Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1857-03-28

Correspondence Of the Times.
wahpaton and Sissiton Dakotas.
FRIEND NEwsoN,-In former years have told
you something of tho Dakotas, and of the suf-
fsrings which they endured in consequence of the
negligence of the officers IF the United States
The exposure of such wrongs, through the Public
Press, is usually the most efficient way Of correct
ing them in a country where public sentiment
makes and enforces the law. By exposures of
this kind, you have done good service to the In
dams, as we'll as to the white inhabitants of this
Territory. Last year more land was broken for
the Dakotas of the Upper Minnesota, viz: the
years. Also, grist and saw mill, promised them
and begun in 1855, was erected and put in oper-
alton, and several hundred hoes more were fur
nished them last year than in all previous years.
In consequence of these things, the Dakotas of
this neighoorhood begin to feel the benefit oftheir
civilization fund. 1t is true, little of the land
broken last year, has been cultivated, and very
little benefit has as yet been derived from that
broken the previous year; for most of it, as in-
deed of all the land broken for the Wahpaton and
Sissiton pakotas, was cultivated out of season
and experience shows that the prairie in this
neighborhood, if broken too late in the season,
without better means for puiverizing it than the
Dakotas possess, cannot be made to yield a crop
Of corn till several years afterwards.
The first forty acres which was broken for them
was done in August, 1853. From this they sue
eeeded in getting some potatoes and few small
turnips in 1854, and in 1855 good crop of these
valuable roots from so much of it as was proper
y planted, perhaps one half but the corn plant
Cd on it was entire failure in both those years.
The corn planted on it last year yielded pretty
fair crop. and for the first time the Dakotas in
this neighborhood gathered more corn and pota-
toes than they can eat before the time for anoth-
Or crop. They have sold several hundred bushels
Of each, supplied the wants of number of their
relatives from other places, and have fed and are
feeding considerable corn to their horses, which
they have not been in the habit of doing in years
past. The potatoes nearly all grew on the high
prairie, broken for them by government the corn
chiefly on the river bottoms, which they broke for
themselves, though perhaps nearly all of it had,
after one or more crops had grown on it, been
plowed for them.
Some of these Dakota men were taught to pillow
Tor themselves at Lac qui Parle, when we resided
there, and others have been learning, and many
more probably would have learned if they had
been supplied, as they had reason to expect they
would be, with suitable plows, harness, &c. We
are told that large number of plows have been
purchased for them and will be brought up this
Spring. Thus we hope that ere long, there will be
NO occasion to hire white men to pillow for these
upper Dakotas, except in breaking the prairie !:
and some of them who have learned to drive oxen
anu have been unable to get as much land broken
as they wished to cultivate, say that if Govern
ment will furnish the pillow and team, they can
and will break prairie for themselves.
The susceptibility of the Dakotas for improve
ment, is manifested in building, as we'll as in a
greater abundance of the products of tho SOIL
A year ago less than half dozen families of
them, in this neighbourhood were living in
log cabins, none in anything better, and think
it was the first winter Dakota family occupied
even so good shelter, in this neighborhood, as
cabin built of logs, laid up horizontally. At this
time, besides two framed houses, there are not
less than fifteen log cabins of the kind spoken Of,
in this neighborhood, occupied by Dakota fami-
lies. Most of these are furnished with stoves,
and, in regard to comfort, will compare favora-
bly, with the first dwellings erected by the agri.
cultural population of Ohio, Indiana and Mime
sofa. The glass and sash for most of these
dwellings have been furnished from their civiliza-
ton fund, and the logs for about half of them
we're hauled by men and teams furnished from
the same fund, and they have been assisted in
getting the sawed lumber used about them. AL.
most all the other labor expended on them has
been performed by the Dakotas themselves, with
some assistance and instruction from Mr.. Riggs.
All these improvements have proceeded from
those who have felt the reality of those abstract
truths, the inculcatings of which is spoken of
with so much contempt by correspondent of the
Saint Paul Advertiser, writing about Traverse des
Sioux. The preaching of the Gross of Christ,
has, from the 6rst, been fooishness to the
wise Of this world but experience shows.
that among the Dakotas, as elsewhere, it is not
only the wisdom Of God, and the power of God,
to the salvation of the souls of those who be.
lieve, but the most effsctual means of promo.
ting their temporal welfare.
- >"N'sS w anSeAoOs !" oSIiCuituTe uuQ tue me.
chanic arts were sufficient, the Mendewakonton
and Sissiton, who formerly dwelt about Travese
des Sioux, should now have been far more ad.
vanced in civilization, than the Wahpaton of this
neighborhood, and Lac qui Parle. Those indians,
twenty years ago. appeared decidedly superior to
these. In everything, except religious instruc-
ton, those have had as great, and many Of the
Mendewakanton far greater advantages for i'm.
provement than these. But the influence of Ro.
man Catholic traders prevented those from listen.
ing to the instruction of Protestant Missionaries,
which was not the case with these, and the result
is that these are now in civilization ahead of
nose. Yours Respectfully,
THOS S. WILLIAMSON.
" The Iowa Constitutional Convention ad.