The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-30
HEIRS OF CAPT. CARVER
revive Claim That Has Long tai,
Dormant.

lelrs OF the estate of Capt. Jonathan
SafVer, now residing at or near Nano-
lcoll' ONO, nave stirred up the 1,sl,oI
gueslion as to the title of the CITY IF
ol Paul and suit will soon be com
n nleIlceo at the town named. Cant
carver, for whom Caryer's cave fa mil.
.@i ~ many present residents. was
.,oIIa' optalned title to sixty square
Lliies from the Indians, comnrisinp
much OF the area of both st. PAM and
minneapolis. The claim is not a new
one. IN his pen pictures of the north
west, MAJ. L. M. Newson said in 1890.
.;., dIoe' Capt. Jonathan Carver a man of dis
in tbn ana ana VINO had served as an officer
IN IN the French and Indian wars conceived
one iaea OF exploring this then little known
ana unoeveloped region. In the fall of 17es
ne reached ache this locality and describes "a
OF ST. Anthony" in the following accurate
manner: The entrance into it is about ten
Iee1 wide; the height of 1t Eve feet: the arch
within is near fifteen feet high and ohoy+
thirty feet broad. The bottom Of # nonsIs+s
OF me, clear sand. About twenty feet from
the entrance Of It begins a lake. The dis
t .ain.s rom the falls of st. Anthony is not
thirty miles. as stated by Carver. but abort
ten; by river about twenty.
In this cave Carver held grand council
Win the Indians and he claims they gave
MIN q DEED OF the large tract of land embrac-
Ing the present site Of St Paul, and many
acres above the falls ON the east side Of the
river. IN the aggregate of one hundred square
miles. Above this cave, on the bluff, was
the burial place of the savages, and here to-
day can be found many mounds. 1t was also
IN this cave where the Indians held their
VINO eongregated here to talk over the "af-
fairs of the state and enjoy their huge pow
vows. Those were happy days for the abor-
igines, but now the red men are rarely seen
upon our streets, or rarely heard of except
on the extreme frontier.
The cave alluded to is at the foot Of what
Is now known as Daytons Bluff, about one
half mile below our present levee, within the
city limits, on the East bank of the Mis-
sissippi river. The bluff derives its name
from Mr. Lyman Dayton, who formerly
and much Of that In the swamp below, now
occupied by the various railroad companies.
Nearly thirty years ago travelled with a
lady and gentleman on their way East who
had visited St. Paul to claim their posses
sion as transferred to them by the heirs Of
Jonathan Carver, to the immense tract of
land already alluded to, having in their KEEP
ing deed Of this then and now immensely
valuable property, and who were greatly dis
appointed, on searching the records, to find
that while such a deed was given to Carver
by the Indians, yet when the land was coded
to the United States no mention was made
Of the transaction; that It, the deed was not
confirmed, and hence the title was not per-
feet. The gentleman was then sick and sub
sequently died, but for courtesies extended
to him by myself on the journey, his widow
years afterward gave me copy OF the al
ie6eo aeSu, anu piesSAteo ~ W tiio hAcau
envy of Science. That institution united with
the Historical society. and when this was
burned out in the old capitol building the
deed went up in smoke, many other grand
schemes OF men have disappeared In the black
cloud of disappointment What would have
been the result If these parties had succeeded
In perfecting their title. nobody can tell. but
this little incident is interesting connected
with the early growth and history of St.
Paul. In 1S4s DR.. Carver, grandson of Jona-
than, visited our city in search of his prop
erty but congress would not recognize his
claim and the matter quietly dropped.