The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-10-28
One Man In his Time plays Many Parts.

One Man In his Time plays Many Parts
Years ago--before Minnesota was
thought of--an enterprising Indian trader,
who occupied post on Big Stone Lake, at
the head waters of the Minnesota, conceived
the design of introducing an improvement
in the naval architecture of that region--of
supplanting the primitive canoe with a
stately keel boat, that should be rugged with
sails, to navigate the winding bays of Big
Stone Lake and float down the spring floods
of the Minnesota with rich freights of furs
to Mendoza.
The conception was startling one, but
Brown, 1--WE will call the trader BROWN
was used to bold experiments and was not
at all deferred from the execution of his pro-
ject by the fact that there was no timber fit
for his purpose upon the borders of lake or
river, while naked plain swept for thirty
miles in every direction all around him.
But thirty or forty miles to the west,
upon tie slopes of the Coteau DIES Prairies,
which doomed up against the horizon, some
tall timber grew.
To man of ordinary capacity, the long
distance from which it would be necessary
to haul this timber, in order to build the
projected boat, would have proved an insu.
perable obstacle to the scheme. But all
obstacles vanished before the indomitable
energy aud exhaustless resources of the man
whom we call Brown. If the timber would
not come to Brown, BROWN would 60 to the
timber. He would not haul it by piecemeal
to the lake shore-any fool might do that
with perseverance and yoke of oxen. He
would build him his boat on the wooded
slopes of the Coteau and transport it by large
OK power, ready built, to the lake shore, and
there launch it. So in due time the boat
was built--one of the Mackinac type-of
four or five tons burthen, and finished at
great expense of sweat and Indian goods,
ready to launch. There was only one step
more to the consummation of the bold
scheme, and that was to move the large and
fine structure over some thirty or forty miles
of rolling prairie, sloughs, and ravines, to the
water.
At this point, we are sorry to add
Browns resources proved unequal to his
genius and vulgar mechanical difficulty,
such as too often embarrasses the prOudest
inspirations, cut short the realization of his
excellent scheme on the very eve of its con-
summation. He had, in fact, fallen into the
same error of calculation which distinguish.
ed the efforts of the famous Robinson Cru
soc, in the same line of marine architecture
and, like him, could not move his beat from
the stocks and there, it is said, it remains
to this day, fixed monument of the daring
enterprise of the man whom we call Brown
Perhaps some one supposes that BROWN
has given it up. We shall see.
1t is evident from the traits exhibited in
this incident that BROWN was not man to
be extiDguished by single failure--for
which, moreover, the reader will observe
not BROWN, but the nature of the case, was
responsible that, in whatever cir
cumstances, or whatever community, his lot
should be cast, BROWN would be sure to
to shine, if not with the meretrcous lustre
of success, at least with brilliant design anG
splendid effort.
And so, as history shows, he did. There
is nothing which he has not attempted. He
has exhausted fields of enterprise, that were
| barren or inaccessible to common men, and
left them strewn with the wrecks of his ex
periments. Others seek success by the
easiest means. BROWN disdaining the ignc
BILE rewards of victory, seeks only the ex
filtration of the conflict, and among
thousand common and easy things grapple
always with the chiefest difficulty. Wher
other men 90 in at the gate, Brown climb
over the wall.
When people were building cities, Brow
planted city too; not like other people o
terra frma, but in defiance of all know
precedent, under water-a plan of his owl
He has been an impartial Judge witho'
a court; the popular representative of
district without vote; the regular DEM
cratic nominee of Wing convention
Nature abhors a vacuum, and so do
Brown. He has been politician and
LEGISLATOR aud has organized parties, rule