Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1894-12-06
IN EARLY DAYS.
Personal ReColleCtionS of the
State to be Recounted by
Old Settlers.
How and When the Military
Forts We're Built Told by
A. w. Kelley.

The fourth annual meeting Of the Old
Settlers Association of the Red River
Valley, of which James Nolan is presi.
dent, N. K. Hubbard, vlce-president, and
Frank J. Smith, secretary, will meet in
Fargo Dec. 6, ht 10 a. m. President Jas.
Nolan Will deliver the annual address,
and Mayor Ball the welcoming address.
During The afternoon visitors from
abroad will have an opportunity to view
the improvements made IN the city since
the great fire of June Z, 1893. In the
evening banquet will be given at Hotel
Metropolis, lasting from s to II. Music
will be furnished by Rupert's orchestra,
and select quartette of singers. Snort
and interesting "reminiscences of the
early days on the frontier will be given
by Hon. S. G. Comstock, Hon. II, NJ.
Probstfeld and Col. J. II. Sharp, Moor
head; Hon. S. G. Roberts. Messrs. ".
H. White, James Holes, G. J. Keeney,
Jacob Lowell and n. X. Hubbard Fargo:
Mayor Anderson and G. B. Winshlp. of
Grand Forks. Residents of the Red
River valley prior to 1876, only, are elli-
gible to membership.
With many of those who are to speak
of the early days on the frontier. whose
names are given above, \. w. Kelley, of
this city, one of The old-timers of the
territory, is acquainted. The mention of
their names awakens memories of broad
expanse of the unknown Northwest. the
home of the bison and the Indiana
region into which the white man pene-
trated alone only at the risk of scalp and
life, and region into which the forerun.
ner of civilization army POSTPAID
as yet barely gained entrance. Thinking
of the early days Of this reglon-volumes
of history, yet unrecorded, have since
been made-Mr. Kelley says:
1T makes me laugh when 1 think of
1t. Many say they are old timers who
came here in the early SOS and in 70
The civillzing effects of the railroad, the
telegraph and the United States mails
we're then felt in many parts Of the
territory. The Indians we're gathered
on reservations and the buffalo had dis
appeared. 1t was no logger the from tier.
When l came to the territory on July
%, 1864, was in the employ of the gov
ernment and went to Fort Wadsworth,
Major Clowney, Thirtieth Wisconsin,
commanding. The name of the fort was
later changed to Fort Sisseton and
became the headquarters of what is now
known as the Sisse;on and Wahpeton
Indian reservation"
Mr.. Kelley assisted in the work of put
ting up sawmill and saving lumber for
the construction of the buildings and
barracks OF the fort. Here be stayed for
a little over year. then gong to Fort
Abercro,a bie-located where now Is the
village of the same name in Rlchland
county-where another army post was
established. The post was established
in 81, some buildings erected, and later
partially abandoned But in 80 Col. G.
| Powell Adams now dead, with 'Hatch's
| Independent Battalion took possession
and erected the remainder Of the build
ings. Mr.. Kelley was there in 81. He
remembers while going to Georgetown
a postoffice north Of Fargo IS miles
meeting the regulars from the fort going
to the 'front.'" having been relieved by
couple of companies Of volunteers.
In August Of that summer Mr.. Kelley
went to Devils Lake, escorted by the
military, and for the third time assisted
! in the establishment of frontier out.
post. The sawmill was rugged up, lum-
Der manufactured from the standing
timber to be found there. and in short
time Fort Totten, Captain Wainwright
commanding, arose in the wilderness.
Then Lake Mlnnewaukan, Mr.. Kelley
says, was fully ten feet higher than at
present. 1t receded four feet or more
during his four years residence at the
fort. In '6S he took his family to Fort
loILcu, "AlC1l lCllhluSu ulS uolAc uu Cl1
To- In 81 General Terry and staff made
| a visit to the territory and established
the sites of these forts and others. Com
munication from fort to fort was was car
ried on by means of military couriers for
three years or more before United States
mail routes we're instituted.
In May, 1872, as government con-
tractor, Mr.. Kelley first saw the site of
jamestown from the bluffs overlooking
the James river. Fort Seward, which
mas long since been abandoned and now
is only remembered in the names of local
social organizations. was then in process
Of construction. A party OF five or six
engineers spent the previous winter here
protected (:) by detail OF U. s. soldiers,
consisting of corporal and half dozen
privates. The Northern Pacific railroad