Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-05-07
THE HISTORY OF !.
COUNTY,

IlMUlIlGlNON UOUNl i j
WRITTEN IN 1873 BY ORDER OF THE
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSION AND
PUBLISHED IN THE TRANscR1PT IN THE
SAME YEAR. REVISED AND BROUGHT
DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME. .sF
~t' !, By NATHAN RICHARDSON. S*
Continued from last weeks Transcript.
The Congregational church at an early day
took quite an active part in the missionary
work among the Indians of Minnesota, but of
late years they have quite abandoned their
special efforts to christianize that race, leav-
ing that laborous task to be performed by
other denominations, which appear to be pos
sessed of more faith|and perseverance in that
work. Several of the missionaries of that de-
nomination, after wholly or in part giving up
their missionary work and retiring from the
Indian country, came and settled in Morrison
county, principally at Belle Prairie, where
they opened. farmssand to some extent con.
tinued their missionary work, being still on
the border Of the Indian country. Among
these one Of the most noted was Frederick
Aver. He came from Stockbridge, Massa-
chusetts, and was sont out as missionary by
the American Board of Foreign Missions.
He first went to Mackinaw in 1929, and to
Sandy Lake, on the Mississippi river, in 1881
and in 1888 he returned to Mackinaw, where
he was marr led. He returned to Minnesota
with his wife, and opened q mission on Little
Pokegema Lake, now in Pine county. At
this place he added to his family two sons,
Lyman w., aid Frederick. Lyman being
born in 1884, claims to have been the first
white male child born in what is now the
State CT Minnesota. Mrs. Gen. Fl. P. Van
Cleve claims to be the first white child born
within the present limits of Minnesota, she
having been born at Fort Sne! ling in 1929,
In 1912 Mr.. Aver moved to Red Lake, his
family following him in 1S43, and he moved
to Belle Prairie, in this county, in 1S4S. Be-
ing an energetic and persevering man, he
soon opened large farm, doing the first
breaking done in Morrison county on his
farm in Belle Prairie in the summer of l949,
with oxen that he borrowed from Hon. Henry
NJ. Rice, which had come through from Red
river on carts in the spring of that year. De-
string to continue the missionary work for the
benefit Of the Indians and haIfbreeds who
were then quite thickly scattered through
this section of country, he erected in 1850
quite sarge and commodious dwelling house
and good school house, employing large
number of hands, among whom was the Hon.
j. G. Burbank, who died in St. Paul in 1876,
and who had risen previous to his death to be
one of the most wealthy and influential men
in the State. This school house erected by
Mr.. Aver was not only the first school house
built in Morrison county, but in 1850 Rev.
Edward D. Neill, now of Minneapolis, who
visited Belle Prairie in that summer, declared
it to be the best school building in the rterri-
tory of Minnesota. This school house is still
standing after the lapse of thirty years, fit
ting monument left to the memory Of one
who spent his whole life in the cause of edu-
cation and religion. About that time he lost
his son Frederick, which left him but one
child. On account of his failing health he
preached but little after this time, but he
was nevertheless enterprising and carried on
his farm and other business successfully until
he left the State when the southern rebellion
first commenced, and went South. He there
in fbo
ployed by the American Missionary Associa-
ton, and had charge Of erecting the buildings
of that asso citation at Atlanta, Georgia. In
1857, previous to leaving Minnesota, Mr..
Aver was elected to the constitutional. s.conven-
tion of the territory Of Minnesota, and was
an honored member of th at body. He con-
,inued his good work at Atlanta until his
death, which occurred in 1867, honored and
respected by all who knew him. His wife,
Mrs. E. T. Aver, now resides with her son,
Lyman W., on the old farm at Belle Prairie
and in the same house built by her husband,
in 1850. She, as we'll as her husband, was a
devoted missionary, and went to Mackinaw in
1928, one year in advance of Mr.. Aver. AZ
ter their marriage she labored as hard as her
husband in the missionary cause, teaching
school almost continually, first among the In
dians, then among the mixed white and In
dian on Belle Prairie previous to going
South, then among the negroes until her re-
turn to Belle Prairie after the death of Mr..
Aver in 1867. will venture to say that
few npon1o do tho of
teaching that Mrs. Aver has done. Lyman
W. Aver received liberal education at the
hands of his parents, and has in the main
made good use of it. We cannot but think
that his ability and virtues will yet be fully
recognized and properly rewarded by his ele-
walton to the gubernatorial chair by the peo-
pie of Minnesota, at least for one term, if he
outlives the present incumbent, his Excellency
John S. Pillsbury, who, it would appear, has
life lease of said Office in this State, although
Lyman W. Aver is much the oldest settler in
Minnesota. A. Barnard, S. G. Wright, and
o. A. Coe, went to Red Lake as missionaries
in 1874, and DR.. Lewis in 1S45, and E. W.
Carver in 1S48, about which time the mission
at that place broke up, when the most Of the
above named gentlemen followed Mr.. Aver to
Belle Prairie, DR.. Lewis and 0. A. Coe settling
there in 1853. A. Bernard came about the
same time and built q picture gallery in his
chamber, and lived on the farm now occupied
by John Gors:, where he resided but two or
| three years, and then moved to Winnipeg.
Mr.. Carver resided at Belle Prairie only q
short time. S~'5 >~
Mr.. O.. A. Coe nrst came to Minnesota in
1888, worked ou the st. Croix and Snake riv-
ers, and was on the first steamboat that as
cended the st. Croix. There were only three
white women in the territory when he came.
He got married and took his wife with him to
Red Lake i'm: 1914. He first visited Belle
Prairie in l84s, and moved there, as stated
above, in 1853, and has since Been principally
engaged in farming. I think he is the only
surviving missionary Of olden times who set
tied in this county, excepting Mrs Aver. A
missionary by the name of a. B. Adams, who
went to Red, Cedar, or Cass Lake in about
ls45, came down in about 1850 and set
tied at Platte river, and preached in this
country for several years, when he
removed to some place in Michigan. I. He was
q half brother of Asher Adams, who died at
Belle Prairie come years ago, and who will
hereafter be mentioned. While the above
| mentioned persons are all who recall as
engaged at any time wholly in stha missinna arv