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Pioneer Experiences of Wm. H. Ingham
in the Fifties

By Way of Introduction
In the winter of 1912, Mr. Ingham, then in his 85th year, enjoyed
the rather unusual experience of completing a journey that had been
postponed exactly 63 years. Sixty-three years before he had, in com
pany with three young New Yorkers, engaged passage on a boat
plying the east coast to the isthmus of Panama, expecting to cross the
isthmus "pedibus apostolorum'' as Father De Smet records of his
pioneer travels in the west, and then board a west coast boat for the
gold fields of California. But that was in 1849 when the California
fever was at its height, and the thrifty boat owners, taking no chances,
had oversold their accommodations. He was one of the number who
were asked to wait for the second boat, which meant a foot journey
across the isthmus in the heat of August. As this did not appeal to
him he cancelled his booking entirely, and having no entangling al
liances, came west into Illinois and ^^^isconsin for a brief visit with
friends who had pioneered on the then frontier. Now after the 63
years he was boarding the train for New Orleans, there to em
bark for the isthmus, and view the just completed Panama Canal.
It was on the occasion of his brief visit in Des Moines that an
interview was securei^ and published in The Register, interesting
enough as current news since the incident was so unusual, but secured
for an ulterior purpose which was to connect together in their proper
time relation many pioneer experiences with which those who knew
him intimately were familiar, and most of which he had written about
in later years, but which, without a proper sequence, were fragmen
tary and must soon be lost. The story of these experiences cannot be
introduced better than by reproducing the essential paragraphs of this
interview. After speaking of h's visit with friends in Illinois and Wisconsin
in the summer of 1849, he said:
"Liking the looks of the middle west I came the next year as far
as Cedar Rapids. I visited an uncle, John Ingham, the pioneer set
tler of Washington County, and later took one of the first boats at
Galena, 111., for St. Paul. It was the year of the cholera and the main
feature of the trip was stopping along the river banks to put off the
dead. "The year following, 1851, I came west again, my brother with
me. We again took a boat to St. Paul, and there boarded the first
boat of the season on the Minnesota river, going as far as Mankato.
At Mankato I traded with an Indian chief for a canoe and together
my brother and I floated down to St. Paul, then a small village.
Where Minneapolis now stands there were only a building or two.
St. Anthony, across the river, was quite a village and there were

quite a number of people at Fort Snelling. I remember an incident
characteristic of the times. At the little hotel dining room, Hole-in-
the-Day, the noted Chippewa chief, was sitting at the breakfast table
when suddenly an alarm was given. Skulking Sioux had been seen
at the windows peering in and a general fusilade was feared. Hole-
in-the-Day arose, walked deliberately to the front steps, and opening
his blanket to expose his bosom, called on the Sioux to shoot. The
Sioux, in the meantime, were taking to the tall grass like scared
children. "I had brought a compass with me to Cedar Rapids and followed
surveying. I made a survey for Major May of what has since been
known as May's Island, which lies in the heart of the city now, and
on filing the plat with the authorities in Washington the island was
sold to the major. In 1853 Joseph Green, a brother of Judge Green,
secured a large contract of surveying for the government, and I was
to join with him. Through some technical errors in the government
field notes the survey was delayed until it was too late in the season.
To compensate us the government proposed that we should select our
own field of work the year following. Accordingly early in 1854
I set out with a small party to reconnoiter.
"We came west to Fort Des Moines. I remember as we were
Although no reference is made to this incident in any of the his
torical annals of Minnesota, the incident is characteristic of the times
and also of young Hole-in-the-Day. E. D. Neil, the veteran historian
of the state, speaking in St. Paul on January 1, 1850, said: "The
scalp dance is yet enacted within our hearing, and not a year goes
by but the soil of Minnesota is reddened with Ojibway (Chippewa)
and Dacotah (Sioux) blood." Writing later for the historical annals
Mr. Neil said: "On the afternoon of May 15, 1850, there might have
been seen hurrving through the streets of St. Paul numbers of naked
and painted Dacotah braves. A few hours before the youthful chief
of the Chippewas, Hole-in-the-Day, having secreted his canoe in the
suburbs of the town, with two or three associates had crossed the
river and almost in sight of our inhabitants attacked a small party
of Dacotahs and taken a scalp."
Young Hole-in-the-Day (rift in the clouds the light comes through)
had succeeded his father, the elder Hole-in-the-Day, in 1847. The
older chief, one of the noted Indian leaders of his time, had succumbed
to the white man's whisky and was killed by falling off a wagon in
St. Paul. The younger man's claim to the chieftainship was not recog
nized by all the Chippewas, and in 1868 he was shot by members of
his own band from ambush. He was a man of great physical beauty
and great courage. The St. Paul Press said of him at the time of his
death: "There was something almost romantic in his reckless daring.
He was the Chippewa Cid or Cour de Lion. His exploits would fill a
book." The Prairie Du Chien Courier, speaking of him in 1858, said:
"Hole-in-the-Day, the savage who has seven wives, has been honoring
our city with his presence for several days. He is a splendid speci
men of manhood, and walks with a grace that would become a
Roman emperor. He was dressed in the latest style. The other day
he bought 32 pairs of women's shoes. During his late sojourn in
Washington he formed a contempt for moccasins and is determined
that his squaws shall resemble white women in one respect."
"Major M. May also surveyed the island, sent a plat to the general
government, and took possession of it, much to the surprise and chagrin
of the old settlers." — Recollections of Dr. Seymour D. Carpenter.

passing in the vicinity of where Grinnell now is that we heard of a
preacher who was taking up land for a townsite and was going to
build a college. At that time there was a small station some miles
east where the stage horses were changed. We forded the Des Moines
below the Coon forks, as I now recall, and then forded the Coon into
Des Moines. There were no buildings on the east side of the river.
What is now the business district was a big oats field.
"We went west to Adel, where there was a small settlement, and
then struck out for Council Bluffs. What I remember chiefly of that
country was the wild turkeys. They were in such abundance that
it was not even sport to shoot them. At Council Bluffs we forded
the river to what is now the townsite of Omaha, and then attempted
to ford the Platte. But here we were nearly smothered in quicksand
and were glad to turn back to the west side of the Missouri. At
Council Bluffs we went south to Bellevue, then quite a trading point.
Here I met Logan Fontanelle, the well known Omaha chief, a very cul
tivated Indian, and from him I learned all about the Kansas and
Nebraska country, where we had thought to take up our work. Think
ing to take a look also at Northern Iowa, we turned from Council
Bluffs in a generally northeasterly direction, passing west of Fort
Dodge and ending our travel at Clear Lake. In that entire distance
we did not see a white habitation. We then turned south to Cedar
Rapids. "On this trip across Iowa I had found such evidences of game and
on the rivers such fine groves that I was anxious to make further
investigations. Accordingly I persuaded a hotel man named Stine to
go with me and that same fall we went up the Des Moines to Fort
Dodge. There we met with Major Williams, Ed McKnight and
Charley Bergh, who were camping in what is now Humboldt County.
They told us something of the river further north and we passed on
and so came to the cabin of Judge Call, near where Algona is now,
the judge being the first white man to locate north of Humboldt and
west of Clear Lake.
"Stine took a half section claim on a beautiful grove in Kossuth
County, now known as the Reibhoff grove and planned to come back
in the spring. But Mrs. Stine decided on our return that she had
pioneered as far as she wanted to and he decided to abandon the
claim. But I seemed to have formed a very high opinion of that
particular grove, for I got up another party and going back in the
spring, assumed the Stine claim and built a cabin. That was in the
spring of 1855, and I have been a resident of Kossuth County ever
since."

Ingliam's Mills in Herkimer County.

A Biographical Note
The love of the frontier that clung to Mr. Ingham throughout his
long life, will be understood by those who glance at the sectional map
of the east half of Herkimer County, New York, where he was born.
Ingham's Mills even to this day lies on the fringe of the wilderness,
the lower levels of the Adirondack mountains.
It is easy to picture what that country must have been back in the
early days of the last century, in his boyhood. It was always the
"North Woods" to him, the haunt of game, and the scene of many a
wild adventure.
The valley of the Mohawk is nowhere more romantic than at Little
Falls, from which Ingham's Mills lies almost directly east. There
the valley was pinched in geologic times to a narrow pass between
rather precipitous rocks, through ^vhich the river rushed in number
less rapids and cascades. In his description of the Mohawk valley
W. Max Reid says: "For nearly a mile extend the cascades between
perpendicular cliffs from two to four hundred feet high, while at the
foot of the rapids the stream is deflected by Moss Island or Moss Rock
to pass through a rocky channel about forty feet wide to the placid
stream beyond. On the south side of the river the perpendicular face
of a cliff one hundred feet high, called Lover's Leap, throws its dark
shadow over the turbulent stream, while to the west for nearly a mile
the bare perpendicular rocky face of a hill four hundred feet high
rises sheer from the shore of the rapids."
Into the Mohawk on one side of this narrow, rocky pass flowed the
East Canada Creek and on the other side the West Canada Creek,
both of these creeks taking their rise far north, both of them almost
mountainous torrents, capable of developing enormous power in these
days of electricity. Then the East Canada was what the wild turbu
lent streams of the northwest Rockies are today. At Ingham's Mills
now is one of the great power dams, and directly above at Dolgeville,
the Brockett's bridge of those earlier years, is another.
It will be noticed that the township in which Ingham's Mills is
located, bore the historic name of Manheim. And directly across the
creek from Ingham's Mills in Fulton County was Oppenheim. These
names recall the Eighteenth century advent of the Germans from the
Palatinate whence they had been driven by the wars of Louis XIV. It
was then that the German settlement began in New York and Penn
sylvania that gave us that part of our American population known
generally as "Pennsylvania Germans."
The advent of the Inghams into the new world was when Joseph
Ingham, born in Liverpool, England, November 8, 1747, brought his
family to Connecticut. On his death the widow and her sons moved
"All the country between Little Falls and Rome, on both sides of
the Mohawk, was known as German Flats, and was the home of most
of the Palatines that moved from Scoharie Valley in 1722. The Pala
tine village was known as German Flats, now known as Herkimer."
— Reid. Herkimer is at the mouth of the West Canada Creek where
it enters the Mohawk, in about the center of Herkimer county, a little
further west of Little Falls than Ingham's Mills is east.

to Herkimer County. The Inghams had been an English family of
long lineage. In fact the name Ingham is the progenitor of all the
"Ing" names, even of Ingersoll. Probably "Ing" or "Eng" was a
Danish name, the ending "ham," as in so many other English names,
signifying location, meadow, home. In the time of King John there
is mention of the Ingham name.
Among the sons of Joseph Ingham was Stephen, who built the first
flouring and saw mill on the East Canada and so gave the little vil
lage its name. Another of Joseph Ingham's sons was John Ingham,
who early moved to Washington County, Iowa. It was to visit him
that Wm. H. Ingham, his nephew, first crossed the Mississippi. Another
son of Joseph Ingham was Samuel Ingham, who also came with his
father from England and who in 1799 or thereabouts had moved with
the family to Herkimer. Here he was married to Phoebe Rowland,

House at Ingham's Mills, where Mr. Ingham ivas horn.
In the construction of the immense power dam on the East Canada
Creek both the house and the covered bridge across the creek have
been destroyed. One of the deepest pools of the East Canada was
immediately in the rear of the old home.
The following letter was written b\ Walter D. Ingham, youngest
brother and nine years the junior of \\'illiam H. Ingham.
"I will gladl\ tr\- to give you a faint idea of vour father's life at
Ingham's Mills. He was born Noxember 27, 1827", in our father's old
home at the Mills, and it was fine in that day. The postal card vou
have is perfect, showing it as it looked in the year 1S4II. When your
father became old enough to hunt and fish, he "soon became an expert
and when I was a small boy I did enjoy going with him to carry the
ganrie. In that day game and fish were plentiful. Gra\- and black
squirrels, partridge, duck, deer and pigeons. Nearly every sprino-
as soon as the weather would permit, the pigeons would come" from

of Irish family, and of this marriage txvo sons were born, \^'illiam
Ingham and Harvey Ingham. Samuel Ingham was thrown from a
horse and killed in his twenty-fourth year, and the t^vo sons were the
only members of his family. The two brothers remained in Herki
mer, and were married to two sisters, Eliza and Sarah Schuyler, the
daughters of Samuel Schuyler. One son of William and Eliza Ingham
was Schuyler Rowland Ingham, horn June 2, 1S3II, who came to Des
Moines in the middle fifties with James Callanan, and one son of
Harvey and Sarah Ingham -lyas William Harvey Ingham, born \o-
vember 27, 1827. The double cousins \yere nearU of the same age,
went to school together, and maintained throughout the long life of
both an intimate acquaintance.
The Schu\ler family begins with Philip Schuyler, one of the first
of the Hollanders who came to America, a prosperous merchant of
the south in large flocks and locate in the Adirondac woods, about
20 miles north of Ingham's Mills. As soon as they became settled
they would build their nests and raise their \oung. Eyer\' morning
a little after da\light the cock pigeons would cinne out for their
breakfast and go back to the nests, and then the hen pigeon \\ould
come out. Many flocks \yould follow the East Canada Creek, and
it ran within 75 feet of father's house. Your father would go out
and shoot them by the hundreds. I recall your father and brother
Warren going out one fall morning \vheu they killed 23 gray and
black squirrels — more than I could carry. Partr-dge and ducks were
on the table nearly eyer\ da\' in the shooting season. The last few
N'ears he was at home he would go out e\'er\ fall to the headwaters of
the East Canada Creek for deer and often George Williams, your
father's old friend, would go with him and they always brought home
plent}' of deer. I recall one fall he Avent to Piseco Lake, for moose,
and put up with a man b\' the name of Enos. Hunters from New
York City were there for moose also. The next day they went about
ten miles from the lake, and came on the tracks of two moose and fol
lowed them until near night, and then built a fire and remained there
until morning. (I think the snow was o\'er five feet.) They started
very early on the tracks hoping to get a shut at the moose before dark.
Fortunately their direction was toward Piseco Lake. When they were
nearly home they came upon the place where the moose had been
killed by the New York hunters on the day your father left the lake.
He often would catch brook trout weighii g from two to three and
one-half pounds, and they were plenty. In short he \yas a splendid
hunter and fisherman and above all a grand man and brother."
"John Ingham was quite a mechanic. Having invented a rotary
steam engine, a firm in Alton, Illinois, wrote him with regard to it and
after some correspondence ordered one built for their use. Mr. Ingham
had the engine built and started with it for .¦\lton, intending to give
it his personal attention. On arriying he found the firm bankrupt and
had therefore to make other disposal of his engine. Taking a steamer
he came up the Mississippi and visited \A'ashington Count}', Iowa, and
being well pleased with the country, purchased a claim of 240 acres
in Section 13, Clay Township. He then returned to New York, sold
his farm, and came \yith his family. Upon this farm he lived until
1848, moving in that year to Peoria, Illinois. He soon became dis
satisfied and returned to Washington County, where he died in 1860.
John Ingham was a man of more than ordinary ability, and had great
mechanical skill. In early life he learned the trade of a weaver and
for some years, in New York, was engaged in the manufacture of
woolen cloth. He and his estimable wife were both members of the
Congregational Church." — History of Washington County.

Albany. His son, Peter Schuyler, was the first mayor of Albany.
General Philip Schuvler, of revolutionary fame, was the son of a
nephe^y of Peter. In line of descent, Samuel Schuyler, father of the
wives of William and Harvey Ingham, was born May 22, l./l. His
\yife was Abigail Fancher.
Directly north of Little Falls on the map will be found the little
village of Fairfield. Fairfield, on the watershed between the East
and \'\>st Canadas. is almost all the way up hill from the Mohawk
valley, and Bartow Hill at the foot of which Squire Thomas A. Rice
had his farm, is accounted one of the highest points in the state of
NcNv York. Squire Rice was the lineal descendent of Deacon Edmund
Rice of New England. It was here Caroline Anna Rice was born,
Ma\- 23, 1831, and here she was married to William Harvey Ingham,
Xo\'ember 25, 1857. She came at once to a pioneer log cabin home in
Kossuth County, and in this log cabin home two children were born,
Harvey and Anna Caroline. Eight children were born in all, seven
of them reaching maturity. Of the seven five are now living, Harvey
Ingham at Des Mo nes, Mary Harriet Doxsee at Redwood, Calif.,
Helen \'ienna Russell at Omaha, Neb., Dr. George William Ingham
at Olympia, Wash., and Cornelia Ingham McChesney at Iowa City,
Iowa. Mrs. Caroline A. Ingham died in her home in Algona at the ad
vanced age of S3. William H. Ingham died at the home of his so;i
George in Olympia, Wash., at the advanced age of 87. They both
lived to see the frontiers of Iowa vanish before the fenced lane and
the automobile.

"Peter Schuyler seems to have gained the good will of the Indians
to the extent that they called him 'qu'ddar,' which was as near as
they could pronounce the word 'Peter.' In 1776 a new fort was built
and named Fort Schuyler, in honor of General Philip Schu>ler, (the
name seems to have been a favorite o:ie for fortifications). In 1709
a fort was erected on the Hudson near Schuyler\'ille and a little
later a rude fort was built on the present site of the C^it\' of Itica,
both of wh.ch were named for Peter Sclunler." — Reid.

"My father, Harvey Ingham, was born January 11, 1797, and
married Sarah S. Sclunler, Februar\' 26, 1818. He \vas a son of
Samuel Ingham, one of fi\'e brothers who came from Connecticut and
settled in Herkimer County. After learning the clothiers business he
built works for the same at Ingham's Mills, where he lived until his
death, at the age of 87 years. I attended public school until 1 was
ten \'eais old and then \yas sent to a pri^-ate boarding school kept b\
Elder Beach, a graduate of Yale College, where 1 commenced the
stud\' of Cilreek and higher mathematics. Two years later 1 went to
Little Falls Academy at its beginning, where 1 was prepared for a
college course. Other interests now came up that turned my attention
to business affairs so that my school days were ended at the age of
17 \ears. Soon after I enteretl into partneishiji with m\' brother,
Warren R. Ingham, under the firm name of W. R. and \\'. H. Ingham,
for the manufacturing of lime, lumber and cheese boxes, the latter
being one of the first shops in Herkimer County, the output of
which soon reached from 60,000 to 70,000 a year. Later on an oil
mill \\as added In the business, which gained (luite a reputation
through Central New York for its (Uitput of a pure quality of linseed
oil. In all we employed some 25 men in carr\'ing on the different inter
ests until the spring of 1849, when I sold out my interest to my brother

St. Paul in 1850-51
In one of Mr. Ingham's manuscripts he tells of that first visit to St.
Paul, in the spring of 1850. Again the incident of interest is a meeting
between the Sioux and Chippewas on the townsite of the embryo city.
To understand this we must recall that St. Paul had been a British
trading post for the Indians in the earliest days, and here the Sioux
and Chippewas, two of the most hostile tribes on the continent, came
together, rarely ever in peace. He had taken the boat at Galena
and stopped in St. Paul at the Merchants Hotel, then located a few
blocks up the street from its present site. During his long life he
stopped at the Merchants Hotel whenever he was in St. Paul. He
writes :
"One morning when we \yere all out meeting the passengers that
had just come up on a steamer, five Chippeyvas came on the run down
to Third street and then fired their guns into Forbes store on the
opposite side of the street. \A'e soon learned thev had been watch
ing old Uncle Joe, a Sioux Indian, and his sister, who were on their
way to the store, e.xpecting to kill them before they reached it. The\'
were not quite quick enough as the Sioux had entered the store when
they fired. After shooting, one of the party jumped from the bank
on which the\' were standing, drew a knife and walked up the steps
to the store, where he was met by Mr. Forbes, who told him he bad
killed a squaw. He then told Mr. Forbes he onl\' wanted the scalp
of a buck, sheathed his knife and soon joined the other members of
his part\" and started off on the run. We all stood looking on like
so many statues until they were out of sight and then we wondered
why we had not taken some steps to interfere by giving them a part
ing shot. I went into the store with a few others just as the squaw
was dying. Old Uncle Joe was frantic, as parties in the store had
held him so that he was not able to get outside and show fight. He
finally managed to shoot through the windows at the Chippewas and
if he had held up a trifle higher his shot might have been very satis
factory, as the bullet made the dust fl}' close at the heels of a Chippewa.
This was rather a wild experience for an\body just in from the East."
In the fall of the year he returned to New York, and remained at
Ingham's Mills during the winter. His oldest brother, Erastus, had
been interested in his stories of the west and proposed a return to St.
Paul with him. It was in 1851 that the Sioux had ceded nearly all
their lands in Minnesota and Iowa to white settlement and the lands
on the west side of the Mississippi from the Iowa line to St. Paul
had been opened in the fall of that year. Mr. Ingham and his brother
went by boat as far as Reed's Landing, at the foot of Lake Pepin,
owing largely to the scarcit\' of cheese box material within reach
and perhaps somewhat to the whisperings of Horace Greel\', 'Go \\^est,
young man.' " — Biographical note left by Mr. Ingham.
Plans for building a fort near the falls of St. Anthony were laid
in 1817, but the fort we know as Fort Snelling was not begun until
1820. Minnesota was made a separate territory in 1849. The name
chosen was Itasca. But in the squabble over the bill the name was
changed to Minnesota.

