. It was about four o'clock p. m., on the 13th of June when we landed and there was a slight thunder shower between that time and sunset, yet everything was safely housed before dark. The mission premises consisted of two substantial log buildings a few rods in the rear of the native houses. The latter were built of poles covered with bark and stood along the river bank near where Main street now occupies, between Bush and Potter streets. The mis- sion houses were near the junction of Bush and Third streets. Narrow paths were crossing each other in vari- ous directions among the hazel bushes. There was a ravine just back of the mission houses in which many springs of cool water gushed forth, forming a small creek, afterwards called the Jordan, the outlet of which may still be seen. The mouth of this creek was then the safest harbor for canoes. Beyond the creek on ris- ing ground extending some sixty rods east and west, were the Indian corn-fields. Each family had a sepa- rate patch of corn, the whole being fenced around by stakes and willows. Ponies and dogs being the only domestic animals kept in the village at the time, no stronger fences were needed. There was a fine meadow of wild grass between Sorin and Barn bluffs. We were obliged to keep our horse and cow tethered or confined in a rude stable. The poor cow seemed to suffer much toSTOhY OF GOODHUE COtNTY. 5l before beiDg reconciled to the new home. Once she got away and swam the river in her fright. We soon found her on the island opposite the village and with the aid of a canoe brought her home. Some time passed before she could understand, seemingly, that the evil one did not wear a blanket. Some privations w^ere suffered by bein;:! cut off from the rest of the world. Oar nearest post-office was twenty-five miles up the river. From thence we re- ceived our mail by going or sending for it by canoe. Three or four weeks often elapsed without news from the outside world. However, there were some things to balance the disagreeable. Plenty of work studying a new language, trying to teach the children and talking with the older people. The assessor did not trouble us. For about five years we had no special taxes to pay. For the use of a garden spot we paid the natives in vegetables. The single tax theory was then in prac- tice at this point. The first white person known to have been buried within the limits of this county was the dear wife who accompanied me hither from our eastern home and shared in the labors and privations of the situation for the first two years. She was a daughter of New Eng- land and of Piiritan stock. We were joined in mar- riage at her father's house in Worcester county, Mass., in 1846. I was at that time a school teacher at Sara- toga Springs, N. T., where we commenced house-keep- ing and lived about three years. In the latter part of the year 1848 we received the appointment to go and labor among the Dakotas west of the Mississippi river. For several reasons we did not start for the west till the following spring. The health of my wife seemed great- 6^ HISTOftY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. ly improved for a time after our arrival at Red Wing's village. She entered upon tlie task of acquiring a knowledge of the Dakota language with great zeal. She attracted the attention of the Indian children, taught the girls knitting and sewing and soon had three of them washed and dressed like white folks, living in the family with us. But I think she labored beyond what her strength could endure. In the autumn of 1850 her health began to decline and she gradually wasted away till death came to her relief on the 21st day of March, 1851. We had the kind services of the good Dr. Wil- liamson, who came down from Kaposia often during her last sickness, doing everything in his power to helP restore her to health The doctor's sister, Miss Jane Williamson, also came and remained with us dur- ing the last months of the sick one and ministered to her necessities. But the call had come from heaven and she yielded with a firm trust in Him who is the Resurrection and the Life. In a notice of her death in an eastern paper it was stated that she was one who never sought great things for her- self, but spent her active life in doing good, in such ways and by such means, as showed that she labored not to win praise. I will add here v^hat another writer has recorded concerning her: "At the beginning of life's young dream, this estimable woman left her east- ern home, parents, friends, all that was dear to her girl- hood's memory, to labor as a missionary of the cross among the untutored children of the forest; in fact to live and die among a heathen people." If an artist had desired a model to picture a true heroine, if a poet or novelist had desired a character to represent a bi-ave and fearless, yet modest and unassuming chief of hero- HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 53 ines, they might have secured that model and that char- acter, when with her husband, the subject of this sketch, landed at Red Wing's village where she was at once surrounded by several hundred savages who were hence- forth to be her principal society associates. She was not to be molded to their habits and customs, but they were to be educated and emancipated from the errors and superstitions, habits and customs, of many genei'ations and brought to see and walk the better way. What a courage she displayed! Weak, yet strong; bold, yet modest and shrinking. Bravely she met and engaged in her work. Faithfully did she discharge every duty; carrying the presence of the Master wherever she went, until the Father above called. Enough, come up higher. At her own request she was buried on Indian ground, beneath the shadows of the towering bluff at whose base her life had gone out, and where the wild flowers grew and bloomed in pristine beauty, when the spring times and summers came. Just before her death, when all knew that she must go, her husband asked her if she desired to have her earthly remains taken back to the home of her childhood for sepulture. She answered, "No, I came to live among this people and help teach them there was a life after death, the spirit was immor- tal, that it mattered little what became of the body, the spirit would return to God who gave it. Bury me here, that our people may see, and realize our belief in the truths we have sought to teach them." When her free spirit had winged its flight to -where angels dwell, a grave was prepared near the mission house, into which, after the usual Christian ceremony, performed by Dr. Williamson, her mortal remains were lowered by kindly hands. As the group of Dakotas stood 54 HISTOItY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. around the open receptacle of the dead, more than one tall savage was seen to weep over the departure of one they had learned to love, and whom they called, "Wash- tay ween" — the good woman. When a moi-e advanced civilization came to found a city on the site of this Indian village and the ground was wanted for business blocks, a city for the dead was platted on the summit of a southern bluff overlooking the place, to which her remains were removed, and there in our beautiful Oakwood cemetery, may be seen a marble slab to indicate her last resting place on earth. The following lines composed by a dear friend are carved upon the stone which has been erected to her memory : The mother, Bieter, wife and friend, Has passed away. Far from her early home. In sorrow and in tears, the precious dost We lay to rest in hope, until the tones Of the archangers trnmp announce the dawn Of brighter day. CHAPTER VI. FIRST IMPRESSIONS. The Old Settlers' Association held a meeting in March, 1882, in the city of Eed Wing, and listened to a very interesting address delivered by Swante J. Willard, whose name appears frequently in connection with the early settlement of the town of Vasa. Mr. Willard was elected county auditor in 1864 and continued to hold that office by succeeding elections six- teen years. He is at present the City Clerk of the city of Red Wing, an able and efficient officer to whose serv- ices the present prosperity of the city is in a measure attributed. Some items of his experience during the first years of his life in this county are here given, taken from the address above mentioned. / "After our arrival from Sweden we came to Moline, Illinois. From thence, on a trip up the Mississippi to St. Paul, our boat made a stop at Red Wing. The sin- gular formation of the hill, (Barn bluff) attracted my attention. I knew not even the name of the place. I said to our company that I would like to settle there on account of its singular beauty and attractiveness. I then for the first time saw Indians. At St. Paul I met Peter Green and Abraham Peterson who had been in the country about a year. I learned 30on after that a 56 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. committee of our countrymen, having visited Keel Wing and vicinity, strongly recommended the place as the de- sirable one for settlement. I came with my family in the fall of 1853. Leaving my family in Red Wing I went with Mattson to Spring Creek' valley, thence on to where Eoog and Kemp had begun to build but had not fiuished their house. They were camping in a tent near by. Mattson and I stopped over night with them. We heard the most hideous music of prairie wolves. Mr. Kemp being of rather nervous temperament, was disturbed by their close promixity. Several times he awakened Mr. Roos and whispered, Roos, Roos, they are trying to dig under the tent ! Mr. Roos being a good deal of a stoic finally blurted out, 'Let the wolves howl; they have not worked as hard as I have during the day, or they would be willing to be quiet.' "The next morning I selected and marked off my claim. One peculiarity about making claims: As the new settler could not carry surveying instruments, it was customary to pace out the lines and distances, which almost invariably resulted ia large quarter sec- tions. 1 was somewhat surprised to find by the govern- ment survey the next year, the claim I had paced off for my quarter section, held land enough for about two more. But foreigaers have a faculty for profiting from the examples of others, and we have observed that our American friends selected those who were capable of taking long strides to do their measuring. "Red Wing was then in its infancy. As is well known, it had been a mission station. The houses were few and as near as I can recollect as follows: An old log house occupied by Dr. Sweney; Calvin Potter lived in a house near the river, one room of which was usec^ HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 57 as a store, where he kept Indian goods; Warren Hunt lived in a small new frame house a little in the rear of Potter's; James Akers in another small frame house further west, or beyond Jordan; Wm. Freeborn had built a good two-story frame house which stood near the spot now occupied by the La Grange mills; the Eed Wing house, afterwards 'Teepetonka,' a good sized hotel and two log houses, formerly used by the first mis- sionaries to the Indians here; Eev. M. Sorin was then building a house on what is now called the McSorley block and John Day had a log house nearly as far west as the stoneware factories.^^^attson and myself en- gaged the following winter to chop wood for Mr. Free- born. It was a new life for us to be out in the forest. Our house was a shanty 10x12 and combined sleeping apartments, dining hall, parlor and kitchen, circum- stances common to all in those days. We were con- tented with a great deal less than is now deemed nec- essary. During our stay at this place Indians often visited us, but we were seldom annoyed or frightened by their presence. Their canoes were often moored on the river near us. One day Mattson and I resolved to try our skill in one, but like many a bark on the financial sea, it upset a few rods from shore, and as we succeeded in reaching dry land we concluded to leave the Indian to paddle his own canoe. We left the wood chopping early in March, 1854, and moved out to our claims. Having built our house of logs we moved in and considered ourselves established as regular farmers. After a few week's labor, our provisions, which we had brought witb us, gave out and Mr. Mattson went to Eed Wing to procure more. No steamboat having yet come up the river, he found scarcity prevailed in town. 58 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. There were no provisions for sale, and Mattson re- mained in town waiting for the arrival of a boat. Dur- ing his absence on this occasion, I and my little family experienced the hardest privation of our lives. For nine days we had only white beans, excepting one day I shot a few blackbirds. Before cur stock of beans was exhausted Mattson returned with provisions. During that year several more families arrived in Vasa. Carl Carlson, Gustaf Carlson, Peter Nelson, Nels Peterson, Erick Erickson, and Samuel Johnson. "In the summer of 1856 we ran a breaking team. I managed the plow with Frank Carlson for driver. We were breaking for a man in Spring Creek valley, who, on account of his anxiety to have us plow deep, used to follow the plow and weigh down the beam. One day we turned up a large snake, over six feet long, which was evidently as much disturbed as we were and in try- ing to escape chose as a retreat the pants of our em- ployer, who, fearfully frightened, yelled, kicked and almost fainted. I jerked the snake out and killed it. This cured him from riding on the plow beam. If my team could not appreciate that snake's appearance, I could and did." The following extracts from C. J. F. Smith's address before the Old Settlers' Association will be of interest in this connection : \xr^ "In the month of June, 1854, I first set foot in Red Wing. I took dinner at the Ked Wing house, then kept by Andrus Duraud. The most striking feature of Red Wing was then, as it is now, to one approaching the place on a steamer, the bold isolated Barn bluff. About the only things I remember doing on my first visitwere: First, to climb the to summitof that bluff right HISTORY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 59 up its precipitous nose aud take a view of the extended landscape, the winding river skirted with timber, the plateaus and bluffs in the distance, all together making an enchanting picture. "The next thing I did was to purchase about two, or it may have been twelve, acres of land. The said land was described as being on the side of Sorin blui? and pointed out to me by a wave of the hand while standing on Bush street near the Red Wing hotel, said descrip- tion being apparently satisfactory to the purchaser, who was bound to make an investment in the land of promise. Suffice it to say, I have never heard where that land lay, or that the seller had as much as the 'shadow of a title.' Yet there is no doubt of land being there on the sides of that bluff. "On my next visit I came to stay — on the 3d of July the same year, having on board the steamboat from St. Louis a small stock of merchandise, which I per- suaded the captain to leave on the upper side of the Jordan, the usual landing being a few rods below. A large number of the inhabitants flocked down to the river as the boat drew to the shore. The goods were put into an unfinished store which stood at the foot of JBroad street near the ground now occcupied by the Mil- waukee depot. The doors not being yet hung I staid with the stuff that night, which was perhaps altogether unnecessary, as everybody was imbued with primitive honesty in those days. In fact everybody was bent on making money faster and easier than by stealing. The experience of that first night will never fade from my memory. I had no sooner composed my head for the enjoyment of sleep on a pile of mattresses than a whole battalion of mosquitoes presented their bills in fierce 60 HISTORY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. battle array, nccompauied with wierd strains of music, which awoke me to the necessity of immediate fortifica- tion. So I surrounded my coucii with inverted chairs, barrels and boxes, spreading over the whole a web of mosquito netting. I then crawled into my barrack, but my hope of safety was soon dispelled. My attempts at self-defense seemed to increase the energy and fierce- ness of the assailants; and if only a few found their way in, the hungry cry of the ten thousand without, and the possibility of all soon following the suit, forced me to arise, and grasping the netting scatter their ranks for a few moments. But the same attack and counter attack were enacted over and over during that longest of long nights; and I wonder to this day whether or no all the mosquitoes in the neighborhood were not notified that a fresh subject had arrived in town that day. "Our communication with the rest of the world was by the Mississippi river in the summer, but in the winter this means was cut off most effectually by the ice. True, there was a post route by the river valley, but the mail was carried by a one horse train. The great mail route from St. Paul to Galena passed through Oronoco, out back from the river some twenty or thirty miles. Hence the necessity arose for a better road, or rather some definite roadway should be made passable for teams to various points in the interior, which then were tributary to Eed Wing for steamboat landing. To secure this desirable result a party was formed consisting of Wm. Colvill, Jr., wiio has since been the hero of more dangerous expeditions, T. J. Smith, Spencer Fellows, and one or two others, with myself, and a Mr. Hunt, a teamster. The only way out of Eed Wing to the back country was then by the street HiSTOEr OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 61 now called Central avenue, and between the Twin bluffs. This M'as the starling point for Oronoco, Featherstone, Cannon Falls, Faribault, Owatonna and other places then known. "Our object in this expedition was to find the shortest practicable route to Oronoco, including a place to ford the north branch of the Biver Zumbro. We were to be met by another party from the other end of the route, sup- posed to be as much interested as ourselves. About six miles out we struck the bend in Hay creek, and some five miles beyond on the prairie we passed a large burr oak tree, and not far from it a kind of basin, which seemed to be a receptacle for the surface water. These landmarks have since been obliterated to some extent, "The first night we encamped on a little level spot of prairie near the banks of the Zumbro. On the opposite bank from our camp was an extensive piece of woods which came down to the border of the river. "This ford was somewhere between the two places since settled and named Zumbrota and Mazeppa. We drove the pins to our tent in a drenching rain and thunder storm. Our beds that night not being condu- cive to sleep we had an early breakfast. While some were employed in grading the banks of the stream others crossed and make an attack on such trees in the woods as would interfere with the passage of a team. We spent several days in clearing a way through these woods. Returning to Hay creek on Friday we put up our tent near the bend. This creek had not then been fished dry of trout, and as Mr. Colvill took more to the department of commissary and cook than the hand- ling of axe, shovel or crowbar,' he supplied us with a nice mess of speckled trout for dinner, while the rest 62 HISTORY 01* GOODHtE COTJNT'S. of tlie party worked with a will upon the ravines that led down to the creek. We tented on that spot for the night following. My ardent friends, the mosquitoes, were plentiful and hungry. Choosing the least of two evils, we pi'ovided a smudge in an iron kettle and tried sleeping in a smoke house. It was not long before a suspicious smell of burnt leather greeted us and aroused us to the fact that we were in danger of a conflagration. One rushed out of ihe tent with the kettle, and on ex- amination we found a hole burned in one of the bufl'alo robes about the size of the bottom of the kettle. "Saturday noon foimd us within fifteen minutes reach of a dinner at Red Wing's fi]st-class hotel. But the romance of the trip still lingered with us till we had finished up the last delicacies of prairie chicken and trout under some shady oaks near the base of Twin bluffs. Those oaks have been since cut. down by some utilitarian hand, who had no respect for the spot of the last diuner of that road improvement party from Ked Wing. "Some later settlers may wish to know what we found to do during the long winters and winter even- ings, cut off as we were from the rest of the world. We had lyceums, lectures and a literary society paper, instead of the opera. We had regular church services, •singing schools, and occasional merry makings. The young folks enjoyed sleigh rides in primitive style. I will give a short account of one. "Early in the spring of 1855, as the snow was fast melting away, one afternoon, we thought it would be the last chance of the season for a sleigh ride so a party was arranged for that evening and the girls in- vited. A sleighing party then meant a lot of girls and fliSfOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 63 boys piled into a lumber wagon box placed on runners. But in this case, before it was time to start, it com- menced to rain and we spent some time in deciding whether t ) go on runners or wheels, or whether to go at all. Finally we decided to go on wheels, and by the time we had got the box back on the wheels and driven around and collected our load, it was nine o'clock and pitch dark. Dr. F. F. Hoyt and his brother Frank were holding a claim and occupying a shanty near where Mr. Danforth now lives on the road to the county poor farm. Dr. William Brown and W. S. Grow Avere living with their families in shanties three-fourths of a mile beyond. The party were destined for Mr. Grow's. We had Rev. Mr. Sorin's team and his hired man for driver. Coming to Hay creek bottom, we found the road and bridges submerged with at least a foot of water; we crossed one bridge Safely, but when we got to where the other one ought to be, we could not find it and our driver refused to go a step further. To go forward to be sure was presumptuous, to attempt to turn around on that narrow pike was pretty certain to spill us all out into the overflowing stream; so we sat there coax- ing and threatening until at last the driver was induced to move on. We got safely over, went on calling at the Hoyt shanty, routed the boys up and took them aboard. When we got to Mr. Grow's and Brown's both families had retired, but after all our troubles we could not be cheated out of the expected social enjoyment. So they were all routed out and seemed to enjoy the fun as well as we, until the wee small hours came on, and the light of the moon sent us home." CHAPTER VII. TllIALS AND TEIUMPHS OP EARLY SETTLERS. Among the hardships to which our early settlers were exposed, especially those who came to cultivate the soil, not the least, by auy means, was that which enabled them to gain a recognized title to a quarter section of land. Townsites were occupied before farming began. Before the land was surveyed and offered for sale by the government, no title could be obtained except that of beiag the first claimant. It frequently happened that when a man and his. family arrived with their goods and chattels, and, finding a suitable tract of unoccupied land, began to build a shelter, a prior claimant would appear and order them to leave. The prior claimant could show his name marked upon some tree or stake, and if the family refused to obey his order within twenty-four hours, a company of fifteen or twenty men armed with clubs, axes, and hammers, would appear upon the scene. The new settler had to take his choice either to abandon the claim immediately, or pay the first claiiuant a sum of money, geuerally $50 or $100. This in many cases was a real hardship, greatly reduc- ing the funds necessary for the subsistence of the family until the first crop coald be raised upon the farm. A large number of farmers who came in the summer of 1854 and spring of the year 1855 were subjected to this HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 65 annoyance. Occasionally, however, the bona fide settler was able to maintain his rights. Mr. C. C. Webster relates a case, which occurred near the Yillage of Zum- brota, as follows: "Several of the first settlers, members of the (town- site) company, had not only selected claims for them- selves, but as they claimed, for their friends. The proxy claims were for a time respected. Outsiders, however, soon found out about them. One day a load of lumber came in sight from Mazeppa. It was watched with curiosity. Presently it was unloaded on a claim which had been selected by Dr. Perry for a friend of his, and in a brief time a shanty was erected. This was considered a bold invasion upon the rights of the set- tlement. Next morning, at daylight, some twenty of us, armed with axes, clubs, etc., resolved to expel the in- vaders. Upon reaching the shanty a call for surrender was made and in a few moments the shanty was leveled to the ground. There was no one inside. A shout rang through the valley and the valiant heroes retired. During the day the fellow whose shanty had been de- molished appeared upon the scene. At a distance he looked somewhat disconsolate and we fancied he would disappear and not return. Not so, however. The next day he returned with some companions. They seemed to carry something which looked very much like shot- guns. The shanty was not again disturbed. We thought it best to bottle up our wrath, and not take any chances." Exposure to the extreme cold of the winters was another very common trial. Mr. Nelson, of Wanamingo, relates the story of a man who stayed over night with him in the winter of 1855, on his way to Oronoco, 01m- 66 HISTOEY of GOODflUE COUNTS. stead county. The man started for liis destination early the next morning with a yoke of oxen. The third day after, he drove his team into Mr. Nelson's yard again, having wandered three days and two nights on the open prairie in a snow storm. His feet and hands were badly frozen. There was a stage road running north and south through the county at an early day, called the St. Paul and Dubuque road. A party from Ked Wing surveyed a branch road to connect with this in 1855. These and the old military road along the river were the only established highways in the county for some years. Consequently, the settlers jvere accustomed to take the shortest and easiest route toward any point where business or pleasure led them. No one was obliged to follow another's track if he thought he could find a better. So there were roads and roads, and it puzzled one to cross an uninhabited reach of prairie without wandering. It was really dangerous in the stormy season of winter to venture far from home. There were many cases of persons being lost within a few miles of their own home, and several perished by freezing while being thus lost. Kev. J. G. Johnson says: "I built a claim house 16x20 in the town now called Barnside, commencing it in January, 1855, and moving into it in August follow- ing. I found out that naked nature needed more cloth- ing than a new bom chil(l; first a hen-roost, then a pig-sty, a stable, stack-yard, corn-yard, a forty acre past- ure, one hundred acres encircled with a wooden fence, breaking costing five dollars an acre, school houses to be built, cemeteries laid out and enclosed, bridges everywhere to be built; highways surveyed and worked. The winter of 1855-6 was a rough winter. As a mem- fliSTORi OP GOODHUE COUNTY. d? ber of the Minnesota Mothodist Conference I was try- ing to supply the work of preaching at a point five miles above Hastings ia the forenoon, at Hastings two o'clock p. m., and at Eavenna, seven miles below, at "candle light." Late iu the fall, one of the darkest and most stormy nights known to men overtook me on the open prairie below Hastings. The only way to find the path and keep it, was to feel it out with the feet. After a while a distant light appeared iu view, and thoroughly drenched I soon found shelter in a small house occupied by two families. But the poor pony had no shelter and scant feed. •'One Monday morning of that winter, in trying to get home from my appointment, a blizzard commenced raging. Scarcely any travel on the road except one stage through. About forty degrees below zero of cold came on. The wife and two little children at home alone. Neighbors few and far between. Stern necessity says, You must get home; but that open bleak prairie in the town of Welch, then unoccupied, was a precarious place for night to close iu upon a wayfaring man with a dubious track to follow. Yet at about nine o'clock in the evening we were all made unusually glad that the storm had been weathered, and the harbor safely reached. "In the summer of 1856 I raised two acres of wheat. Thirty miles away at Northfield there was a mill. With a one-horse load I reached it at sundown to find the mill full of grists; the water too low to run on full time. The only chance was to exchange a few bushels of my wheat for flour, receiving thirty pounds for each bushel. The rest of my grist I brought back as far as Cannon Falls and left to be ground without bolting. Winter 68 HISTOBY OF GOODHtJE COUNTY. soon came on and no roads opened on my route thither. I found my wheat, which was left there, the nest spring, musty. My next milling was done at Kinnikinnick, eight miles beyond Presoott, Wis., a four days' journey going around through Gannon Falls and Hastings. "The early settlers wanted church privileges. A tneeting was held at the house of Mr. More, near Can- non river bridge, in Burnside. More had an awful poor house. He had also the inflammatory rheuma- tism. He lay flat on his back on the loose boards of the only floor except bare ground. The people had brought all their young dogs to the meeting. In the midst of services the dogs became unseemly uncere- monious. More evidently felt his responsibility for better order and rising with difiiculty, in apparent wrath, he took his own dog by the neck, dragged him to the door and with a toss and a kick sent him yelping out. At that all the dogs rushed ia sympathy out, and the man took his lowly place again. All reverence and devotion fled, and appointment was not renewed at that place. "We had freqaeat visits from the Sioux Indians who often killed deer in the neighborhood. On one oc- casion three of these animals were shot by an Indian without moving from his secluded position. This oc- curred near where T. J. Bryan's house now stands. "Our womea, although alone generally through the day, were not disturbed ia these early years by the visits of the red men." Mr. John Stowe, one of the early settlers of the town of Goodhue, relates that he began farming under dis- advantages which were common at the time. He had no team at first. Worked for a neighbor to pay for HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 69 the breaking of a few acres on his claim. He planted corn on the sod which had been broken. One day, when he had nearly finished planting, he noticed that a striped gopher was following him. On examination of the premises he found that his corn was being taken out of the ground before it sprouted. He soon com- menced trapping. He had two daughters, who were just old enough to enjoy such sport. They soon caught over one hundred of the little thieves. Finding them very fat they extracted from them oil enough to furnish the family light for the next winter. Notwithstanding the success of the girls in hunting, Mr. Stowe was obliged to plant his corn field over the second time. A bachelor's hall — "what a queer looking place it is!" Young men while pre-empting and improving their claims were often obliged to do their own house-work. The mistakes made in cooking were sometimes amus- ing. A number whose claims were in the same neigh- borhood often took their meals together, each furnish- ing a portion of the raw material and doing his share of the cooking. It was at one of these club boarding houses that some corn meal was brought, and a desire expressed to have a Yankee hasty pudding that very day. The appointed cook filled his kettle partly with cold water and dropping in the meal slowly by hand- fuls, stirring together until the mixture was about the usual pudding consistency. Then he started his fire beneath and brought the mixture as quickly as possible to a boiling point. This last process he considered essential. It was served hot, each guest sweetening it with molasses to his taste. But every one was soon Efitisfied