Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1889-09-20
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FORT MAG1NNls. FERGUS Co. MONTANA
August 16, 1889. !
Mr.. j. II. Rice, Fort Benton: |
In compliance with your request, made TO me |
at my home in this county few days ago, en- !
close sholt sketch of my life, my connection
with and what know about the early history of
Fergus Falls and about Joseph Whitford, its |
founder, anecdotes In relation to him while
there ETC..
! was horn on the farm Of Shawton, Glassford
Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the 9Th day Of
October, 1918; started for the United States alone
and without money by way of Quebec in the
spring of 1885 staid three years III Quaker set
Element north Of Toronto aud learned the trade
o. carpenter anu millwright; spent the summer
Of 1886 on pu bic work at Green Bay; spent the
fall at Milwaukee, then a town of 500 inhabi-
tants. helping to build hotel; came from
Green Bay in a sailing vessel then the ONLY
mode Of travel went on foot to Chicago where
I was offered 100 acres Of land in the forks Of
the Chicago river for eight dollars an acre part
ly on time, and was charged fifty cents for sleep.
ing on a straw bed between two strangers i'll a
garrett; population then about $500 Spent the
winter of SO aud ~ at Buffalo Grove, Ogle Co.,
ILL.,; spent next summer helping to build old
fashioned sow mills in Iowa and Illinois helped
to build. then rebuilt and superintended powder
mills near Savanna, Illinois helped to build
large Touring mills at Moline, H.; accepted the
| charge Of and partnership in foundry and ma
chine shop from D. B. Sears, the founder of Mo-
line. The business increasing rapidly Sears sold
his interest to Col afterwards Gen. N. B. Bnford,
Of Rock Island, to which place we moved sur
works. Ny health suffering from overwork
sold out and bought half interest in the Moline
paper mills; after travelling and my health not
improving, myself and family moved to St.
Anthony Falls This was in 1855, Minneapo-
lis had but one house then. Finally firing OF
dleness C. Fl. futile, Of ST. Anthony Falls, and
myself bought Is of the Little Falls water power
property, Mr.. futile taking x, Sturgis keeping
Is and taking 5-12ths, !stursis taking charge OF
the numbering and farming, I the books mills,
! TOWNSHIP. etc. The town improved rapidly,
good bad and Indifferent coming to it; among
others Joseph Whitford, blacksmith and
| steamboat engineer, but natural born frontiers.
boat that went up the Missouri above the mouth
of the Yellowstone. lie came to see brother In
our employ, but finally started blacksmith
| shop. Those were the days of speculation
everybody was going to get rich out of townsitcy
and town lots. Interest was per cent. per
month, and 5 per cent after maturity. Whitlord
caught the TOWNSHIP fever. Hearing that q com.
psny was going to lay out townsite on Ora.
hmm 20 int t1ro Aoo,1 # ov;rA|
Red river-in early spring, determined to get
ahead of them. Nothing would do but must
"fit him out" 1t was late In the winter Of 1856.
ST. He went to Crow Wing. hired dog team
and guide at SO day, got there staked his
claim, saw plenty Of buffalo, and camped the
first night on his way back with some Indians.
They told him of some rapids on the Otter Tail
river, about twenty-five miles distant, and one OF
them offered to pilot him there for cousidera-
ton. He started eally next morning with the
Indian. leaving his guide to rest. stnked out and
claimed what is now Fergus Falls and got back
to the Indian camp the same night-traveling on
foot and driving his dog team himself fifty miles
through the snow, hauling the Indian, who had
given Cut, to camp in the sleigh. EARLY In the
spring l fitted him out with oxen, cart and
supplies. The Indians killing his cattle, fitted
him out again with cattle, wagon and supplies,
and, third time. with horses. Mr.. Whitford
was not always alone A James Oillin, a brother
in.law Of mine, now OF Nevada. Iowa, was with
him one winter; Henry Edgar,i one OF the dis
coverers Of Alden gulch, in this territory, was
now OF Missoula, Montana, was with him anoth-
er, and others whose names cannot remember.
