The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1890-03-20
REDWOOD "REMINISCENCES
First Settlement of Redwood Falls--Inter-
esting Annals by Col. Sam1 McPhail,
One OF the Founders of this Village.

On the second day of May, 1864,
Col. Saml McPhall, John K. Thomp-
son, 7. w. Caster, Grin Fletcher, O.C.
Martin and John Dunlap arrived at
the Falls of the Redwood. about noon.
That afternoon they cut and hauled
logs, built foundation 16x1G feet and
four feet high, and banked with sod
on the outside, for thor sleeping quar-
tiers. The next day they marked out
lines for a stockade fort, 15Ox25O feet
This was on the north half of the block
where Commodore Stickles' store
stood afterwards. They next built a
log block house. 1921 feet, with
school section up stairs. We then
moved into this block house and be-
gan building our fort. This was built
with sod, feet high, 3 feet at base,
Il feet at top, with ditch 3 feet deep,
3 feet at top and II feet at the bottom.
May 10th our post was reinforced
by the arrival of Capt Ed. Post and
Frank Kennedy. They took claims on
the west side, known as the Cook
place. They planted potatoes, corn
and melons. This was the only plant
ing done that season in the colony.
Messrs. Post and Kennedy assisted in
building the stockade but did not re-
main permanently.
May 18th, Edmund Fosgate and
family arrived and became permanent
settlers. The stockade being complet-
ed four new buildings :.ere erected
viz: McPhail's Headquarters, T. W
Casters, Edmund Fosgate's and O. G
Martins. Late this fall David Wat,
son built an additional small building
All these buildings were inside the
stockade.
On June I'd, Hon. John Homer and
John Schadwick arrived. The latter
did not become permanent settler.
Everything now ran smoothly until
the night of July 18th, when, at about
ii o'clock two shots were fired into the
stockade, and immediately there came
that unearthly yell, known as the Sioux
war whoop. Immediately every man
was at the stockade all ready for the
red man. When all was quoted down
we discovered that two of our horses
had been taken out of the east gate
Col. McPhail and T. w. Caster We mt
outside to spy for Indians and horses
Near where the court house now
stands the horses were discovered, both
being held by one Indian, who was
laying down. The Indian being free
on, ran, and the horses broke away ano
Immediately returned to the stockade
The next day we secured the aid Of
two friendly Indians and started Oh
the trail and; followed through O.
G. Martins timber, then. east unit
three miles south of Redwood we lost
the trail in black rush swamp. I,
was considered unsafe to follow in this
swamp, but upon one of our friendly
Indians calling to them in Sioux Ian
guage, two Indians appeared. They
were unarmed and claimed to be
friendly and on their way to the Low
er Agency. However, upon following
their trail we found stuck in the muC
one Springfield rife and one double
barrel shot gun. The Indians were
then made prisoners, left in charge Of
the friendly Indians and two white
men, with orders to bring them into
the stockade and then sent to Fort
Ridgely. The writer and one of the
whites started for the stoekade. When
some half mile away we heard foul
shots fired. About sunset that evening
the two Indians and their white, com
rades arrived at the stockade and re-
ported that their captives had escaped
When reprimanded for carelessness
one of the Indians took the writer
aside and said, they forgot their scalp.
at the same pulling his blanket OPP
En- and exhibiting evidence that HI
was telling the truth, Upon this show
ing it was considered unnecessary t
pursue them further.