Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-09-15
SALE OF THE FORT SMELLING khshN
IN V vs,ald,. washington Correspondents
WARRINGTON, Aug. 70, 1897.

,."HIuais of the Fort Smelling reset'atiou' l ne'.
tnk an some little pains 10 ascertain .ne nu,a ~ - this
I ee the official documents which are on ME IN .ne
Ssnar,ment. Before doing SO, however, l ~'ils n .hs
mn TO the light Of day, an attack IN one u Nar
stock jobbiug abolition papers puollsheu !"
York. ..u,,ou,ory in.
TO strip the rigmarole of its circnml'cTT,, 's Mr. Mr.
situations, the charge it contains IN thls ,ms aboli.
douglas, Mr.. Rice, and Col. Orr SUM ino president of
ton papers have even included the sh;ch m swin.
the United ststss.l formed . m 9 PaaH of dollars that MIR.
EIou ud' Inc Sscrstary OF War, is the ready lnsI LatW ~.
to.carry it ont, participating in me spo,, n,;o o,u
Buchanan silently winks at te !lansa - damon.
u, ;s oniy necessary to state the charee .
III only ne rS;tv and establish its f%alsehood. Some
stLa.e y ,.iof must have ranked in the heart "ni'"
pan,r;ved these foul sentiments. o,;,, from
I.v;ng investigated this whole ra"ssos;o u ="
first to last, find the ia iac ho 10 10 n 'u mind, was sold for
! I.t,ar and higher price than any slmiiar properly
wss ever sold for by the United States: aTo :, ,Ie
Of s.llipp it is shown by the instructions run .ue
| War Department to the Commissioner u 'IG ;n,;to
rort tonchiny the sale; and here they are. ihVlte
= careful perusal of the whole TRANSACTION, anu senI
ture the assertion that the perfect preprie'y Oh " WIN
amount to q Demonstration a;o,;,,,;shod
The modest charge is, that the most asst'hsu.shea
members Of Congress, ssslSi burr Is Jus entered the
trsasnre house of Uncle Sam, taken ana carried
away a million of dollars, and thas lne ites.r e h 10
| the :fsnce'' to conceal it. How uniortuns.e .nal y
Brick Church operation nau n' !" saw"
| fine presept suspicious hour.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR TIE SALE OF foRf sShiLi''.
WAR DEPARTMENT.
[ WARRINGTON, May IS, 1857.
| Major SETH EAsTuAS, - A. ana WILLIAM hiN'
Hr,sxrLL, ESQ, Washington:
nsS%, rMrs You are hereby requested and IN
.,,n.tsd 70 visit in person the military reserve made
| bv the executive at Fort Smelling, in the Territory OF
| Minnesota, and examine and ascertain how lar II Nae
| bsen made valuable by government improvements
| also whether there are any actuai Oona Siai n-ova
| unon the reserve who have made valuable Improve
! ments thereon, and who settled there with the e3Pe;.
| tation, superinduced by the action OF goVernnlenl
| agents, of having the presumption right EXTENDED W
them, and whether, under GIL toe circumstances, 'nog
| should bs allowed to purchase not exceeding one
hundred and sixty acres each, covernS their I'M
proyements, at the government price Oh one aoliar
and twenty-five cents per acre. upon tue aooYe
points you will report to TINS depar,ment q . ou u "a; 10
formation. 30 that you may receive TURNER instrucc
| tions in regard thereto. You will sell all thst part Oh
| the reservation not included in any tract 10 whlch an
actual settler may have a Just CLAIM, elthct a! Puonc
anction. after giving due notice in the principal pa
| ners in the Northwest, or at private sale IN tracts or
iots of forty acres each, 80 as to enable persons OF
small means TO purchase. or IN whole, ~hlcheVe.i ~
your judgement may be deemed best, put IN nellher
cssa at less than 81 So per acre. You VIII e1amiue
| Eort Smelling with reference to IFS being retained rs q
| military depot for the use Of tie government. IL you
| sbould deem il necessary fer Ruch purposes you WI!
reserve from sale the buildings and SUED ianu as you
msyiconsider suitable, not less than forty acres. tob
viii not expose TO sale that part of the reserve whien
s,tsnds over a graveyard and church belonging 10
and claimed by the Catholic congregation WORSHIP
ming there, not exceeding tweDty' i've acres; out aho"
the same to remain in possession anu unuea rs 80
troll of said congregation, with the understanding
that it is not to be used or disposed OF for any otner
nnrnoses. Very RESPECTFULLY, your obediens servant,
JOHN b. FLOYD Secretary OF war.
Messrs. Eastman and Keiskell subsequently sub
mitted the following report;
REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS.
FoRT SMELLING, Min, Ter, June I'D, 1891.
To THE Hon. SECRETARY OF WAR:
SIR-Aereeable to your Instruction. OF the I'D
Nav last. We have visited and carefully examined the
military reservation at this place, and the improve
mepts thereon made by the United States and by CIT.
liens. We find that those made by inc government
were for military purposes, and mostly OF such a ma
ture az to render them almost valueless for any other.
