Minneapolis City (part 11 of 80)

Rudolph Kktl, one of the most active of the young business men of North Minneapolis, was born in Watertown, Dodge County, Wisconsin, April 17th, 1857. He remained at home un¬ til twelve years old when he began to shift for himself, working in Watertown during the day and attending school in the evening. Before long, he reversed this manner of life and began to attend school during the day and worked evenings. His ambition was to obtain a good common, educa¬ tion, and, later, he attended the Luth¬ eran college, at Watertown.

After leaving that institution, he went to work in a clothing store, where he remained for nearU" ten years, becoming an expert in the business.

He was married, to Sophia Kunert, March 24th, 1881, and came to Minne¬ apolis the same spring. Here he went into partnership with H. J. Dahn. They bought out Ex- Alderman M. Ruse, on First Street and Fourth Ave¬ nue North. Mr. Ertl sold to his part¬ ner, in three or four months, and started a clothing business, at 1303 Washington Avenue North, where he has since remained.

In politics, Mr. Ertl usually acts with the Democratic party, but in local matters casts his vote for the best man. He belongs to several societies, among which are the Sons of Hermann, Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, Druids, etc.

John Ludlum, as one of the earliest contractors and builders, has probably done as much as any individual in the actual development of Minneapolis.

He was born in Warren County, Ohio, March 16th, 1821. His parents, Benjamin and Margaret Ludlum, lived on a farm, though his father was a bricklayer and followed that calling until he was eighty-six years old. He died at the age of eighty-nine.

John Ludlum enjoyed but few ed¬ ucational advantages, in his early life, but was taught, at home, by his father, who was a teacher, as well as a brickla3^er.

Mr. Ludlum learned his father's trade, and started out to work for him¬ self, soon after he had attained his majority. He has followed the same business ever since.

Mr. Ludlum was married, to Miss Martha Ann Frovillo, in the fall of 1844. In the spring of 1852, he went to California, where he worked at his trade for two years, his family remain¬ ing in Ohio during that time. He then returned home, and, in the fall of 1854, taking his familj^ with him, moved to Minnesota, and bought out a claim of one hundred thirty-seven acres near Lake Calhoun.

Mr. Ludlum was one of the first school directors in the Calhoun dis¬ trict, and built the first schoolhouse in district 95, in the fall of 1855. He was, also, one of the first township trustees, "Uncle Job Pratt" and Mr. Drew being the other two. Mr. Ludlum cut the first tamarack tree for the corduroy road built by his neighbors and himself through the tamarack swamp, on the main road to Excelsior.

Contracting and building have been Mr. Ludlum's business, since he came to Minnesota, and he has greatly assisted in the growth of the little village that Minneapolis was in 1854. Mr. Ludlum's children were eight in number, six of whom, four daughters and two sons, are still living. The mother of his children died August 27th, 1873.

With the exception of being in¬ terested in the Minneapolis Baking Company, for three years, Mr. Ludlum has never conducted any business except building, and the means ac¬ cumulated in that way has been in¬ vested in real estate in the city.

Mr. Ludlum is a Democrat, but never took any active interest in pol¬ itics and never held an office higher than township trustee, and never was ambitious in that direction.

Henry Frederick William Busch, the well known gardener, is a native of Germany, having been born at Stockhausen, December 12th, 1849. He obtained the rudiments of his edu¬ cation in his native town, but, as his parents were ambitious to see their son advanced, he was sent, at the age of fourteen, to Gottingen, where he remained one year in college. At the end of this time, he entered the Uni¬ versity Botanical Garden, and indus¬ triously pursued a practical course of study, for the next three years. In the summer of 1868, he worked in the city of Paris, in the city gardens, and in the fall of the same year lived a short time in the cities of Havre and Erfurt.

In March, 1869, he came to America. After landing, he remained a short time in New Jersey, then went to Pittsburg, where he made a short stay, passed the summer in Colum¬ bus, Ohio, and, in the fall, went to Le Seuer County, Minnesota, where he had friends. Here he remained, dur¬ ing the winter, and taught a German school. In the spring of 1870, he came to Minneapolis and worked in the gar¬ dening business for two years. Then, feeling confident of his own ability, and profiting by this education and experience, he determined to go into business on his own account. He bought ten acres of land, having to grub it out himself, and, with one horse and four implements, began, in a modest way, his new venture. The beginning was small, and the first re¬ sults slow to appear, but energy and pluck usually win, and each year Mr. Busch has increased his business, un¬ til it has become a large and flourish¬ ing industry. His thirty acres of land are under a perfect state of cultiva¬ tion, and his one thousand sash hot beds cover about two acres.

In 1887, he branched out, on a large scale, and began the building of the first greerihouses in the North, him¬ self, for the cultivation of early vege¬ tables and garden truck. The step was an important one, and the results have justified Mr. Busch's expecta¬ tions. Minneapolis soon surplanted Chicago as a shipping point to Mon¬ tana and the Dakotas, and now fur¬ nishes all early vegetables to Duluth, Winnipeg, and other northern cities. He has been a pioneer gardener in the

Pioneers Of The Coi Nty

Northwest, and the venture was one requiring confidence and courage, but his energy and business tact has over¬ come all obstacles, and his business has become a large and important in¬ dustry. It is the largest and most complete establishment for raising early vegetable truck in Minnesota.

Mr. Busch was married, April loth, 1872, to Lena Kleiss, by whom he had four children, Minna Augusta, born April 28th, 1873; Charles Ludwig, born October 22d, 1874; Anne Catharine, born Februar3" 13th, 1876; Martha Emilea, born November 2d, 1877. He was again married, September 27th, 1878, to Maria Magdalen Mattie, and b3' her has six children, Maria Magdalena, born March 9th, 1883; Maria Clara, born September 11th, 1886; Alma Francisca Bertha, born October 6th, 1888; Frederick Bernard, born April 17th, 1890; Ida Adelheid, born December 2d, 1891; Bernard John, born August 13th, 1893.

Mr. Busch is a Democrat, in politics, although independent in his views. He and his family attend the Lutheran church. He is a man of strict busi¬ ness integrity, honest and straightfor¬ ward in his dealings, and is held in high esteem b3' his neighbors.

J.\coH Bak(;e. About the 3"ear 1863, a young German engaged unostenta¬ tiously in Minneapolis in the saloon business. He gave close attention to his business, which grew rapidl3" in popularity and extent. In course of time, he added a restaurant to his sa¬ loon, and obtained a good reputation as a caterer. To the retailing of wines and liquors was added a wholesaling department, and he became quite an extensive importer of the choice vin¬ tage of Europe.

The census of 1880 shows that five per cent of the population of the cit3' of Minneapolis were of German nativity. The3^ were, for the most part, an industrious and higliL" re¬ spectable part of the population in the political affairs of the cit3". In that 3^ear, the 3'oung wine merchant was elected an Alderman, from the popu¬ lous and central Fourth Ward, and took his seat in the Cit3' Council, which he occupied the three following 3'ears. This was Jacob Barge, the subject of this sketch.

He was born in German3', in 1839, and was twenty-four 3^ears old when he made Minneapolis his home. His vivacious manners, pleasing address, and enterprising character had made him not only a favorite among his compatriots, but had given him the confidence and respect of the entire communit3'. He was the candidate and nominee of the Republican part3^, but received a flattering vote from cit¬ izens of all parties, and was elected by a large majorit3'. He at once took a leading part in the deliberations of the cit3^ government, showing intelli¬ gence, tact and good judgment. Dur¬ ing the first 3^ear of service he was placed upon the standing committee of wa3^s and means, salaries, public grounds and buildings, gas and print¬ ing. The following year he was made chairman of the committee on public buildings and grounds, the last 3'ear, chairman of the committee on rail¬ roads. He also served, at one time or another, on fire department, police, health and hospitals and workhouse, and remained, during his entire three 3"ears of service upon the important finance committee. These various and highly responsible positions were sustained with ability and Mr. Barge became one of the best known and

After retiring from the city council, Mr. Barge has continued his business of dealer and caterer, and has estab¬ lished, on a large scale, the refresh¬ ment business, as the Continental Catering Company, of he has been president and manager. He has also engaged in other lines of investments and improvements, notably as proprie¬ tor of the Medicine Lake Park, a sub¬ urban town, upon the shores of the lake of that name, where he has ac¬ quired a large interest, and made many costly and valuable improve¬ ments. In addition to his extensive business and political engagements, he has been a liberal patron of music and art.

Mr. Barge has an interesting family. He married Miss Louisa Gessart, by whom they had two children, Louisa and Emma. Mrs. Barge died, quite suddenly, July 16th, 1894.

Their home, on Chicago Avenue, is a comfortable and elegant residence, where endearments of domestic life are mingled with generous hospitality, reminders, amidst the whirl of Ameri¬ can life, of the social attractions of the Fatherland.

Frederick William Buckendorf. As one of the leading florists, and the first to cultivate flowers in the city of Minneapolis, (see p. 972 this work), stands the name of William Bucken¬ dorf. He was born at Osnabruck, then Kingdom of Hanover, but now a Prov¬ ince of Prussia, January 28th, 1833. He attended school until he was fifteen years of age, at which time he entered the gardens of the Grand Duke of Oldenburg, where he learned the flower business. Here he served three years, under one of the best in¬ structors of Europe, tearing his trade in the most thorough and systematic manner. From here he went into other large greenhouses, some of them the most prominent in the Kingdom, where he found ready employment, owing to his ability and proficiency, the last being a prominent greenhouse in Hamburg. Here, in 1857, Judge Ames, of Minneapolis, then Minister to Germany, from the United States, formed his acquaintance, and per¬ suaded him to accompany him to his home, where, upon his arrival in Min¬ neapolis, he drew the plans, and directed the construction of the first greenhouse in this city. When the house was completed, Mr. Buckendorf planted it to flowers, and was in his employ for three years.