with his first plate of that hasty pudding. It 70 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. did not taste natural. What was left was given to the dog. The dog was hungry and ate it up. That dog left the shanty that afternoon and was never seen there again. His owner insisted that the pudding had killed his dog. The usual process in making bread from wheaten flour was by mixing the flour with water, knead- ing the same with the hands, and baking in the stove oven. One who came later to this boarding establish- ment expressed his desire to improve on that kind of bread. He was allowed the privilege of trying his hand. He kaew how his mother made salt-rising bread and following her example produced an article that was projounced good. This man was installed chief cook of the shaaty from that time. But it proved after- ward that even he was not familiar with all the branches of the culinary art. Some one furnished, for the sake of variety, a small sack of beans. He knew that his mother used to boil them for awhile then bake in the oven. He placed in the pot what he thought a sufficient quantity of beans for the guests for one meal. Before the pot began to boil, he found the beans were crowd- ing one another up and over the rim. He hastened for another vessel and divided the mess. Yet the quantity of beans kept on multiplying. He had no thought of beans swelling so. It was necessary to obtain- another vessel and all three were filled when the boiling was ended. He had cooked beans enough to last the house several days. He learned some things by experi- ence. ^ A wagon used by some of the first immigrants to this county is thus described by Col. Matson : "When, in the spring of 1854, Willard and myself received a pair of three-year-old steers and a cow from HISTOIiY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 71 my father, we could get no other wagon than a truck with wheels made of four inch thick oak cylinders sawed off a log. A good wagon was made in this way. The wheels were only about twenty inches in diameter. Hence I had great trouble in getting over the stumps between John Day's ravine and Hay creek. The road was about where the Milwaukee railroad track is now. I often had to lift one end of the axle, to straddle the stump, one axle at a time of course, and as the steers were wild, and my assistants always newly arrived emi- grants, who did not understand how to conciliate our steers by forcible English, I often had great trouble. The wagon was stronger than the steers, however, and that helped me. On that truck or wagon I carted out the goods and supplies for all the immigrants that arrived in Vasa township that year." / Mr. Lewis Johnson, a well known and successful farmer in the town of Goodhue, relates the following account of his early experience: "In the first part of the year 1857, when the town- ship of Goodhue was settled by few, and these far be- tween, I located a piece of land for a home. The snow was then more than a foot deep on the prairie. We re- moved the snow and dug a hole in the ground, about 6x8 feet, which was intended for a future cellar. There we placed some bedding and covered the hole with boards. My father, my brother and myself, all used that apartment for our sleeping room, while we were building our first house, a building 12x16, which served as our family residence for many years. Thus we began our pioneer life like many others in those days, without any other means of support, except good health and a willingness to work for anything and at anything as 72 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. opportunity presented itself, until success crowned the efforts put forth." Another who was born in Germany and came to this country in 1840, at the age of fifteen, relates the following experiences: "He served two years in the United States Navy. Afterward resided in New Jersey, where he learned the hatter's trade, and having found for himself a helpmeet, they emigrated to the west in 1852, settled first in Wis- consin and a few years later in the town of Holden, Goodhue Co., Minn., where he engaged in farming, and in the course of about fifteen ^eurs became the pos- sessor of 200 acres of laud nnder cultivation. The log cabin had been exchanged for an elegant mansion. Barns and other suitable accommodations for stock and grain-raising, had beeii erected. A numerous stock of domestic animals surrounded the premises. In short, everything showed thrift and prosperity. Then he left his farm to the care of one of his sons and engaged in a successful business in a neighboring city. He says: 'When we had been living some time on our new farm without coffee, my wife and myself having been accus- tomed to use that beverage in the east, we naturally desired to enjoy it again. Like most of our neighbor farmers we had a yoke of oxen. But the roads were very poor, almost impassable, especially in the spring, and so I undertook the journey to market, twelve miles, on foot. My load consisted of a basket containing eggs and a roll of butter. For fear of getting stuck in the mud, I left the road and went across lots. In doing so was obliged to climb over a number of fences. My load soon began to feel heavy and I put it on a stick and carried it across my shoulder, Very soon after I HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 73 came to another fence. I got over all right, but not the eggs. The basket slipped from the stick and every egg was broken! The only satisfaction I had was to sit down and make a meal of the raw eggs. I then con- tinued my journey with the roll of butter. The cloth about it was of course badly colored by the broken eggs, but I succeeded in disposing of it at the low price of seven cents per pound. Thus we once more had coffee. A little later my wife got a ride to town with a neighbor when she carried seventeen dozen of eggs, which she exchanged for seven yards of calico." Calico must have been rather high in those early years. CHAPTEE VIII. THE ABORIGINES. Some fifty years before Minnesota was known, the point of land now occupied by the city of Red Wing, was the planting ground of a band of Indians who were a part of a large tribe called Dakotas. The word Da- kota means friend. The name Sioux was given to them by their French traders. The origin of the word Sioux is said to be the last syllable of the name which the Chippewas gave them. But I am inclined to believe that Sioux is a corruption of the name Jews. This tribe was said to be "the most powerful and warlike of all the North American Indian tribes," in our old school geographies. They occupied nearly all the northwestern territory of the United States at the time of the Louisiana purchase in 1803, which included the upper Mississippi valley and west to the Eocky mountains; and from the mouth of the Big Sioux river north to Devil's Lake. They were divided into several grand divisions under the names Mdewakantouwans, Sissetonwans, Titonwans, Ihanktonwaus, etc. There were seven bands or villages of the Mdewa- kantouwans, of which Hhemnicha, or Red Wing's vil- lage, was one. Three of these villages were situated on the Mississippi river below St. Paul; four on the Min- nesota river below St. Peter, at the time Minnesota was organized as a territory in 1849. HISTORVt OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 75 The several bands contained from three himdred to five hundred inhabitants each, all the Mdewnkantonwans numbering about three thousand. I shall give in this chapter a brief sketch of some of the peculiarities of this tribe, gained by a short acquaintance among them. Their language was a surprise to me. It was quite full of words to express every variety of thought which could possibly come to the minds of a people so rude and uncultivated. For instance, the Dakota verb admits of a great number of inflexions. The various modifications of an action are expressed with conciseness and precision. They have prefixes to indicate the manner and instrument of an action. The prefix, Ba, shows that the action was done by cutting with a knife or saw; Bo, by shooting or punching; Ka, by striking, as with a club or axe; Na, by kicking; Pa, by pushing, as with the hand. Ya, as a prefix, signifies that the action was done with the teeth; Ksa means to separate; Baksa, to cut in two with a knife or saw; Boksa, to separate by shooting; Knksa, by striking; Nalcsa, by kicking; Paksa, by pushing; Yaksa, by biting. There are separate personal and relative pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and in- terjections almost without number. The personal pro- nouns, when used with verbs, are incorporated with the same, so that the verbs are conjugated regularly, as in the Latin and Greek. The Dakotas were more careful than some other people in preserving the purity of their language. Nick-names and slang words were not used. Children were early taught to speak their words correctly. This 76 HISTORY OF GOODHDE COUNTY. task was generally performed by their grandmothers. Their religious ideas were vague and unsatisfying, even to themselves. Seldom did they spend tirae to think of a future world. Their religious ceremonies were all performed ap- parently for the purpose of obtaining present good. Yet they firmly believed in a Spirit world to which they should go after death. The following is a paraphrase of an Indian mother's lament on the death of her child, written for the Dalwia Friend by Kev. G. H. Pond, one of the earliest mis- sionaries to the tribe. "Mechoonkshee! Mechoonkshee! (my daugher, my daughter) alas! alas! my comfort, my hope has departed, my heart is very sad. My joy is turned into sorrow, and my song into wailing. Shall I never behold thy sunny smile? Shall I never more hear the music of thy voice? The Great Spirit has entered my lodge in anger and taken thee from me, my first born and only child. I am comfortless and must wail out my grief. The pale faces repress their sorrow, but we children of nature must give vent to ours or die. "Mechoonkshee! Mechoonkshee! "The light of my eyes is extinguished; all, all is dark. I have cast from me all my comfortable clothing, and robed myself in comfortless skins; for no clothing, no fire, can warm thee, my daughter. Unwashed and uncombed, I will mourn for thee, whose long locks I can never more braid, and whose cheeks I can never again tinge with vermilion. I will cut off my dis- hevelled hair, for my grief is great. Mechoonkshee! Mechoonkshee! How can I survive thee? How can I be happy, and you a hopeless wanderer to the spirit HISTOEY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 77 land? How can I eat if you are hungry? I will go to the grave with food for your spirit. Your bowl and spoon are placed in your coffin for use on the journey. The feast for your playmates has been made at the place of interment. Knowest thou of their presence? Mechoonkshee ! Mechoonkshee! "When spring returns the choicest of ducks shall be your portion. Sugar and berries also shall be placed near your grave. Neither grass nor flowers shall be allowed to grow thereon. Affection for thee will keep the little mound desolate, like the heart from which thou art torn. My daughter, I come, I come; I bring you parched corn. O how long will you sleep? The wintry winds wail your requiem. The cold earth is your bed, and the colder snow thy covering. I would that they were mine. I will lie down by thy side. 1 will sleep once more with you. If no one discovers me I shall soon be as cold as thou art, and together we will sleep that long, long sleep from which I cannot wake thee, Mechoonkshee! Mechoonkshee!" The earliest songs to which Dakota children were accustomed to listen were war songs. The first lesson a little boy was taught was the use of the bow and arrow. The noblest act to which he could aspire was to kill an enemy. At about the age of sixteen every boy must be- come a brave soldier, and would become a man as soon as he had taken the scalp of an enemy. He was presented with a war club and told by the sacred war prophet that he must make a man of himself by using it. The following is a translation of the speech of an old Dakota warrior: "The gods gave me a war club, and inspired by them, with it I walked the earth without fear. "When I 78 HISTORY 01' GOODHUi! COUNTY. am hungry I satisfy myself on the flesh of Chippewas. The wind blows from four points, and with equal free- dom I tread the wide world. With my war club I strike, and the effect is terror and death. It supplies me with food bo nutritious, that my appetite but seldom returns. Death agonies are music to the gods by whom I am inspired." The numerous mounds and cairns which abounded iu this vicinity, at the time of its settlement by the whites, gave evidence that the country had beeu inhab- ited long time ago by a people who had towns much larger and in closer proximity than the Dakotas. There were plain evidences too that that ancient people were not accustomed to the arts of war. As has been already alluded to in this work, no warlike instruments were to be found among their relics. But the favorite pastime of the Dakotas appears to have been war. A man was famous among them just in proportion to the number of enemies he had slain. That warrior chief. Scarlet Wing, made choice of this place, where a busy multitude had once pursued the paths of peace, for his headquarters; from whence he would lead forth his band of followers from time to time, armed with tomahawks and scalping knives, to surprise and murder their enemies, the Chippewas. It is related of this chief that he became famous for his success in hunting and war; and that he acquired his name from the color of his blanket, and the celerity with which he swept over hill and prairie, through swamp and stream, to surprise and conquer his enemies. While on his last expedition he was taken suddenly ill and died away from home. The nephew of Scarlet Wing was the last reigning HISTORY 01' GOODHUE COtfNTY. 79 chief of this bard of Dakotas. His name was Wacouta, the shooter. It was this chief who informed the writer that his uncle, the Scarlet Wing, was buried on a bluff near Wabasha. Wacouta was a man of peace. He was not accustomed to lead in the warpath, although his braves had the privilege of forming war parties and making raids against their enemies whenever they desired. Wacouta was very tall, straight and dignified in his demeanor He was also a man of good judgment. His authority was not absolute. He rather advised his peo- ple than commanded them. He encouraged industry and sobriety; was a friend to the missionaries, and sent his own children to their schools when he was at home himself. The Dakotas, at that time, had no real homes. Each band had its own planting ground, where the women and children lived and raised a crop of corn. During the time from early in May till about the middle of September, they were engaged iu planting, cultivating and harvesting their corn. Between four and five months of the year they dwelt in their bark houses which were stationary. The remainder of the year they dwelt in movable tents, wandering from place to place, according as game was plenty in the different localities. In the winter their tents were invariably placed in the thickest groves for the sake of shelter from the wind and storm. The labor in the corn-fields being performed by the women and children, the men were in the meantime engaged in going on war parties, or hunting and fishing. So at least it was understood they were engaged. But as far as my knowledge of them extends, the men spent 80 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. a great part of the time in summer playing games or lounging in the shade. Game was too plenty to occupy much of their time in securing what would supply the immediate wants of the family. Whiskey was occasion- ally brought into the place, which event was followed by a drunken row. War parties, consisting of a few young men, were often started out with great ceremony, but generally returned without accomplishing anything; for the rea- son that they were not accustomed to attack an enemy except by a surprise. Once only did we witness the return of a war party in triumph. Some six or eight Dakota braves came home with the scalp of one Chip- pewa, probably taken from some poor straggler, who had unfortunately strayed from the camp alone. As this victorious party emerged from the grove at the lower end of Barn bluff, their shouts of victory were heard by the people of the village. They bore aloft the bloc dy trophy, stretched upon a hoop, which was fixed to the end of a pole, and could be seen at a distance. The whole village was soon in marching order to meet, the conquering heroes. Songs of victory filled the air while those brave young warriors were escorted into the centre of the town by a triumphal procession. Feasting and dancing now began and was continued a part of each day for a mouth. When one set of dancers became tired another took their places. Women gener- ally held the scalp while the dance was continued with beating the drum and shaking the rattle for several hours at a time — such was the scalp dance. There were other social gatherings and festivals common among the Dakotas when dancing and wild music were the chief part of the ceremonies. The scalp HlSTOEY OF GOODHlJE COUNTY. 8l dance was observed only when the yictory over their enemies had been gained. Three other festivals were observed, each about once every year; namely, the raw fish dance, the sun dance, and the medicine dance. The raw fish dance usually occurred in the month of June after a number of days of rain, or cool and cloudy weather, and was generally, observed for the purpose of bringing weather which would be favorable to the growth of corn. At least such was the reason given for the one held in Eed Wing's village which the writer attended as a spectator. An oblong enclosure of about one-quarter of an acre of ground was surrounded by a stake and brush fence. At one end was a booth or shelter where the principal actors occasionally rested, and where those who made the music sat. This booth was open at the sides. Near the middle of the enclosure, a pole had been placed in the ground in a perpendicular position upon which hung two large fish which had been recently caught from the river, weighing probably about two pounds each. The chief actors on the occasion were four young' men who had evidently spent some time at their toilets in prepa- ration. Their dress consisted of a simple clolh about the middle, and the remaining part of their bodies was painted with charcoal dust, blue clay and vermilion. Their faces were striped with the different colors, and were as hideous in appearance as possible. When all were ready the music of the drum and rattle commenced, while the four dancers began to move out upon their hands and feet, uttering strange sounds, seemingly try- ing to imitate wild beasts. Beating time with the music with both hands and feet, they passed around inside the enclosure several times, apparently getting more excited 8^ HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. each round. Occasionally a short rest was taken. Finally, the music struck quicker time and these hungry dancing bears, or wolves, began to stretch up their mouths towards the fishes and to snatch bites from them, continually dancing around while chewing and swallow- ing the same; then returning and taking another mouth- ful, each endeavoring to get his full share until naught was left but the heads, back-bones and tails. The four dancers had actually devoured all the rest, so far as the spectators could see. When they had finished they were loudly applauded by their relatives and companions. So ended the raw fish dance. How it affected the weather the reader can imagine. The medicine feast was of a more serious nature. The word medicine is here used in place of the Dakota word wah-kwan which is applied to anything mysterious. Their word for the name of the Supreme Being is Wah- kwan-tanka, translated into English, Great Spirit. The medicine dance, or feast, generally begins at sunset and continues twenty-four hours, or, until sunset the follow- ing day. The ceremonies of this feast are unknown as to their deep meaning, except to those who have been initiated as members of the secret society called Mys- terious Men. It differs from secret societies among the whites in the fact that women were received as members as well as men. This society among the Dakotas pre- tended to be the depository of all their sacred mysteries. The medicine sack was the badge of membership. This was the dried skin of a beaver, mink, maskrat or other small animal, prepared in the form of a bag, open only at the mouth, in which were a few bird's claws, or some dried grass, supposed to be endowed with power to work wonders. HlSTOEy OF GOODHUE COtJNTY. 83 Great preparations were required for this myBterious dance. There was cooking of food like unto the prepa- ration for thanksgiving dinner in respect to quantity, but it was generally all of one kind which would be called soup. The high priests, leaders of the ceremonies, spend a whole night in vapor baths, sweating, singing and holding communion with the Spirit World; that they may be prepared for their sacred duties. All the members must appear in their best attire, with faces gaily painted, with badge in hand. Before the appointed clay arrives a large space of ground is enclosed by a slender brush fence. Over this is pro- vided a temporary shelter, made with stakes, poles and. brush, to keep off the sun. The sides of the enclosure are left open so as to afford spectators a good view. None but members are permitted to come within the sacred enclosure. Our party arrived at the scene a little after noon, and were present during the concluding hours of the strange performances. We 'found all quietly sitting and eat- ing soup from wooden bowls with spoons of the same material. Large kettles of the soup stood at one end of the space enclosed to which all had access. And when all had finished their eating, the master of ceremonies arose, said a few words, and the music began. Then all arose, put away bowls and spoons, and with medicine sack in hand, carried conspicuously iu front, they kept time with the music, dancing up and down the shady hall. Thus with singing, dancing and feasting, by turns, the more solemn and mysterious parts were enacted without being tiresome to lookers on. After the music ceased for an interval of rest, an old war prophet stood forth and made a long speech, 84; HISTORY 0* GOODHUE COUNTY. recounting the great deeds of a succession of ancestors, which had been handed down by tradition, not forgetting in conclusion to mention what he himself had done. At another interval the time was occapied in the reception of new members. The qualifications for such, we were told, were: First, suitable age; second, fees for initiation paid in advance. These matters were consid- ered and decided by the high priests. The candidate being informed of his acceptance by them was also duly instructed in regard to the ceremony of reception before- hand. This ceremony took place in the presence of all in open day. Great solemnity pervaded the countenances of the whole assembly. A fish bone of considerable size, to think of passing down a person's throat, was given to the novitiate to swallow. After due incantations were gone through, he was requested to raise the bone again from his stomach, which he did apparently without injury. After this was done, the mysterious badge was presented to him, and all the mysterious knowledge, privileges and immunities of full membership conferred upon him. But the most wonderful spectacle of all was enacted towards the close, in which the great power of the medicine sack was displayed in the presence of the outsiders. While music, by the rattle, drum and singing voices was in progress, and all were in motion upon their feet, the members began to point at each other, by holding up the medicine sack, as if it were a gun and that he was going to shoot; and as soon as the member pointed at, saw the other's motion, he immediately fell to the ground apparently dead. Something like one-third of the mem- bers were thus shot down in the course of fifteen or HISTORY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 85 tweuty minutes. These fallen ones had not power to rise from their lifeless condition, it seemed, until touched by the hand of a high priest. We rejoice that we can testify that in every case of death which we witnessed on the occasion, the victim was mercifully restored to life again. The exercises were closed by a grand pro- cession, or what might be called a promenade around the enclosure four or five times. The leaders or high priests of the medicine men were supposed to possess great power in the spiritual realm. They had the. power to heal the sick, and it was believed by many that they could cause the death of any person, simply by willing it. Consequently they were much feared by the common people. When one in a family was taken sick, one of these doctors was sent for. A nice present was also sent by the hand of the messen- ger. On being satisfied that he should be well paid the doctor takes his rattle and goes to the sick person. With a knowing air he carefully examines the body of his patient until he finds the particular locality of the evil spirit that has caused the sickness. The patient is now stretched at full length upon a blanket in the mid- dle of a tent and a bowl of water placed near. The doc- tor divests himself of clothing except the breech-cloth, and commences his conjurations by shaking the rattle and uttering the most unearthly sounds possible for a man to make. By and by while continuing the noise he gets down upon his knees by the side of the sick one and slowly moves his mouth to the spot where the disease is located. The noise ceases for a few minutes while he sucks and draws out the evil spirit. Presently he jumps to his feet, with violent contortions of his body and retchings, at the same time yelling and howling, he 86 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. spits into the bowl of water till apparently relieved. This performsDce is repeated several times in the course of five or six hours. During short intervals the doctor stops for a rest and a smoke. Finally when the evil spirits have all been drawn out, images are made upon a piece of bark to represent them. The bark is placed outside the tent and shot to pieces by three or four men who are ready with their guns for the occasion. Another method of destroying the spirits was sometimes adopted. The bowl of water was set outside and fired into Avith guns, while a woman stood astride of it. After this treatment the sick person is expected to recover, which is often the case. But it is understood, however, that if the doctor has not been duly respected, and well paid for his services, he may have performed his work deceit- fully, and the sufferer will die. Thus all failures are accounted for. Polygamy was allowed, but not common among the Dakotas. Seldom had a man more than one wife living. Wives were generally purchased after being wooed. The women were accustomed to do all the hard work. They were hewers of wood and drawers of water. They cut the wood, hauled it, made the fires, cooked the food, and besides all this, planted, cultivated and harvested the corn. A tired woman once came to the mission house from the field saying that she had finished her planting. On being asked why she did not have her strong, brave husband help her in such work, she replied, that he would then be called a woman and she should be made ashamed. If a young woman had no father living, an uncle or elder brother could bestow her in marriage, which wag generally done after a good price had been offered. HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 87 It was a custom for the young man to woo the girl of his choice by playing the flute around and near the tent, where the desired maiden dwelt, at different times, until he could gain a personal interview. The next step after obtaining her consent, he must deposit the article, or whatever he intended to pay for his bride, in front of her father's or her guardian's wigwam. If the price was accepted it was soon taken in. But if left long untouched the disappointed lover was allowed to take away his property or add something more valuable. Whenever the articles proffered were taken into the father's possession the young man was at liberty to come and claim his bride. To complete the transaction and confirm his right, he sometimes carries her to his own tent on his back, a piece of gallantry not often practiced after that time. The Dakotas in their wild state, had a singular mode of disposing of the remains of their dead. The body was neatly wrapped in bark or a blanket and placed upon a scaffold some eight or ten fe^t high, near the wigwam, and there permitted to remain for a month and longer often times. Afterward it was taken down and buried on high ground. A row of stakes were driven into the ground each side of the grave in a slanting position so as to meet together at the top, and thus pre- vent wolves and other wild animals from disturbing it. Great wailings were often heard for several mornings and evenings after the death of a person. Relatives were accustomed to place food near the grave, and on the scaffold near the body of their dead, believing that nourishment would be needed by the spirit during its long journey to some other world. The Dakotas were a kind people to those who were 88 HISTOEY OF GOODHDE COUNTY. friendly and kind to them. During several years resi- dence among them we had no difficulty with them except in one instance. Whiskey could be obtained on the opposite side of the river at any time for money, furs, or anything valu- able which an Indian could part with. They were not moderate drinkeis of intoxicating liquors. Nor were they habitual drinkers. They wanted enough to make them drunk, when they wanted any. Several would put their valuables together and go over and purchase a gallon or more at one time, bring it to the village and have a good spree. As an Indian was not considered responsible for what he did while drunk, these sprees often ended in injury to somebody, and custom allowed the injured no redress. When five or six men were crazed by whiskey, the whole village were on the watch. Every dangerous weapon was taken from them, and the children kept out of the way, if possible. I remember being called upon to dress an ugly wound which had been inflicted by a drunken brave upon the head of a woman with a hatchet. AVhiskey often excites men who are wanting in self-control, to do some horrid deed. My one diffi- culty was occasioned by whiskey. It was but a week or so after a drunken row had occurred, that I was walking near the teepees and heard a woman cry out, "Now they come with it;" pointing to the river she added, "more whiskey." I saw there was a canoe approaching whicli had just left the Wisconsin side, and waited at the head of the path which led up from the landing. There were six young men in the canoe. After trying their boat they came up the bank in single file, the leader carrying a covered tin pail. HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 89 I met him and asked what he had there. "Whiskey," he answered. I immediately snatched the pail from his hand, and its contents went to soak the ground. Loud talk followed on both sides. I told them that whiskey was their enemy, that it was unlawful on our side of the river, and advised them to bring no more to this village. The young men looked ashamed, but offered no violence. I was told by an older man, a little while after, that one of them boasted that he would bring more whiskey over, defying the missionary to spill it. But a few days passed before he made the trial. The first intimation I had, a man came hurriedly into the mission house calling upon me to come out. I went out and saw those same young men marching along single file, singing as they went. The one who took the lead was carrying a two-gallon jug in front, which he seemed anxious that I should notice, aifirming it to be whiskey. I took it as a challenge and boldly grasped the handle of the jug to pull it from him, but could not wrest it from him, for the reason that a stout cord, tied around the mouth of the jug through the handle, also passed around his neck. He had kept the cord covered with his blanket so that I did not see it until after my vain attempt. But I soon managed to draw the cork and with both hands inverted the jug in spite of all his efforts to prevent it. Not one of his companions offered to help him. It was pure whiskey that gurgled out upon the ground. When he found that my hands had so firm a grip upon the jug that he would lose its con- tents, although he dragged me about trying to get it away before the whiskey was quite all run out, he clinched me by the hair and tore out some locks. But I held on till the whole was soaked into the ground. 