San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-12-17
LOST AN ISLAND AT POKER.
Anecdote of Pierre rottineau, a Pioneer
Frenchman, Who Lately Died.


history of Minnesota that to try to re-
late it without mentioning his name
would be like trying to make bricks
without straw. This man was Pierre
Bottineau, the offspring of French
father and an Indian mother, and he
possessed all the characteristics of
both races.
Mr.. Bottineau was a native of what
is now North Dakota, having been
born twelve miles west of the place
where Fargo, n. d., now stands At the
time of his birth Lord SellSirk formed
a colony of Swedes and Scotchmen
near Fort Garry, and when Bottineau
was ten years of age these people be-
gan an exodus for other points. Young
as he was, Bottineau was an expert
enced guide, skilled in wood and
prairie craft, and more than one of
Lord Selkirk's colonists he piloted out
of the wilderness.
In many of the early expeditions OF
the United States government Pierre
was employed as a guide and scout,
and was one of the principal members
of the noted Siblev expedition, which
crossed the plains in the early days.
He was we'll acquainted with almost
every foot of the Dakotas, Minnesota
and Wisconsin, and at one time was
the owner of vast tracts of valuable
land, which he subsequently lost in
some way or another. Mr.. Bottineau
was warm friend of James j. Hill,
the railway magnate, having met him
at st. Paul when that place was little
more than trading point, and where
Mr.. Hill was employed as a freighter.
In 1s41 Mr.. Bottineau took up claim
on the spot where St Paul now stands,
but after having held it for a short
time traded it for horse and COW,
which he drove away to his home in
the wilderness, little thinking that the
land he had almost given away would
| in few years be the site of a great
city. Later on Mr.. Bottineau pur-
chased for small sum a large portion
of what is now Minneapolis, but lost
the greater portion of it through the
dishonesty of purchasers and the rest
through his weakness for poker, a
game which he thought he understood,
DuI WHICH, oOuOE pCopAC SWIM Wv
| ter than he.
There is a story, which the older
residents of Minneapolis declare to be
| true, that Bottineau was once the sole
owner of Nicollet island, lying in the
Mississippi river, which divides Mime
| apolis into East and West Minneapolis,
and which is now one of the most inn
portant business and residence districts
in the city and valued at many millions
of dollars, and that he lost it during a
game of poker. A party of men met
one evening at the home of one of
them, so goes the story, to play their
accustomed game. The stakes kept
growing larger and larger, until every
| jack pot contained a small fortune,
even for that early day.
Ever since the game had begun Mr..
Bottineau had been losing steadily, but
at last he was dealt hand upon which
he hoped to regain all his losses and
win something besides He was given
four queens pat, and drew one card,
secured an ace, leaving only four kings
with which his hand could be beaten.
As he saw, or thought he did, which
| amounted to the same thing, one of the
PLAYERS discard a king, he considered
his hand invincible, and played it ac-
cordingly. His opponent also consid-
cred his hand good one, and prompt
~ raised every bet made by Bottineau.
Soon all the players but Bottineau
and his opponent dropped their hands
and retired from the game, after which
| they sat and watched the conflict The
table was heaped with money and the
personal belongings of two men, who
were wishing they had more to wager
upon their respective hands. At last
all the men possessed lay on the table
in front of them, and il was Bottineau's
bet. Carefully looking over his cards
he thought a moment and then re-
marked that all he had left was Nicol-
| let island, which was once the home of
Father Hennepin, one of the earliest
settlers of Minnesota, his log cabin
stood upon a little mound in the center
of the island up to few years ago,
when it was pulled down to make room
for the residence of Col King.
This island Bottineau was willing to
bet against two hundred dollars. The
bet was called by the man on the OPP
posite side of the table and Bottineau
laid down his four queens with smile
of triumph on his face. With shout
his opponent laid on the table, face up,
four kings and a tray. There was a
dead silence for a moment. Then Bot
tineau called for writing materials,
made out deed to the island and left
the place Since that day he never
touched a card or countenanced gam
bling in any form.
After drifting around the country for
time Pierre went to Red Lake falls,
where he took up a claim, and where
he remained up to the time of his
death at the are of 81 years. He