St. Paul daily globe., 1893-06-02
Annual Meeting Of the Earli-
est Settlers OF Our Com
monWealth.
Officers Elected and Business
Transacted at the State
Capitol.
The Yearly Banquet Proves
an Exceedingly Pleas
ant Feature.
Names and Memories Of All
Old Settlers to Be Fit
tingly Preserved. z

After the business meeting at the
capitol yesterday morning the old set
tiers adjourned to the Merchants hotel,
where they partook of the annual ball
quet. after which they were entertained
by speeches from the oldest of the set
tlers-oldest in point of residence,
rather than age. These speeches were
rich in "reminiscences, and would have
made the fortune of the average story
teller, abounding as they did in start
ling incidents of those days when we
owned real. tangible frontier.
One noticeable point in these remi-
niscences was the prominence OF the
women who shared those dangers.
'.The women, our wives, were our right
arm for dependence and courage" said
one gallant gentleman, and yet there
were no women at that banquet. Some
of the Old settlers expressed regret at
this fact, but said that when the society
was incorporated there was prepon-
derance of bachelors, who had been
obliged to bear their burdens OF frontier
life alone, or at least content themselves
with the crumbs of comfort that fell
from their neighbors' tables in the mat
ter of womanly miniStrations.
Gov. Ramsey made the first speech,
and told of the inhospitality of the
country in those first days, when the
only medium of communication with
the outer world was by steamboat
through the summer and by Indian OF
Canadian voyageurs through the long
Northern winter.
Gov. Marshall followed and spoke of
the first legislatures, which were held
ha, noonnuinU tho cite Of the
present Merchants hotel. He paid a
warm tribute to those hardy men who
Came as Pioneers
TO the Northwest from almost every
state in the Union, and whose character
istics were such as made them valuable
citizens to any country, especially to
this, that showed a very severe face to
her foster children. Many names that
he mentioned are written proudly on
the history of our state as we'll as OF
the whole Northwest. =
DR.. Day, who came to Minnesota in
1S49. told of the hardships of those
days. The struggle that the first set
tiers lad to protect themselves from the
rigors of the climate and provide some
means to preserve through the winter
the provisions acquired III the summer.
anu JuO OoiiSIoht PiSONhNS ~ A'NNNA'S -
various tribes.
Col. Stevens talked in much the same
way. E. w. Durant. of Saltwater.
spoke OIL the later developments of the
country, the contrasts between those
frontier days and the slowly acquired
comfort of today. Mr.. Carson, of the
Merchants hotel, who came here in '4S,
expressed his pleasure at beng able
to receive so many of the Old settlers al
the hotel, and hoped that they would
be with him next year and for many
more to come. Gen. Becker made a
short talk. Henry L. Moss, Mr.. Fol-
som, Judge Baker and d. Bird LOOMS
followed with short speeches.
Paul Larpenteur made the closing
speech. in which he recalled the appear
ance of the town iii 1S47. Mr.. Larpen-
teur is the oldest settler, having come
to the state from New England III 1877.
Mrs. Larpenteur was the first white
woman in st. Paul. Many and thrilling
were the scenes through which they
lived. Mr.. Larpenteur built a house on
the corner OF what is now Third and
Jackson streets, where he kept store
lust across the street from the legiSla-
ture. There the Indians came to trade,
and once an Indian endeayUred to take
possession of the premises and held
! a bloody knife over the merchants
head while the terror-stricken wife
stood helplessly by. Bands of maraud
party of them shot Sioux woman in
anotner store across on Third street
from the Larpenteur store. Shooting
scrapes between Indians were not at all
rare occurrences in those days.
After the banquet the society .ad
journed to meet again on June l, 1894.
Election of Officers
was held at the capitol in the morning
President Dorr. of Minneapolis, being
unable to attend, Daniel Cameron pre-
sided in his place.
The following members have dice
| during the past year: w. G. Morrison
| st. Paul, Oct. 5, 1892; Clement IL. Beau
line, White Earth, Jan. II, 1898; l.. M
| Parker, Minneapolis, May Is. 1898, anG
ID. S. Harris, Gorlina.
| The ballot for officers for the ensuing
| year resulted in the election of the fol
| ing gentlemen; David Cameron. LIZ
| Crescent. president; William Willirn
| Saltwater, first vice PRESIDENT; b. f
Irvine, St. Paul, second vice president
| A. l.. Larpenteur, st. Paul, recording
| secretary; j. Fletcher Williams, CORE
spending secretary; DIR. j. H. Murphy
treasurer. Obituary Committee-J. d
Ludden, q. l.. Becker, David Day, j. F
| Williams, w. L. Marshall. Executive
! Committee-W. p. Murray, chairman
j. H. Stevens, j. d. Ludden, Capt r
| Blakely. S. p. Folsom.
Some time was spent in discussing the
question of collecting the names of ole
| settlers who had not the time or money
to come and join the society. 1t wa;
decided to instruct the secretary to loob
| up those men and secure their names
| for record.