90 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. During this contest a large number of Indians were present. It was doubtless an exciting spectacle. They cheered me at the close. My antagonist threw away his empty jug. He evidently did not like to give up as beaten. When the people began to disperse he stretched himself at full length upon the ground before the door of the mission house. I kiudly asked him to leave and go to his own home. He declared he would not go. After waiting some time with the hope that he would leave, I took a piece of rope and slipped one end carefully around his ankles, bringing his feet together, and tied it; took the other end over my shoulder and dragged him several rods. He begged to be let up, promising to go. I took the rope off and he went peace- ably away. They did not bring whiskey in any consid- erable quantity here afterwards to my knowledge. Early in the spring of 1851 a new scholar came to our school with the other children. Her appearance being somewhat strange, we called her the wild girl. It was nothing uncommon for boys and girls to go from one village to another to stay a month or so and return again to their parents. The severity of parental disci- pline, I think, was often the occasion of such wandering. To have a new scholar some fourteen or fifteen years of age make appearance at the school was therefore no matter for wonder. But this one was somewhat peculiar in her manner, and attracted attention. There was a wild look in her eyes, and though in girl's dress, her hair had been cut off in front like an Indian boy's hair. She appeared very anxious to learn to read, applying herself with an unusual ardor; but would not say any- thing about her true residence and former history. The other children could tell us nothing about whence HISTOKY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 91 she came. I think she was here about two months or. "more. Her departure was as unexpected as her coming. It was but a short time after the wild girl left, that the following account appeared in the SI. Paul Pioneer: "In the spring of 1850, at one of the villages on the Minnesota river, a young girl fourteen years of age, shot another girl with whom she was quarreling. The deceased was the daughter of a sullen man named Black Whistle. The affrighted girl, after she had fired the gun, fled to the trader's house, and was by him aided to make her escape down to Wabashaw's village. While stopping at Red Wing's village, some hundred miles from where the deed was committed, the incensed father overtook her. His first plan was to carry her home and sacrifice her at his daugh- ter's burial scaffold; but through the influence of some advisors, he changed his plan and resolved to make her his slave or his wife. For some time she endured what to her was a living death, and one night she suddenly disappeared. "Not many days after thers appeared at Good Road's village a young Indian boy, stating that he was a Sissetonwan just arrived from the plains. He was well received, no one dreaming that he was the fugitive Indian maiden. While in this disguise she went out one day to spear fish, when her enemy, the revengeful father of the girl she had shot, met her and recognized her. He avowed his intention to kill her. She very coolly assented to the justice of what he said and left. She next appeared at Kaposia, Little Crow's village. Here she passed herself off as a Winnebago orphan, in which disguise she succeeded for a time. Her sex being suspected she was again obliged to seek for safety by fiight, and took up her abode at Red Wing's village, where she dressed like other maidens and attended the mission school." The subsequent history of this girl is not known to anyone now living. On the Wisconsin side, in the early days, there lived a man named Hawley who had no family with him. He lived in a shanty alone. He was a cripple; one leg bent almost double at the knee, and yet could walk about tolerably well. He seemed to be holding a claim and 92 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. trading with wood-choppers, but deriving most of his income from the sale of whiskey to the Indians. Some of the latter having returned and encamped near the mouth of Spring creek in the summer of 1854, were accustomed to visit Hawley's shanty. One day they had a quarrel with him in I'egard to some bargain in which he had deceived them. He ordered them to leave his premises, but they refused and continued to annoy him till in anger he shot at them and wounded one of them so that he soon after died. There was now a great outcry in the Indian camp. Every white person who came near was threatened and ordered away. Peo- ple were under the impression that revenge was medi- tated upon somebody. Hawley had fortified his shanty with loaded rifles. It was reported that he threatened to shoot the first man who came to take him. The few settlers in Eed Wing, Burnside and Vasa, were very much alarmed. The alarm almost created a stampede. A deputation, consisting of Dr. W. W. Sweney, Lawyer P. Sandford, and the writer, all being well known by the Indians, visited their camp to make peace if possi- ble. We were kindly received, and after a short talk were convinced that they did not intend to injure any- body except Hawley. What ever became of him we do not know. It was reported that his shanty was deserted very soon after. The Indians watched him day and night, and he was probably killed in his last attempt to make his escape. CHAPTER IX. DANGER APPEEHENDED. In the summer of 1850 a report came to Eed Wing's village that a party of Chippewas were coming upon us. Then "there was hurrying to and fro in hot haste." All the men gathered their weapons of war and took their canoes and were soon out of sight, in some hiding place along the river. The women and children taking what valuables they could carry, ascended Barn bluff, where they gathered stones and other missiles for self- defense. The few white inhabitants were not very much alarmed; yet we kept a good look-out for several hours, but no Chippewas appeared. The report was founded upon the fact that some one had seen at a distance, what he took to be a Chippewa, which was probably a defect of vision, as no enemy appeared. After the Indians had been removed and the place occupied by white settlers, fears were entertained by some of the latter that there was some danger of a night attack by the former inhabitants. There were some grounds for such fears. The Eed Wing band had, as a body, opposed the selling their title to this country. The graves of their kindred dead were here. This had been for many years their hunting ground. The major- ity of them were born here. It was natural they should desire to remain here. 94 HISTOKY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. When the council was called to meet the United States commissioners at Meudota for the purpose of a treaty, the people were much excited and many angry words were expressed. The young braves, it was said, had threatened to shoot the chief who should first attempt to sign any paper or treaty that would oblige them to remove farther west. Some were willing the whites should have a part of the land, but they wanted their reservation to include the present planting ground with adjacent territory sufficient for hunting purposes. They met the commissioners at Mendota, and after the delay of several days a treaty was consummated, and signed by sixty-four names designated as "chiefs, head-^men, and warriors." By this treaty they agreed to remove to a reservation upon the head waters of the Minnesota river. Why was no one killed? The follow- ing circumstances will answer the question. That council was held under the walls of Fort Snelling in the presence of a band of United States soldiers. The Indians were subsisted during the time on fresh beef and flour furnished by the United States Government. They were told they should have schools, farming implements, and money — f20,000 in cash — to be paid to them the next day after signing the treaty. One remark in a speech made by Col. Luke Lea on the occasion will solve the whole question. Col. Lea, one of the commissioners appointed by the President, said: "Suppose your great father (the President) wanted your lands and did not want a treaty for your good. He could oome with 100,000 men and drive you off to the Eocky mountains. But your great father loves his red children as he does his white children, and he wishes us to make a treaty which he knows will HISTORY 0¥ GOODHUE COUNTY. 95 save you from the trouble which is now coming upon you." The truth, I think, is that not one of the seven bands concerned in that treaty would have given their consent to the same had they not felt compelled to do it. But after their removal the Red Wing Indians did not return to do any mischief among the white settlers. Some who are now living can remember how quietly they acquiesced in the general conflagration which con- sumed all the bark tepees in the village in the spring of 1853. The few who returned that season made no signs of ill temper; but went and rebuilt in other places where the whites would not use the land. The people of this country, since its early settle- ment, can congratulat-e themselves that they were never seriously molested by the former inhabitants. There were two frights, however, in Red Wing. The first was on this wise. A wedding had occurred under peculiar circumstan- ces ia regard to one of the parties, and after night had far advanced, and the people of this thriving little burg were nearly all asleep, a band of boys and young men assembled by a previous agreement to give the newly married couple what is called a "charivarie." Some had learned how to give the Indian war-whoop, or, at least, could give a good imitation of it. This, with the noise of a few tin pans accompanying, soon awoke the sleepers in the neighboring houses. One man, a young lawyer, on waking, was immediately impressed with the thought of Indians. Telling his wife to dress and go to the river and escape in a skiff. Without waiting to dress himself, he took his loaded revolver and bounded into the street determined to sell his life as dearly as possi- 96 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. ble. He rushed to the shelter of a clump of bushes which stood between him and the place whence the sounds came, and waited the attack. A short interval between the whoops revealed the sound of familiar voices, talking plain English. The truth soon came to his mind, and he returned to his home before his wife had made her escape. Others remembered the wedding soon enough to escape being much frightened. The whole town was stirred at the time the news came of the Spirit Lake massacre. A public meeting was called to devise measures for putting the place in a state of defense. No Indians appeared, and after a few days the people slept again in peace. SPIRIT LAKE MASSACEE. The Dakotas of Red Wing's village used to say that "although they killed the Chippewas whenever they found any, they nor any of their tribe ever killed a white person." Perhaps this was true at the time it was told us in 1850. But not many years later in March, 1857, there occurred at Spirit Lake, in the northwestern part of Iowa, a terrible scene. In the spring of 1856, a company of men, consisting of G. W. Granger, Bartel Snyder and Isaac Harriett, went from Red Wing to Spirit Lake to select claims and lay out a town. The fall o£ that year saw seven cabins built around that lake, all of which were occupied. The three young men from Red Wing above named occupied one of the cabins, keeping bachelor's hall. A Mr. Thacher and family, Marble and family, Mattox and family. Judge Howe and family, a Mr. Gardner and family, and Mr. Noble and family, each occupied sep- arate cabins. HISTOKY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 97 On Sunday, the 8th of March, a band of roving out- laws, under the leadership of an ex-communicated Da- kota, named Inkpaduta, came to the cabin which was occupied by men only and asked for beef. Understand- ing, as they afterward claimed, that they could take one of the cattle, they did so, and commenced cutting it up, when one of the white men came out and knocked the Dakota down. The white man was immediately shot in retaliation. Surrounding the honse, the Indians set fire to the rc)of and killed the occupants, as they at- tempted to escape from the burning building. Other authorities say there was no beef demanded; that Ink- paduta. was not assaulted by the white men, but that the attack was instigated solely and simply by Indian treachery and thirst for blood. This version of the affair is reported by Isaac Lauver, W. W. DeKay, and others who went down to Spirit Lake from Red Wing as soon as they heard of the massacre, to bring the remains of the murdered victims, and look after the claim interests. These murderers went next to a cabin occupied by Mr. Gardner and his family and asked for food. Their request was granted, and while they were disposing of the food given, Mr. Gardner's son-in-law and another' man who was there went out to see if everything was right at the neighboring cabin. This was their last mission; a part of the Indians lying in ambush shot and killed 'them also. After securing all the food the cabin contained they left Gardner's, but returned again the latter part of the afternoon and killed Gardner, his wife, two daughters, and his grandchildren, carrying away as prisoner the other daughter, named Abby. The same night or the next morning they visited the 98 HISTORY Of 600DHUE COUNTY. homes of Noble and Thaclier and carried Mrs. No- ble and Mrs. Thacher prisoners to their camp. The following Thursday, March 12, an Indian called at Marble's cabin, three miles above Thacher's, and told Mrs. Marble that the white people down on the lake had been killed. This intelligence alarmed the family, the more so as the great depth of snow had prevented any communication with the other settlers for some days; but it was impqssible to inaugurate any measures for flight or means of safety. The next morning four Indians with friendly appearance came to Marble's and bantered him to trade rifles. The trade was made, after which they' prevailed on Marble to go down to the lake and shoot at a mark. After a few shots they turned in the direction of the house, and managing to get Marble in advance they shot him and he fell dead in his tracks. Mrs. Marble, who had been watching the maneuvering of the bloody fiends, saw her husband fall and ran to him. The wretches siezed her, telling her they would not kill her but they would take her with them, and she was carried to the camp where they had previously taken Mrs. Noble, Mrs. Thacher, and Miss Gardner. Inkpaduta and his followers went next to Springfield, where they surprised and murdered the whole settle- ment, consisting of over thirty inhabitants. The news was sent to Fort Eidgely and a detachment of U. S. troops were sent out in pursuit of the murderous band. Learning that soldiers were after them the outlaws made haste to leave the vicinity of their depredations taking the four captive women along with them. Mrs. Marble and Miss Gardner were afterwards permitted to return to their surviving friends and civilization. The other two, Mrs. Thacher and Mrs. Noble, were relieved HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 99 from their cruel bondage by death before their rescuers reached the camp of the outlaws. Only one of this murderous band was killed by the U. S. soldiers who were sent to punish thorn. That was a son of Inkpaduta, who was shot and killed while escaping from a camp on Yellow Medicine river. The rest of the gang managed to escape probably into the Dominion of Canada. The two captive women were redeemed and brought to the white settlements by some friendly Indians. CHAPTER X. POLITICAL HISTORY. The first Territorial legislature of Miniiesota met in St. Paul on the third clay of September, 1849. During the session they passed an act relating to the "division of the Territory into counties and their boundaries." The following named counties were designated: Wash- ington, Ramsey, Benton, Itaska, Wabasha, Dakota, Cass and Pembina. The first three comprised all that part of the territory which had been ceded to the United States by the Indians up to that time. Consequently the act declared that the other named counties were organized only for the purpose of the appointment of justices of the peace, constables, and such other judicial officers as might be specially provided for. Wabasha county, by that legislature, was declared to include all that part of the territory lying east of a line running due south from Pine Bend, on the Missis- sippi river, to the Iowa line, which tract has since been divided into eight counties, namely: Wabasha, Winona, Olmsted, Fillmore, Houston, Mower, Dodge, and Good- hue. When the present counties of Dakota and Good- hue were set off in 1853, the boundary lines were vaguely and indefinitely defined on account of the absence of United States surveys. Goodhue county was then bounded as follows, to-wit: Beginning at the southwest corner of Dakota county, thence due south- HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 101 east on a line twenty-five miles, thence on a due line to Lake Pepin at 'a point on said lake seven miles below Sand Point, thence up the middle of said lake and the Mississippi river to the boundary line of Dakota county, thence along the line of said county to the place of beginning. These boundaries were modified by subsequent leg- islation in February, 1854, and made to conform to the United States survey. The county of Wabasha was at that time attached to Goodhue for judicial purposes. It was further enacted that at any general election after March, 1853, the county of Goodhue might be deemed organized for all county purposes; Provided, That at said election there shall not be less than fifty legal votes cast. The law under which the county was thus organ- ized authorized the Governor to appoint all county of&cers until the next general election thereafter. The second Tuesday in October of each year was at that time the day of general election. The people could *only vote for a representative to the Territorial legisla- ture and for the location of the county seat. Party spirit did not run very high at that time, but there was a necessity for calling out every legal voter in order to have at least fifty votes cast. And at '-the same time Red Wing and Wacouta were rivals for the temporary county seat honors. Wacouta was at that period the headquarters of the lumbermen, and the enterprising proprietors of that townsite were not slow to take advantage of the fact, and to concentrate as many of -those hardy sons of toil against the day of election as possible. The proprietors of Eed Wing were no less earnest in their efforts to secure a majority of votes in favor of their future city. In a sadden fit of enterprise 102 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. and industry they hired, it is reported, twenty unmar- ried young men from St. PauLand set them at work in various capacities.' The law required six months' resi- dence in the Territory; but ten days in the precinct gave to a citizen of the Territory the right of suffrage. Great care was taken to have the young men here in time, quite a number of whom remained as permanent resi- dents. At last the second Tuesday of OctaTjer arrived. Great preparations had been made for the election. There was no one in Red Wing at that time authorized to administer the oath of office to the judges of election. Among those who had been selected for judges was Benjamin Young, a French half-blood, who had been educated so as to read and write the English language tolerably well. He visited Point Douglass, where he found a justice of the peace who administered to him the legally required oath and returned fully prepared to act and to qualify the others to act. Astthe day drew near it was found that no ballot-box had been provided for this voting precinct. Young was equal to the emer- gency. He found an empty tea-chest on which, among other devices was the figure of a dove with red wings, a very appropriate emblem for the place. Had that ballot-box been preserved till the present day it would be a valuable relic. The statutes of Wisconsin in relation to the manner of conducting elections was used as a guide on this occasion, and Judge Young was exceeding jealous of the purity of the ballot-box. He guarded its sanctity with great caution. It is proper to explain here that at the time this first election was held a number of men were employed in cutting wood for steamboats at differ- ent points up and down the river, They" lived in log. HI3T0BY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 103 cabins at tlieir respective wood-yards, and as the line between the State of Wisconsin and the Territory of Minnesota was not clearly understood by the judges, it seemed necessary for them to challenge every wood- chopper and oblige him to swear in his vote in order to prevent illegal voting. James Wells, who lived down on the border of Lake Pepin was the candidate for the legislature. Previous to the day of election he visited Red Wing and made a speech. He was not an educated man in the usual sense of the term and his speech was said to be rare and racy . Said he was willing to serve the people rather than the interest of any party. Being the only candidate he was elected. We heard that he was made chairman of the committee, in the legislature, on military affairs, but did not learn of his making any report. A majority of votes were cast in favor of Red Wing for the county seat and Wacouta retired from the con- test without murmur. The fifty voters required by the act by which the county was to be organized, had been obtained and the people were happy in the anticipation of a large immigration and a complete organization the next year, which proved to be actually the case. lu the spring of the following year Governor Ram- sey appointed county officers. The records of the pro- ceedings of this first county board are of interest, show- ing, as they do, how great a portion of the county was then an unexplored region. The first boundaries of assessors' and road supervisors' districts are especially amusing. The first county officers were appointed by the Gov- ernor of the Territory, and were as follows: Sheriff, P. S. Figh; Treasurer, Calvin fotter; Register of Deeds, 104 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. J. W. Hancock; District Attorney, Charles Gardner; Clerk of District Court, P. Sandford; Justice of the Peace, James Akers; County Commissioners, William Lauver, H. L. Bevans, Bezin Spates. The first meeting of the Board of Commissioners was held on the 16th of June, 1854. The members were seated upon a pile of lumber near what is now the intersection of Main and Bush streets. Red Wing. H. L. Bevans was chosen chairman, and J. W. Hancock, register of deeds, was ex-officio clerk. The office of county auditor had not been created at that time. But little business was transacted at this meeting. The following named assessors were appointed and districts assigned them: L. Bates, John Day, M. Sorin. The northern district, including that portion of the county between the northern boundary and Hay creek, was assigned as Mr. Bates' district. The. middle district, including that portion of the county between Hay creek and BuUard's creek, was assigned as Mr. Day's district. The southern district, including that portion of the county not included in the other two districts, and the whole of Wabasha county, was assigned as Sorin's district. The next meeting was held June 28, when the fol- lowing bills against the county were presented, the first evidences of county indebtedness: W. S. Combs, blank books, $23.85; Leman Bates, assessor, $6.C0; John Day, assessor, $16.00; total, $45.85. The returns made by the assessors showed the as- sessed valuation of taxable personal property in the two districts to be $65,305. The estimated expenses of the county for the year 1854 were $554.09, and it was ordered that a tax of one HISTOET OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 105 per cent be raised on the present assessment to meet the same. Charles Spates was appointed road supervisor of road district No. 1, which extended east to the west side of Hay creek, and embraced all the northwestern por- tion of the county from that line. T. J. Smith was appointed supervisor of road district No. 2, which extended from the west side of Hay creek to BuUard's creek, embracing the middle portion of the county. Charles Reed was appointed supervisor of road district No. 3, embracing all the southern portion of the county from the line of Bullard's creek. Wm. Freeborn, P. Sandford and Leman Bates were appointed judges of elections in the Bed Wing precinct. Alexis Bailey, Chas. Reed and F. S. Richardson were appointed judges of elections in Wabasha precinct. Wabasha had been attached to this county for judicial purposes. The following resolution was passed : Resolved, To raise six hundred dollars toward the erection of county buildings next year; Provided, that the legal voters of the county, by a majority of votes, consent to the same. The location for court house site was discussed at some length, and the subject finally laid over till the next meeting. At the next meeting, held July 22, the following resolution was passed : Mesolved, That the court house for Goodhue county be located on the block marked and known as "Court House Block," on the town plat of Red Wing, accord- ing to the survey of the same made by J. Knauer, June 23, 1863. 106 HISTORY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. The next meeting was held on the 18th of November. The ccnsideration of bills against the county was taken up, and bills allowed to the amount of $84 60; also for sheriff and justice fees, $145.45. At the closing session in December the following additional amount was allowed, $61.00, making the total expenses of the county for the year $336.90. On the second Tuesday in October, 1854, the people elected a full board of county officers: Commissioners, Eezin Spates, A. W. Post, P. S. Fish; Sheriff, Harry C. Hoffman; Treasurer, M. Sorin; District Attorney, P. Sandford; Judge of Probate, A. D. Shaw; County Sur- veyor, S. A. Hart; Clerk of the Court, P. Sandford; Register of Deeds, J. W. Hancock. The first meeting of the regularly elected board of county commissioners was held on the first day of Jan- uary, 1855. No business was transacted at this meeting. The members simply subscribed to the oath of oflice and elected P. S. Fish as chairman. At their second meeting, January 8, the following bills were presented and allowed: Charles Spates, for services as road supervisor, $5.00; H. S. Simihons, burial expenses of a German pauper, $6.00. At this session the first list of grand and petit jurors was selected. A re-adjustment of assessment districts was agreed upon. Wacouta precinct was set off from Eed Wing precinct and boundaries given. J. C. Weth- er by was appointed justice of the peace; W. E. Culbert- son and Joseph Middaugh, constables. The clerk of the court and register of deeds were directed to procure a case for each of their offices suita- ble for filing papers. The register was also directed to procure blank books for the use of the county. HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 107 Provisions were mflde for offices for the county offi- cials. Philauder Sandford had erected a small building on Main street, Eed Wing, for a law office. This build- ing was used by the clerk of the court, the register of deeds, for the meeting of the board of commissioners, court room, and U. S. land office. It appears that the people did not vote in favor of raising money for county buildings and nothing further was done by the board of commissioners towards that object till 1857, except discussing the matter. A number of new school districts were set off, mak- ing the whole number in the county at the end of the year nine. Several new road districts were established and road supervisors appointed. At a session of the board in April, 1856, the follow- ing named citizens were appointed judges of elections in the several election precincts into which the county had been divided : Red Wing, Seth Washburn, R. C. Todd, T. J. Smith; Wacouta, H. F. Simmons, George Post, Abner W. Post ; Belle Creek, Hans Mattson, Walter Doyle, S. P. Chandler; Florence, Samuel Cory, Henry Phillips, J. L.. Dixon; Sackton, Simon Sackett, D. F. Stevens, P. G. Wilson; Cannon Falls, Andrus Durand, E. N. Sumner, Alonzo Dibble; Dunkirk, Ole Oleson, Samuel Knutson, Gander Oleson. The business transacted by the board this year was similar to that of 1855. As the county was constantly filling up by immigration, new school and road districts were necessarily formed. The total valuation, as re- turned by the assessors, was $630,227. This was the first year that lands had become taxable. In the year 1857 action was taken in earnest to pro- vide county buildings. 