The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-28
HERE FFTY-ONE YEARS
GOV. ALEX. RAMSEY CyEI.ERP .TED
THE ANNIVERSARY OF HIS AR
RIVAL YESTERDAY
MEMORIES OF FoRTYN1NER
In Reminiscent Mood the First
GoVcrnOFi of Minnesota Terri
tory Chats EntertainingIy
of His Coming.

just nfty-oue years ago yesterday Gov.
Alexander Ramsey landed in St Paul
| with commission in his pocket as COVER
nor of the territory Of Minnesota, then
including what is now comprised in both
the Dakotas. It was not in a palace car,
either. but few weeks later, when he
moved his family from Gen. Sibey's old
home at Mendoza to his new residence on
what is now Third street, it was in a
birch bark canoe, and from the river
landing in an OK cart But time has not
dimmed the governors vision, and the
major fraction of century which lies
between the present and his first ac-
| quaintance with the Northwest is a pc
Rod full of rich experiences closely identi-
| he'd with the growth and progress of the
! Northwest
The governor was in a reminiscent frame
of mind yesterday, and a l o b repre-
sentative found Mlnnesota's most honored
pioneer enjoying the protection of his
large porch. His large cherry walking
stick, across his lap, and his black
cap, are essentials of a picture that is
familiar at his Exchange street home.
oh, SO it $50 it u.s. said the gov
ernor when reminded of the anniversary
. ONNt@rAO4I- / ifdQ not Thought OIL II IOOdS.
But some one should send an old fellow
! like myself a basket of champagne. A
| basket of tifty-one bottles would be a
pretty big basket" commented the gov
ernor.
Yes, the day 1 reached st. Paul with
my family was very much like today,
only L don't believe it was quite so hot
We arrived, if l remember correctly, on
the DR.. Franklin, a steamboat running
west from Ohio. I was an entire stranger
In st Paul and had written no one re-
gardiES my coming, as L believed that no
one knew as well as l did what 1 would
want in the way of accommodations, so
L took chances. 1 was the qui vive.
1t was a beautiful May morning. The
sun did not rise on the beautiful modern
city of today, but on a wilderness, with
a cluster of houses here and there. L
arose very early, before any one else Oh
the boat, and without saying anything
to my wife j started up the incline where
Jackson street. now slopes to the river.
Then it was nothing but an Indian trail.
[ could see bur house or two. The hotel
on the present site of the Merchants was
only a log structure. little further up
I saw a neat white house, with green
shutters, built after the French style
for most of St. Paul's inhabitants were
Frenchmen. RThfs was about all there
was of st. Paul. I remember little later
a man offered to sell me piece of prop
erty. and, as an argument to induce me to
buy It, said that st. Paul in few years
would be as large as Saltwater. Stand
ing in front of the Merchants [ saw
boy coming down the street What house
IS that yonder? l asked of the lad. He
replied, They are keeping that house for
the governor l suppose 1t was because
the tenants did not pay their rent, or
they did not get as much as they expect
Ia Of Il, 10 tJ,.a l.@
most of the money, were controlled by the
fur companies. l returned to the boat
after finding that repairs would not be
complete for some time. Gen. Sibley, at
the fort, was evidently expecting me, and
he made us comfortable al his home unJl
our house was completed. Three judges
had been appointed for the territory
Judges Cooper, Meeker and Goodrich
The latter was already here, as was H.
L. Moss, appointed United States district
attorney about the same time | was APP
pointed governor of the territory. Three
days after reaching Mendoza l issued a
proclamation, dated June 1, 1849, deciar-
ing the organization of the territory and
proc;aiming tbs laws, and calling upon
the people to assist in making the terri
tory a w-abiding community. Less than
a month later l found time to remove my
family to my house at st. Paul. The
trunks and other baggage were placed in
one canoe, and Mrs. Ramsey and the baby
occupied another birch bark. One of the
officers from the fort and myself rode
horseback from Smelling to st. Paul at
the river landing the baggage was piled
on an OK cart, and the Ramsey family
rode to their new home on a very slow
vehicle. = =
Later I built a house on the site ef
this enc, which was completed, 1 be-
lieve in November of 1850. AS soon as
the Indians knew the governor was here
they were frequent callers, invariably
wanting favors. On a Sunday afternoon
like this many CT the red men would
drop in to talk They were constantly
complaining of the Chippewas, who were
continually making war on the Sioux,
our immediate neighbors. Whenever the
Chippewas were sent fef they had suffi-
cient confidence in the governors abil-
ity to restrain the Sioux from attack
ing them"
Just then the Cathedral chimes rang
out On the afternoon air, and the gov
ernor continued in another strain: III
we'll remember our first church bell. Rev
E. D. NELL purchased 1t for the first
church of the Presbyterian faith The
church was located near the Metropol-
itan hotel, and one evening my wife ana
1 walked out in the evening air to hear
the new bell 1t was very suggestive of
civilization, and took US back to cur
old home in Pennsylvania.
LAS every one knows, st. Paul was d
great trading center for the Indians, and
on a nice afternoon you could see more
Indians on the streets than white PEG
pie today Kaposia, Little Crows viii
lage, was located near the present ste
of South st. Paul. Strawberries were
very plentiful, and in their season Indi-
ans would come in hundreds to st. Paul.
Mendoza and the fort TO market these
berries in birch bark buckets. They were
of excellent flavor, although wild, and
smaller than the berries we have today
The town grew quite fast. Like all from
tier communities, many bright men found
their way to our midst. The commercial