The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-10-26
ATRlP 70 THE DAKOTA FORTS.
Interesting Report Concerning the
Country.
SECOND LETTER,

81 n 7 49, 49,
sECoND LETTER. ~
MCCAULYvILLE, MIMI, Oct. LIST, 1871.
EDITOR JouRSAL.-My last letter, was
dated at Fort Totten, Sept. 2lst. We stay
ed around the fort three days, and then
started for Pemoins on the afternoon Of
the 22d, and went to Kavanaugh's, at the
east end of DEVILS Lake, eighteen miles.
This is very interesting drive. The road
passes through what is called the DEVILS
Heart. The whole country is very rough
and h;l!y, and high among the hills is the
"Heart," which is . mound some Eve hum
dred feet high, very abrupt and cone
shaped. The road winds around among
these hills, and close to the "Heart" On
the very top is placed huge cross, planted,
doubtless, by some Jealous Romanist. Be-
tween this and the lake Is the Indian vii
lage. There live here some six hundred
Sioux. who are reported to be dong very
well, having opened quite number Of
farms and raised considerable grain. The
government assists them in the way Of i'm
plements Of all kinds needed, and also pays
them wages for working On their OWL
farms, and buys of them everything they
raise or have to sell.
We arrived at Kavanaugh's at five
O'Clock, and put up with him for tho night.
havanaugh keeps what he calls ranch.
lie has taken squatter's-r claim, and
built houses to live in, and sheds for hi.
cattle. and lives mostly by selling whisky
and trading with the Indians.
We left the next morning at nine O'Clock
IN company with Lieut.. Bradley, Of Fort
Pembina, anu his escort. Did not STOP for
dinner this day at all, but pushed right on
oil day through prairie and marsh, without
seeing . drop OF water till We camped at
night. The road is very poor it is cart
road, made by the Red River carts on
there annual hunting expeditions for but
falo. The tracks are nearly grown over
with grass. and IN many places arc hardly
dlscernible. Indeed, We once lost the road,
aud travelled miles out Of our way before
We found it. Quite often We pass ed through
badger villages, and they were sure to
make boles directly in our road large
enough for good-sized dog to crawl into,
endangerlng both our horses legs and our
buggy springs. We camped in a marsh
close by some shallow water, which We
were obliged to dip up in tin cups for ou1
horses; it being so soft around the water
that they could not safely approach nea,
enough to drink. We passed a very com.
Portable night in the G Ulcers tent. Next
| morning We were off at six o'clock, and
passed over the same kind of country tor
twenty-five mfrs 10 the river-Que Baugh
little ravine with pools Of water along in
| the bed of what 10 at some seasons quite 4
stream. The water is, however, quite fresh
and good. All the water we had seen fer
the last ten days was salty and really un6,
fouse Even the water Of DEVILS Lake Is I'M
fit to drink. We saw On this route every little
while the dry beds Of alkaline lakes. The
| deposit of salt in the bottom, looked az
white as snow, and it was drifted about by
the wind the same as snow.
After dinner We went on over the same
prairie country for fifteen miles, when all
of sudden change in the character of tie
country appeared. We found ourselves or
the top of what is called Pembina Mountain
The road goes down ravine, very steer
and crooked, and fearfuly bad, some five
hundred feet-heavy timber growing or
| the descent. After reaching the bottom of
this hill we came to prairie again fol
some six miles. Here Lieut.. Bradley camp.
cd, but we thought re would 60 through
to st. Joseph, which place we reached
After going across The six mile prairie, w
came to another abrupt descent of about the
same character as the other. At the foo,
OF this we found ourselves in a timbered
country for mile or so, when We CROSSED
the Pembins river into St. Joseph, which i.
situated on prairie and is quite village,
We stopped with Mr.. Reed, who is connect.
ed with the Custom ttouse, and is the only
white man living there, the rest are all
French half-breeds. We had driven tn s
day some fifty five miles, and had the best
supper we had eaten since we left Elbow
Lake, in Minnesota. Mr.. Reed showed us
some specimens of vegetables Of his own
raising, and We had never seen their equal
anywhere.
Next morning Lieut. Bradley overlook US
before We got away, and We followed him
again that day into Penbina. This is
truly the finest country We have yet seen
beautiful situations everywhere for
tarms. and not yet taken. We took dinnt r
At Blroheneau's, about half way to Penn
bina. He has handsome place and car
rles on farming extensively, having more
then hundred horses running on the
prairie. He has also ali kinds of agrioul-
tural implements needed on q farm
We were really 10th 10 leave.
We reached P.mbina, thirty miles, ahou,
dark. Here We were taken at first fov
Fenia"s, my 6ne-looking, commanding
compani passing among the bystanders
as Gen. ONeill, and had We oaly said the
word there IS no doubt but that We could
have organized gang that would have
made raid tc some effect on the British
Custom House, only about one mile dis
tant; but We were wholly unconscious OF
the distinction until the next day, when
the illusion faded and was heard of no
more. Thursday We visited Fort Pembina,
one mile up the Red River from the village,
saw the commsndaat, Col. Wheaton, and
met several who belong to st. Cloud
Hugh O'Dounell and Phil. Beaupre among
the rest. Red River here is not much of
river, still it is pretty deep and steamboats,
manage " pillow along through the mud
and water. There were here some niue
hundred Indians Of the Pembina band.