108 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. The county board consisted of S. P. Chandler, S. J. Hasler, A. W. Post. S. J. Hasl^r was elected chairman. At a meeting held on the 10th of April the following action was taken: Whereas, It is the duty of the board of county com- missioners to provide for the erecting and repairing of court house, jails, and other necessary public buildings for the use of the county; and. Whereas, This county has no court house, nor jail; Resolved, That tliis board provide for the erection of suitable buildings for the use of the county. Several resolutions followed in regard to the issue of bonds, their negotiation, etc. Then tliey resolved to receive plans and specifications for a court house, to be furnished on or before the first Monday in May, at the register of deeds' office, and directed the clerk to have these resolutions printed three successive weeks in the Med Wing Gazeite. It was the opinion of this board that the court house block was too far from the river, and tliey resolved that the block now occupied by the Episcopal church should be the site for county buildings,. provided a good title could be obtained. But nothing came from the above resolves of the commissioners, probably on account of the great stringency in money matters which prevailed throughout the country that year. The next reference to building a court house is found under date of February 2, 1838, when it was voted to erect county buildings according to plans and speci- fications presented by Messrs. Chaffee, provided that sufficient county bonds can be negotiated at a sum not less than ninety cents on the dollar, the cost of said building not to exceed thirty thousand dollars. HI8T0EY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 109 It will be remembered by many of the older citizens that our county^ orders at that time were worth from sixty to seventy-five isents on the dollar. On the third Monday in May the bids were opened and the contract awarded to Hill, Simmons & Stevens for completing the building of a court house and jail under one roof. Voted to notify the contractors that the same be erected on the "Coui-t House Block," as designated on the town plat of Eed Wing. Tuesday, June 8, the board voted to accept the sure- ties given by Daniel C. Hill and others for the comple- tion of the contract for building court house and jail; and ordered the same to be placed on file. Voted also that the contract entered into by the county commissioners, parties of the first part, and Daniel C. Hill and others, parties of the second part, be placed on file. The court house was finished and turned over by the contractors to the county board in August, 1859. On the 20th of March, there was enacted by the Territorial legislature a law providing for a system of •township organizations, which was to go into effect the 12th of July, 1858, which came near discontinuing the work of the contractors for a time. A new county board, consisting of the chairman of each board of town supervisors, was elected to transact the business of the county. Pursuant to the provisions of this act, AVilliam P. Tanner, Martin S. Chandler, and Jesse Mclntire, pro- ceeded to the discharge of the duty assigned them, defined the boundaries and named the several townships in Goodhue county to the number of twenty-one. So the new board consisted of twenty-one members. Their first meeting was held on the second Monday 110 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. in July, 1858. That little office occupied by the register of deeds before mentione.l was too strait for so large a body, and a room was found in Todd & Hasler's block on Main street. The first day was spent in organizing and appointing committees. "Tuesday the committee on rules and reg- ulations submitted their repirt which was adopted. These rules fill about eight pages of the journal and are about as volumnous as tlie rules governing the con- gress of the United States." It was farther related of the proceedings of this new board that they were marked by motions and counter- motions, speeches and counter-speeches, a few men doing the speaking, and a few others doing the work. In fact it was a kind of young congress in which some men made speeches of the buncome sort. That this board held their next meeting in "Har- mony Hall," a building which stood on West Main street, seemed a fitting appointment. Yet the good name of the hall was sadly misused by them. In fact, they had two presiding ofiicers for a time. The following account was written by a member of this board who took an active part in this meeting: "The facts, briefly, are these: At the first meeting of the county board in July referred to, S. P. Chandler was chosen chairman, and acted as such, without any sign of opposition from any one. The annual meeting of the board was fixed by law on the second Monday in September, and the board adjourned to meet at that time. The board so met, and it was the understanding of the entire board that at this annual meeting a new election of officers was to take place. Accordingly the board proceeded to the election of chairman, and I. C. Stearns HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. , 111 was elected by nearly, if not quite, a two- thirds majority. He took the chair without any opposition and a large amount of business was transacted at that forenoon session. During the adjournment of two hours for the afternoon session, the matter was talked up in town, and it was the opinion of the lawyers that the new elec- tion of officers was illegal, and that the officers elected at the first meeting held over for the ensuing year. Mr. S. P. Chandler was therefore advised by them to again assume the chair and claim his right as chairman. So at the commencement of the afternoon session both officers called the meeting to order simultaneously, and both put motions as they were made and seconded. This, however, continued but a very short time, for as the voice of the new chairman was stronger, and the -board paid attention to him rather than to the other, the old chairman subsided, and said he appointed the other to act for him until the matter was settled. The board then proceeded to discuss the question at length. The house was crowded with the talent of Eed Wing, and the excitement was at a high pitch; for it was understood that the validity of the bonds issued for the building of the court house would be affected by this decision, as the chairman of the board must sign the bonds. "Hon. W. W. Phelps was invited to address the board on the subject, and he made a lengthy argument in favor of the continuance of the old officers. This discission occupied nearly the entire afternoon. It was finally decided by the board that the old officers held over, and Mr. Chandler was allowed quietly to resume his seat as chairman." The building of the court house at the time was 112 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. considered by many of the people in the south part of the county 1)00 much in the interest of Eed Wing. When this laoard of supervisors succeeded the county commissioners the country towns had mucli the larger representation, and the majority sought to avoid the responsibility of the contract made by the old board. Legal advice was secured which satisfied them that the contract was legal and binding, and rather than risk involving the county in heavy damages, the contractors were allowed to proceed and the court house was fin- ished according to the time specified. A feeling of dissatisfaction with the township system became general very soon throughout the State, and early in 1860 an act was passed by the legislature, pro- viding that each and every county in the State should be deemed an organized county, and that in those coun- ties in which at the last general election there were cast eight hundred votes or over, the board of commissioners should consist of five members and in all others three members, who should hold their offices one year, or until their successors should be elected and qualified. The last board of supervisors adjourned sine die on the 10th of January, 1860. The new board of commis- sioners held their first session on the 4th of June fol- lowing. This board was composed of J. A. Thacher, H. L. Bevans, J. A. Jackson, A. Hilton and E. A. Sar- gent. Since then there has been no change in the man- agement of the affairs of the county. The old court house, with some necessary alterations and repairs, has served the purposes intended for more than thirty years. Another building upon the same block was erected in 1887 for sheriff's residence and jail. Few counties in the State have better public buildings. HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 113 A large farm was purchased by the county commis- sioners in 1864 for the purpose of providing a home for the poor for the sum of $3000. Necessary buildings were erected thereon at a cost of $5,737.18. The buildings were completed and ready for occupancy in 1867, where many unfortunate and aged invalids have enjoyed a comfortable refuge during the last days of their earthly career. The main building was accidentally consumed by fire in October, 1889. The inmates, about thirtv in number, all escaped injury, and temporary accommoda- tions were provided for them till a new house was erected. The new building was completed during the follow- ing year at a cost of about $20,000. It is situated on Spring creek in the town of Burnside, and presents a very fine appearance. There is an artesian well on the premises and the whole surroundings are such as make it a pleasant home. The farm is under as good cultiva- tion as any in the neighborhood. The whole is managed by an overseer who is appointed by the board of county commissioners. The first political movement having a tendency to shape the future complexion of the parties in Goodhue county was a meeting held October 8, 1856; on the cor- ner of Main and Bush streets, Red Wing. Franklin Pierce, a Democrat, was then President of the United States. As a matter of course, all appointive officers of the Territory were Democrats. A U. S. land office was located here. The Hon. C. Graham was receiver and Hon. W. W. Phelps was register. The chief justice of the Territory, Hon. W. H. Welch, also resided here. Henry G. Hoffman was post-master. Nehemiah Bennett, editor of the Sentinel (now Argus), 114 HISTOBY OP GOODHUE COUNTS. was justice of the peace. The elective offices for the county were then filled with those who were adherents of the party dominant at that time. While no vote for President could be taken here, the interests of the party must not be allowed to flag, and in consequence a grand demonstration rally was announced for above date. After a large pile of empty barrels, boxes, and other combustible materials, had been fired and allowed to burn some time for the amuse- ment of the boys, and gather a crowd, an organization was effected by the selection of Dr. F. F. Hoyt chairman, and N. V. Bennett secretary. Hon. W. W. Phelps mounted a dry goods box directly in front of the Tee- peetonka hotel, and for about an hour poured forth the Simon-pure Democracy on the compromise measures of 1850, and the Kansas and Nebraska bill of Stephen A. Douglas, commonly known as Popular or Squatter sovereignty. Mr. Graham followed in the same strain, except he interspersed his speech with many anecdotes which kept the boys in a very good humor. The meet- ing closed after Mr. Graham's speech, but the people did not seem disposed to leave hastily. They gathered into small groups, discussing the matter for themselves. Many young men, and some older ones, had come into the Territory expecting to make their homes here. Among them was the Hon. Charles McClure, from Illi- nois, who had been trained in the anti-slavery army for some years and had been acquainted with such men as Abraham Lincoln, Lyman Trumball, Owen Lovejoy, and others of like sentiment. The result of the group conferences was the holding of a Eepublican meeting then and there. Dr. Hoyt was found and on being questioned said the Democrats were HlSTOEY OF CiOODHOE C0UNT1?. 115 through, and had no objections whatever to the Repub- licans having a meeting. H. L. Bevans, John Going, and Manville Comstock, a self-constituted committee, called upon Mr. IMcClure, who had been sitting at his office window listening to the former speakers, and was waiting for just such an opportunity. He was soon mounted upon the same box previously occupied by Phelps and Graham, McClure had not spoken ten minutes when it was apparent to all who claimed to be Republicans that he was annihilating the doctrine of popular sovereignty. He had not proceeded much longer when a whoop was heard from the front of Clark & Allen's hardware store, as if a company of Comanches had been let loose, and a moment later down the street came some men and some boys with a small wagon and some sheets of iron laid so as to flap together; and with blow-horns and cow-bells, attempting to drown the voice of the speaker. 0. C. Vandenberg, Louis Bennett and others came very near getting into trouble over the matter. They being the leaders, or able to control the leaders of the affair, quiet was restored and Mr. McClure was permitted to finish. The following spring Charles McClure was a candi- date for delegate to the Constitutional convention to form a State constitution, and after a very hard contest was elected by a majority of three over his competitor. Since that time the county has not failed to give a Republican majority for all National and nearly all State nominees for office when privileged to vote for such. In the early years of the settlement of the county, but little interest was taken in politics. While a Terri- tory we could not vote for President. Minnesota did not become a State until May, 1858. 116 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. The first opportunity we had of voting for President was in the fall of 1860. Until 1857 party lines were not strictly drawn; candidates were voted for on grounds of popularity, or individual preference. In September, 1857, a new paper made its appear- ance in Eed Wing styled the Eed Wing Republican. The first number was dated the 4th of the month and contained a full copy of the State Constitution which had been framed by a State Constitutional convention at St. Paul that year and was presented to the next meeting of Congress, asking for admission into the Union. The same number contained also a report of the proceedings of a political county convention which had been held a few days previously, to promote the interests of the Piepublican party. Lucius P. Hubbard, who had lately become a resident of the county, was the first editor of this paper. From this time, party lines were more distinctly drawn, the Red Wing Sentinel being the organ of the Democratic party, and the Re- publican the organ of the party of that name. In the proceedings of the first convention of the Eepublican party, it is stated that William Stanton, of Cannon Falls, served as chairman, and Henry L. Bevans, of Eed Wing, as secretary; that the convention was ad- dressed by the Hon. Charles McClure in a spirited and practical speech, representing the position of the Eepub- lican party in the coming campaign. A full ticket for county ofiicers was put in nomination and the nominees were triumphantly elected. The political campaign of Goodhue county in the fall of 1860 was an exceedingly lively one, as well before as after the nominating conventions. This was espe- cially the case with the Eepublicans. HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 117 The main contest in the Republican convention was for the office of register of deeds, and the principal can- didates for the office were: Matthew Sorin and T. B. McCord, of Red Wing; Aaron G. Hudson, of Florence, and C. C. Webster, of Zumbrota. The convention waS held at the court house on the 11th day of October; The feeling among the friends of the different candi- dates was at fever heat, and at one time during the con- vention, a personal encounter took place. After several ballots had been taken Mr. Webster was nominated, a result brought about by a combination of the friends of the nominee and those of Hudson and McOord. Mr. Sorin and his friends were terribly chagrined at the result, and in order to give public expression to their feelings, an "indignation meeting" was arranged for, to be held at the court house a few evenings later, at which Mr. Sorin was to be the principal speaker. His well known eloquence and ability as an orator could not but attract a large crowd, and the court room was filled to its utmost capacity, to see and hear what might take place. The speaker was at his best, and the audience, both friend and foe, were richly entertained. He took up the case of one of his rivals for the nomination, who had sold out his delegates to Mr. Webster, and who hap- pened to be at that time a young man. In sarcastic language and manner he referred to him as a mere cipher in the community, and concluded by asking : "Who is he? and what has he ever done for Goodhue county? He has not done so much as build a hen-coop. A man without a home, without a wife, and perhaps without a child." Afterward h^ referred to some other young men who 118 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. had been somewhat conspicaous in bringing about his defeat, as he expressed it. A young man called Gapt. Smithers, then a well known resident of Red Wing, supposing himself to be the person alluded to, rose in his seat and asked, "Mr. Sorin, do you mean me?" The speaker stopped, straightened himself to his full height, and looking steadily at the captain, till every eye in the room was turned upon him and perfect silence prevailed, he answered: "You, sir; no! I am on the descending grade, but haven't got down to you yet." Of course, every one shouted at the reply; but it is doubtful if the answer was nearly as mortifying to the captain as was the fact that the speaker did not reach him daring the remainder of his speech. It was admitted by all present that Mr. Sorin thor- oughly vindicated himself and discomfited his enemies on the occasion. He was afterward appointed post- master at Red Wing by the incoming administration. Some other defeated candidates have not fared as well. This county has been fortunate enough to secure men of ability and honesty to conduct its affairs with prudence and economy, to whatever political party they may have been attached for the time being. CHAPTEE XL THE HALF-BEEED TRACT. The above named tract of land, which comprised a large portion of this county, was in the early settlement often the subject of absorbing interest, but is now almost forgotten. When the Mdewakantonwan Dakotas sold their lands along the western bank of the Mississippi to the United States by treaty they expressed a wish to reserve a por- tion of said land for the benefit of the mixed bloods, their relatives, who would, as it was supposed, desire to cultivate the same, and adopt the customs of the whites instead of going to a reservation further West. The following described tract was accordingly set apart for the purpose: Beginning at the lower end of Barn bluff and running thence southwesterly on a line at right angles with the general course of the Mississippi river fifteen miles; thence southeasterly on a line parallel with the general course of said river, to a point fifteen miles west of the foot of Lake Pepin; thence to the foot of said lake; thence up said lake and river to the place of beginning. As will be readily seen a large part of of this tract fell within the limits of Goodhue county, and the remainder within the limits of Wabasha county. There is no doubt that Indian traders and those in their employ were the chief instruments in having such 120 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. a reservation made. The persons who would be entitled to share in the same were at the time chiefly children under age. For some reason this land was not laid off into townships and sections by the surveyors until about a year after the other part of the county had been sur- veyed. A few settlers however had, by permission of some relatives of the Indians, settled here. Some had purchased the rights of a mixed blood and made a claim accordingly. I think that the United States surveyors finally completed the survey of this tract during the year 1855. It was laid off without regard to the boundaries given in the treaty, into townships and sections in conformity with the adjacent lands. Soon after the land office was opened in Eed Wing a list of the names of all persons entitled to a share of this reserved tract was made out and sent to the general land office in Washington. Scrip was immediately issued to each name designating the number of acres the person named was entitled to hold. Gen. Shields brought the scrip to Minnesota for dis- tribution. It was a matter of course that the greater portion passed into the hands of parents or guardians of children, and from them it passed into the Lands of speculators. About this time there were probably two hundred families of white people settled upon this tract. Many of them held quit claims from individual half-breeds for a certain number of acres. But the land officers could not recognize the quit-claims. Noth- ing but the scrip from the general land office would avail in filing an entry upon any portion of this land. Speculators saw their opportunity and began to take up HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 121 the land by "laying the scrip," as the act was called in the land office. The choicest locations were already occupied by settlers, and those who held scrip could enter the lands these settlers had chosen, many of whom had made expensive improvements. The soil had been broken and crops raised; buildings and fences erected. The actual settlers had the sympathy of all the sur- rounding population, but scripholders had the advantage of the situation and commenced to obtain title to farms already improved. This caused the settlers to rally in self-defence. That was an exciting time in Red Wing. The disputed tract invaded the eastern part of the town itself, and the land office was located here. Meetings were held by the actual settlers and coun- sel taken as to methods of procedure. They assessed upon themselves a tax, raised money, and sent one man to Washington to demand justice in their behalf. They secured from the land office correct copies of plats of all the townships and fractional townships included in the tract. And upon whatever quarter section a settler had made his improvements, that quarter was definitely marked. Scripholders were publicly warned against filing upon such land. At a meeting of those interested in the cause of the settlers, which was held at the Kelly House in Red Wing the 17th of March, 1856, a vigilance committee was chosen to prevent any more scrip being laid upon any land already occupied. This committee was empowered to demand that in every case where scrip had been laid on actual settlers' land, said scrip should be immediately raised. This committee was composed of twenty-one members. They were men of dauntless courage and muscular power, and devoted their whole time and energy to the work 122 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. appointed until it was accomplished. Two of them stood as sentinels at the land office armed with loaded revolvers constantly watching every transaction therein, being relieved by other two at stated times. In the meantime the majority of this committee were acting as detectives, arresting and bringing to trial those who had already offended. It should be remembered that we had then no court house and no jail. Lawyers were but few and these few all on the same side, so that summary justice seemed absolutely, necessary. We will relate the details of one case disposed of by this committee. It was a former Indian trader who lived on Lake Pepin. He had been a member of the Territorial legis- lature, was a man of some notoriety, whose well known character had procured for him the appropriate name of "Bully." He had succeeded in laying some half- breed scrip upon a settler's land before the committee was appointed. They were watching his movements; knowing that his family was entitled to a large amount of scrip, they waited for his next visit to the land office, which was not many days after. He came as far as the door of the land office when he was taken into the cus- tody of a strong guard of armed men whose leader com- manded him to march into the office forthwith, and raise the entry he had made upon a settler's land by scrip. He utterly refused to do so, and defied the committee to compel him thus to do. He was escorted to the Tepee- tonka hotel where a strong guard was kept over him for several hours. Meantime preparations were made for his trial and its consequences. Witnesses were summoned and he was convicted of refusing to obey the mandate of the committee. He was then escorted HISTOR? OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 123 down to the river which was still covered with ice, though it was near the close of March. Very near the middle of the stream a hole had been cut large enough to put a good sized man into. He was there told to take his choice feither to go immediately to the land office, and in the presence of the members of the com- mittee, raise that entry of scrip, or be put down through the ice. He looked into the faces of those determined men a moment, and made up his mind to go and do as they had ordered in relation to the scrip. Two or three other cases of this kind were disposed of by the com- mittee with similar results. No personal injury was in- flicted upon anyone and the committee accomplished the work which was appointed them, for the time being, in a very efficient manner. A decision from the general land office at Washington in a few weeks relieved them from their task, and gave satisfaction to all the settlers. By this decision, those who had settled upon the tract and made improvements thereon, had the preemption and homestead rights, the same as on other government lands. The same decision granted to the holders of half-breed scrip the privilege of laying the same upon any other government land not previously claimed by an actual settler. All the vacant land on the half- breed tract was taken very soon after this decision^ the situation near the river enhancing its value. The distance of a few miles from market was considered a great disadvantage before we had any railroads. None of the mixed bloods ever cared to settle on the land thus set apart for their benefit. It soon all passed into the possession of immigrants from the other states, and those who came from Europe. But the end of trouble from that half-breed scrip was not yet. Many 124 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. of the residents of this county were subjected to the privilege of paying twice for their right to possess their farms. They first paid the parents or guardians of the children in whose names the land had been first entered, receiving a guardian's deed. A dozen or more years after, as the child nrrived at majority, another payment was demanded and generally paid. There were several cases known to the writer where a person held and cultivated the land as his own, having received a guardian's deed, for more than twelve years, when a lawyer visited the place and claimed the farm with its improvements, as the attorney of some child just become of age, and now he must pay again for a quit-claim from the child or stand a law-suit. Now a la\^-suit is rather expensive, as all who have had one must know, and those who have not may know by attend- ing the session of a court where a suit is pending concern- ing the title to a piece of land. Any farmer will sooner pay a few hundred dollars than entertain such a thing. The people who now reside along the valley of Lake Pepin and within fifteen miles of said lake in Minnesota, are certainly to be congratulated that they enjoy more peaceful times than were granted to those who preceded them. But a very small number of that vigilance com- mittee of twenty-one now survive. They are entitled to honor for having done their work well. The celebrated half-breed tract was a complete farce, and likewise a very costly one to many of our early set- tlers. It was a trick of the Indian traders to make money for themselves and litigation for those who came from far to make homes for their families, and lay the foundations for civilized and Christian institutions in a wilderness. CHAPTER XII. REMINISOENCESi Every new region has its peculiar attractions. The largest share of the early settlers of Minnesota were doubtless attracted hither by reports of the healthful- ness of the climate and fertility of the soil. But there were attractions for all classes. All trades and profes- sions are wanted among civilized men. No better description of the employments and diversions experi- enced in early times in Goodhue county can be given than is furnished in the following address by Judge E. T. Wilder, delivered, before the Old Settlers' Associa- tion, in January, 1883: "In May, 1856, in company with Mr. Chas. Hall, of Ohio, the father of our O. M. Hall, I left Dubuque for Minnesota. Traveling with our own team, we went west to Waterloo on Cedar river, then up that stream, visiting Cedar Falls, Waverly, St. Charles, Osage; thence through Austin, Owatonna, Faribault, Cannon Falls, to Eed Wing. Eeturning from this point south, we passed Poplar Grove, Oronoco, Eochester and Deco- rah, to Dubuque. " The incidents of this trip were not a little diversi- fied. Hotel accommodations, even in towns, were by no means incapable of improvement. In this particular, Eed Wing was not an exception. The regulation diet was fresh pork from ehoats of the racer variety; dried 126 HISTORY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. apples in different forms; a decoction of the tea plant with little or no sugar; and now and then a dish of corn coffee. The only bright, sunny spot we found on the whole route was Owatonna. This picture is a pleas- ant one to this day. Reaching that place at noon, we stopped for dinner at a small but cheerful looking hotel. We found no one to care for us but the landlady, a neat, tidy, petite, and charming lady; for all this she was! Looking after the team ourselves, she, unassisted, with exceptional promptness, prepared the dinner. The table was neatness personified, and the dinner was in all respects entitled to equal commendation. With such a table, such a dinner, and such a waiting maid, stand- ing out in bold contrast with the experience of the few preceding days, no one of the early settlers will doubt that we did full justice to the dinner, and honor to the hostess. " This trip was purely one of observation. No point visited pleased me as well as Eed Wing, and no section through which we passed equaled in promise what we saw in Goodhue county. In a few days I returned to Red Wing to look over the ground again and with more care. This was about the 20th of June. At this time I formed numerous acquaintances, prominent among whom were Judge W. H. Welch, Messrs. Phelps and Graham, J. 0. Weatherby, James Lawther, Messrs. Smith, Towne & Co. Of the latter firm I then saw more of Mr. Towne than of his partners. My interviews were mainly with him, and though long since gone to his rest, I am pleased to say that in all my intercourse with men, few, as a stranger, have ever met me with more of cordiality and gentlemanly courtesy than he. The result of these investigations was a determination to fliSTOBY OP CtOODHUE COUNTY. 127 remain here. I rented an office in the second story of a wooden building, then nearly completed, standing on the north side of Main street, the present site of Rich's hardware store. Red Wing then contained a population of perhaps six hundred. "A few days after, I returned to Dubuque and sent Mr. A. W. Pratt forward with our office furniture, following him about the 10th of July. I found the building before referred to completed and occupied. In the west compartment,, on the lower floor, was the U. S. land office; in the east, the hardware store of Clark & Cooper; in front, over them, was our office; and in front, over the llind office, w6re Messrs. Smith, Towne & Co. ; and back of them, the law office of Murdock & Bristol. "From that building radiated many matters of prac- tical importance to this land district. From well nigh all parts of the State came attorneys to be heard in cases of contest in the land office court. " In this block were concocted the thousand and one practical jokes that contributed not a little to save our people in those days from ennui. "Those who are familiar with that period in our history need not be told that our friend Pratt was the presiding genius in this department, supported by Phelps Everett as his efficient and unfailing aid. While a volume could be filled with reports of their work in this field, I give only a specimen. "Messrs. Clark & Cooper had ordered and received the bell for the new Presbyterian church. It stood upon the sidewalk in front of their store and of course directly below and in front of our office; its position was such that it could be easily rung. I had just re- 128 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. turned from the East with memoranda for numerous business entries upon our books. I was seated at one side of the table in the office, and Pratt at the other, making entries at my dictation. It was a hot day in summer and the office windows wide open. We liad progressed with our work but a little time, when clang, clang, in full tone, went the bell; not a single tap or two, but persistently. Of course it disturbed us. An exclamation of annoyance on my part was followed by Pratt's quiet movement to the window to discover by whom the bell was rung,, and to request its discontinu- ance. From him came the remark, ' The scamps have run; they must be the same cubs who have kept the bell going for the last two nights. They don't let a fellow sleep.' " Our work was barely resumed when the boys gave notice of their return by interruption number two, and with increased power. Pratt moved rapidly to the win- dow; the boys were just disappearing' round the corner. This game was kept up two or three times more. At last Pratt left his seat, saying, 'Confound them; I will catch them anyway ! ' Going to his closet he produced a pitcher of water, the best part of a gallon, and taking position behind the wall near the window, watched the movements below. Some little time elapsed with no results. Meantime he stood and watched. At length came the sound of the bell with still increased volume and simultaneously out went the contents of the pitcher' followed by the joyous outcry, 'I hit the biggest fellow squarely in the face! I guess they'll stop now.' And they did. " The first religious service I attended in Ked Wing was in July, 1856, in the seminary building of the HISTOEY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 129 Hamline University. A local minister, not now in the place, officiated. I remember nothing of his sermon further than that by way of illustration he presented to his congregation by a word picture, a pig, which, trying to force itself through a rail fence, finds itself caught so that it can move neither forward nor backward. On the way from meeting Mr. Pratt, being in company, suddenly stopped, and with a tone and expression of anxiety, said, 'Hold on. Judge! I have got to go back.' 'Why, what's the matter?' 