Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1857-07-16
Correspondence Of the Tribune Telegraph.
A Visit to Minnesota Territory, and what
was seen from Railroad, Stage
and steamboat.
MAyKAT0 June 9th fS7

It is a great misfortune that we have not Ia
ken more pains TO preserve and perpetuate In
dian traditions; but as yet there has been no au-
thor who has either in the past or present age
set himself about collecting and perpetuating
the traditionary history Of the various American
tribes of Indians, their manners, customs, reli-
gion and laws Could this have been ably aud
truthfully done, it would have been in future
times, if not at the present, work of great i'm
portance and interest. But they are rapidly dis
appearing as the white man approaches, and ere
another century has closed, the red man will
have disappeared from the North American con
tinent. With Roderick Dhu, he may now wei
exclaim:
"These fertile plains, that spotted vale
Were once the birthright of the Gael;
The stranger came, with iron hand,
And from our fathers reft the land,
Where dwell wo now!'-
There are few remnants of different tribes o
Indians still lingering around their birth places
andthe burial grounds of their kindred, spots eve
as sacred to them as to their pale faced breth
rem. saw quito number of them at the diff
|
fate are the same in Minnesota as elsewhere; thu
moment they come in contact with the white.
they become low and degraded = initiating
and adopting their vices and discarding the
virtues and civilization. / saw but few excep
tons to this rule. At Waubesha, however, /
saw an Indian girl about Is years of age rid,
up to store, presume a fur trading establish
ment. mounted on splendid horse, decked out
like herself in complete Indian costume. She
seemed to manage her horse with perfect ease
sitting like gentleman sstrids of his beast
Her long black hair fell in braids over her back
Strings Of wampum hung from her neck will
different kinds of charms attached-her dres.
was purely Of Indian costume, and her face wa.
painted with different colors. After doing al
errand at the door and coqusttishly refusing tt
dismount at the solicitation of young white
man, she gavo jerk to one of her bride rein.
and off she went with the speed of an arrow
But these exceptions are rare.
Speaking of Indian traditions father Hennepir
relates an incident that occurred at the falls O.
Saint Anthony under his own observation
While at this place passing the falls one day he
saw Dacotah Indian up in an oak tree weeping
most bitterly. He had very beautiful beaver
robe linod with other costly furs and ornamented
with porcupine quilts. This he was offering
as n sacrifice to the falls. 81 heard him." saws
this learned traveller, say; while shedding CO.
pious tears as he spoke to the great cataract
'Thou who art spirit, grant that our nation
may pass here quietly without accident, NAV
kill buffalo in abundance, conquer our enemies,
and bring in slaves, more of whom we will put
to death before thee; the Mesenque {she Da.
cotahs call the Fox Indians by this name to the
present day. have killed our kindred, grant that
we may avenge them"
But will return to my subject. In my last
letter l mentioned reaching tho falls of Saint
Anthony. This place has now population of
some six thousand inhabitants and directly op-
posite is another city by the name Of Minneap-
polls, with a population somewhat greark.-
These two places will in time be united in one
name and one corporation as they now are in
interest. The whole Mississippi here, after a
succession of rapids, suddenly plunges over a
teen feet high, causing a roar to be heard like
that of Niagara falls. These falls are divided
by an island the same as in the Niagara river,
which contains some fifteen acres of land-and
still little above is another island, containing
some fifteen acres, covered with fine growth
of timber These would make a beautiful park
if the proprietors of the two cities would take
liberal course and purchase it early, for such
praisworthy object. The former is called Hen
nepin and the latter Nicolett Island.
The advantages of Saint Anthony (and here
include Minneapolis, for the two places should
and probably before long will be one) are obvi-
ously great, and to me appear so infinitely su-
perior to that of Saint Paul that il the sanity
strife which will in Il few years determine the
precedence, l have not the least doubt but
what the latter will be distanced by the former.
Most people would think q man was insane to
make such q prediction. but with all the odds
now against her 1 cannot but come to the con-
clusion that Saint Anthony is to be the great
city Of the North west. With scarcely unrival-
led grandeur and beauty, salubrious atmos-
phere ever rendered pure and wholesome by the
action of vast body of wa ter, q natural water
power unsurpassed in any part of the W orld
building material equal to Quincy granite, at
merely the cost of blasting, and already the
whole place in the hands of capitalists of wealth
and enterprise-thsse are among tho advantages
that give unmistakable evidence of the future
growth of this place.
1t is true the Capitol is at Saint Paul and that
that place is considered the head of navigation;
but it is equally true that the capital will move
farther to the west and that after an appropria.
zion of few thousand dollars each year for the
purpose of removing the boulders in the river
the last objection will be remedied in a measure
Still think it altogether predetermined about
the first class heavy draft steamers ever being
able to reach Saint Anthony. But the friends
Of the measure claim that it car be done. There
is a large amount Of capital now invested in
the manufacture of lumber and also in other
kinds of mills, but the large amount of avaia.
able water is yet unused. With such advan.
tages and such an extent of country as lies on
the upper Mississippi and its tributaries it can
not long remain idle
1t is a rare instance that we find a place where
great natural advantages exist, particularly
where there is sufficient water power to sc;
al the machinery in the world in melton, and
which may be made available, aud at the sasae
time be place desirable for private residences
Yet this is so with Saint Anthony. Several
generations have passed away since the adven.
turous Hennepin stood upon this spot, but il
cannot have changed but little during that peri.
cd. In speaking of the scenery he well des-
eribes it at the present day: "Tho country
around is extremely beautiful. 1t is not an IN.
interrupted plain, where the eye finds no relief
but composed of many gentle ascents, which in
the summer are covered with the finest verduro