The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-20
THE LATE CAPT. ATKINS.
Had an influence on Minnesota.
Han an Influence on MinnesOta.

To the Editor the Globe:
Among the kilograms of your is
sue of yesterday morning was one
from Buffalo, N Y, conveying
city of Capt Barton Atkins. While the
telegram does not so state, there is no
room to doubt that the death of Capt.
Atkins occurred in the family residence,
where he spent the closing years of his
life, which residence was located within
few rods of the homestead where he
was born, a little more than seventy-four
years ago, location he pointed out to me
when l visited him there eight years ago.
Buffalo was then a small hamlet, and
the old homestead was away outside the
village limits Now the locality is in
the very heart of the finest residence
district of the city, in many respects
closely resembling the Summit avenue
district of st. Paul.
But it is not with the early life of Capt.
Atkins this communication has to do,
further than as a mere preliminary to
his introduction to St. Paul, where he re-
sided for several years. in which resi-
dence he made and held as with 'hooks
of steel a large personal acquaintance
many of whom have passed to the be-
yond before him-the survivors Of whom
will hear of his death with heartfelt sor-
row.
Being a BUffalonian and of a vigorous,
pushing, daring manhood, it was natural
his bent of mind should turn to lake
navigation, and thus it was that long
before Proctor Knott had made the Ze-
NTH City of the Great Unsalted
Sea" world known, as it were, Capt.
Atkins by his steamboat trips had become
familiar with it, and had imbibed by
such contact a slight idea of it's future
possibilities, as well as of the great
Northwest
And so in time it came that Capt. At
klnS became personally associated for the
period of a few years with the develop
ment and growth of this section, part of
the time having his headquarters at Du-
luth, but for the major portion in this
city. This st. Paul residence commenced
some tWenty-four years ago, just about
the time II. p. Hall launched the
q o e on the tToublous sea of journal
ism
A feature Of the Globe under Mr..
Halls management was a sport de-
partment, run i'll the Monday mornings
issues, of which your correspondent had
charge From the very first Capt At
kins took an active interest in this de-
partment, particularly with reference to
the performances of the trottfng horse.
At first the department was confined to
summarizing the most important sport
ing events of the week preceding, racing,
baseball, billiards. etc. AS time passed
ana there appeared to be q growing in
terest in the department, its scope was
enlarged to include the breeding Dues
ton, particularly of harness horses
At that time the prevailing opinion of
blooded horse-breeders throughout the
country was that Minnesota was too far
North, too cold to successfully breed
high-grade animals of any kind, EXCEPT
perhaps coarse and heavy drafts. ana
even then the cost of feeding would pre-
vent competition with warmer and more
favored localities.
While such opinion was general. it
was not universal. and there were not
a few who had watched and studie5
breeding results in Vermont, Maine and
Northern New York, who maintained
that Minnesota with it's natural nu-
tritious grasses. pure water and health
full and invigorating climate could and
should be made the breeding ground Of
horses and cattle the equals, and in some
respects, the superiors, of other IocaIi-
ties.
Acting on this belief prior to the es-
Enlistment Of the G l o e, blooded cat
tie had been brought into the state in
goodly numbers, and very little had
been done in the direction of improving
the quality of the horses bred though
what is now known as Thoroughbred
harness horse do not think was owned
in the state.
Under the stimulus Of Capt Atkins,
who had given the breeding Of the trot-
ter most searching and intelligent study,
the sport department OF the G. l o b o
took Up the breeding question. with tbs
result that the Monday morning issues
were watched for will! good deal OF