'Why, don't you hear that poor pig squeal? I must go back and get him out of the fence.' "In those days the range of amusements was limited and sports of tlie field and stream had many votaries. Allow me to* photograph one feature of a fishing trip, and a single hunting scene. As soon as the ice in the river was known to be firm, parties could be seen, each with his blanket, spear and decoy, at an early morning bour, moving with dignity toward the favorite run way for the day's sport. The language of the thermometer was ignored. Twenty or twenty-five below prevented no one from keeping a previous engagement. Reach- ing the designated point, the first step was to build up- on the bank a big log fire, the next to cut the number of holes, and tben commenced the work of the day. Seated upon the ice under his blanket, with spear in one hand and the string of his decoy in the other, the sportsman would watch for his prey, until by reason of his cramped position his limbs uttered their protest, then join his comrades at the fire, swap yarns, roast and eat salt pork, and then again take up his spear and decoy for the second instalment of what some of you would characterize as discomfort and folly. Again and 10 130 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. again 1 have heard the question : ' What pleasure can there be in this?' If I could take one of these skep- tics under my blanket and compel him to keep perfectly- still, the answer would readily be given. Like a flash, like a ray of light through the clear pellucid water striking at the decoy as he goes under and beyond the hole, darts a twenty pound muscalonge. The nerves respond as to a current of electricity. Now, not a mo- tion, not a noise, not even a long breath. In a moment or two, he comes moving slowly, cautiously, suspiciously back. You first see the very tip of his noge as it pro- jects above the ice. In the slowest, most cautious man- ner possible, watching everything, he moves steadily on towards the decoy, and then when he has passed so far under the hole as to present his head and 'shoulders in- side of the wall of ice, a quick, sharp, downward blow, skillfully given with the suspended spear, and the fellow is yours. If in this there is not excitement, if there is not pleasure which a sportsman feels to his very fingers' ends, then recollection is strangely at fault..,,.. "Occasionally our trips were made with teams and to points some distance away. One trip of this sort will not readily be forgotten. The party consisted of Dr. Sweney, Prof. Wilson, Teele, Downing, Brundage, Abe Thomas, Dr. Hoyt and myself. The shoes of the team had been recently sharpened; we drove up the river some distance and then across the island and struck the Vermilion slough at a point five or six miles above its mouth. We had in that neighborhood a good day's sport, Mr. Downing using hook and line and catching 'snakes,' the balance of the company using spear and decoy taking fish. We returned by the Ver- HISTOBr OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 131 milion; all were on board (Mr. Teele excepted, who was iipon skates), Mr. Thomas driving. Moving at a good round trot, without premonition we entered upon a section of ice so thin that a jet of water of an inch or more in height followed each cork of the shoes of the horses as they were raised from the ice in our progress, and so feeble as perceptibly to yield to the weight of the load. You may well imagine that at that moment our sleigh contained white faces, pallid lips and nervous men. It was madness to stop; our only chance for safety consisted in going on and over the weak ice if possible, and this the driver instinctively appre- ciated. Applying the whip promptly and smartly, the team fairly flew until solid ice was reached aud safety assured. For a brief period the strain was painfully intense. It was an experience no one of that party was ever ambitious to repeat. "In the summer of 1857, a company, consisting of Mr. Going, Mr. Williston, Brown and others, left Ked Wing for an extended chicken hunt. In the vicinity of Hader the troop were ranging over quite an area, yet within sight and hearing. Two of the company fired at a covey of chickens, and in a direction not toward, bat from Mr. Going. The reports of their guns had barely reached us when all eyes were turned to Mr. Going some distance away, who howling in agony was at intervals hurling curses loud and deep at the heads of our companions for their supposed carelessness, while he was with both hands holding up one leg, and at the same time trying to preserve his equilibrium, by hopping and jumping, not quite gracefully, upon the other. All feared he was seriously wounded, and were at his side with the least possible delay. He was etill 132 mSTOBY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. grasping and rubbing the calf of the injured leg and obviously suffering intense pain. We placed him gently upon the ground, removed his boots and so much of his clothing as was necessary for a thorough examina- tion, when to our surprise as well as his, no blood, no wound, no mark, not even a scratch could be found. Further examination disclosed the fact, that a single shot had struck him on the upper lip, had passed through and lodged against the skin upon the inner surface of the lip, and that was the extent of the injury. Two questions are suggested: First, where did that one shot come from? and second, what is the nervous connection between the lip and the calf of the leg? "Among the citizens of Red Wing and the surround- ing country there are few .better or more widely known than John Jordan, who is still living on a farm in Wacouta. His life's career is here given in his own words: "I was born in Belfast, Ireland, March 6, 1805. My father enlisted as a private soldier in 1798, when the Irish rebellion was raging. The first night he brought his gun home, the rebel neighbors flocked around his house demanding the gun. My mother with a baby brother in her arms, went to the window to look out, when one of the crowd struck at her with the butt end of his gun. She ran into an adjacent room, threw the baby on the bed, twisted the bayonet off father's gun, pulled him from the door and swinging the weapon over her head, swore that the first man who would touch her she would run through. The disturbers awed by her courage, stepped back, and allowed her to pass quietly to a neighbor's house, while they withdrew without more trouble. My mother was large and very HISTOEY OP GOODHUE COUNTS. 133 religious. It was the first and only time she was ever heard to use a profane word. She was a member of the Presbyterian church. "My father was a fancy linen weaver before he be- came a private soldier. He was also something of a mechanic. He made his own loom for weaving, and mother spun the yarn. I was the fifth of thirteen children. My parents were very poor, and as the family was large, the children had to fight for themselves when very young. "At the age of seven I was put into a fancy print- work establishment in Dublin, to which place my par- ents had removed, when the rebellion was over. I had no time to go to school. I learned to spell and read, studying by myself during the intervals when work at the factory would stop. Never wrote a copy at school. The little I learned from books was in teaching my own children at home. When I was sixteen years old I began to serve as an apprentice to the fancy printing trade. I served seven years. About the year 1832 or 1838, I was chosen out of a large factory of fancy printers, to print a dress for the queen of England when she was a little maid and before she wore the crown. It was a seven colored Chinese pattern and took seven blocks for the design. This was at Ireland- bridge near Dublin. I went from there to England and worked several years in Manchester. "The year 1845 found me employed in the Globe print works at Fall Eiver, Mass. From there I went to ' Garner's print works, Eockland county, N. Y., where I worked nine years, and laid up from my earnings $2,000. In 1856 I left for Ked Wing, Minnesota. " This last trip was not without its trials. In Chicago 134 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. I lost $800 in gold, whicli my wife forgot under her pil- low in her sleeping room. She had nine in the family to look after, and in the hurry forgot the money. We spent three days in the city trying to recover it without success. We reached Eed Wing, November 1, 1856, and in the following year settled in Wacouta. We were pros- perous until the breaking out of the war, when all the help I had went to fight for the Union. Three sons went away; one returned broken down in health, and the other two lie in some southern ditch for the sake of their country. I was then nearly sixty years old ; I had to rent out my farm. I now get a pension of $12 per month. I had twenty relatives on the battle field. The war was a sorrowful thing on me and mine, but it had to be, or freedom was no more, and if I had been young I would have been there too." Soon after the close of the war father Jordan wrote the following, entitled, "my boys' pictuees." Their pictures are here now, But their bodies are not, They lie far South away In some rebel's green lot. For their country they fought, For this Union did fall, On the battle field died, By the traitors' sad ball. The fourth of October In the year Sixty-two, The fighting was dreadful At Corinth it is true. HISTORY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 135 When Nat. the brave fellow To his comrade did say, "Though now in great danger, Let us not run away." But before the stout boy Could receive a reply, A great shell knocked him down. And in blood he did lie. He was borne to a tent, And his comrades did say. It was of his raother. That he spoke that day. He said, "Tell my mother, Do not mourn much for me; 1 die for my country And sweet liberty.'' CHAPTEE XIII. THE CIVIL WAE. The part taken by the citizens of this county during the war of the rebellion is well worthy a permanent record. Most of the people had but newly settled here. They were from many parts of the old world, and from distant parts of the United States. The people from different localities not being acquainted with each other's language or customs, made communication with neighbors sometimes difficult. Yet the call for volun- teers was responded to, bravely and willingly, by all classes. When the tocsin of war was sounded in April, 1861, the whole population of the county did not exceed 9,000. During the war we furnished 1,508 en- listed men, which was about one-sixth of the number of inhabitants. The people were then fully engaged in the important work of laying the foundations of society,, and building the homes for themselves and families, which they hoped to enjoy in the future. Among all the people of the northern states, none seemed more ready to devote themselves to the cause of the Union than those who had lately come from across the ocean to make their homes in this country. From a single family of five boys in the town of Belle Creek, four enlisted as volunteers and marched to the front, while the fifth sent a substitute. In fact nearly every able bodied man of suitable age oft'ered himself HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 137 to serve in the federal army, and those who stayed at home by the stuff, devoted their time and means to a greater or less extent in sustaining the Union cause. Husbands, fathers, and sons bravely left the com- forts of home and the society of loved ones to endure the hardships and face the dangers of war. Nor was less patriotism displayed by those who by age or physical disability were prevented from enlistment. They also contributed their time and means to sustain the wives and children whose husbands and fathers were engaged in the tented field. Whenever money was called for it was freely given. Funds were raised in the several cities and townships and placed in the hands of committees who were appointed to distribute the same among soldiers' families according to their several necessities. A public meeting was held in Red Wing very soon after the first company of volunteers had left, to con- cert a plan for the relief of soldiers' families. A sub- scription was raised amounting to over $2,0C0 and a committee was appointed to distribute the same from time to time, according to the necessities of such families. During the progress of the war other towns in the county followed the example, by furnishing aid to soldiers' families when needed. The board of county commissioners voted a bounty of $20 to be paid out of the treasury of the county, to each and every person who enlisted or reenlisted in the service of the United States for the war, whose enlistment was accredited to this county. Additional bounties were given in the several townships. It is not possible to give an exact account at this day of the whole amount of money 138 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. expended by the people of this county, to sustain the cause of the Union. An approsimite estimate can be made by giving amounts which were raised by a few of the county towns. According to the records of Vasa, that township raised by taxation $12,120; Featherstone, $13,000; Belvidere, $3,500; Goodhue, $2,700. Large sums were raised in all the townships by voluntary subscriptions for the sanitary and christian commissions. Before the first battle at Bull Eun, just after the federal army had crossed the Potomac, the chaplain of the First Minnesota regiment issued Ihe following circular: "To the churches of Christ in Minnesota of every name, greeting: "Grace be with you, mercy and peace from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. "By request of Surgeon Stewart and Assistant Surgeon LeBoutillier, I sent this circular. " A regiment, during the first months of its organiza- tion, is necessarily destitute of adequate hospital funds, and owing to the depression on the department at Washington, ordinary medical supplies are limited. Soldiers exposed to the heat of the noonday sun, and the malaria that walketh in darkness, frequently find their way aEter the nights' watch, to the hos- pital. Careful nursiug, and food more delicate than army rations, are the remedies prescribed for recovery. The surgeons feel that the various branches of the church in Minnesota, whose children are all represented in the regiment, will esteem it a privilege to contribute something, even the widow's mite, to procure a lemou HISTORY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 139 or orange, or a cup of cold water, or other refreshments, for a soldier debilitated by exposure to southern suns, and they have selected the writer as a medium of com- munication. "Contributions should be made for the Hospital Fund of the First Minnesota regiment and forwarded in Eastern exchange. All receipts will be publicly acknowledged by " Edward D. Neill, Chaplain. "July 9th, 1861." The above- circular was responded to so promptly and abundantly from all parts where the members of the First regiment were known, that Chaplain Neill felt it necessary to send the following dispatch to Governor Bamsey : "Don't kill us with kindness. Tell liberal men and noble women to send us no more money, nor clothing. God bless them. "E. D. Neill."' We cannot honor too much the memory of those who went forth in the army and gave their lives for their country; nor can we show too much respect for the survivors of the bloody conflict who still remain among us; but it is proper also that those to come after us should be made acquainted with the fact, that it was not only those who were actually engaged in the battles of the Nation, who made sacrifices and who did what they could to sustain the Union in the time of peril. Those who could not bear arms, bore the burden of fur- nishing supplies for the soldiers in the battle field and hospitals. It was estimated in May, 1861, that within eighteen days after the war commenced, thirty-two millions of 140 HISTORY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. dollars were contributed by states, societies, and individuals in the North, to aid the government in quelling the rebellion. This sum was given sponta ne- ously and in addition to the taxes which the govern- ment imposed for carrying on the war. It can be read- ily shown that the county of Goodhue contributed its full share in this patriotic work. On the 12fch of April, 1861, the first gun of the war of the rebellion was fired. Fort Sumter, near Charles- ton, South Carolina, was taken by the secessionists. Two days after the President of the United States issued his proclamation as follows : "Whereas, The laws of the United States have been and are now violently opposed in several States by combinations too powerful to be suppressed in the ordinary way, I therefore call for the militia of the several states of the Union, to the aggre- gate number of 75,000 men, to suppress such combination and to execute the law. I appeal to all loyal citizens to facilitate and aid in this effort to maintain the laws, the integrity, and per- petuity of the government, and redress the wrongs long endured. The first service assigned to the forces, probably, will be to re- possess the forts, places and property which have been seized from the Union. Let the utmost care be taken consistent with the object, to avoid devastation, destruction, or interference with the property of peaceful citizens in any part of the country; and I hereby command the persons composing the aforesaid combina- tion to disperse within twenty days from date. "I hereby convene both houses of Congress for the ithot July, next, to determine upon measures for the p'lblic safety which the interest of the subject demands. "A. Lincoln, President U. S." The patriotism of the people in every northern state was thoroughly awakened. The new settlers in the sparcely inhabited Northwest were not a whit behind the older states in responding to the call of the President. HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 141 Only four days from the date of this call, the following notice appeared in the Goodhue County Hepublican. "TO ARMS ! TO AEMS ! ! "A public meeting of the citizens of Goodhue county will be held at the court house, Friday evening, the 19th instant, at 7 o'clock. " In view of the public exigencies, every patriot that can attend should do so. A full company of infantry must and shall be organized for the service of the government. "Signed, "Many Citizens." That day the U. S. flag was seen floating from the cupola of the court house. Early in the evening crowds paraded the streets with music and banners, and the court house was thronged at the appointed hour. Judge W. H. Welch was appointed chairman. On tak- ing the chair the Judge made a patriotic speech which met a sympathetic response from the hearts of all present, urging the importance of raising a company of soldiers in Goodhue county at once. The following are extracts of the notice of the proceedings of this meet- ing which appeared in the weekly Republican of April 26th: "The meeting held in this city last Friday night was an important event in the history of Red Wing. It greatly exceeded both in numbers and enthusiasm, any gathering that has ever taken place in this locality. The people turned out en masse, and signified by word and action their patriotic devotion to their country in its hour of peril. It was indeed a glorious sight to see men forgetting the differences of the past, laying aside the issues that had divided them until now, and rally- 142 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. ing side by side in a single cause. It was an occasion never to be blotted from the memory of an individual present. * * * The audience were entertained by stirring speeches until a late hour, when a call was made for volunteers which was responded to by up- wards of fifty, who placed their names to a paper pledg- ing their lives and fortunes for the defense of their country against an armed rebellion." On Tuesday, the 23d of April, 114 men had enlisted, fourteen more than wanted for a full company. Friday following the company was ready for service, having organized by the elective of the following officers: Captain, Wm. Colville, Jr.; Lieutenants, A. E. Welch, M. A. Hoyt; Sargeants, Martin Maginnis, C. P. Clark, Hezekiah Bruce, H. T. Bevans; Corporals, John Bar- row, A. E. Scofield, Geo. Knight, Chas. N. Harris. Saturday afternoon, April 27, the Goodhue volun- teers left on the steamer "Ocean Wave" for Fort Snell- ing where the regiment, First Minnesota, to which they were assigned, was mustered in. Their departure was witnessed by a large number of citizens, who gathered on the levee to bid them farewell. Among the crowd were many relatives and friends of the soldier boys, and the parting scenes can be better imagined than described. Many an eye was dimmed with tears, and many hearts throbbed with emotion, as the brave boys filed aboard the boat. And when the steamer began to move away from the landing, the crowd on shore began to cheer most heartily, which was responded to by the volunteers; and amid the waving of the flags and handkerchiefs, hurrahs and cheers of the multitude, the boat with company "F" passed out of sight. This was our first experience in the business of real war. Very HISTOET OF GOODatJE COUNTY. 143 few of us eyen suspected that such trying times would last four years. But call succeeded call, and company after company was formed in this county and sent forth until the number amounted to over 1,500 men. More than thirty years have passed since that war com- menced, almost another generation has come upon the stage of action. Many histories have been written giv- ing the details of battles, imprisonments, sacrifices and losses, which were experienced during four years of conflict. The Goodhue volunteers were the first company, we believe, which was organized to be offered to the Governor under his call for one regiment. Of the reception at St. Paul of this first company the Press of May 2, says: "They were received at the landing by the Pioneer Guards, who escorted them to their temporary quarters in the city. An immense crowd of citizens were at the levee to welcome their arrival, and as they filed through the streets the side-walks were lined with ladies and gentlemen, who kept up a continuous cheer as the brave volunteers passed along. The ranks returned the salutations with a hearty good will. "The Eed Wing brass band came up with the company from that place and added materially to the enthusiasm of the occasion. The company is more than full, and composed of the very bone and sinew of the stalwart farmers of Goodhue county." The movement was started for a second company as soon as the first had been filled in Eed Wing, and in four days this second company was fully organized and ready to move to the front. The country towns were not idle. A patriotic enthusiasm seemed to spread over the county like a 144: HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. prairie fire. Meetings were held in almost every school house, at which spirited addresses were delivered. Be- sides furnishing nearly one fifth of the first company Pine Island soon came to the front with a full company named "Pine Island Eifles." Eoscoe, Cannon Falls and other towns followed; and the good work continued, as the war continued, and as men were called for to recruit the army. Ouly six months after the capture of Port Sumter, the following paragraph appeared in the Republican : " We claim the banner for Goodhue county. She has furnished more volunteers in proportion to her population than any other county in the state. She has one full company in the First regiment, one in the Second, two in the Third, and one in the Fourth, be- sides being largely represented in the company of sharp shooters, and of cavalry furnished by the State, and there is now organizing a company of artillery. Is there another county in the West of a population of 8,000 that has done as well?" The war record of this county as taken from the report of the Adjutant General of the State shows that out of eleven regiments of volunteer infantry organ- ized during the war in the State of Minnesota in all except the Ninth were soldiers and officers from old Goodhue. Eepresentatives from this county are also found upon the rolls of the following bands of soldiers, who participated in the conflict : First Mounted Eangers; Brackett's battalion cav- alry; Second regiment, cavalry; Independent cavalry; First regiment, heavy artillery; Second battery, light artillery; First company of Minnesota Sharp Shooters. The names of all the brave men who offered their HISTOEt OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 145 services in the war for the preservation of the Union are recorded in the archives of the State, and also in the published "History of Minnesota in the Civil War." It is scarcely necessary to repeat the long list on the pages of this humble volume, of the 1,508 that enlisted from this county. They are all well known and will be remembered by a grateful country. Measures are on foot to erect a suitable monument to the memory of those who served in the war from this county, and we sincerely hope these measures will soon be fully consummated. Deeds of real bravery and heroism are worthy of frequent recital. Many such deeds were performed by our soldiers during the four years of struggle for the maintenance of the Uuiou of the United States. Two instances of remarkable bravery evinced by some who are from this county, we cannot forbear to mention. The first was at the battle of Corinth in October, 1862. The report says that the "Fifth Minnesota closed the gap which saved the day at Corinth." The Fifth Minnesota was at that time under the leadership of Col. L. F. Hubbard of this county. Gen. Stanley, who commanded the division to which this regiment was attached, accords the above credit to it on the field of battle. The following extract of a letter from Gen. Eose- crans, tells how the act was accomplished : "Col. Mower had ordered the Fifth Minnesota to guard the bridge across the Tuscumbia, when with the remainder of the brigade he went to help Davies. Late in the evening Col. Hubbard brought up his regiment and formed facing westward on the Mobile and Ohio railway, with its left near the depot, where they bivouacked for the night. On the next morning, when 11 146 HISTOEY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. the enemy from the north assaulted our line and forced it back a few hundred yards into the edge of the town, Col. Hubbard moving by his right flank, faced the com- ing storm from that quarter, and by his promptitude anticipated Gen. Stanley's order from me, to use the reserves, of his division in meeting the enemy's charge. He drove back the fragments of his columns, overtak- ing and bringing back some pieces, without horses, of our reserve artillery, which the enemy had seized, and covering the retiring of a battery which had gone too far to the front. Veterans could hardly have acted more opportunely and effectively than did the gallant Fifth Minnesota on that occasion. "W. S. KOSECKANS." The second was an act of the First Minnesota at the battle of Gettysburg in July, 1863. It appears that two companies had been detached as skirmishers while the remaining eight companies, consisting of 262 men, were sent to the centre of the line just vacated by Sickles' advance to support battery 0, of the Fourth U. S. artillery. The following is quoted from the history of the regiment : "No other troops were then near us, and we stood by this battery in full view of Sickles' battle in the Peach Orchard, half a mile to the front. With gravest apprehension we saw Sickles' men give way before the heavier forces of Loiigstreet and Hill, and come back slowly at first and rallying at short intervals, but at length broken and in utter disorder rushing down the slope across the low ground and up the slope on our side and past our position to the rear followed by a strong force. There was no organized force to oppose them except our handful of 262 men. Most soldiers in the face of the near advance of such an HISTOBY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 147 overpowering force would have caught the panic and joined the retreating masses. But the First Minnesota had never yet retired without orders, nor deserted any post, and desperate as the situation seemed, and as it was, they stood firm against whatever might come. "Just then Gen. Hancock, with a single aid, rode up at full speed and for a moment vainly endeavored to rally Sickles' retreating forces. Reserves had been sent for but were too far away to hope to reach the critical position uatil it would be oceapied by the enemy uuless that enemy were stopped. Quickly leav- ing the fugitives Hancock spurred to where we stood, calling out as he reached us, 'What regiment is this?' 'First Minnesota,' replied Col. CulviUe. 'Charge those lines,' commanded Hancock. Every man realized in an instant what that order meant, death or wounds to us all — the sacrifice of the regiment to gain a few minutes' time and save the position, and probably the battlefield — and every man accepted the sacrifice, responding to Colville's orders rapidly giveu. The regiment in perfect line, with arms at 'right shoulder shift,' was ia a moment sweeping down the slope directly upon the enemy's centre. No hesitation, no stopping to fire, though the mea fell fast at every stride, before the concentrated fire of the whole Confederate force directed upon us as soon as the movement was observed. Silently, without orders, and almost from the start, double-quick had changed to utmost speed; for in utmost speed lay the only hope that any of us would pass through that storm of lead and strike the enemy. 