The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-04-18

man made of this majestic stream, we
do not know: -.====---
The Dakota tribes, whom the white
explorers found dwelling upon our
rivers margin two or three centuries
ago, called it ''the sky-tinted, from
the tincture given it's waters by the
rich, clayey soil of it's valley. Their
mortal foes, the Chippewas, whose
home was among the somber pines of
the north, were impressed with the
greenness of it's, luxuriant foliage, and
hence knew it as Ashkiibogi-Sibi-
"The River of the Greenleaf. While
the French traders named 1t the st.
Pierre, or st. Peter. probably in honor
of one of their leaders, who had been
among the first to explore it.
Many and varied have been the
scenes enacted upon it's banks, scenes
of thrilling adventure and glorious
valor, as well AS of happy merriment
and tender love. 1t was for centuries
the arena of many sanguine conflict,
and the blood of Iowas, Dakotas,
Chippewas and of white men have
mingled freely with its food.
For generations unknown the only
craft it's bosom bore was the canoe OF
the Indian. Then came the French trad
ers with their retinue of voyageaurs,
who made of our river an avenue Of
great commerce in Indian goods and
costly furs. For over hundred years
fleets of canoes and Mackinaw boats
laden with Indian merchandise, Piled
constantly along the rivers SNOWY
length. The.sturdy voyageaurs have,
however, left to history but scant
record of their adventurous life. A
brave and hardy race we're they, enur-
ed to every peril and hardship YET
| ever content and happy and long dlo
the wooded bluffs Of the Mlnnesota
echo with their songs of old France.
| The first white men known to have
nayigated the Minnesota were LeSeuel
and his nineteen followers, VINO enter
ed it's mouth in a feluca and two row
boats on September Goth, 100, ane
reached the mouth of the Blue Eartf
, on the 3Oth of the same month. Tit
next spring he carried with him dow1
tbe river a boat-load of blue clay h
: had dug in mistake for copper out o
q the banks of the Blue Earth. Mucl
more profitable, doubtless he found tn
f boatload of beaver and other Indial
furs, which he took with him at tn
same time. This is the first recorded
: instance of freight transportation Of
r the Minnesota
i On April 10Th, 1890, deputation Q
Lord Selkirk's Scotch colony a
a Pembina, started under Laidlow fror
Prairie du Chen, in three Msckina'
q boats loaded with 800 bushels @
= wheat. 100 bushels of oats and .
h bushels of peas and during the mont
of Nav ascended the Minnesota fror
it's mouth to its source, and dragon
their boats over the portage on rollers
descended the Red river to thel
!. homes. which they reached on the IN
v of June.
10 The Mackinaw or keel boats used
= the river in those days were ope
- vessels of from twenty to fifty feet
# length by four to ten feet in Widtl
% and capable of carrying from two
70 eight tons of burden. They were pr
e. selled by either oars or poles as I'll
,e exigencies of the river might requir
re- The crew usually comprised from n
to nine men. One acted as steersma'
m and, in polling, the others rangiI
re- themselves in order upon a plank la
a. lengthwise of the boat on each SID
TO would push the boat ahead and
each in rotation reached the stern
a would pick up his pole and sta
ns again at the PROV. Their progress
IN ascending the river would be from Il
rv to fifteen miles per day, dependil
an upon the stage of water and the null
ms Der of rapids they had to climb.
H. DIR. Thomas S. Williamson, the M
no ed Indian missionary, in describing
is first Journey up the valley of t
all Minnesota in June, 1885, gives an
re teresting account of how he shipp
his wife and children and his fellt
,or helpers. Mr.. and Mrs. A. G. Huggil
IN with their goods on one OF the
no boats, which was nine days in maxi
tie the trip from FIT Smelling to .TraVe
nd De Sioux.
on In the correspondence of Mrs. ).
vs. Riggs, the wife of another tamo
in Sioux missionary, is found a WV
- nicture of Mackinaw boat, belongl
+rv to the old Indian trader, Philanc
ost Prescott in which she assembled
he Minnesota in September, 1887. 1t "
;. about forty feet long ~ eight f
wide and capable of carrying abe
~ FIVE tons. 1t was manned by or
of five persons, one to steer and
- ON each side to furnish the mott
~ power. Oars were used as far as
"a rapids near Carver, and thence
- Traverse Des Sioux, poles were
al ployed. The journey consumed
dr days.
- AS an instance of the size and cal
- CITY of some of the canoes used by
~, traders we find Geo. MCLEOD in APP
oL 1868, bringing down from Lac
ParIe to Traverse De Sioux TO
bushels of potatoes, besides or
OF FIVE men in single canoe TWEEN