The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-07-22
Our Minnesota Letter.
MINNEAPOLIS, July 9th

Our Minnesota Letter.
MINNEAPOLIS, July 9th, 1892.
To the Editor of the BGnner-DEAR
SIR: Beginning where we stopped last
week: 1 am going to walk to Fort SMELL
ing two miles further down, and then to
Mendoza, mile further still. 1t is a
pleasant trip, but if any of you can't
stand it you can wait for the next boat,
and we will join you when you reach the
Fort 1 have spoken of the Fort in
former letters, so will only remind you
that it was begun September 10th, 1920.
1t occupies premontory between the
Mississippi and the Minnesota rivers
which here mingle their waters. am
going to cross the Minnesota river on the
rail road bridge, if you are afraid to do
that you can call to the ferryman, who
lives just across, and he will come over
for you with his boat. Before leaving
the Fort, will give a passing note to
the Arst regiment of Minnesota troops
that set out from here to help put down
the Rebellion. The State was scarcely
three years old when on April 18th, 1851,
President Lincoln called for troops, on
June 22nd, 1,440 men embarked from
here. That regiment was in 81 battles
and less than one third returned to tell
the story. Jonathan Carver published a
pleasant account of his travels along
here, he went up the river some distance
above st. Anthony's Falls and then re-
turned and went up the Minnesota river,
to the Cotton wood, where he spent the
winter of 1867 among the Indians, they
treated him kindly and in the spring re-
turned with him to Dayton's Bluff,
which is now a suburb of ST. Paul, where
their dead were buried. In 1905, two
years after Napoleon coded this territory
to the United States, the Government
sent Lieut.. Zebulon M. Pike to explore
the country and become acquainted with
the Indians, as well as to expell English
traders. He went up The river in two
batteaux taking an interpreter with him.
Pixies Island in the mouth of the
Minnesota was the scene of a grand
council with Little Grow and his Sioux
warriors. In this council the Indians
listened for the first time to a speech by
an officer of the United States, he said:
Brothers am happy to meet you here,
at this council fire. which your Great
Father has sent me here to kindle, and to
take you by the hand as our children,
he said they wanted to get land upon
which to build forts for the protection
of the traders, and then he referred to
JuClI wax Will ILO SIlppOWd 40 anu ctohCu
them to let the Father at Washington
bury the Ratchet between them. The
result was the cession of land here and
at the mouth &C the St. Croix, in con-
sideration of $4,000, and they sent pipes
of peace to be smoked by their old
enemies, the Chippewas. He spent the
winter of 1866 among the traders and
Indians, finding the British flag flying
over many of the trading posts. February
10th 1906, he shot down a British flag at
Leech Lake and hoisted the "Star
spangled banner in its place, the first
time it had foated in the breeze in these
parts. On February 10th he met the
ChippeWas in council and after some
difficulty of persuasion, got them salts
fed to smoke the pipes sent by the
Sioux,
Just west of us and higher up the
Minnesota river is LacGul P:.r1i,oo, ...S
stake that talks" Tor echoes), and the
village of the same name, where Joseph
Renville, after whom county was
named, had trading post, and on the
9th of July, 1896, DR.. Williamson es-
tablished a mission. His party were
II days in making their way out there
from Fort Smelling, seeing neither man
nor beast by the way. In their church Of
unburned brick built in 1S41, was the
first bell used in Minnesota. Here in
1888 was the first spinning in the State
of fax and wool, and the next year the
first web of linsey was woven; the work
was done by two Sioux women and two
girls who were taught by Mr.. Higgins,
missionary. John Otter Day who
saved sixty lives from massacre in 1862,
ruae Of thio nniaain0
The sale of spirits to the Indians has
always been fruitful source of trouble.
Gen. Sibley and the missionaries formed
total abstinence pledge, some signed it
for one moon, some for year and some
for life. l copy a few names from the
missionary pledge roll: End-of-a-Horn,
signed for eight moons, Round-Wind,
Stands-and-Looks, Iron-Toe, His-Black-
Dog, Fire, Second Girl-of- the
Family, and Walking Bluebird, each
signed for longef or shorter periods &C
cording to their courage or inclination.
But we must hurry on across the river
to Mendoza or the other boat will be
along before we are ready for it. After
we get across the river we can follow
the curve of the rail road, or cut across
the bend by the river road through the
woods. 1t is Catholic town of 300 or
400 inhabitants, nestled snugly in the
bluff which rises like an ampitheatre,
but is rather irregular. A substantial
stone school house shares with several
other houses, terrace half way up the
bluff, and the only church in the place
is large stone one bearing Roman
cross. 1t is away up yonder on the
highest terrace at the top Of half
dozen flights of stairs. We are now in
the oldest village in Minnesota, started
in 1919 by the men who came up here to
build the Fort. The first log huts have
passed away, and for many years it was
only trading post and Indian agency.
The most interesting; building for us to
visit is on the river terrace just below
us, a two and half story stone dwelling,
erected b. Gen, H, II. Sibley in 1896. l
explored the premises the other day and
was surprised at the superior character
of the building and its state of preser-
walton. 1t is left to fall into decay, not
having been occupied for some years.
There are some twenty rooms, with fire.
places and everything necessary to make
It pleasant home. There are signs of
the cattle having roamed through several
rooms of the lower story and the plaster
inv IL falling from the walls