Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1850-06-01
4flilrllcsota Territcrp.
[From the Pennsylvania Telegraph
ORIGINAL SKETCH
OF THE
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY
OF
MINNESOTA TERRITORY.
BY DR.. THOMAS FOSTER.
Number l.

On the Sd of March, 1919, the Congress of
tant regions Of the Northwest, into seperate
government, under the designation of the
Territory Of Minnesota; and the restless tide
OF emigration, every ready seemingly to seize
on new avenues for lis progress, is already
flowing in that direction with so strong cur.
rent, that it has been though that brief
sketch like the following, of the geography,
history and resources of the new Territory,
would be useful, and not unineresting.
BOUNDARIES
The new Territory contains about $4,000
square miles, las calculated by Mr.. Darley,
the geographer; j nearly four times the size
of Pennsylvania. 1t is situated west of Wis
consin, and Immediately north of Iowa
commencing at latitude 43 deg. 80 min. Like
Louisiana. it lies on both sides of the Mssis-
sippi river and while the former possesses
its mouth, Minnesota includes within her
boundaries, the country around all It's head
waters, TO the farthcst source oe the Great
tern shore of Lake Superior, is embraced
within the territory; it is only limited on the
extreme north by the international boundary
line, separating US from the British Posses
sions; and it reaches west TO the impetuous
Missouri, and, from the western boundary of
Iowa, as far up the stream as the White Earth
River, tributary flowing into it from the
north
| THE NAME AND ITS ORIGIN.
The name of the Territory is pronounced
as if spelled Min.nee-SO.tah. 1t is derived
from the Indian name of the ST. Peters river,
the principal local stream ofthe county. The
Dakotas or Sioux who live on its banks, thus
call it, on account of the different appearance
of its waters from those of the Mississippi
At the junction of the two streams, the wa
tiers, of the last named river may be observed
generally tiuged of chocolate color, derived
from the extensive tamarack, and pine
swamps towards the north, in which it partly
has its head springs; while the waters of the
Minnesota are entirely different in appear
ance, being light coored and clear. The
name is compounded of two words, mime,
meaning lcatcr, and sotah but the exact sig
MITIGATION of the last word is somewhat OBJ
scure. Various authorities render it uhiiiSh,
or turbid or cloudg or cloudy, or graz, and
even muddy! Mr.. Nicollet, of the U. S En-
ploring Expedition, says that bledr is the pro-
| i,ta Rt,t ha
for many years resident missionary among
the Dakotas, the principal collector of the
Dakota Vocabulary, and acknowledged the
highest authority on questions of Dakota phi
lology, expressed to the writer the opinion,
that sky-colored more clearly and precisely
expressed the meaning of sotah, in this con-
nexion, Min-ne- sofa, therefore, is literally
"The Territory of the Sky-cOlored Water.' u
This poetical designation receives additional
ornament in the Dakota name bestowed or
the junction of the river with the Mississippi
that of Mendoza, or mingling Of the tcaters
This is also the appellation Of the Indian
trading town al the mouth.
EARLY HISTORY.
The early history of Min-ne-so-tah is in
voved in much obscurity! though Fathe
Hennepin in $780, and Baron La Hontan ii
1859, both Frenchmen, visited it, but subse
quently gave narritves to the world, 81
/ strangely intermixed with truth and seemin!
, fable, that little reliance was placed upol
their statements.
1t would seem on investigation, that for tn
: last several hundred years, the possession O
= the land has been fercely contested by dif
; ferent Indian nationsj mainly between tn
great tribes of Dakotas or Sioux, and the A
gonquins or Chippewas The latter for