In 1860, he married, and took charge of the greenhouse for six years, and was given what he could make and pay the expences. In 1866, he pur¬ chased some lots, at Fourth Street, corner of Seventh Avenue South, where he built a greenhouse, and began business for himself. Here he did a thriving business until the fall of 1887, when he sold out his business and went to Europe, remaining abroad for nine months. Having returned to Minneapolis, in 1890, he rented a tract of land, at the corner of Fourth Ave¬ nue South and Seventeenth Street, where he again started a business, which he has successfully conducted to the present time. Mr. Buckendorf's business has been built up wholly by his way of dealing with the public and with individuals, and he has all the trade he can attend to, although he never advertises at all.

He was married to Lucy B. Weber, in 1860. She was born December 13th, 1835, at Bitburg, Germany, near the Rhine. Three girls and two boys, re- suited from this compact, as follows: Lucy (Mrs. Alvin Eichhorn), Hannah, Dora, Frederick William (died August 30th, 1876), and Louis Henry (died June 1-lth, 1890). Mrs. Buckendorf died, April 17th, 1876, leaving her hus¬ band with five small children.

He was again married, October 27th, 1878, to Maria Gerdes, who was born at Westerstade, Oldenburg, and died April 11th, 1889. By this union there was one child, who was born Februarj^ 21st, 1881, and christened Frederick William. He is now at home with his father, as are also the daughters, who keep house for their father; he in turn providing for them a pleasant and agreeable home.

Mr. Buckendorf was reared in the Lutheran church, but his family has always attended the Gethsemane church. He has always cast his lot with the Democratic part}^, and has been a member of the Harrnonia society, of this city, for over twentyfive years.

Frederick William Massolt, Mr. Massolt was one of the thrifty, enter¬ prising Germans who have done much towards the building up of Minneap¬ olis.

He was born in Hellinghausen, Ger¬ many, January 1st, 1831, and came to America in the spring of 1850, going first to the State of Pennsylvania, where, for two years, he found em¬ ployment in a brickyard. In 1852, he went from Pennsjdvania to Taylor's Falls. Minnesota, where he engaged in farming. He was married to Miss Mary Cossman, at that place, March 29th, 1861, and remained on the farm one year after that ev'ent.

years. From Stillwater, Mr. Massolt moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he became interested in the manufacture of mineral water. From Eau Claire, he came to Minneapolis, in the spring of 1868. His first home in the city was on Plymouth Avenue, but in 1882 he moved into his new home, on Aldrich Avenue.

Mr. Massolt continued the manufac¬ ture of mineral water, in Minneapolis, successfully, to the time of his death, which occurred February 24th, 1892.

Mrs. Mary Massolt, whose maiden name was Cossman, was born in Prussia, on the 31st day of March, 1842, where she lived, with her parents, un¬ til she was nearly fourteen years of age. In 1856, a sister and her husband came over to America, and Mary came with them. Her parents remained in Prussia until 1866.

Miss Mary Cossman was married to Frederick William Massolt, at Taylor's Falls, Minnesota, March 29th, 1861. She remained in Taylor's Falls, living on a farm, for about one year after her marriage. From Taylor's Falls, she went to Stillwater, Minnesota; from there to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and from Eau Claire, in the spring of 1868, to Minneapolis, where she lived on Plymouth Avenue, until some time in 1882, when she moved to Aldrich Ave¬ nue, her present residence.

George Ulrich Erhardt, one of the the active workers of Minneapolis, from the earliest times, was born in Wurtemburg, Germany, December 6th, 1829. He came to America in 1848, stopping at Rome, New York, where he remained for two years. In 1855, he desired to improve his opportuni¬ ties, and came to St. Anthony, Minne¬ sota, and at once went to work in a large sawmill, continuing that occupa¬ tion for sixteen years. He was the first person to operate a circular saw at the Falls of St. Anthony.

He was married, June 1st, 1857, to Katharina Kraft, of St. Anthony. They have had seven children born unto them, two boys and five girls, as follows: Mary L., the wife of Freder¬ ick Pflugshaupt, was born March 3d, 1858; Julia A., wife of R. G. List, was born February 8th, 1859; Frank C. was born September 25th, 1861, and married Miss Pauline Greenagle, of Fergus Falls, Minnesota; Elizabeth K. was born May 6th, 1868, and is the wife of Eugene W. Naegele; William U. was born August 15th, 1871, and resides, with his mother, on the home¬ stead, in the city of Minneapolis. Two girls died when they were young.

Mr. Erhardt engaged in the bakery business, after leaving the milling business at St. Anthony, and, later, he began manufacturing brick on quite an extended scale. In the fall of 1874, the family moved to their present res¬ idence, on the west banks of Lake Calhoun, near the city line, where Mr. Erhardt died, October 10th, 1888.

He was a man that was highly re¬ spected by all who knew him. He was a Republican, in politics, and was a member of the order of Odd Fellows, and also a member of the Harmonia society.

Martlv Ring. No citizen of Min¬ neapolis has been more intimately as¬ sociated with the permanent upbuild¬ ing of the city than the subject of this sketch, Mr. Martin Ring, of the long established firm of Ring and Tobin.

Mr. Ring was born in Bruff, County Limerick, Ireland, May 3d, 1835. With limited opportunities for education, most of his early life was spent in learning the trade of a stone mason. With a laudable ambition to improve his condition, he left his native land, for one of greater freedom and better opportunities, at the age of twenty, landing in Boston in 1855. After spending a few days in the city, he went to Portland, Maine, where he worked at his trade, and, also, at lay¬ ing pipes, for gas, in the streets of that city. He spent three years in the city, removing to Holliston, Massa¬ chusetts, in 1858, where he spent five years, a part of which was in farming and the balance at his trade.

In 1863, he camp to St. Anthony, where he worked at his trade for Mc¬ Mullen and Weeks, on the woolen mill, at Sixth Avenue, South. From 1864 to 1869, he worked in sawmills of the town, principally for the firm of Eustis and Jones. From 1869 to 1873, he again worked at his trade, for var¬ ious parties, after which he took con¬ tracts and rented a stone quarr3L whereby to furnish material for his work. On account of the promptness with which he filled his contracts and the reliability of his work, he was much sought after, to assist in com¬ pleting work which had been under¬ taken by other parties, especially if the job was large, requiring the em¬ ployment of many workmen. Mr. Ring was noted for his abilit3^ to manasre and secure the best results from

The great stone viaduct, over the Mississippi, just below the Falls of St. Anthony, was commenced by the Manitoba Railroad Companj^. The contract for this immense structure was given to the firm of Darrah and Havsland. When the bridge was about half built, Mr. Havsland retired from the firm, and, soon after, Mr. Darrah died. Colonel Smith, chief engineer of the road, then took charge of its construction, giving Mr. Ring the contract for furnishing the stone, which he shipped from his quarries, in Mankato, and the first car of stone from the Mankato ciuarries, billed to Minneapolis, was sent by Mr. Ring. During six subsequent years, large quantities of stone were sent from the Mankato quarries to various parts of the country.

In 1886, Mr. Ring entered into part¬ nership with J T. Tobin, since which the business has been largely in¬ creased. The firm opened extensive ([uarries on the Kettle River, in Pine County, from which they have taken large quantities of what is known as Kettle River sandstone. This stone has been largely used in the city, for curbing, and this firm has, during the last six 3'ears, put in on an average, each year, sixty-eight thousand lineal feet. This firm also furnished the stone for the foundation for the steel arch bridge. Thej' also furnish the material and do all the stone work for the Great Northern Railroad Com¬ pany, as well as furnish a great amount of work for the Northern Pa¬ cific Railroad Company. They are furnishing stone for bridges across the Missouri River, at Omaha and Sioux City, besides shipping no small amount to St. Louis, Chicago, Duluth,

Mr. Ring was married, to Miss Nel¬ lie Corcoran, in 1855, nine children blessing this union, four only of whom are still living. The eldest child, Michael, died, in 1891, at the age of thirty years. This son was greatlj' beloved and was his father's right hand man in the conduct of his busi¬ ness, having superintended the work, at the quarries, for twelve years. He left a wife and two children. Mr. Ring's second son now superintends his business.

In religion, Mr. Ring is a Roman Catholic, and, in politics, a Democrat. He is generous and helpful to all who claim his kindness, and in numerous instances has assisted his fellow countrymen to come to this country, but he congratulates himself on never having sent one dollar in mone3' across the sea, but, instead, he pur¬ chased passage tickets, which he sends to those whom he desires to assist. Mr. Ring's generous kindness, his good humor, and ready wit, which is so common to his countrymen, ren¬ der him a good neighbor and a genial companion.

Kli Wesley Griffin. The grand¬ parents of E. W. Griffin were emi¬ grants from the north of England. They were well connected - the mater¬ nal grandmother having been a sister of the founder of Yale College. His father was Egbert Griffin, and his mother a Mills. They were living at Scranton, Penns3dvania, at the time of the birth of this the fourth of nine children, five boys and four girls.

moved to Maustoii, Juneau County, Wisconsin, where the father engaged in farming and lumbering. The sons were early initiated into the free, laborious life of the lumber camps of the Upper Wisconsin and learned all the mysteries of woodcraft. At the age of eighteen, Eli took charge of his father's lumber-camps on the Lemon Wier, and, for several years, superin¬ tended the cutting of from two to three million feet of pine logs each winter. Meanwhile, he was not in¬ different to the acquisition of an edu¬ cation, attending school during the summers, at Mauston, and was able to graduate from its high school, at the age of twenty-two. Among the school studies he was especially inter¬ ested in surveying and obtained a fair knowledge of the theory of the art. He soon joined a surveying party in Dodge County, Minnesota, as chainman, and, before long, had displayed such aptness that he was made fore¬ man of the party.

