The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-09-09

MI. w RIGHT, Iue proprietor mere, WHOSE
acquaintance we made over an extempora-
neous dinner of cold pork and beans, is fine
specimen of resolute and energetic western
man. He has been here for two years.
struggling to build up frontier, and to
make home for his family-whom he has
sent for from the soft shades of universities
and schools to complete their education by
developing their manhood and womanhood
in the hard work and sturdy life of the from
tier. He is right. The university educates
but one side of the character, and generally
overdoes that, leaving the other as soft as
the paste of an underdone cherry pie.
Mr. WRIGHT and two sons have built o
fine substantial log dam across the river at
Wassiota, which at the same time answers
an excellent purpose as bridge. He thus
obtains a sufficient head of water for the
saw and grist mill, which he proposes to
build near by. What was the special de-
mand for a grist mill in that region 1 could
not see, till Mr.. w. took me, after dinner,
over his fields, consisting of some thirty or
forty acres of fine crops of wheat, oats, corn,
potatoes, peas, beans, &C., all planted and
titled by his own hands. Such wheat, such
oats, such potatoes, and Notwithstanding
the unusual coldness of the season, such corn,
| have not seen elsewhere in Minnesota.
Besides this he had a fine garden, in excel
lent trim, in which all kinds of table vege-
tables were growing in luXuriant profusion.
Mr.. w. was full of enthusiasm over this
the facts were known as they exist, that
hundreds of farmers from the neighborhood
of North Eastern Wisconsin-where he
himself had left fine farm-would leave
there at any sacrifice that would enable
them to secure home on the Upper Red
River, as near Wassiota as possible, pre-
sumo.
Mr.. w. insists that the head of naviga-
tion on. the Red River, is neither at Shey-
enne nor Breckenridge, but at Wassiota-
to which point he is confident that the next
successful experiment in steamboat naviga-
tion will be made. Should this prove true,
it would complete the obvious analogy of
situation, between the situation of Wassiota
and Mankato, in their command of the lines
of travel.
Among the curiosities of Dayton was a
sort of fortifcation, which Mr.. w. had con-
structed the winter or fall before, to defend
himself and his cattle against Indians-by
whom he had been several times annoyed.
Nature had, in fact, supplied all the
means of defence upon the spot. The
steep banks curving inward from the shore
line of the river, left terrace in the shape
of a half-moon, protected in front by the
river, and on the curve side by a high ma
tural wall, which, by the aid of a few logs
and little digging, became impossible to
cattle-thieves, while the whole interior was
commanded by the guns of Mr.. WIS cabin.
He had even sent at one time, to the Gov
ernor of the State, for piece of ordinance,
with determination to infict a summary
chastisement on his impudent visitors but
his military dispositions were superseded for
the time, by the abortive Government enter
prise of building a fort at Abercrombie.
Few of our readers are aware of the eX-
tent or insolence of the depredations COM
mitted by maraudng parties of Indians in
this direction. Too widely separated for
mutual assistance, scarcely any of the few
settlers of the Otter Tail district escaped
from their inordinate exactions enforced by
threats. or from bolder contributions levied
by force.
Several claims were deserted on this ac-
count, and Mr.. w. only maintained his
footing by his determined bearing.
Under these circumstances the selection
of fort at Abercrombie, or somewhere
else in the vicinity, would seem to be indis.
pensable to the security of the settler, and
consequently to the availability of the pub
lie lands now in course of survey in this
district. JAW.