The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-10
.EPOCH-MAKINC DAYS
THE GREATsSIOUX TREATY
OF 1851
WAS A TRIUMPHoF DIPLOMACY
Most MOmentOus Event in History
of Northwest-GOy. Ramsey Par
ticipated in Negotiation
of Treaty.

Notwithstanding that he had on the
| previous day celebrated his eighty-sev-
ehth birthday Gov Alexander Ramsey
presided over thee meeting of the State
| historical society held last evening" And
| II was fortunate that the venerable presi-
| dent was, i'll spite of the inclement
| weather, physically able to be present
at the meeting, for the paper of the even
ing dealt with very important part of
the history OF Minnesota and the North
| west OF fifty years ago, in which he
played most important part.
| Thls meeting was the first held in four
months and considerable amount of
business had accumulated The secretary
submitted report of the donations to
the library museum and picture gallery
since the last meeting, which showed an
aggregate of 1867 different articles. Many
| CT these We're pamphlet reports and sta
ustlcal publications, some of which
proved to be duplicates and have been
| exchanged with other historical societies.
among them, however, was a number
| or articles which are highly priced by
| the society. There have been during the
period mentioned twenty-three relics
| aQded to the museum and nine manu-
| scripts to the library. Notable among
| the pictures lately acquired is a por-
| AIT OF Rev. j. w. Hancock, who came
| y
| pyterlan missionary and settled near the
present site of Red Wing, where he now
resides, an honored citizen. Another pic
tGre which is much valued is one Of for
mer Gov. John S. Pillsbury.
! Inc secretary reported the following
oeaths since the last meeting: Rev. Jo-
| seph futile, president of Wabash col
lege, Charlottesville, Ind, who had been
| corresponding member of the society
| lot thrty-nVe years, and whose death
| occurred June 8; Hon. Theodore S. Par
VIM Cedar RAPIDS, Iowa, honorary mem
per- died June 28;oJohn Fiske, the emf
| nent historian, who resided at Cambridge,
| MASS and was am honorary member of
the society fer many years, and whose
death occurred July A; Hon. William H.
! Grant, an active member of the society,
who had lived in st. Paul forty years,
| and who died Aug: 8.
Inc following new members were ad-
| united; To life membership, J. G. Pope,
| mora, Mimi, and Judge Walter H Sam
porn, ST Paul; to annual membership,
MISS Hester McLaina Pollock, st. Paul,
ana to corresponding membership, Prof.
| Z. II. K1ngrey, Charlottesville, Ind.
After the transaction of business the
| secretary, Warren Upham, spoke brief
| ~ OF his recent visits in Eastern libra
rles and museums; att Madison, Wis.,. Chi
| cago, Detroit Cleveland Pittsburg and
many cities of the more Eastern states
A semi-centennial paper was then read
by Mr.. Thomas Hughes, of Mankato, en-
Titled 'The Treaty of Traverse des
Sioux, In 1851, Under Gov Alexander
ramsey, With Notes of the Former
Treaty There. in 1S41, Under Gov. James
| D. Doty, of Wisconsin, 10. ..e
The earlier treaty, of which little has
| oeen known because it failed to be rati-
/ he'd by the United States senate, was ne
| gotiated by Gov, Doty, appointed by
| PRESIDENT Tyler as special commission
er for this purpose, with the Sisseton,
Wahpeton and Wahpekuta bands of the
Sioux, at Traverse des- Sioux, then in the
| territory OF Iowa on July 81, 1871; and
| with the Medawalsonton band at Mendoza
| on the 18th day Of August following.
| Ih1s treaty was to obtain the same lands
| from the Indians as were secured ny
! the treaty of 1851; but it differed widely
from the later treaty by providing for
! the settlement on a large part OF these
ceded lands, in the present area OF
| Southern Minnesota, of the remnants of
many Indian tribes from Wisconsin. IL
hno1s and other states farther east If
| the Doty treaty had been accepted by
congress we should now have a large
| Indian territory in the southern and
| southwestern part of this state.
In the spring of 1851 commission
CONSISTING OF GOV. Ramsey and Col. Luke
| Lea, then commissioner of Indian af-
fairs was appointed by President Fill
more to treat againi4with the Sioux Tor
| their lands. Both commissioners were
| em1nently fitted for the trust reposed
IN them, because of the confidence their
! ability, experience and honesty elected
! in both white and red men.
The spot selected for the commission
| ers camp, in which the treaty was MADE,
nm &hn
| above the Minnesota river, on what are
| now blocks 80 and "a of Traverse ues
| Sioux. Provencalle's store was abou,
twenty rods distant to the north. Few.
| even now, know the precise spot, and
lhe site OF so important a historical
| event, as the speaker urged should be
marked by an appropriate monument.
With the commission had come MT.
James M Goodhue the first editor In
| minnesota, writer of much ability,
| whose daily letters to his paper, the Pho
neer, not only contain detailed ac-
count OF the making of the great treaty,
| but are vivid, also with graphic descrIp-
| lions of the Indian life about him
frank Blackwell Mayer, an artist OF
considerable merit from the state of
MARYLAND. was also there and busted him
| Self in sketching Indian countenances and.
! costumes; His painting of the signing of
| TINS treaty from these sketches is one
| torical society. 1t is hoped that from
| this great historical painting will be
| made for the new capitol, for it portrays
| an event the most momentous. as it was
| also the most picturesque, in the history
| of our great Northwest
| The treaty was signed on Wednesday,
July %, 1851, by the commissioners and
| the chiefs of the bands gathered at Trav-
| erse des Sioux. On the 5th of August
| the same commissioners met the more
| Northern bands of the Sioux in council
on Pilot Knob, Mendoza, and duplicate
| OF this treaty, with necessary modifica-
| tons, was signed by them.
BY BY these treaties the Sioux oa coded to the
| United States about $4,000, 900 acres, ex-
| tending from the Mississippi west to the
| Big Sioux river. and from the latitude of
| St Cloud south to Northern Iowa. After
some minor changes, which were agreed
| to by the Sioux chiefs, this treaty was
| ratified by the senate and it was so pro-
| claimed Feb. "a, 1853.
In view of all. its results, said Mr..
| Hughes in closing his address, we CON
| clude that this treaty, which the first
| governor of our great commonwealth to-
| day the honored president of our Histor-
| cal society. and his worthy colleague took