About 1869, his father removed to St. Cloud, Minnesota, where he en¬ gaged in farming. Eli preferred to follow surveying, and was employed by General Barrett, to take charge of a surveying party in Dakota, engaged in surveying government lands. In this work he ran the compass, and had the general direction of the work. The next year, he was employed by T. B. Walker, and took charge of sur¬ veying parties in Traverse and Crow Wing Counties, Minnesota. After¬ wards he took surveying contracts from the government, and was, for thirteen years, in the public surveys in northern Minnesota.

The life of a surveyor of public lands is a peculiar one. His work lies in the unsettled parts of the countr}^ - often in the wilderness, far from contact with civilized life, and from supplies. He lives under canvas, and removes his camp as his work proceeds. In summer's heat and win¬ ter's cold, he continues his work. He crosses unbridged rivers, wades through swamps, penetrates tangled thickets, and tramples the rank grasses of the prairie. He is tor¬ mented by mosquitoes, pursued by wild beasts, and plundered by Indians and predatory white men. He sees the country in its primeval wildness, and gains an intimate acquaintance with its qualities and resources. He notes upon his field book the forests of hardwood and pine, the meadows and water courses, the swamps and arable land. He follows the retreat¬ ing savage, and opens the way for the settler. His life is laborious, some¬ times dangerous, and generally exhil¬ arating.

Mr. Griffin, during his many years of connection with the public surveys, explored almost every part of northern Minnesota. He traversed the Red Lake and Rainy Lake river country long before the region became known to the general public. In company with General James H. Baker, then Surveyor General of Minnesota, in 1876, he opened up gold leads on Rainy Lake, and made the earliest discovery of iron ore on the western part of the Mesaba Range.

About the year 1880, Mr. Griffin en¬ gaged in lumbering on the Upper Mississippi and Platt Rivers. His cut, in different years, has been from two million to seven and a half million feet. The logs were driven to the booms in Minneapolis and there dis¬ posed of.

turbance of the needle. In 1887, he located and opened the Diamond mine, on section 22, township 56, range 24. Here he developed by shafts and tun¬ nels, an ore bod}^ seven hundred feet from wall to wall, and half a mile in length from east to west. The ore is of Bessemer qualit}^ carrying sixtyone and sixty-two per cent, of metal¬ lic iron, no sulphur, and but three onehundredths of one per cent, of phos¬ phorus. He located about seventeen thousand acres of iron lands, and or¬ ganized, besides the Diamond, the Itasca and Buckeye Mining Compa¬ nies, in each of which he is still a heavy stockholder. Much develop¬ ment work has been done on these properties, and many thousands of tons of iron ore raised, but the lack of railroad transportation has as yet prevented the shipment of ore.

In 1880, Mr. Griffin married Miss Fanny A. Warner, daughter of George F. Warner, Esq., and removed to Minneapolis, where he has since re¬ sided. There have been five children of the marriage, of whom three sur¬ vive. They are George, aged ten; Augustus, aged eight, and Kitty, six years old.

Mr. Griffin, at the age of fifty years, is in the enjoyment of good health and apparently none the worse for the years of toil and exposure which he has passed in the wildrness. He is in person of medium stature, light com¬ plexion and mild blue eyes. His gen¬ tle bearing gives no suggestioti of the bold spirit which led him to become one of the most persevering and per¬ sistent explorers of the countr}".

almost every street. The business blocks, private residences, numerous public buildings and many manufac¬ turing establishments with thin sootcoped, monumental chimneys, testify to the industry and ability of one of Minneapolis' most successful con¬ tractors and builders, Mr. Cj^rus Brad¬ ford Moses.

He was born in Wellington, Maine, October 28th, 1828, His ancestors, on his father's side, were Welch, and, on his mother's side, Scotch, From them he inherited a strong and vigorous frame and a constitution capable of sustaining a great amount of exhaust¬ ing labor, with a recuperative force that quickly, with rest and nourish¬ ment, restores the usual vigor. He receiv'ed a limited education in the common schools of his native town, by attending school during a few months in winter, and working hard in summer, on a farm, till he was nineteen years old, when he was apprenticed, for three years, to learn the trade of a mason. His compensa¬ tion was not princely, it being twentythree cents per day, with board for the first year, and nearly twice that amount for the second year, while for the third year he received $26 per month and boarded himself. Onehalf of all the money earned during the three years was claimed and given to his father, leaving but a meager amount for clothing and inci¬ dental expenses, such as young men of twenty are liable to have.

In 1850, when he was twent^^-two years of age, he married Miss Lucy Ellen Jaquith, and went to work on the farm owned and occupied b3'^ her father, though working at his trade, occasionall}^ as countrj^ jobs offered themselves, during the summers of three 3'ears. In 1854, he bought a farm.

in Wellington, with the view of mak¬ ing farming his chief business, but still he worked at his trade, as oppor¬ tunity offered. On this farm he labored with untiring industry, for nine years, making small accumula¬ tions, till, in 1863, when he gave up agriculture, rented his farm and moved to Showegan, Maine, where for the succeeding nine years, he devoted himself to his trade.

In 1871, he, like many another Maine man, caught the western fever, which brought him to Minneapolis. Here he soon secured employment with the firm of Whetmore and Stevens, con¬ tractors and builders, who, at that time, were constructing the Academy of Music, on the corner of Washington Avenue and Hennepin. The follow¬ ing year, he worked in a tunnel for the Water Power Company, under the direction of Colonel Stevens, the engineer. It is a fact worth recording that ninety men out of one hundred who worked in that wet, underground passage were made ill during the winter by this very unsanitary envir¬ onment. Rheumatism, pneumonia, etc., were the chief maladies.

Subsequently, Mr. Moses became a contractor and builder, and the numer¬ ous establishments, both public and private, testify to his unflinching in¬ dustry and enterprise, as well as to the trust and confidence reposed in him by his fellow citizens. During these years he has built, in Minneapo¬ lis, at least ten school buildings, and one in St. Paul. He also built the block now occupied by the dry goods house of Olson and Company, the Corn Exchange, the Buell Block and an indefinite number of smokestacks for various elevators and manufactur¬ ing establishments, throughout the city and neighboring towns.

Mr. Moses is a staunch Republican, of the down East anti-slavery tpye, always taking pride in his loyalty to the best interests of his country and to the city of his adoption.

He buried his first wife in 1858. He has since been twice married and has five children, four of whom are liv¬ ing. He has never occupied or de¬ sired public office, but has been a cordial supporter of law and order and has done more, in a literal way, than most of his fellow citizens, in build¬ ing up our city.

Hiram Van Nest. The early set¬ tlers of Minneapolis, whose names were household words in the fifties, are rapidly passing away. One of the latest to join the great majority was Hiram Van Nest, whose death oc¬ curred October 17th, 1894. His resi¬ dence here dated from 1850. For a period of forty-four years, he resided in this vicinity, and was alwa3^s known as an industrious, prudent, temperate and honorable man. In some respects, his histor3'^ was a typical one, showing the opportunities which the region afforded to young men pos¬ sessed of industry and prudence to accumulate a fortune by honorable means, and to become influential and respected in the community. His life was one of labor, chiefly devoted to cultivating the soil. He had no polit¬ ical ambition, and yet was activel3" identified with whatever tended to promote the prosperity of the com¬ munity and to build it up on the subtantial bases of industry and probit3^.

Mr. Van Nest was a native of the State of Ohio, born near the City of Sandusky, on the 27th of January, 1831. His parents were Addy and Margeret Van Nest. While he was yet a child, the family removed to Southern Illi- iiois, where he passed his boyhood. His father was a farmer of limited means. At the age of nineteen, the lad left his home to seek self-support and soon found a new one in the vicinity of the Falls of St. Anthon}-, where he ever afterward resided, with the exception of some winters spent on the Pacific Coast, during his later life, where he sought relief from a wasting disease, which finallj' termin¬ ated his life. He had enjoyed only meagre opportunities for obtaining an education and brought to his new home only a brave heart and willing¬ ness to work.

At the time of his arrival, the few hundred inhabitants about the Falls of St. Anthony were grouped in a little settlement on the east side. Not a single human habitation, save the old structure at the Falls and the house of Colonel Stevens, stood on the west side. The military reservation of Fort Snelling extended along the Mississippi River from the Fort to Bassett's Creek, and the Indian title to the lands lying west of it had not been extinguished. The lands lying to the eastward of the riv'er, amongst marshes and sand hills, were not very attractive, so the young man took any work that offered. One winter he worked in the lumber camps. He did farm work, drove teams, and became interested with Mr. L. Parker in the stage line between St. Paul and St. Anthony, and sometimes, himself, drove the stage. Among other work, he drove a breaking plow for land where the Syndicate Block now is, for William Hanson. His earnings were small but were carefully saved and placed at interest. By the time the lands on the west side of the river were opened for settlement and sale and the military reservation was re¬ moved, his savings and accumulations were sufficient to enable him to profit by the opportunity to obtain lands and town lots at low prices, and for a number of years his transactions were numerous. The second deed placed on the records of Hennepin Count}^ after its separate organization, of date November 27th, 1854, was from Isaac DeKa}^ to him, conveying, for a con¬ sideration of $1,500, the south half of the southwest quarter of section 29, township 28, range 24, lying south¬ westerly of Lake Harriet, near the easterly line of the present village of Edina. It was probably to gain access to this land that he cut out a road from Lake Calhoun to Minnehaha Creek. The next year, Christopher C. Garvey conve3"ed to him lot 6, block 123, town of Minneapolis, at the corner of Hanson Street (thirteenth Avenue) and Third Street, for the consideration of $100. About the same time, Gilbert S. Hanson conve3^ed to him lots 5, 6 and 7, block 150, at the corner of Wash¬ ington Avenue and Vine Street (four¬ teenth Avenue), for $400, and also block 133, a fractional block on First Street and Huy Street (Twelfth Ave¬ nue) for $1,000. Isaac I. Lewis sold him lot 4, block 40, on Washington Avenue between Helen Street (Second Avenue) and Oregon Street (Third Avenue) for $100. L. K. Russell sold him the southeast quarter of the southwest (quarter of section 11, town¬ ship 28, range 24, now occupied by the Catholic cemeter3\ But the most valuable purchase which he made was in the fall of 1865, the northwest (juarter of section 10, township 28, range 24, the homestead which he occupied until his death, and which was, for many 3'ears, a productive and well tilled farm. His grantor was George A. Brackett, and the price

$2,200. The claim had been taken by Thomas H. Perkins, who sold it to Ovid Pinney, in 1855. In July, 1857, Pinney sold it to the late Judge Cor¬ nell, for $8,000. At that time Minne¬ apolis enjoyed its first real estate boom, which was soon to be checked by the panic of that year, which had not spent its force when Mr. Van Nest bought it and made it his home. He probably had little conception of the rise in price which he would eventtually realize from the farm. It has long since been taken into the city limits and parts of it sold and platted. C. P. Jones', Hinkley's, Van Nest's and Best's Nicollet Avenue Additions have been carved out of the farm, leaving about thirt}^ acres to constitute the homestead of Mr. Van Nest at the time of his death.

