The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-02-07

| was 6r6cC6O Ou ploOh D, ABOUT WQ0rl
the first Winons depot stood. Her
Mr.. and Mrs. James Rablin, who wer
both employed by the townsite com
oany, lived and with them johnson
AMI Goodrich boarded during most o.
the GUNNER and winter. A midsum
mer freshet having made the rive
again nayigable, the steamer BLACK
Hawk was induced by COL Robertson
to make three trips to Mankato. Sht
left st. Paul IN her first journey or
July Sd, 1869 with 40 passengers, 10 Of
whom including Col. Robertson,
were booked for M,ankato, where they
arrived at 9 a. m. Cn July 9th in 9
pouring rain. On the 18th of this
month July while Robertson, Jack
son, johnson and one or two of the
other proprietors were together at
Mankato a partial Division of the
TOWNSHIP lots was made among the
members. Lot 4, block 6, on which
the first cabin stood having fallen to
Henry jackson, he sold it on July 24th
to Henry Bergholtz.
On July 9th, accompanied by an in
telligent Indian guide Col. Robertson
the Minnesota several miles
in a canoe, to determined it's naviga-
bility above the mouth of the Blue
Earth of which he was well convinced
as result. While the colonel was Altman
kato he met one ]. M. Norecong who
with two companions had been sent by
the Rolling Stone colony from Mime
sofa City near Winona to explore the
co untry to the mouth of the Blue
Earth to ascertain if practicable
route for a highway between the two
points could be found. Norecong and
his associates had gotten entangled in
the swamps and lakes of the big forest
between GAINESVILLE and Mankato and
had had hard time of it. He learn
ed at Mankato, however, that road
had been cut through the woods south
ward across the LIE Sueur to the De-
CORA prairie by a detachment of
United States dragons in October,
1874. while on their way from Ft. Atch-
inson, Iowa, to the upper Minnesota
to punish the Indians for killing some
white men who had lost their way
while taking some cattle to Ft. Smell
ing. This company of dragons in
command of Capt. Sumner and accom-
panied by Henry M. Rice. afterwards
of st. Paul, then sutler at Fl. Atchin-
son, had made TWO expeditions to the
Sioux country, one in October, 1914,
and the other in June, 1916, and in
going and coming had passed each
time over this road and had camped
on the present site of Mankato. Col.
Robertson volunteered to accompany
Mr.. Norecong to investigate this
Dragon road" as it was then call.
ed, and see if highway route might
not be found by circling around to the
east along the prairie south of the LIZ
Sueur. Accordingly on the morning
of July 10th, having packed their
camp equipage en- an army mule
which had been through the Mexican
war, they started and a rough time
they had of it for..the next two week
tramping through the wilderness be
fore they finally struck the Mississippi
river above the pres ent location o
Hastings They founi feasible high
way route, however, and so reported
and in month CT two thereafte
Messrs. Reed Thompson and Kennel,
with a corps of surveyors and assist
ants opened road from Reeds land
ing at the foot of Lake Pepin alons
the route indicated to Mankato AM
this old route by way of ST. Clair wal
the main highway to the east TO
many years.
In October, 1852, Messrs. Hanna an,
Maxfeld visited the settlement and 10
Gated claims. During the fall of thi
year P. K. johnson and Henry jackson
built them each cozy cabin of hewl
logs with windows, floors and parti
toned rooms complete, Johnson
being on lot /, block ID and Jackson
on lot of the same block. In the be
ginning of winter Col. Robertson pu
up log store on block 10 and place
it in charge of Evans Goodrich with
stock of goods to trade with the In
dams. About the first of Decembe
the townsite company let the contrac
for building frame hotel, (sfterward
known as the Mankato house, to on
Lewis 81. Windslow, who sublet tn
contract to Minard Mills and durin
the winter some of the timbers fo
the building were gotten out.
Among those not mentioned VIII
settled in the TOWNSHIP in 1859 wer
Noah Armstrong, John E. Harrison
John Henderson, Ephraim Cole an
Hiram Fuller, the latter arriving i
November brought the first news of til
presidential election of that year I
town.
In February, 1853, Robert Wardla'
and VIM. Wood arrived in sleig
drawn by three horses, having followe
the river all the way from Dubuque
Wardlaw had tru nkful of goods an
soon opened a store in the first olail
shanty. With the opening of navigs
tion in the spring of 1868 Johnson an
Jackson brought their families to tn
new town on the first boat. Phil
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