Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-05-29
Letter from tho ssSentor."

Captain l. ,dwicks-the old Dr. Franklin-my hrst al
vent In St. Paul-Sunday nine years ago-6ov Kan
sey at Mendota-Sbley, Rice and Steele-a little pri
vate polti al history of the early times-Sbley'
gratitude-frauds and forgeries.
On BOARD STEAMER NORTHERN LIGPr,
May %, 1855. {
DEAR MINNEsorIAN :-Sickness in my tam
lily suddenly calling me away from my post,
find myself this, Sunday morning on board
the good ste ,mer Northern Light, command
ed by that popular Captain, Pres. LoDwIcK
with DUBOIS as Clerk thereof bound for d
voyage on the raging Mississippi as far down
as the renowned town Of Hastings, p miles
below St Paul, shat great city"
Looking back from the upper deck Of the
steamer upon this city fast receding from m,
view under the rapid strokes of our revolving
paddles, thought bears me back to that Sun
day morning, the 9th of May, lS49, when
IN company with Governor RAMSEY and his
family his brother JusrUs c. RAMSEY
JOHN p. Owens md his wife q; Mrs. RODEY
PARKER; and some others now dead and
gone; first laid my eyes upon St. Paul
gazing thereon from the upper deck of the
steamer DR.. Franklin, also commanded by a
Captain LoDwIcK the brother of the present
chief of the Nothem Light, nut now retired
with fortune and young wife.
remember the same WELL 1t was an ex
ceedingly bright and pleasant Sunday morn
ing. The air blew in zeypher breezes, balmy
and soft. The river was in full food and
the willow islands as we passed them, showed
but as so many green tussocks, waving merely
fcathery- green heads above the surging wa
tiers, chocolate-tinged by the tamrack swamp>
around the rivers read springs. There wa,
therefore with the water at such stage, NJ
intricate plotting needed ;and our boat rush.
ed along without hesitation or delay.
As We approached the turning point at
Dayton's bluff, Captain LoDw1cK gave us
notice that St. Paul would be in sight in a
few minutes. Our patty all gathered on the
upper deck eager to catch a glimpse of the
metropolis of the territory the Govern,
of the newborn empire anxious naturally to
view the cradle of his government, in which
it would be his duty to nurse the infant Min
nesota to maturity and power; his good lad,
DESTROYS of seeing her future home for which
woman-lke, size had reluctantly surrendered
her old one amongst the ILLS Of Pennsy Iva,
mia md all OF us curious to behold the spo:
that in future was to bear us and make, per.
haps, orr fortunes. 1t was quite early
scarce six o'cl, elk. The young sun of the
morning was not long up; and his first Ii. ht.
yet deeply golden, as it bathed the site OF
St Paul, her few houses, the amphitheatre Of
his surrounding, seemed to us as the sun t.
Austerlitz 10 Napoleon-the harbinger of
victory and success The hour being so
early, bat comparatively few of the citizens
of the new city were at the landing to greet
us on our arrival J. W. BASS, who then
kept the only genteel public house in the
place, the nucles of the present Merchants
Hotel, was almost the first on board. Judge
AARON GooDRICH, the Chief Justice, was
also there, having been the first federal officer
who arrived at the seat of government
JAMES GoODHUE, the Editor of the Pioneer
was prominent amongs the crowd-and HEN
RY jackson. the Postmaster, who is since
deceased at Mankato-Dr. DAVID Day, now
of the firm Of Day & JENKs-WM. II. No
BLEs now Col MOBILES, Superintendent of the
Governmei Wagon Road-Dr DEwy bro
tler of the Vic. nsin Governor Of tn name
BEN BRUNsoN then surveyOr-COl
JAMES IiUGHrs. whose name and body and
stories all correspondent hugely-Ex-Sberiff
G. p. LrLL-DAvID LAMBERT, Esq,-thcsc
and other then or Immediately afterwards
greeted US.
Up the steep hank at the foot of Jackson
Street-of levee there was almost none, and
of grade about dltto-we scrambled, to view
the Intervals of the town. Gov. r. and my
self walked up Bench Street past the old
Catholic log Church Of 'St. Pauls," as far
as Wabashaw.
Here we stopped, for all beyond was a
hazlc patch, with slight path winding alorg
the bluff, and in the distance beyond us we
could see the American House just being
built and one or two other fran es also going
up in that vicinity. At the confluence OF
Waba>haw, Bench and Third streets, JOSEPH.
r. Brown and family lived in log house,
with an overshot roof the nucleus of the
cluster of buildings lately occupied by Won
Hams book store, Harry Woods, and Day
toms Offices A little this side of that
point, extending through from Bench to
Third street, James Goodhuc, on q half lot,
soon had his printing ofiice-a very rough
unfinished, upholstered clapboardcd story,
and a half house, in portion of which in
regular pioneer style, his family lived. Capt.
Wakeiield's Fremont House, was also partly
built; and SO was David Lambert's house
and law Olficc-the same that were removed
to make more room for the stone building
that is now being erected adjoining the Min
ness tian office-these, with retail Grocery
house, constituted all there was OF St. Paul
west Of Minnesota street clear up to the
American Ii use. barring half dozen log
buildings with bark roofs, which as they ob
structed the streets were long Stree removed
East of Minnesota street was the mostdense-
ly built portion of the town but even there
a house to square would be liberal allow
arce.
The most important and pretentions build
ing 1T that end of town, was the house dcs
tined for the Governors residence, Which was
pointed out to us on the south side of Third
between Robert and jackson streets-being
that frame story-and a-half house that over
hangs its basement, adjoining bakery, and