Upon taking possession of the farm, there was a pretty frame farmhouse upon it. This was subsquently de¬ stroyed by fire, and Mr. Van Nest re¬ placed it with a fine brick house. He surrounded this with barns and con¬ venient farm buildings. The farm, for many years, before its fields were invaded by the restless town lot plat¬ ter, was a famous one. Mr. Van Nest was an enthusiastic and progressive farmer. He belonged to the agricul¬ tural and horticultural societies of the county and State and was a lead¬ ing member of the Patrons of Hus¬ bandry and of the local Grange. In addition to field and garden crops, he raised fine cattle, sheep and swine, from imported stock, and often bore away premiums from the State Fair for the best stock. With good judg¬ ment, Mr. Van Nest invested a portion of the sums realized from the sale of his farm in improved city property. He was the owner of the fine Medical Block, on Nicollet Avenue.

About 1859, Mr. Van Nest joined with other friends of temperance in the organization of a lodge of Good Templars, which was, for many years, a useful and flourishing society.

Like many self-made men, Mr. Van Nest desired to furnish the facilities of education, of which he had been scantily furnished, to others. He was a trustee of the school district where he resided, and, in 1882, took charge of building the Lyndale school house, one of the best in the city, even be¬ fore the district was taken into the city.

He was, at one time. Assessor of the town of Minneapolis. When obliged to reside, during the inclement sea¬ son, in California, his active habits and agricultural taste led him to the purchase of forty acres near Los An¬ geles, which became a beautiful and productive ranch, growing in abund¬ ance the various fruits for which that region is celebrated. A part of it has become the site of a flourishing vil¬ lage.

An incident is related showing the rude jollity of the early da3''s. It was on the occasion of the opening for travel of the first wire suspension bridge, in 1855. It had been arranged that one of the officials of the bridge company, an old and respected citizen, should be the first to cross the new structure, which was the first to span the Father of Waters. Having pro¬ cured his team, at a near by liver}^ stable, he was leisurely approaching the bridge, the whole town having as¬ sembled to witness the notable event, when Mr. Van Nest procured a buggy, whipped up the horse, and cutting in ahead of the official, crossed ahead of him.

Robert Blaisdell, Senior, She was a native of Maine, born July 16th, 1840, and came to Minneapolis, with her parents, in 1851. Of this marriage there were three sons, the elder of whom, Robert Addy, was born Januar}' 31st, 1862; was married, November 1st, 1888, to Miss Emma L. Silteau, and resides at Windom, Minne¬ sota, where he has a farm of two thousand two hundred acres, mostly under cultivation. Mr. John H. Van Nest, of the firm of Babendrier and Van Nest, proprietors of the Homoeo¬ pathic Pharmacy, of 608 Nicollet Ave¬ nue, was born November 3d, 1867, and married Miss Laura E. Sprague, No¬ vember 4th, 1891. Charles Elliot, born April 15th, 1881, lives with his mother, at the old homestead. An infant daughter, born in 1865, died at the age of eighteen months.

Mr. Van Nest was, in many respects, a notable man. He had a strong char¬ acter. He had great firmness and in¬ dependence, with a pleasing address. His features, indicating a vein of cynicism, did not belie his disposition. His business qualifications were ex¬ cellent, combining caution, good judg¬ ment and a reasonable degree of en¬ terprise. He had the respect of the community, the friendship of those who knew him best, and his career was more than ordinarily successful. While he was not among the wealthi¬ est of the old settlers, he left a large estate, and what is better, a reputa¬ tion for honesty and integrity - virtues which are highly characteristic of the pioneers of Minneapolis.

Riley E. Stillman. One of the ear¬ liest settlers on the west side of the river, in Minneapolis, was Rile}' F. Stillman, who came, with his family, in 1854, and resided one year at the corner of Second Avenue South and Fourth Street, and for the six follow¬ ing years at the southeast corner of Hennepin Avenue and Fourth Street, in a neat white cottage, known as the Ames Cottage.

During these seven 3'ears, he was prominently identified with the for¬ tunes of the rising town. He brought with him, in mature life, from his home, on the western reserve of Ohio, the radical views on the sub¬ ject of slavery which characterized that portion of the country, and be¬ came a prominent factor in the estab¬ lishment of the Republican party in Minnesota, on an anti-slavery basis.

He was one of the early members of the Free Baptist church, which was, at the time of his arrival, under the pastorate of Rev. C. G. Ames, asso¬ ciated with such brethren as Allen Harmon, H. C. Keith and Judge Jones.

He became the owner of several lots in the central part of the city, which have become very valuable, but the title to which he parted with some years before his death.

While living here, he was engaged in freighting goods to the lumber camps and rising villages of the inter¬ ior, while the Mississippi River was the only avenue for receiving freight from the East.

In August, 1859, while the Sheriff was looking for a colored woman, who was held in slavery by a Southern visitor, with a writ of habeas corpus, Mr. Stillman and a few others rescued her, with much personal danger to themselves.

Mr. Stillman was born at Austinburgh, Ashtabula Count}', Ohio, June 11th, 1822. His parents, Roswell and Mary (Marvin) Stillman, were natives of Connecticut, whence they removed to the Western Reserve, in the early days of the Connecticut emigration to that favorite colony. His early years were passed on the farm. Afterwards, he attended school at the Geauga Seminary, at Chester, near his home. After leaving school, he became a farmer, and engaged largely in the live stock business. In this he was associated with Mr. Billings, of Ver¬ mont.

In the spring of 1854, his health having become impaired, he sought a change of climate, and came to the Falls of St. Anthony, which from the first settlement has been celebrated as a sanitarium for miasmatic and pul¬ monary complaints.

Upon the breaking out of the Re¬ bellion, Mr. Stillman volunteered in the celebrated First Minnesota Regi¬ ment, in which he held the position of Fieutenant, but was rejected for phys¬ ical disability, upon a surgeon's ex¬ amination. Soon afterwards, he re¬ turned to Ohio. He took up his resi¬ dence at Chester, where he continued to live until his death, April 8th, 1876.

His family consisted of three chil¬ dren. The eldest, Ellen A., was born in Chester Ohio, August 12th, 1848. She married an English gentleman, by the name of Drane, whom she sur¬ vives, and now resides in California. Ransom E. was born in Chester, Au¬ gust 18th, 1851; resided with his par¬ ents, in Minneapolis, from 1854 to 1861. He received his education at the Geau¬ ga Seminary, and Hillsdale College, Michigan, from which institution he received the Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Having entered the law, he returned to Minneapolis, in 1880, where he has since resided, engaged in the practice of his profession, and in var¬ ious enterprises. Among others, he was the builder of the fine block on Fourth Street, known for years by his name, but now rechristened "Roches¬ ter Block." George C. was born in Minneapolis, August 10th, 1858, where he now resides, and is one of the active business men of the city.

Charles Witt is a good example of the successful foreign born citizen. Coming to this country with very lit¬ tle besides indomitable courage and two strong hands, he has, by hard, honest work, strict attention to busi¬ ness, and some good fortune, attained a large measure of prosperity and suc¬ cess.

He was born, November 9th, 1827, in Mecklenburg-Schverin, Germany. At the age of fourteen years, he left school to learn the trade of a butcher. When barely of age, Mr. Witt was re¬ cruited into the army and took some part in the war of 1848. Later, he went to Hungary, worked, for a time, on the historic ground of Kossuth's battlefield, following his trade, and finally set out for America, in a sail¬ ing vessel, reaching this country on the 3d of July, 1852. He settled in Cleveland, Ohio.

On the 13th of April, 1853, be¬ ing then twenty-five years of age, he married Miss Lucinda Sump, a native of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, German}^. The young married couple remained in Cleveland for a year, and, in 1854, having heard that people could get rich in four or five weeks on the southern banks of Lake Superior, the)^ started west for that Eldorado. The}' stopped at Intenegen, on the upper peninsula of Michigan, during the winter and then went to Superior City, Wisconsin. From that point, Mr. Witt went to the site now occu¬ pied by the city of Duluth, where he pre-empted quarter section 33, range 14, St. Louis County, where now stands Duluth. That part of the countr}' was not surveyed, at the time, but surveyed a year later, and, in 1855, placed on the market. That region was then a complete wilderness, where Indians and wild beasts held sway. The land office was at Buchan¬ an, on the lake. In 1857, he proved tip the land pre-empted and went hack to Superior, where he took con¬ tracts to furnish timber and meat for a number of mines. He remained in that locality for twelve years.

In 1868, he came to Minneapolis and started a butcher business, on the west side, at Second Avenue and First Street, North. He remained at that stand for ten 3^ears and then moved up to Twenty-sixth Avenue, North, where he has since lived. Here he bought a tract of land, which proved a very fortunate investment.