They spent their time in hunting, exploring.
blowing, fencing building cabins, getting out
saw logs hewed timber for dam and saw mill
etc, until 1850 when Whitford went to building
fatboats and boating goods-hauied by wagons
from st. Paul or ST. Cloud-dows the Red river
to Furt Garry. nn,i' August, 12I2. when lie vas
killed by the Sioux indians while OH his way
back on foot from the British settlement.
I was then on my way to Montana with the
James L. Fisk expedition of'62- Having no mails
aud surrounded by hostile Indians, it was
months before heard of his death, so Fergus
Falls and all its belongngs-my share of which
had cost me 81. 60o-"as Jumped and passed in
to other hands. was only once al Fergus Falls,
In the fall Of 1889. bnt was we'll pleased with
1t and its location that at once made up my
mind to move there in the spring, bnt circum.
stances prevented. With this enclose a copy OF
on old memorandum made Nov. 6, 1859. of what
Improvements were there and what was going
to do after moving there. It was too early then
for water power Improvements.
Mr.Whitford, who was the real founder of
Fergus Falls. was o noted character and would
be fl any country: Of Scotch. Irish descent
sanguine temperament, spare. 1.-the and slnewy.
He could travel more miles In day, carry
heavier burdens eat less and sleep under less
cover than any man OF his weight (l45 lbs) that
/ ever knew; generally going ut q dog .trot"
and making from forty to seventy Ave miles a
day; He had great confidence in the future Of
Fergus Falls. He thought the n. r. railroad
would cross the Mississippi at Little Falls, and
Otter Tail at Fergus Falls. so every time he made
trip to Little Falls, which was always on foot,
he would take different route to and the best
location for road so he could pilot surveyors
either in laying out q wagon or railroad. / re-
collect one Of his trips. living principally on
game. killed aud cured in the fall His supply
ran out early one sprfng-think it was IN So.
He started on a straight line by the compass for
Little Falls outfit consisting Of quart OF corn
meal . pound Of bacon, . single bafreIed shot
gun. I butcher knife, . quart tin cup and one
blanket, expecting to make the trip, leo miles, !
through wild, untrayeled country. fl four
days. The route proved to be low, wet, swsmpy,
lull of lakes and thorny thickets. The first day
he lost his butcher knife, the second spraiDed
an ankle, making only five miles the next seven;
was ten days making the trip; making his way
through 4 thicket the fifth day, he heard noise
ahead; looking up he saw two bears aud two
cubs. His gun was loaded with shot, but having
sonic bullets In his vest pocket he slipped one
into his gun ard aimed at the brain OF one OF
the bears-who was almost ct the muzzie-ared. !
Tho conclusion knocked him senseless When |
he recovere the male bear lay dead. The /
female had gone With her Cubs. Although |
starving. having lost his knife he could make no
nse Of the meat. Soon. however, he found = /
Wild goose nest full Of eggsson which he lived
until lie reached the settlement. He had 10 take +
80 many roundabonts on account Of the lakes
and swamps and the thorny brush was 30 thick
that the knees Of his pa:sts soon wore out. Then T
he tied the tails ofhis coat over The holes. then
The sleeves and finally hfs andkerciie fail haE /
before be got 10 Little Falls, These wore ont.
% he arrived lame bare headed. csuss, half
starved, and altogether sorry looking 1yuse
{ Que day while living alone he hal been from
home and on returning found his cabin IN pos
sessfon Of 1 war party Of Indians. They had
eaaan all they could, and : buck was bringing .
sack offour out Of. the door. Whitford ic.ke
II from him. while II Oxen rifles were drawn
the CHIEF saying: Return it 1or the iiaiians
VIII XIII you. Whitl0rd's repiy ives ahaYt,As