The fort and OutbuildiIgs. upon the reserve were
erected may years ago, and owing to its tnen isolated
condition they could not have been built win any
great degree of permanently, which, with the great
Iapse of time sinoe their erection, leaves them now IN
a dilapidated condition. We are confident that all
Of the improvements could not be sold for more Than
s2U, 600, and are Of the opinion that were they 10 be
sold by themselves they would not bring more than
half that SUN. As an evidence of this, We respect.
fully refer to the sale OF Fort Atkinson, whlch solo
some three years ago at public isle for less than four
thousand dollars would also refeS to the improve.
ments at the late Winuebago agency, which sold
about two wears ago for about 81 900, and this, too.
with a guarantee that the purchaser should nave the
right to enter the land at 81 u per acre. These I'M
proysmsnts cost the Indian Department over SluO,Oo0,
and were all made since 1913 and the m.ltary re-
serve n, Fort WinnebaGo was sold lately at 81 30 per
acre, whilst the land owners we're asking and selling
their lands in the neighborhood at $50 or upwards per
acre.
We find upon the reservation extensive improve
- .;,iV Yang tho mat nf UhIpI nGnnOt ha
lees than s3O,O 900. They date back some twenty
| years, and we also find that they are all owned and
in possession Of the post sutler. Franklin Steele, Esq:
| Many Of the improvements were made by himself
| 9Th the knowledge aud consent of the officers in com.
| maud at the time. He has q large and elegant dwell
| ing. with houses corresponding. The tort IL 40 situa-
| ted at the junction Of the Mississippi and Minnesota
rivers that a ferry for the accommodation OF me tort
| across each river has been indispensable, and we find
that MIR. Steele was authorized to establish and main.
! tain said ferries, which he did, and has for years trans
| ported officers and men and munitions of war across
day aud night, free of charge to the government: he
has built ferry houses, put on and constantly kept boats
| of the best class, and had MEN constantly IN stten.
| dance. He has also built a warehouse. There is a
large and valuable stone building. With a frame addi-
| tio1, making an extensive house, which has been fur.
| nished and used as u hotel, which could not have cost
less than $l5 ,000. The stone part was built in the
wear 1887, by a Mr.. Baker, afterwards sutler at Fort
Smelling; it was sold to Kenneth Mckenzie, Esq,
who, in 1853; put on the extensive addition alluded 10;
put the entire building in good order, aud furnished 1t
for a house of accommodation: or. steel having ar
ranged with Mr. Kenneth Mckenzie for the property,
and secured the government from all claims from this
source, we are positive, therefore, in saying that MIR.
Steele lie the only claimant to the improvements upon
the same made by citizens. Upon questioning Mr.
Steele, he very frankly said tibet he did not 20 on the
said reservation, neither did he make or purchase i'm.
proyementsu upon the same with the expectations OF
having the presumption right extended to MN, ana
we could not come TO the conclusion that ne should
a II ..-Is - $1,000 Nm fhn onR mn hin 4"
pruyements at 81 % per acre. 1t ia true that his I'M.
provements have cost q large amount, but then for
each separate and valuable one to permit him to pur-
chase l60 scres-the amount Of land he would thus
be enabled to obtain at thst price--would amount 10
nearly 900 acres. or IL Of the reservation.
With a view to ascertain the beat manner of dis.
posing of this reservation under your Instructions,
we came to the conclusion that unless we sold the
same at private sale, it would, in all probability, be
sold at little, If any, over 81 y per acre. and for the
following reasons:
/. In 1859, Goth August, statutes at large, vol. IL,
D.. 36J Congress passed a law reducing the then re.
%servation (of which this is a part aud d,reoted that
the Commissioner of the General Land Office should
sell that not then wanted for military purposes at
public sale. The anne was surveyed and advertised
for sale in the principal papers throughout the coun-
try. Three months notice was given, and the lands
proclaimed for sale, 1853, at Saltwater, and all then
offered were sold for 81 25 per acre. That part Of the
old reservation ON the West side of the river was not
sold, in consequence Of the maps not having reached
the Land Cn1ce on tne udy VI sapo. IeiSoue Heut
on and made claims without the authority of law,
and then appealed to Congress for relief; and on the
End March, 1855, au act was passed allowing each
claimant the presumption not exceeding lou acres
each, at 81 25 per acre. Some of this land embraces
a portion OF the Falls Of st. Anthony, and had i'm
prove,nents made upon the same by the Government,
and were much more valuable than any part of the
present reservation. We also collected such informa-
ton in regard to the sales of other reservations as
our time, under the circumstances, would admit, and
found that they seldom brought over 81 % per acre
when sold at private sale. We also, upon good su.
thority, ascertaiued that combinations were being
formed for the purpose of purchasing these lands at
the usual Government prices, and were satisfied that
Justice could not be done the Government unless we