Houston County, Minnesota - Chronology, 1882

1680. DuLuth, in June, the first to travel in a canoe from Lake Superior, by way of the St. Croix river, to the Mississippi. Descending the Mississippi^ writes to Signelay, in 1683: "I proceeded in a canoe two days and two nights, and the next day at 10 o'clock in the morning," found Accault, Augelle, and Father Hennepin, with a hunting party of Sioux. He writes: "The want of respect which they showed the said Reverend Father provoked me, and this I showed them, telling them he was my brother, and I had him placed in my canoe to come with me into the villages of said Nadouecioux." In September, Du Luth and Hennepin were at the falls of St. Anthony on their way to Mackinaw.

1683. Perrott and Le Sueur visited Lake Pepin. Perrott with twenty men builds a stockade at the base of a bluff, upon the east bank, just above the entrance of Lake Pepin^

Selkirk, passes from Pembina to Prairie da Chien to purchase seed wheat. Upon the 15th of April left Prairie du Chien with Mackinaw boats and ascended the Minnesota to Big Stone Lake, where the boats were placed on rollers and dragged a short distance to Lake Traverse, and on the 3d of June, reached Pembina.

1825. April 5th, steamboat Rufus Putnam reaches the fort. May, steamboat Rufus Putnam arrives again and delivers freight at Land's End trading post on the Minnesota, about a mile above the fort.

May 2d, first steamboat of the season, the Lawrence, Captain Reeder, took a pleasure party to within three miles of the Falls of St. Anthony.

Major Taliaferro, Indian agent, establishes a farm for the benefit of the Indians at Lake Calhoun, which he called Eatonville, after the secretary of war.

1830. August 14th, a sentinel at Fort Snelling, just before daylight, discovered ihe Indian council house on fire. Wa-pa-sha's son-in-law was the incendiary.

1838. April, Hole-in-the-Day and party kill thirteen of the Lac qui Parle Sioux. Martin Mc- Leod, from Pembina, after twenty-eight days of exposure to snow, reaches Lake Traverse.

July 15th, steamboat Palmyra arrives at Fort Snelling with an official notice of the ratification of treaty, Men arrive to develop the St. Croix valley.

August 2d, Hole-in-the-Day encamped with a party of Chippewas near Fort Snelling, and was attacked by Sioux from Mud Lake, and one killed and another wounded.

October 26th, steamboat Gypsy first to arrive at Falls of St. Croix with annuity goods for Chippepewas. In passing through Lake St. Croix it grounded near the town site laid out by S. C. Stambaugh, and called Stambaughville.

Henry M. Rice arrives at Fort Snelling. * May 12th, steamboat Fayette arrives on the St. Croix, having been at Fort Snelling, with members of Marine Mill Company.

June 12th, at Lake Harriet mission, Rev. D. Gavin, Swiss missionary among the Sioux at Red Wing, was married to Cordelia Stevens, teacher at Lake Harriet mission.

November 1st, Father Galtier completes the log chapel of St. Paul, which gave the name to the capital of Minnesota. Rev. Augustin Ravoux arrives.

1844. August, Captain Allen with fifty dragoons marches from Fort Des Moines through southwestern Minnesota, and on the 10th of September reaches the Big Sioux River. Sisseton war party kill an American named Watson, driving cattle to Fort Snelling.

1846. Dr. Williamson, Sioux missionary, moves from Lac qui Parle to Kaposia. March 31st, steamboat Lynx, Captain Atchison arrives at Fort Snelling. Rev. S. W. Pond establishes Indian mission at Shakopee.

1847. St. Croix county, Wisconsin, organized, Stillwater the county seat. Harriet E. Bishop establishes a school at St. PauL Saw-mills begun at St. Anthony Falls. First frame house in the Minnesota valley, above Fort Snelling, erected by Mr. Pond. Lumber brought from Point Douglas,

August, Commissioners Verplank and Henry M. Rice make treaties with the Chippewas at Fond du Lac and Leech Lake. The town of St. Paul surveyed, platted, and recorded in the St. Croix, county register of deed's office.