The rapid increase in the value of the real estate in his possession, in Minneapolis and Duluth, has made Mr. Witt a wealthy man, and he can now enjoy well earned ease. Of late years, he has traveled much in all parts of the world, revisiting the scenes of his early life and wherever his fancy ma}^ have taken him. His wife, always a hard worker hy his side, has borne him twelve children, live of whom are living, three boys and two girls.

Mr. Witt has taken no active part in politics, farther than casting his vote lor the man of his choice. He helped to elect Lincoln President and at lirst acted with the Kepublican party, hut of late years he disregards party lines and casts his ballot for the best man.

PrEKKK Bottineau was born Janu¬ ary 1st, 1817, at a place on Turtle River, Dakota Territory, once called Rats' Point, but afterwards named Botti¬ neau's Point from its being the residence of his father, Joseph Botti¬ neau, who was engaged with the Northwestern Fur Company. The mother of Pierre Bottineau was a native of the Ojibwa tribe, whose father was a captive Dakota, and mother an Ojibwa. By this marriage there were several children, with onl}^ one of whom, Pierre, we have to do. In 1816, one year before the birth of Pierre, hostilities arose between the Hudson Bay Company, the old coml^any established in 1670, under a grant by Charles H, of England, to Prince Rupert and others, and the North¬ western Company. These were both English companies. The Red River settlement was founded by Lord Sel¬ kirk, a Scottish peer, under a grant from the Hudson Bay Company. The Northwestern Company, whose head¬ quarters were Canada, traded h}" the way of the lakes, and had virtuall}' pre-empted this territory before the Selkirk colony arrived and did not recognize their claim as a part of the Hudson Bay Company's territory, as this company had never before extend¬ ed their lines so far south. The Hud¬ son Bay Company transported goods b}^ wa}" of Hudson Bay. After the establishment of the Red River settle¬ ment, in 1812, petty strife begtin, which, in 1816, culminated in open hostilities. Lord Selkirk had demanded troops from the Governor General for the protection of his colony, without avail, but, instead, was enjoined against repetition of hostilities. In spite of this injunction some more blood was shed, but at last, as neither party re¬ ceived the support of the government.

an amalgamation took place, and the united company controlled the country. In consequence of these hostilities, the little colony of Red River was greatly weakened by emigration to the territory of the United States and Canada.

Pierre Bottineau's father was com¬ manded by the Northwestern Company to take part in the struggle, but he absented himself on one of his hunting expeditions. On his return he was imprisoned, but owing to his influence with the tribe from which he had taken his wife, he was soon released, as worse troubles were liable to arise.

Amid these bustling scenes, in a wild country, among Indians, and halfbreeds, more dangerous than the Indians themselves, Pierre Bottineau was born. He was early trained by his father for the hunt. He possessed a strong frame and rugged constitu¬ tion, and became a skilful horseman, and a sure marksman with a rifle, learning, as well as inheriting these qualities from his father, who was un¬ surpassed in the chase. His father died when he was fourteen j^ears of age, and LeCompte, a famous guide, but lame in consequence of an injury, pleased with the early accomplish¬ ments and promise of the boy, took him to live with him, promising to in¬ struct him in the mysteries of his art. LeCompte was, at this time, the only man conversant with the country, and familiar with the duties of a guide. He held out brilliant prospects of high wages, ending in a fortune, especially because he needed the sure foot, strong arm and quick eye of this young halfbreed. During the years 1832-3 Pierre made a few short trips in company with LeCompte, carrying messages between trading posts, but his first long trip was in 1834, at the age of seventeen. LeCompte was then em¬ ployed by the Hudson Bay Company to carry messages and the mail from Fort Garry to Fort Snelling, and Pierre accompanied him. They started the first of November and reached their destination December 28th. Com¬ munication was difficult and expen¬ sive, and sometimes not undertaken oftener than once a year. They went down on the east bank of the Red River, and after eight days reached Red Lake RivCr, which it was necesary for them to cross, though very high and full of drifting ice. A feeble old man named Alard went with them, and a pony with a Red River cart carried the mail, baggage and pro¬ visions. A raft was quickly built and the cart and its contents were safely transferred to the other side by Pierre and Alard. They next returned for LeCompte and the pony, the current carrying them down some distance at each crossing. On attempting to cross again, with all hands and the pony, their clumsy raft foundered on a stump, and was soon piled with ice so that the upper end was submerged, and the lower end stuck up at a sharp angle. The situation was critical and promised at the best, a cold bath to all.

Here Pierre proved himself equal to the emergency, for cutting loose a few pieces of timber, he secured them to¬ gether by a cord made of buffalo hide, and making his two companions strad¬ dle the logs, since neither could swim, he took the chances of keeping on the little raft and poling it to shore. It floated, however, much farther, and struck a bend in the river that was frozen over, in consequence of there being less current. Here he was obliged to jump on the ice, after secur¬ ing a long cord to the raft, one end of which he held in his hand. The ice would not hold the weight of a man, and Pierre went in, all over, in very deep water, but holding fast to the rope. When he came up, he swam, breaking the ice before him, to the shore, and hauled his companions after him. They were fortunate in having dry suits at the cart, and soon were all right in dry clothing. The pony was rescued, and they started again. After trav^eling four days they reached the Wild Rice River, and crossed the ice and encamped near its hank. By some means, here, the pony, who had escaped narrowl}" one danger of drowning, got into this stream, in the night, and was drowned. In this dilemma it was decided, as Alard could not travel, to leav^e him in charge of the cart and stuff while Le- Compte and Pierre went on to Lac Traverse, a trading post of the Ameri¬ can Fur Compan3", in charge of Mr. Moore. The journey', it was thought, would take four days. Pierre was loaded with bedding and provisions supposed to be sufficient for LeCompte and himself for tlie four da^'s' journey, and they set out. The lameness of LeCompte and the burden of Pierre rendered traveling slow, but it proved that the estimated distance of fifty or sixty miles, increased every da3'^ the3' traveled. LeCompte seemed not to be familiar with the countr3', and, arriv¬ ing at Goose River, he called it the Cheyenne, and the Kim, he supposed the Wild Rice. They trav^eled thus for several da3^s, until their provisions were gone, hoping to reach the Bois des Sioux, where LeCompte declared he should recognize the countr3^ On the eighth day the3" reached this river, having been alread3^ four days without food, and found a fresh Indian trail, which they followed to the camp. It proved to be the camp of a part3' of

Sioux, numbering ten men with five tepees. The strangers were kindl3^ received, and their hunger appeased, 1)3" a repast of otter and skunk meat. The next da3" they reached the trading post, and, obtaining a horse and man returned for Alard and their stuff. The old man's jo3" cannot be described, as the twentieth da3" after tlieir de¬ parture he saw them returning. He had improvised a sled and loaded it with blankets and provisions, deter¬ mined to start the next da3", dragging his sled, trusting to good fortune to take him to some habitation. After staying a few da3"s at the post, Le¬ Compte bought a horse of Mr. Moore and the3" proceeded to the trading post of Mr. Renville, at Lac qui Parie, and, from this point they set out for Traverse des Sioux, another trading post, distant four days' journe3". The post was in charge of Mr. Louis Le Blanc. Alard was left at Lac Traverse on account of the depth of snow and difficulty of traveling. Trouble arose again in attempting to find Traverse des Sioux and the two companions were near starving, as their supplies had given out; when, fortunatel3", a coon was killed and their hunger appeased. After traveling in a cir¬ cuitous route for several da3"s in search of the trading post, Pierre insisted up¬ on taking a direct course for Fort Snelling or as near direct as the Min¬ nesota River would conduct them, disregarding Traverse des Sioux altogether. It is a difficult3" matter to divert a guide from an old route but at last the point was conceded and the3" set out. On the following da3" the3' came on an Indian camp and were received in a frendl3" manner and di¬ rected on their wa3'. It appeared that the guide was mistaken in reference to their location and the3" soon reached

Among those whom Pierre met at the Fort at this time he mentions Mr. N. W. Kittson. After spending a short time visiting friends and rela¬ tions who had formerly lived at Red River, he returned, and, for two years, spent his time trapping in the winter and hunting buffaloes during the summer. Two hunts were usually made each year.

The outfit for these hunts was as follows: Each hunter was supplied with a good hunting horse, gun and ammunition, and with two or three ponies, drawing each a Red River cart- The latter were used to carry their families and baggage, as well as to transport the results of the chase. Frequently these hunting parties would number several hundred hun¬ ters, besides their families.

After reaching the hunting grounds, each found occupation in killing the buffaloes, dressing, drying, cooking and making pemmican. Pemmican was an important article of food and merchandise with the Hudson Bay Company in furnishing supplies to their employes, and still continues to be used. It was made in the following manner. The lean buffalo meat was cut into thin strips, and a skillful woman would cut these strips round and round, making them quite long. These were spread in the sun during the day, and gathered at night in order to protect them from rain or dew until they became as dry as a bone. They were then placed over the fire to cook. After this the meat was beaten in a buffalo hide until completely pulver¬ ized, when it was mixed with melted fat and packed in skins for market. The lean and fat of two animals is condensed in one sack of pemmican No salt or seasoning was used in its preparation, but properly prepared it would never spoil. Besides the process had driven out the water and so re¬ duced the bulk that a very little would satisfj^ hunger and furnish fobd in the most condensed form for long journeys. When the carts were load¬ ed with pemmican and hides the party returned from the hunt. Encounters with hostile Indians, and accidents frequentlj^occured which caused much danger and risk.

December 1st, 1836, Pierre Bottineau married Genevieve Larance, daughter of John Baptiste Larance, a farmer of the Red River settlement. A few months after, he undertook the me¬ morable journey across the plains, as guide for Martin McLeod, from La Fourch, Red River colony, Territory of Hudson Bay, to Fort Snelling. The time consumed was fifteen days, and only the indomitable hardihood of Pierre Bottineau brought Mr. McLeod and himself to the Fort in safety, at which place thej^ arrived April 16th, 1837. May, 1838, he undertook his next trip across the plains as guide for a large party, consisting of forty families, of Swiss, French and Scotch.

