St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-11-17
A PIONEER.

An interesting and instructive event
occurred in Pennsylvania last week,
which. in the confusion produced by
the political whirlwind, passed UNI
noticed. While it had no bearing or
weight upon the political, social or
commercial currents of the day, it did
recall movements in the earlier history
OF the country whose effects have not
ceased to be felt at the present time.
1t was the sale of an old stone mansion
and farm of POO acres in Berks county,
the birthplace of DANIEL BOONE.
Among the historic characters of this
country there is none whose individu-
ality has left stronger impression
upon the American mind than DANIEL.
BOONE, the pioneer. With the excep-
ton of ABRAHAM LINCOLN, there is
none more typical of American man.
hood. 1t is a noteworthy fact that
these two great Americans came
of common ancestry, and that
there was kindred blood in their
veins. Squire BOONE, who owned the
old house that sold the other day, where
his son DANIEL was born in 1885, was
the neighbor and related by marriage to
JOHN LINCOLN, who was the grand
father of ABRAHAM LINCOLN. About
the time the BoONES moved to North
Carolina the LINCOLNS disposed of
their possessions in Berks county and
went to the Shenandoah valley in Vir-
ginia, and located in Rockingham
county, at place now known as Lin
coin Springs. From thence they after
wards moved into Kentucky, where
ABRAHAM LINCOLN was born, and
after the dark and bloody ground"
had been rescued from the sayages by
DANIEL BOONE and his pioneer follow
erS.
1t is singular fact that, although
DANIEL BOONE was the pioneer and
founder of two states, among the
wealthiest i'll the Union, and now
numbering an aggregate population of
nearly five millions, and although he
patented. in his own name, more land
than any man of his tine, be died with
out clear title to single acre. His
Kentucky lands were taken away from
him owing to defect in the title. and
this unlucky experience was to be
repeated for him when he removed to
Missouri. In an ungrateful spirit the
United States government refused,
after the cessiOn from Spain to con-
firm BOoNE's title to large tract of
land in that territory which he had
acquired by the purchase of Spanish
grant. While DANIEL BOONE could
outwit the Indians of the frontier and
could beat them at their own game, vet
he was not competent to deal with the
Savages of civilization. He could found
empires, but he could not hold his own
with land sharks. His fate was that of
other great men who did wonders for
posterty, but did not have sufficient
business ShrewdneSS to secure for them
selves a burylng place.
We have here in Minnesota a grand
old man whose sands of life are fast
slipping away, who possesses many of
the characteristics, and has had some of
the experiences of DANIEL BOONE. We
refer to Gen. HENRY HASTINGS SIB-
LEY, the pioneer OF the Northwest and
the father of Minnesota. DANIEL.
BooNE's fame and exploits were sung
during his own life by Lord BYRON.
Although Gen. SIBLEY's reputation
may not be so worldwide, the grandeur
of his life and the value of his exploits
are none the less conspicuous. A move
ment is now on foot in Pennsylvania to
have the legislature of that state make
an appropriation to erect monument
to BOONE on the spot of his birth. Ken
lucky and Missouri have already hon
ored the memory of their first pioneer
in substantial form. The state of Min
nesota owes as much to Gen. SIBLEY,
and we hope the next legislature will
be just and generous enough to make
provision for similar monument to be
erected on the hill above Mendoza over
looking the generals old home, which
was the first house built by white
man in Minnesota.