Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-04-17

A steamboat landing was erected hero
at great expense by driving q pole into
the river bank. Soon afterward Audu-
bon visited the place, and with prophetic
eye forotold the great future in store
for st. Joseph. It is tho FIRST instance
on record whore the prophetic eye has
been utilized in that way.
Robideaux laid out q townsite hero
and then called together the old hunters
and trappers to name the little town.
Mr.. Robideaux had provided . largo
barrel Of something to shatter across
the bow Of the newly christened craft.
Each trapper suggested q name, but
each name seemed to be distasteful to
Joe, till Charlie Stewart, tho "Old Zip
Coon" Of history, suggested, with his
eye on tho keg, that it Be called st. Jo-
seph in honor Of Mr.. Robideaux.
KNOCK her head in" said Joe, and
the barrel was busted quicker than .
New York Sunday law.
General good feeling prevailed, fol-
lowed by remorse and Apollinaris water.
The streets were named while the gen.
eral good feeling was in tho act Of pre-
vailing. They were named for the sons
and daughters Of whom Joseph had re-
peatedly found himself the parent
Among them were Messanie, Angel
ique, Sylvanie, Charles, Edmund, Felix,
Francis, julie, Fareon, Michel, Rosine,
Antoine, Louis, Fouline, Auguste, Isa-
belle, Iodine. Fouberg, Robideaux, AL
fonse and Poisson. The streets were
the first to give out, for Joseph still had
his quiver full of names.
Robideaux built big brick store,
which was known far and wide as the
great building Of the western country.
1t Is now modest sausage factory IA
nous for its manufacture of the tooth
some blsck-and-tan sausage Of Missouri.
Joseph has long since passed on to that
eternal hunting ground where the COON
skin cap is entirely superfiuous. His
portrait now hangs in the board of trade
auditorium Of the prosperous city.
ST. Joe in 1850 became the starting
point of the famous pony express, dar-
ing enterprise. which no one but an
American would have deemed possible.
There was Wall street scheme at that
time for obtaining . subsidy Of ten mil
lions Of dollars from the government for
carrying the mails overland from New
York to San Francisco for q year. Will
liam H. Russell, backed by Secretary of
War Floyd. thought the scheme was
not warranted in the interests of econ
omy. He also offered TO bet 5000. 900,
that being all be had with him Mt the
time. that he could put on mail line
that would cover the I .p50 miles between
St. Joe and San Francisco in ten days.
The Wall street boys took the bet. and
the big go-as-you-plcase race against
time began. Mr.. Russell bought 300 of
the toushcst and heetest ponies he could
end. and hired 125 men who could ride
on horseback without painful regrets on
the following DAY. Tho relays were
made ut ten 10 twenty miles apart. Each
rider had to cover sixty miles. and al
low himself two minutes to skip from
eae horse to the other with his saddle
bszs Of mail
April 9. 1890, the pony express started.
A gun fred on tho steamer Sacramento,
In the bay at SAn Francieoo. was the
signal Billy Baker. mounted on the
restless little hornet Border Ruifian.
made little cloud Of dust. and. ne the
echo Of the big gun died away. swift ~
the telegram raising the salary 81 the
operators along the line. he sped toward
The Sie-ras.
All went well. The frvt rider made
twenty mi5es in forty nine minutes.
Everything ran smoothly. not Withstand
nx the Indians and the deserts. till the
ecurier reached The Platte. II wss .
ea~ of Damon and Pvthiss. - far ~
high water went. and the ty~schs~uus
river wse more than hank fuii Of icv
water rn.hing over IL uneasy h~d of
snschsand. Ne only sbouwhs NJ his EN-
rlo~~~-. however. and plunged in. The
ssarted for sIse station ssn xssses s~sy.
Srty miles cot firm 81. Jsr. Johnny
Fry awaited 80 arrival 81 The cosriss
all Il s~~m~d N him "a ws too late b.
rr~eshfv rnaks IL wsen be sos hss
s6n~d vset Aown The skos sd v~
ns~sv scv. 80. ~ ~ hrsss sisies
eth HE hAx. tn<slsa with ths rearing.
w ssvv~s< ~ ~ stspp~a. psstsss ard
s~<~~<~s - a. usnAdx skr,va. ~ w5kk