Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-30
article II.
BY T. II. NEwsoN.
PIERRE PARRANr.

PIERRE PARRANT.
In our last article We accorded to Pierre
Parrant the honor of being the first white
man who settled in st. Paul. His log
house was erected at the mouth
of the small stream which flows
from Fouutain cave, near the present
brewery of Mr.. Barnholzsr, in the upper
part of the city, and just of the old Fort
road, now the property OF the Chicago, St.
Paul & Omaha Railroad company. Here
he sold whisky to the Indians and to the
soldiers from Fort Smelling, and here he
made his claim. He was followed by one
Ferret and family, who located near Par
rant, and whose shanty stood where the
old City Hospital now stands. It must be
borne in mind, that the treaty with the
Indians, ceding this property to the govern
ment, was made in June, 1887, so that the
land was then open to settlement;
and, following Parrant and
Perret, (both Frenchmen, from the Red
river region,) came the Gervais brothers,
Pierre and Ben, who made claims this side
of Perret; and following these came
three discharged soldiers, Evans, Hays and
Phelan, who also made claims; two of them
settling this side of the cave, while Evans
took up his abode on Dsyton's bluff. Their
claims ran from the river to the bluff, and
took in what is now known as a part of
Third street in upper town, including
Wabashaw and Eagle streets, on the first
plateau above the river. Then came e
stranger by The name of
johnson, who built house
near where the gas works now
stand; and then, in 1889, followed an Eng
lishman by the name of James R. Clswett,
who married Perret's daughter, and thus
commenced the early settlement of St.
Paul, little over forty years ago.
PIGS EYE.
We have already noted the fact. that
Pierre Parrant moved to place called
Pigs Eye, $50 named after his peculiar
optic,) about three miles below St. Paul,
and here settled in 1889. some fifteen
Frenchmen, then in the employ of the old
American Fur company. Pigs Eye is
only noted nov as the place where sand
bar intercepts the navigation of the Mis-
sissippi river. st. Paul, for time, was
called Pigs Eye, but this gave way to a
more euphonious name, which is still
cherished by the city. Previous to moving
to Pigs Eye, Parrant made other claims
in the city, of which We shall speak here
after.
VETAL GUERIN-THE EARLY FRENCH.
It is an indisputable fact, that the early
settlers of our city were French, and most
of them came from the north, and were a
hardy, bold, brave class of men. A
French fort was built at Lake Pepin, also
at the mouth of the La Susur riv.r. They
were trappers and voyagers, and Injured to
frontier life. Among those whose memo
ry is greatly cherished by some of the
oldest settlers in the city, is that of the
gentleman whose name precedes this par
egraph. Mr.. Guerin was born in Canada,
in 1912; entered the services
of the American Fur company in 1882;
reached Mendoza the same year; served
the company three years, and continued
about this section for some time afterward,
when he settled upon the claim previously
made by the discharged soldier, Hays, and
built his cabin whore IngersolPs block now
stands. Then trees and brush and good
sized forest greeted his view where now
is busy mart of trade and of commerce.
Before his death he lived in a small one
story and half house. built after the
French fashion, which stood on the ground
now occupied by Sherman block,on Wabs-
shaw street.
PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF GUERIN.
We remember Mr.. Guerin as a slender
man, with sharp features, mobile face,
cool and slow in his movements, quiet in
his manners, and unostentatious in his
dress. He was an unselfsh man, kindly
disposed, yet decisive in his character, and
lived quiet, unobtrusive life. As an IL
lustration Of his generous impulses, We
state the fact, that he gave part of his
claim to an old friend, who erected a
cabin where Mr.. Goodhue's house for
merly stood, corner of Third and st.
Peter streets, but subsequently, this friend
sold his part of the claim for $50.
SUDDEN WEALTH.
In 1919 the rise in the value of Mr..
Gaerin's property-that il, his claim
made him worth S150,G00, but it did not
change the quiet, humble citizen, who, out
of his newly acquired wealth, gave lib
orally. The land wherein our present
COuII HOusC 5thAiSy d-0 5CNCidi
churches rear their spires heavenward, was
cheerfully given by this really good man.
He was generous to his poor ceuntrymen.
and many remember him with grateful
hearts. He was unlike other Frenchmen;
| more cool In his manner; and when sur
| rounded by danger from attack by the
Indians, land he had many narrow escapes
in this direction,) he exhibited q
| calmness, which. in view of his nationality
was truly marvellous.
ATTACKED BIZ THE INDIANS,
Immediately after the marriage of Mr.
| GueriD, to the daughter OF
Mr.. Ferret, he lived in his
cabin, which, es we have already writ
ten, stood just where Ingersolrs block nov
stands. Williams, in his history, says
"a few rods from Guerin's cabin was Par.
rants establishment, and the powerful ma
ture of the Ainuewekan he sold the In
disns there, used TO turn them sometimes
into red demons. In one of their crazy
| sprees the Indians killed Guerin's COW and
! pig, and destroyed other property. In
deed, the lives of Guerin and his bride were
oftentimes in danger, and their honeymoon
was somewhat a stormy one, take it all il
all. These devilish sprees of the Indians
occurred occasionally for several years.
Once, when Mrs. Guerin was nursing hel