St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-11-24
The Growth of a Western County.

XIII, native of this county,-nOw an
old man,-was appointed to give a
sketch of the history aud growth of
Olmsted county. He spoke us fol-
lows
Ladies', Gentlemen, and FellOm- Citizens:
BY the treaty which ended the Revo-
luton, the United States territory ex-
tended west to the Mississippi river.
And the vast extent of territory west of
the Mississippi, was acquired III the pur-
chase of Louisiana 10y jefferson in lsO3.
(ln this statement | do not intend to
include California. which was obtained
by conqueSt.)
This purchase of Louisiana 10y Jetfer-
son, as the people who lived in that
day will remember. made a great stir
among those who were bitterly opposed
To JctftrSou'S administration because
torSo"th. it cost the extravagant sum of
S3,OOo,OOO. soon after which the Gov
eminent despatched the first Yankee
agent. Zehulnn Mont gomery Pike. a
Lieutenant i'll the army. to ascertain
the sources of the Mississippi. and form
alliances with the Indian tribes This
WIS the Gen. Pike who fell at the cap
ture of Little York. Cana,a. in the war
of lol2. Thereafter. military posts
were established as fast. and at such
distances a> seemed necessary to over
awe the numerous Indian Tribes. who
occupied the country and soon the
country was organized into Il territory
and called Minnesota. after the Mime
sofa river. the principal river of the
state, which signifies i'll the language of
the Dacotah Indians. who inhabited tn,
country, "Sky-tintcd waters"
Gen. Sil>hy, the first delegate. WIS
admitted to Il seat III Congress in l-4g.
and the President appointed Alexander
Ramsey of Pennsylvania. Territorial
Governor. At the time emigration set
in, nearly the whole country WAS IL
wilderness. and the entire western shore
of the Mississippi in the possession OF
the Indians. from Iowa line. to Lake
ltaSka. Soon. however, the aspect OF
things changed. so that in nine years.
lo5S. the territory had the requisite
number of inhabitants aud MAS admit
ted lis IL state into the mon. \ glance
at the unparalleled increase of popua-
ti"n in the state, will show the IapditN
with which this young member in the
>i>terhOod of states. has attained her
present high and grand position. In
lSl9 the number of inhabitants WAS but
il small fraction over 1000. 1t now
aggregates between six and seven hun
dred thousand.
Another view will illustrate the patli-
otiSm of our people. The state was
scarcely three Years of age when the
Rebellion broke ont. and vet no state
made Il more noble war record. She
sent eleven reg imcnts of infantry. three
battalions of flying artillery. two com
of cavalry, one regiment of heavy ar
| tillcry, one battalion, consolidated with
those of another state. and IL number of
irregular organizations. In response to
| the call of the Government. few if any
counties east or west in any state, re-
spOndcd more promptly OF effectively
than our own OlmSted county. From II
population of some 10000 in 1850. Ohm
stcd county sent | $50 fighting men to
the field, and with but few exceptions,
these all returned with honor, on laid
down their lives for their country, and
their names are inscribed upon the
scroll of honor, and of fame. In fact
the alacrity with which the OlmSted
county volunteers rallied around their
country'S standard in time of need,
would seem to indicate that they had
listened to the stirring appeal of the
Rural Bard, and caught his patriotic
spirit.
Arm, SONS of freedom. arm,
The Rebel legons come,
Blow loud the trumpet of alarm,
And roll the laundering drum;
Fly 10 Gtptl tnt Zoe,
Your dearest rights to save;
Crush the vile traitors at a blow,
Ye spirits of the brave.
Olmsted county is in the second tier
of counties west of the Mississippi river,
and one of the second tier of counties
north of Iowa line; having Wabasha
and Winoni counties for its eastern
boundary, and GOodhue and Wabasha
counties on the north, and Fillmore and
Monroe counties on the south, and
Dodge county for its western limit. 1t
is in the midst of one of the finest, if
not the very finest agricultural portion
of the finest agricultural state of the
Union, and probably of the world. The
wheat crop of Olmsted county already
excels every other county of the state.
In point of agriculture, Minnesota
stands ahead of most of the states of
| the Union, and if it advances in the
same ratio that it has in the past. for
few years more, it will be far in adj
vance of any, and all the older sister
states. Its average crop of wheat to
| the acre. is greater than that of any
other state. And when more than eleven