June 1st, 1840, he crossed the plains once more with a large party, and brought his own family to settle here. Here, for the first time, he met Frank¬ lin Steele. Bottineau went to St. Paul with his family and made a claim in 1840, camping on the bluff opposite the site of the old National Hotel, and in the following spring he put twenty acres in crop. In the summer of 1845, he moved to the Falls of St. Anthony and became identified with the interest of that place until 1852, when he re¬ moved to Bottineau Prairie, in Maple Grove Township.

The Coum'V Of Ijennepjx Chaptek Xxx Hi

Hennepin County - Its Genekal Chaeactekistics - Derivation ok Name - Its Bounoaeies - Its History Coincident With That of the Noeth\ve.st - Discovery of the Falls - Visit of Carver - The Louisiana Purchase - Lieutenant Pike's Visit Ilis Treaty With the Indians - Hennepin County a Battle Ground -

Hennepin is the most important county in the State of Minnesota. It derives its name from Louis Henne¬ pin, a Franciscan Recollet Missionary, popularl}^ known as " Father Hennepin," who was taken prisoner by a party of Sioux Indians in April, 1680, and who discovered and named the Falls of St. Anthony directh" after having been released from such im¬ prisonment. It comprises more than six hundred square miles of territory, is one of the most beautiful and fertile scopes of country on the American continent, studded with clear lakes and drained by crystal streams, and was divided b^' nature into prairie and timber land, hill and valle}^ grove and meadow. It is bounded on the east by the Mississippi Kiver, on the south and west by the Minnesota Kiver and Carver County, and on the north b}' Wright Count}' and the Crow or Has sail Kiver. Its capital and chief city, and also the cliief city of the State, is Minneapolis, a city of 200,0()() (1893) inhabitants, and the greatest flour milling centre of the world.

The histor}' of the Northwestern exploration inaugurates the history of Hennepin Count}'. It was visited liy the first European ever known to have penetrated the Northwestern wilder¬ ness (Father Hennepin), who gave an account of his visit to this locality in his book published in 1679. In that work this novelist -explorer fully describes the Falls of St. Anthony, and also the topography of the land lying on both sides of the stream, so that explorers of a later date could readily testify that he had actually been here. The Falls of St. Anthony thus became known to the learned world, and was henceforth one of the recognized geographical features of the unexplored wilderness of Ceutral North America, and was freipiently visited by the Indian traders and Can¬ adian Koj'ii^etirs during the ne.xt cen¬ tury.

The next important event in connec¬ tion with this locality was the visit of Jonathan Carver to the Falls of St. Anthony in November, 17()6. Carver was an American explorer, born in

Connecticut in 1732. In the account of his visit to St. Anthony Falls, he speaks of "a small island about forty feet broad and somewhat longer" in the middle of and dividing the falls. It would thus be seen that the small island, now some distance below the falls, was at that time directly on or over the cataract, and that there has been a ver}^ considerable recession of the waters during the past hundred years.

Since their discovery hy Father Hennepin, the Falls of St. Anthony have been a land-mark of the explorer, the voj^ageur, the trader, trapper and hunter, for more than two hundred years. This spot is one of the few on the North American continent that is already overgrown by the mosses of an assured antiquit3^. The music of this sublime waterfall sounded an anthem of adventure in the ears of the Sieur Du Duth in " La Belle France," during the reign of the "Grand Monarque," Louis XIV. It whispered to La Salle a storj^ of pros¬ pective wealth aud fame, and brought him from a pleasant fireside in his native land across the half concealed paths of the stormy Atlantic to find treasures more real and palpable than the fabled Golden Fleece.

The histor^r of the scope of country now known as Hennepin Count}^, Minnesota, so far as it is directly con¬ nected with modern civilizitig influ¬ ences, commenced not quite one cen¬ tury ago. Thomas Jefferson was President of the United States, and with the far reaching, statesmanlike vision, for which he is so justlj^ cele¬ brated, he looked to the great unex¬ plored Northwest as the future seat of empire of a progressive and intelli¬ gent people. The " Northwest Terri¬ tory," comprising the present great

States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin - then a com¬ parative wilderness - had been claimed as the patrimony of Virginia after the Revolutionary War, but was patrioticall}" ceded to the nation b}" the State in 1803. President Jefferson complet¬ ed the so-called "Louisiana Purchase" from France, and thus for $15,000,000 gave to his countr}" the magnificent domain that now constitutes the em¬ pire extending from the Mississippi River on the east to the Pacific Ocean, and from the British line < n the north to the north line of California on the south.

Soon after consummating this pur¬ chase, Mr. Jefferson was seized with a desire to explore the newly acquired territor}", to establish militar}" posts, put the fur trade on a solid foundation for his countrymen, and open the way to immediate settlement. Following this design, an exploring expedition, under the command of Lewis and Clarke, two officers of the United States Arm}'", was started for the Pa¬ cific coast, by St. Louis and the Mis¬ souri route; while Lieutenant Zebulon Montgonier}" Pike, also of the army, was instructed lo proceed into the wilderness of the Northwest with a small party of soldiers and execute treaties with the Indian tribes for the establishment of forts and military reservations, and to expel British trad¬ ers violating the laws of the United States. The stor}" of Lieutenant Pike and the calamities of his journeyings through the practically unknown wilderness, skirting the Mississippi River from St. Louis to Pokegoma Falls, is one of the most interesting chapters in the annals of early explor¬ ation. This work, however, has only to do with that portion of it which di¬ rectly concerns this particular localit3^

Oil the 21st day of September, 1805, Lieutenant Pike, after having break¬ fasted with the Little Crow of the Kajiosia hand of Sionx Indians (whose village at that time was some three or four miles below what is now the city of St. Paul, and on the western shore of the river), arrived at the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Peters (or Minnesota) Rivers. He crossed the Minnesota Riv'er, where now stands the village of Mendota, and pitched his camp on the northeast corner of Pike Island - named for the Lieuten¬ ant afterward. This spot was directly under the lofty point afterward util¬ ized for and still occupied by Old Fort Snelling. At this time Jean Batiste Faribault, for whom the citv and county of Faribault were afterwards named, conducted an Indian trading post on the site of the present village of Mendota. On the 22d (Sunday), Little Crow, chief of the Kaposia band of Indians, and grand-father of the chief of the same name who was leader of the horrible massacres of the Minnesota Indian War of 1862, visited the Lieutenant on the jilateau now occupied b}' Fort Snelliug, accompauied by one hundred and lift}' war¬ riors. They held a preliminary talk or council on this day, and on the same day the Lieutenant visited Mr. Cameron, another trader who lived just above Mendota. On Monday the 23(1 of Sei)tember, 1805, the council vv'as held, and the following treaty subscribed :

Whkkk.\s, At a conference held be- Iween the United States of America and the Sioux Nation of Indians, Lieutenant Z. M. I'ike of the arm}' of the United States and the chiefs and warriors of the said tribe have ajireed to the following articles, which, when ratified and afiproved by the proper

Article 1. That the Sioux Nation grant unto the United States for the purpose of the establishment of mili¬ tary posts, nine miles square at the mouth of the St. Croix, also from be¬ low the confluence of the Mississijipi and to include the Falls of St. An¬ thony, extending nine miles on each side of the river: That the vSioux Na¬ tion grants to the United States the full sovereignty and power over said district forever.

Art. 3. The United States promise on their part to permit the Sioux to pass and repass, hunt or make other use of the said districts as they have formerly done, without any other ex¬ ceptions than those specilied in Article First. In testimony whereof, we, the undersigned, have hereunto set our hands and seals at the mouth of the river St. Peters ou the 23d of Septem¬ ber, 1805.

Le Petit Corbeau Way Ago Enagee

F'ollowing the execution of the treaty, Lieutenant Pike made the Sioux chiefs a long speech, a copy of which he preserved in his diary, and it has thus come down to this genera¬ tion complete. In this speech he sets forth the facts of the war of the Revo¬ lution, and the establishment thirty years before of our government ; the cession of Louisiana to the United States, by the I'rench Government; and the wish of the ITiited States Government for the establishment of military posts in the Indian country of the Northwest. He alludes to the fact that these forts are intended as a benefit to the Indians ; and that the government intended to establish fac¬ tories, so that the red man might obtain cheaper goods and at a lower price. The sale of liquor to Indians has every way in the history of this barbaric race proved an unalloyed curse, and Lieutenant Pike so ex¬ pressed himself, saying that this con¬ traband traffic by traders must cease unconditionally. Then with the ut¬ most sang froid he concluded his re¬ marks by making them some trifling presents, adding, finally, "and before my departure I will give you some liquor to clear your throats." But it is always somewhat difficult to keep up an exactly correct mean, between precept and example.

The spot now known as Hennepin County, has for nearly two centuries been the border land between the two great Indian nations - the Sioux and Chippewas. Nominally belonging to the Sioux, at the beginning of this century, it was always and continu¬ ously a l)attle-ground between these war-like people. This fact was known to Lieutenant Pike, and hence he de¬ voted a considerable portion of his speech to informing his red brethren that he should expect wars to cease between them and the Chippewas, and that one of the objects of estab¬ lishing the military posts in this vicinity was to compel a cessation of hostilities between the men of these two races.

On the morning after the council. Lieutenant Pike found that the flag: which he had hoisted upon his boat was gone. Evidently he was a strict disciplinarian, for he informs us him¬ self that he immediateL^ assembled the guard, and had one of the soldiers whipped for neglect of duty. Flog¬ ging was at that period a legal punish¬ ment in the military service of the United States. Next morning, before he was out of bed. Little Crow re¬ turned the flag, it having been found

On Friday the 26th, while his men made the portage around the Falls of St. Anthony, he occupied his time in writing a report to his commanding officer in the East and a very affec¬ tionate letter to his wife, in which let¬ ter he expressed the not unnatural fear that he might never return alive from the land of the savages. He did, however, and lived to do most gallant service for his country in the war of 1812, being killed in action at the bat¬ tle of York, Upper Canada, during that struggle.