'Charge!' shouted Colville as we neared their first line; and with leveled bayonets at full speed, we rushed upon it; fortunately it was slightly disordered in 148 HISTOBY 01" GOODHTTE COUNTY. crossing a dry run at the foot of the slope. The men were never made who will stand against leveled bayonets coming with such momentum and evident desperation. The first line broke as we reached it, and rushed back through the second line, stopping the whole advance. We then poured in our first fire and availing ourselves of such shelter as the low bank of the dry brook afforded, held the entire force at bay for a considerable time, and until our reserves appeared on the ridge we had left. Had the enemy rallied quickly to a counter- charge its great number would have crushed us in a moment. But the ferocity of our onset seemed to paralyze them for the time, and although they poured upon us terrible and continuous fire from the front and enveloping our flanks, they kept at respectful distance from our bayonets, until before the added fire of our fresh reserves, they began to retire, and we were ordered back. What Hancock had given us to do was done thoroughly. The regiment had stopped the enemy, held back its mighty force and saved the posi- tion. But at what a sacrifice ! Nearly every ofiicer was dead or lay weltering with bloody wounds, our gallant Colonel and every field officer among them. Of the 262 men who made the charge, 215 lay upon the field stricken down by the rebel bullets; 47 were still in line and not a man was missing." Gen. Hancock in speaking of this charge is reported to have said : " There is no more gallant deed recorded in history. I ordered those men in there because I saw I must gain five minutes time. Eemforcements were coming on the run, but I knew before they could reach the threatened point, the Confederates, unless checked HISTOB? OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 149 would seize the position. I would have ordered that regiment in if I had know that every man would be killed. It had to be done, and I was glad to find such a gallant body of men at hand willing to make the terrible sacrifice that the occasion demanded." Col. Colville still survives but will always bear the marks of that terrible charge, as will some of his brave comrades. There were many acts of bravery exhibited by the soldiers from this county during the war which will be found recorded in the work already referred to; "Minne- sota in the Civil and Indian Wars," which we hope will be read by all the young people of the State. The history of the long struggle for the preserva- tion of the Union, and its results in relation to human freedom, will be read and pondered with greater interest by the generations yet to be, than even by the present. And we trust that the remembrance of those stirring times, the noble deeds and sacrifices made by brave and patriotic men, will serve to perpetuate the principles of our government, and advance the cause of humanity until true liberty shall not only be proclaimed, but enjoyed, throughout all the earth by all the inhabitants thereof. Two letters written just after the first battle at Bull Run, and published in the Bed Wing Republican at the time, will call to remembrance some of those scenes and trials experienced by our soldiers during the war. We shall close this chapter by giving a copy of each in full. The writers still live and are well known to the majority of our citizens. The following letter from Captain Colville to Judge W. H. Welch, the father of Lieut. Welch, will be perused with interest: 150 HISTOEY 05 GOODHUE COUNTY. Washington, July 25, '61. My Dear and Honored Friend: I have delayed writing to you up to this time since my arrival from the disastrous scene at Manassas, in order, if possi- ble, to be able to send you something definite in regard to the fate of your son, from some of the stragglers coming in, having been cut off from the retreat and obliged to secrete themselves upon or in the neighborhood of the field and slip away as opportunity presented. The most reliable accounts that I have heard, and which also corroborate the statements of our own boys who last saw him, lead me to believe that although prisoner and severely wounded he is safe and well cared for. I cannot give you the particulars of the fight in this, only that after Edward had been twice wounded, first shot through the arm, making a slight flesh wound, and afterwards through the thigh, but not dangerously, he yet refused to leave the field. When late in the day our flag was the only one left— every other regiment and the greater part of ours, with all the field oflB.cers, except Col. Miller, had retired or been scattered and dispersed— when at least one regiment had refused to support us when ordered— after one division of the regiment (companies A and F) together with members of other companies who, hav- ing lost their own, joined with us and a fragment of the Fire Zouaves had again and again repulsed the most overwhelming charges of infantry, driving them back with our galling fire, and had annihilated their four hundred black horsemen, not half a dozen return;ng from the charge against us -as we were still acting as skirmishers, spread out along the line of the wood where we had first been drawn up, and which position we main- tained through the day, Edward, at the left flank of our company, with half a dozen of our brave boys around him, was charged upon twice in quick succession by a body of the enemy's infantry. The first was repulsed, he killing four of them with his revolver, and the boys keeping up an active fire from the brush with their rifles. The next made immediately after in overwhelming numbers, surrounded him with a wall of bayonets and forced our boys back. H. N. Barber, John Williams, Henry Bevans and others were acting with Edward at the time. A member of Captain Wilkin's company seeing the force of the HISTOB¥ OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 151 enemy, secreted himself and saw, after our boys had drawn back, Edward surrounded and remained concealed until the enemy had retired from that position, went out but could not find him, and therefore assured me, that he was a prisoner, though he did not actually see him taken. This last fact I gathered last even- ing. The re at of our boys being farther to the right in the brush, briskly engaged, were ignorant of his fate, and all of us just about that time being driven from the woods, but retiring slowly through it and keeping the pursuit in check with our fire, and emerging from it in time to fall in where Col. Miller with the flag was endeavoring to make one more stand for Minnesota, which he did, checking the enemy in pursuit with our fire, and enabling us to leave the field, though this last stand was made far in the rear of our position during the day and of the place where Edward was taken. The enemy wished and used every means to secure oflBcers as prisoners. Beauregard has sent a message, that he will treat our dead and wounded in his hands' as well as his own. These are all the facts I can collect at present bearing on Edward's fate. I must write to some of our friends whose boys were shot down by my side, and those whose fate is more uncertain than Edward's, among others, little Fred Miller, of whom I have been anxiously inquiring of every straggler that has come up. I can- not ascertain that anyone has seen him since he was with my- self and Lee retiring al^Bg the wood, just before we made the stand under Col. Miller. Lee was shortly after seen dying. Of Fred no one in my company can give any further account. After we left the field I saw that if we had continued a short distance further along the wood we would all of us have fallen in with an immense band of the rebels, who lay concealed in the wood and whence I saw them march out and form in line of battle after we had retired upon our reserve. I think Fred was taken by them. Young Harris was shot through the upper part of the trunk, and lived but abeut fifteen minutes. [This was a mis- take; Harris was severely wounded, afterward discharged for disability.] Rush, one of our very best men, was shot through the neck and instantly killed; Garrison through the hips, a mortal wound; John Barrow through the shoulder, his fate is uncertain; 152 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. others severely wounded, and twelve of whom we can hear no account whatever, except when last seen they were fighting bravely. But you will be in no mood to look over this farther. One thing I can say, and I say it with pride and gratification, and I know you will read it with the same, however disgraceful to the country this may have been, however disastrous in its results, Minnesota has every reason to be proud of her sons; and when the official reports shall be published and the truth generally known, it will be seen that no regiment was in the field so long, no regiment did such terrible execution among the enemy, no regiment sustained greater loss, both officers and men, or sustained itself with more coolness, or precision, or was closer to the enemy's position, than the First Minnesota; and no company of our regiment is entitled to greater credit than company F, and but one that did as well, and that was Captain Wilkin's. Though other companies suffered so terribly in loss of both officers and men in the first fire that they could not possibly remain as an organized company. But I must close. Wm. Colvillb, Jb. The following letter from Lieut. Martin ]\[aginnis, descriptive of the scene, is as vivid a picture of a great battle, as can be found in history: Washington, July 27, 1861. Fkiend Hubbakd: When in earlier days in the school reader I perused the account of the Indian atrocities, which gave the name of Bloody Run to the stream on which we fought last Sunday, I little dreamed that I should be an actor in a tragedy played on its banks, like the late bloody battle, before which the affair which gave to the little stream its sanguinary title sinks into insignifi- cance. With the particulars of our advance upon Centerville, the retreat of the rebels from Fairfax and the first battle at Bull Run you are familiar. I will commence my narrative at six o'clock Saturday evening. Having filled our haver acks with three days' rations, we lay down to rest till two o'clock Sunday morning, the time set for the movement. It is a beautiful moon- light night, approaching nearer to one of our lovely moonlit HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 153 evenings, than any night I have passed in Virginia. On hill and vale, for miles above and below us, rests the Grand Army of America gathering in repose strength for the battle. Not a breeze rustles the banners which droop over the lon-i lines of arms that glisten in the moonlight. The thousand dying camp- fires have a drowsy look, and the stillness of the evening is for the first time since our arrival on Thursday, unbroken by the rattle of the guns of the pickets and skirmishing parties of the two armies. All is still as death— the calm before the storm. Our boys are mostly sleeping, incredulous that the enemy will engage us tomorrow. The Captain, Lieut. Welch, and your correspondent in "officers' quarters" (the shade of a tree), are discussing the probabilities of an engagement. The Captain distrusts the policy, but poor Ed. and myself are certain of vic- tory. It cannot possibly be otherwise, and bright are our anticipations. Alas! Alas! What may a day bring forth? On Sunday morning at two o'clock, we took up our line of march. If you have read the World's description you know the general plan of the battle. One division attacking the centre, one attacking the enemy's right flank; and our right flank divi- sion marching by a circuitous route through the woods to the northward, to turn the enemy's left flank. At twenty minutes past six the first gun was fired. At the same time we turned into the woods. After a fatiguing march of about ten miles, we emerged from the timber and got our first fair view of the battle ground. The enemy's position was a crescent oE hills, presenting a front about seven miles long, and swelling back in terraces and plateaus, knotty knolls and knobs, rising above and behind each other up to the summit, which was perhaps two or three miles from the Run at the base of the hill. Every one of those knobs seemed intended for a battery, and defensive position, and every one we felt was put to its proper use, by that most skillful of engineers, Beauregard. Yet experience itself can hardly make us believe what I assure you to be the fact, that every piece of woods on those seven miles of hills contained a battery, and afforded thousands of rebels a shelter from which to pour on us a deadly fire. Every road and ravine of sheltered approach was commanded by their batteries, and to cover them, they had three men to our one. But few of the batteries were engaged until 154 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. we emerged from the woods. This, however, seemed to be the signal for the fight to commence in earnest, and in ten minutes every cannon along the seven miles of our line, and in the answering batteries of the enemy, was adding its thunder notes to the dreadful diapason of war. Hunter's brigade of our divi- sion now engaged their infantry, and the rattle of musketry mingled with the roar of cannon. We stopped a few minutes to fill our canteens from the muddy run, and then dashed up the hill to assist the "New York and Rhode Island regiments in their attack on the first battery. Throwing away our blankets and haversacks, so as to be unencumbered in the fight, we reached the top of the hill and closed en masse, for the charge, when the cheers from Hunter's brigade, as they drove on after the retiring enemy, told us the work was done. We feared we were to have no hand in the victory which seemed to await our arms from so auspicious a commencement. We waited not long, but filed "double quick" through a wood and came to where our division was driving the enemy. Onward we pushed the column, till three batteries were taken, and the enemy, driven back on his second line of defenses, on the next plateau of hills, about half a mile to the rear of the position from which we had driven him. We formed our line of battle on the hill which he had left — now covered with his dead and wounded, of which our surgeon took as good care as of our own. We were nosv shown our position as forming, with the Zouaves, the advance of the army. We were to have the post of honor — and as it proved, of danger and death — the right flank regiment of the battle. From a piece of woods on the next plateau above, separated from us by a deep ravine and small run of water, the enemy opened upon us a heavy fire from a masked battery. It was directly south of the position we held. Col. Wilcox's brigade was sent around the head of the ravine, to attack it from the west. The Fire Zouaves was Wilcox's right flank regiment. The brigade filed around the ravine and took their position facing to the southeast. On the right of the Zouaves was a heavy piece of woods, from which the enemy might make a descent on their flank. To guard against this, we were ordered to march up to it. We filed along the brow of the hill, the secession battery firing away at us HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 155 with shot and shell, as if they were shooting at a target. They made good shots. I remember distinctly one ball that struck the ground about ten yards from me, and rolled harmlessly to where I stopped it with my foot. My left-hand man picked it up and tossed it towards them. Most of the balls passed over our heads and the shells, though they tore up the ground around us, did not harm any of our company. Company H, however, had the misfortune to lose some. Our boys paid little attention to this cricketing, as they called it; the bowling was not good; yet I could not help remarking to the Captain at the involuntary ducking and bowing of heads along the line, whenever old Beauregard sent his iron compliments roaring over us, that the Minnesota First was a most "demned perlite" regiment. (At this William smiled out of Leighton's canteen.) Sherman opened his battery to protect us, and threw his shot and shell among them so fast, that it soon diverted their atten- tion from our proceedings. We now crossed the ravine and run and formed a line of battle on the double quick. This brought our left flank on the Zouaves' right, and our line at right angles with theirs; our faces to the south and within ten feet of the above mentioned woods, into which, so thick was the brush, our gaze could not penetrate. All along the line the battle con- tinued to rage. Only here the woods seemed naturally still and innocent. No enemy could be seen. It appeared as if we had been taken to a place of safety — out of the fight. We began to think we had nothing to do. " Feel for an enemy in there, Col. Gorman," said the General as he rode past. Col. Gorman gave the word in clear tones, "Steady, steady, Minnesota; aim low; fire! " And we poured a thousand rifle bullets into the woods. We subsequently found how dreadfully they told on the enemy. That volley seemed the signal to unchain Pandemonium. A masked battery on our left within a hundred yards, opened a terrific fire, and all along the line of the woods, not over thirty feet from us, rolled out upon us a sheet of flame and a storm of bullets, from the Alabama and Mississippi infantry. Terrific and sudden was that shower of grape and canister, ball and bombs, bullets and bursting shells, which tore through our ranks and raged along our line, beyond all I had ever read or imagined, and mowed down our gallant lads like grass before the scythe. The 156 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. din of battle was above all sounds. A couple of our cannon, which came up to assist us, fired away unnoticed and unheeded. Unexpected and terrible as was the shock, our troops stood man- fully before it, and answered their flre with terrible effect. And now the dreadful cry ran along the ranks that we were "firing on our friends." This cry was raised by the secessionists and it is said they displayed the American flag. Be that as it may, the effect was awful. A momentary paralysis came upon us. Our firing died away. Our battery on the left fell short of ammunition. The enemy made a desperate charge. Their musketry deepened roll upon roll, and resembled the sharp con- tinuous cracking of thunder. Their battery was in a sheet of flame and the smoke rose to blot out the sun. Our left flank was driven backward on the tide of_ flre. So were the Zouaves behind us; our flag was pushed down the slope. The cannon was taken by the enemy. The two right wing companies stood firm. Company A and company F never lost an inch of ground. We were all kneeling, not for fear, but for accuracy in taking aim. Our boys were cool; every shot told. The enemy were at one time between us and our regiment. The General called on us to run to the woods. We were too busy to hear such an order. " Stand fast for God's sake, company F," shouted the gallant Welch, and we stood fast. " If you budge an inch, Mit," shoutad Sergeant Bevans to his brother, "I'll shoot you in your tracks." The threat was unnecessary. Why the enemy did not surround us and sweep us from the field, God in his mercy only knows. The enemy's battery ceased for a moment. Their own men were in its path now. The musketry again subsided into sharp rattling peals. Our left fiank and the Zouaves came gallantly up driving the traitors like sheep before them. The flag of Minnesota was again in the front of the battle. For a little while the flring on both sides was broken and irregular. Our lines closed up again, and then from the hill, compact and solid, shaking the ground and filling the air with dust, came down the flower of Virginia's chivalry -the " Black Horse Guards.' For a moment their battery was still, the musketry was hushed, and they moved down upon us, gallantly dashingly onward. The Zouaves poured a deadly volley into them. Numerous saddles HISTOEY OF GOODHUE OOUNTX. 157 were emptied and riderless horses plunged madly over fallen steeds and men. Now they wheeled down upon us like light- ning. We closed up our ranks and poured a steady murderous fire into them. Horses and men fell together in masses, and not one-third of the dashing horsemen went back to tell the tale of their repulse. The ground was covered with the dead — their horses and accoutrements. The enemy now sent down on us another regiment of infantry. After about fifteen minutes of a skirmishing fight, we drove them back. They were Mississippians, I believe. Following our gallant and dashing Captain, who took a Mississippi Colonel and three men prisoners with his own hand, we chased them up into the woods. Nothing like regularity or military precision could be kept in such a place. Companies and regiments were broken up. Every man fought on his on hook. Into the woods we fol- lowed them and saw there the effects of our terrible flre. The ground was covered with their dead and dying. Many of the latter begged pitiously for water. Our boys humanely relieved their wants in this respect. The enemy were every where in the bush. Friend and foe were intermingled and desperate hand to hand conflicts were going on with muskets, pistols, bayonets and even knives. ***** We drove them back behind their entrenchments, back be- hind their batteries, back to their rifle pits, back on the solid columns of thousands that they still had in reserve. And those fresh thousands now opened upon us a terrible fire in front. Their batteries raked our flanks and our laggard friends who had just made out to reach the position we had left, poured a galling fire upon us from behind. This position was terrible. Our men fell with terrible rapidity. Rush's neck was carried away with a grape shot. Jimmy Underwood fell with a rifle ball in the forehead; Salle was pierced through the heart; Lee fell with a broken leg; Scofield was wounded in "the neck; Barrow had previously been carried off the ground; the gallant Garrison fell severely wounded, and McKinley received a ball in the hip at nearly the same moment; Childs was wounded on the head. All that are now missing were with us there. Noble friend Welch and brave little Fred Miller among the foremost. What is their fate, God alone knows, but there they last stood with us and 158 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. fought like heroes for God, our country, and the honor of our home. It was not in the retreat, not with our backs to the foe, not amid the ranks of the panic stricken cowards, who scared at the sight of a runaway team, flying towards Washington, while we waited anxiously for them to come to support us in the positions we had so desperately fought for and so gallantly won. No, it was here inside the enemy's lines — at the mouth of their cannon, whose fiery, sulphurous breath was on our cheeks, and shut from our eyes the blue dome of heaven— whose vomit of balls and bursting shells tore up the green earth around us; whose terrible thunders shook the solid hills; at the highest point that was reached on the hills between friend and foe, where the torrent of death poured in upon us on all sides. In this focus of balls and bullets, in this hailstorm of fire and carnage. Red Wing, Goodhue county, left her dead. We fought our way out of the woods as best we could, drag- ging with us the prisoners we had taken. Away in a sheltered hollow we looked around us. Neither Capt. Colville, nor Capt. Wilkin, nor Ijieut. Welch, nor Sergt. Clark, noi Sergt. Bevans had come out of the woods. We supposed they were dead. Sergeants Bruce and Harris were with us. We afterward learned that the others had missed us, by bearing further to the right. Lieut. Welch was not with them. Wilkin, who was with him, said he was unhurt when he left in the brush. Dave Marble, however, says he saw him wounded and refusing to be carried off the ground. Our only hope is that he was taken prisoner as th3 secessionists had orders to take all officei^s uninjured — prob- ably to facilitate exchange. Col. Gorman was again rallying the remains of the regiment just below us. What were left of our company rallied around the Wabasha flag — you know we have none of our own — and with about forty from other companies, and Col. Miller at our head, we carried it to the top of the hill driving back the traitors who had followed us. It was in this rally that Charley Harris was severely wounded. We pressed our way to the top of the knoll. The enemy were now entirely silent in the woods. We waved our flag in triumph and gave three cheers. No troops came to support us — the enemy were pour- ing in thousands of fresh men— the brigade on our left gave way HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 159 before the over-powering force — our line Was broken through the centre — the enemy could easily have surrounded us — the day, the battle, all was lost. In obedience to orders, sullenly and gloomily we took our backward march, carrying off our wounded. The pelting bullets that the advancing enemy poured down on us, we regarded with the indifference of despair. Several of our men fell, or at least they were missing when we reached the hospital. Col. Gorman had succeeded in getting the regiment into something like order. We took our place in the battalion, and in pretty good shape fell back on Centerville. Here Captain Colville, Sergeant Clark and our boys up to the number of sixty came in; eight more met us at Alexandria, which left us sixty-eight, out of ninety with which we went into the fight — a loss of one-fourth in "killed, wounded and missing.'' We arrived in Centerville just twenty- four hours after the time mentioned at the commencement of this narrative. What an eventful day! You probably know ere this the names of our lost. I will send another letter soon. For the present I remain. Yours truly, Maginnis. The material iuterests of the county suffered greatly during the progress of war. Taxes were increased and of necessity there was a constant drain upon the resources of all who remained at home. Help for the cultivation of the soil was scarce. Prices were high. Private enterprise stood still. Public improvements were hindered. All eyes were turned toward the south, and all hearts beat anxiously for the result of the struggle. But of all the trials endured and losses sustained, in these years of conflict, none were to be compared with the loss of lives of those who went out never to return. "Death loves a shining mark." How many a promising young man laid down his life for his country at that time! Out of those who left us, one of the most prominent 160 HISTORY OF GOODHtJE COUNTY. of the promising young men was A. Edward Welch, Major of the Fourth regiment of Minnesota volunteers, who died at Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 1, 1864. His body was soon after brought to Red Wing for interment. Funeral services were held at Christ Church, conducted by Rector, afterward Bishop, Welles. We copy a portion of his remarks on the occasion: God alone knows the heart of man. He only can untangle the web of human motives and detect the hidden springs of human action; but as far as can be judged by us, his fellows, no youth has ever drawn his sword in his country's cause, under the inspiration of a purer love of country, than Major Welch. Whatever may have been his original temperament, it is certain that upon his first battle field he evinced the possession of a perfect courage. In siege and battle, in the deadly air of pestilential prisons, in the long exhaustion which comes from protracted labor and suffering, his was the courage which gave equanimity to a brave and manly character. It wrings our hearts that through such sorrows as burden us today, a character so loving, so patient, so beloved, comes to be truly known. I have abstained intentionally so from any reference to his private character, in this imperfect sketch. As we gather around the bier we do not seek to forget the earnest Christian youth, the loving son, the affectionate brother; but chiefly would we remember the brave, noble hearted soldier of his country. This concourse of citizens, these badges of mourning, betoken public grief. The flag is furled above him, which he would gladly have shielded from dishonor with his life. The sword rests upon his coflBn, which in his hand would never have been used but bravely and well. It may not be inappropriate for us briefly to review the military life of Major Welch. When treason first leveled its shafts at Fort Sumter, in April 1861, he was one of the first to spring to arms at the call of the President for troops. His many excellent qualities were recognized by the brave men who then rallied around the flag and when the first company was filled, he was unanimously elected first Ueutenant. At Bull Run he was among the brav- HISTORr OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 161 est of brave men who fought in the disastrous battle,- was wounded and taken prisoner, and for months confined in various southern dungeons. Just previous to his exchange, he was appointed Major of the Fourth regiment. While our borders were being devastated by a ruthless band of Indians, he was put in command of a detachment of the Third regiment, then on the frontier, and was engaged in the battle of Wood Lake, where he was severely wounded in the knee by a musket ball. When but partially recovered he joined his regiment before the defenses of Vicksburg, and participated in that memorable siege, being again wounded by a piece of a shell during a desperate assault upon the enemy's works. Since then, until just previous to his death, he has accompanied his regiment, being always on hand when duty called. The following named residents of this county have served the State and Territory of Miaiiesota from time to time, in the several important offices indicated : W. H. Welch, Chief Justice, from 1853-58. Wm. W. Phelps, Member of Congress, 1858-59. Charles McClure, J udge District Court, seven years. H. B. Wilson, Superintendent Public Instruction, five years. Wm. Colvill, Attorney General, 1866-68. Lucius F. Hubbard, Governor, five years. S. P. Jennison, Secretary of State, four years. Hans Mattson, Secretary of State, six years. O. M. Hall, Member of Congress, 1891 and present. W. C. Williston, Judge First Judicial District, 1891, and at present time. Charles McClure and Aaron G- Hudson were dele- gates to the convention which framed the State Consti- tution in 1857. List of Legislative representatives from Goodhue county : 12 162 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. TERRITORIAL LEGISLATURE. COUNCIL. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 1854. William Freeborn. 1856. William Freeborn. 1854. W. W. Sweney, 1856. Charles Gardner. STATE LEGISLATURE. 1857. A. G. Hudson. 1858-59. R. N. McLaren. 1861. R. N. McLaren. 1863. Charles McClure. 1864. J. A. Thacher. 1865. J. A. Thacher. 1867. Warren Bristol. 1868. Warren Bristol. 1869. Warren Bristol. 1870. Charles Hill. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. H. L. Bevans, Joseph Peckham, C. W. Libby, Hans Hanson, Jr. L. H. Garrard, I. C. Stearns, R. H. Knox, L. K. Aaker. J. E. Chapman, C. R. White, J. A. Thacher, L. K. Aaker. J. A. Thacher, A. Hilton. S. S. Grannis, J. M. Gates. J. B. Locke, Wm. Colvill, Jr., Sylvester Dickey, Warren Bristol. L. K. Aaker, J. F. Mitchell, A. B. Wilson. E. G. Comstock, K. K. Finseth, J. F. Pingrey. L. K. Aaker, A. J. Grover, C. C. Webster. John Miller, Orrin Densmore, Giles Slocum. HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 163 1871. Charles Hill. 1872. L. F. Hubbard, Giles Slocum. 1873. L. F. Hubbard, J. W. Peterson. 1874. L. F. Hubbard, J. W. Peterson. 1875. L. F. Hubbard, A. K. Finseth. 1876. W. C. Williston, A. K. Finseth. 1877. W. C. Williston, A. K. Finseth. 1878. J. C. McClure, A. K. Finseth. 1879. H. B. Wilson, J. A. Thacher. Orrin Densmore, T. G. Pearson, A. P. Jackson. J. C. Pierce, J. Finney, T. P. Kellett, G. K. Norsving, John Stanton. W. C. Williston, H. F. Armstrong, T. P. Kellett, G. K. Norsving, Arthur Flom. W. C. Williston, Leland Jones, 0. R. White, N. J. Ottun, John Stanton. Robert Dekin, R. Kruger, C. H. Bosworth, N. J. Ottun, F. Peterson. Charles R. Brink, R. Kruger, G. Westman, Ole P. Huleback, B. C. Grover. J. Finney, H. B. Wilson, B. C. Grover, O. P. Huleback, T. G. Pearson. Wm. Colvill, N. C. Crandall, S. C. Wickey, P. N. Langemo, S. G. Holland. C. R. Brink, Perry George, S. C. Holland, P. N. Langemo, J. A. Bowman. 164 HlSTOBY OF GOODHUE COUNTt. 1881. , H. B. Wilson, F. I. Johnson. 1883. F. I. Johnson, M. S. Chandler. 1885. F. I. Johnson, O. M. Hall. 1887. A. K. Finseth, Peter Nelson. 1889. A. K. Finseth, Peter Nelson. 1891. J. W. Peterson. F. W. Hoyt, Francis Tether, H. P. Huleback, Charles Hill, A. A. Flom. H. P. Huleback, M. Doyle, G. P. Sidener. O. K. Naeseth, S. G. Holland, J. W. Peterson. O. K. Naeseth, O. Nordvold, J. A. Anderson. W. E. Poe, S. B. Barteau, F. W. Hoyt. W. F. Cross, Die Huset, M. Doyle. The principal county offices have been filled by the following named : AuDiTOES — E. Norelius, in 1858, but did not qualify; Jonathan Going appointed to fill vacancy. Hans Matt- son, F. Joss, S. J. Willard, 0. 