and from there set out afoot for the remainder of their journey. Of
their experiences Mr. Ingham writes:
"We walked, going along on the west side of the lake, in com
pany with Mr. Potter, a trader, at the agency at Red Wing. We
stopped some time at Mr. Wells', he had married a half breed and
built a large stone house about half way up the lake. In the after
noon we met a large party of Sioux on their way to Maiden Rock,
on the lake, to celebrate an anniversary. We reached Red Wing
toward evening and then took a boat for St. Paul. Then we learned
that a little stern wheeler. The Clarion, would start up the Minnesota
river and make the first trip of the season, the next "day. We engaged
passage and found we were with quite a prominent party, made up
of Governor Ramsey, Colonel Hewitt, Colonel Babcock, Colonel Mc-
Kinty and a doctor from Philadelphia, with a few Germans going
to Le Seuer. At Le Seuer, which was platted by Colonel Hewitt, we
were all Invited out to dinner at a new hotel he had put up and we
all agreed it was a fine site for a town. The next city was Wash
burn, where the people were all located in a scow tied up to a tree,
as the high water in the river was up nearly to the top of the cabin
doors. We finally reached Mankato, where the town company was
busy putting up the Mankato House. At that time there was no place
to stop excepting with the Indian traders or with the Indians, who
were numerous. One of the traders was going to a sugar camp on the
Le Seuer river, some five miles away, and wanted to know if any of
the campers wanted to go. A small party was soon made up and as
we were about to start the doctor, who was very genteel and neatly
dressed, said he would go too! We were soon off and after a lively
walk reached the camp. The trader wished to see the Medicine Man
of the band, who was away looking after his traps. While we were
waiting the Indians about the camp entertained us by shooting at us
and finally we \yere invited into the tepee of the Medicine Man, while
his two daughters served sugar by handing each one a nice sugar
box of white birch bark, ornamented with colored porcupine quills,
holding about a teacup full of stirred maple sugar. They then
passed some finely plated silver spoons. But the doctor was sure he
did not want any of the sugar as his attention had been called to a
little fellow who was taking a bath in a tub of sap when we first
reached the camp. He soon, however, tasted the sugar and pronounced
it the best he had ever eaten and he of all of us finally emptied
his dish, well satisfied with his new experience. After finishing the
sugar the doctor began looking about the tepee at its contents. Seeing
a hoop with rawhide head, a cruel thing with teeth and bear claws,
he walked up and took it down and began playing on it as he would
with a tambourine. The daughters were horrified at the sound and
before he had fairly made a beginning, some one came in through
the open flap of the tepee and threw some mink across to our feet and
before we knew what was up the doctor was on his way out like
a shot, and not in an upright position by any means. Just then the
agent yelled out, "Get out as quick as you can." It really appeared
as if the doctor might be killed, as the old Medicine Man was dragging
him away from the tepee. It was the most tragic affair I have ever

witnessed. It did not take us long to get out of the tepee when we
learned the cause of the trouble. No one of the tribe dared to touch
the tambourine affair, as the penalty was death — it destroyed the cura
tive properties and the power to drive off evil spirits during the
incantations of the Great Healer. We all did what we could to
allay the old Indian's anger, but it was some little time before he
let the doctor gather up his effects which lay scattered about."
During this performance Mr. Ingham had noticed a fine canoe
near the Medicine Man's tepee, and asked him the price, which was
set at $5.00, delivered at Mankato. A little consultation decided the
brothers to buy the canoe and drift down the Minnesota to St. Paul.
That was an easy project as the water was very high and the cur
rent swift. They were soon to learn, however, something of Indian
trading. Mr. Ingham writes:
"We did not wait long before the Medicine Man, with one of his
daughters, came in sight. Presuming he had left the canoe at the river
some eighty rods away, I handed him the five dollars, when he
offered it to his daughter, who at once seemed to have an attack of
spasms. On asking the agent what the trouble was he told us the
boat belonged to the girl and that she would not sell it for that price.
We at once saw they intended to play a sharp game, with the agent
a party to it. As the steamer had gone and left us they believed
we were in their hands. I asked at what price they would sell, with
out being able to get an answer. I then offered seven dollars, when
the girl appeared to have a worse attack than the first. I now told
my brother we could walk down and probably yve would enjoy it
better than the boat ride and that we had better be off without further
delay. We had not gone over forty rods when he heard some one
calling. We stopped and noticed the agent coming towards us. He
told us they would sell the boat as they had agreed to at the sugar
camp if we would take it. We finally went back and the old fellow
seemed pleased to get the five dollars. Presuming the canoe was in
the river, some eighty rods away, we went over with the man and
some forty or fifty other Indians. On reaching the river we found no
canoe. I was told it would be brought to us for ten cents. In a play
ful way I told the old fellow we would go and get it, when he started
off with me following. We went about one and a half miles up on
the Blue Earth river, here he had hidden the canoe in the brush.
He told me to get in the bow and gave me one paddle, while he
took the stern and we started down the river through the woods.
On coming to a large tree that had fallen and la^' some six inches
above the water he paddled with a quick stroke and ran the canoe up
over the tree very gracefully and from then on he rode over several
more trees that were floating about. This furnished him a fine chance
to show me how to paddle my own canoe."
The only Incident of importance recorded of the down river trip
History of St. Paul: "One of the most notable events of the year
1850 was the navigation of the Minnesota river. Three boats made
excursions with large pleasure parties of St. Paulites. The 'Yankee'
ascended for 300 miles, thus showing that the river was navigable."

was the experience in the whirlpool, where for more than an hour
the most heroic efforts were not enough to break the canoe over the
crest into safe water. They had come into the pool after turning a
sharp bend in the river. The current was swift, the pool some six
rods across, and the suction strong. It was sure death to be taken
into the vortex in so swollen a stream. Mr. Ingham's written descrip
tion conveys but little of the vivid impression his verbal description
gave of that hour's fight. He had the driving paddle, and he bent
his hack to the work as the old Argonauts must have done at Scylla
and Charybdis. He knew what the penalty was if he failed to push
over the crest of the trap of death. On one of the turns when the
sweat was dripping, and his muscles had began to tire, he nerved
himself for a tremendous effort, and having gained a little knowledge
of where to make the attempt, he barely pushed over the curb far
enough to keep from being drawn back in. Once out they immediately
sought the shore and made camp for the night, wearied as he had
been but few times in the years of his pioneer life. "The next day",
he writes, "we lunched at St. Peter's and stayed over until the
morning. From here nothing occurred until we reached Shakopee.
The day before a part}' of Chippewas made their appearance and
killed a Sioux while out hunting ducks. As soon as this became
known the Sioux called a war dance for the enlistment of warriors.
We went down and looked on for an hour or more. It was a weird
affair, but very effectual in starting the war party in pursuit. From
here we went to St. Paul and soon took a boat for Dubuque and from
there went by stage to Cedar Rapids."

Across Iowa in 1854
In another of Mr. Ingham's manuscripts he tells of his journey to
Des Moines and further west to Council Bluffs and Omaha on the pros
pecting tour tyvo years after this experience at St. Paul. He had
located at Cedar Rapids as a surveyor. In the winter of 1853-4 he had
become interested with Mr. Green in a contract to survey government
lands in Southeastern Minnesota.
"The field notes of the township lines from which we yvere to
sectionize were promised to us from the surveyor general's office by
the time the new growth of grass on the prairies would furnish feed
for our teams. However, when that time came we made inquiry and
then learned there would he some delay owing to errors in the base
line work. We waited until in June (1854) and then were notified
that the department in ^^^ashington had ordered a resurvey for cor
rection of the erroneous work. This would make it very uncertain
when we could start, late in the season in any event, so we decided
to drop the contract with the assurance that we would be entitled
to a large contract for the following year (1855) wherever we might
choose from the lands to be surveyed."
It was to inspect the lands open to survey that Mr. Ingham planned
his trip west to Kansas and Nebraska, and then through Northern
Iowa on his way home, to determine for himself such conditions of
surface, timber and water, as might be important in the prosecution
of the work. The party made up in Cedar Rapids consisted of Mr.
Ingham, a Doctor Curtis, Thomas C. Covell and Edward Moll. The
first stage of his journey brought him to Grinnell:
"We were off about the middle of July, taking the stage road by
way of Marengo to Council Bluffs, being at the time the most northern
road across the state. We had not gone very far before we learned
that our broad high topped wagon cover moving westward invited an
interview from nearly every person we met. We were asked by
everybody where we were going, and what we were looking for,
questions so familiar to all of the old timers. We found only a few
settlers along the way, living far apart at the groves, and they lost
no chance to persuade others to settle near-by, and usually they were
very persistent in their efforts. This was very noticeable when yve
met a couple from Snook's Grove, in Poweshiek County, and it became
worse when we drove up in front of the store-station known as the
Travelers Rest, a few miles east of Grinnell. Here several persons
came out and after the usual questions had been asked, told us that
a preacher and others had selected and entered quite a quantity of
land for a colony, and that a location for a city and a college had
been selected a few miles out in the prairie to the west; also that
the preacher was then at Iowa City, where he had gone to enter an
other half section adjoining the city site, but had written them that he
found the tract taken up by another party, but hoped that he might
be able to secure it, in any event that he would return to 'the rest'
in a very short time. This news caused quite a flurry at 'the rest,' for
they feared that in case he should fail to get the tract, the site for
the town might be changed. They tried to persuade us to wait until

he came back, feeling confident that if we could meet him and hear
him talk about yvhat he intended to do we would decide to join in
the making of the new city. They were very enthusiastic in their
faith in the preacher and his yvork, and if we had known him then
as we did in later years, as the Rev. J. B. Grinnell, we too should
have been as confident that whatever he planned to do would un
doubtedly be done. From this beginning, with the help of many gen
erous friends, he left a fine memorial of his life work in Iowa College.
The city of Grinnell owes much to him of its growth and beauty."
The Des Moines of 1855 was not an imposing city. There were
then but few people on the townsite of the future capital of Iowa.
Mr. Ingham writes of his journey from Snook's Grove:
"A pleasant drive from here through one of the best parts of the
state brought us to Fort Des Moines, located on the point of land
lying between the Raccoon river bank and the Des Moines river. The
bottom land on the east side was timbered down to the river, and the
prairie on the west side, on yvhich the fort was located, made a fine
picture \yith its large field of ripening grain. Bordered by beauti-
full}- wooded hills made it an ideal site for a town and time has
proven that the selection was well made. At the time of day we
passed through the town it should have been all astir, and yet we
did not notice a team on the street, nor a person anywhere, all of
which impressed us that a census showing at the time would not have
been very flattering. From this our way led us along up the Des
Moines river to about where Locust street is, and then we turned to
the west. We soon entered a lane with a rail fence on either side
extending for a half mile or more, with a farm house on the north
side. Farther on we passed one more farm house at the top of the
hill. These, with the buildings at the point were all that we noticed
anyyvhere on the present site of the city of Des Moines."
Mr. Ingham has said frequently that after leaving Adel he did
not see a white habitation until he reached the Missouri river. Of
this part of the journe\" he writes:
"From here our ^ya\' led us to Adel at the crossing of the Raccoon
Fork, and then for some distance through timber lands before leaving
the ri\'er ^'alle}'. Here we found our first wild turke\"s. \A^ith the
help of our bird dog, Frank, \ve soon took all that we could possibly
use. As we left the timber we drove out a short distance on the
prairie, where yve decided to camp for the night on account of water
at the stage station nearby, although it Avas earlier than we usually
stopped. This gave us plenty of time to prepare our first meal with
wild turkeys on the bill of fare. The roads at that time were quite
unlike what they are now. They were marked at first from one place
to another as direct in course as the surface of the country would
permit without being worked, except at the crossing of streams. The
distance to be traveled was considerably increased as thev yvent wind
ing ahont the sloughs and woods at almost every point of the compass
and frequently would lead off for miles on divides or through valleys
and then come back again in the same general way. The country as
we traveled west became more rolling and the streams winding about
in their deep set valleys, with their narroyv borders of continuous

timbers, made pleasing landscape pictures. This was especially so
with the branches of the Nishnabotna, making it attractive for settlers
for homes. We found no settlers until we reached the Mormon set
tlement of a few families on Mosquito Creek. In passing over the
divide to the Missouri river we came to Kanesyille, being a row of
long houses in the ravine, built by the Mormons and abandoned
when they left for Salt Lake City. They were mostly occupied by
ne^v comers, the builders of Council Bluffs. Wishing to buy a couple
of horses we made inquiry and learned that Colonel Lander had
brought over quite a lot of small Oregon horses in his pack train
from Vancou^-er, reaching Council Bluffs in July, and that most of
them were in recorder's hands for sale."
How he bought the Oregon pony, "Flinka", who figured so largely
in his later adventures, how he tried to cross the Platte river in the
quicksand, how the doctor nearly lost his life in the tall grass border
ing the Missouri, how he met Colonel Peter A. Sarpy, one of the
notable men of the western fur trade, how he met Logan Fontanelle,
one of the notable Indians of the border, who told him more about the
country he yyas out to inspect than he could learn for himself, are all
related in the rest of the narrati\e:
"While they were being brought in from pasture we went over
the river and looked at the site of Omaha, that had just been surye\ed,
about which all were talking as a coming great city. Next morning
we selected a couple of ponies at $25.00 each, one of which, 'Flinka',
lived to the good old age of 28 years. We then crossed the Missouri
and took the old Mormon and California trail west, passing over the
town site of Omaha. At night we camped on the Elkhorn river and in
no other place did we find the -wild turkeys as plenty as there. We
had now come to the great Platte valley and on crossing the Elkhorn
wished to turn south and go as far as Kansas, so we left the trail.
"The doctor, colonel and ra\'self started out on horseback, leaving
Moll to bring up the teams, .^fter going some distance we not'ced
that the wagon was going on up the A-alley. We stopped and mo
tioned him to follow us and then went on our wa\'. Some time after
we again noticed that he was still going west, ^^'e then found on
going to him that if he moved at all he must go west, as the deep cut
ruts the wagon was in after crossing the Elkhorn were continuous.
As we had no way of getting the wagon out we traveled up the river
until nearly noon, ^vhen we came to a creek valley and so got out
of the ruts by going crosswise down to the Platte river, not far away.
There we stopped to feed our horses and search out a place to
ford the shallow Platte river, which had an apparently fine gravel
bottom. But under it we found quicksand in which we nearly lost one
of our horses. On looking we found quicksand all along up and
doyvn the river, so we decided to go back to Council Bluffs and
Mr. Ingham frequently recalled that it was about this time that
he was offered one-third of the townsite of Denver if he would go
west with the prospectors and survey it. Later in life he yvas inclined
to regret that he had not taken the offer, until he remembered that
the original prospectors of the town site of Denver were all hanged.

reached our old camp on the Elkhorn, where we spent the night.
The next day in passing over the Omaha site we found a person with
a couple of loads of green cottonwood timber. Nearby was a wheel
barrow with a keg of nails, saw, square and hammers. He told us
he was to put up the first building on the site for an office. It has
always been a source of regret that I did not learn the name of this
man who drove the first nail and made this building, the beginning
of what was so important to all who followed him. From here we
crossed the river and then took the road from Council Bluffs to
Nebraska City. There was nothing unusual on the way, but the tall
grass which covered the greater part of the bottom. Two persons on
horseback only a rod or two apart were lost to each other as if it
were miles. We started from Nebraska City expecting to go on our
way south. On getting to the Little Nemaha, which was deep cut,
we could not find a crossing. After several trials we decided to go
across the Missouri bottom to quite a large grove, apparently from
two to three miles below on the Nemaha. It being a very hot day
in August we found it more comfortable to walk through the tall
grass than to ride our horses. We took turns in the lead, changing
quite frequently, while Moll followed on in the trail with the wagon.
We had gotten on some distance in the tall grass when the shift
brought the doctor in the lead with me following next. We had not
gone far when his horse fell back a few feet and stopped. Not know
ing what the trouble could be I walked up carefully along side of
the horse and discovered the doctor had disappeared. It was plain
to be seen that he had not gone any further through the grass and
the question was ivhat had become of him. On working up in front
of the horses carefully I found an opening down through the grass.
Looking down I discovered the doctor some 12 feet below, well planted
in the Missouri river mud, with a few inches of water covering it. I
hastened back to stop the yvagon and to get a long rope. This was
let down and after being fastened we drew him up out of the soft mud
to the top of the bank. We now had a good laugh at his expense, in
which he joined. After which he had frequent opportunities to ex
plain what the sensations are when one unexpectedly finds a great
river. He simply had walked off from the bank into the Missouri
river, without the least thing to warn him of the danger.
"We now decided to give up our southern trip and return, and
so went back to Nebraska City and from there to Belleview. Here we
met Stephen Decatur, who was the foreman of Sarpy Bros, of St.
Louis, who had a trading post at this point. Mr. Decatur, who was
going to another store of the firm about a mile away on the east
hank of the river, to see Mr. Peter A. Sarpy, a member of the firm,
invited us to go with him. As we were about starting he said, 'There
"During the month in which Nebraska was adopted as a territory
(May, 1854), what has sometimes been called the first house to be
erected in Omaha was put up. The date of its construction is in
dispute, one authorit\- contending that it was erected in January or
February. The house was built by Tom Allen of round logs. For a
time it was known under the name of the St. Nicholas." — History of
Nebraska.

comes Chief Logan' and quickly started to meet him, asking us to
go with him. Our first thought was of a head gear of feathers, with
blankets and buckskin. We were greath' undeceived, as we were pre
sented to a tall, firmly formed person of about 40 years of age, cul
tivated, of fine voice, and fully dressed, wearing patent leather boots,
kid gloves and a gold headed cane. He was not the sort of man yve
had expected to meet. He told us he was back from a trip to Wash
ington, so we saw him at his best. He excused himself, saying he
should he pleased to see us again. We now crossed over the Missouri
where there were three long mackinaw boats that had been brought
down the Missouri loaded with buffalo robes and furs. These had been
unloaded and the goods had been put in warehouses nearby, waiting
for steamers to take them to St. Louis. Mr. Decatur excused himself
for a minute to see the mountaineers who were King about on the
bank nearby and then we went on. Arriving at the store we met
Mr. Peter A. Sarpy, a genial man, who after showing us about the
place, invited us to be seated at the north door of the store in the
cool and then entertained us with his frontier experiences. We had
not been there long before we heard a terrible yelling and soon a
man in full Indian dress, with uncovered head, rode up in front
and paid his respects to Mr. Sarpy with a very low bow, which was
quickly responded to by all. He then passed on, when another came
up, until perhaps a dozen had followed. And then all went on up
the road yelling like savages at the top of their voices. Mr. Sarpy
now told us the\' were his mountain boys who had brought the boats
down and that they had done so well for the firm the past year that
he had given them a week's vacation with full freedom and told them
to enjoy themselves. It was not long before they returned and paid
their further respects with rather increased vigor, and then went
back to the landing again. Mr. Sarpy went on to tell how well they
had gotten along with the clan of helpers. That they always found
it paid to treat their men honorably as they were sure to get the
same in return. That while they appeared rough and noisy at times
they were still a noble lot of fellows, %vell fitted for their work.
About this time the boys came back and were very enthusiastic and
ceremonious in their attention and after the leader had made his bow
instead of going on up the street as before, he spurred his horse and
rode into the store and then went down through it with an Indian
yell long to be remembered. Another quickly followed and so on
until all had passed. The enthusiasm seemed to extend to all of us
and when Mr. Sarpy stood up while the boys were rushing down
through the store and called out at the top of his voice, 'Have a
good time, boys. That is the way I used to do when I was young',
it reached its height. With the encouragement the boys rode around
and took a second flying trip, though with only a slight recognition
as they passed. The din and clatter in the store can hardly be
imagined and to us was wierd, wild and exciting. After this fine
time they each appeared in front again and gracefully bowed them
selves away so that we knew the play was over. We thanked Mr.
Decatur for the entertainment he had planned when at the landing

and also Mr. Sarpy for his very interesting story of pioneer life and
the description he had given of the land in Nebraska. On our
return to Belleview we again met Chief Logan in dress more in
harmony with his surroundings than when we first saw him. He
was an interesting talker and told us all about the duties he had to
perform as chief. One of the important ones was to look after the
annuities at Washington. The school also at Belleview took some
care, but the one thing that held his position for him was to put on
the buckskin and join the men in their annual buffalo hunt."
"When the country of the Omahas' was sold to the government, a
colon}' came from Quinc\', 111., to seek a new and better home. On
arriying at Belleview they found Logan Fontanelle, chief of the
Omahas. He was a half breed, his father having been a Frenchman.
Logan had been educated at St. Louis and was much more than
ordinarily intelligent. * * * * * In the morning Logan, Joe
LaFleche and Sansouci started on ahead chasing some elk. Logan
fell in the rear and took a divergent course and was never seen alive
by his companions. About this time the Omahas saw some Sioux
riding Logan's pony with a small piece of his scalp dangling from
one of their belts. * * * * * Passing down Beaver Creek six or
seven miles they found the body, the breast pierced by seven arrows.
' * * He was buried at Belleview on July 1, 1855. - * * His
influence over his tribe was supreme. He was intelligent enough to
see the tendencies of the times. It is safe to say that if he had lived
the Omahas would be on a much higher plane than is the case today."
— History of Nebraska.
"In 1810 the American Fur Company established a post at Belle
view. In 1842 Colonel Peter A. Sarpy became agent at Belleview,
and for thirty years was the leading spirit of the region. To this
place the Indians for hundreds of miles around brought their furs
and exchanged them for such luxuries as the white man had acquainted
them with." — History of Nebraska.
"Three of the sons of Gregoire Berald Sarp} became fur traders.
The father is said to have been the first St. Louisian to take a keel
boat up the Missouri. John B. Sarpy began as a clerk, but advanced
until he was recognized as one of the foremost of the dominant spirits.
Thomas L. Sarpy, a clerk at the Oglallah post, was killed by the ex
plosion of fifty pounds of powder. Peter L. Sarpy was for years in
charge of the post near Belleview, a few miles jjelow Omaha He
was known popularly as 'Colonel Peter.' " — Histor\- of St. Louis.

First Visit to Kossuth County
Mr. Ingham has left no record of his journey from Council Bluffs
in a northeasterly direction to Clear Lake, and his return from Clear
Lake to Cedar Rapids. But speaking later of his determination to
return to Northern Iowa he referred to his first view of the Des
Moines valle}-: "I had alread}- seen a small section of the Des Moines
valley above Fort Dodge only a few months before as I was traveling
with a party of four on my way from Council Bluffs back to Cedar
Rapids by way of Clear Lake. I was so favorably impressed at that
time with general appearances, and the great abundance of game that
I decided to have another look at it, haying in mind the possibility
that some of the timber lands might \'et be open ;o cash or pre
emption entr}'."
Another of the reasons for his wish to return to the northern part
of the state he gives in another connection: "The maps we brought
with us showed a large body of pine lands along the northern border
of the state, the countr\' being broken and hilh'. From these maps
we had good reason to believe we should find lumber suitable for
milling purposes, and also should find streams of clear, cold water,
well stocked with trout. It is to be regretted that at least one of those
old maps has not been preserved. As for mine I threw it in the fire,
thinking that was the proper place for it, and I presume the others
shared the same fate."
Almost immediateh' upon his return to Cedar Rapids he evidently
quitted all notions of government surveying, for he engaged Mr. D. E.
Stine's interest in a timber claim, and in November of the same }ear
(1854) they set forth. He writes: "About the middle of the month
we were off on horseback, well prepared to tarry wherever night
might find us. After a pleasant five days' journey we brought up
before the old Wahkonsa House in Fort Dodge."
It is to be remembered here that Fort Dodge had only recently
been abandoned as a government fort — it \vas established in 1850
and abandoned in 1853 — the garrison going north to Fort Ridgely
and Major William Williams, who bought the abandoned buildings,
had barely made a beginning.
At the old Wahkonsa Mr. Ingham met Edward McKnight of Mc-
Knight's Point, north of the fort near the forks of the east and west
branch of the Des Moines, and he told him of the timber prospects
up the two rivers. The day following they went as far as McKnight's
cabin, and there met Charles Bergh, one of the four settlers of what
is now Humboldt County. In reply to their inquiries about game
Mr. Bergh said there were many deer about but he had not been
fortunate as a hunter. Accordingly a hunting party was organized
and a deer was brought in in short order. The next day a call was
made on the two other pioneers of Humboldt, August Zahlton and
Christian Hackman, two Germans living in a dugout in the river
bank near what is now Dakota City. It was August Zahlton, a
veteran Prussian soldier, who the next year, in the little Algona set
tlement, drew his rifle on Inkpadutah and asked if he should shoot.
A shot at that time would have saved the Spirit Lake massacre.

