The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-10-14

OcrS. Inc mouse WucTc NTS. OfENCER IuC
wife Of missionary was shot-the thicket
where TERRY lost his life-the ravine, very
near us, where, within year, a party of
skulking Yanctonnais had fred upon the
villagers, while picking berries; besides the
scenes of innumerable depredations upon
property-indeed, the enumeration was an
unsatisfactory commentary upon our Indian
administration in Dakotah. Let us hope
that the speedy organization of Territory
perhaps the establishment of military
post at st. Joseph or Turtle Mountain
will soon compensate so far as possible, for
the present exposures of this frontier.
| regret that the commission, appointed
by the War Department to select the most
eligible site for q military post in the valley
of the Red River, did not extend their
observations to st. Joseph. 1 appreciate
highly the services of Colonel WAIT and
Captain EAsroN, during the last two months.
Their exploration of the Otter Tail District,
for fifty miles in all directions fromthe Lake
has been very satisfactory, as. l doubt not
their report will demonstrate: but have not
late events removed the necessity for the
presence of the Government, much north of
Fort Abercrombie? The population of
the Pembina valley need protecton-with
it, successful agriculture would soon be
witnessed while considerations of interna-
tional comfy (aside from other motives)
forcibiy suggest that our Government should
restrain the Sioux of the Missouri from as
saults upon the inhabitants of Selkirk when
passing to American markets.
BoTTINEAU and myself assumed to act as
amateur commissioners for the location of a
fort. Adjacent to the Convent, on the west,
was a beautiful terrace, about One-third the
height of the mountain, which had the I'D.
vantage of living springs close by; YET our
preference was given to the more command
ing site on the plateau above, from which
the eye could range, not only over the fertile
valley of the Pembina, but far to the
southwest, until the outline of still another
coteau indicated a higher table of land,
which, as l am informed, encloses the Mini
wakan or Devils Lake.
Diminishing the strategical view, our last
tribute, before descending to the village,
was to the beauty of the Pembina valley.
The banks of the river are densely wooded,
while the prairie, stretching from st. Joseph
to the Red River at Pembina, was placid
but peerless landscape. 1t will be eagerly
occupied hereafter by farmers and graziers.
Already, Messrs. BorTINEAU and RoLErTE
have selected beautiful situations at the only
two points where the heavy growth of oak,
elm and ash suffers the prairie to touch the
banks of the Pembina but, with some linn
itatiOn of Indian occupation in Northern
Dakotab, considerable settlement will soon
be attracted to this desirable district.
As we rode out of the village, after taking
leave of our friends who were about to move
westward to discover and pursue direct
trail from Pembina to British Columbia,
we were passed by groups of women and
children heavily fire. GIFTED with Strawberries:
and, indeed, the abundance, size and flavor
to this rosy fruit is Ito the horticultural en-
thusiast) the browning glory of the Pembina.
l gathered two. fruit stalks, each bearing
ten ripe berries. Unless the summer of
1859 is unusually productive, it hardly seems
extravagant to ebelieve, that hereafter the
manufacture ofstrawberry jam, (as from the
raspberry near Mackinac) may be under
taken at St. Joseph. If this idea is fanciful,
certainly the results of BoTr1NEAU's farm at
Point au Michael, are not so. His spring
wheat will yield so bushels to the acre, "a
first crop on new land,) while the production
of barley, oats, peas and potatoes is no less
remarkable. He has found no region of
Minnesota, better adapted to those staples,
than his Enclosure on the northern limit of
Dakotah, hardly aquarter minute of latitude
south of the 49th parallel. J.w.T.