Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-02-26
The, Ancient Days Of 81. Paul.

7 ,TotsI Gioll a9d91i.adg vi ,-s.5..aT E ~ p
|, The, Ancient Days Of st. Paul.
From No 1, VOL i, of the Weekly, Nsane-
isOtian, published on September nth, 1851,
we make some extracts, to show the contrast
between St. Paul and its institutions then and
now. 1t will not require an " Old Settler " to
appreciate them even: "a ., q '-..-. '-.'
~ The walls of the new Court House are
visible at last, and It is said the building will
be enclosed before winter. If the County
Commissioners would but conclude, to find q
place wherein to lconfinel prisoners until the
time Of trial. they would hear less grumbling
about ten thousand dollar Court House.
Both Court House and Jail are now built,
but the !" grumbling continues yet. A "ten
thousand dollar Court House, was surpassed
In time by 81, 900 Jail -" :, '.A.. '7-''.. :.
w A fire occurred in the upper end Of
town yesterday afternoon, caused by leaving
shavings in the vicinity Of the carpenter sho1
destroyed, during the morning The Messrs.
Parker, owners Of the shop, lose considerable
in the way of sash, doors tools, clothing, &c.
| That WAS be6re our present able Fire De-
partmsnt Was dreamed M ( Of eyens II =; bsd.;,,i
-~ Nis q fact not probably often reflect
ed upon by the people of ST.. Paul, that we
have about four hundred children within the
limits of our two school districts, and not
school accommodations for more than third
Of them. Our district schools, it is true, are
both open-the upper one under the charge
of the pioneer teacher Of st. Paul, Miss Bishop
but those schools are Of course totally mad
eqpate to meet the public exigencies. We
have, heard considerable talk about establish
ing q Seminary for the higher branches of ed
ucation, and committee was sometime since
appointed to attend to it, but we have not
learned of their doing anything. .s,, n ..i
There is nothing that impresses one more
sensibly with the progress of St. Paul than to
read the above item, and compare then with
now. We have three large and commodious
public free schools with all departments organ
ICED, one college, and several private select
schools, where nearly or quite, one thousand
children are receiving q useful education.
e Mr.. Thomas OleIl exhibited potatoe
last week, raised on his farm in Dakota Coun-
ty, opposite St Paul, weighing three and half
pounds. 1t was perfectly sound, although the
few potatoes on that side of the river, general
ly speaking, are not escaping the devastation
by rot, prevalent throughout the more cult
waited parts of the Territory.
~ The first brick sidewalk ever hid
down in St. Paul, or in the Territory, was
that by Mr.. Fullerton, in front of his store on
Third street His neighbors opposite, the
Messrs. Mcleod, " followed suit" and thus
both houses have earned the thanks of the
town by being pioneers in this convenience.
The Pioneer office also took an enterprising
start on Friday last, and nailed down a board
footway on its Third street front. e.
Third street has suffered so many subse-
quent gradings, that we believe no relics of
this 'frst brick side walk" remain. ..'
w The first fire-proof roof in the north
west above Dubuque, is upon the new brick
building on Third street But court, jury,
bar, and spectators had very sensible dem
onstration last week that it was not water
proof. Co.. -,... . ...
~ We learn from the ST. Anthony En-
press, that desperate encounter took place
last Thursday at Lake Calhoun, between Mr..
Charles Mouseau on the one side, and large
bear of 700 lbs. weight on the other, in the
which Mr.. Mouseau came off triumphantly
victorious, bringing his spoils with him.
The place where this monster of the forest
was killed in 1851, is now in the suburbs of
one of the largest cities of Minnesota-anoth-
er proof of the unexampled progress of our
State. .,-. ..... --...f .....~.-...
tH We learn from Saltwater, that the
contractors for building the penitentiary, are
pushing the work rapidly. The walls are al
ready several feet above the ground We
presume it is generally known that the con-
tractors are Jesse Taylor, Jacob Fisher and
Mr.. Delano, than whom better mechanics, or
more enterprising men cannot be found in the
Territory. Our capitol site still continues
stone quarry. .'. ~ '.....'
1t seems from the following that the City
Council or toson council as it was then
were game for newspapers as much as now.
E. Our town Council should be present
ed with an English dictionary They have
out an ordinance authorizing the Marshal to
kill all the sluts" running at large without
owners. Slut is defined by all authorities to
be nothing more than slatternly, dirty wo-
man, while the female of the canine race,
which we presume is what the city fathers
are trying to get at, is simply q bitch. We
hope there are no sluts in town, but if there
be, it is hard to compel our friend Castner to
do his duty in the premises, having, as he un-
doubtedly must, the fear Of broomsticks and
hot water before his ewes