From McKnight's Point the jump was to the Call cabin in the
woods south of the present townsite of Algona. Asa C. and Ambrose
A. Call had gone north from Fort Dodge in July of that year, against
the earnest advice of Major Williams and made a claim of
the timber in the midst of which their cabin was erected. Here Asa
C, or Judge Call, as he was always known, had brought his bride,
one of the first white women to go so far north. As it happened Mr.
Ingham and Mr. Stine were the first white persons to call at their cabin
after her arrival. Mr. Call after entertaining them, guided them north
to the Parrot cabin, just north of the Carey grove, and Parrot under
took to conduct them to a beautiful grove on the Black Cat. Mr.
Ingham named the creek after one he had known in New York, and
this timber Mr. Stine at once claimed for himself.
One of the tragedies of the frontier was enacted on the return trip
to Cedar Rapids. Mr. Ingham had been accompanied by his dog
"Frank". As he was leaving the Call cabin for the south Mrs. Call
had said playfully, "I wish you would give me your dog." Mr. Ing
ham had replied that he would wish no better master for him than.
Mrs. Call, but indicated his affection by saying that he had refused a
cash offer of $200 for him in Council Bluffs from a Mr. Bayliss. Many
are the stories that were told of Frank's intelligence, and many the
times when on a wager Mr. Ingham had dropped his pocketbook in
the grass of those uncharted prairies and after going several miles
had sent Frank back for it. The rest is told in Mr. Ingham's own
words: "When near the A. J. Jones farm in Cresco township, our attention
was called to a fine bunch of elk standing on a summit some distance
away in a southwesterly direction. When about to pass them by
a mile or more we decided to unload our surplus stuff at a section
corner nearby and then try to capture one, or at least give them
chase. We knew full well with our tired horses and the poor
equipment we stood but little chance. When ready Mr. Stine bore
around to the south, keeping a mile or more away, while I did the
same to the north until we were opposite each other. We now rode
slowly toward them, keeping down closely on our horses so as not
to draw their attention. When I was not more than a half a mile
away they took alarm and started off at a rapid pace in an easterly
course and then bore off north and so around to the northwest. This
gave me quite an advantage as I took the inner part of the large
circle they were making and yet I could not lessen the distance be
tween us. As they were passing by without any possible chance of
my getting nearer I gave them a parting shot with the muzzle of my
gun held well up and quite a distance in front, all by guess, as a
person might throw a stone, and then waited, without the least hope
of success. My surprise must be imagined when I saw the band
quickly separated and one of the largest tumbled to the ground. The
ounce ball had knocked him down but he soon regained his feet and
then went on following the band that was still in sight. He became
weary after going some three or four miles and made a stop in some
tall grass. My dog, Frank, in the meantime had taken no interest

..,',  reiv L. Seeley
Writing of the nearly three years during which Putnam, Covell
and Seeley were with him in the cabin, Mr. Ingham says: "During
this time many things happened to test the make-up of each of us. I am
unable to recall a single occasion when Seeley lost his courage or
became despondent. Whether exposed to storms, or staying in camp,
or engaging in the chase, it made little difference. Even if things
seemed to be going against us we could rely on Seeley, as we familiarly
called him. He was throughout life faithful to any trust committed
to him. He was slow to accept an obligation, but once accepted full
compliance was his purpose. His word was always to be depended
upon. In all business matters he was strictly honorable."

in the chase and appeared to be wondering xvhy I should, with an
animal not covered with feathers, and that could not fly. He had
followed on after us some twenty rods or more away. I now rode up
carefully within short range of the wounded elk. Frank for some
reason had come through the tall grass unnoticed by me to the op
posite side, and as fate would have it, just at the moment I fired he
sprang at the throat of the elk, causing him to raise his head, and
so was shot instead. The elk rallied and went on again while Frank
came to me. Mr. Stine, \vho had overtaken me, was pained to learn
that Frank had been shot and hurried off on the chase. I stayed with
one of the most intelligent and loyal dogs that I have ever known
until his death."
.Arriving at Cedar Rapids it soon became plain that however en
thusiastically Mr. Stine might \ lew his timber prospects in the new
north, Mrs. Stine had found her present home quite crude enough for
her, and Mr. Stine, with some reluctance, announced that he would be
compelled to give up going to Kossuth Cotint\'. Mr. Ingham then de
cided to return and claim the gro\'e for himself, and persuaded
Andrew L. Seeley to accompany him. They were driven north bv
Joseph W. Moore, and arrived at the Parrot cabin on Januai}- 15,
1855. Here they laid plans for their cabin, \vhich was built on
Section 24-96-29. While they \vere thus engaged they were invited to
a house-warming bv Judge Call, who had just completed his new
cabin, the first cabin erected on the town site of .Algona.
Mr. Seeley writes: "I helped to raise the first house in Algona
for A. C. Call. Had a good time. We were called on to help raise
log houses from Irvington to Buffalo Fork."
In another place .Mr. Ingham writes: "A few weeks later, the
Parrot family, made up of himself, L}man Craw, Seeley and myself,
were invited by Mr. Call to come the next morning and help in
putting up his claim cabin. .As this was understood to be the first
improvement to be made on or near the site of the new city to be,
and the second cabin on the east side of the river an\'where abo\'e
the Fort Dodge settlement, it became an important event, so that
e\erybody in the county was present to help. By dinner time, Mrs.
Call, with others, had spread a fine table that looked inviting to the
boys from the cabins and there is no doubt that it was fully ap
preciated. The cabin was finished early in the da} when one of the
number remarked, 'We have had a right smart time,' and so we
had. This cabin ivas soon after occupied by Judge and Mrs. Call
for a home, so well remembered for its genial hospitality, until a
much more pretentious frame building nearb\- took its place."
Mr. Seele>- once wrote of this trip to Kossuth county, and adds
some details not given by Mr. Ingham: "Some time the last of Decem
ber, '54, W. H. Ingham wanted to see me at Cedar Rapids. I went
down (from Benton county) and we agreed to make a trip to Kossuth
county to stay one year, as we had been together some while I \vas in
the Rapids. It took about two weeks to get things ready. We would
counsel at night. Finally we got ever}thing we could "think of. As
we were not scienced yet at cooking, of course, it took considerable
figuring to get a year's supply of provisions. WeU, I thuik we did
fine work. Finally the day was set for a start. We hired J. W.
Moore as teamster and loaded up, which was interesting to us at least.
As we were going 200 miles from market we substituted clay pipes
for cigars. Stopping places were from 30 to 40 miles apart. The

second day out Ingham killed a deer and it detained us so we were
obliged to camp within 15 miles of the Iowa River. It was a pleasant
night. The team got stuck in crossing a small stream at Fifteen-Mile
Grove and we had to unload and I built up a good fire. We didn't
load until morning, as we were obliged to go to the bottom for some
thing to cook or cook with, and we did not propose to do any half-
wa}' work. We had coffee to brown and venisoii to skin, but no
potatoes to clean. We had got where they did not raise such things.
In the morning we packed our kit and started northwest. We made
to Honey Creek, stopped \vith Dills. The next day we came through
Skunk Grove, the north side of the hill was all ice. The yvagon got
ahead of the horses and the\' came down backward. \\'e stopped
on the bottom below where \\'ebster City now stands. The next day
we came to Fort Dodge, then nothing but the old fort buildings.
Stopped with Miller; he lived in the old hoarding house. Corn was
$2,110 per bushel. Next we stopped with McNight, near where Spring-
vale was started. The night of the 25th of January, 1855, we stopped
with the Calls, near wl-ere Chubbs live. J. W. Moore left us there.
After unloading our load in their stock \ard and covering with ha}',
we rolled our axes, saw and big auger in rubber blankets a;id tied
them on the pon\' which we brought \vith us, which belonged to \A'. H.
Ingham. That being the onl\' team we had to tie to and started for
Parrot's shant}'. The first mishap was when we started to come
down to the ri\'er south of Call's Ford. The pony made a misstep
and away she went to the bottom of the hill. Of course, we thought
she was a goner, but it was all right. It was snowing hard and the
wind was blowing very hard. When we got on the ground near where
the Court House stands we could not travel. We went back to the
ravine and tO' the river where Blackford's Bridge is and followed the
river till near the Black Cat Creek. Parrot's and Craw's shanty was
at the edge of the grove, west of John Henry's house. The hoys were
not living the best. One had a yoke of oxen, the other the wagon.
Well, we wanted something to eat. We took pone for supper and
breakfast, and then looked for a site for a cabin for ourselves.
Ingham had claimed the grove where Reibhoff now lives. He claimed
it in December, '54. There ^vas but little snow that winter. It made
it very pleasant for us. We built us a cabin 14x18, covered it with
shakes which were split out of a big oak tree. We moved on the
17th of February, 1855, using the pony for a team, hitched to a bob
sled. \\'e got Craw and Parrot to splice to get our provisions up
from Calls. I went with Craw while Ingham cut cabin logs. We
killed wolves, foxes and coon. Of the latter we got 60, mink 26, two
large timber wolves. We used our time in prospecting mostly after
we got settled in business."

An Indian Traveling Companion
The Ingham-Seele} cabin was no sooner completed than Mr. Ing
ham decided to explore the pine land country to the north. The winter
of 1854-5 had been mild and open until March, which was wet and
backward. But April came warm and dry and with low water in
the streams was promising for purposes of exploration. It was not
thought best for both the cabin builders to be away at the same time
so Mr. Ingham sought to interest Mr. Parrot, but he also was alone
and did not care to be so long absent from his cabin. Accordingly
Mr. Ingham set off by himself on his pony, Flinka. He had lost his
own dog and needed one for the trip and "Old Billy" Hill owning
the dog that had been with Henry Lott when he killed the Indians at
Bloody Run — a present from Lott as he was hastily leaving the coun
try — it was thought that Hill's dog would be a considerable protection
against the Indians. With somewhat suspicious haste "Old Billy" not
only loaned the dog for the trip, but made a present of him.
Mr. Ingham had spent some hours mapping out the lower course
of Buffalo Fork where it enters the East Branch and had crossed
Mud Creek not far from Bancroft now. What happened then is best
told in his own words:
"After crossing Mud Creek, which soon found its place on the new
map, everything seemed to be working nicely for some two or three
miles beyond, but as I was entering notes in the description book, the
pony became startled. That attracted but little attention on my part,
as these starts had been of frequent occurrence on seeing water-fowl
or deer. But when the pony jumped again, nearh- throwing me off,
I took a quick view from the right around to the river. Then follow
ing further down to a point nearly back of the pony as it was stand
ing, without seeing any elk or buffalo as was expected, my eye fell
upon some 25 or more Indians coming on the full run. My surprise
can readily he imagined, and when their terrifying yells were first
heard I knew for the first time what it was to be really scared. A
painful sensation of scalp raising was instantly followed by a feel
ing of great weakness. Their yells were grovi'ing louder each time.
The condition of the pony prevented my escape by riding away, so
they must be met. For a moment I was greatly vexed for being so
foolish as to come alone to be plundered and stripped, perhaps, by
these thieving fellows, as the trappers had been on the Buffalo Fork
only the fall before, or possibly fare even worse. Then the thought
of returning with a report of this kind was too much, and rather
than that I would meet them and fight it out, leaving an unwritten
record if need be on the prairie. Their yells told me that they were
nearby and there was no time now to be lost. Fortunately my
courage and strength returned and the scare was off just in time.
Mr. Seeley writes: "Ingham went through to Mankato in April
Indians on Bloody Run. I took care of the cabin while he was gone,
which was nine days. It was quite lonesome while he was gone. The
with the pony and the dog Lott left in the country after killing those
Indians were quite plenty them, although they were peaceable."

I prepared at once to present as warlike an appearance as possible
by bringing around in front a navy revolver and hunting knife, car
ried on a belt, and turning the handle caps back so as to bring them
into plain sight and easy to grasp if needed. Then cocking my double
barreled gun and placing it across the saddle in front, I was in
readiness for their reception. Only courage and a cool head were
needed to make it possible to escape without harm. They were
now nearby and soon gave their last howling yell at my back and
then separated and closed about me in their most startling manner."
Mr. Ingham met the band Avith a cool stare and the Indian greeting
"Hoyv", but got no response. The Indians were busy taking an in
ventory of his pony and outfit. It was only when he rather roughly
brushed one of them aside who was la}'ing hands upon him that he got
attention. "Now they all became quiet, seemingly waiting for some one to
begin operations in securing their plunder. A few minutes passed by
without a word or movement, which made it rather embarrassing. At
this time I turned to the apparent leader standing nearby and told
him 'We had better smoke'. With a grunt of acceptance he filled his
large stone pipe with kinni-kinnick, (inner bark of red willow) lighted
it with spunk, flint and steel, took a couple of puffs, handed it to me,
when a puff or two was taken, not unpleasant to the taste, and then
offered to a large stout fellow at my left."
This big Indian was not paying attention to the ceremony, and
Mr. Ingham handing him the pipe, hit him a sound thwack on the
chest with it, which was heard by all the others. They broke into a
loud laugh at his expense, this and the time taken to refill the pipe
relieved the immediate tension and a friendly conversation was begun.
"I now asked them how many there were in camp on the river.
The leader at once replied: 'Sioux-o-ta,' (many Sioux) at the same
time looking up the river and then north, each time repeating his
reply. Seeing he was trying to have me think the country was full of
Sioux, I told him there were W^a-se-cha-o-ta (many whites) coming
up the river, and tried to impress on his mind that there were fully
as many of them as he had pictured Sioux In his imagination. At
this he wanted to know where I was going. I told him up the river,
and then to Mankato. I now showed him the map I was making of
the river and asked him to help fill it out, by marking its course
on a bare spot of ground nearby, while I would fill it in on the map.
Feeling secure in getting off I took a weed and gave him a lesson
in drawing on the ground and found him to be an apt scholar. Several
of the brightest ones became very much interested in the map making.

Mr. Ingham always credited his escape from being robbed by the
Indians to his bold front. It was no part of Indian strategy to be
killed. The man who had courage to take aim at one Indian could
hold twenty of them at bay. The Indian counted any battle an
occasion for mourning if a few of his own comrades were killed, no
matter what loss was inflicted on the enemy. The Indian would wait
for many days to catch his enemy unawares. This was not from
cowardice. It was Indian strategy, dictated probably by the small
number of available warriors.

fiequently suggesting changes in the work. The east fork was mapped
out to its head with a showing of Tnttle's Lake, while the west branch
was extended into Minnesota. Mud Lakes were shown on the new
map, also the Center and East Chain. The Blue Earth river was
drawn from its source to the Minnesota, all of which proved to be
quite correct. They now told me there were no waterfalls in any of
the streams, nor any large groves of timber away from the Blue
Earth river; also that there was no timber between us and the Blue
Earth nor any mountains. Ha\'ing gotten all the information needed
I thanked them for their help and started on my way."
It was at this point that "Bill}" Hill's Ind'an dog proved what sort
of Indian fighter he was. As Mr. Ingham rode away he turned to see
if the dog was following and found him seated with the Lidians and
refusing to leave them. Determined then that he \vould not go back
without verifying the Indian map, and concluding in any event that
it was as safe to go forward as to turn, Mr. Ingham rode on toward
Armstrong's Grove. He camped that night near the grove, but for
obv'ous reasons did not fall asleep. Earl}' sunrise found him \vell
on his way. As he was nearirg Iowa Lake, on the state line a sudden
April snow squall overtook him. He Avas walking ahead and leading
Flinka, when suddenly the pony rushed onto him. By this time any
hint was enough. Quickly drawing his revolver he faced about to
find a single Indian follo\ving his trail \vith head down and blanket
up to protect him from the snow. The Indian was almost on the
pony's heels before he looked up to find himself facing a gun barrel.
"At once I recognized my map-maker of the day before, more
from his form and general appearance than from his face, as that was
badly disfigured by war paint. He at once demanded tobacco and
got a prompt Wun-in-cha (no). Then whiskey, powder and lead
were called for, each time getting the same repl\'. Just at this time
some geese nearby made the'r presence known when he asked to ex
change guns, telling me he could only nepo-wun-cha (kill one) with
his, \vhile with mine he could nepo-num-pa (kill t-wo). This b?Ing
refused he excitedh' called out: 'Ho-nepo-shak-o-pee' (kill si.\), and at
the same time cauglit the handle of my nav}' revolver, while I with
my left hand instantly caught the light yielding coyer over the cylinder
preventing him from draiving it out, at the same time giving him a
A'iolent push with my right, breaking his hold from the handle; and
following up fortunately threw him over backwards. In a moment a
cocked re\'olver was being held on him and when I think how near
it came 'going off', and what the consequences might have been, I am
thankful for that second thought which held me hack. Several mi:uites
were spent, however, in loud talking to him in not the best of spirits
and in words that might be considered somewhat profane. Not know
ing just what I should do next, I told him to get up, pick up his gun,
turn his face to the wind, and walk toward the grove at the lake
and not look back at the risk of being shot. In this way we traveled
some two miles, and during the time he was frequently commanded
to be very careful as to his conduct. On reaching a small ravine
leading to Iowa Lake he started off on a brisk run, following it down
until he disappeared around a bend, much to mv relief."

But Mr. Ingham did not feel that this was the end, and as he was
sitting on a boulder eating his lunch, he kept a keen eye on the
lake shore. At last he noticed something that looked like a stump,
but seemed to move. He soon discovered it was his Indian.
"Thinking it would be much safer to have him with me than fol
lowing on my track I signalled him to come up, and after several
attempts and many stops on his part, he finally reached me and
squatted down on a rock nearby. While away he had cleaned up
his face and came back appearing very much the same as when we
were at work on the map the day before. When offered something to
eat he was rather slow in accepting, and seemed somewhat surprised,
but soon took to it in real Indian fashion Avithout further ceremoiu'.
He now became very talkative, and I learned for the first time that
my guest and map-maker was none other than Umpashotah, and
nothing now was left undone on his part to make himself agree
able. During our stay here I learned man\' Sioux words, names of
animals, numerals, etc., making quite an addition to m\' small stock
on hand, which helped out In our conversations afterward. He took
quite an interest in my double barreled gun and wanted to know how
it was loaded. One barrel being loaded with shot, and ha\'ing none
with me, I took out an ounce ball that fitted it and showed it to him.
which seemed to he satisfactory. He told me that he also wanted to
go to Mankato and would go with me, which I urged h'm to do,
although well knowing that I would not be likely to suffer from too
much sleep on the way.
"All being ready we were off on the trail leading north, with him
in the lead where every motion could be seen. When getting opposite
the heavy black walnut timber in the grove south of Silver Lake the
trail turned to the west and entered the woods. Not knowing yvhere
it went to and fearing it might lead to an Indian camp, I stopped and
asked him: '\\Mi\' do we not keep on going north in place of going
-west?' He told me there was a stream \ve could not cross without
getting wet and so we must go around the lake. Not knowing how this
"was I thought it best to follow him, however unsafe, as it would
not do to show any fear or distrust, and I told him to go on.
"After traveling some little ways in the dark, lonely woods he
stopped and called my attention to some crows on a tree top In front
and asked me to shoot one. WMten told to shoot one himself he ap
peared to be very much amused at the thought of h's killing one,
as it was not at all probable he could have done so with h's old rifle
in making twent\' shots. In m\' condition of mind there was no time
to be wasted in the woods, so we hurriedl}' passed on through, making
the trip of a mile or more, to me, of greater anxiety than ever traveled
before. When Ave reached the outer edge we noticed a flock of
mallard ducks in a small pond at the edge of the trail. He again
stopped, and wanted me to shoot one for supper. I told him
if he would shoot I would, and so slipping up under cover, within
easy range, I told him to fire when I counted and said three, which
he fully understood. At the word he fired and missed as I was sure
he would When the ducks had risen some thirty feet above the water
the shot barrel of my gun was fired, killing one, which fell in the

pond some distance from shore. I tried to have him go out and get
it, which he refused to do, saying the water was too cold. This proved
to be fortunate, as he was not able to find out that it had not been
killed by a single bullet. This was my chance to guy him a little
and Impress upon his mind that he was a very poor shot, telling him
that he did not hit one while sitting in the water while he had seen
me shoot one flying, and as he understood It, with a ball. If he had
any doubts, when he saw me reload with the large ball I had shown
him, they were all removed, so that from now on he manifested much
greater respect for the wasecha with whom he was traveling. For
some reason, not understood at the time, he would not reload his gun,
and did not while he was with me. Our trail now led along around
the shore of Silver Lake and through the burr oak openings lying
between this and Perch Lake. ITpon noticing some witness marks
made the year before by the surveyors, he called out Sioux, and began
seeing very many signs all about him, as if the country was full of
Indians. I paid no attention to him and he soon stopped trying to
frighten me. The trail now wound around Perch Lake to its eastern
side, from where we traveled north, not far from the finest chain of
lakes in all the northwest. At this time they were alive with ducks,
geese, pelicans and swan scattered about over the waters, making a
picture so well remembered by the early settlers.
"The sun was about setting when we reached the lake south and
west of Fairmont so that a camping place must be chosen and prepara
tions made for the night. Umpashotah now wanted to go to the grove
nearby, telling me he always camped in the woods, while I told him
we must stop on the prairie. We soon got to a high tract of land on
the lake shore, fringed with a row of red cedar trees, the lower
limbs of which were dead. There could be no better place to spend
the night than right here. The pony was turned loose, while we
gathered the dry cedar limbs for our camp fire, and also cut quite a
quantity of dry grass for the pony through the night, as well as for
our own use for bedding. A fire was now started a short distance
from a small oak tree where the pony could be tied, and as the air
was quite chilly I took the windward side of the fire, next to the
tree, while he was to have the opposite side. Night had now come
on and after supper we prepared our camping places. ITsing the
saddle and all loose articles for a pillow and then spreading out the
blankets over the bed of dry grass I certainh' had a fine preparation
for sleep, while he on his side had plenty of grass. After quite an
interesting talk, with a jumble of Sioux and English words and many
signs he took out his pipe for a smoke, while I quietly thought over
what had happened and figured out what I must do to free myself
of his company without harm, if possible, to either.
"He had tried to plunder me through fright at first, then by meet
ing me in war costume all alone in the storm. Now he assumed the
character of a friend and no one could ask for a more willing com
panion. When he took his empty gun and his hatchet some six rods
away and laid them down in the grass I knew full well that it all
was intended to make me feel secure and encourage me to enjoy a
good night's rest. The pony was tied up for the night, my gun was

laid on the blankets just back of where I was Intending to lie, lo
that when the blankets were turned up over me it could not well
be taken out, and I was ready for the all night watch. He on his
side had taken his last smoke and then told me he was very tired
and sleepy and so curled down on his bed of grass and soon fell asleep.
Lying down 1 brought the blankets over me In such a way as to
nearly cover my face, only leaving a small place to peek out and
with my revolver handy for use, the great sleeping farce began.
"At about 10 o'clock, perhaps, he was sleeping very soundly, judg
ing from the noise, whei? I too heing "ta' •'n-e^i "ind sleepy fell asleep
as he did, and if an outsider had been present it might have been
difficult to have told which one was having the soundest sleep. It
Avas not long after this, however, before his sleep became disturbed
and he quietly raised up to a sitting position and took another smoke,
which seemed to break up sleep on my side. Thinking it had gone
quite far enough to suit me, I too woke up and stirred up the fire,
when he suddenly became veYv sleepy again and soon dropped off into
a sound and noisy sleep. Again about 1 o'clock, thinking I was asleep,
he rose up, looked about and was permitted to go still further, when
it seemed best for me to wake up again, much to his surprise. Again,
after taking a smoke, he was sleepy and 'was soon in a sound sleep,
and so was I apparenti}' in the same kind of sleep until about 4 o'clock,
when he again became disturbed and had to get up. This time I slept
until he had passed around toward the pony out of my s'ght when
again m}' sleep was broken, much to his disappointment. As he came
hack to the fire, which I was starting up, I plainly told him I should
go no farther with such nonsense. He told me I had not been asleep,
and I told him I ahva}'s slept \vith one e\'e open. I told him further
that he would find he could not get an}thing I had a\va\', and that
he would he fortunate if he ever got back to his friends In camp.
"Morning being near I did not dare risk l}'ing down again as I
might posslbh' fall asleep, and so I put In the time scolding and talk
ing to him in a wa}' that would discourage him from going any farther
with me. At the break of day breakfast was served and rather a
light meal was offered to him. As I 'was getting ready to start he
told me his feet were sore and that he would have to mend his
"hompa" (moccasin) before going farther and asked for a piece of
the buffalo saddle cover, which was rcdily given to him for the pur
pose. It now being light, a grove at the north some fifteen miles
awa}' toward the \\^atonwan was seen. I told him if he still 'wanted
to go to Mankato to be sure and go to that grove, and then left him
busy at work on his "hompa" much to the relief of one well tired
of an Indian traveling companion. Going beyond where Fairmont is
now located I turned to the east and In due course of time reached
the Blue Earth river. Following down the valley through the hea-vy
timber until the middle of the afternoon, I found a pleasant spot
for a good night's rest. 1 stopped. The pony was turned loose, sup
per was over and now I slept for the first time since leaving home,
and Sioux or no Sioux had but little to do wth me that night."
Mr. Ingham In the morning took his course north, and at evening
came to the cabin of a Mr. Hill on the Le Seuer river, where he was

Pipe of Umpashotah.
This Pipe was given to Mr. Ingham b\' Umpashotah in 1856 and
was taken to New York by him in 1857 and given to his sister, In
whose family It was preserved. It Is a fine specimen of Indian work
with lead and pipestone.
received with such demonstration that he was led to ask about it and
learned that he was the first white man they had seen since the
August before. Mr. Hill escorted Mr. Ingham to Mankato in the
morning. The day following Mr. Ingham turned south to Crystal
Lake, where he found two cabins occupied, from there he went to the
Watonwan river. His last day's journey was through the region
where he had expected to find the pine lands: "Before light in the
morning I was off, going directly south, which would lead me through
the heart of the mountains and pine lands, as shown on the map, but
after crossing the boundary line, the posts of which were set in 1852,
I found instead, almost endless marshes of peat. After backing out
of a pocket it was plain to he seen I could not reach home if this
should occur again, and so when in another I was pleased to learn
the bottom had not thawed out so but that I could wade across, and
from now on the course was kept with but few exceptions. As this
was to be a long jaunt for one day I did not ride the pony and turned
it loose to follow with the luggage." The day's travel covered some
forty miles: "One of the hardest of all my experience, and for the
first time I was really tired."

