The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-30
4 SHORT FRONTIER STORY,
Which the Reached Us
FLANDRAUJ

The lands west of the Mississippi river
in Minnesota were the property OF the
Sioux Indians until treaties were made
with them in 1851, by which they coded
them to the United States. but these
treaties were not fully ratified until 1853
on account of amendments which de-
ferred final action, but immigration was
pouring into the territory, and 1t na.u-
rally found a lodgment on the west side
of the river, from the Iowa line up TO
Fort Smelling. and gradually extended up
the Minnesota river to Mankato Or
course all the settlers on the Indian lands
were trespassers, and as the lands We're
unsurveyed no claim rights could be ac-
ouired. but settlers did the best they
could to mark their claims and gain what
right they could by possession. The usual
and best way of marking claim lines was
by running a plow furrow around the
land When the prairie was once broken
the line was indelible, because an entire
ly new growth would spring UP in the
furrow that never could be eradicated.
In 1854 a law of congress was passed
by which settlers in Minnesota were
given rights in unsurveyed lands, their
claims to be adjusted to the survey lines
when they were run las near as may be-
Of course this condition of things gave
rise to many disputes about claim lines
and rights, and as there were no legal
tribunals to appeal to we organized claim
associations to protect out rights. In my
part of the state we had an association
that covered what is now Blue Earth,
NiooIIot and T % SlleI1r counties. and most
of the actual settlers were members and
all were pledged to support each other
against any one attempting to jump the
claim of any member, and protection of
course meant driving out the intruder
and restoring the rightful owner to his
possession. The means of reaching the
object were not defined, but were under
stood to be adequate to the necessities OF
the occasion.
L had made claim on the second
plateau, back of what afterwards became
the town site of st. Peter. and Gibson
Patch the sheriff of Nicollet county, had
located on the adjoining quarter section.
These claims covered the ground where
the Scandinavian college now stands,
called, think, Gustavus Adolphus.
1 was the president of the N!collet
county branch of the claim association.
About 1855, the government survey lines
had to adjust our lines to those of the
official surveys the best we could 1t so
happened that the established lines left
the shanty of my neighbor, the sheriff,
outside of the quarter section he had al
ways claimed, and before he discovered
this fact, man designing to take adj
vantage of the sheriffs peculiar situa-
ton, and intending to jump his claim,
erected shanty on his land and moved
his family into 1t. 1t was soon discovered,
and Patch notified the claim association.
which Immediately assembled, and decided
that the jumper must be elected and ban
ished from the county. 1t was winter
time. A committee Of $50 was delegated
to perform the work at certain day and
hour The jumper heard of it, and in
the morning of the day fixed he prudent
Iy fled down the river. Being president of
the association, it developed upon me
to lead the party. We arrived at the
house. and finding no opposition we po-
litely informed the family of our mission
and offered them comfortable transport
tation to any point they would name for
themselves and their portable belongings