The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-09-13
MANKATO FREE PRESS

IN which the event is to take place is
being piled up with goods and presents
OF various kinds-here huge pile of
various colored blankets, there red and
blue cloths, looking glasses and rib
bons, powder and lead, and hundred
of other items of utility and fancy.
At II O'Clock the weather having
cleared and the sun shining brightly,
the commissioners took their seats and
after a grand smoke from Col Lea s
magnificent Eyanshah pipe, the coun-
Gil was opened by Col Lea, who gave
short address. Secretary Foster then
read aloud the English copy OF the
treaty and Rev. S. R. Riggs, the
author of the Dakota Lexicon, and
: then a missionary of the A. B. G. f.
: M. to the Sioux at Lac qui Parle, who
was one of the Interpreters of the com
, mission, read a translation of the same
in Dakota.
At this point Sleepy Eye arose an6
: stated that some provision should be
made to give his people help by the
time the year got to be white, as they
would be very hungry then. He then
!, went off in wandering speech claim
, ing the sums to be paid the Indians by
the treaty were insufficient. He was
, finally called to order by the commits
sion, as all the terms of the treaty had
J been agreed to, and further discussion
} was out of place.
J After short pause Col. Lea signed
| the treaty first and Gov. Ramsey
second. Then the chiefs of the Wah-
ipeton and Sisseton bands came forward
to the secretarys table and affixed
| their signature, beginning with Big
Gun, - head chief of the Wahpetons,
) followed by the "Orphan, head chief
of the Sissetons. The latter, when
!; about to sign, said Fathers, now,
when sign this paper and you go tc
Washington with it, l want you to see
that all that is written here is fulfilled.
} have grown old without whisky, and
J | want you to take care that it never
comes among u.s. -
AS Chief ''Curly Head signed, he
J remarked: Fathers, you think 1T a
great deal you are giving for this
, country. l don't think so; for both
our lands and all we get for them will
| at last belong to the white man. The
money comes to us, but will all go to
the white men who trade with us.
After the chiefs the principal men
of each band were called forward and
) signed also, and each as he signed was
presented with medal. A number OF
the Indians had been taught by the
missionaries to read and write theil
own language. These subscribed theil
own names to the paper.
At the same time the Indians signed
a second paper at table improviseG
from an old barrel and presided over
by Joseph r. Brown and Martin Nc
Cloud, which authorized the payment
out of their annuities of the claims
due the traders. A year later they
attempted to repudiate this document.
After the signing, speeches were
made by Col. Lea and Gov. Ramsey
giving much advice to the Indians.
The council concluded by grand dis
tribution of presents by the Sioux
Agent Mclean and the special pur-
, chasing agent of the commission,
Hugh Tyler. Next morning the
!, United States flag, which had waived
proudly in the breezes of Traverse Des
Sioux for twenty five days; was low
cred, the tents folded, the baggage
packed, the cattle and provisions left
turned over to the Indians for final
, feast, and at 80 p. m. the party of
!, the commission embarked in Macki
, nav boat in charge of Gen. Sibley for
Mendoza and st. Paul.
The names of the white people pre-
sent at the treaty as far as known
were Gov Alexander Ramsey, Col
Luke Lea, DR.. Thomas b. Foster, Gen.
i Henry 81. Sibley. Nath. Mclean, Mai
Joseph R. Brown, Col. Henderson,
James 81. Lockwood, Hugh Tyler,
VIM. 81. Forbes, James NJ. Goodhue,
editor of "The Pioneer" Rev. Stephen
r. BRIGGS. DR.. Thomas S. William
son, Nathaniel q. Huggins, Martin
McCloud, Henry Jackson, A. S. White,
Wallace B. White, Alexis Bailey Ken
meth Mckenzie, FL. l.. Douseman
Richard Chute and wife, Franklin
Steele, F. Brown, VIM. Hartshorn,
Alexander Faribault, Joseph La Franz
boise, Frank B. Mayer, Gen. VIM. LIE
Due, Louis Roberts, VIM. B. Dodd. -
Lord and. Boury.
To these should be added the fami-
lies of the missionaries Hopkins and
Higgins, and some French voyagers.
On the 9th of August, the commits
sioners met the Medewakanton and
Wahpekute bands in council on Pilot
Knob Mendoza, and duplicate of
the Traverse Des Sioux treaty, with
necessary notifications, was signed by
them.
By these treaties, the Sioux ceded
to the United States all of Minnesota
and South Dakota west of the Missis-
sippi river and extending as far north
as line drawn from the mouth of the
Watab river, above st. Cloud, to the
mouth of Buffalo river, just north of
Moorhead, and reaching on the west
a line drawn from the mouth of Buffalo
river south along the western bound
airy of Minnesota to the south end of
Lake Traverse, thence southwest TO the
juncture of Kampaska lake with the
Sioux river just above Watertown,
thence down said river to where it is
! intersected by the parallel of latitude
forming the south boundary of our
state just below Sioux Falls.
The coded lands also embraced all of
| Iowa north of Rock river, together
| with the country around Estherville,
Emmettsburg and Algona and extend
ing eastward by Usage almost to
Cresco.
1t comprised over 10, 900, 600 acres in
Minnesota, nearly 5000, 600 acres in
Iowa and over 1, 100, 900 acres in South
Discriminating in all nearly "a, 900,
600 acres of the choicest land on the
globe.
AS consideration for this rich and
vast domain, it was stipulated that
the upper bands should receive 81,
$50, 600 to be paid as follows:
~ Money to the chiefs, 1916, 600;
~ Money for agricultural purposes,
$50, 900; (3). The remaining 81, $50,
OOO to be held in trust by the govern
ment, interest thereon only to be paid
to the Indians at the rate of 8 per