On the 21st of September, 1804, Pike entered what is now Hennepin County, held the important council, the ac¬ count of which is given above, and went beyond the confines of the count3^ pursuing his journey on the 4th of October. The fact we know, because in his journal he gives an ac¬ count of finding on that date, opposite the mouth of Crow River, a canoe cut to pieces with tomahawks, which in¬ spired him with the belief that there had been a fight between the Sioux and Chippewas.

It would be out of place to pursue the account of Lieutenant Pike further, except to say that it seems somewhat remarkable that the name of this man has not been redeemed from oblivion b^^ some past Minnesota Legislature attaching it to some lake, stream, county or city. Adventurers without number, possessing neither character, ability or virtue, have pro¬ cured their names to be attached to all of these; and 3^et this early explorer, faithful officer and patriotic soldier, who finally died on the field of battle for his countr3"'s honor and glory, has been entirely ignored by our modern geograph3" makers. Such is the re¬ ward the world gives the faithful amongst mankind. Pretense, assur¬ ance and impudence are immortalized, while excellence and worth are too often neglected or ignored

I^OURTEEN 3'ears must now elapse before the broken thread of the history of this localit^^can be resumed. During that period of fourteen years tlie nation has passed through its sec¬ ond war with the Mother Country; Congress has been looking after more vital matters, and the Indians, traders, adventurers and voj^agetirs must be left to care for themselves. The set¬ tlements have crept a little further west of the Allegheny Mountain chain, and the villages are scat¬ tering themselves among the forests of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. The year 1819 has arrived and with it comes a return of the government to the Jeffersonian policy of caring for our widely extended frontier, and explor¬ ing the interior wilderness of our national possession.

On the 10th daj^ of February, 1819, tbe War Department issued an order concentrating the Fifth Regiment of Infantry, C. S. A., at Detroit, it beinir the intention to transport this organi¬ zation to the then far West and estab¬ lish garrisons, cantonments and niilitar3" posts along the valley- of the upper Mississippi River. From Detroit the troops, during the summer of 1819, came West around the southern ex¬ tremity of Lake Michigan, and via the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers A post was establi.shed at Rock Island, an¬ other at Prairie du Chien, and still another at the mouth of the St. Peters (Minnesota) River - the latter being the one in which our readers are chieflj^ interested.

The hold and magnificent headland which juts out between the IMississippi and Minnesota Rivers, as the latter sweeps onward to form the junction, is now recognized as one of the beauty' sjHits of the American con¬ tinent. The view from this point is sylvan, but commanding. Over a view of nearly twenty' miles to the south¬ west the e^'e sweeps up the valley' of the Minnesota; while to the southeast for a dozen miles the prospect is equally lovely. Six miles northward is the Falls of St. Anthon3i", now chained to the myriad wheels of labor, to sing the everlasting hymn of human labor, while two miles above, Minne¬ haha pipes its infantile treble, joining in the chorus of the industrial anthem. It was on this lovel3^ spot that it had been determined to build the outpost of American civilization in the year 1819. It exhausted the entire summer for the troops to assemble at Detroit, and then distribute themselves along the Mississippi Valle3^. At that time the present State of Minnesota was a part of the Territor3^ of Michigan, and General Lewis Cass was the Governor. The county of Crawford was organ¬ ized that same season, which com¬ prized the greater portion of Minne¬ sota east of the Mississippi River, and the wheels of civil government were placed in motion coincident wiih the arrival of the military at the mouth of the Minnesota River. Lieutenant- Colonel Leavenworth commanded the detachment of troops which came to construct the new fort. After estab¬ lishing the post at Prairie du Chien, the soldiers proceeded up the river in keel boats, making very slow time - only four to six miles per day - for the water in the river was very low that season, and it was with the utmost difficulty that the boats could be dragged and pushed over the sand bars.

It was not until September that the party finally reached their destination. Still making their homes upon the keel boats, the soldiers, under direc¬ tion of their officers proceeded to fell trees and construct a temporar3' can¬ tonment on the south side of the Min¬ nesota River, immediately above the present village of Mendota, on the bottom lands near where the present grade of the C., M. & St. P. Railway runs before crossing the bridge. Only a few years ago the evidences of this original cantonment were plainly vis¬ ible, and there ma3" still be some rem¬ nants of it left.

The quarters were constructed of unhewn logs daubed with cla3^, but were pronounced fairl3" palatial by both officers and men, when the3^ finally rernoved from their close quar¬ ters in the boats to their new resi¬ dence. Winter - the vigorous winter of this far northern clime - had fairly opened before the cantonment was completed.

Mrs. Filet 3mars afterward took from the lips of Mrs. Clark, wife of the post commissary, an account of this first winter in Minnesota, from which we make the following extract:

Huts had to be built, though in the rudest manner, to serve as shelter during the winter from the rigors of a severe climate. After living with her family in a boat for a m(niih, it was a highly appreciated luxury for Mrs. Clark to find herself at home in a log hut, plastered with cla3^ and chinked for her reception. It was De¬ cember before they got into winter quarters, and the fierce winds of that exposed region, with terrific storms now and then, were enough to make them keep in doors as much as possi¬ ble. Once in a violent tempest the roof of their dwelling was raised ])y the wind and partially slid off; there was no protection for the inmates, but the baby in the crib was pushed under the bed for safet3^ Notwithstanding these discomforts and perils, the in¬ convenience they had to encounter and their isolated situation, the party of emigrants were not without social enjo3^ments. They were nearly all young married persons, cheerful and fond of gaiety, and had their dancing assemblies once a fortnight.

Events Between 1804 And 1819

various routine camp duties; while others fished through the ice, or hunt¬ ed for ])artridges and larger game through the woods .that skirted tho valle}' to the south of the camp. The writer remembers freipiently listening to Mr. Jose[)h I^. Urown, when that gentleman was in a reminiscent mootl, tell tlie stor}^ of this first winter in Minnesota. >Ir. Hrown was a drum¬ mer 1)03^ of fourteen j^ears of age, and accomjianied this first detachment of troops to Minnesota. He was wont to sa3^ that this was one of the most notable and also one of the most de¬ lightful winters of his long life - a life filled with frontier adventure and energetic activit3". He told the writer that the fiat on both sides of the Min¬ nesota Kiver, below the fort, was cov¬ ered with a close, heavy growth of hard and soft maple timber, the shores lined with willow and immense cot¬ tonwood trees. The cantonment was established in the edge of the forest, the heav3^ timber serving to protect it from the cold northern blasts. Game was abundant in the earlv part of the winter, notwithstanding that hundreds of Indians pitched their camps in the vicinit3^ of the soldiers, so as to par¬ take with them the comforts of civili¬ zation - an unlimited supply of whisk3' and tobacco.

Toward the close of the winter, how ev'er, which was unusuall3' severe ami protracted, the game ni3"steriously dis¬ appeared, and the entire cantonment was thrown hack upon salt provisions for sustenance. Scurv3" broke out, and for some weeks ravaged the camp fearfully. A large number of soldiers died from this fell disease, and Col. Leavenworth was driveTi to his wits end to secure aiitiscurhutics to stop its frightful ravages. Soldiers would retire to rest at night appai-entl3^ in perfect health, and be found dead in their beds the next morning. "I avoided the scourge," said Mr. Brown, ''by learning the ways of the Indians; I was a ho3% with only slight militar3" duty to perform, and the sights being new and strange to me, I was eveiwwhere. I haunted the Indian camps and learned their ways, atid lived upon their food. I soon became ex[)ert in spearing fish through the ice, and could capture a muskrat as readil3" as the most experienced brave. None of mv mess in the camps stiffered from scurvy, because I kept it fully sui)plied with fish and game - small game at times, such as muskrats and beavers, but still we had plent3^ of fresh pro¬ visions."

In the month of May, 1820 - the spring having finally opened - the camp was removed to the Hennepin County side of the river, and "Camp Cold Water" established on the hitrh plateau l)ack of where Fort Snelliug now stands, and near the beautiful spring which still pours its crystal waters down the bluff to the river. Most of the summer was devoted to getting together material for the fort, and recuperating from the hardships of the past winter. It was not until the 10th of September that the cere- 1110113- was .gone through of laying the corner stone of "Fort St. Anthon3-," although considerable headwa3- been made in other directions. Again the troops crossed the river and took up their ([uarters at the old canton¬ ment, where the3- passed the winter of 1820-21. During this winter a sipiad of soldiers, under the direction of a non-commissioned officer, cut the first pine logs in the Minnesota lumber regions on Rum K'iver. In the spring the3- were floated down fo the falls, and the lumher industr3- inaugurated

On the 30th day of July, 1820, the first incident to break the monotony of camp life, occurred at Camp Cold Water - this was the arrival of Gover¬ nor Lewis Cass and a party of about forty from the north. Governor Cass had suggested to Secretary of War Calhoun, the propriety of making ex¬ plorations in the northwestern portion of Michigan Territory, and formulat¬ ing treaties with the Indians ; also to make the effort to establish a perma¬ nent and enduring peace between the Sioux and Chippewa Indians. His suggestion was approved, and about the middle of May the Governor and his party had left Detroit with this object in view, via the great lakes. The chief men of the expedition were Lewis Cass, Governor of the Territory of Michigan; Doctor Walcott, Indian Agent at Chicago and Surgeon; Cap¬ tain Douglass, Military Engineer; H. R. Schoolcraft, Minei'alogist; Lieuten¬ ant MacKay; James Doty, Secretary of the expedition; Major Fors^dh, Pri¬ vate Secretary to the Governor; C. C. Trowbridge, Topographer; Indians, soldiers, vqxagears, and the whole amounting to a partj^ of about forty persons.