The pipe of U mpasliotali ivith Indian sten
Harvey Ingham.

Noil' in possession of

Capturing Baby Elk
After this adventure the occupants of the new cabin had hardly
got adjusted before, in June, the arrival of Thomas C. Covell, Charles
E. Putnam and Doctor Wilmans, who had come from Cedar Rapids to
capture some baby elk, set everything astir.
"Their outfit consisted of what was later known as 'Covell's Mules',
one lumber wagon with crate, one riding horse, one Oregon pony and
a fresh cow for supplying milk for the young calves when caught.
Thinking we should be able to tell them where they would be most
likely to find elk they came to us for directions. On looking over
the different locations where water could be found, it seemed quite
probable that the west branch of the Des Moines would be the better
field, as there were no settlers to travel along the river to disturb the
elk or keep them back as on the east branch."
Mr. Ingham then gives a picture of life on the West Des Moines
that seems far enough away to us today :
"This being decided they invited me to go with them. And when
all was ready we started out the next day following up the Black Cat
Creek. Three of us being on horseback, we spread out a mile or
more apart so we covered a belt, with the aid of glasses, some five
or six miles in width. We found no signs the first day out and
camped over night on the creek in 97-30. The next morning we kept
the general course of the stream as far as we found water where
they would be likely to come for drink, without seeing any signs.
"When in Palo Alto County we took a northwesterly course and
soon after noticed a tent in the distance which evidently belonged to
a surveying party and galloped down towards it. We saw some one
going in and out in quick succession and now and then peering out
from behind the tent, and seemingly greatly excited, so much so that
we hurried on in order to relieve him as quickly as possible.
"On reaching the tent he told us he took us to be Indians and
hardly knew what to do; that it was the camp of Mr. Cyrus C. Car
penter, then so well known in ofltcial life. We also learned there
had been no reports in camp of seeing elk with their young. As the
timber on that branch now loomed up in plain sight we took a direct
course from here to the nearest grove. After crossing the Cylinder
Creek we met with the first fresh signs of elk and a few miles farther
on quite a number were seen. Preparations were carefully made for
the chase by stripping off everything that could he spared and on
riding up near them they were all found to have their calves with
them. Covell picked out a large fine calf which, with its mother, led
off in a southeasterly course, while the doctor's choice trotted off
towards the river at a rattling pace. I kept with Covell, as our
ponies were quite evenly matched, while the doctor had a fast runner.
Of course, I could have no hand in the capture, as the value of the
Mr. Ingham adds after describing his quick run to relieve the
tent owner of alarm: "Lewis H. Smith was one of the party, but
he was off at another part of the work and I did not meet him at
that time."

young elk with both Covell and the doctor was largely in having
caught them.
"After a long chase by Covell, his elk went into a patch of tall
grass and weeds and when the doe went out on the farther side
without her calf, we knew it had been hidden away. Fortunately
Covell soon found its whereabouts and when the wagon came up it
was loaded in the crate. We now started hack to find the doctor, and
after several miles travel his signal was noticed away to the north-
yvest. On getting near him Covell shouted out he had gotten his calf.
And was more than surprised when the doctor shouted hack he had
three. Usually the doctor was very neat in appearance, hut now he
appeared without collar or necktie, suspenders, or shirt sleeves, and
the greater part of a once nicely laundered shirt all gone. We could
only think of his haying passed through a young cyclone. He now

Captain Charles /;. Putnam.

Written by Captain Putnam for the Upper Des Moines: "It will
be forty-two years in May (1897) since I landed at the little old cabin
built by Captain Ingham and Mr. Seeley (A. L. Seeley) on the Black
Cat. And while my life has seen many varied }ears since, I think those
three on the frontier were the happiest, because of youth, and the
absence of all care and responsibility. When I recall the years so
long ago, the memory of the incidents of that life so fills my mind
that it would, with elaboration, make a book. But it is the memorv

told us when the first calf lay down he tied Its feet with his necktie
and handkerchief, then marked the spot with a white flag fastened to
a tall resin weed. The next one when overtaken was treated In
much the same way, using his suspenders, while the third came near
using up his stock of material for tying and flagging purposes. We
now soon reached his nearest flag and found the calf all right and
went on to the next and so to the third. \\'hen all were loaded we
took a direct course for the nearest timber, presuming it to be on the
river, where we would he likely to find a good camping place for the
night. On reaching water we discovered that we were on a lake
some distance from the river. (Medium Lake.) As night came on
without any air stirring, we found something else that did stir and
made us stir as well. Not only the hum of the little tormentors was
heard through the night, but untold numbers of Blue Heron nesting

of the home-life in that little cabin which remains most distinctly In
my mind. And while, of course, I remember in general the move^
ments of the Indians and the events which transpired, I was too young
to appreciate the fact that we were making history.
"Craw and Linderman, Avho had built a cabin over on the East
Fork, about two miles from the Ingham claim, occasionally made us a
call, when we would send them home laden with game or fish to
enrich their scanty larder. It was early in June Avhen we told them
if they would come over some night we would give them all the fish
that they could carr\' home. They responded one moonlight evening
when the fish were 'running' well. We all went down to the ford,
a few rods above the mouth of the creek. The water at the ford was
shallow, and It was difficult for the larger fish to pass over It. Craw
and Linderman were told to take off their hoots, roll their pants, and
wade to the middle of the creek at the ford, while Seeley and myself
went below to drive the fish up stream. Armed with sticks we went
'where the 'water was deep, and started toward the expectant fisherme.i,
striking the water with our sticks, driving e\'erything before us.
W^hen the school of fish, many of them so large that the^' were half
out of the water, came to the ford Craw and Lindermai began
the slaughter. Grabbing them with their hands they excitedly thre'vv
them to the banks, Ingham, who laughed from a safe shelter, after
wards declaring that they threw the fish eighty feet in the air. We
continued to thrash the water until we had nearly drowned the poor
fellows. Then 'with their fish strung on w'thes and hangi:'.g from
a pole, the happy fishermen, drenched to the skin, started home. And
I was afterwards told that the\' had fresh fish, and fish not so fresh,
all summer.
"Poor Craw, I wonder In what vlne}'ard he is working now. He
was of a very religious turn of mind, guileless and innocent of the
world as a child. Once when he comolalned of the unreliability of
the weather prognostications of Ayer's almanac, and was told that
he must not expect correct predictions of the weather in a country that
had not been surveyed, he accepted the explanation as good logic, and
was never heard to criticise the weather man again."
Mr. Seeley writes: "In April, Covell and C. E. Putnam came up
from the Rapids and stopped with us. In May Dr. Wilmans came
up to take an elk calf hunt. We got four fawn and one deer. I took
a pair of eagles at the south end of Medium Lake, where Emmets-
burg is. He left here with three elk calves, one fawn, deer, a pair
of eagles, one of owls, several blue and white heron in a cage made
of linn bark, on his wagon. We did not do very much until fall
but prospect."

in the woods, kept up a continual racket, so much so there was but
little sleeping. The next morning we christened the grove Bird Land
and the water Bird Land Lake.
"The doctor now went to work teaching the calves to drink and
after rather an interesting time made out fairly well. Having all the
calves that could be kept alive with one cow, the hunt was now over,
so after loading in some wood the team started back for camp on the
Cylinder, making a short drive that the calves might rest and become
better acquainted with their new surroundings. Covell and myself
rode over to the river and then followed it down to the mouth of the
Cylinder. The river bottom was almost alive with elk and at no
time could we look off without seeing them. Fresh buffalo signs were
also plenty all along the river where they had gone down for water.
From here we followed up the creek to camp where everything was in
order for the night. We noticed elk with their young all about in
the distance, and if we had wanted several loads of the young m'ght
have been taken.
"The doctor built a large cage of poles for his wagon with an
opening through which he could pass to his pets. Before he started
his cage held the three elk calves, a young fawn we had running
about the cabin, a pair of Blue Heron, and a nest of large eyed owls,
found near the cabin, so it made quite a menagerie. When they
went away we had no hint of their probable return, so when a few
weeks later Putnam and Covell came back to take claims, we were
well pleased with our calf-hunt. During the fall Covell brought back
one of the elk which had grown to be a fine thrifty animal. In a few
days it was turned out to care for itself. It would wander some dis
tance from the cabin but always came back at a rattling pace at
sight of a wolf or dog. If the cabin door was open it never stopped
short of the furthest corner of the room. It had never seen anyone
in woman dress, and when the families began to come it took great
dislike to women and children, which it would show by lowering its
head, protruding its nose, and with flattened ears and exposed teeth
would advance with a mincing step that was very terrifying. The
elk was penned, but no pen was high enough to hold it if the top
were open, so we made a covered pen. Finally Covell sold it to
some passers, who hitched it by a halter to the sleigh to lead. They
got as far as Four-Mile Creek when, with a sudden bound, the elk
broke its neck. The old settlers who knew her never forgot Covell's
pet elk."
Mr. Putnam tells the story of one of the incidents of Elk life: "As
I approached the well, a hole in the ground, a few rods from the
cabin my hair bristled at the sounds of distress which came from
the well. I rushed back to the cabin with the news that somebody
was drowning. Four would-be heroes went forth to the rescue. After
an hour of very damp and slippery work, strong arms had raised
Nellie, the pet elk — the baby of our household — from what might
have been a watery grave. She was taken to the cabin fire and by
vigorous rubbing, her life was saved, only to end in a violent death
the next fall."

Hunting Buffalo in Iowa
It was in the summer of this }ear (1855) that Mr. Ingham and his
cabin party shot the only buffalo known to have been killed in Kos
suth County. Mr. Ingham had visited Cedar Rapids again, and while
there had bought a high-sp'rlted mare for his own use, which, with
Flinka and another pony, bought in Council Bluffs the year before,
outfitted the party. Just as they were setting out on the hunt it was
discovered ihat they were short one pair of spurs and Mr. Ingham
gave Mr. Seele}' one of the Oregon spurs bought with Flinka. This
should be noted because this distrhution of spurs led later to a curious
identification of the spot where the buffalo was killed.
The party had reached Buffalo C^rove in Hancock County at about
noon. Mr. Ingham writes:
"After lunching, and while we were taking it easy on the grass
and talking about our prospects, our surprise can hardly be imagined
when on looking around to the north we saw a big bull buffalo walk
ing slowly down towards us, with the wind. He soon went down out
of sight when another followed over the ridge, and then another, until
seven had passed. We were thoroughly awake by this time and
quickly picked up our short range guns, and waited for them to come
over the ridge nearer by. They did not come as we expected right
into our camp, so we carefully slipped up a few rods and found they
had turned and were on their way down a ravine to a small lake
which lies just west of the grove. Our horses were now hurried up
and saddled and everyth'ng put in order for a chase as soon as the
buffaloes should reach suitable ground. Keeping back out of sight, we
watched them until they reached the water, where they had a fine
playing spell after drinking, after which they wandered along the
north shore of the lake and so around to the west side, where they
clambered out and took a very slow gait in a westerly course leading
up to higher ground in the distance. On their way they made many
short stops to feed. During this time we went around the north end
of the lake and kept on after them far enough away so as not to
attract their attention until thev should get some distance from the
lake and from the low lands about it.
"After getting some three miles out they stopped and were soon
busy playing and rolling in the dirt about a large gopher mound, so
common to the prairie at that time. This gave us a fine chance, by
leaning down close to the necks of our horses and following each
other up a swale of tall grass, to get quite near them, not over fifteen
rods away. We stopped for a moment, considering whether we had
better shoot them while standing so near by or start them on the
run and then take one or more fairly in the chase. To us they had
so far appeared to he slow motioned and stupid animals, and no
doubts had entered our minds about our horses being able to easily
overtake them at any time we might choose. As we were out for all

Mr. Ingham yvrites: "In the following year (1856) I sold Flinka
and the outfit from Oregon to Seeley who kept the pony until she
died at the ripe age of 28 years."

the sport that might be gotten out of our first buffalo hunt, It only
took a moment to decide what we should do. Rushing out of the grass
we crowded our horses under the spurs to their full speed, while three
of the buffaloes were lying on their backs rolling and twisting their
bodies in the dirt, expecting to get vet} near them before they could
get started. It was only a moment before the standing ones were off,
and when we saw the others roll ()\'er and gain their feet so quickly
and then with heads down all bunch together for a stampede, our
former faith in being able lo catch them gave \vay to many doubts.
Unfortunately for us they led off over low, wet land and gained on
us almost from the start. \\'hen about a (piarter of a mile in the lead
they went splashing across a peat marsh with but little hindrance, ow
ing to their low briskets, where we could not follow Avith our horses."
As the t\vo Indian ponies ran well together, Seeley and Co'.'ell
bore off to the right to go around the marsh, while Mr. Ingham on
his racing mare bore to the left. As fortune Avould have it the
buffaloes soon swung towards the south and west, and Mr. Ingham
rode directly to the south. After going some four miles he thought he
must have missed them altogether and so turned to rejoin his com
panions when he saw the buffaloes some miles a\vav, remaking their
way to the grove from which they had started. If they kept then-
course they Avould cross Mr. Ingham's path about a mile away, and
he accordingly crowded his mare to the meeting place. He writes:
''As I got near them and in plain sight I was much pleased with
the nerve shown by m\' new horse. I had not noticed that she had
been giving her whole attention to the gound in order to get good
footings, and had not seen the buffaloes. At this time they seemed to
be one immense animal and their front was well calculated to test
the courage of the best horse, as they were rapidU' nearing us. She
had shown no signs of fear so far and the wind being favorable, I
ventured up within easy range, just as they were about to pass. I
had stopped to shoot when my surprise can hardly be imagined on
hearing a loud, shrill whistle from the mare, such as usually Is made
h}' a horse when frightened, and then she turned qnickh', iiearl}'
throwing me to the ground. From now on my ride was perilous, as
she went plunging across the sloughs and over whatever she found
in her way. This lasted for some two miles, when I managed to quiet
'her. The course taken fortunately led towards the boys, yvho were
found waiting for me."
It was a tired and disgusted party of hunters that came late that
night within range of the light glimmering through the one-sash cabin
window. But Putnam had a good supper prepared for them and they
were soon lost to the discomforts of the da}'.
Two weeks \vere no\%' devoted lo getting the horses In the best

Ml'. Ingham writes: "From the chase we had learned that the
buffaloes were long, strong runners when stampeded; we also learned
that catching them \vith horses on the great dry plains of the west
was something c|uite unlike catching them on the low, wet lands of
Northern Iowa."

possible condition, when the arrival of a party of hunters fr(un
Marshall County determined the course of events. This party had
been hunting on the west branch without success, and was on its way
to the head waters of the Boone and Iowa rivers to try their luck
there. Mr. Ingham and his friends believing these strangers might
set the buffaloes in motion, and that bv going again to Buffalo CJroA'e
they might be in the line of retreat, they immediately set forth. They
spent the first day without seeing any buffaloes and camped for the
night in the grove. Next morning seeing no buffaloes they went north
toward the headwaters of Buffalo Fork with the thought of following
the creek down to the east branch and so home. When within about
three miles of the creek and not far from the east line of Kossuth
County, they discovered far to the south a long line of buffaloes, prob
ably forty or fifty, coming leisurely north. As they came up to about
directly west the hunters allowed their horses to be seen and at once
the buffaloes bunched for a stampede. The ground was hard and the
horses had no trouble in shortening the distance between them, Mr.
Ingham's Kate now showing the sporting blood of a hunting mare.
But unfortunately the buffaloes reached the fork at a point where a
beaver dam had held back a considerable body of water, into which
they plunged, the first one going down out of sight, the others tumbling
on top until the narrow dam was filled with struggling buffaloes. The
men riding at the top of the hank fired as well as they could from
plunging horses, until they had shot seventeen bullets into the solid
mass, not more than four or five rods in width. As the buffaloes finally
reached the other bank one of them showed symptoms of distress and
wandered away from the herd down the fork, but the others, some of
them plainly wounded, went on to the north. The men then plunged
into the deep water and their horses swam across. At this point we
must know that the spur Seeley had was tied with a string of tanned
deer hide, as was also Covell's saddle, and remember that tanned
deer hide when wet is almost as elastic as rubber. The horses had
hardly scrambled to the bank and their riders taken note of the
direction of the buffalo retreat, when Flinka came to a stop and
Seeley discovered that his spur was gone. That ended his part in
the chase, for although he used his ramrod heartily, the pony was of
no mind to hunt unless well spurred. Mr. Ingham then tells the
story: "Covell and I went on, leaving Seeley to hunt for the lost spur.
When about one and one half miles farther on, the cinch fastening on
Covell's saddle gave way and was lost in consequence of the soaking
During 1905 R. I. Garden of Tracy, Iowa, came forward with a
proposal to give $50 for proof that Iowa was ever the home of the
buffalo. On June 17 of that year Mr. Garden came to Algona to be
confronted with witnesses. "Uncle JImmie" Dickerson was brought
from Britt, Ambrose A. Call, David A. Haggard and Mr. Ingham
were produced as witnesses. Mr. Garden confessed judgment and
offered to pay. It was finally agreed that he should give "Uncle
Jimmie" $10 for expenses and the rest would he remitted. The event
brought out a statement from Professor C. C. Nutting of the State
University, who said: "I do not hesitate to make the positive assertion
that the buffalo has inhabited Iowa."

Mr. Ingham and "Uncle Jimmie" Dickerson.

James Dickerson, "Uncle Jimmie," as he was familiarly called, the
real pioneer of the north-central part of Iowa, was an Indianian by
birth and came to Iowa in 1834. In 1851 with Captain Hewitt he
ventured out to Clear Lake. Here the doughty couple captured buf
falo and elk calves for the market, making frequent trips to the Des
Moines and even as far as Spirit Lake In those early years. Fort
Dodge was located in 1850. North and west there was no one, and
north and east no' one until Chickasaw County was reached. It was at
Dickerson's cabin that the settlers gathered in 1854, when Cosomenah's
band killed the Winnebago boy, and caused the great scare that de
populated the country as far south as Marshall County. It was at
Dickerson's house also that the Sioux made their last appearance, as
far east as Clear Lake, in June, 1855, when the famous "grindstone
war" occurred.

it got while crossing the dam, so he too was obliged to quit the chase,
and went back to Seeley and joined with him in looking for tlie
spur. About the time Covell dropped out of the chase, the buffalo
turned and circled around to the Little Buffalo, then down that stream
to Buffalo Fork, and so up on the north side, passing not far from
the present site of Titonka. On their way they met the wounded buffalo
that had turned out at the crossing of the dam, and when about a
quarter of a mile beyond, one of the wounded turned out and went to
some tall grass at the side of the dam and stopped.
"After leaving Covell, I kept in the inner part of the large circle
the buffalo had made and only near enough to be able to see that none
of the wounded ones dropped out. The day was very warm, which
told on the buffalo as well as on our horses, so that it did not take
much running on the part of my horse to keep them in sight. After
the wounded buffalo turned out, the herd went on between the boys
and the dam, when Seeley took a parting shot, wounding one more.
About this time I had cut across and reached the boys. Covell was
not an experienced gunner and we had never seen him kill anything
with his small gauge, breech-loading rifle, so we told him to go down
and kill the buffalo while Seeley and I would try and find the spur.
"When he got within some three or four rods, he got off from his
pony and fired at the buffalo standing broadside, with no effect that
we could see. After he had made four shots without any signs from
the buffalo, I told Seeley he had better go down and help Covell out
or the buffalo m'ght get away. By the time Seeley got near the buffalo
Covell had managed to get in some eight shots in all, with the buffalo
still standing. When Seeley's gun went off the buffalo dropped, and
then we were sure of one at least.
"By this time the herd was some distance away with three wounded
buffalo straggling along together some ways behind. I now started on
after them, expecting to make a quick and easy capture of the entire

The Lost Spur
Mr. Ingham writes: "After 1856 the settlements began. Among
the early settlers was R. L. Lamoreaux, on the northwest quarter of
1-97-27, in Buffalo Township, near Titonka. While backsetting some
sod Mr. Lamoreaux found a spur, that gave rise to many conjectures.
The news was brought to Mr. Seeley and then to me, and we arranged
to look into the matter. Soon after Mr. Seeley went to the Lamoreaux
place, taking the spur he had kept all the years and soon found they
were mates. They were of brass, and of rather unusual shape, and
there could be no m'stake. Thus the spur lost in the hunt of 1855
was found in 1887. The finding of this spur located the place where
the buffalo crossed the beaver dam, and where the first and only
buffalo killed bv settlers of Kossuth county, was taken."

lot. When I got within some sixty rods of them my horse all at once
broke down and was unable to go any farther; at this I jumped off
and started on after them on foot, and when I had gained about half
the distance I too became so heated that I was in no condition to
shoot except at close range, and stopped for a moment to rest. With
an old fashioned muzzle loader I was not in the best shape for defense
in case they should turn on me, and at the thought of what might hap
pen to me when away from my horse if I should get their attention,
it did not take long for me to conclude that one buffalo was all we
needed, and more than we could possibly use. As I watched them
for a few minutes I yvell remember how I longed for a fresh horse.
If some person could have been there with one for sale he would
undoubtedly have found a quick buyer at his own price. As it was,
I turned from the last Avild buffalo I have ever seen, and went back
to m}' horse and then to the bo}'S."

The Upper Des Moines of Algona, telling the story of this hunt,
added this item: "T^hey skinned their one buffalo and taking one
quarter moved down to where Ashuelot was platted, near where the
John Chapin farm is In Portland Township, and camped for the
night. In honor of the hunt they named the creek Buffalo Fork. Dur
ing the night the beaver, who were building a dam, made such a
racket that tired as they were the hunters were disturbed in their
sleep. The beaver are gone and the buffalo have disappeared not
only from Kossuth County hut from the face of the earth. The
pioneers who knew them are also passing."
.Mr. Ingham was persuaded to write his stor}' of the buffalo hunt
by Miss Ella Graham, who founded the Titonka Topic. Mr. Ingham
had been asked to suggest a name for the new town being platted in
Buffalo Township, and Titonka natural !}¦ suggested itself, that being
the Sioux for Buffalo (Big Black). Prefacing his story he writes:
"In the second chase one buffalo was killed and several were badly
wounded in a short distance from where Titonka now is, owing to this
the stream has since been known as Buffalo Fork, and the township
as Buffalo. Now with a new railroad town springing up, as if by
magic, near the scene of that hunt, it seems quite appropriate that its
name also should be 'Buffalo' as the Sioux spoke it."
Mr. Ingham writes: "On getting back to the cabin our buffalo
meat seemed to have lost its flavor of the night before, and so far I
ha\e never found any since quite equal to that we roasted on sticks
before the fire at our camp on Buffalo Fork."
.Mr. Ingham \vrites: "During the night we were frequently dis
turbed by the noise of the beavers as the\' would strike the "water
with their broad tails. Only those 'lyho have heard them can know
what a racket they can keep up when a neighbor Avants to go to
sleep." Mr. Seeley writes: "We spent most of our time hunting large
game. We killed one buffalo on Buffalo Fork and around the creek
we saw 100.^ It was a fine sight to see. \\'e had seen 14 once before
at Buffalo Grove. I think we scared them out of this country, as that
was the last I ever saw of them."

