The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1851-10-23
MINNESOTA AFFAIRS.

VoYAGEURs.--There are many voyageurs
living in Minnesotu---nosty Canadians and half
; breeds; and many Of them become attached to
, savage lie, and live with the Indians We saw
several Of them wearing the Indian blanket, at
the treaty of Traverse des Sioux In work Just
published, called the ''Hisiory of the Conspiracy
Of Pontiac, and Of the War Of the North Ameri-
can Tribes against the English Colonies after the
Conquest of Canada" by Francis Parkman, r.,
we find the following life-like picture of a voya-
geur, who has sunk down into savage life:
''The fur-tradc engendered peculiar class Of
men, known by the appropriate name of bu h.
rangers, conrears des bots, hali-civized vagrants
whose chief vocation was conducting the canoes
Of the traders along the lakes and rivers of the
interior; many of them, however, shaking loose
every tie of blood and kindred, identified them
selves with the Indians, and sank into utter bar
barlsm. In many squalid camp among the
plains and forests Of the West, the traveller
would have encountered men owning the bloo,
and speaking the language of france, yet in their
Wild and s~ arthy vlsages and barbarous costume
seeming more akin to those with whom they had
cast their lot. The renegade of civilization
caught the habits, and in.bibed the preiudices of
his chosen associates. lie loved to decorate his
: long hair with eagle feathers to make hls face
hideous with vermi!hon, ochre and SCOT /; and to
adOrn his greasy hunting froc with horse-hair
fringes. His dwelling, if he had one, was
wiglYam. lie lounged on bear-skn while his
squaw boiled his venison and lighted bis pipe In
hunting, in dancing. liz singing, in taking a scalp
he rivaled the genuine Indian His mind was
tinctured with the superstiiions Of the forest He
had faith in the ma gic drum Of the coniurer; he
was not sure that a thunder-cloud could not be
frightened away by whI' sting IT it through the
wing bone Of an eagle; he carried the tail of a
rattlesnake in his bullet pouch by way Of amulet;
and he placed implicit trust in the prophetic truth
of his dreams. This class of men is not vet ex-
finct. In the cherries lids beyond the northern
axes, or among the mountain solitudes of the
distant West they may still be found, unchanged
in life and character since the day when Louis the
Great claimed sovereignty the desert en-
pre-"
A PIcTURE OF THE BLUFF AT ST. PAUL.
1t may be interesting TO those who will come
after Us 10 know that at this time, the bluff be-
tween Bench street and the river from near the
foot Of Jackson Street to the steam sawmi!I of
WATSON & Barncs-or nearly from the Lower
Landing to the street leading down to the Up
per Landings now in wild state of Nature
the only building between the two points above
named, Oil the south side of Bench Street, being
an old log house under the bluff, at the mouth of
that slough into which the steamboat DR.. Frank
lin, No. l, ran, last spring, and broke away "a
boom of pine logs. The bluff, rs Ear down as
the old Catholic Church, from Bench street TO the
edge Of the river, has growing upon it such cedar
trees as have been inaccessible to the axe, by
reason of the steepness of the bluff. Two or
three little steep paths, leading down to tbs
springs at the foot of the bluff, Indian trails worn
IN the white Sandstone, are now in to bring
up spring-water for those 10 drink who inhabiI
the north side Of Bench street, along which sew
erai buildings are now constructed. All the
buildings on Bench Street, in April, 1919, above
the old log Catholic Church, were Vetal Guer-
rims, ut the junction Of Third street and Bench,
(now LeDuc's Bookstore); two old houses lit
tie east Of Mr.. Ne!ll's church, on the lots where
Mr.. Goodhues house stands, two Lighthouses in
the street, the junction of Hill street; an old
rookery on the south side the foot Of Capitol
street, being a. hole in The ground, used for horse
bil.iard room, and the house of John r. Irvine,
on the north side Of Bench street, being house
finished outside with nc-mortar We call it
Bench street as far AS the street follows along the
the edge of the Bench; that is, from the foot of
Jackson Street, at the lower landing, to its inter-
section with Fort street, where Monk Hall stands,
and where Mr.. Winslow is about erecting new
Hotel. Lying east from the Catholic Church, on
Bench Street, there then an old log building,
into which the Central House was engraf,ed, in
the spring Of 1919, which has since been and
still is the principal hotel at tho lower end Of
town, and in which the first Legislature met;
Then next east, the dwelling house, then new,
Of Louis Roberts; next east the old log building
corner Of Bench aud Roberts, in one end of which
MIR. Creek sells the 'rale honey dew" tobacco
and Indian curosies, &c, and just east Of that
the old building occupied by VIM. ii. Forbes, as
the ''St Paul Outfit "a Fur Company trading
house, then at the corner Of Jackson and Bench
Douglass pont) the old building still being there
In which Henry Jackson used TO keep free tav-
ern, and Jackson aud IIar,shorn an Indian store
There were then 10 stairs at the foot of Bench
street. Randall's warehouse and store (then the
nrm oil Freeman, I.arpenteur Coz was just
built; and Roberts store, at the Lower Landing
was built, and The sn log house still standing
few rods below, in which a Frsnchnan kept
whisaey and other CONTEMPORARIES.
THIRD STREET IN ArRII., lSI9.--At the
lower end Of Third street, stood, and now stands.
an old log house. 1, was the principal grocery in
St. Paul. Al the corner Of Third and Jackson,
was and still is, Mr.. Bass house. The FIRST tavern
in ST. Paul Jackson used to keep every body
for nothing, and their whskey and ball bills fur
nished them gratis in the bargain. Mr.. Hopkins
store and house was then built, corner of Jack !
son aud Third streets. and Mr. Larpentcur's
dwelling house, opposite corner. Then there !
was 'itae old building next west Of it, not then |
completed, belonging TO Capt Dana?) finished |