The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1899-02-17

from 0U raul were henry SnduDuG, y.
@ A. Marsh, Samuel Leach and several
others. We landed here on the Goth
day of May, 1854, where townsite had
been located and named Mankato,
which is slight alteration of the In
dian name of the Blue Earth river,
which here empties into the Minnesota.
I looked over the country in this vicini
| ty and thought it was the elimination
of the beauty and fertility through
which we had been passing on the trip
from st Paul up here, and felt that [
had found my home On one of my
walks in looking over the country | saw
between the Maple and Blue Earth
rivers, FIVE or six miles above the juno
ton of the Blue Earth and LeSueur,
some objects up among the branches OF
two bur oak trees that attracted my
attention. The trees were standing
out on the prairie some distance from
the timber On going near them to in
vestigate, I made them out to be re-
mains of tn bodies of two Sioux In
dams that had been placed there upon
scaffolds fixed upon poles among the
branches of the trees, in accord with
custom that had prevailed among
that TRIBE, to thus dispose of their dead.
Some trinkets and personal relics were
scattered upon the ground under them
that left no doubt as to what were upon
the scaffolds. There were good many
Sioux lingering around here at that
time rather 10th to leave their old
haunts, and many we're the incidents
that happened to the early settlers in
connection with them, none of a very
serious nature, however. | remember
that in October of the year I came here
I had dug my potatoes and had placed
them in heap near my cabin, uncover
ed Just at dusk two Sioux Indians
came to my house, walked in, Said
how looked around little and then
began to stuff some seed corn that |
had saved into their blankets. Il told
them to let that corn alone [ suppose
they did not understand me, but they
turned and looked at me moment and
then began their work at my corn
again l then stepped up to one OF
them and began to take the corn away
from him He made no resistance. When
l had placed all the corn back. l gave
him push and he went out the door. l
then tackled the other one. He made
some resistance, but not very violent
In the tussle we broke number of ears
of corn, and VIII l had taken it all
away from him, gave him shove and
he went out 1 then closed the door
and sat down. In short time 1 heard
two shots outside / went to the door
and looking out saw them making off
on ponies, and though it was getting
pretty dark, thought saw smoke in
the direction of my potato pile Next
morning made an examination and
found that they had fired couple of
loads of shot into my potato pile.
when I came here the land around
the townsite was most of it open to
settlement under the presumption law.
Even within the present limits of the
city there was much land that had not
been claimed. A few claims had been
taken but the land had not been sur
veyed and these claims and those after
ward taken prior to the government
survey had of course t. be changed
more or less to conform with the legal
subdivisions But such was the pre-
vailing good feeling among the. early
settlers and such the opportunities
around us that this was accomplished,
except in one or two instances, without
much difficulty or Jhe least ill feeling,
and generally without much DANA e
to anybody,
'Our government had recognized the
right of the Sioux to this region and
had obtained the cession of their right
by treaty before inviting the whites to
come here and settle But after | had
| been mere several weeks another race Of
prior made their appearance
in vast numbers armed and equipped
for war and evidently determined to
| battle for their rights which seem to
have been disregarded. and many mil
lions of drops of the precious blood of
the early settlers was shed in the con-
test with this determined and blood
thirsty foe The first time my atten-
ton was seriously attracted to their
movements was one evening just after
sunset, as l was sitting with Mr..
James Hanna, with whom I was board
ing while preparing to occupy my
claim 1t was a warm, sultry evening
and we were out in front of his house
noticed off toward the horizon what I
took to be a heavy cloud, and said to
Mr. Hanna that I thought we were
going to get rain. He asked me why I
thought so, and I said just see that
dark cloud off there He then smiled
and said Don't you know what that
iaq That's mosuuitoes And so it was