Last View of Umpashotah
The year 1856 was an eventful year for the occupants of the
Ingham cabin. It was in that year that everybody attended the
cabin raising for Father Taylor down on the townsite of Algona, an-.l
while there that Judge Call had persuaded Mr. Ingham to sell his
claim to two families, the Reibhoffs and the Moores. The Schencks
had already located. Mr. Ingham went across to the river and bought
the Lyman Craw claim, on which he lived until he mo\ed to .Algona.
It has been known in all the later years as the Rice farm.
It was In that year that Mr. Ingham came upon the Indian skeletons
on the bluff on the river some miles north, the first discovery of the
scene of one of the most interesting Indian battles of the northwest,
because there on a spring morning in 1852 had met for the last time
the remnants of two of the greatest Indian nations of the west, the
Sacs and Foxes and the Sioux. He was on a hunting trip when he
rode over the bleaching bones of an old Medicine Man \vitli his
bangles still cling'ng to him. Then one skeleton after another was
d:scovered until he had counted sixteen scattered about where they
had been driven hack and fallen.
Mr. Seeley writes: "Ingham sold his claim the latter part of Jinie.
We had broken six acres ihe }'ear '55, and had the second crop (ui
the ground. We moved on the Craw claim October 3, 1856, where
O. Rice now lives.''
Speaking of this change Mr. Ingham writes: "Spring sooii came
(1856) and Horace Schenck settled on the farm now occup'cd by his
son. Later Michael Reibhoff, William B. Moore and his brother
Robert R. .Moore came, and to hold them for our settlement I sold my
claim, which \vas divided between them. I then bought the claim of
L\'man Craw on Sections 17 and 2U-96-28, tO' which we moved and
fitted up for the winter.''
Although Mr. Irgham disco\'ered the battle ground in 1856, it was
not until 1860 that Mr. Seele\' found the grave in which the Sac-; and
Foxes had buried their chieftain. .Mr. Collins, who had his informa
tion from a trapper, had ^vritten to Mr. Seeley in thiat year, s:ating
that the Indians were buried there, and Mr. Seeley at once went to
the ground and by testing the firmness of the soil with a sharp stic'<.
soon came upon a softer spot than the rest, which proved to be ihe
grave. It seems that a part\' of Sioux had come down the ri\er to
hunt, and that a party of Sacs and Foxes had come from Tama to
Clear Lake to hunt and fish. The latter learned of the Sioux camp
and donning their war paint, under the command of Petokape and
Kearkurk, they came upon the Sioux without warning. Petokape was
shot, by a Sioux squaw, in the breast with a charge of small shot. He
turned and started to run when the squaw shot him through the body
with an arrow at a distance of twenty rods. The raiding party
lost four warriors, the two chieftains among them. The Sioux lost
sixteen men. women and children, and one was taken prisoner. In
later years Mrs. Ingham frequently took the children to the battle
ground and showed them the scattered remains of the camp. She
had found the skulls of the little papooses in a hazel brush thicker
where thev had run to hide, each skull chipped by the Indian toma
hawk. In 1869 A. R. Fulton, author of the "Redmen of Iowa", visited
this spot. He says that at this time "portions of skeletons and other
relics of the battle were scattered over the ground. There were
bones bearing the marks of the merciless tomahawk, parts of skulls,
pieces of pottery, kegs, guns, and other articles."

It was in that year that he visited Spirit Lake and the Okoboji s
for the first time. He seriously considered the outlet of the lakes for
a mill dam, with the thought of building a mill. He said frequently
in later years that if he had followed his inclination there would
have been no Spirit Lake massacre, for he knew the Indians too well.
Inkapadutah had but fourteen Indians with him when he made his
raid and it was only by taking unprepared and scattered families
wholly by surprise that he was able to do such bloody work.
Mr. Ingham has written of none of these experiences, but Mr.
Seeley left a graphic description of the journey to the lakes, and
Amos Collins, another of the pioneers, secured, in 1860, from a
trapper who knew the Sacs and Foxes of Tama County intimately,
a full account of the Indian battle.
It yvas in this year that Mr. Ingham had his last visit with Umpa
shotah. In fact that visit was the first event of the very early spring
Mr. Seeley writes of this trip to the lakes: "In June of '56 we
took a trip west as far as Spirit Lake, which was very interesting to
us. We started out thinking we would not have any trouble. All
went right the first day. We camped at the Emmet lakes. Plenty of
mosquitos. On the second day we got to the West River and it was
hank full and very muddy. Ingham being a good swimmer and
me not, he sounded for the bottom. We were stuck for a while.
Finally we concluded to make a raft as we had taken an axe with us.
We found an old dry elm crotch which we carried to the best place
we could find. By putting on some cross pieces and some bark we
put on our saddles, guns, provisions and clothes. By tying our picket
ropes together with the bridles, making every inch count, Ingham with
one end of the rope and me with the raft and the other end we started
for the other shore. B\" hard work he got hold of a brush and helped
himself out. Then he put the luggage on the bank, brought the rope
back and took his noble mare over and then came hack for the pony
which he thought he would make carry him over. She wanted to
know how deep it was and started for the bottom. He waited for her
to come up and fastened to her tail. They went across. Noav came
the tug and Ingham had nothing to do but laugh and promised me
he would never bring my clothes back. I told him I was coming or
go to the bottom, so by extra hard work for me and lots of fun for
him I made a large bunch of dry willows, which are not the nicest
things in the world to climb, but I climbed them and made the bank.
We concluded we had worked so hard that we would stay over until
morning. The next day we made the Little Sioux, near where Mil-
ford is. The creek was alive with buffalo fish. After shooting three
very large ones we crossed and went to the lake. Thinking we could
not get through we came back and camped on the east bank near
where we crossed the creek. Had fish for supper and breakfast. We
went upon the east side of Okoboji to the divide and ate our dinner
on the west bank between the t\vo lakes. In the afternoon we went up
the west side on the Indian trail. Saw plenty of fish in a small Inlet
on the west side of Spirit Lake. We camped at a small lake north
of Spirit Lake. Came down on the southeast side, claimed the lake
and started for the river again. We found the river had fallen con
siderably, although it was chin deep yet. As we were getting the
horses in the river, Ingham's mare gotboth hind legs under a maple
root which was 42 inches through. One had to keep her head out of
the water while the other chopped off the root. In the operation we
lost our coffee pot, which made it rather Inconvenient for us to make
out. We fried our meat, then baked our slapjacks, then made our
coffee. We camped on Jack Creek the next day."

of the year, for it was in April while the inmates of the cabin were
out prospecting for a spot for a garden, that an Indian was seen ap
proaching. Of this visit Mr. Ingham writes:
"When within a few rods he stopped and seemed to be very
much pleased, at the same time pointing at the pony. I knew from
this he must be one of those I met the year before. Going towards him
I recognized my old companion, Umpashotah, whom I had left th'?
year before sitting at the camp fire near Fairmont. He was glad
to meet me, and on our way to the cabin he wanted I should go with
him to a patch of brush at the right, saying 'Kai-num-pa' and repeat
ing it over several times. Not knowing the meaning of 'Kai' I went
with him and found he had two small land turtles disabled in some
way so that they could not move, and that he wanted I should take
and cook for supper. Telling him we did not need them and he
could keep them, we went to the cabin, where he carefully examined
everything in sight. We took pains that he should be impressed
with our ability to defend ourselves from any harm that might be
planned by him.
"At supper time Putnam was told we should need preparations
for at least six extra plates, as our Indian guest must have the best
and plenty of it. When all were through he evidently had only made
a fair beginning on his evening meal. It took the attention of Put
nam and Seeley to keep him supplied, and when they withdrew it
fell upon me to serve him with what was left. His appearance as
he straightened up at the table and exclaimed, 'Tonka', (big) will
never be forgotten. He was not so large, however, but that he
renewed his efforts, which lasted while there was anything to eat.
When finally through he asked one of the boys to help him light his
pipe and seat him on a buffalo robe in the corner of the room, when
a few puffs were taken and then he fell Into a sleep from which he
did not wake until called up the next morning for breakfast. Again
at the table he evidently wanted us to know he fully appreciated our
hospitality. \A'hen he had finished he asked for what was left for his
squaw, which was all nicely done up by Putnam and handed to him
for that purpose, when he said, 'Wasecha Washta' (good white man),
and bidding us goodbye he started for his camp.
"Not knowing the object of his visit or whether his camp was near
where I first met them the year before, as he told me, I thought it
best to watch him and see where he would go. After he had been
gone a short time I saddled up one of the best horses and followed on
after him. As he had started out in the prairie from near the present
home of Mr. Riebhoff in the right direction for his camp I soon rode
up to him, keeping him company for a couple of miles, when I again
bade him goodbye and left him going on his way. After he had
gone some forty rods or more I turned, and here I saw Umpashotah
for the last time, he was busy stowing away the lunch he had so
thoughtfully begged for his squaw."
Major Williams in his description of the Indians who came fre
quently to Fort Dodge, says: "Umpashotah, or Umpaga (Smoky Day)
is a very good looking Indian, about five feet ten in height, com-

Big hlk Antlers
The November of 1856 was notably warm and dry. But at the
very end of the month came one of the heaviest snow storms ever
known to loAva. It lasted for four days. It \vas this storm that
cached the Tuttle whisky barrel, one of the e\'ents that was talked
about In the settlements for many years.
\^'hen the storm was over, bringing out the home-made snow shoes
of the winter before, Seeley and Ingham set forth on an elk hunt.

plexion light yellow, a good forehead, high cheek bones, large dark
eves, aquiline nose and well formed mouth. He has a fine set of
teeth which he shows to good advantage, has an exceedingly cunning
expression of the eyes, professes to be a doctor, age about 45 to 50,
and very fond of trading." 
The Upper Des .Moines, of Algona, told the story of Mr. Tnttle's
troubles and recalled this incident: "Mr. Tuttle was a tall, heavy
frontiersman, prett}' well along in years, who in the spring of 1856
had pushed north to a little lake in Southern Minnesota, which
the Indians, with some sense of beauty, had named 'Okamampedah',
but which he succeeded In having known as 'Tuttle's Lake', by which
plain and unornamental designation it still holds its place on the map.
.After locating his family he had gone south with his boys for his
winter's supplies, and on the last day of No\'ember arrived with
his wagons at the Horace Schenck calDin. .Mr. Schenck was pretty
well fixed for the winter and with characteristic hosp'tallty he enter
tained his visitors. The last da}' of November was Saturday and
it had been one of those beautiful days that so frequently ushered
in the fiercest blizzards. In the evening a I'glit snow was falling.
In the morning the sno'^v was coming faster and the wind \vas rising.
.After some debate .Mr. Tuttle deeded to try for home. He succeeded
in dragging his wagons into the ravine northwest of the Reibhoff
grove, and unliitching the teams turned In at the John James cabin.
Sunday night the storm- was at its height. All da\' Monda\' and all
da\' Tuesda\' it continued unabated, and although the break came on
\\'ednesday nobody ventured forth until Thursday, and then to look
upon the heaviest coating of snow ever seen b\' a white man in
Kossuth count\'. The ravine in which the Tuttle 'wagons bad been
left was drifted full. No trace of the \vagons could be discovered.
The fact that one of the chief items of Mr. Tuttle's supplies \^'as a
barrel of whisky stirred him to great anxiety. The thought of allow
ing that barrel of good cheer to lie buried all ^vinter was too pain
ful to the old gentleman, and the ingenult\- of the settlement was
called upon to locate the wagons. By cutting poles and pushing
through the snow the wagon with the barrel was at length found.
Thereupon a well was dug directl}' over the barrel, and during the
remainder of that long winter the well Avas kept open. Succeeding
snows increased the depth until finally a ladder was needed, which
proved to be a temperance measure in its wa}, as It was not safe
at any time during that winter to be incapacitated to clamber out of
the well. The Tuttles lingered until spring. Finally the old gentle
man insisted on starting for his home on foot, dragging a hand sled
with a jug and some other cargo."
Mr. Ingham writes: "I had used snow shoes for several \vinters
in northern .\'ew A'ork and knew of what material they were made
and their form, but not how to string them. Repeated trials, particu
larly by Seeley, finally gave us the secret, and we succeeded in making
several pair during tiie winter (1855-1856)." It is of interest to note
that no way has been discovered to string a snow shoe but the Indian
wa\'.

After going up the Black Cat from their cabin to the grove now known
as the Frink Grove, they came upon a buck elk carrying the largest
antlers they had ever seen. Of their efforts to capture those antlers
Mr. Ingham writes:
"We saw a fine buck standing some thirty rods back from the
creek, within easy rifle range from a tree we had selected from which
to approach. He was small of size but carried the largest and most
perfect set of antlers I have ever seen. We went around the creek
channel some rods on the leeward side, and then turned down as far
as we thought it safe to walk. We then crept on the wind swept ice.
When within some four rods of the tree we saw elk ears moving on
the crest of the bank some eight feet above us. As we came to the
tree we ran into a number of does on the ice below the bend and
they saw us as we saw them. There was now nothing for us but to
rush the steep hank In the chance of getting a shot at the buck before
he could take the alarm. We sprang to our feet and started up the
bank. When almost to the top we saw the old buck standing uncon
cerned within short range. Just then my feet slipped and when I
stopped my face was much nearer the ice that I cared to have it.
Seeley had fared no better. By this time the elk were crashing through
the brush. We rushed again for the bank and this time made it,
only to see big antlers disappearing over the ridge not far away."
As it was already growing dark, and too late in the day to think
of following him, the hunters turned back to the cabin, fully intent
on resuming the hunt in the morning. They were up early and started
off by moonlight, and found their elk hunched together on the prairie
Mr. Seeley writes: "The winter of '56 and '57 will be remembered
by all living in the west. We did some good traveling on snow
shoes that winter. We went up the Black Cat Creek in December,
saw about 30 elk, wounded one. As it was late in the afternoon we
thought it best to leave them till morning and come home. The elk
were not over one-half mile off when we started for home. The next
morning we were on their track before it was light enough to see
the tracks plainly. We came up to them between 9 and 10 o'clock,
killed one and left it la}' and followed the rest for quite a distance
and killed one more, then it was noon. We found a corner stake
which said we were 15 miles from home. The snow was so deep we
couldn't get out with a team or we might have killed all of them,
as thev were ver\' tired. \^^e had all we could get in ^vith. They were
not the largest, would have weighed perhaps 200 pounds each. We
did not think we could get them both in. We started with the last
one we killed, snaked It to where we left the first one. They dragged
very easy on the start but got very heavy before 10 o'clock. At night
when we made for Mr. Reibhoff's for supper, which Mrs. Zahlton, then
Miss Reibhoff, got up for us. It was good, you bet. I didn't get
mine quite to the house. I left it on the ice in the creek, gun and all.
Peter and John Reibhoff thought it would be fun, so they helped me
out. Mr. Reibhoff had to pull them a little ways. He said he didn't
see how we did it. We were very tired and our feet got very sore.
It was fun on the start hut it got very old before we got through. I
think it the hardest day's work I ever did. We had snow shoes. I
wanted to leave them out eight miles; you that know the other fellow
(Mr. Ingham) know the reason we did not. He thought we would
not ever get back there. He was always tougher than I was and
I thought I could stand a little hardship those days."

not two miles from where they had been the night before. The buck
with the antlers was alert and on the windward side of the herd.
He became restless as the hunters neared and they were forced to
shoot at long range, killing a young buck. It did not take them long
to discover that those big horns were the reward of sagacity and
watchfulness on the part of their wearer. After a long pursuit they
sent the dog out after the elk in the hope to scatter the herd. He
killed another young buck, and it being time to return they decided
to drag the two elk to the cabin. Mr. Ingham writes: "Seeley always
referred to this afterwards as the hardest thing he ever did."
On reaching the cabin they fully decided to go again in the morn
ing with loaded sleds and pursue big antlers to a capture, but when
morning came Seeley found he had been lamed by the work of the
day before. It took some argument to keep Mr. Ingham from setting
out alone, and frequently later he expressed regret that he was dis
suaded. He believed that alone he could have captured the elk.

The Upper Des Moines of the Middle Fifties.
The use of "Upper Des Moines" to describe the Des Moines
valleys north of Fort Dodge came naturally. It is easy to see by
glancing at this outline map of the beginnings how settlement radiated
out from Fort Dodge. It Is also easy to see how Fort Dodge became
and remained the market and outlet of the "Upper Des Moines."
Perhaps the word "upper" came into common use, because when the
neutral line was surveyed by the government in 1825 its western
objective ^vas the "upper" forks of the Des Moines river. In any
event the name became fixed and besides the "Upper Des Moines"
newspaper, many church and political associations were known as
"Upper Des Moines" bodies. The first settlement In the Upper Des
Moines was made by the Call brothers, who located at Algona in
July, 1854. Major Williams at Fort Dodge advised them strongly
against going so far away from the fort among the bands of roving
Sioux.

The Storms of 1856-57
The year 1857 was in many ways the most notable of the pioneer
years of northern Iowa, for it was the year of the Spirit Lake massacre
— so called, although only one family living on Spirit Lake was vic
timized, all the others being scattered along the shores of the two
Okobojis. The snow storm that had made the closing days of the
November before so noteworthy was not an isolated storm. The winter
was long and severe. After the elk hunt Mr. Seeley had gone to
Benton County to visit his old friends and to spend the winter. In
Februar\' Mr. Ingham had gone to Fort Dodge, and had there met a
young Pennsylvanian named William Campbell, who had come west
for adventure and who promptly joined with Mr. Ingham in a
proposed tour of the upper Des Moines valley In the hope that they
might yet capture the buck with the big antlers. It was their pur
pose to go to Buffalo Grove, then follow Buffalo Fork down to the
junction with the east branch, then ascend the east branch to the
lakes in Emmett County, then pass over to the west branch, and
follow down to the Humboldt forks of the two rivers. The party con
sisted of Ingham, Covell, and Campbell, they traveled on snow shoes
and each dragged a snow sled loaded for his own use in case of
separation. They had chosen the first warm da}', and until late in
the afternoon the\' were uncomfortable because of unseemly still
ness of the air and the brilliant sunshine. But about 3 o'clock a
sudden puff of cold air from the northwest warned them. Almost
before they could counsel and make ready the storm was on them. Mr.
Ingham had taken out his pocket compass and noting the direction
of the grove, which was in sight, had calculated the angle at which
they must cross the drifting snow to reach it. In a moment more
everything was obscured, as those who knew the blizzards of those
frontier prairies will understand, and as nobody else can be told.
There were some eight miles yet to travel. Mr. Ingham writes:
"Our course from now was at right angles with the wind and
nearly so with the crusted ridges of snow, so there was little trouble
in keeping our course. We had gotten over half the distance, having
much worry to drag our sleds, which were turned over and over by
the wind, adding greatly to our own hard work in holding up against
the wind, when Covell, whose first experience It was with an Iowa
blizzard and also his first experience with snow shoes, became con
fused and declared we were not on the right course. He wanted to
turn and go with the wind. We, of course, refused to follow him,
Teakle's "Spirit Lake Massacre": "By Februar}- the unusual
severity of the winter was occasioning some alarm at the lake settle
ments, particularly as the stock of provisions laid by for the winter
was nearing exhaustion. In view of the intense cold it seemed more
than foolish to make one's way to the nearest depot of supplies, which
was Fort Dodge. The banks of snow were fifteen and often twenty
feet high and offered an almost impassable obstruction to the use of
teams. Add to this the intensity of the cold and one can well imagine
what courage or dire necessity it must have required to Induce the
traveler to set out to make his way over an untrodden, and in many
respects an unknown, waste of snow."

but as he was determined we said we should not force him to go with
us, that we were sure we were right and had no time to lose, and
if he did not wish to follow he must take his own chances, and good
bye if we should not see him again. We started with Campbell next
to me. It was a great relief when Campbell, who was looking back,
reported that he was following. We discovered the first signs of the
grove at about 8 o'clock, in fact we had gotten into the grove before
we really knew we were near it. We then looked for the new cabin
that had been built there the fall before, and were not long in clear
ing out about two feet of snow and making ready for the night. The
cabin had not been plastered and had no floor. We built our fire
against one end of it, using shakes from the roof, chinking blocks and
logs from the gables, and by morning it was a pretty badly wrecked
cabin.'" Finding no game at the grove as they had been led to expect they
turned their course down the Buffalo Fork to the river and there re
mained the second night at the Edward Moll cabin. In the morning
Covell, who had had enough of snowshoeing, left the party and went
down the river towards home, while Ingham and Campbell turned to
the northwest along the river. They killed a fine buck elk at the
mouth of Mud Creek, and another near Armstrong's Grove, and went
into the timber on Mud Lake In Emmett County for the night. Here
they were overtaken by another severe storm, and remained one day
and two nights, with difliculty keeping from freezing. In the very
height of the storm they crossed the prairie some five miles to the
West Branch. On this trip they kept "linked together as a separation
of a few feet would have lost us to each other". After reaching the
river timber they built a fire. "At no time did we realize the need
of being awake as we did that night."
One of the incidents worth noting is associated with the camp at
Armstrong's Grove. Mr. Ingham writes:
"As we were making the fire a wolf passed by not ten feet away.
I looked up and another was following. The foxes and wolves came
up and made night hideous with their howling and fighting. We fired
among them frequently, at random, which quieted them for a few
minutes and then they went at it again with renewed energy. They
were after our elk meat which Campbell had hung in a tree, into
the crotch of which another tree had fallen. He had climbed up on
the sloping tree and hung the elk meat far out on hooks made by
cutting branches. In the morning what was our surprise to find that
the wolves and foxes had done just what he did, run up the inclined
body of the fallen tree and then jumped for the hanging elk meat,
catching a chunk in their teeth as they fell. Round by round they
went until they had taken it all. We discovered in the morning that
a lynx had been a party to the feast."
In the morning after their camp on the West Branch they started
south, and soon came upon elk signs, but what was their surprise to
discover Indian tracks among them. Mr. Ingham writes:
"We found plenty of elk trails but found the Indians had been
among them and slaughtered all the elk. As far as we found elk

signs we found Indian tracks, and the elk 'ivere gone. This was about
three weeks before the Spirit Lake massacre."
About 3 o'clock in the afternoon they were passing near what Is
now Emmettsburg, when Campbell looking up saw a horse's head rising
out of the snow. Investigation showed that the snow had buried
the little stable and a way had been dug out, whereby the horse
could get to the surface. He had his forefeet on the hank and was
complacently gazing over the landscape. Nearby a tinv stream of
smoke was rising and by this was found the cabin of the beginning
of the "Irish settlement". They told the travelers they were hanging
on hooks themselves at night or they would take them in. .At Shippey's,
some twelve miles below, near the mouth of the Cylinder, they would
find entertainment.
Striking out at a brisk pace they arrived at the Shippey cabin at
dusk, only to find that the inmates had had nothing to eat all day
and that Mr. Shippey, who was away for food, had not returned.
Seventeen people were there, as several families had gathered to secure
food together. Supplies were brought by team to Fort Dodge, from
there Mr. Shippey, his son and a dog were employed in hauling them
on a hand sled. The storm had held him back and he was already
two days late. At about 9 o'clock a sound was heard and supplies
had come. The cooks were many and the tables soon spread. Mr.
Ingham writes:
"I learned from Mr. Shippey that it took him usually four days in
clear weather to make the trip, stopping at a shanty at McKnight's
Point each wa}-. Sometimes in case of storm they were obliged to
camp out between stations. They always took blankets and provisions
for such an emergency and buried themselves in deep snow to keep
from freezing."
In the morning Mr. Shippey and his son set out on another 78-mIle
round for a new load of supplies. The hunters went with him three
or four miles and then followed the stream down to the first settle-
inent on the west river above McKnight's. Thev found the river
timber had all been run over by the Sioux hunters, and when thev
These Indians were undoubtedly members of Ishtahabah's band,
which generally frequented the lakes in Emmet County and wandered
up and down the \\'est Branch. It was Ishtahabah who met the
government surye}-ors in 1852 as the}- \vere running the state line
north of Kossuth and Emmet counties, and threatened them. It %vas
believed that Ishtahabah contemplated a raid on the West Branch
and Umpashotah on the East Branch In connection with the massacre
at the lakes, but that the deep snow kept them from knowing what
had happened until too late. It was rumored that Josh had warned
the Carters. But Mr. Carter makes no mention of it. On the con
trary he speaks of Ishtahabah as repudiating Inkpadutah and his
warriors. McCarty's History of Palo Alto County: "A. B. Carter remembers
Sleepy Eye (Ishtahaba) telling him it was Inkpadutah's hand of bad
Indians that was killing the whites on the Sioux and at the lakes."
McCarthy's History of Palo Alto County: "Another early settler
was William Shippe}', who built a cabin a few miles below where
the trail crossed Cylinder Creek. He came to the county In the spring
of 1856."

arrived at the Carter cabin they met the Indian boy Josh, who told
them the Sioux had killed the elk as far down as the forks, which
would make the remainder of their prospected journey not worth
while. They spent the night at the Carter cabin and on the next day,
the ninth of their outing, they crossed the prairies from West Bend
to the cabin on the Black Cat, a hard day's travel, even for experienced
snowshoers. Mr. Ingham writes:
"We found the Carter home a real treat, as we rested our
selves before one of those broad old-fashioned boulder fireplaces, so
common in early made cabins, but something we had not seen since
leaving our own. We were cordially entertained by Mrs. Carter
and family and left with pleasant memories of their hospitality."

