Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1871-03-22
On The St. Crcix River Thirty.Four
Years Ago


On The St. Crcix River Thirty-Fou,
Years Ago.
From the Minneapolis Pupil d Gazette.1
On the 5ih day of July. 1893, par
ty of about fifty men. myself included
embarked on board the steamer Palmyra
Capt. Holland, which had been chartered
for the trip by the ST. Croix Lumber
Co., to take men. supplies and machine,
from AIton, Illinois. 10 the Falls of ST.
Croix, Wis. Territory. for the purpose
of building big saw mill. We arrived
ut Fl. Smelling. on Saturday the 18th,
and lay over until the following Monday,
giving those who wished an opportunity
TO walk over and visit the Falls of St.
Anthony, and were then surprised on
our way bv meeting the famous Mime
haha Falls, thing we had never before
heard of. 1t being very hot DAY, we
thought, by the time we got back, that
we had paid very dearly for seeing the
elephant.
On Monday we steamed back to the
mouth of the St. Croix, and being the
first steamer to ruffls the waters of the
Lake o, River st. Croix, we very much
surprised the natives on our way. We
reached the Dales before night, where a
warehouse had been built by tho Con
panv before our arrival, IA well as a
rough log cabin at Tay ors Falls, and one
of the same kind at ST. Croix Fails. -
The mex: day the old Palmyra having
landed her cargo, headed down the stream
and left us to our fate, with the Indians
and mosquitoes to fight, both of which
proved very annoying.
We had started tom Alton rs soon as
the news reached US of the ratification of
the treaty by the terms of which the
Governor had bought the land on which
we were about to build saw mills, and
cut off the pine timber; and there the
Ind ans were to receive the r first payment
therefor, in july. They consequently
began to~gather in upon US, to be ready
for the payment, an event of great i'm
portance to them, and an equal anno,-
snce to us. for we could hardly keep them
at bay, either by threats or promises
They contended that we were whites,
and whites bad agreed to pay them AMI
they knew no difference. 1t was not
until the fist week in November that
their goods came for payment.
The old stern wheel Gipsey brought
them up and landed them On the beach,
where Saltwater now stands. that coun
try then belonging to the Sioux, tn"
deadlest enemies of the Chippewas. who
were TO receive tue goods, who came
there to the number of eleven hundred.
in their canoes, nearly starved by wait
my for their payment, due four months
before. While there receiving it the riv
er and lake fr"ze up. aud deep snow
came on, thus all their supplies, incIu
ding one hundred barrels of -four. TWEEN
ty fiye of pork, cords of tobaccn, bales Of
blankets, guns and ammu1.t'cn casks of
Mexican dollars &c, al were sacrificed
except what they could carry off on their
backs, through the .now, hundreds OF
mile. away. Their feet Of birch canoes
they de.troyed before leaving, lest the
Sioux might have the satisfaction Of do
ing the same after they left.
Many of the cd as well ns the young
died from over eating, while there, as
they being nearly starved, "a soon as
they had chance to eat, used up all tn
meat and flour As fast "a possible. Thus
their first payment became curse rather
than blessing to them, for their sup
plies soon gave out. the season for hun
| ting was past, they were away from home
and had 20 means nf getting there. ex
cept by wading through deep snow
Many persisted in the attempt. As Is
usual 10 such cases, suppose. NJ on
We to blame, but the poor Indians had
t, suffer the consequence of somebody Q
neglect The old Gypsey had scarcely
time to get through The lake before The
ice formed 81 much for the indians,
more OF which will tell you in NV next
Now for the other annoyance. mosqui
toes. The majority of Us never dreamed
of finding mosquitoes so far north, but
the proprietors who had been there. and
knew the situation, among the supplies
had failed to provide mosquito bars, or 10
tell us TO do so. consequently we were
left TO their tender mercies. and we had
no peace. day or night, except in the
burning sun or the fumes Of the smudge.
One of the party each night was detailed
to sit up and tend the smudge, while the
rest slept; thus was the first summer
spent, in making the first improvement,
and building the big saw mill AT Si.Ctoix
Falls; but not until three summers, and
$4,000 had been spent, was The first
plank sawed 10 said mill, not a vestige
of which now remains.
Here let me add, that not one drop o.
the waters Of the st Cro;x Ia u.cd foi
any practical purpose, st this date. 8. !
either Mt St. Crolx Falls or Taylora Falls
but is allowed TO pursue its way 10 To-
! ocean nnalolested.