The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-11-21
LOOKS INTO THE PAST.
Interesting Story Of the First Mail
Route to Sioux CITY.


Route to Sioux City.
The publication recently of a story
that Orrin Mason of Window was the
first erson to carry the mail between
Mankato and Sioux City has brought
out a communication from Jareb
Palmer, who writes the following in
teresting letter to The Lakefeld
Standard
In your issue of November LIST you
publish what purports to be an inter
view of Orrin Mason, Of Window,
Minnesota, wherein it is alleged that
Mr.. Mason carried the first mail over
the route from Mankato to Sioux
City, starting on MIS- nrsr trip, August
23d, 1858. Mr.. Mason must have for
gotten something or else he had been
incorrectly reported, for he certainly
was not the first to carry mail over
this route, but / presume he has cor
rectly stated the time Of commence
ment of his service. as ii was my
misfortune to be a resident of Jackson
then called Spring6eld) at the time
the route was established and service
commenced thereon, I will state the
facts as nearly as l can recall them at
this late day.
In the summe or of 1866 a mail route
was established between Mankato and
Sioux City and as this route was a
connecting link between the military
stations of Fort Ridgely in Mime
sofa and Fort Randall in Dakota Ter
ritory, the contractor was given, in
addition to the money consideration,
a half section of land for every thirty
) miles of route. Marsh & Babcock Of
Mankato were the successful bidders
and secured the contract for carrying
the mails for four years. They pro-
; ceeded to lay out the route and Sc
; lceted their lands, and built rude cab
ins on the same, inswhich the carriers
were to stop as they journeyed to and
; fro. One of these cabins was IN the
+, Watonwan river, a few miles this side
, of where the village Of Madelia now
, stands. Another was on the Des
: Moines river about ten miles from
; jackson. Another was at Round Lake
F; and the next on Floyd river.
The contractors employed a man tt
carry the mail over the route ani
, furnished him a pony to ride. There
/, were no postofices on the route and nj
settlers after leaving the Watonwa1
e river, till within eight miles of Sioux
City. The carrier rode all day ani
then prepared his supper and slep
+; alone and in the morning resumed hi
+; tedious and lonesome journey. Abou
the first of January, 1857, there cam
d a tremendously deep snow followed b.
a terrible blizzard, making it impos
sible for man or beast to travel. Wher
: the carrier did not arrive and wa
several days overdue, the contracto.
(; sent two men with a span Of horses
and a sleigh to look for him. The.
found him at the station above Jack
eon. He was in a dying condition
" and lived but a few minutes after b,
was found He was unable to speal
and could not relate his experience
and sufferings which must have beer
terrible. He had evidently been 81
badly frozen when he reached the cab
in that he vas unable to make a fir,
, to warm himself or prepare his food
, AS his family resided at Mankato, hi
body was taken there for interment.
Service on the route was aband
2 oned for the winter and as the Ink,
paduta massacre occurred in March
following, service was not resumed
till in the summer of 1857, at which
time Marsh & Babcock sublet the con.
tract to David Pease, who lived on the
Watonwap river below Madelia. He
at first carried it over the original
. route. but about the first of November
came by way of Spirit Lake and I en-
, gagged with him to carry the mail to
Sioux City and back to Spirit Lake
once in two weeks for thirty dollars a
trip, Mr.. Pease having employed a
: Mr.. johnson to carry the Mankato end
of the route for the same considera-
tion.
l lett Spirit Lake on my first trip,
, November 18th, 1867, just forty-f five
years ago today. I carried the mail
. on foot four trips then got a horse.
would like TO tell some Of my adven-
!, lures and experiences did space per-
NIT, but l fear if | make this too long
? it will find is way into the waste
basket.
Mr.. johnson and I carried the mail
till the first of April, at which time
Mr.. Pease resumed the duties Of car
rier. = He carried it only a few trips
till he left, going to Fort RandslI,
Dakota Territory.
Some time after he left Mason and
Belden appeared as mail carriers.
They had their headquarters at Spirit
Lake and one of them carried the
Mankato end of the route and the
other, the Sioux City end.
Yours truly,
JAREB PALMER.
L8kafeld Nov II 1912