A. B. Carter, son of William Carter, writes: "One of the Indians
came back and stayed with us all summer. He was a young boy, the
only one among them who would do any work. He came to help do
the chores and took quite a fancy to me. He tried to learn the
language and learned very fast. We called him Josh."
McCarty's History of Palo Alto County: "The first settlement In
Palo Alto county was made In May, 1855. William Carter selected
a claim on the west bank of the Des Moines near where West Bend
now stands."

The court yard when there ivere no trees.
Photograph taken by W. J. Rood of Mason City in the early 70's.

Rescuing the Johnsons
They were barely returned from this strenuous journey, when late
on one of the bitterest nights of that bitter winter, Horace Schenck
appeared at the cabin to appeal to them to set forth at once to rescue
a family that had been abandoned near Armstrong's Grove. At 9
o'clock of that night John James, who was living above the Reibhoff
cabin on the Black Cat, had heard some one calling for help and
on going to him had found a man snow blind and lost, and badly
frozen. It soon appeared that he was a Mr. Johnson that had
moved to the Tuttle settlement at the head of the East Branch late
in the fall before; that he had made provision for an ordinary winter,
but the season had been so extreme and Mr. Tuttle's provision wagons
had been blocked and it was plain he must reach the settlements.
Accordingly he had put his remaining food in the sleigh and started
with his yoke of oxen, hoping to be not longer than two or three days
on the road. There were four members of the family besides an infant
child, and his supplies were enough to last for five days. Before he
had gone man}- miles he found that the snow crust would not bear
the weight of his oxen in the ravines where the snow was deep, and
there was nothing for him but to shovel a path. After six days of
this tedious labor, his provisions were exhausted, and he had not
completed half of his journey. There was but one thing to do. He
brought his wagon to a sightly spot just south of Armstrong's Grove,
fastened the wagon covers down tightly, bade his famih' goodbye,
and started on foot for the settlements twenty-four miles below. The
bright sunlight on the snow had inflamed his eyes and the strong wind
only added to the irritation until in the afternoon he had lost his sight
entirely and for several hours had wandered aimlessly. On hearing
the barking of a dog he had gotten his bearings and thus arrived
at the James cabin. A hurried conference was held by the Schenck,
Reibhoff and Moore families and a relief party was organized at
once. Peter Reibhoff, John James, George Tuttle and John Callander
were to leave at 4 o'clock in the morning, provided with food for the
family and also with fodder for the oxen. But Mr. Schenck, feeling
that the case was urgent and knowing that Ingham and Campbell were
more experienced frontiersmen, instead of going home made his way
three miles across the river valley to urge a second relief party, which
should travel light and with all possible speed, leaving it to the others
to bring up the supplies. At first the two men demurred, assuring
Mr. Schenck that the other party were fully equal to the situation,
that they were worn out with their long tramp and wanted to hang
up their snowshoes for the winter. At that Mr. Schenck, intensely
aroused, arose and made a plea for the exposed family out on the
prairies miles away, that would have stirred far wearier men than
they were. Mr. Ingham turned to Campbell and said, "What do
you say!" His reply was quickly, "I shall go if you do." As the
other party was to carry a full supply of provisions, a hasty breakfast
was all they had, and at daybreak they were off. Mr. Ingham writes:
"We started at a rather lively pace, intending to make a fast trip
of it, but we soon found that we were facing a strong, cold wind.

We soon came to the place where we should have found traces of the
other party, which presumably had left at 4 o'clock In the morning,
but we paid little attention to anything but keeping our direction. At
11 o'clock it began to snow, and the wind soon blew strongly enough
to stop us, and frequently to turn us backward. For the first time
that winter we were being frozen about our faces and hands. We
pushed forward, however, as best we could until about 1 o'clock, when
the wind slackened and the worst part of the storm had passed by.
By 3 o'clock the sky was clear and we caught our first sight of the
sleigh about two miles away and directly in front of us. We quickly
covered the distance, and shaking the stays of the cover vigorously we
asked, "How are you getting along?" For once we heard a response
whose earnest thankfulness could not be mistaken. But only one voice
responded. We had fears for the safety of the children. Telling
Mrs. Johnson to remain as quiet as possible until we could build a
fire, we went to the foot of the bluff on the creek bottom, where
Campbell began chopping wood from a dry tree while I found a
place for the camp near a large down tree and cleared away about
three feet of snow with one of my snowshoes and put up supports
for the tent cloth to keep away the wind. We soon had a fire
started, a large rubber blanket spread on the ground and with other
heavy blankets and a buffalo robe, had m-ide a comfortable camp.
When we went to- the sleigh Mrs. Johnson was the only occupant
who was conscious. We had some doubts about the recovery of a
boy about 12 and a girl about 10. But we got them all before the
fire, and soon found ourselves fully occupied in keeping warm, for the
night was coming on very cold. At dark we began firing guns at inter
vals to attract the attention of the party having the provisions and
kept it up until 9 o'clock, when we concluded they would not reach
us that night. The children had regained consciousness and we were
safe If only the food would arrive In time. When morning came
we began firing again and kept it up until 8 o'clock, when we got our
first response. Soon after John James stood above us on the bluff
and told us that the rest of the party were down the river some four
miles, where they had dug a snow well and crawled into it. They
had spent the night without a fire and all of them were more or less
frozen. We urged him to hurry back and bring up the supplies. A
little before noon the whole party came up, and it was not long until
they were enjoying our fire and we were enjoying what they had
brought to eat. The cattle were fed and shortly after noon we were
ready to start. I remember the picture as It was presented just then.
It would not have been taken for a rapid transit outfit. We were
soon off and by hard work managed to reach an island in the river
not far above the mouth of Mud Creek for our night's camp. We then
got the full story of the trials of the other party. They had not
started early in the morning as had been planned, and when the storm
struck them they had turned to the timber on the river, which they
reached after dark. They had dug a well in the snow some eight feet
deep and covered the opening with blankets, and in that -way had kept
from freezing.
"The weather moderated during the night and in the morning we

were off at an early hour. About 11 o'clock Campbell and I left the
party within a couple of miles of the Riebhoff Grove. The Johnson
family were hospitably taken in by Mr. Schenck and they remained
with him until warm weather returned, when they went on their
way south."
.Mention has been made of the cache of Mr. Tuttle's wagons loaded
with supplies for the Tuttle's Lake settlers. The further story of .Mr.
Tuttle should have been told in that connection, but Is perhaps as well
told here, for it is corollary in a way to the storx of the Johnson
rescue. Mr. Tuttle had become very restless as the 'weeks of his enforced
confinement on the Black Cat wore on, and was fearful of the well-
being of his family. In the latter part of January he had come over
to the Ingham cabin to borrow a pair of snow shoes, determined to
set out on foot and chance a fort}-mIle walk. This was before Mr.
Ingham had gone to Fort Dodge and before Mr. Campbell had come
up to join in exploring the upper waters of the East and West Branch.
He was at once discouraged from making any such attempt, and more
over, there were no snow shoes to spare, as nobody could move about
in the deep snow without them. But he was determined. Mr. Ingham
writes: "After hearing his story, in which he told us that he had heard
nothing from his family since he left them in November and that he
was feeling very uneasy and must in some way try and get home, I
asked him if he thought he could walk through from John James
cabin in one day, it being thirty-five miles, and if so, I told him
that I would meet him there early the next morning with an extra
pair of snow shoes and see him home. This he was confident he could
do. At the appointed time I found him ready for the start and we
were soon off. The morning was cold with quite a breeze from the
northwest, which gradually gained In force till noon, making it quite
impossible for Mr. Tuttle, who was an elderU- man and Inexperienced
on snow shoes, to take a thirty-five mile gait. We now planned to
abandon the through trip in one day and camp over night at the river
timber. This we reached, near Armstrong Grove, in time to get a
fire started before dark and prepare our camp as well as we could for
the night.
"Without blankets or any extra clothing, with the mercury from
20 to 30 degrees below zero, we needed no place for sleep. Our time
was pretty well occupied with cutting and gathering wood and keeping
up a good fire. The night finally wore away and the morning opened
up much colder, with the air so filled with snow that we could easily
see we -were to stay in camp and make the most of it until another day.
Our only supply of food on hand was a small piece of fresh pork, some
unground, burnt coffee, tea, and sugar Mr. Tuttle had planned to
Algona Upper Des Moines, February 7, 1894: "Gratitude Is ex
pressed in many ways and Mrs. Johnson was not wanting in ingenuity,
although not possessed of worldly goods. One of the little flock was a
baby yet unnamed, if he is now alive he passes as William Harvey
Johnson in memory of the rescue." Mr. Ingham's name was William
Harvey.

take home. These, without salt or any kind of a cooking utensil, not
even a cup, proved to be a real aggravation, especially so, when we
were using Ice to quench our thirst. The da}' passed by and then
another tedious night. Fortunately the storm slackened during the
night, making it possible for us to travel again. I now told Mr.
Tuttle we would go out on the prairie at the break of day, when he
must choose to either go on home or return with me regardless of
the weather.
"When the time came It took but one thought of home and family
for him to determine our course, which quickly brought us facing the
wind from the northwest once more. After a tedious day's tramp we
found ourselves at night still some four miles away from the home.
Mr. Tuttle, who was now very tired, almost despaired of ever seeing
his family again. It was not long, however, until we caught sight of
the light in the home window and that proved to be a great stimulant
for Mr. Tuttle as well as myself. With several stops to rest we finally
reached the cabin and then when free of our snow shoes Mr. Tuttle
opened the door I felt relieved from all further obligation, as I
had met my engagement with him to see him home. I followed him
closely as he went in, and for a moment Mrs. Tuttle and the children
seated about a table seemed almost dazed by the abrupt and uncere
monious way we had entered. The change when they fully realized
who it was and learned from him that George was still alive and
well, must be left to the imagination. With the best of the house for
supper and a good night's sleep we came out In the morning in fine
shape. "I stopped over one day to rest up and returned to our cabin well
pleased with the outcome and the lessons learned about winter travel
ing on the prairies."

The Massacre at the Lakes
The massacre at the lakes began on March 7. Word did not reach
the settlement on the East Branch until early In April. There was
much doubt at first as to the reliability of the reports. But as Fort
Dodge was organizing two military companies e\erybody became con
vinced that something had happened. Great uneasiness at once seized
the settlers and it was plain that something must be done or there
would be a general leave-taking. Accordingly a small company was
organized, consisting of Lewis H. Smith, Peter Reibhoff, William
Campbell, Jacob Cummins, Mr. Seeley, who had now returned, and
IVIr. Ingham, whose duty it should be to go to the headwaters of the
river and ascertain what prospect there was of a raid on the East
Branch. The company met at the Ingham cabin on April 10, and on
the following morning set forth for Tuttle's Lake, and the Chain Lake
district. After a weary march through snow, slush and water the
Tuttle home, forty miles away, was reached on the second day. There
they were well and totally unconscious of the trouble nearby. The
next day the party went north to the lakes about Fairmont, Minn., and
here they found five tepees of Sioux. An examination convinced them
that these tepees did not hold any of the goods stolen from the lakes,
and suspicion attached to only one tepee, whose owner was absent.
The Indians said he was not of their party, and that he was off look
ing after his traps. His name was Umpashotah. The Indians were
advised it was not safe for them to remain, and before the company
had gone half the distance to their cabin, half a mile away, the In
dians were packed and moving north. They had taken everything but
Umpashotah's tepee, and that the next morning was found exactly as
they left it, showing that the owner had not visited it during the
night. It is doubtful if he ever returned to his tepee.
On the way back to Tuttle's the party came upon two Indians who
had a tepee about half a mile above the Tuttle's cabin. As the tepee
Ambrose A. Call writes: "The people of the settlement got the
first news of the massacre from the Fort Dodge mail carrier some two
or three weeks after the occurrence. ¦ - * A stockade was decided
upon, to be built under the direction of Judge Call and H. A. Hender
son, both of whom had seen service in the Indian countr\'. ¦¦' * *
Some of our best scouts and frontiersmen, including William H.
Ingham and A. L. Seeley, were absent when the news first reached us."
The effect the news of the massacre had on the little settlement
may be judged from this statement by Levi Maxwell, who had come
to the country in the fall of 1854. He writes: "We heard that the
Indians were coming down the west branch of the river, killing every
one as they came. Mr. A. A. Call, Mr. Benson and I went across
over to the west branch but did not find any Indians there. We
came home the next day and found the people scared and building a
fort. We told them there were no Indians and all went home and
went to bed. Just as I was getting Into bed word came that the
Indians were twelve miles below and there were hundreds of them.
\\'e gathered up the women and children in cabins and stood guard
around them that night. The next morning Mr. Call, Mr. Benson
and I went again to look for them, but found no Indians. Many were
scared and left home, left their supper tables untouched, and rode on
hay racks to Fort Dodge. Some never returned."

was approached a squaw and two pappooses started for the brush
with a scream. The Indians seated, with the party standing about
them, an examination began. One of the Indians reported himself to
he a son of Inkpadutah, and on being asked if he had been at Spirit
Lake, replied, "Nix fer stay." On being asked if they had been on
the West Branch, he replied, "Nix come herons." They showed not
the slightest sign of fear, and yet from things found in their tepee
and from other signs the party was convinced they had been in mis
chief. Mr. Ingham writes: "Had we known what we learned an
hour later from George and William Granger, who had just come
from Spirit Lake, where their brother had been killed, it is doubtful
whether they would have gotten away alive. A Minnesotan who
was presenu wanted to tie their hands behind them and then give them
a walk in the lake. We finally gave them five minutes in which to
disappear with the warning that the} would be shot on sight after
that fme. Within two minutes after the circle about them parted,
they were seen trotting over the ridge with their guns and furs, leav
ing their tepee and many goods which were afterwards burned by
\^'illiam Granger, who made a remarkable speech on the spot."
As the Indians had been ordered to go north and there was nothing
to he feared by the settlements, it was thought best that part of

Lewis H. Smith.
Written by Mr. Smith for the Upper Des Moines: "In the wuiter
of 1854-5, after the engineering work on the old M. & M. Railway
(now the C, R. I. & P. Railway) was closed for the season, I taught
school and 'boarded around' at Snook's Grove, in Powesheik County.
This is about half wav between Victor and Brooklyn. I staved Satur-

the company should return and report, while the remainder should
remain and await results. Accordingly Mr. Smith was chosen to lead
the return party, taking all but Ingham and Campbell, who were to
reconnoiter. Nothing happened for a couple of days, when an Indian
appeared at Tuttle's bringing a letter from a friend of Tuttle's ask
ing that the Indians be permitted to hunt and trap about the lake.
The Indian was at once told about the massacre and warned that it
would be very unsafe for him if he should remain. It was finally
arranged for him and his friend to come the next morning and pitch
their tepee near the Tuttle cabin for safety, and he went away ap
parently friendly. When they did not come the next morning there
was some uneasiness. There was danger that they might meet other
Indians and organize for a raid on the cabins. It was not until
afternoon of the next day when Mr. Tuttle and his two sons were
out in the timber for a load of wood that an Indian was seen ap
proaching, with another Indian following, both of them in full war
paint. When they approached they proved the two who had ar
ranged to come to trap and hunt. They at once told Ingham and
Campbell that the Indians had not killed the whites at Spirit Lake,
but that the whites had been killing the Indians. They were very
insolent. Mr. Ingham writes:
days and Sundays with a blacksmith by the name of Ross, a great
hunter for those days, and the deer and turkeys and other smaller
game were there in great numbers, and with the poor guns that were
in use we managed to get our share.
"No maps that we had access to had any counties laid out in
Northwest Iowa as yet. The country was marked on the maps as the
'Couteau Des Prairies,' meaning the height of the land or highest
elevation of the prairies. My thoughts from his description of the
country turned in that direction and as it was then uncertain when
engineering work would commence again on the railway, after my
term of school was finished, I packed up my compass and leveling
instruments and other baggage and started for the country where all
the excellences of a new place were supposed to be centered.
"The prairies were at that time covered with beautiful flowers and
game. Elk were sometimes seen in great numbers. I remember one
time we were in sight of them nearly all day. The only white men
we saw while on the survey were Captain W. H. Ingham and a party
of friends hunting elk calves. As I was away at the time from ihe
others I did not speak to them and they passed on after their game.
During this survey I came first into Kossuth County on July 5, 1855.
"In the winter of 1856, while alone keeping 'bachelor's hall' In
the log home of J. W. Moore, wh'ch stood across the alley in block 70,
in Algona, Josh, who was one of the survivors of the Sidominadotah
massacre on Bloody Run by old Lott, visited me and stayed two days.
He also visited D. W. King, who was living down southeast of town.
He was a young Indian of mild manners and could talk fair English.
In those days Indians were not partxularly inviting visitors and to
use the words of old Dr. Cogley, one of our early settlers, it was
thought best 'to discourage their visits as much as possible.'
"In the spring of 1857, while Major Williams and his command
were at Spirit Lake, after the massacre, a party of six of us, headed
by Captain W. H. Ingham, went with old man Tuttle to see if his
family was saved. He lived on the north side of the Okamampedah,
or Tuttle's Lake, and was caught down here by the snow. While I
have seen and endured my share of cold weather, I never was so cold
as on one night of that expedition."

"In a few moments one of them started to go into the building
where our arms and ammunition were lying on the bed. We both
stepped in and stood near our guns. At this one of the children came
in and told us that the other Indian was in the house taking sugar.
Telling Campbell to watch the arms I Avent to the house, a few rods
aw-ay, and found the fellow helping himself. I gave him a hustling
invitation to go outside and as we passed the door .Mrs. Tuttle shut
it. .About this time the other Indian had tried to take some of the
ammunition and Campbell unceremoniously threw him out of doors.
Campbell had his gun. I was unarmed. As I was assuring my Indian
that he must go away or he would be killed I felt something touch
me and looking around I saw the handle of a corn cutter made
from an old scythe which Mrs. Tuttle had thoughtfully pushed out
between the logs of the cabin. We soon persuaded the Indians to
leave, giving them to understand that they would be shot at sight if
thev were seen again. \^'e were very watchful for a couple of da\-s,
and were relieved when a settler living ten miles away brought the
news that the Indians had all gone north."
On the receipt of this news, Mr. Ingham started at once for the
settlements, while Mr. Campbell remained at the Tuttle cabin. .Mr.
Ingham reached the home cabin sometime before u'ght. He had
trouble to attract the attention of Covell and Putnam, who were very
\vatchful. The scare was growing greater e\'ery da\-, one stor\' being
that Red ^^'ing and 400 warriors were moving south. There was
no chief of that name, but it had not occurred to anybody to ask that
question. As soon as It was generally known that the settlers about
Tuttle's and Chain Lakes were unmolested, the scare died down. In
the meantime the stockades had been built about the town hall in
Algona and also about the town hall in Irvington. For man}- years
afterwards the remains of those plank walls were a reminder of
the fright all Northwestern Iowa experienced In April, 1857.
The summer of 1857 was marked b}- the breaking of one of the
severest money panics. Mr. Ingham had brought some $7,000 or
$8,000 in gold with him from the east, and that was on deposit in the
Weare hank at Cedar Rapids. The bank was compelled to close Its
doors, and .Mr. Ingham suddenly found h'mself confronted with the
plain problem of making a living. This became all the more a
problem since h's marriage was set for November 25 of that > ear.
His da\s of wild life for the enjoyment of it were over. From now
on everything was reduced to the simple proposition of dollar and
cent returns under the most unfavorable conditions. Money had been
driven from the west, men who had considered themselves wealthy
or well to do were suddenly reduced to a hard struggle for mere
existence. Farming was In its beginnings. A young bride from one
of the academy towns of the east, with two years of supplementary
fitting in a lady's training school, was brought to the log cabin to
look as confidently as she could upon these crude beginnings and
in what hope she could muster to found a home.
Two children were born in the cabin and then the family moved
into the frame house, the first to he built north of Algona, and the

first in the county to be ornamented with window blinds. In 1859
Mr. Ingham records that he won the prize at the first county fair for
a field of corn yielding 164 bushels from 17 acres. He records also
that the first threshing done b\- a machine \vas done in that year for
him on the same farm.
It was at this time that the Pike's Peak fever \vas at its height,
and mail}- adventurers from the north came that wav, passing through
to the great west. We may judge the times by the simple fact that
Mr. Ingham frequently housed travelers, stabled their teams, suppered
and breakfasted them for a silver quarter and mightily pleased, as
he frequentK- remarked in after }ears, to get the moiie}-.
His life was not wanting in adventure. One of the stories he told
many times was of "dancing juber" one bitter night in Hancock
County. He had traded with a traveler for a wagon v.'':;"'~ '"i
been abandoned in the mud some forty miles away, and one morning
in the earl\- spring had started over to bring it home. He had at
tempted to cross the Boone river, but the spring thaw had ^veakened
the Ice and his team broke through. It became necessar\ for him
to chop the Ice awa\' to permit his horses to ^valk out, which wetted
him to the skin. It was now growing late in the afternoon, and in
freezing weather. He was expecting to stop at a cabin whose loca
tion he knew, and so permitted himself to become dro^vsil\' cold as
he rode along feeling secure of a hospitable fire.
But as he came to the cabin he could discover no tracks in the
unbroken snow. At once his faculties were alert. He Investigated
and found the cabin deserted. The cold was becoming bitterer. He
released his team to wander as best they might and at once began
a search for matches for his own were wet. He could find none. By
this time his legs were numbed. He stuck pins in them but felt no
sensation. With his back to the wall he began to dance, and hour
after hour he danced. Towards morning he felt some warmth, and
he was able at daybreak to get about enough to find his horses and
get them hitched. He arrived at his home at 3 o'clock in the after
noon, having been without either food or sleep since the morning
before. He always referred to that night of dancing with benumbed
legs and feet as the hardest night he ever put in. It was a dance for
life, and the odds were greatly against him.
In these years he hunted and trapped. But it was now no longer
for sport. Furs were a resource of the frontier. For many years
Mrs. Ingham wore a set of mink skins he had trapped for her. He
used his surveyor's compass, and helped many of the pioneer settlers
to find their claims. In that way he became a land agent. Thus
he gradually broke away from farming and decided to locate in a
town or citv. He considered going to Des Moines and was within
$250 of a trade with Mr. Pritchard, by which he was to come into
possession of some small houses along what is now Pleasant street. In
the end he removed to Algona in 1865, and with that removal, his life
of adventure was over.

