New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-26
THE NEW STATES.
NORTH DAKOTA.
XIII.
on THE BORDER LINE OF THE DOMINION

ON TIE BORDER LINE OF THE DOMINION
pEMB1NA SIXTY YEARS AGO AND Now-THE OLD
HUDSON BAY COMPANY SETTLEMENT
spoRrsMAN's PARADISE.
tyuoM sTAyr CORRESPONDENT pE THE TRIBUNAL
Copyright: 1889, BY 7As NsS.Y srk Tribune
Pembina. North Dakota, May Is.
After visiting so many places destined to
become the grand mctropoliscs' OF the North
vveat- one experiences certain sense OF rhel
IN coming to Pembina He finds quiet httie
,ovxn living against the Red River on one slde
and the internstio nal boundary line on another'
removed by its situation from all vain amoluohs'
expecting little and content with enough "hen
the Scotch and English colonists OF the h"uSo,'
Paw COMPANY had pushed their way 'nrousn
Manitoba and had reached the spot tha' nos
aimee become known as Winnipeg, 'hey Gu
counte.ed party Of Frcnchmen under 'he p"uon
arr Of the Northwestern Fur Company anu Wv 'e
on. forthwith o Quarrel Each party sao tae
other WINS poaching on its preserves ON.
Frenehmen. backed by Indian alhcs ni"n'l ~
an exceedingly ugly spirit AZ H'V
o,oa sbot and Immediately battle began
7. ordod in the utter rOut of the Brltish' anu
,h.r ,.t,ested mo the Red River and paused 10
,h. naichhorhood of the 4oth parallel lucy
-,.r. tho earliest settlers OF Pembina' w.
Tbose neople led any but H"hquii
uy;,b the hated Frenchmen TO the nor'h VI -
~. .,cochc,ous Cree Indians all arou"" .
and the fierce Sioux and Cbippe""e '''e
,ocr,ber below them, they had plenty 70 Tun
about They were presently ee,'io'" ~
selkirk. to whom they were or'e'na"S 'n'
~ the dcbghtful experiences they had gone
10
'n.S.S from the Hudson Bay Company grant
80 III Tho Red River Valley, and he came on.
h;mscIf with another body OF adventurers' ana
=. IsY, he built q fort upon spot perhaps
= kindred wards from the site OF Pcmoinas Cour'
uor,n The lay Of the land was pretty. long,
s.an narrow river that las since received Us
&C. rane the name OF the town, its banks o'pr,
.,or,, with poplar, oak and elm trees ho"eu
tnto the Ped River at short distance oeio"
~. rort. and the surface Of the country WAS
Rod he,e into mounds and depressed there ln'o
-.,In.. which served greatly to reheFe 'he
rnonotonv Of the expanding prarles Whch o'i
WY learned two years later that MS ior' anu
h,s people were on American soil, he mo''u V.''11
.c,o,s the boundary line, and estaoi'sheu ','',.
,,,h.re they had the right 70 be, put SEVERN y,
.h.i, descendapts are yet living in Pembina, ana
th. traditions of these early days are source
Of pride to the whole community
The pembina OF to-day, however. Is town OF
,.cent growth. but little older, IN fact' IMAM iS
neiobbors in the Red River Valley. people are
sill accounted young who have travelled all ',e
UNIV from Winnipeg through Pemnina " %
raul IN dop-carts, camping in the snow ana crosS-
ino the river in skifs Of buffalo hide drawn 70
rether in ten minutes and proPeiied pS pol.'
-h1. bovs and girls ten years old can tell you
~ Indian fights on the plains around the town
,,,o,o nou, the wheat is green and the pure
h,ooded Indian is as rarely to be found as the
hor.s q, +he buffalo, with which, even them the
vrairies wore literally strewn
There ia nothing like Pembina in all lako'"'
Not more than third Of its population are hau'e
Americans. Many are Canadians. many are hai-
hrseds many are Icelanders. and saw one r'squ'
susu. Not only the city, but the ennre county
-, r.r,h,n. has been overrun by Canadians
Th.v have filled the county below it also. and
..;u ,hev come dsy after day. There nre million
acres in Pembina County and 'oo'ooo
Of them ut least are held by lana
dams They make the very "'F>'
citizens They have given such value 10 the lah"'
have produced such results from u ana nave s'
conspicuously demonstrated It's fertli'F' 'ha' o'o
acres OF this county are now the most expensive
\, an Dakota. The lowest price at which quarter
garfIOn
there are farms in the county that cannot be Oh
,ained for a penny less than $50 an acre. There
4. m way OF telling An English-speaking CANADIAN
rom a native-born American. They are Just IKE
The rest OF us, and they receive from everybody
tia beartiest kind Of a welcome. The half-hreeds
and Icelanders are marked They possess 1nevl'a-
h,s necpliaritjes The French half-breed Is an
Indian Just touched with the heur-de-hs. IN"
Scotch half-breed is ever and foremost ihistie'
with a weakness for blankets and BEADS ana moe
e.sins There is something strange about thr e'-
fec,s produced by the crossing OF bloods. Inc
p,eneh bslf-breed is silent. swift watchful, sin.
tster and he always goes armed. The Sconh
half breed is slow, calculating canny, ana hih'S
dollars with An eagerncss and y persistency thai
tell their own story But BOTH no matter whht
the degree OF swarthiness in Their compl"Hlohs
nav be, have the Indian eyes, the lhdiah
hair and the Indian walk Neither is OF any gr"at
account in such arduous labor as the suolugn-
Non of the wilderness calls for. They are DOM
Indian enough TO prefer the hunting ground to
The n,ougbed field. They loaf around Pembina.
harmless and useless. half their time, and spend
thu other half fishing in the Red River or following
the smaller one in search OF ducks and geese or
chasing wilder and larger game over the woody
marshes Of Northern Minnesota. 1t is only once
IN awhile that they develop into dangerous char
scters. for the law reigns with healthy and
vigorous muscle in oil Dakota, and men whose
,.turol jnclinations are bad keep good out Of re-
spect for the prctuGices Of the community.
But in the earlier days bad half-brced was re-
s.,ded with more awe than bad Indian. The
terrible deeds Of Waller VIC arc still recounted
an psmbina with bated breath. Yallcr Vic" was
a composition Of Winnipeg. French and Red Lake
Ch;nnewa. and no good ever known TO come
&C., this mixture of ferocity and devilment. He
..mc 20 an untimcly end at the hands Of Buck
~, tenderfoot The only man in Penbin" Of
Ron, Y,llcr VIC stood In fear was storckeepcr
,.ho had secured the services OF greenhorn clerk
go, Oh;o The merchant, soon after the new