The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-18
LEFT FORTY YEARS AGO
d. 3. LAMBERT, A FORMER ST
PAUL MAN.
Pays Visit to the City He Hasn't
Seen for Four Decades-Was the
First Merchant to Introduce Coal
OIL Lamps in Use Here-Stfu in
Business but Spends His Time i'm
Travelling.


Travelling.
After an absence Of forty years, D. s. Lam.
pert, OF Indianapolis, returned yesterday to
st. Paul, after travelling over nearly every
part Of the world He enjoys the distinction
OF being the first of the territorial merchants
In the then small settlement of st. Paul To
introduce coal oil lamps In his place of bus
mess. which was on East Third street on
the present site Of B. Presley's commission
mouse. 1t Is a singular fact that after tray-
cling through many climes during the later
years of his life. Mr.. Lambert never hap
business ventures. -'-' e"i y
AT the Ryan last night he chatted with a
o reporter on the very spot where four
o ouG s,, Delore the noble red man skulked
anu nature clothed the ground with wide
eHpahse OF hazel brush. Mr.. Lambert cher
ishes only the pleasantest recollections Of his
TOUR years residence in St. Paul, from 1874
Although well along in years he is still
actively engaged in the mercantile business
IN IN InYdilanapolis but spends much of his time
excellent health. No e"'"' .
MIR. Lambert said: "These buildings are
all new to me, but the ground is not. 7 can
scarcely bring myself to believe that this is
St. Paul, the small settlement which l came
to when young man, in the then yet unor-
6ahi1eu eCdte. lie story or the growth and
progress of St. Paul rivals any of the stories
Aladdin OF the Arabian Nights. Why. when
l was here the whole of what is now Mime
apolis could be bought for very small sum.
and the choice lots up there at $40 a piece
were drug on the market. The spirit Of
enterprise which so characterized the early
settlers of Minnesota made st. Paul the pres
ent great city that it is. There was more
enterprise In the little settlement of St. Paul
then than there was in the city of New York
at the time. The Indians were paid off here.
and everybody had money those days, and
times continued prosperous for an unbroken
season until the state was organized.
Il was county commissioner for several
years, ana see the st. Paul people still have
the habit OF throwing watermelon rinds into
the streets; In many ways St. Paul has not
Of the river and its two noble bluffs, which
look Just the same today as it did then; only
now their sides are dotted with the citadels
Of civilization and the engine of commerce
Is seen now on the river banks instead of
blowing through. the Father of Waters. In
the winter time 1t was very cold in st. Paul;
I think have never experienced such cold
days. The thermometer frequently went as
low as fifty below, and most of the time our
weather indicators were frozen up. We used
to go down to Galena on sledges and that
was very popular method OF Transportation
those days.
IT recall one cold winters day one Of the
stages came into the city driven by the pas
his post. This is only one instance of the
great hardship which the pioneers of those
days went through
I will have TO leave st. Paul tomorrow
morning, so I will be unable to meet any
Of the old-timers. but If nothing prevents /