St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-11-07

n9As tar back in the shadowy past as the
oldest traditions Of the red men have gone,
this spot has been regarded as the holiest
Shrine to which their pilsrimages have ev-
ef been directed. and there is not a. tribe.
baud or individual in ahs entire length et
the continent, from the dwellers upon the
frozen shores OF, the arctic sea 70 the eifcm.
inate races basking in the tforical sun Of
Central America, to whom the ege0ds Of
the Fountains o The iPsa Calumet are NOT
familiar. Ii .'s.ld ~ nj p--E...:,.
| The Red Pipe ever forms part of the
wealth Of every warrior, and whether on
the war path, on the peaceful hunting
grounds, or surrounded by his wives and
children in his wigwan', is his inaeparable
companion, AMI in death is buried with
hin in his last resting place. ''' ''-i; ak
It: preccdes everything iii the religious.
political or economical AFFAIRS Of the red.
man, for no council fires are kindled, no
wars are decided upon, III short, no object,
however trivial, undertaken, or event ,vo,,-
suuu'ated, without first inhaling the inspi.
ring fumes OF the Red Calumet. ,..I 81
*. These curious, and. ITO the Indian, in
valuable articles, numerous as they are,
and us widely scattered over the western
continent as they arc, and have bec,i, (tor
there +, scarcely an acre of ground the
white man csltivates,," from which his
plowshare has not turned up ono to the
light, after burial Sometimes Of centu-
rics, while there is not cabinet in the
land without them, to say nothing Of the
tens of thousands still in use among the
various tribes,) have all been obtained
from this one and only source-Cotcau
des Prairies.
On riding over the green, grassy carpet
Of the lofty plateau, the traveller finds his
progress. suddenly arrested upon the
verge of remarkable precipicc of polish
ed quartz, which falls abruptly to tho
plain below, some twenty-five or thirty
feet. This cliff extends some three miles,
in a direct line from North to South, with
. western exposure, aud seen from that d.
rection, with tn, rays Of the declining
sun falling upon it, and lighting up its
numerous facets, it glea'ns like wall OF
living fire.
This glorious: reflection, contrasting
with the rich emerald Of the surrounding =
plain, makes it one Of the most beautiful
and duzzlin5 objects in nature:
At the base Of this lies narrow belt,
scattered over which are seen numerous
excavations, some recent, and some bear-
ing the evidence Of having been opened
centuries before; while vestigcs Of earth
works, apparently dating anterior to those
!. along tie Ohio and its tributaries, attest
to the ancient celebrity Of this singular
and antique quarry. And the many in
scriptions and hieroglyrhics cut upon the
face Of the cliff, some ct which are cover
ed with the moss of ages, also show that
the various tribes have always been in the
habit Of making pilsrimages to this Holy
Mecca of their su pcrstition.
I Besides these inscriptions, there are
found within the creviccs of the rocks
many articles Of votivc Offering to the
Great Spirit, who the Indians aver, makes
his permanent residence here, Among
these are pipes, medals and branches; the
remnant of arrows, and stone arrowheads
spearheads of stone and copper, bows
shields, and even scalplocks; the latte,
the most acceptable Offering that the red
man can :bestow upon the spirit of his
worship.
e-e-eAtthe. Fosntain~of. the Red Pipe, 1t had
been the custom for the most .belliyeren,
tribes to meet for the timetSoI terms OF
peace. On entering upon this sacred To-
caltty; the scshping kuifss and <tomaa;awxk k
are buried beneath tho grass of the prair.
lie; and those who at any other plaza
could not have met without bt0 1shed, now
sit side by side, On the same robe, carving
pesceably upon the precious mineral the
Great Spirit had here prepared for all his
children. -: -: :~<: '<... II al,
. Until Of late years strict neutrality
had existed upon this quarry of the pipe
. stone, to Violate which was regarded a. an
unpardonable offence against tho presiding
| geniir But the Sioux, who are tho most
powerful people in the vicinity of the Co.
teau des Pr'iries, instigated by their tra-
ders, have set up claim as its sole pro-
prietors: This they had been induced to
do, upon the representations of the acquis-
tive whites, that by supplying the other
tribes with pipes Of their own manufacture,
they might drive a profitable trade-the
results of, which the cunning traders knew
would ultimately swell their own Golfers.
! OF course a locality so widely celebrated
! as this is, is rich in legends aud traditions;
and in tue poetic annals Of the various
Tribes have: been preserved many-from
which l will select the .tollowi"g::s,;T
~ ttrhere vas period ip the. carly histc
~ Of. il the. Red: T., Nations-many, many
years before the white man had ever been
heard Of, whea they. were embroiled j"
wars and SO fierce were their battles, that
];tbe upbqried bones of warriors whitencd