The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-05-16
Communicated for the Pennsy lvanis Telegraph
NUMBERI,
On the Sd of March, lS49. the {

Communicated for the Penns ylvania Telegraph
NUMBERI.
On the Sd of March, ls49, the Con-
gress of the Union, by law, set off a
portion of the distant regions of the
Northwest, into separate government,
under the designation of the Territory
! Of Minnesota; and the restless tide of en-
igration. ever ready seemingly to seize
on new avenues for its progress, is al
ready flowing in that direction with so
strong a current, that it has been thought
that brief sketch like the following, of
the geography, history and resources OF
! the new Territory would be useful, and
not embarrassing.
BOUNDARIES.
The new Territory contains about
t66, 900 square miles, (as calculated by
Mr. Darby. the geographer;) nearly
four times the size Of Pennsylvania. 1t
is situated west of the State Of Wiscon-
sin, and Immediately north Of Iowa
commencing at latitude 43 deg. 80 min.
Like Louisiana, it lies on both sides OF
the Mississippi river; and while the for
mer possesses its mouth, Minnesota in
cludes within her boundaries, the coun-
try around all its head waters, to the far
:. thest source Of the Great River in Lake
ltasca. The entire northwestern shore
of Lake Superior. is embraced within
!. the territory: it is only limited on the
extreme north by the international boun-
dairy line, separating US from the British
Possessions: and 1t reaches west to the
impetuous Missouri, and, from the west
ern boundary Of Iowa, as far up tina,
stream as the White Earth River, a trib-
utary flowing into it from the north.
THE NAME AND ITS ORIGIN.
The name of the Territory is pro-
nounced as if spelled .Mn-nee-so-tah.--
1t is derived from the Indian name of the
St. Peters river, the principal local
stream of the country. The Dakotas OF
Sioux who live on its banks. th:is call it,
on account of the different appearance
Of its waters from those of the Missis-
sippi. AT the junction of the two
streams, the waters of the last named
river may be observed generally tinged
of chocolate color, derived from the
extensive tamarac, and pine swamps to-
wards the north, in which it partly has
IS head springs; while the waters Of
he Minnesota are entirely different in
appearance, being light colored and
clear. The name is compounded Of two
words, mime, meaning ,rater, and sotah /;
but the exact Specification Of the last
word is somewhat obscure. !, Various au-
.horties render it rhaish, or turdrd, or
cloudy, or gray, and even muddy! Mr..
Nicollet, of the U. S. Exploring Expedi-
ton, says that blear is the proper inter-
probation. But the Rev. Mr.. Pond, for
many years resident missionary among
the Dakotas, the principal collector OF
the Dakota Vocabulary, and acknowl-
edged the highest authority on questions
of Dakota philology, expressed to the
writer the opinion, that shy-colored more
clearly and precisely cxprcssedthe mean
ing Of sotah, in this connexion. MIN
nc-so-ta, therefore, is literally "The
Territory Of the Shy-coiorcd tFater. -
This poetical designation receives addi-
tional ornament in the Dakota name be-
slowed on the junction of the river with
the Mississippi: that Of Mendoza, or
.Nmgling Of The Waters. This is also
the appellation Of the Indian trading
! town at the mouth
EARLY HISTORY.
The early history Of Min-ne-so-tah is
involved in much obscurity; though
Father Hennepin in 1850, and Baron
La Hontan in 1859, both Frenchmen,
visited it, but subsequently gave narra-
tives to the world, so strangely intermix-
ed with the truth, and seeming fable, that
little reliance was placed on their state
mcnts
| 1t would seem on investigat alton, that
for the last several hundred years, the
possession of the land has been fercely
contested by different Indian nations;
mainly between the great tribes Of Da-
kotas or Sioux, and the Algonquins or
Chippewas. The latter, from their cas-
tern location on Lake Superior, about
the Falls of Saint Mary, and earlier in
tercourse with the French fur traders,
became first possessed of firearms,
which gave them Superiority that eh-
abled them to drive the Dakotas from
the rich midland hunting grounds, rice
aud fish lakes, in the country about the
head waters of the Mississippi.
The dispossessed bands Of the Dako-
tas moved westward, sweeping in their
progress, the Shians, the 1owas, and 9TH
er tribes from their lands; until in the
course of time, the fugitive Dakotas of
the Upper Mississippi, have become the
fiercest lords of the vast buffalo plains Of
the Upper Missouri.
BY treaty negotiated under the pro-
lection of the United States, at Fort
Crawford, near Prairie du Chen, in
1895. between all the different tribes of
the Northwest, their respective bounda-
ries were defined; and therceforward
comparative peace eusued among them.
The history of the wars of these tribes of
the Northwest, their legends. their shift
ing geographical relations, their migra-
tons and derivation, is a rich mine for
the future historian.