St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-16
BY T. NJ. NEwsoN.
article XIII.
1s49-oRaAN1zAr1oN OF THE TERRITORY.

1849-oRGANIZATIoN OF THE TERRITORIAL
MATTER PERSONAL.
June LIST, 1s49, the territory of Minnesota
was organized, and then the only house in
what is now known as upper town, or above
Wabasha street, was that occupied by the late
John R. Irvine to which allusion has already
been made. It stood on the corner OF, or
near, Franklin street and Third, and around
it was luxuriant growth of hazel brush and
saplings. On the corner OF what was once
Fort, now Seventh street and Third, where
the old Winslow house used to stand, and
where Mr. Forepaugh is now building large
block of stores, was a dense forest OF trees,
and at the foot of these trees ran lovely
brook, crossing the crude, natural street,
and dancing on its way to the river over the
ground on which at present stands the fac
tory of Chapman, Drake 81 Co. In 1854 the
writer was seriously sick in the Winslow
house with typhoid fever, and so impressed
was he with the idea that his sickness came
from the water in the hotel, that he gave a
servant $40 gold piece to furnish him
supply for one week from out this bubbling
stream, but it did not arrest the disease, and
he came very near passing over that other
stream from the distant shore of which no tray
eler ever returns. 1t is somewhat remarkable
that the physician who attended him, Or.
Wren,) the man who watched with him,
George W. Armstrong; the minister who
prayed with and for him, (Rev. Dr. Van In
gen. and the friend who sympathized most
deeply with him, (Gen. Simpson of the
United States army,) have all passed away,
leaving him the only one alive of that old
settlers group. We mention this as a strik-
of fba nf hnT IN
life. quarter of a century wipes out large
proportion of the human race, and the law is
not only memorable but universal.
t'Fleet are the rapid moments-fy they must,
Not to be stayed by mask midnight roar
Nor shall pulse among that Wondering dust
Beat wanton at the smiles of beauty more"
FIRST PROTESTANT CHURCH.
We have already spoken of the establish
meut of the first Catholic church in 1841,
and now we find that in the early part of
1S49, eight years after, Hon. H. NJ. Rice,
who had always been great friend to st
Paul, gave $3.50 and ten lots toward the cree
ton of the first Protestant church in this city,
(Methodist), which was built of brick, under
the auspices of 'Father Hoyt,'' and still
stands fronting the park named after the
generous donor. 1t is a small building, with
a cupola, and is located close to the edge of
the sidewalk. Rev. E. D. Neill had previous
ly erected wooden church, but it burnt
down in 1850.
RICE PARK.
This is also the outcome of Mr.. Rice's gen.
crosby. For years after the native trees had
been cut off of it, it presented barren and
forsaken look. A florist finally got permits
sion of the city to put his green house there
for several years, in consideration of his
planting trees and making them grow, and
the result of that wise measure is the present
little green oasis, which, under the guidance
of master hand in natures adornments, has
made it the admiration of all.
GREEN ENOUGH TO TRY 1T.
A Judge OF one of our courts, and an old
settler, had a long beard and in course of
tine the hair began to fall from his head, at
which he was greatly annoyed, when g. theo-
retic scientist told him that if he would gradu-
ally pull out all his beard it would cause the
hair to grow back again on his head; and af-
ter he had tested the matter, as he really be-
heved the statement, friend was convers-
ing with him one day on the subject, when
he said: "And this reminds me that some
years ago an old fool, or philosopher, once
told me that if would pull out all my beard
hair would grow again On top of my head;
and do you know was just green enough to
try itl'' We have discovered that old settlers
are sometimes taken in as well as young
bloods, though, generally, young bloods know
more than their fathers every time.
AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND ATooTH FOR TOOTH.
Just below the old log house which stood
where the Merchants hotel now stands, di-
agonally across the fiat, was a square tent
occupied by family of Indians. This was
in 1S47, when Mr.. Simeon Folsom lived in
the said log house. For some time it had
been observed that all was silent about the
tent, when, on Mr.. Folsom repairing to it, he
found dead Indian in it, killed by knife
in the hands of another Indian, who had
crept silently into the tent and stabbed him.
The family had vacated the premises. The
Indian stabbed had killed the sister of the
assassin, and be had carried out the old Mo-
sale injunction, Gan eye for an eye and tooth
for tooth" This was the peculiar condition
of affairs in and about the city in 1849, and
in giving these incidents we do so to show
how rapidly has been the march of civil
lization since then. Now no Indians can
be seen in our midst, except, perhaps, a
few friendly ones who reside at Mendoza.
WILD TURKEY VS.. BUzzARD.
In 1s49 young STRIPPING of boy, aged
% years, engaged his services to Judge
Knowlton to aid in running territorial road
from Hudson, Wisconsin, to st. Paul. He
was a bright lad, very self-reliant, and during
the trip, volunteered to do the cooking; one
day bird that had been shot, was brought in,
and the young man took it upon himself to
dish it up.'' He made up good fire; put
on the pot, picked the inviting fowl, smacked
his lips, and informed his friends of the
forthcoming elegant repast which
he intended to spread before them.
Dinner time came, but the
bird was not done, and an Indifferent meal
was served instead; and so at supper, and so
at breakfast, and dinner, the bird all this
time undergoing vigorous boiling process,
when, after the lapse of two days, the judge
found out that his knowing young cook had
been boiling, and sweating and frettng over
buzzard instead of a wild turkey
1S49--PoPULATIoN IN THE TERRITORY, 1000
CITY, $50.
One can hardly realize the fact, that in
1s49 Minnesota territory had but
about 1000 inhabitants-now 100000;
and the city $50 now 100000;
and only thirty houses existed where there
aie n"m eeNoiaA tnousands, YET SUCH Is tue
truth. 1t is true, the bill had passed congress
organizing territory, yet there was no paper
here, no evidences of civilization, except
school, church or two, and plenty of sa-
loonsl 1t was good soil upon which to plant
eastern intelligence, and it came.
THE FIRST PAPER AND THE FIRST PRINTING
PRESS.
Probably the first person who conceived
the idea of a newspaper in Minnesota, was
DR.. A. Randall, of Cincinnati, Aug, 1s4s
He subsequently formed a partnership with
I D 4 thar inir,t lr issI1ad o4C