0. Webster, E. H. Druse, Carl N. Lien. Sheeiffs— P. S. Fish, H C. Hofeman, M. S. Chan- dler, H. F. Armstrong, F. A. Carlson, A. F. Andersen. Treasubers— M. Sorin, Jnmes Lawther, Thomas F. Towne, Chas. Connoly, Orrin Deusmore, W. P. Brown, Ole Hegna, L. A. Hancock, D. B. Scofield, Hiram Howe. Judges of Probate— W. D. Chillson, O. F. Smith, Wm. Ladd, Leman Bates, Orrin Densmore, C. G. Eey- nolds, Eobert Deakin, N. O. Werner, O. D. Anderson. ■ HISTOBY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 165 Eegisteks OF Deeds — J. W. Hancock, L. F. Hub- bard, C. 0. Webster, T. B. McCord, Chas. McClure, Ohas. Ward, C. H. Johnson, J. H. Webster. Clekes of Court — P. Sandford, Wm. Oolvill, J. Going, Wm. W. Olark, J. F. Pingrey, Robert Deakin, Hans Johnson, Albert Johnson. County Attorneys — P. Sandford, J. F. Pingrey, J. H. Parker, W. Bristol, J. C. McClure, C. N. Akers, F. M. Wilson, S. J. Nelson. Superintendents of Schools — J. W. Hancock, H. B. Wilson, J. F. Pingrey, A. E. Engstrom. CHAPTER XIV. EDUCATIONAL. Private schools were taught in several places before the couuty was organized. The first school among the whites was conducted by Mrs. H. L. Bevans at Eed Wing, in the summer of 1853. Mr. Bevans, her hus- band, built and opened a store on Main street that year. His family occupied one of the old Indian mission houses at the time, and Mrs. Bevans taught her school in the same building. She had less than a dozen scholars. Some few Indian families, who still lingered in the vicinity, sent children to her school. The next year there were several similar schools in private houses where settlers had established their homes near each other, so as to render a school prac- ticable. The first school district was organized in Red Wing in the fall of 1854 under the provisions of the territorial school law. A board of trustees was elected under the name of "Trustees of District No. 1, Goodhue Couuty." The boundaries of this district were left undefined till the year 1855. The couuty then being organized, the commissioners who had the authority to do so, set off the boundaries as follows: "District No. 1 includes that portion of the county between Hay Creek and Potter's Creek, bordering on the Mississippi river and extending back from the same six miles." The district was si^ HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 167 miles long and five miles wide. The same board set off and gave boundaries to eight more school districts be- fore the close of that year. The first building erected expressly for school pur- poses was in the district No. 1 before mentioned. It stood at the corner of Fourth street and Bast avenue; was built wholly by voluntary subscription; a very modest little building and was the only public school house ia Eed Wing for ten years. As the population of the town increased and more teachers were necessary, other rooms were rented for school accommodations until there were five public schools and several private or parish schools in session summer and winter in the town of Red Wing. In 1865, immediately after the close of the war, the first large brick school house was erected. Four school rooms were completed in Decem- ber of that year. The rooms in the second story were completed in the following spring and all were soon filled with scholars. Some other towns in the county had built comforta- ble school houses before the war. Frontenac village, in the township of Florence, had very early a neat frame school house, located in a pleasant situation. This school house was the only one in the county for some years, which was adorned by a belfry with a bell at- tached. Cannon Falls village had a large frame school house early in the sixties. It was well arranged, having two good sized school rooms, and a separate room for recitations by a third teacher. By the year 1864, the town of Burnside had two very neat school buildings. Vasa, Stanton and Leon had each built a good country school house the same year. The villages of Pine Jsland, Kenyon and Zumbrota, built for the accommo- 168 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. dation of their school children suitable buildings soon after the close of the civil war. They had previously used rented rooms. The first visitation of the schools by a county super- intendent was made in the summer of 1864. In his report he states that no provision had been made for ventilation in more than six school rooms ; and that he finds children compelled to sit for hours in rooms where the air is so impure that a stranger from outside per- ceives it at once on entering. In a certain district he found the school in session in a large barn. This room was well ventilated, yet it was a question whether the air was at all times health- ful. In the basement were the stables, where a large number of horses and cattle were kept at night. Two long benches without any rests for the back, were the only seats provided for the scholars while studying their lessons. The large folding doors for entrance of loads of hay, were kept open during school hours to afford light. Flocks of ducks, chickens and pigs occu- pied the front yard, and a portion of the teachei-'s time was spent in keeping tJie intruders from entering. The noise of these aaimals was of course more amusing than profitable for the children. Another school was found in a room of a private dwelling. The room was nearly ten feet square. A large table occupied the centre; the scholars were seated around three sides of it, their backs against the walls of the room. There were nineteen scholars and their teacher. The room was well packed. A chair was brought from another room to accommodate the visitor. This chair was placed on a part of the teacher's standing room, by the side of the table, and near the HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 169 door. Every time the door was opened for goiiig out or coming in, the chairman was obliged to rise aud in- cline his chair. Another school was kept in a "lean-to" of a log house. This "lean-to" was the summer kitchen. Dur- ing school hours, the family, of course, confined them- selves to the limits of the main building. This school room was better vejtilated than the one last mentioned. It had been built with lumber not well seasoned. The peculiar feature of the room was the seating arrange- ment. Often we see large blocks of, unshapely wood, hard to split on account of knots, lying about a wood yard. It was such timber that had been placed on the floor, at proper distances, to support boards which were laid across them for the children to sit on in this school room. And yet these children seemed to make the best of the situation. Their teacher was pleasing in her manner, industrious and faithful in herduties. Oftener than in any other situation the county schools were found in some log cabin which had served for a house, while pre-empting a claim of 160 acres of land, and then abandoned by the builder. In one case of this kind, the house stood alone on the prairie, which was somewhat rolling, and entirely out of sight of any neighboring house. There was a large square opening, left for a window, on one side. About the middle of the roof there was a smaller opening, which had been used to accommodate a stove pipe. These were used to let in the light. There was also a door at one corner of the building, where light could come in wlien the weather was pleasant. The door itself had neither hinges nor fastenings. The young lady teacher had plenty of exercise in removing 170 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. and replacing the door in windy weather. She said in answer to some inquiries of the superintendent that she was obliged to place a large prop against the door often- times to keep out the wind, and in case of a hard shower, "we huddle together in the dryest corner." One school was found oocupying the chamber or attic of a small log cabin ; the family occupying at the same time the room below. The scholars and teacher had to go up a rude stair case, after passing through the kitchen, to get into the school room. The visitor had to get there the same way. He found there was great danger of bumping his head against the rafters. The scholars were not very tall, and the teacher had learned how to stoop ; the visitor had the worst of it. But who would think of finding a public school in such a queer place at the present day ? The facts in relation to these primitive school rooms are not given for the sake of finding fault. They were the best that the times could afford, and these facts are recorded in order to show that progress has been made. Very little advance was made in the interests of ed- ucation during the war. Since that time evident prog- ress has been made in every school district, especially in respect to the buildings, which are now generally convenient and well furnished for school purposes. We intend to present our readers with the pictures of both a former and latter rural district school house. The former was the one built before the war, the latter since the war ended. The report of the county superintendent in Novem- ber, 1861, contains the following statements : " Eighty- seven districts have reported ; although there are nom- inally one hundred in the county, only this number are HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 171 organized. In fact two of these have commenced hav- ing a school quite lately. There are not children enough of the proper age to attend school in some of the un- organized districts, to make a school necessary. In others there is great difficulty in locating a school house, so as to accommodate all. We regret to say that in a few of the districts yet unorganized, there is not yet suf- ficient interest taken to hold a meeting for the election of school officers. There are only six really good build- ings for common schools in the whole county, and not one of them is inclosed by a fence, or surrounded by shade trees. Many are destitute of out-buildings, defi- cient in their internal arrangements, and are quite often destitute of blackboards, maps, globes, etc. The whole number of school houses owned by the districts is fifty- six. Thirty-four are frame, and twenty-two are log buildings." At that time there were but two districts in the coun- ty under the necessity of having more than one teacher each. These were Ked Wing with five and Cannon Falls with two. The total schoolable population report- ed was 3,714 ; the whole attendance in the public schools 2,450. A few private schools were in session a part of the time in the largest towns. In order to show what progress has been made in our public school interests since that first report was made in 1864, we give the following from the county superintendent's report for 1892 : "The whole number of school buildings is 150. Four of these are of stone, seven of brick, and one hundred and thirty-nine frame. The number of scholars in at- tendance upon all the schools, 7,381. Five districts have more than one teacher employed, to-wit ; Red 172 HISTOtJY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. Wing has, including the superintendent, 34; Cannon Falls, 7; Zumbrota, 7; Piue Island, 5; Kenyon, 5. Fifty districts have free text books. One hundred and thirty-five have district libraries." Private and denominational schools have also been established in this county from its beginning, -v?hich have contributed much towards a higher and broader education than could be provided for in the common schools. The pioneer institution of this kind was the Hamline University, which was originally located in Eed Wing under the patronage of the M. E. church. Through the influence of Eev. David Brooks, L. L. Hamline, D. D., a bishop of the church, donated $25,000 towards the establishment of this institution. The preparatory department of the University was opened by Rev. Jabez Brooks, A. M., as principal, on the 16th of November, 1854, with thirty-three students; The room occupied was in the second story of a store- building kept by Smith, Hoyt & Co., at the foot of Broadway. This was the only school kept in Red Wing until the following summer. u The erection of a University building was commenced in August, 1855, and completed so as to be opened for students in January, 1856. This building was located on the ground now called the city park. This school had both preparatory and collegiate departments, and was continued here till about the year 1869, when it was removed to its present location near St. Paul. The Red Wing Collegiate Institute was incorporated in 1870, with the following board of officers : L. F. Hubbard, president ; C. C. Webster, secretary ; F. A. Cole, treasurer ; James Lawther, Peter Daniels, L. F. HISTOBY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 173 Hubbard, 0. C. Webster, F. A. Cole and W. P. IJood, directors. Two fine buildings were erected at a cost of $17,000, on grounds donated by Edward Murphy, situated on College Bluff, and a school admitting pupils of both sexes was continued for about three years, under the management of W. P. Hood as principal. The property was then sold to satisfy a mortgage. It was soon after purchased by the Hauges Norwegian Evangelical Synod, and deeded to a board of directors consisting of Hans Marcuson, Andrew Ellingson, and others, It was opened to the public under "the name of Red Wing Seminary, September 17, 1879, with an able corps of instructors. Seventy students availed themselves of its privileges the first year, and the number has steadily increased every year until the present, 1892,.the number enrolled is one hundred and fifty-two. Classes are formed in two departments, preparatory and theological. The aim of this school is : First, to furnish a general christian culture ; second, to prepare young men for the ministry. On a religious basis instruction is given in the practical branches necessary for good citizenship ; and through a special course, prepares young men, who may feel a call, to labor as ministers in the Norwegian Lutheran church. Thirty-three have already graduated from the theological department of this institution. Parochial schools are maintained in connection with the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches throughout the county. Some of these schools are open only dur- ing the vacation of the public schools ; others are kept open during nine months of the year. There is a kin- dergarten branch connected with the parish school of Christ church in Red Wing. 174 HISTOBY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. The Villa Maria convent, a school for girls, under the auspices of the Roman Catholic church is situated in the town of Florence. The main building was com- pleted in 1890. The following description of this insti- tution appeared in a Red Wing paper soon after the dedication : " The convent is situated immediately below old Frontenao, known far and wide as a most delightful summer resort. A more beautiful site than the one selected for this grand structure could not possibly have been found. The hand of nature, as it were, has here brought together her most exquisite designs of land and water, blending the beautiful, the sublime, and the gro- tesque, in one harmonious whole. " The site of the convent is exactly that occupied more than a-century and a half ago by the last of the old French Catholic missionary forts of the upper Mis- sissippi. The grounds, consisting of 110 acres, were donated by Gen. Israel Garrard, who has spent a for- tune and a gi-eat portion of his life in laying out and beautifying the already naturally beautiful Frontenac. The General noticed the rapid growth of the school con- ducted at Lake City by the Ursuline nuns and appreciat- ing their inability to accomplish their greatest results in their rather crowded quarters, offered in 1885 a tract of land for the erection of a more pretentious institu- tion. This was accepted with gratitude, and plans were soon devised for the erection of the largest educational structure in the Northwest. The foundations were laid in 1888 and since then the work of construction has gone on rapidly, until to-day Villa Maria, the House of Mary, stands practically completed and dedicated to the cause of the Roman Catholic church. , HISTOBY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 175 " The building is cruciform in shape and has a length of 301 feet and a width of 90 feet, exclusive of porches. It is four stories high, and the north end is surmounted by a tower which lifts a golden cross 150 feet above the surface of the ground. "A paved driveway running in from the main road leads to the main entrance at the northwest corner of the building. Ascending a stairway which leads from this, the main hall is reached. This is lighted to the top of the third floor by large, stained glass windows, above which is a handsome dome encircled by a lintel cornice. " To the left are two parlors separated by sliding doors, permitting them to be used as one. The office of the Mother Superior is situated to the right, and direct- ly back of this is a chamber designed for guests, pro- vided with bath and toilet rooms. The infirmary has toilet rooms attached. South of this is a broad porch. The dormitory, which is also on the first floor, is one immense room, 90x125 feet, which has been curtained ofE into small rooms containing each a cot bed and a wardrobe. Through this large room passes a ventilat- ing chimney. A toilet room, fitted up with modern im- provements, is placed south of the dormitory. In the east wing is the dining hall, adjoining which is the kitchen, with a mammoth range and two pantries. A room is also set aside here where children may receive their parents. The opposite wing is devoted exclusively to the private use of the nuils. " The stairway to the second floor, seven feet wide, and finished in antique oak, leads to a large room de- signed for a library and for a scientific collection. This is above the parlors on the first floor, and of the same 176 HISTOES OP GOODHUE COUNTY. size. Above the dormitory is the recreation hall, and a study hall comes next. On the second floor are also ten music and recreation rooms partitioned off by sliding glass doors. "On entering the third floor one finds tp the left the art room. It is beautifully finished iu frescoes, is well lighted, and has a moulded cone cornice. ,0n ,the op- posite side of the hall is, the chapel, the woodwprk and seats of which are finished in- antique oak. It. is 41x90 feet, with arched 23-foot .ceiling, and has -a s,eating ca- pacity of 500. There are frescoed .walls and ceilings. There are three altars, and a fine* vocalian pipe organ. The chapel is lighted.bystairied^ glass windows-. "Adjoining the chapel and separated by; a narrow hallway are two reception rooms and a private- chapel, beautifully decorated. A conimunity jropm-and the con- vent proper occupy the rest pf this floor. On each of the three first floors is a corridor two hundred feet long. "On the fourth floor is an immense water tank sup- plying the building with water and also serving as a protection against fire. The -builditig is heated by hot water and will be lighted by electricity or gas. In the northeast corner of the foundation is a stone, bearing the inscription : " ' Israel Garrard, nobis Benef acieenti Gratulantes Soc. Urs. Felice.' " The building is of wood and cost about $100,000. F. T. Evans, assisted by O. D. Prescott, has ably super- intended the construction. The course of study at Villa Maria will include all the branches of a thorough aca- demic course. Lessons will also be given in painting, drawing, music, and all kinds of handiwork, for which the Ursuline sisters have gained a wide reputation." filSTOBY OP GOODHUE COUNTS. 177 Beeman's Actual Easiness College, an institution for pupils of both sexes in which to obtain a knowledge of book-keeping, type-writing, shorthand and other special qualifications for practical business, was established by incorporation in 1887. This school is largely attended by students from distant towns, having gained a wide reputation under the management of Prof. W. L. Beeman and a corps of able assistants. The Red Wing Commercial College and School of Shorthand, under the management of Btessrs. Curtis & Rosenberger, was opened Monday, September 5, 1892, some fifteen pupils in attendance the first day. This college is located in what is known as tlie Glad- stone Hall, the third story of Gladstone Block, which has been neatly and fitly prepared for the use of this school. The two gentlemen in charge are exper- ienced teachers in this line, and if they meet with the encouragement they expect, will build up a first-class commercial college in Red Wing. Lutheran Ladies Seminary. This institution has been incorporated within the present year under the direc- tion of a board of trustees, of which Rev. K. Bjorgo is president. A site has been secured on a fine plateau of ground in the western part of the City of Red Wing where the work on the foundation for the main build- ing was begun in July, the present year, and will be completed in September in 1893. The estimated cost of this building is $40,000. This school is designed to furnish a complete education for young ladies in all those branches taught in oar highest institutions of learning. It is expected that it will be completely furn- ished with able professors and teachers and be open to students in the fall of 1893. 13 178 HISTORY 01* GOODHUE COUNTY. The Orphan's Home. The only institution in the county, established especially for the benefit of orphan children, is in Yasa. It was begun in the year 1865 by Eev. B. Norelius, the pioneer Lutheran preacher. A small one story buildlug served all purposes for the first ten years. In 1875 the institution was placed under the care of the Minnesota Conference of the Augustana Synod. The following year a two story building of commodious size was erected on a lot containing ten acres of land, situated a little in rear of the present large brick church. This second building was completely destroyed by a cyclone on the 3rd day of July, 1879. So violent was the storm that seven of the iumates were instantly killed and a number of others badly bruised. Pieces of the children's clothing and bedding were carried over the river into Wisconsin some eight or ten miles distant. Another building of larger dimensions was soon com- menced and completed that year, for the accommoda- tion of orphans, at a cost of $3,000. This sum was raised by benevolent people ia Vasa and Red Wing and by the Synod at large. More land has been purchased from time to time, and the institution is now- in pos- session of 124 acres. This gives to the boys, who are of the proper age, opportunity for healthful exercise and a training in the habits of industry. The girls are also trained in the art of domestic economy. A new building has been added in the year 1890, at a cost of 11,500, as a dormitory for the boys. The annual expenses are now .13,000, which comes from the free will offerings of the conference. One school teacher is employed by the year at a salary of $500. The Superintendent and his wife, who live at HISTORY OP GOODHUE COtNTY. 179 the Home, having all the care of the children, receive $450 per annum including their own board. This institution is carried on upon the principles of the Christian home, and has proved a great blessing to many an ophan child. The officers of the board of control are; Rev. J. Fremling, president; P. A. Peter- son, secretary; J. W. Peterson, treasurer. State Reform School. This institution was re- moved from Ramsey county and permanently estab- lished in Goodhue county, near Red Wing, in 1891. Six large buildings have been erected on a beauti- ful plateau which borders the great valley of the Miss- issippi. The outer walls of these structures nre brick and stone, with slated roofs; and for beauty of architec- ture are probably second to none in tlie State. Sepa- rate buildings are provided in order that the inmates can be divided into families of 50 or more, thus lessen- ing the labor of caring for them and inilaencing their minds in the right direction. Each family is in charge of an overseer and his wife, the whole being under the management of Supt. J. W. Brown and Lis wife. There are about thirty-five officials connected with the estab- lishment. At present there are about three hundred children cared for and instructed here, the greater number of whom are boys. The girls occupy a building by thems3lve3, at a little distance from the others, where they learn sewing and other appropriate industries, and also the common school branches of education. Each building is provided with its school room and teacher. In the main building are the officers', reception rooms, and rooms for the Superintendent's family. There is an annex to the rear of the main building in 180 HISTORY OS GOODaCE OOUNTV. which there is a large dining hall which is used also for a chapel. The boys have organized a band of music, the mem- bers of which have attained such proficiency that their services are frequently called for on public occasions. Singing is taught in all the schools. Four hundred and fifty acres of land are devoted to the uses of the institution. Besides farming and gar- dening by the boys various other industries are carried on, such as carpentry, wood-turning, shoemaking, black- smithing, tailoring, and chair-making. No one can visit the place and observe, the work being done, without being convinced that the money appropriated by the State for this institution is well expended. It is reported on good authority that ninety per cent of those who receive their training here be- come useful citizens. CHAPTEE XV. KED WING. The beauty of the location o£ Eed Wing has so often been described by visitors and tourists that it is unnec- essary to dwell upon that feature here. The first settlement oE the place by the whites was made in the year 1852. Those who came before that year were either traders or missionaries to the Indians. The first missionaries here were from Switzerland, Samuel Denton and Daniel Gavin. These men built two substantial log houses, and labored for nine years, from 1837 to 1846,. The next band of. missionaries were sent here by the American Board of Commis- sioners for Foreign Missions. John Alton came in 1848, and J. W. Hancock in the spring following. The former left in 1850; the latter remained till the Indians removed, and is here still. In the autumn of 1850, a Mr. Snow from St. Paul, having procured a license to trade with the Indians, built a trading house of logs near the river, using the upper part for a residence, and in the basement kept Indian goods for sale. Mr. Cal- vin Potter came the next year and entered into partner- ship with Mr. Snow. The latter died of cholera soon after, while on a trip to St. Paul. Mr. Snow's family soon sold their interest to Mr. Potter and left the place. Mr. John Bush had been here to help the Indians about farming for several years, and when the news came that the land was soon to be sold to the United States Gov- ernment, he and Mr. Potter staked out claims which in- 182 HISTOBY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. eluded the laud now occupied by the city. Benjamin Young, a French half breed, also had a claim in the west part of the city. These claims were all made early in the spring of 1852, and before the news arrived that the Sioux treaty had been ratified. Bush and Potter very soon sold their claim rights to Wtu. Freeborn. Mr. Young sold his to Dr. W. W. Sweue^^ ,'The honor of selecting Red Wing as the site f for a town bolongs to Mr. Freeborn and Dr. Sweney. ^ Mr. Freeborn was frequently on the ground and Dr. ) Sweeny moved his family here that season. James / McGinnis, John Day and E. C. Stevens made claims \ also in the vicinity that year. McGinnis and Day moved their families here also. A raft of lumber from the saw mills at Stillwater was floated down and taken out of the river here for building purposes and two young men were em- ployed as carpenters during the winter of 1852-53. These wore Hiram and Joseph Middaugh. They pre- pared the timber and finishing portion for a hotel, which was erected and made ready for the reception of guests as soon as the weather would permit in the spring. That hotel was the first frame building erected here. It stood on the corner of Main and Bush streets, and was kept open for the accommodation of travelers for about two years by Audrus Darand. . While Mr. Dnrand wns the landlord it was the. Red /0'j5 j//Hou3e; afterwards it was called the Tee-pee-tonka, or ^"'big house," and was kept by Jacob Bannett until des- ^ troyed by fii-e in 1865. ^ The first frame dwelling house was built the same /^spring for Mr. Wm. Freeborn who moved his family I here as soon as it was finished. 'T^his house stood HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 183 fronting the river on ground now occupied by the La Grange mills. A post office had been established here in 1851 by the friendly agency of Hon. H. H. Sibley, our delegate in Congress, and J. W. Hancock commissioned post- master. He was under the necessity of performing a journey to St. Paul to be qualified and execute the re- qiiired bond at an expense of over five dollars. His pay for the next two years hardly covered that expense; but it was a great convenience. Up to that time the nearest post office was twenty-five miles away. The mail was carried in those days to and from St. Paul, easterly, by steamboats in the summer and by a one horse train ia winter. We usually expected a mail as often as every week; it was sometimes delayed three weeks on account of storms, or floating ice in the river. In the spring of 1852 once, we remember, the one horse mail train was, by accident, totally wrecked in crossing Spring creek, three miles west of Red Wing. The mail bags, some five or six in number, were left several hours in the water. After being fished out they were brought to our post office and a whole day was spent in opening and drying the contents. At the opening of navigation in the spring of the year of 1853, the prospects for the future city were brightened. The arrival of the first boat was looked for with great expectations, and these expectations were partly realized. It brought needed supplies of provis- ions. It brought also some friends, who came to be permanent settlers. In fact all that season and for several years following, the landing of a steamer at this port was hailed with delight. It was not an un- common sight to see the larger part of the population 184 HISTORS OF GOODHUE COUNTY. hasteniDg towards the river when a steamer was heard approaching. Besides friends and permanent settlers, many claim hunters visited the place, and the new hotel was well patronized. But those who came to speculate in land claims came too soon. It was rather dull business wait- ing for the land to be surveyed and offered for sale by the government. Among those who came to make the place their home this year were the following: Mr. Freeborn, Mr. Lauver, Mr. Akers, Revs. Mathew Sorin, Norris Hobart and Rezin Spates. These all brought their families. Several other families came later in the season, among whom were W. D. Chilson, Warren Hunt and T. J. Smith. The young men who were here as residents without families at that time were: Nels Nelson, Mathias P. Ringdahl, the Midilaugh brothers, Hugh Adams, S. A. Hart, E. P. Lowater and David Packett. Several bailt for themselves houses tliis year. Besides Mr. Freeborn's, already mentioned, VVm. Lauver, James Akers, Matbew Sorin, Norris Hobart, and Warren Hunt, had each of them a frame dwelling house complete.l during the autumn of 1853. The re- mainder of the poijnlation occupied shanties or log houses except the boarders at the hotel. - In August, this year, the first company of Scandi- navians, who colonized the town of Vasa, lauded here. These were the pioneers of practical farming in this county, S. J. Willard, Hans Mattson, Peter Green, Charles Boos, and A. G. Kemp. These men were so often seen in Bed Wing for several months after their coming, they were generally considered citizens, but ,, they were the real founders of Vasa township. HISTOEY OF GOODHITE COUNTY. 