Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-09-18
Correspondence Of the Times.
Correspondence Of the Times.
Autumn In Mime sota-Indian Legends-the Spirit
Bear. and the Massacre Of the wild Horses
Growth of Hastinss-New road to Cannon Falls
Politics in Dakota County.
"LAKEsiDE," on Lake Matoka, at HAsTIxGs,}

Rear. and the Massacre Of the wild Horses
Growth Of Hastlnss-New road to Cannon Falls
Politics In Dakota County.
"LAKEsIDE," on Lake Matoka, at HAsrINGs,(
September 8, 1885, J
Mr. EDIroR:-How beautifully our Fall sets
in! Expect, about these days, as the Alma
nacks phrase it, two or three months of the
pleasantest weather ever grown in the universe
The autumns of Minnesota are the choices,
portions of our year. The nights cool-the
days not too warm-the insect world gone OF
going to that bourne from whence no musketo
comes back-we can work in comfort and can
sleep in peace. Around us, the vegetable world
is mingling with its old emerald dress, robes Of
scarlet, and purple, and golden brown-and
verify Solomon in all his glory could mt hold a
candle to it for beauty and brilliancy. Calm,
happy, satisfied that God has cast my lines in
this pleasant portion Of his creation, yet buoyant
and hopeful amidst our pure rarified atmosphere
such briefly describe my feelings, and those
which Minnesota autumn are apt generally
to inspire.
And thus feeling sat me down this bright
and glowing afternoon, to "do Gas old c. K.
Smith would say) the correspondence" that l
promised you. l am writing in that quaint
long room of which you wot, in the sharp-roof-
ed cottage by the /" Lakeside as l look
out upon the silvery pond before me, glistenins
in the red sunlight of the Western horizon,
and bethink me what l shall write about, 10
one subject is before me-the Lake itself. Not
that it has aught to the vision, marking it out
strikingly for comment, from amongst the thou
sand and one lakes that bespangle the broad
acres of the Territory in every direction. But
then it hath history-it hath Indian legends
connected with its shores-that raise it up out Of
the common herd of lakes and constitute it a
lake Of note and consequence. In dimensions
it is over quarter Of mile in width, and half
a mile in length, while it is less than quarter
of mile from the main channel OF the Mis-
sssippi, being inserted, as it were, in the mid
die of the town plat of HASTINGS, like " gem
of purest ray serene" pinned upon cheek shirt
bosom, or diamond glistening within new
shaved pinc-wood setting. In shape it is some
thing like beef kidney; nor doth it lack
certain sort Of pleasant beauty of its own
with, on the north and west, bold rocky shores,
lu,ting out into wooded points or rounded prairie
knolls, and on the south its strip of green
meadow and back ground Of sloping bluffs,
lightly wooded; whilst at the most eastern ex-
uemi'y is bcheld heavy bottom timber, frnged
by wild rice shallons where ten thousand black
birds are just now reaping their harvest, with
noise like the dash of many waters, greedy in
their haste to " crop" the whole crop of wild
rice before the ducks and geese and swans and
pelicans make their customary annual visit for
the same purpose. Except these birds, and the
domestic animals around my "early pointed"
cottage on the south shore, few more signs of
life are witnessed on the lake than were of
yore when the Indian claimed it entirely his
own-and then, Notwithstanding all its beauty
and advantages, it was deserted indeed for
superstition lent its aid to keep even savage life
from breaking the quiet of its silent shores. To
the Indian mind it is haunted ldke-a terrible
spot, to be avoided stunned. He thinks, that
around its shores, and especially in the deep
dark woods at its eastern extremity, roams a
huge monster of the grizzly bear species as to
form, and supernatural as to spirit-a very
mokonshccha-whom it is destruction for Da-
kota to encounter, and to meet the glance Of
whose awful eye even, is death--ins,ant death
The iavorite hour for the monsters roamings,
is said to be after dark, when he goes about
like the old devil HIMSELF seeking to devour
unfortunate Dakotas who may have vcntured
within his dreaded domain. During the duck
ing season, a Sioux, bolder than his fellows,
may occasionally be seen in the day time, hunt
ing the wild fowl, though careful even then to
keep as far as possible from the eastern end of
the Lake. During the three or four years
have been here, have never known an Indian
to tarry around near the Lake, when "ihe
shades of night began to fall
Some the Sioux say that it is not the ghost
Of grizzly bear exactly but that Of Chippe-
way medicine man who was killed hercabou,s,
and who has taken that mons,rous form, TO re-
'ShSS ihhoSi vi tuc pun buhotuS WIZ CoNle
within the range Of his deadly eye.
In the Dakota language, mah-fo is the name
for the grizzly bear, the most terrible animal of
which they have any knowledge. The Win
nebagoes call it mah-tcho. 1t once probably
ranged over this region Of country /; but has
long since retired to the precincts of the rocky
mountains though even nowadays one is oc-
casionally killed prowling amidst the woods Of
Devils Lake in the valley of the Red River of
the North. They attain often an immense size.
When was at Pcnbinaw in 1851, they had
there the skin of a grizzly bear, which, on
comparison was found larger than any buffalo
robe in the trading post!
But to return to our Lake: which, with so
handsome a form and with associations so in
teresting, all will admit should have a name at
once euphonious and appropriate and this
think it possesses in the Indian appellating of
Lake .Matoka, or mdh-foka m'day, signifying
the Dwelling-placc or Haunt Of the Spirit Bear
Some one who got up the town plat of Has
tings, upon which this Lake is drawn, with
singular lack of correct taste. labelled on it the
unmcop pipp coppomen of 90 olo IS,h,l ~ ~,