The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-20

st. Anthony Express in 1856, and his por-
-trayal OF the piopeer days of Minnesota jour-
naiism will be found of great interest. The
paper follows In FULL ...r .-r-.
The middle of the last century seemed
to be distinctiyely an era OF intense per-
sonM journalism. James M Goodhue of
:he Minnesota Pioneer, represented 1t in
he extreme west much as James Gordon
Ben4eS Sf the New York Herald in the
extreme east. z..-
Goodhue was born in Hebron. N. H.,
March 81 1910, graduated from Amherst
College in 1882. studied law, was admitted
to the bar and practiced some time in the
east and in Wisconsin before becoming
an editor. ..t... ...-... ....."
The Pioneer of April 49, 1852, gives a
graphic description of his coming to Min
nesota, then territory only q few days
more than six weeks old He says:
The l9th day of April was raw cloudy
day. The steamboat Senator, Captain
John Smith, landed at Randall's Ware
house, Lower Landing, the only building
then there except Roberts old store.
Took our press, types and printing
apparatus all ashore. Went with our men
to the house of Mr.. Bass. corner Of Third
and Jackson streets. He kept the only
public house in st. Paul, and it was
crowded full from cellar to garnet. Mr..
Bass was very obliging and did every
thing possible for our encouragement.
The next thing was a printing office and
that seemed impossible to obtain. Made
the acquaintance of G. P. V. Lul and his
partner Gilbert. They furnished us
gratuitously, the lower story Of their
building for an office, the only vacant
room In town The weather was cold and
stormy, and our Office was as open as
corn rick. However, we picked up our
types aud made ready for the issue of
the first paper ever printed in Minnesota
or within many hundred miles of it, but
upon search we found that our news
chase was left behind. Mr.. Mobiles,
blacksmith, made US a very good one, after
Il delay Of two or three days. The paper
was named The Epistle Of St. Paul" as
announced In our prospectus. published
in the February preceding; but we found
so many little saints in the territory
jealous Of st. Paul that we determined to
call our paper The Minnesota Pioneer
One h1ndrance after another delayed our
first issue to the 28th Of April, ten days
1t will be noticed that Goodhue says at
the, beginning Of this statement that he
arrived on 1.-THE 10th day of April. He
says, however, at the close that he "was
delayed in the issue of his paper until the
18th Of April, ten days. This would fix
the date of his arrival on the 18th instead
Of the 10Th, which has led to some con-
fusion Of dates. April 18th is probably
correct.
His uncomfortable surroundings while
in the Lull building are humorously re-
ferred to In the Pioneer of June 2Sth. He
says, not that We would find fault with
the pigs, for 1t is all owing to their
bringing up; but, really, our equanimity
is somewhat ruftled and our chair jostled
by the movement of their hard backs I'M
der our floor"
Quite step from that rude room and
its little hand press to the stately Pioneer
building and it's power presses Of to-day.
: After a few weeks in the Lull building
Goodhue found a better location for his
Office in the second story Of frame build
ing on the south side of Third street, be-
tween Minnesota and Robert. 1t was
owned by Samuel H. Sargent, who used
the first story for store. The Lull and
Sargent buildings were both burned in the
fire that swept lower Third street in
1860.
The Minnesota Pioneer was a four page,
six column sheet. A copy Of No. 1 is In
the vault of the Historical society. 1t
is still In q fair state of preservation but
soon viii be worn out if kept in the reg
ular files Allow me to suggest that 1t
be framed with a glass on each side and
hung, where 1t can be examined but not
handled.
Oct 4, 1s49, Goodhue enlarged the Pio-
neer to seven columnsc and on the 18th
his brother Isaac N. Goodhue, now living
in Minneapolis. became junior editor.
Nov. 7, 1850. the name Of the brother dis
appeared from the paper and Goodhue con-
tinued alone.
AS soon as possible after coming to ST..
Paul, Mr.. Goodhue built a cheap one
story house. for his family. 1t faced
Bench now Second street, between Cedar
and Wabasha. 1t was but little better
than a shack In 1850 he built better
house on st. Peter and Third, his garden
running back towards Fourth street on
the ground where the Jail is now being
built. After his second residence was
completed, he turned the first into print
ing office. This was enlarged in 1851
by annexing barn that stood convenient
ly near. There 1T remained until 1854
when it went to the southeast corner Of
Third and Jackson street, where for the
present I viii leave it.
Goodhue knew we'll how to crayon with
words More than fifty years ago he pic
tured In single graphic sentence a COM
parison between St. Paul and ST. Anthony
now Minneapolis, that still holds pointed
1y true.
There can be no rivalry between them
" any more than there can be between a
steam boat and cotton factory or a coal
barge and trip hammer"
In the stroke Of another sentence he
pictures the destiny of the Indian. He
says, Before those two great engines OF
civilization the whiskey shop and the
printing office, the poor Indians stand nc
more chance than SO many Mexicans be-
fore two batteries Of grape and can
Mister"
49,, In the issue of June 10, 1852, he says to
young man who wants information about
the churches, education and weather Of
the territory LAS multiplying churches
will no more annihilate sin than multi
plying insurance offices will annihilate
fires, the number Of churches in St. Pau
affords no certain index of the degree OF
piety and morality in the place. AS fol
intellect we have several of the greatest
men Of the age and they we'll know II
themselves AS to the weather the cold
est day last winter froze the mercury
but that was owing to exposing the Their
mometer to the cold weather." Mingled
with these odd announcements Goodh,ie
gives the young man much valuable in.
formation: Evidently he punctuated tha
way to make his advice more effective.
~~ His oddly graphic way Of putting things
is further shown in his description of the
livery stable Of one of his early patrons
He says, His livery horses are none o.
your lank, spawned, ring boned, foun-
dered, half-hpped, wheeling, hoof- bound
knock kneed, gambrel-legged, sore head
ed. shadowy animals that look as If they
had Just come limping out Of the Apoc-
..alypse, the progeny of the pale horse
, described in Revelations which Death ant
:. He'll follow after" .
In his editorial correspondence from
Galena to his paper he says in answer tt
questions about St. Paul: est. Paul looks
as If the seed for multitude of tene
50 ments had been scattered yesterday upo1
bed Of guano, and had sprouted up into
cabins and stores and sheds, and ware
houses, fresh from the saw mill since
the last sun shone." Then he went on a:
usual to tell what fine openings were here