The Massacre at New Ulm
There is one chapter yet to be written. Five years after the
massacre at the lakes came the great Sioux uprising in Minnesota
known as the New Ulm massacre. There were many causes, primarily
the trouble was due to a failure of the Indians to receive their
annuities. The Indians had given up their hunting and deeded
their lands on promises of the government to feed and care for them.
This the government never did. Starving Indians had come to Mer
rick, the agent at New Ulm, and asked for food and he had told
them to eat grass. When Merrick was found after the massacre his
mouth was stuffed with grass.
But there were contributing causes. The civil war had taken the
young men out of the country and the Indians were persuaded that
now was their time. Southern agents were among them making large
promises. They were made to believe that Great Britain had an
army in Canada ready to invade the northwest. The Winnehagoes
were dissatisfied, and Hole-In-the-Day of the Chippewas was hitter
against the whites. Little Crow was confident that the whole Sioux
nation would rise and the whites would be driven from Minnesota
and Iowa.
The Chippewas and the Winnehagoes neither of them joined in
the massacre, nor did the Sioux of any but Little Crow's band Indulge
in violence. But Little Crow's band In a few days killed more than
700 settlers and created a panic that reached far down into Iowa.
As Kossuth was the border county, lying directly south of much
of the bloody work, a meeting of the settlers was called at -which
plans of defense were adopted. A local mititary company was or
ganized, Lewis H. Smith was sent to Des Moines to secure arms and
such state support as was necessary, while Mr. Ingham and W. B.
Carey were selected to visit IVIankato and as much of the devastated
country as they dared venture over, and bring back word of what
Minnesota was doing to protect the border.
Mr. Ingham writes:
"On the following morning Mr. Carey and I were off on horseback
and crossed the thirty miles of unsettled prairie to Hagen's place,
at the upper grove on the Blue Earth river. From there on the
vacant homes and stock at large showed too plainly what had taken
place. We found a company of militia at Blue Earth City, where we
stopped over night, busily engaged in preparing for defense and in
caring for the town. As we passed through Winnebago City on our
way to Mankato the next day, we saw a mounted field piece stand'ng
at the roadside with about a bushel of cast iron broken up into small
pieces, lying at its side, to be used instead of shot and shell; It gave
the place quite a warlike appearance. On reaching Mankato we
learned that the Sioux had withdrawn from their attack upon New
Ulm and that the citizens and fugitives, some two thousand in all,
had abandoned the town and gone to different parts in the older set
tlements of the state, taking with them many from Mankato as they
passed through. The next morning we were told that there were
several at the hospital who had been wounded at Lake Shetek. We

The Monument at Estherinlle.
Dedication of the monument at Estherville, erected to commemorate
the services of Company A, of the Northern Border Brigade. Speak
ing of the fortifications erected by the company, Howard Graves said
at the dedication:
"Captain Ingham, a man of energy, determination and pract'cal
mind, fully comprehending the situation, moved to the front and com
menced operations in dead earnest preparatory to the erection of
stockade, barn and block houses for the protection of the infant settle
ment and to shelter the men under his command. With a detail of
men the commanding officer promptly confiscated the saw mill at
Estherville, repaired the dam which required immense quantities of
logs, stone and gravel; depleted the forest, felled the trees, sawed
the logs and at the mill manufactured all the plank, studding, joists
and boards necessar}- in the erection of the stockade and fort. And
remember we used the best black walnut lumber for finishing pur
poses. Pine was out of the question and the most fashionable furniture
lumber known to the human race was considered good enough for
the boys, (not) in blue, for uniforms packed in crates were never
shipped to the frontier. But in garbs of home snun fabrics the hardy
sons of toil went forth to dare and do, in their country's service.
In due time the stockade was in the perpendicular and Fort Defiance
was completed and stood forth in all its symmetrical corners, angles,
crevices and dormitories and flag staff, a thing of beauty and great
credit to Captain Ingham, its designer and builder, a monument to
his genius and capacity, and a source of protection, in which the peo
ple took delight in the consoling thought of security and protection."

called on them and found among the number Mr. Ireland, who had
the reputation of being 'one man that the Indians could not kill'.
He seemed to be fully entitled to this distinction, as he had walked
about fifty miles, with others, in making his escape, after having been
wounded some eight times. We found him quite feeble, as he told us
in a faltering voice that the settlements on the west branch of the Des
Moines river from Lake Shetek to the Iowa boundary, and In the
country from the lake to New Ulm, through which he had traveled
while getting awa}, had all been broken up by the Indians and the
greater part of the settlers had been killed. \A'e were not able to
find any person in town who could furnish us with definite informa
tion such as was wanted. So on learning that there were likely to
be troops stationed at New Ulm some twenty-five miles up the .Minne
sota river, we decided to go there and see more of the effects of the
outbreak. On our way the broken down fences and the appearance of
the road and fields nearb\- all went to show the intense excitement
of the people as they hurried and crowded on their way, after leaving
the town, and the terrifying scenes which they had witnessed. When
we arrived at the once thrifty town of fifteen hundred inhabitants, we
found only the business houses, a large hotel and a brick building
left to mark its location. The blackened ruins of homes, and the
bullet marked buildings, showed plainh- the effects of the two dif
ferent attacks made bv the Sioux for its capture.
"A complete abandonment of New Ulm was made on the 25th
inst., five da\-s previous to the arri\-al of Mr. Care}' and myself. We
found Captain Dane vvith a squad of cavalry in command; he kindly
invited us to stop with him over night at the hotel building where he
and his men were making their headquarters. During the evening
we listened to the reports of those who had been out on detail, ranging
through the desolated settlements for the purpose of burying the dead
and rescuing any who had escaped. From these reports it was very
evident that the Indians had lost none of their usual cunning in
devising means to torture, before their death, many of the'r un
fortunate victims, especially women and children. Judging from the
number of dead already reported. Captain Dane %vas of the opinion
that the massacre would prove to be the largest in the history of the
countr}-. Later it was found to number eight hundred victims or
more, making it nearly three times as great as the famous ^^'\'oming
Valle\- massacre in 1778.
"It being important that we should return soon, we decided to take
a direct course for Algona by way of Iowa Lake and so save time.
Learning that a couple of soldiers were detailed to burn a building
in yvhich they had found the putrid body of one of the unfortunates,
early the next morning, a mile or two out on our way, we arranged
to be called in time to breakfast with the company mess and go with
them. In starting out through the town we passed a line of the
barricade that had not been disturbed. It was made up in sections
of cord wood, lumber, wagon wheels, piled up layer upon layer, and
kegs of nails set upright, tier upon tier, with broken joints. Quite a
large section was built up with trunks and boxes filled with goods
from the stores, that were still exposed to the weather. More than one

hundred and fifty lumber wagons had entered into its make-up, with
everything else available. The wagons had been taken away for the
purpose of carrying the women and children as well as the sick and
wounded, at the time the town was abandoned. We soon brought up
at the doomed building and saw its lonely occupant lying upon the
floor. He added one more to the list of the unknown dead, as there
was nothing about his person by which he might be identified. We
now left our escort to perform their task while we went on our way.
During the forenoon we came to a newly made, unoccupied, log
structure, marked 'Fort Madelia,' in large letters, evidently haying
been put up by the settlers for a place of refuge where they might he
better prepared to defend themselves in case the Indians should make
an attack. .At noon we went to a farm to feed our horses. In looking
about we noticed a large field of grain ready for the stack. In the
yard there were several finished stacks; one was partly finished with
the rack over turned nearby and a part of the load lying under it
on the ground. Going to the house not far away we passed through
the open front gate and walked up to the open door; the spirit of
the home seemed to say, 'Just in time. Walk in. Dinner Is ready
and waiting for you.' We went in and found the table full}- pre
pared for the meal; a large baked goose was lying on the platter,
with carving knife and fork at Its side. Had It not been waiting
so long and had Captain Dane not cautioned us about eating anything
found at the homes on our way, on account of poison, we should have
been inclined to accept the seeming invitation. As it was, we pre
ferred a vegetable lunch such as we could find in the well kept garden
nearby. Everything about this home seemed to be in order and
undisturbed, so from what we had seen It became an easy matter
to read the circumstances under which the family had left. The last
load of grain before dinner Avas being put into the stack. The conque
shell King on the shelf had been used in giving the dinner call.
\A'hen the grain ^vas about two-thirds unloaded parties came out of
the oak openings nearby and gave the alarm of Indians. .A few
persons stopped to raise the rack from the wagon and turn it off. The
wagon box ^vas hurriedl}- put on, the folks from the house rushed out,
not stopping to take anything with them or even to close the door,
and all were off. Thousands of people over a large part of the
state of Minnesota abandoned their homes in a similar manner at
all hours of da\- and night, whenever the alarm was given. There
was an Immense loss of propert}- in consequence, hut this was nothing
in comparison with the injury and suffering from exposure and excite
ment on the part of the people themselves. After lunch our course led
us across a large unsettled prairie, as at that time no settlements
had been made awa\- from the timber.
"It may be presumed that from the time we left New Ulm we were
alert in noticing whatever might be going on about us, so that when
we saw some large, dark objects in front, crossing our course to the
east, and so far away in the smoky, dusty air that we could not
make out what they were, we gave them our closest attention. We
watched them carefully for some distance, with the thought of Indians
uppermost in our minds, ^^'hatever the}- were, however, it was quiet-

ing to know that they were going away from us at good speed. But
when they were seen to stop and soon after turn about and retrace
their course partly toward us we were decidedly anxious. We rode
on quickly to where we could plainly see them when passing in front
and stopped. We did not have to wait long, however, before we
were well pleased to see the objects that we had been watching de
velop into two teams and wagons, with several men in each. The
men were standing up, beating, prodding and urging their teams In a
way to bring out their best possible speed. It now became a puzzling
matter for us to determine what the cause might he for such a terrible
fright. If It was from seeing us we could not account for their
stopping and then turning hack partly toward us. It was more likely
that they had seen Indians in front or something mistaken for them,
from whom they were trying to make their escape. If they had really
seen Indians we felt it to be rather important for us to know it and
to plan accordingly, as we were not armed. Under the circumstances
Mr. Carey and I decided to overtake them as quickly as possible and
learn the cause of their fright, so that if it came from us we could
make ourselves known and thereby relieve them and also save their
teams from further violent work. When we rode up to their side
and called on them to stop, they only made a greater effort in urging
their teams forward. Finding we could not get their attention in this
way, we rode up partly in front of the horses, and managed to make
ourselves known, when their teams were slowly brought to a halt.
We found the party to be made up of Norwegians who hardh' knew
how to give expression to their feelings when they found they were
not to be harmed. When they recovered sufficiently to talk we were
told that on first seeing us they became very much alarmed, thinking
we were Indians, and so hurried their teams as best they could on
their way. After going some distance it occurred to them that the
whole country was being overrun by Sioux and that it would be use
less for them to go any farther expecting to escape. They then
quickly unloaded their goods and started back hoping to reach their
cabins, some five miles from where we were, up the Watonwan river.
They also told us that when the first alarm of Indians reached their
settlement they had taken their families to Albert Lea but had returned
to get a supply of bedding and other articles for their use, and were
on their way back when they first saw us coming from the north. We
now got off from our horses while they got out of their wagons and
so we met and became acquainted, with a vigorous handshake over
the affair. As I remember, it was a pretty good feeling group just
them on the prairie of the Watonwan. After talking it over they
decided to go hack to their homes and stay over night and invited
us to go with them, which we did. It proved to be very fortunate
for us as we found good quarters for the night and were well cared
for by our newly made friends. On the following morning, before
parting with them, they asked to be advised as to the safety of their
returning and wintering their stock on the farms. We answered them
at once that we should not like to take the risk. They evidently did
return, however, and quite likely lost their lives by so doing, in the
following March, as a report came out at that time that the Sioux

had killed a party of Norwegians at the headwaters of the Watonwan.
"Our trip from here on, through an unsettled section of country
to Iowa Lake was uneventful ; there \ve stayed over n-ght at the
Thompson home. We had now traveled beyond the places where
Captain Dane's cautious advice could apply and so made free use of
the abundance of supplies found at this home. From that place we
reached home by one more day's travel, on September 2, 1862, making
six days in all from the start."
This is not the place to tell the story of the Northern Border
Brigade that supplanted the local companies of defense. .Mr. Ingham
has told it In full In the Annals of Iowa, October number, 1902.
Company A, of which Mr. Ingham was captain, was mustered
in early in September, 1862, and was not released from service until
December 30, 1863. It was under Captain Ingham's superintendency
that Fort Defiance was built at Estherville, the largest and most
substantial of the frontier fortifications of the northwest border. The
Indians were gone, they were gone long before the legislature of
the state had ordered the mustering of the brigade. But the border
brigade was needed to restore confidence.
The last incident is perhaps a fitting one with which to bring to
an end this story of life of the Iowa of yesterday. Immediately after
disbanding the company at Estherville, in the midst of the winter, the
Kossuth County members gathered together their belongings and pre
pared to return to their homes. The second day out from Estherville,
as they were about half way between Emmetsburg and Algona, near
where \A'hIttemore Is now, night was approaching, bitter cold, with
a storm already sufficiently far along to blind the trail, and make it
Impossible to follow the beaten track. It was necessary to secure a
light, and the teams were halted while search of the wagons was
made. For a long time it seemed as though the search would be
unsuccessful. At length a short stub of candle was found and the
road regained.
By that time night was on and it ^vas proposed to cache the loads
and travel more rapidly. The proposal was accepted by everybody
but Mr. Ingham. He had a powerful team and although Mrs. Ingham
urged the perfect safety of remaining on the prairies he was not
convinced. The storm proved to be one of the most severe ever ex
perienced on the frontier. For four days nobody considered returning
for the abandoned wagons, and during most of that time the horses
were not even visited In their stalls. It had been 2 o'clock in the
morning before the Inghams were delivered at the little Hender
son hotel, then conducted by Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Stacey. But
it was a most fortunate decision. Mr. Ingham's judgment was almost
unerring throughout life and his willingness to undergo any labor
Lieutenant Colonel Sawyers, reporting to Governor KIrkwood,
after describing the works at Estherville at some length, said: "You
will see from this report, together with the plan, that the works at
Estherville are more extensive than at any other point on the line,
and have been completed under many difficulties. The works reflect
much credit upon the taste, ability and untiring energy of the com
mandant of the post."

once he had decided was characteristic of him. Nobody could have
weathered that storm to come to the rescue of Mrs. Ingham and her
three oldest children if they had been left on the prairies.

Mr. Ingham's Tarpon or Sit'ver King.
March 20, 1895, Mr. Ingham wrote the story of his capture of a
Silver King at Myers, Fla. This fish, beautifully mounted, is hung in
the public library at Algona. He said:
"On reaching Myers our arrangements were very quickly made for
visiting the fishing grounds. A boat, a guide known to me as 'Jim',
and a start the following morning before daylight, with a seven mile
ride on the river in company with a fleet of boats constituted the
preliminaries. As soon as we arrived the anchors were cast in about
eight or nine feet of water and then the rods and lines were brought
out, the hooks were baited with about three-fourths of a pound of
mullet and then were cast from 50 to 150 feet away for the purpose
of feeding cat fish, crabs, channel bass, and an}- number of other
indescribable meat eaters at the bottom. We were ver}- liberal and
ten mullets were distributed the first day with nothing but one channel
bass weighing 29 pounds for the day's work. The second day was a
repetition of the first, except that a large shark took the place of the
bass, which gave us exciting sport. The third day we were not
annoyed by our former friends and while we were waiting and watch
ing for a tarpon, handled the line in rather a sleepy condition. All at
once the line started and In an instant not over 100 feet away we
looked on our first fish, with head 10 feet above the water, his silvery
sides gleaming in the bright sun light. As the water was shaken from
him he appeared to be in the midst of a thousand glittering gems. A
heavy thud and the picture was gone, 'and the fish too' Jim said at
once, while my only words were 'too bad.' Reeling in the line quickly,
however, a pressure was felt, and then I said, not in a whisper, 'Jim,
we've got him.' Running within 15 feet of the boat and not 40 feet
away he made his second leap into the air, which brought applause
from all the fleet, with several encores when his third appearance
was fully appreciated, and then at once he started for the gulf. His
boisterous manner of drawing us soon convinced us that we must
stop him to save our tackle, so we took him in tow and he appeared
to enjoy the trip as well as we had before. Then the contest began
again, and for half an hour it was a desperate struggle for mastery
with uncertain results. As Iowa has no record of having taken a
'Silver King', we felt that the first must be landed, which at last was
the successful outcome. The records show him to have been caught
March 19, 1895, by the writer, in one hour and ten minutes, length
six feet one inch, weight 140 pounds, the heaviest taken this season."

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Trout fishing in Lake Cushman, Washington.
In After Years
In his later years, after an active business career, Mr. Ingham came
back to his love of the frontier. Angling became his recreation, and
with rod and reel he visited nearly every fishing water from the
gulf to Hudson's Bay and from one coast to the other. In 1898 he was
invited to attend a banquet tendered to Homer A. Miller at Eagle
Grove. He had been a fishing companion of Mr. Miller's on more
than one occasion. He was not able to attend the banquet in person,
but he responded by letter to the toast that had been proposed for him:
"My Fishing Partner". In the course of that letter he wrote:
"Fishing, what is it? How few understand. And now will you
not accept an invitation from my partner, to go with us when the
warm days of summer come again, to some one of the many mountain
valleys, away from all the works of man, and there in the wildest of
towering walls, be seated on the moss cushioned rocks and then
listen, first to the soft murmurings of the lofty firs and pines as they
are played upon by the winds from the mountain side, or the notes of
the ripples as they echo from the canyon walls, or the distant sound
of the waterfall, as the clear waters go rushing down, all combined
it becomes the melody that only nature can produce? From this we
drop again to the level earth, as some one calls out 'The trout are
rising'. Fully equipped with rod in hand, we take to the stream,
casting the fly gently here and there upon the waters, until with rush
and splash, we have hooked our first. But in a moment he is gone;
again we cast until another is fastened to our hook and is found
to be too small, and so is carefully returned; again a splash and
after a desperate fight we land our first worthy of the basket, a two-

While on this Florida fishing trip Mr. Ingham captured a dolphin.
He writes: "While we were over on the other coast at Flagler's
princely hotel, the Royal Ponciana, we were talking of catching king
fish with rod and reel. We were told that only one had ever been
caught that way, that the king fish could break the strongest rod
made. That was enough to determine us. We soon ran into a school
of king fish and one of them hooked on my line. He jumped fully
eight feet and shook himself loose. A few minutes later I had another
strike, and when the fish made its leap it proved to be a dolphin. I
soon discovered that I had the liveliest fish on my line I had ever
tried to pull In. There were twenty minutes of leaping and racing.
Then a shark appeared. I saved the dolphin from the shark by pulling
him as the shark rolled on his back to seize him. By th's process I
soon had him at the boat, the shark coming up within two feet. The
dolphin weighed about fifteen pounds, but he was big enough to satisfy
me. For beauty of color nothing can surpass the dolphin. While
dying every shade of the rainbow appeared on his sleek smooth
sides."

pounder. And so with varying success until the shadows remind us
it is quite time to draw our rods for the day and return to camp.
Who can experience all this without being thrilled? And yet this
is only a glimpse. Now you ha\'e taken the trip up with us, may we
not ask and expect you to join our craft and follow the gentle art?
The rules are few and may be found In this Injunction: 'Do as you
would be done by'. Acquaintances are made and friendships formed
that are not easll}- dropped or broken."

Some hint may be had of Mr. Ingham's wide acquaintance with the
fishing waters of the countr\- from a few sentences from letters written
to him b\- his fishing companions:
Haywood, Wis.: Would like to know how your party intend to
fish, single or doubled up, so that I could furnish you with the
requisite number of guides. If you Intend coming would like to
know whether your party would prefer to furnish your own pro\-isions
or have me furnish them. — Frank Griffin.
Big Timber, Mont. : I do not know of any reason why I cannot
go with }-ou before or after that date, and it will be a pleasure for me
to do so. If you conclude to stop here please notify me a few da\s in
advance of your arrival here so I can arrange for a man to stay In
the office during my absence. Give mv best regards to Mrs. Ingham. —
H. C. Pound.
Pelican, Ore.: Think that we can accommodate you about the
time that you speak of coming. The weather Is clear and the trout
take the fly and trawl, too. There is lots of fish If }'0u can take them.
— George W. Jones.
Olympia, Wash.: The new proposition which I feel will meet
with your approval. Make our headquarters with Bentel. Have him
make arrangements for two extra beds and to do our cooking, etc.,
which we will call camp. Now, as I remember, his house Is about
a quarter mile from canyon. Have him Improve this trail to the
canyon and also have him cut trails both up the canyon and down
as far as necessary to reach the open river, which would not be far
either way. Then if we were gomg for all day down the river,
which I believe is about four miles to the mouth, we can have him
meet us with team and bring us back In the evening. In this way I
think we could plan so we could get in good time. — Geo. E. Thomp
son. Belton, Mont.: I think you will find fishing as good as it was
when you was here before. You had better try and get here the last
of July or first of August. Let me know about what time you will
come so I can he prepared to go with you. — Corey Daw.
Helena, Mont.: If you visit the park you have the upper and
lower Yellowstone river and lake and numerous smaller streams
where it is only a question of how many you can carry at one time
now. Our Montana closed season does not apply to the park. — M. H.
Bryan. New York City: "I was very glad to hear that you would make
an effort to go to Florida with me. We leave here on Wednesday,
February 6, going by steamer to Jacksonville. I will look forward to
return mail with great Interest for your reply." — William C. Harris,
editor "The American Angler" and author of "The Fishes of North
America."

