St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1862-02-06
naa Is For the st. Cloud Democrat,
TRIP TO THE P1NERIES.

j
thither At tho house of Mr> B. Olmsted,
opposite Fort Ripley, where contrary to
altour expectations We felt almost as much
at home as in the bosom Of our families.
Their reeitals Of adventures, privations aud
hardshipa entertained and deeply interest
ed us. All seemed to have been endured
without murmering or thinking their lot
intolerable ; the tenor Of conversation
rather evinced satisfaction with the for.
tune and fare in frontier life. They were
not strangers to the rc6nements and lux
urles open to dwellers IN cities and older
states but when advantages of health and
vigor Of body were put in the balance, the
former could readily be forcgoue, and if
Providence SO ordered, they::e1pressed .
willingness to spend the residue of their
days In their present home. After a COM
Portable nights rest, and partaking of .
good breakfast, we demanded our indebt-
eduess. If they did not laugh us to scorn
it was something in that direction" Walk
ing UP to the barn I had q view of mus
tang pony, on which Gen. Walker (late
Secretary Of War to- Confederate. States)
once rode. He is beautiful gray, with
his hair all inclining in the wrong direc-
ton, and partly matted. The General
had obtained him somewhere in the region
of the Rocky Mountains FIVE or six years
ago, travelled eastward that far With him,
and disposed of him to the present owner.
Expecting this days drive to bring us
to the Piheries, we were careful to take
particular instructions and being well ad-
vised we bade our kind friends adieu, with
promise to halt upon our return.
After leaving behind us seven or more
miles, town of fifteen or twenty houses
appears in view and from the landmarks of
our informant below, We knew this to be
the famous Crow Wing, little beyond
which plundering agents and traders meet
the helpless red man toplay the crow and
buzzard upon him. At the time ofour pas:
sage through this country, there was troub-
le in the camp: the government agent
had been along disbursing the yearly p,y.
ment to these sons of the forest, and in
some way the impression went out amongst
the tribe (Chippewa) that:: they had not
been fairly dealt by meeting assembled
and an assault was made upon government
property, killing an OK +; word was taken
to Fort Ripley, when. a detachment Of
twenty odd soldiers were forwarded, who
upon their arrival rescued the flesh of the
beast and took one OF the chiefs for host
age until the depredator or depredatora
shall be delivered up. Whether there
was cause for complaint in this case, I did
not definitely understand but from the
united testimony of residents not person.
ally interested, there .has been cause: times
without number, to. call down. the ven:
geancs Of the red man upon. the white
It has come; to be. an admitted fact that
Indian agency and den Of thieves are sy.
nonymous., Some of the citizens of the
upper country had interested themselves
to obtain a recent appointment for an old
instructor among them, who had given
his life to their service-a man Of tried
honesty and integrity, and one in whom
the Indians would have oonl6ded but he
Va. not able, or would uot feather the
nest Of vultures upoa. the spoils Of the In
dian, and consequently his claim cannot
even have hearing.
The town of Grow Wing, I was inform
ed is inhabited almost entirely by Indian
traders and inte rpreters.-; The freshness
Of the houses speak its recent birth. Sew
eral fine, commodious dwellings, are
amongst its buildings. The residence o1
Nh. Bolliou, half breed, who has for =
length Of time acted as interpreter atthe
adjacent Agency, arrested attention be-
cause Of its neatness and cleanliness, =
:l2 This town if put along side Of Eastern
ones ofits size, would compare favorably
so far at least as the exterior is concerned
The population ie mongrel hardly .. fam
|ilysnot purely Indian; but is tinged with
that blood Twas panied to learn thai
there were i. many dram. shops, # ino'
more, th.a t.4' l.'l houses in thke place: onela
miliar with the town remarked it had fdhr'
teen houses and sixtcen dram sshop6. ]