185 This year the town was surveyed and platted by \ J. J. Knauer for the proprietors who were the following ) named: Wm. Freeborn, Benj. F. Hoyt, Chas. L.j Willis, Alex. Ramsey. The great event of the year which did most towards transforming the old village into the new was the first great conflagration. By this the style of architecture was wholly changed. It was near the time when the Indians were accustomed to return from their winter hunting grounds to occupy the summer residences and be ready to plant corn, which usually was early in May. The day was serene and cloudless; carpenters were engaged on the new houses that were being constructed. Between twelve and one o'clock the cry of fire was heard while nearly all the people were eating dinner. Leav- ing the tables immediately they saw smoke rising from the bark wigwams which was quickly followed by flames bursting from the roof of every structure of the kind. Nobody seemed to know what to do. All stood looking as if paralyzed with amazement. In less than one hour all the bark covered houses in the place dis- appeared. This evidently was the work of incendiaries, but they were not discoverod. There were no police- men and no magistrates to bring them to justice. The few log houses then occupied by the white settlers es- caped the conflagration, as did the new frame buildings. Only a few days after some of the natives returned, looking somewhat disappointed at the change, but took it all as a matter of course, and fixed their habitations temporarily at other points in the vicinity. The close of the year 1853 was made memorable by the fact that the entire community were invited by that generous whole souled town proprietor, Wm. Freeborn, 186' HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. to partake of the annual thanksgiving dinner at his house. With exception of one or two persons, the in- vited guests were all present and had a grand social time. It was one of those occasions when the rich and poor meet together and acknowledge God as the Maker of all, and the source from whence all blessings flow. The little community spent the winter following in peace and safety. Religious services were held each Sabbath in the school room of the old mission house. Hiram Middaugh was leader of the choir and teacher of singing. We had debates and social parties occasionally. As soon as the ice on the river became strong enough to bear up teams, travelers began to pass up and down the river, who frequently tarried for the night at this little berg. The spring of 1854 opened early. Having an occas- ion to go to St. Paul on the ice in a sleigh, on returning, the third day of March, the ice was so full of holes that it became necessary for one to go before the team; and look for the safest passage. That year the steamer D. Hillman passed through the lake on the 5th day of April, on its way to St. Paul. The steamer Nominee, from Galena, 111., arrived at this port on the 7th of April. A number of new settlers came early this spring. H. L. Bevans had the frame of his new store all prepared for the hauling from the island, and just then the ice had become so weak as to be unsafe for teams to cross and the timber was hauled over on the ice by men with ropes. ^-^ Hon. W. H. Welch, then chief justice of the Terri- tory, visited the place and decided to make his homo here. He bought a lot, on which a comfortable house HISTOBy OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 187 had been erected and moved his family here early in the spring. The same house where he lived till his death in 1864, is still standing on Third street. Among many others who came to stay during this season, we remember distinctly W. W. DeKay, P. San- ford, W. H. Wellington, C. J. F. Smith, Wm. Col- vill, Jr., P. S. Fish and S. J. Hasler. A large number of dwellings, two warehouses, and several stores were erected this summer. Some wheat was raised in the surrounding country, and found to be of a superior quality. The marketing and shipping of this cereal gave Red Wing its first start as a business point. A few years after and before any railroads had found their way into our territory, Red Wing was claimed to be the greatest primary wheat market in the world. Eed Wing this year had the honor of being made the county seat of the new county of Goodhue. A full com- plement of county officers were apppointed by the Ter- ritorial governor, nearly all of whom were citizens of Red Wing; but the burdens of office at that time were easily borne. Mr. Philander Sanford, our first lawyer, built for himself a law office on Main street, where all, or nearly all public and legal business, was transacted for that year. One thing that gave the place some reputation abroad at the early beginning was the probability that it would be soon the seat of an institution of learning of high order. It was known that the M. E. Church were about to establish a university somewhere in the North- west and that Red Wing had been selected as the proper place for it. The hopes of the people in regard to such an enterprise began to be realized towards the end of the year 1854, when Prof. Jabez Brooks, on the 188 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 16th of November, opened a school in the hall over Smith, Hoyt & Go's store. This school was called the preparatory department of the Hamline University. The prevalence of the cholera on the river during the summer of this year had retarded the growth of the town somewhat. Persons were frequently landed here from boats, who were infected by the disease, and though cared for as tenderly and patiently as possibly, many of them died. It was remarkable that the pestil- ence did not spread among the residents. The winters of 1854-55, were very mild for this lati- tude, and the usual intellectual and social enjoyments of the season were passed with all the pleasures incident to such scenes. But though mild and pleasant it seemed to linger long in the lap of spring. The first boat from below was never waited for more anxiously than at that time. With a large majority of the inhabitants it had been the first winter of their experience in Minne- sota. Not knowing how much better appetites for food were enjoyed here than elsewhere, their winter supply of meat, flour and fruit began to fall short. There was money enough, but for a month or so pork and flour could not be had in Ked Wing for money. The ice in the river was too weak for traveling. No one was in danger of starvation; fish were plenty; and as the ice began to melt in places, wild ducks came to the rescue; yet the settlers craved a change of meat and more bread. We well remember how the proprietor of the Red Wing House was put to his wits to provide for his voracious guests. With a flour pail in his hand he was frequently seen calling upon some private family to borrow a few pounds of the stuff to make bread of, prom- ising to return it in full when the first boat should HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 189 arrive. The puffing steamboat came at last and landed a stock of groceries and provisions for the firm of Jackson & Enz; this firm had just opened a store on Bush Street. Among the goods landed at this arrival were eleven barrels of flour and a large hogshead filled with smoked hams and shoulders. These articles found a ready sale; being received on Friday evening and all sold out by the Monday following. Under the circum- stances the firm prudently limited each family to a por- tion. Thus all were temporarily supplied. Settlers living on claims far from town, came in as soon as they heard that a boat had come through the lake, and got provisions. Other boats came in a few days bringing needed supplies for other firms, and plenty now reigned among all who had the money to buy with. The United States Land Office was opened here about the begining of the year 1855, W. W. Phelps register, and G. Graham receiver. These officers were kept very busy filing the declarations of intended pre-empt- ors, etc. In the month of August, the same year, the first newspaper appeared, a very creditable four page sheet, published by Merritt & Hutohins, and issued every week. The printing office was on Main street, in a building which was first used as a carpenter's shop and a house of worship. The same building has since been fi ted for and is now used as a private family residence. The most remarkable event of the year was the advent of whiskey. The proprietors of the town and nearly all the early settlers, were temperance people. It was then generally understood that the sale of intoxi- cating liquors, as a beverage, should be forever prohib- ited. But with the rush of immigrants consisting of 190 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTt. speculators, merchants, and mechanics, who flocked to this embryo city that season, was one poor "blind pigi" not a very dangerous animal to be sure. The first knowledge of its existence in the community came in the following figurative language, uttered in a under- tone, "Mr. P., a dry goods merchant on Bush street, keeps hard-ware in his cellar." More than two years had passed since the town was beguQ and no intoxicat- ing liquors had been kept for sale here openly; and it ap- peared as if no one could tolerate the business. How the whiskey ever got into that cellar was a mystery. It was soon evident that it was there. Men were seen coming from that store with unsteady step and flushed yisages. A public meeting was called. Men of every profession and trade met together to express their indignation at the outrage. Long speeches were uttered, even poli- ticians dared to speak against the traific in these days. All at that meeting were unanimous in the opinion that measures should be taken to remove the nuisance as soon as practicable. A committee of five were ap- pointed to wait on the merchant who had the hard-ware in his cellar and inform him that the sale of the stuff could not be allowed. The committee visited the offender, going in a body to the store, stating the object of their visit, and the authority under which they acted. The man winced somewhat under the influence of popular feeling thus boldly expressed; denied the charge of selling it, but owned that it was where men could go and get as much as they wanted. This man soon after closed his business and left the place. This transaction proved plainly that when the majority will unite their forces against any kuown evil, they will suc- ceed in putting that evil down. aiSTOEY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 191 The first sale of public lands in this county, occurred at the United States Land Office in Bed Wing, begin- ing the 29th day of August, 1855. W. Le Due was the auctioneer. The notice of this sale had been prev- iously given in the newspapers; and many strangers thronged the village at the appointed hour. The settlers had formed a claim association in this immediate vicinity for the purpose of protecting them- selves from landsharks and speculators. David Han- cock was president, P. Sandford secretary, and Kezin Spates assistant secretary, of this association. Royal Lovell was appointed to represent the settlers at the sale. He stood close by the auctioneer and bid in all the lands which they respectively had claimed. Mr. Lovell held a description of every claimant's land, ready to bid the moment the numbers were called by the government agent, of any one description. The settlers stood by, ready to back him if occasion required. Though a large number of speculators were present ready to take advantage of such opportunities as offered for picking choice tracts, thny dared not bid against the settlers, after being informed that such a combination for mutual protection had been formed, and were ready to defend their rights. The first brick yard in the county was opened for the manufacture of brick in East Red Wing by George Wilkinson in the summer of 1855. He had taken the contract for the erection of the Hamline university. He came and commenced the manufacture of brick for that structure chiefiy, but furnished that material to others for a time. Besides the University building there were two brick dwellings erected that same year. The University building was completed and dedicated 192 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. early in January, 1856. The preparatory department was immediately opened for students and a college class soon after formed. Before the year closed two teachers besides Prof. Brooks were added to the faculty. The institution soon obtained a wide reputation and students flocked hither from a distance to enjoy its ad- vantages. The lectures given by the professors from time to time and the debates of the literary societies were often attended by the citizens, and contributed much to make the new home attractive to all. A large immigration from other states and from Europe came to this place in 1856. Many new enter- prises were began. Merchants and mechanics flocked hither, buildings of various size and materials were constructed. The north side of Main street, between Bush and Plum, was filled with business blocks, mostly of wood; the south side of the same had but two or three vacancies. A boarding house was built by Mrs. Huldah Allen, who soon after assumed the title of Mrs. Biichard Freeborn, on the bank of the river, west of Broadway, which is still standing and is called the Farmer's Hotel. The first machinery for the manufacture of sash and blinds was put into operation this year by Hasler & Todd. They used a one horse tread-mill power. The land office did a flourishing business and called many strangers to this place during the three years it remained. Hotels and boarding houses multiplied and were well patronized. Barnes & Vanhouten opened a brick yard at the west end, and commenced the manufacture of that article, while Mr. Wilkinson's yard was still supplying brick, but not in sufficient quantities to meet the demand. HlSTOBY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 193 The first saw mill was put in operation here by Pettibone & Knapp. It was afterwards run by Free- born & Pettibone. Gogel & Blakely built a mill for the manufacture of sash, doors and blinds. The machinery for this mill was sunli in the Mississippi with the steamer Itaska while on its way hither. Other machin- ery was soon purchased and the mill put in operation before the close of the year. The following year the same firm commenced the manufacture of wheat flour with one set of stones. This was the first flouring mill in the county. The prominent firms doing business here so early as 1856 besides those already mentioned were J. C. AVeath- erby, dry goods and groceries; Melnlire & iSheklon, F. F. Philleo, Richter & Sherman, all kept general mer- chandise; Betcher & Brown, hardware; Clark & Allen also kept hardware; W. 'E. Hawkins and W. H. Wel- lington, painters ; Wm. Colvill, Murdock & Bristol, Chas. McClure and E. T. Wilder, attorneys at law; Smith, Towne & Co., dealers in real estate. The last named firm consisted of Otis F. Smith, Thomas F. Towne and J. C. Pierce. There was a hall over a business block on the north side of Main street called Philleo hall, which was finished and devoted to use of the public during the year 1856. This hall was for some time the place for holding con- ventions, public lectures, concerts, church festivals, etc. It was used on Sundays as a place for public worship by the Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Baptists in succession, until each had built churches for them- selves. The Methodists occupied the chapel of Hamline University for Sunday services until their church edifice was completed. 14 194 HISTOKY OF GOODHtJE COUNTY. The fourth day of July was duly celebrated for the first time in Red Wing in 1856. There was a grand pro- cession folIowiDg a band of musicians, three in number; first, officers of the day, orator and reader; second, school children and teachers; last, citizens generally. This procession marched to a natural grove near by, where the usual exercises, appropriate to the occasion, were listened to with attention. Hon. W. W. Phelps delivered the oration. Long tables had been prepared by the ladies, loaded with the best eatables the times could furnish and a free dinner was partaken of by all present. The Presbyterians commenced building a brict church this year. The outer walls were finished and the roof completed when winter set in. The interior was finished, furnished with a bell and dedicated, the following summer. This pioneer church still remains on the corner of Sixth street and East avenue, and serves the purpose of its founders. The spring of 1857 was backward in its approaches; but it brought a larger number of new citizens to our town and county than any previous year. The work of building new houses and stores was pushed with vigor through most of the season. The financial crisis which prevailed throughout the country began it effects here towards the close of 1857. ' By an act of the Territorial legislature, a charter was granted to the citizens of Red Wing for a city form of government. The first charter election was held this year and resulted in the election of J. C. Weath- erby, for mayor; James Lawther, F. F. Hoyt and Charles Beers, for councilmen. ~^^The stringency in the money market did not check HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 195 the growth of this new city entirely. A high rate of interest was allowed for the use of money, but the farmers were raising golden wheat. Large quantities of that product found a market here. Wheat buyers were on the street ready to meet teams as they entered and pay cash for the loads. Loads of wheat drawn by oxen from fifty to one hundred miles, were marketed here in those early days. The first bank was openqd here on Main street, by Smith, Meigs & Co. Pascal Smith was chief manager. The same year another weekly newspaper com.^ menced its publication, which was named The i?edl. Wing Bepublican. The first number was dated Sep- tember 4, 1857. Lucius F, Hubbard was editor and proprietor. A conyention had been held in St. Paul to frame a constitution for the new State in order to be admitted into the union at the next session of Congress. The work of that convention having just been completed th.€ fail copy of that constitution was published in the initial number of Tke Med Wing Republican. The first regular convention of the Republican party was held in Eed Wing the first of September the same year. Until this time party politics had made very little show in the county. The paper which had been published every week since August, 1855, The Sentinel, was a news- paper which served the wants and necessities of all the people ; but it was well known that its editor was a Democrat in National politics. As a matter of course when we should become a State, the former party affili- ations of the settlers would become manifest. This first Eepublican convention was presided over by Wm. Stanton as chairman, and H. L. Bevans acted 196 HISTORY OP GOODHUE COUNTY. as secretary. Hon. Ohas. McClure made the principal speech at this convention. A full ticket was nominated. The Democrats held a party convention also and nom- inated a strict party ticket. The latter ticket was sanc- tioned by the vote of the people with one exception. Since that time till the present, the Eepublican party has generally been victorious. The attention of the people to buildings for the years to come was more general in town during 1857 than perhaps at any time since. It was a busy year for mechanics of all descriptions. A fact that will seem now strange to many is that all our cut-stone used for door and window sills, in brick structures, had to be imported from St. Paul, and all our lime for plastering was also imported from down the river. Phineas S. Fish made the first experiment of producing lime from the stone in Barn bluff this year. The article he pro- duced was considered inferior, and he did not continue the work. One of the most important events in the early his- tory of Red Wing was the burning of the "Galena," a large Mississippi river steamer, on the 3d of July, 1858, on a trip up the river. The fire broke out just before the boat reached the landing at Red Wing, but it was in a very short time there; so that nearly all the passen- gers had time to get off safely. Although it was a little past midnight, the light of the burning vessel en- abled all to see where to flee for refuge if they had had the proper presence of mind and courage to leap into the water. The following description of the event was given by one of the passengers, who wrote it before leaving Eed Wing and was published in the Chicago press: HISTOKY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 197 "The boat's freight had been all discharged at the foot of the lake (Pepin). An attempt was made to gain time by increasing speed. Before I retired the chim- neys appeared like volcanoes emitting showers of sparks, and the upper deck and mid air presented a scene worthy of a pyrotechnic of the first water. But this, you know, is not uncommon. No danger was antici- pated from this source, and it is not known, and prob- ably never will be, whether the disaster originated from this source. My impression is that the fire was com- municated from the lower portion of the chimney to the surrounding woodwork. About one o'clock, to give my own experience, some one caught my foot and shouted 'The boat is on fire.' My state room door was left partly open for ventilation. Fortunately, I had not doffed my pants or vest. Leaping from the upper berth I told Mary, who was also aroused, to be calm, with undoubtedly some tremor in my voice. I seized my boots, put them on, also my coat, and looked out. The alarm had not yet become very general, and I hoped that the fire might not prove disastrous. The first look I gave to the bow of the boat was sufficient. The red flame, made lurid by the accompanying smoke, pierced through the cabin like a devouring tongue of an insatiate demon at the very instant. One look! You may have read descriptions of burning ships; you may have become, in imagination, a participant in the sublime horror of, the scene, which human pen can never por- tray; but to stand, as I stood there, a living present witness, and a part of the scene itself, is fearfully and wonderfully different. One look, as I said, at that mad, devouring, hellish looking, fiend tongue, lapping with hot greed, the ceiling, doors, curtains, glass, and stabbing 198 HI8T0EY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. through into the opposite apartments, produced a strange re-action in my soul, awing me, as it were into coolness and deliberation. It was but for an instant. Hur- rying up and down the long saloon, were crazed women, and men almost as frantic. 'Where shall I go? Save me! Save me!' 'Oh my child, my child!' 'Fire! Fire ! ' ' We're all lost ! ' ,' This way, I will save you all,' mingled in one confused uproar, with piercing shrieks and lacerating cries high over all. If I spoke then I cannot now recall more words than these, 'Quick, Mary, give me my boy,' and those little boy hands are still clinging around my neck and the quick beat of that baby heart still meets the louder pulsls of my own around which new veins of love have swollen rapidly, softening, melting, until even now — no I will not weep. Just at this moment, when a master was so much needed, no one knowing just what to do, Oapt. Laughton, of heroic memory, appeared like an apparition in the midst of us, and said firmly: 'This way and you will all be saved. Steady, this way.' The tide turned in one direc- tion at the master's command, and with few exceptions, followed without crowding through the side entrance next the shore, which was somewhat obstructed by trunks which eager men were anxious to get ashore, or off the boat at least, and to our joy we found the boat's bow near the shore, and a plank launched. A group of ladies were in advance of me, and I set up a six foot Hoosier barrier against the crowd behind, holding back with the ability given me. la the confusion I missed Mary, but thought her in advance, and was so satisfied— so walked the plank teteriug with its excited burden, struck foot on shore with my jewel on my breast. There was joy in that moment's experience. A moment more and HISTOBY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 199 Mary was at my side — and then our friends all safe — and if but half dressed, barefooted, with disheveled hair, more beautiful in my eyes than fabled princesses in all the glory of their royal attire. We turned to look upon the scene before us. Already had the flames reached to the extreme ends of the long ship, extending high above the pilot house, still occupied by the brave man at the wheel, holding his charge hard on shore, and the whole heavens seemed lighted by the conflagra- tion. Still amid the flames could be seen a flitting form and heard a wild shriek of agony ; and now a boy — brave, glorious boy ! — leaps from the cabin deck, and swims with vigorous stroke down, down, the stream ; he cannot buffet it ; and now the yawl has reached him — saved ! hurrah ! The cry of ' powder on board ' startles with a new fear, and the crowd recedes far up the bluff and down the shore. Down falls the deck, up shoot the flames, renewed with strength, vaulting high above the tall black chimneys ; crash came the huge black monsters themselves over the deck. The river seethes and hisses, as if wounded and mad with pain ; the high wheel-house arches flame and tumble into the surge ; bang ! goes the cylinder head, and the liberated stream outrushing, for a moment, seems to rend the monster's bowels, and then subdued by its own energy, is seen no more. The boilers fall ; the flame begins to droop ; the hull is burning low ; the water's edge is reached ; in flows the adverse element ; she fills, she sinks ; and with one loud hiss of defiance the flames expire and all is dark and silent. Among the more notable incidents of the scene was the pilot standing bravely, cooly, at the wheel, enveloped by the flame until the boat was safe aground. He made his escape over the decks and down 200 HISTOlir OF GOODHUE COUNTY. the rigging. Capt. Laughton was twice knocked down by trunks thrown from the decks in his passage up and down to save his passengers. He had several children on boartl, all ol: whom were saved. A poor Norwegian woman, who had a cow tied on the lower deck, in at- tempting to liberate the poor dumb animal, lost her own child. There were several oxen and cows on board. Most of them, after being badly burned, broke overboard and swam ashore. The greatest distress and sympathy were felt for a poor girl of fourteen years, whose mother with two younger sisters and a brother, were all lost. They were a plain, honest, earnest looking family, on their way from Michigan to meet the husband and father, at Mankato, Minn. This poor girl goes alone to convey the sad intelligence to her father. Perhaps no one saved suffered more in getting ashore than my friend, Wm. Bradley, of Keokuk. He was too late for the gang- way and after spending his best exertions to save some children who clung to his limbs, and some women who persistently refused to jump into tlie water although small boats were w.iiting as near as the flames would permit, he let himself down from the guard and fell exhausted into a skiff then half full of water. He reached the shore and was saved, but that was all. The boy who lenped from the deck and swam so finely, said he never swam before in his life, but preferred drowning to burning and so sprang overboard. Instinct taught him to swim. A bridegroom and bride, young and joyful, from Orin, N. Y., got ashore; he dressed in the unique costume of a hat and shirt, she ditto, less the hat. Scarcely any baggage was saved. I have ten checks in my pocket, but not a trunk or carpet bag. Charley had on a night gown, and his mother was cos- HISTOBV OP GOODHUE COUNTY. 201 turned a la the bride above mentioned. Unfortunately for me I had deposited my money in the safe, and the safe proved to be an iron box only, everything within it being utterly destroyed. The citizens of Eed Wing are a humane-hearted people. AU our immedi- ate wants are being relieved and we shall take the next boat up, without money, and no baggage to trouble us." The next morning before breakfast a young man rapped at our door. We lived on the corner of Fifth and Bush streets. He was without hat and shoes; had on a shirt and pants which I think was his only clothing. His name was Eiggs, a son of Dr. S. B. Riggs, one of the early missionaries among the Indians. This young man, with his sister, was returning from Ohio, where they had been spending some time at school, and were among the passengers of the ill-fated vessel. They were on their way to the home of their parents at the Indian mission near Lac qui Parle. The young man said that his sister was at the Central House where they had found accommodations after escaping from the burn- ing vessel during the night. He wished to borrow a lady's dress that she might be able to leave her room, as she had escaped with only her night clothes. Of course his request was granted, and both were soon pro- vided with needful garments. The ladies of the differ- ent churches were all engaged in preparing suitable outfits for the unfortunate ones, for that day and the next. These survivors, after being properly provided for, were embarked on the next boat up the river going to their several destinations. The charred remains of the five persons who perished, were tenderly and care- fully deposited in coffins and buried with the usual christian burial service, in Oakwood cemetery. 202 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. It will be of interest to state here that the young man mentioned above is now engaged in a very success- ful mission work among the Indians, and that his sister has been for years a missionary in China. Notwithstanding the dull times in reference to busi- ness matters throughout the country, on account of the money panic, many new buildings were added to the new city during the year 1858. The contract for building a court house and jail was let in June. The work on the foundation was soon after begun and pushed on until the winter set in. A goodly number of professional men, mechanics, and laborers, were added to the permanent population. Immigration frond the old country increased. Stages began to run in different directions, roads and bridges were constructed to accommodate travelers and visitors. -After harvest wheat began to pour in for sale and wheat buyers mul- tiplied. The custom of having free public lectures was inaugurated here in the fall, and continued through the winter, about two lectures each month from November to April. These lectures were given for the most part by men who resided here. This custom prevailed up to the beginning of the civil war, and added much to the social and intellectual enjoyments of the people. Occasionally the lecture appointment was filled by some one from abroad. Among the latter we remem- ber having the pleasure of hearing Bayard Taylor on "Life in the North," and J. G. Holland on "Hobby Riding." The now famous author, Edward Eggleston, who was a resident of Minnesota in his younger days, visited Eed Wing several times, and gave inter- esting lectures, illustrating the same by stereopticon views. HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 203 The 16th of June, 1859, was made memorable by being the date of the first graduating exercises held by the Hamline University. A college commencement was a rare occurrence in so new a State, and was a great attraction. The graduating exercises were held in the Presbyterian church, which was filled with people to overflowing. The graduating class consisted of two young ladies. They were sisters, Elizabeth and Emily Sorin, both of whom read essays of their own composi- tion in such a manner as to be distinctly heard by every one present. At the close the degree of A. B. was con- ferred upon the young graduates. Classes were grad- . uated in the years following, while the institution re- mained here, consisting generally of some persons of both sexes. Among them we would mention the names following: Hon. H. R. Brill, Judge of District Court, of St. Paul; Bradford J. Eaymond, D. D., President of Wesleyan University, at Middlebury, Conn. ; and Hon. B. B. Herbert, Editor of National Journalist, Chicago, 111. The first music teacher in Red Wing was Miss"\ Harriet Kellogg, afterward Mrs. Jessie M. Hodgman. \ She gave lessons on the piano in 1856 and for several / years following was the only teacher in that line. Our \ first teachers in singing were Hiram Middaugh, S. A. ) Hart, C. L. Davis and J. C. Hawes. A project was set on foot here at an early date to improve our methods of communication with the coun- try further west, by the navigation of Cannon river. The plan was never consummated, though an act of incorporation was obtained from the legislature, as this following notice will show : . SLACK WATER NAVIGATION. A meeting of the incorporators of the Slack Water 204 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. Iifavigation company was held at Faribault, March 24, and the following officers were elected : W. W. Phelps, president; L. Z. Eogers, secretary; A. H. BuUis, treas- urer. It is the intention of this company to have a thor- ough survey of the Cannon and Le Sueur rivers and the lakes between their head waters, to determine cost and locate the necessary locks and dams. — Red Wing Argus, April, 1865. The first attempt made to obtain railroad facilities, was at a meeting of the citizens in Turner's hall, De- cember ]2, 1868. The statement was there made that a bonus of .$100,000 towards a railroad would in twenty years make the taxable property $10,000,000, and the rate of taxation would also be reduced materially. The year following a bonus was offered of $75,000 to the St. Paul & Chicago Railroad Co. Early in March, 1866, there was no small stir among the citizens of Eed Wing on account of the supposed discovery of oil in abundance. Under date of March 15, 1866, the regular weekly papers contained notices headed, " Oil well in Red Wing ! " "Steady flow of Petroleum ! " "A joint stock compaoy organized," etc. The facts in the casa were, that a party of men had been engaged in digging for water for household purposes in the eastern part of the village, between Barn and Sorin bluffs. They found water twenty feet below the surface, but not sufficient in quantity for the purposes required. Consequently they continued to dig dSeper. The next morning, after having found water, they commenced dipping out that which had run in during the night. Immediately the strong odor of petroleum was realized ; but they kept HISTOEY OF GOODHUE COUNTY. 205 on digging. And the next morning the same thing happened. There was clear evidence of oil on the water before it was stirred. A portion was saved for visitors to smell of during the day. Every morning, for several days in succession, some signs of oil were apparent in the water drawn out of that well. A joint stock company was actually organized. The stock was all taken, oflELcers chosen, and the operations commenced. There were some doubting Thomases, however, who would wait for a clearer view. So after the news had gone abroad in the papers under the head lines, " Steady flow of petroleum in East Eed Wing," and almost everybody seemed to have oil on the brain, the doubters set a watch over the famous well during the dark and black night. And when the stillness