In Appreciation
Mr. Ingham's character may be judged as accurately as by any
thing he did bv the simple request he made for the distribution of his
property. He left no will:
"I wish to suggest as to the division of any property left, that a
fair valuation of each tract or item be made at which it can be
selected and taken and then charged to the one so taking it as part
of their share on a final division of all the estate. In case any of
the children do not wish to take any of the property, then said prop
erty is to be sold at such time as may be thought best and divided
share and share alike. Trusting this may be done in the best of
spirit and harmony, so that a lasting benefit may result from it to
each of our children and those who will follow after them, is the
one strong desire of your loving and affectionate father."
Mr. and Mrs. Ingham celebrated their golden wedding on Novem
ber 27, 1907. On that occasion Senator A. B. Funk, who had known
both well, said among other things in his Spirit Lake Beacon: "They
have reared a family of useful men and women, none of whom have
cast reproach on an honored name. They have been consistent in the
service of God and active in good works among the children of men.
For thirty-seven years Captain Ingham has been at the head of a
banking institution of excellent record at Algona and in his old age
finds himself in possession of legitimate material reward of his in
dustry and character. All honor to Captain and Mrs. Ingham. As
the golden glow of evening sheds mellow luster at the close of a
perfect day so may the benign influences of lives well spent soften the
cares of earth and sooth and sustain them as their life work is
closing." When Mr. Ingham died, in July, 1914, the Advance of Algona,
concluded a review of his life with this statement:
"It is difficult to make an estimate of Mr. Ingham's character in
a few words. He was a typical pioneer, and yet he was something
more, for he did not run away from civilization as many pioneers
do. Instead he welcomed it. No one did more than he to settle the
County. He expanded with the growth of the country, keeping pace
with progress. He was an indefatigable hunter and trapper In the
early da\'s. He knew ever\- foot of the wilderness for fifty miles
around. No one better understood the Indian. It was natural when
the .\orthern Border Brigade was organized after the massacre at
New- Ulm that he should be made captain of one of the companies
and sent to build Fort Defiance. Some of the soldiers he commanded
then are still living. After the Indians were driven away he came
back to civil life and built a growing business. He dealt in town
lots and farm real estate. He was fair in all his dealings and today
there is no one to question his methods. He accumulated a comfortable
fortune. Towards the end of his life he gradually gave up his busi
ness. In his last years he traveled much, spending his winters and
the heated months of the summer in more favorable climates. But he
always came back home two or three times a year. To the last he
held the unwavering respect, confidence and affection of the many who
had known him for long years."

Mr. Ingham at Ss.

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Organiz.ing the First Bank

^^ '" W'f'H.InahaiiiJianker ii^"^^

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"In 1865 I left the farm and came to Algona, where I was kept
busy locating homesteaders and selling other lands. .As Fort Dodge
was the nearest place where exchange could be bought, I opened an
account with Austin Corbin of New A'ork City. On January U, 1867,
the first draft was issued for $100, for James L. Paine. My desk in
the old court house was so located that a light could always be seen
throitgh the window and when I had come in from surveying in the
evening I was ready for business. We ran along this way until a
small banking building was erected on State street (the Goeders
corner) and I was ready for business early in 1869. On January 1,
1870, Lewis H. Smith joined with me In introducing the first banking
business in Central Northern Iowa, under the firm name of Ingham &
Smith. Our partnership proved to be very successful. On May 23,
1873, E. C. Buffum and Joseph W. Wadsworth joined with us, and
we then incorporated as the Kossuth County State Bank."

}V. If. TN.ar.oi. T.rwii II. Smith.
^^GHAM & SMlTp^
BANKERS,
AND DEALERS IN REAL ESTATE,
ji-x.a-oisr.^. IO-W7-.S..,

In the foreground the Kossuth County State Bank. Immediately over
the top of the bank building Ihe Ingham home block. Taken in the
early 70's.

Fiftieth .-Inniversary of Ihe Founding of Ihe Congregational Church.
In the front row, from left to right: B. F. Reed, Rev. W. J. Suckow,
Mrs. C. D. Pettibone, Mrs. Jos. Thompson, Mrs. Lewis H. Smith,
Lew's H. Smith, Mrs. J. E. Stacey, Mrs. David King, David King,
Mrs. Wm. H. Ingham, Wm. H. Ingham.

Laying the corner stone of the court house. The old Russell hous
stood Inhere the Algona house noiu stands.

Excavating for the basement of the Robinson Hardware Store.
Looking from State street towards the Ambrose A. Call home. The
little building is Miss Wooster's academy. At the extreme left
is the old Lamb building, used for postoffice, J. H. Warren, post
master. In the distance the orig'nal Call home, later burned.

Pioneer Business Houses.
This is a photograph of the beginning of the court house. The
view is from the south side of the court house block looking northeast.
From left to right the buildings shown are the tipper Des Moines
office, and next to it the Mclntyre hardware store and residence jo'ned.
This is now the site of Mayor Wadsworth's home. On the corner
where the Advance office stands was the John Winkel store. The
building next to it was originally Judge Call's land office, the first
story used by Kenyon for a drug store. It has been used recently
for a Chinese laundry. The next building was J. B. Winkel's cloth
ing store, built in 1868 by Simeon Hatch. It stands now on the rear
of the lot, the Moe market building occupying the old site. The build
ing to the extreme right was the old store of Theo. Chrischilles.

At Ihe H'ussell Houjief
llutfsilinj Jj-ciiiiio, .^f/nrft JOtli, '7,1.
/

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y^ inid Lii<l:i Juftpcc/fiilh/ Iiwited.

Floor Managers! — Chas. Birge, F. W. Butterfletd.
Mtis'if by iln' JJdkofii iStriiXj lUnul.

hi OituiitiLi" in ;UU

;U *Ui\ tiuiodurlni.- lliR OM-tiln^.
D. P. I'L.U'l', Proiirirtnr.

Early Day Society.

The Magic Square
In his later years Mr. Ingham gave much time to the magic square.
He was a great natural arithmetician. He never carried his studies
into higher mathematics, but in arithmetical analysis he was unsur
passed. He delighted in figures. It was his own belief that he had
carried the magic square further by arithmetical processes than it
had ever been carried. He did not use the algebraic formulas by
which, of course, the same results had been obtained man}' times.
In 1892, the year of the Columbia exposition, he made what he
called his Columbian cubes, and writes a rather elaborate exposition
of his method.
The simplest form of square is familiar. It is the square of three
cells on the side. We have the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. We
see that 5 is the pivotal number and must occupy the central cell of
the square. Thus 4 and 6, the numbers on each side of the pivotal
number, added equal 10, 7 and 3, 8 and 2, 9 and 1, form pairs adding
10, and we have four pairs adding 40. With 5 for the pivotal number,
we have 45 as the sum of all the numbers. To arrange these num
bers so the rows will all add the same the first and last series should
be balanced over the middle series in such a way that the numbers
would be balanced over the pivotal number, as follows:

8

1

6

3

5

7

4

9

9

From writing this simple square to writing the following triangle
is a step few would have the patience to take. If anyone cares to
puzzle his brain long and well he cannot do better than try to write
another triangle similar to this, using different numbers:

32

10

41

64

35

55

61

17

50

44

38

Explaining this triangle effect Mr. Ingham writes: "The arrange
ment of fifteen numbers in such a way as to have twelve rows of three,
four and five numbers each, all adding the same, at first would seem

impossible, but on trial proves to be quite easily done." Beyond this
assurance we will not go here.
Not so difficult but quite interesting is the banded square. It will
be observed that in the following square each band of numbers may
be removed and the properties of the square will be the same. Thus
all the vertical, horizontal and diagonal rows of numbers add the
same in every square:

5

80

59

73 3050

61

3

63

12
26

13

1

20

55

57

28

71

81

4

14
58

31
46

2945

60
40

35

68

78

76

38

36

24

6

7

65 64

33

43

41

39

49

17

75

74

48

42

37

44

34

18
7262

8

67

10

47

32

53

22

51

15

66

56

27

52

25

54

11

16

69

2

23

9

21

79

19

70

77

We may judge how far he enlarged upon the simple odd numbered
square when we come to the following even numbered cube:

Mr. Ingham wrote concerning this cube: "All rows both ways
and the diagonals of each horizontal section add 2052, and each
block of four numbers in any part of either section will add 1026, or
one-half the total of a full row. A block of four numbers, therefore,
in any part of either section added to another block of four numbers
in either section will equal the total for one row. All numbers of
vertical sections, up and down, add the same as in the horizontal sec
tions and any block of four numbers in the upper or lower half of
the sections from the right side and in either quarter of sections from
the left side will equal any block in the horizontal sections. So a
block in the vertical sections added to any block in the horizontal
sections (four numbers making a block) will add 2052, the total for
each or any of the rows.."
The Columbian Cube
(The following paper on the formation of cubes is given as Mr.
Ingham prepared it, and quotation marks are dropped.)
If a problem should he presented, requiring sixty-four consecutive
even numbers and their positions in cubical form, so that the sum of
each column, row or any square of four numbers would be equal to
1492, it would at first seem to he rather an intricate question. As
with other questions of this kind there are different ways of reaching
a solution, but none more easily understood perhaps than by the fol
lowing simple processes, to-wit:
If the sum of each of the sixteen columns comprising the cube
is to be 1492, it is plain that 373 will be the average number of all
the numbers to be used in forming the cube, found by dividing 1492
by four.As the average number is 373, the required numbers must be the
next thirty-two even numbers greater than 373 and the next thirty-
two even numbers less than 373, which are found to be 310 to 436
both inclusive.
By making four squares of sixteen average numbers each, the
same as the one shown by diagram A, and then by putting them one
upon another, a cube is formed in which the sum of each and every
row and square of four numbers will be equal to 1492.
DIAGRAM A.

373

373

373

373

373

373

373

373

373

373

373

373

373

373

373

373

Now it is very apparent, if the average numbers in a cube thus
formed can be supplanted by the even numbers given, in such manner,
that whenever any two numbers in any column, row or square of
four numbers is increased, that the remaining two numbers in such

column, row or square of four numbers be equally lessened, that the
sum of each column, row and square will remain the same as before.
In order to do this, we now find the supplementary numbers, being
the numbers, if added to the average number 373, will produce all
of the given numbers greater than 373, and if subtracted, all of the
numbers less than 373.
One added to 373 will produce the first even number above, and
if subtracted the first even number below, so that it becomes the first
supplementary. The common difference of consecutive even numbers
being two, two added to the first will produce the second, and so on
until all are found, as follows: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21,
23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47, 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59,
61, 63.
By looping these numbers, bringing the last around under the first,
sixteen couplets are formed, the sum of each being 64, as follows:
Division No. 1 Division No. 2 Division No. 3 Division No. 4
13 5 7 [ 9 11 13 15 I 17 19 21 23 1 25 27 29 31
63 61 59 57 j 55 53 51 49 1 47 45 43 41 | 39 37 35 33
By dividing the couplets into groups of four each as shown, then
the sum of the extreme numbers in each row of a group will be
equal to the sum of the two intervening.
To illustrate; in the first division 1+7^3 + 5, and 63 +57=61+59,
the same being true of the other divisions.
Now it is very obvious, if the first division is used in the upper
half of a square of average numbers as shown by diagram A, by
adding the first and fourth couplets and subtracting the second and
third, and then use the second division in the lower half, subtracting
the first and fourth couplets and adding the second and third, as
shown in Diagram B, that the sums of the rows both ways and the
squares of four numbers will remain unchanged.
It will be noticed, in order to preserve the squares of four num
bers the additions and subtractions of the supplementaries are made
to alternate by transposing the third and fourth couplets in each divi
sion, also the adjoining rows of different divisions when filled in the
auxiliary sections, as shown by Diagram B, must always be of the
ascending or descending numbers of the groups.
DIAGRAM B.

373+ 1

373— 3

373+ 7

373— 5

! 373 + 63

373—61

373 + 57

373—59

373—55

373 + 53

373—1-9

373 + 51

373— 9

373 + 11

373—15

373 + 13

The second auxiliary section (Diagram C) is filled with supple
mentary numbers the same as the first section with signs changed
from plus to minus and from minus to plus, omitting the average
number 373, as it can he added algebraically to each number and
bring out the same result just as well.
The third auxiliary section (Diagram D) is filled with the third

and fourth divisions of supplementary numbers in the same manner
as shown in Diagram B.
The fourth section (Diagram E) is the same as the third with
changed signs.
DIAGRAM C.

1 1 — 1
1

+ 3

+ 5

—63

+ 61

—57

+ 59 1

1 +55

—53

+ 49

—51 1

+ 9

—11

+ 15

—13 1

DIAGRAM D.

+ 17
1

-19

+ 23

1 11
1

1 1 +47

—45

+ 41

1 11

[ —39

+ 37

—33

+ 35 1

i —25

+27

—31

1 1
+ 29 1 1

_1  l_

DIAGRAM E.

1 —17
1
1

+ 19

—23

1
+21 1

1 —47

+45

^1

+43

1 +39

—37

+ 33

—35

1 1 +25

—27

+ 31

—29 i

By clearing Diagrams B, C, D and E from signs by adding the
1 verage number 373 algebraically, the following sections are obtained

and when placed one upon another in their order the cube is formed
in which all of the requirements of the proposition are met.

Section

No. 1

Section

No. 3

374
370
380
368
390
354
396
352
436
312
430
314
420
328
414
330
318
426
324
424
334
410
340
408
364
384
358
386
348
400
342
402
Section
No. 2
Section
No. 4
372
376
366
378
356
392
350
394
310
434
316
432
326
418
332
416
428
320
422
322
412
336
406
338
382
362
388
360
398
346
404
344
Front view of cube with sections in place.
1492. 368
380 314
370 430 424
374 312 324 386
436 426 358
374 318 384 386
436 364 385
372 318 384 360
310 364 364 388
390 428 362 402
420 382 382 342
356 334 400 344
326 348 348 404
412 346
398 398
It will be found by inspection of the twelve sections of the cube at
right angles with its faces, that the sum of each row crosswise
either way will be 1492; also the sum of any square of four numbers
in any part of either section will be the same. Therefore, the sum of
the numbers of either of the six faces of a small cube of two rows
square taken from any part of the cube, will be 1492.
The sum of the four corner numbers of any sized rectangle formed
about the center of either section will be the same as a row.
The sum of two adjoining numbers with their corresponding op-
posites from a central line at right angles with the sides in anv sec
tion will be 1492.
The Exposition Year
By similar processes, consecutive numbers from 217 to 729, both
inclusive (omitting 473) have been formed Into a cube, so that the
sum of combinations of four numbers each, as hereinafter referred to,
will be 1892. A front view of such cube, showing the upper horizontal
and right and left vertical sections, is shown by the following diagram,
marked F. 498
705 448
233 241 530
456 713 673 416
482 490 265 273 562
721 464 424 681 641 384
217 225 514 522 297 305 594
472 729 689 432 392 649 609 352
474 249 257 546 554 329 337
472 440 697 657 400 360 617 352
474 506 281 289 578 586 337
475 440 408 665 625 368 617 595
471 506 538 313 321 586 608
469 507 408 376 633 368 330 349
477 439 538 570 321 359 340
476 437 539 376 633 579 614 596
470 509 407 570 570 624 589 607
468 508 405 571 314 365 331 348
478 438 541 375 375 324 358 341
479 436 540 373 630 580 613 599
467 510 406 573 573 623 590 604
465 511 404 572 315 364 334 345
481 435 542 374 374 325 355 344
480 433 543 372 629 583 610 600
466 513 403 574 574 620 593 603
512 401 575 318 361 335
434 545 371 371 328 354
544 369 626 384
402 577 577 619
576 319
370 370
The peculiar properties of the three sections in sight in Diagram
F, will be found In each of the twenty-four sections of the cube, as
follows: The sum of the first two and last two numbers of any row
throughout the cube will be 1892, except the sectional diagonals. In
illustration of this, in the column at the left in the right vertical sec
tion, these numbers are, 370 + 577 + 375 + 570 = 1892; in the lower row
of left vertical section, these numbers are, 370 + 576 + 466 + 480 = 1892;
in the row at the right in the horizontal section we find them to be,
570 + 633 + 337 + 352 = 1892! The same will be true of all other rows.
The sum of any half row will be the same; using the same rows
as before for illustration; we find, 370 + 577 + 371 + 574=1892; and,
374 + 573 + 570^-375 = 1892; In the lower row of the left vertical sec
tion, 370 + 576 + 402 + 544 = 1892; the sum of the remaining numbers In
the rows will he the same, as well as all other rows in the cube.
Now as the sum of the two first and two last numbers in each row
are equal to a half row, it necessarily follows (hat the four central
numbers of each row will be the same.
The sum of the four corner numbers of any sized rectangle formed
about the center of any section, will be the same. In the right vertical
section the corner numbers are, 570 + 370 + 600 + 352 = 1892; dropping
off the right and left columns the corner numbers of the rectangle

will be, 633 + 319 + 603 + 337 = 1892; again dropping the upper and
lower rows of the last rectangle, we have, 314 + 626 + 344 + 608 = 1892.
The sum of two adjoining numbers with their corresponding op-
posites from a central line dividing the sections at right angles, in
either section of the cube will be 1892; for instance, 370 and 566 in the
lower row of the left vertical section with their opposites 570 and
376 in the upper row, we have, 370 + 576 + 570 + 376 = 1892; moving
one row to the left, then 576+402 + 376 + 538 = 1892; taking the num
bers one row in from last numbers, then, 369 + 545 + 571 + 407 = 1892;
now taking the numbers one row to the left from the last, we get
545 + 401+407 + 539 = 1892; the same result will be found in all tests,
either in the columns or rows of any section in the cube.
The sum of any square of four numbers in any section, will also
be 1892; taking the square in the upper two rows at the left. In the
left vertical section, the numbers are 472 + 475+471 + 474=1892; mov
ing one row to the right, then 474 + 471 + 507 + 440 = 1892; again one
row to the right, then 440 + 507 + 439 + 506 = 1892; the numbers in the
left square in second and third rows are, 475+469 + 477 + 471 = 1892;
again one row to the right and 471+477+437 + 507 = 1892; and so we
might continue until the entire section Is covered. As a small cube of
two rows square, consisting of eight numbers, has a block of four
numbers for each of Its six faces, it follows, that a cube of this size
may be taken from any part of the larger one, and the sum of the
numbers of either of its six faces will he 1892.
An Odd Numbered Cube
In these examples it might be a help to some to imagine the sections
made up of small cubes, so that when they are placed one upon an
other a real cube will he formed. Now if twenty-seven such small
cubes should be numbered from 618 to 644, both inclusive, the proc
esses required to form them into a cube with equal summations of
columns, rows, cubical diagonals, and the six diagonals of the central
sections, would be quite unlike those used in making the even cubes
of four and eight rows. In this, the average and supplementary num
bers are found in the same manner, and only differ in that the
average number being the same as the central number to be used,
must be represented in the supplementaries by a cipher.
Now if three squares are filled with the average number 631, being
one-half the first and last number, as shown by Diagram F, and then
put one upon another, a cube would be made in which the sum of each
and every row would be equal to 631, multiplied by three.
DIAGRAM F.

11 631

631

631

631

631

631

631

631

631

Next the supplementary numbers are found and arranged for con
venience in groupsof three each, with plus and minus signs as shown
by the following diagram.

+ 11

DIAGRAM G.
D E F

G

5 ! +

+ 1

-10 ' —13

+ 13 I +10 1 + 71+41
I I I 1

5 —

-11

To supplant the average numbers in the cube made up of the three
sections as shown by Diagram F, with the given numbers and bring
out the required result, it will be necessary to so arrange the supple
mentary numbers in groups of three each, that the sum or difference
of two will be equal to one other, not only for the auxiliary sections,
but also for the columns or rows through them, with equal, plus and
minus signs. Nine groups are now formed for the columns by com
bining row A in.DIagram G with rows H and F, and I with B and D,
and C, E and G with each other, as shown by Diagram H, in which
the sum of the plus and minus signs are equal in each row.

DIAGRAM H.
+ 13—10—3
+ 12— 8^
+ 11— 9—2
—13 + 10 + 3
—12+ 8 + 4
—11+ 9 + 2
+ 7 0—7
+ 6— 5—1
— 6+ 5 + 1
While these groups show the numbers and signs for each column,
their positions in the sections, and the order of the numbers in the
column remain to be determined.
It is plain, if the cubical diagonals are to be balanced that the same
numbers must be used in the first and th'rd sections diagonally op
posite each other with different signs, and with 0 between them in
the center of the cube. For the first auxiliary section combine the
numbers in row B, with plus signs and their sum equal to 27, with
rows G and F with minus s'gns also equal to 27, as shown by
Diagram I. DIAGRAM I.
+ 10—7—3
+ 9—5—1-
+ 8—6—2
By changing the signs of the numbers In this diagram a similar
combination of the rows H, C and D will be produced for the third
section, leaving rows A, E and I for the second or middle section
with 0 for the center. The remaining four numbers of these rows
are grouped for the four rows to be filled as follows:

+ 1 + 11—12
+ 1 + 12—13
—1—11 + 12
-1-12 + 13
One and 12, being in each group, must be put at the corners, and
11 and 13 in the intervening spaces, as shown by No. 2 of the auxiliary
sections. The numbers in this section determine the location of the
groups in which they are found in Diagram H, and with Diagram I
showing the numbers of the first section, it becomes an easy matter
to fill in the numbers as shown in Nos. 1 and 2. To illustrate: To
find the numbers to be used with plus 13 in section 2, look up the
group in Diagram H In which it is found. We find it with — 10
and — 3, being the numbers to be used in filling out the column. By
examining Diagram I we find — 3 belongs to the first section, so
that — 10 is put in the third.
In this way all of the numbers are located as set forth by the
auxiliar}- sections, in which all of the rows and cubical diagonals are
balanced. AUXILIARY SECTIONS.

No. 1

No. 2

No. 3

— 6

 O

+ 8 1
1

+ 1
1

+ 11

1
—12

1 + 5

— 9

+ 4

+ 10

— 7

1
— 3 ' 1

—13

0

1
H'13 11

t + 3

+ 7

— 10

1 1 — 4

+ 9

- 5

1 +12
1
1

— 11

— 1 11

— 8
1

1 2

'f 6

Clearing the sections from signs, by adding the average number
631, the cubical sections of the given numbers are brought out as fol
lows :

No. 1

625 629 639

CUBICAL SECTIONS.
No. 2

No. 3

641 I 624

628

632
1

642

619

618

631

644

643

620

630

636

635

627 64 0 ¦ 626

Front view of cube with sections in place.
639
629 628
625 624 626
641 640
625 627 626
641 640
632 627 627 650
618 620
636 643 643 637
634 633
623 623

1 634 ' 638 . 621

623 63 3 63 7

In this cube of 27 blocks there are 37 rows with equal summations,
each being equal to 1893.
The two first cubes given are very elementary in their form of
construction, yet, it is quite likely there can be no other arrangement
of the numbers made by which a greater number of combinations are
brought out. It becomes an eas\ matter to change the numbers In
their positions in the cubes, by a proper transposition of the supple
mentary numbers, and by so doing a variety of forms may be pro
duced. A better Idea as to this may be gained by knowing, that un
der one rule, that might be given, the number of differing odd num
bered squares with equal row summations that may be written out
with the same numbers, is determined by the permutation of numbers
up to the number of rows in the square to be filled, less one, multi
plied by four. Under this rule, with a square of three rows, the num
ber will be e-ght; in one of five rows, ninety-six; in one of seven
rows, 2880; and so on increasing until the number is almost infinite
in the larger squares. The construction of cubes being governed by
the same general principles as the squares, it will readily he seen,
they too, may be made up in many different ways, depending largelv
upon the design of construction and the results to be obtained.
To those who have never given the subject any attention, these
cubes should prove to he of interest, especially so to those who are
fond of numbers, and they may be assured the subject Is one of im
mense scope, and with the more complex forms, one equal to the
grasp of the very best mathematical minds.
It will have been noticed in the first cube the numbers were selected
in order to bring out the year in which Columbus and his followers
made the discovery of the New Land, and in the second to bring out
combinations for the year In which the Great Exposition at Chicago
was opened on the four hundredth annl\'ersary of the event; while
in the last and least cube they bring to us the present year in which
we are all e.xpecting and are expected to \-isit the Great Fair, not
only for the purpose of witnessing the grandest d'splay of the pro
ductions of Science and .Art the world has ever known, but to see
and meet each other from all parts of the earth in a kindly way, as
well.

WM. H. INGHAM,

DE.\LER IN

\km$$ ft W^^ gift
,&lgQ&sg« lows*

'Will make GoUeotions and a-ttend -to a General
Agency Business.

Bank Beginnings in Algona.

Fort Defiance, Built at Estherville by Company A, Northern Border Brigade. Captain Ingham and Company on Dress Para.

de.

YALE UNIVERSITY L

3 9002 02802 3860

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