The companj^ was received with militarj^ honors and true American hospitality, and found a busy scene. Soldiers, Indians and camp hangerson were all busily engaged in getting material ready for building the per¬ manent post; while still others had plowed, planted, and were now culti¬ vating a few acres of land. The soil having proven very fertile the crop of cereals and vegetables was in a most thrifty state. Colonel Leavenworth had determined to have no more scur¬ vy in his camp. Green peas had been in use in the camp since the 15th of June. Green corn was placed before the Governor and his party, and the wheat - a splendid crop - was ready for the harvest. This year - 1820 - has the distitiction of being the first in which wheat was grown in the great Northwest, and Hennepin County claims the proud fact of being the pioneer in demonstrating the won¬ drous capacity of Minnesota soil and climate in producing the cereal that now furnishes bread for the people of the entire globe.

On the fifth day of August, Govern¬ or Cass and party arrived at Prairie du Chien, on his return to Detriot, via the head of Lake Michigan, Chicago, and there met Colonel Snelling, com¬ manding officer of the Fifth regiment en route to Camp Cold Water to assume command and relieve Lieuten¬ ant-Colonel Leavenworth. A few days after the arrival of Colonel Snelling, and while occupying quarters at the cantonment, south of the Minnesota River, the wife of Colonel Snelling gave birth to an infant - the second* child of white parents born within the limits of what is now Minnesota. The little one lived to be only thirteen months old, and passed to the beyond. It remains where interred in the old military cemetery at Fort Snelling, and as late as during the war, the marred remnants of its tombstone could be seen.

*A letter from the late Hon. I. R. Brown to the writer, dated February, 1856, states that soon after the arrival of the troops, in 1819, at the mouth of the St. Peter's, a child was born to Mr. and Mrs. Hub¬ bard, which was the first white child born in what is now Minnesota. The Hubbards were connected with the army, the husband a private, the wife employed in the culinary department. At the date of the letter in 1856, they were residents of Green Bay, Wis. It will be remembered that Mr. Brown accomiaanled the expedition up the river in 1819. It would seem by this that Mrs. Col. Snelling's was the second child born in Minnesota.

Shortly after the arrival of Col. Snelling, Wanata, a chief of the Yank¬ ton Sionx, tnanifested a disposition to prov'e treacherous, and organize armed resistance to the United States troops. He and a nnniher of his companions were seized and imprisoned in the mil¬ itary prison, and their intentions thoroughl3^ exposed. Their medals, given to them b}" the British agents, were taken from them, and the}^ given to understand that at the slightest sign of outbreak thej" would he severe¬ ly dealt with. This brought the chief and his l)and to their senses, and the3^ afterwards showed themselves very friendly to the American officers and soldiers.

No incident worth3' of mention oc¬ curred during the year 1821, except the arrest of twoSisseton Indians, charged with having murdered two soldiers on the Missouri River, near Council Bluffs. These de ivered themselves at Fort Snelling, through the influence of a trader named Colin Campbell. One of tliem was sent to St. Lcruis for trial, but was acquitted for want of evidence. The other was afterwards released.

In the summer of 1822, the fort, l)uilt entirely of logs, was so far completed as to be occupied by the troops in October of that year. It was also dur¬ ing this 3^ear that the first flouring mill was built at the Falls of St. An¬ thony. N. B. Wf/e p. 535. It was con¬ structed under direction of officers of the army, on the west side of the river, and was constantly guarded 1)3'^ a part3M)f soldiers from the fort; being used for grinding the grain raised hv the military.

Joseph R. Brown, above alluded to. accomjianied 1)3^ a 3mung son of Col. Snelling and another companion. Ibis 3'ear discovered Lake Minnetonka.

The ho3^s followed the windings of Minnehaha Creek, and camped one night on the shores of this beautiful sheet of water, returning like coiupiering heroes to report their discovery.

In the spring of 1823 the first actual white settlers came to Hennepin 'Count3^ It seems remarkable, hut these home seekers came from the north instead of the east. Lord Sel¬ kirk had issued in Europe a prospectus for his colony in the Red River Valle3q and in the vicinit3' of Lake Winnipeg. In response to that jirospectus, and because of other reasons of self expa¬ triation, a number t)f families from the mountains of Switzerland had left their homes and proceeded b3' way of the Hudson Bay to Winnipeg. Grow¬ ing dissatisfied with their environ¬ ment there, the3" determined to seek homes further south, and came via Lake Traverse to Fort St. Anthon3q arriving here, man3' of them, in the most abject state of destitution. These iitimigrants were generousl3" provided for and assisted 1)3" the officers at the fort, and some of them remained permanentl3" in the vicinit3".

But the great event of this season was the arrival of the first steamboat. The art of navigation by steam was still in its infanc3", Hie event gained new interest and importance from this fact. It was not alone the Indians who had never yet seen a "lire canoe;" even the officers and soldiers at the fort had never beheld an3" water craft with other motive power than the winds of heaven or the musctilar arms of strong men. It had even been a question whether the rapids of the river above where Keokuk now stands would not permanenth- impede fhe navigation of the great river bv steam.

the levee at St. Louis, and proceeded northward, bound for Fort Snelling "and intervening landings." The ves¬ sel was 118 feet long, 22 feet beam, and drew six feet of water. It was nearly two weeks in making the vo3^age from St. Louis to Fort Snelling, and brought as passengers Maj. Taliafe ro, Indian Agent to the Sioux tribes, and Bel¬ trami, the exiled Italian Count, who afterwards made quite a reputation as an explorer and geographer of this re¬ gion; Great Eagle, a Sauk chief, and some others of lesser importance.

The fort continued to be called by the name, "St. Anthonj^," until the year 1824, when, upon the recommend¬ ation of General Scott, it was changed to "Snelling," after its able and bril¬ liant commander - the name it still bears - perpetuating the patronymic of one of the bravest and best military officers that ever honored his country in war or peace.

The affairs gt the fort continued quiet one year after another. The duties of the little arm3^ were chiefly confined to settling difficulties be¬ tween those obstreperous tribes of In¬ dians, the Sioux and Chippewas. One treaty after another was made between them, but to be broken with perfect looseness. The born condition of the native Indians is warfare - or rather assassination, misnamed war - and the Sioux and Chippewas were hereditary foes. Hence, as soon as a treaty of peace was made, it was too often Iw the men of either tribe, simply as a blind to future treachery. Hennepin Count3^ (or that subdivision of the country now known by that name), was too often the scene of these murderous and bloody raids.

beginning without protest or objection from any source. The hour of the abolitionist had not yet struck. Major Taliaferro, the Indian agent, retained several slaves in his possession, and on the 26th of Ma3^, 1826, he writes: "Captain Plimpton wishes to pur¬ chase my servant girl." A few 3'^ears later that identical girl became the wife of Dred Scott, of historic fame in the slavery annals, and who at this very time was held in chattel slaver3^ at the fort - the personal propert3- of Surgeon Emerson.

On Ma3" 28th, 1827, a Chippewa chief called Flatmouth, appeared at the fort, accompanied by a party of .twent3^- three men, women and children, and asked of Colonel Snelling protection against the Sioux, who were threaten¬ ing to attack his party. Colonel Snell¬ ing commanded them to camp under the guns of the fort, assuring them that so long as they were under the LTnited States flag they were safe from their enemies. Relying upon this assurance, the party encamped in front of the main gate, and within musket range of the fort. During the after¬ noon, the party was visited by nine young Sioux braves. These were in¬ vited to and did feast with the Chippe¬ was, who prepared a banquet of fish, meat, corn and sugar in their honor. The feast over, they smoked the peace pipe with their ancient enemies, aris¬ ing to depart about nine o'clock in the evening. Once outside the Chippewa tepees, the whole party turned with a malice prompted of the devil, and dis¬ charged their guns into the tent where they had been just entertained, killing and maiming men, women and chil¬ dren indiscriminately.

United States Government. Early on the morning of the 29th, Colonel Snelling- ordered Captain Clark to take one hundred men and proceed to arrest the assassins. The Captain led his company about one mile above the fort on the north side of the Minnesota Kiver, to a trading post of the Colum¬ bia Fur Comjiany, where the Sioux were encamped. At first the^" mani¬ fested a disposition to fight, and drew up iu battle arra^', but soon turned their hacks and tried to esca[)e. Thej^ were pursued, and thirt3'-two of them were captured and taken to the fort. The whole part^' were brought before the Chippewas Iw order of Colonel Snelling, and two of them singled out as having been parties to the assassin¬ ation. Two more were soon after de¬ livered up b^' the Sioux themselves, and these four were turned over to the Chip[)ewas b}' the militar3' authori¬ ties to l)e dealt with according to In¬ dian law. The Chippewa warriors levelled their muskets and the Sioux assassins were told to run. The3^ bounded awa3' across the prairie, but were all l)rought down 1)3'^ the read3'^ bullets of the outraged Chippewas. The heads of the criminals were scalped 1)3' the Chippewas, and their dead bodies cast over the high bank into the waters {)f the Mississippi Kiver fiowing beneath.

In September, 1829, Kev. A. Coe, a missionarv of the Presbyterian Church, accompanied 1)3' J. 1). Stevens, arrived at the fort for the purpose of doing religious service among the In¬ dians. These gentlemen were kindl3' received 1)3' Agent Taliaferro, and the old saw mills and buildings of the government at St. Anthon3' Emails, were placetl at their disposal, as was also the Imlian farm, which had been established at Lake Calhoun bv the government authorities and called Etonville.

This was the first missionarv station established within the limits of Hen¬ nepin County, although some of the officers at the fort had labored with some slight success toward the civili¬ zation of the Indians, chiring the ten 3'ears since the post was first estab¬ lished.

Mrs. Van Cleve's Reminiscences - Early Life at Fort Snelling - Journey up THE River- Arrival at the Mouth of St. Peter- Bui lolng the Can¬ tonment - Names OF Early Officers at the Fort -First Agri¬ cultural Efforts - ^Naming Lakes Harriet anl> Cal¬ houn - First Steamboat - First Railroad.