The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-06-22
EARLY HISTORY OF MANKATO.
A paper read by Hon. Thomas

|
Hughes, at Territorial Settlers pic.
mic, June 18th:
The early settlers of this beautiful
undine region may well rejoice in the
wonderful achievements, which in
less than two score years and ten,
they have been able to effect.
The transforming, as it were, in a
day, OF savage wilderness into a great
civilized commonwealth, with popu-
lOus cities, thriving villages and fer
tile farms of smiling plenty, a CON-
monwealth standing in the fore front
of the world for it's commercial facili-
ties, educational advantages and
religious privileges, is indeed a miracle
OF modern enterprise and those whose
wise planning, persevering toll, and
selfs-acrificing devotion secured so
grand an achievement, are well
worthy of the historians's page and
the poets song.
! No warrior won so glorious a vic
tory or divided so rich spoil. No
statesman did more for his country g
good than our American pioneer.
There is always satisfaction and
| JOY in having had part in a great
achievement-in meriting the "well
done" OF pOsterity and this joy our
| first settlers have, for the planting
of great commonwealth is great
event; and worthy of commemora-
ton are all they who have had a
part therein.
| Then our old settlers have q COM
mon bond of sympathy begotten OF
a common experience. 1t is natural
for those who have passed through
the same dangers, deprivations, and
tolls to entertain fellow feeling and
for those who shared in the hard
ships OF early days to, also, share in
the triumph.
The old settler never tires of telling
of the time he first came into the
Countrywide novel scenes-the
strange adventures he met, are still
vivid In his memory, while many a
later event has faded from mind.
| No one, who came here in the early
days, but passed through experien-
ces of thrilling interest, which are
worthy of preservation, that pros
| terity may know whence came the
fruits they enjoy and be enriched in
| their lives not with the material
fruits alone, but with the experience
and noble virtues of the pioneer.
have been requested to review the
incidents connected with the found
ing of our fair city and the adjacent
settlements.
Lack of time added to lack of
knowledge, will make my sketch ne
cessarily incomplete as well as very
imperfect, but if can provoke some
of the old settlers, who participated
in the events, to correct my errors
and supply my omissions, my efforts
will not have been in vain.
The signing of the important In
dian treaties of Traverse des Sioux
and Mendoza, ceding to the whites
all this vast territory west of the
Mississippi, in July and August, 1851,
was the signal for the plantin of
many towns and settlements in this
rich and beautiful valley of the Min
nesota.
The topography of our state points
naturally to the mouth OF the Blue
Earth as an important point. Henry
Jackson, an Indian trader at st.
Paul, and his friend, P. K. Johnson,
had been impressed with this
thought since they visited the
spot during a steamboat excur-
sion in 1850. Accordingly in the
winter of 1872 they with one Daniel
Williams planned to locate town.
site at this desirable point, and on
January 81, 1852, they started for the
place from st. Paul, Jackson and
johnson riding in cutter while a
Frenchman named Louis De Merrot,
a teamster hired for the purpose, car
ried some provision and Daniel Will
liams and John James, who had
been hired to help build the claim
shanties.
Our worthy commissioner, w. W.
Paddock, also went with the party
to view the country. The first night
was spent at the home of old Quinn,
the Indian interpreter, who, with his
sQuaw wife. lived in tepee nearly
opposite Fort Smelling. The second
night was spent with Thomas
Holmes, who had just laid out the
townsite OF Shakopee. The third
night found them at the trading post
of Nelson Robert, not far from where
Belle Plaine now stands. Here Jack
son was taken sick and returned
next morning in the horse and cutter
| to st. Paul, while the rest OF the
party pressed on, reaching the site of
| the present city OF LeSueur by night.
Here Messrs. Cathcart and Chris tie
were just starting townsite, but
our travellers did not happen to dis
cover their camp. About 10 O'Clock
that night, however. these gentle
men with retinue OF their EN- ployes.
all armed, paid our friends an unex-
pected visit, but after learning that
their destination was the mouth of
the Blue Earth, they soon retired. At
first Johnson's party thought their
visitors had been on a night hunt,
but finding the ground about them
next morning all covered with lot
stakes and few poles piled for a
shanty suggested another interpreta-
ton OF their mysterious visit.
The following night our travellers
spent at Traverse de Sioux, then and
for some years thereafter the metrop-
oils of southern Minnesota. Here
were located the trading posts OF
Louis Provencalle and Alexander
Faribault. with their retinue OF
French and halt breed voyagers,