The Saint Paul globe., 1899-01-08

IL
Ing. The store belonged to Daniel
Hopkins. Mrs. Cavenders father.
Mr.. Hopkins had already resided in
| st. Paul for several years. His was
rather an original character. He made
practice of following up the advance
of civilization, beginning In Western
| New York, at very early date, when
that region was still frequented by
| the red men. Mr.. Hopkins used to CO.
! operate with the missionaries, whom
he generally accompanied. He was
accustomed to trade with the Indians
| upon uncommon conditions. He would
never consent to exchange a drop of
liquor that was then almost the me-
| dunn of the Indian trade. Upon his
| counter lay always the Holy Scrip
! lures. From New York he proceeded
| to Mackinac, afterwards to Prairie du
CHEN, and later to st. Paul He died
IN 1852, While coming up from ST. Louis
on a steamboat. He dealt in every va
riety of goods used by the settlers, the
hunters or the aborigines. For about
year and half Mr.. Cavender con-
tnued to reside with his father-in-law
In the spring of 1850 Mr.. Hopkins pur-
chased, for 500, the large lot, 60 by $50
| feet, corner of the present Temperance
| and Eighth streets. He presented this
lot to his daughter. and upon it Mr..
| Cavender at once erected a story and
a half frame, house.
| Strange and deserted was the spot
| forty-five years ago where now is al
| most the center of the city, within a
! single block of the busiest retail street
| in ST. Paul. At that time but two
houses were to be seen from the site
| of Mr. Cavender's little cottage. One
block to the west, on the location of
the residence so long known as the
''old Oakes place." was a rude cabin,
! built of logs and inhabited by French
half-breed. A long distance to the
| south, high up on the Baptist" or
Burbank hill,'' was visible another
small house, where is now, approx
mately, the corner of Fourth and Sib-
ley streets. With these exceptions
nothing was to be seen in any direction
but tall hazel brush. The Cavender
| family then included little Sarah, aged
SIX (nOW Mrs. RandalD, and Charles.
| aged three. The little boy once be-
came lost. Search was made in every
| direction, and the wanderer was at
last discovered, sound asleep, far in
the recesses of the dense wild under
growth, whence he was carried ten
derly to the anxious mother in the
! arms Of sympathetic squaw. Nor
was hazel brush the only natural fea-
tufe OF the landscape that would ap-
pear unexpected to a later resident
of the city. A short distance to the
west, the site of Robert street. was
occupied by
DEEP AND MIRY MARSH.
Further still in the same direction
was encountered a heavy wood COW
erlng the present vicinity of Seven
corners. There were, of course, no
regular streets then laid out in Mr.
of going directly south, in order to
visit the only busy part of town, which
was the levee at the foot of Jackson
street, it was necessary to pass away
around to the west over a path since
evolved into Wabasha street. This
route would avoid a deep gully trav-
ersing the location of Fourth street
from east to west
In 1859 Mr.. Cavender erected the
large two-story frame residence where
in he still dwells. 1t was one of the
finest residences of ST. Paul for a num-
Der of years, and is still most COM
Portable and spacious, roomy home. It
contains twenty-five rooms. z go
in the early sos, however. other
neighbors gradually gathered around
the Cavenders. Among the first was
Rev. Chauncy Hobart, who built, about
1851 house to the eastward. This
house was later sold to Parker Paine,
one of the early ST. Paul bankers The
small log house to the west, which has
been mentioned before, was occupied
for a while by Rev. B. f. Hoyt, Faith
er" Hoyt, as he was called About
1888, the once famous "Oakes place" a
large frame house constructed some
v hat in the Southern style was put
up by the then prominent contracting
firm OF Pollock & Donaldson. The
latter gentleman lived with Mr.. Cav
ender while the house was under con-
struction.
The First Baptist church had been
established in December, 1S49, Mrs.
Cavender entertaining the clergy who
assembled at the time. One of the rev.
erend gentlemen came over from Still
water, and he pleasantly explained.
after his arrival, that as a precaution
against the cold he was wearing six
pairs of socks. The next year the new
congregation erected its first church
building upon the hill between Fourth
and Seventh streets, which elevation
thus acquired the name of the "Rar1
tist hill" Not many years later the
second church of the same congrega-
ton was built on Sibley street, between
Eighth and Ninth streets. 1t still
stands, and has latterly been utilized
by the Salvation Army Mr.. Caven
der and his wife have always been de-
Ncleu anu consistent members of the
First Baptist church. They formed
two of the dozen original founders for
ty-siX years ago. The other ten were
j. B. Spencer and wife, Lyman Day-
ton and wife, Mr. Stearns and wife
Harriet E. Bishop Mrs Gould. Mr.
Townsend, Mr.. Draper.
GOING INTO BUSINESS.
In 1850 Mr.. Cavender bought out the
blacksmith shop of William Mobiles
near Fifth and Robert streets. abont
where the Endicott building now is
This he retained for long period and
engaged in both blacksmithing and the
manufacture of wagons and carriages
He sold out to Quinby & Halloweu
about eighteen years ago, and then
rented building on Fifth street, be-
yond Minnesota, remaining there for
three or four years, until he finally re-
tired from business
Mr.. Cavender unlike many vigorous
Old men, has no infallible receipt for a
healthy old age. He has ALWAYS alb
stained from alcoholic liquors and to-
| bacco. He has made it a practice TO
retire. at an early hour, and, when in
active business, he was accustomed to
rise very early. He has paid no espe
cial attention to the matters of diet or
exercise.