The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-04-25

,ouatted a number of other warriors,
all chanting in time with two or three
tom toms a monotonous "He-ah, he
ali, - as they journeyed down the river,
scene quite in contrast with that
presented by their Sioux brethren on
their departure two weeks before. The
next day, the Favorite took 1888 of the
remaining Winnebagoes, and on the
14th the Pomeroy came after the last
of them In all there were 1856 re-
moved.
Besides the traffic incident to mill
tary operations, there was shipped
from Mankato alone over go, 600 bushels
of wheat this spring. The Prairie du
CHEN Railway Company put new
boat named the Flora, into the Mime
sofa river trade this season. She was
stern wheeler of about the size of
the Jeanette Roberts.
The summer of 1868 was exception
ally dry, and though boats were able
in May to ascend to Camp Pope,
| twenty-five miles above FIT. Ridgely,
by the middle of June the river had
fallen so that all steamboat traffic
above the Rapids was suspended.
The imperative need of freight
transportation in the valley yearly be-
coming more insistent, and the in
ability of steamboats, to meet the de-
mand, especially in periods of drouth,
caused a great increase this summer
in the use of barges, amounting to a
new departure in the river traffic.
Hereafter, instead of carrying freight
in large steamers, it was found much
more expedient to carry it in strings
of barges drawn by small tug-boats.
Among others Messrs. Temple q
Beaupre, of st. Paul, put four barges
into the Minnesota traffic to ship
freight from Mankato and points be-
tween it and the Rapids to Prairie du
Chen. The total steamboat arrivals
from the Minnesota this year at the
ST. Paul wharf were 1T.
During the winter of 1864 the
Davidson Company built fine new
packet, about $50 feet long, for the Min
nesota river trade, which, in honor of
the thriving town at the mouth ct the
Blue Earth, they christened The Man
kato. The citizens of that municipal
ity, in appreciation of the compli'
ment, purchased fine silk flag tc
present to the boat on her first arrival
but unfortunately that opportunity did
not come until year later, for during
1864 about the only boat which reach.
ed Mankato was the Jeanette Roberts,
on April 10th. The barge traffic
fourished, however, in spite of the
low water and boats were used on the
lower Minnesota. The total arrivals
at st. Paul from the Minnesota thi;
year, were, steamboats, 166, barges SO.
In January, 1865, the state Legislature
appropriated So. OOO 90 to improve the
Minnesota river, and Mai. E. P.
Evans, of Blue Earth county, ant
John Weber, of Ottowa, LeSueul
county, were appointed commissioner
to oversee the work. Accordingly il
February, Maj. Evans with force o.
fifty men, cleared the river of snagl
and later made other Improvements
which aided navigation considerably
By the spring of 1865 the severe
drouth of the last two years was
broken. The first boat to leave ST.
Paul for the Minnesota was the
Ariel on the I'd of April. She arrived
at st. Peter on the Sd and at Mankatt
on the 4th of April. Among the new
boats to enter the Minnesota this year
were the Mollie Mohler, Julia, G. q
Gray, Otter, Mankato, Landsing
General Sheridan and Hudson. The
Mollie Mohler had been built the win
ter before for the Minnesota rivel
trade, she was $50 feet long and hat
Accommodations for 56 cabin passengers
Her captain was George Hougnton
The Julia was a stern wheel boat bull
the same winter by the Northwestern
Packet Company expressly for tn
Minnesota trade. Her legth was ID
feet. her beam 90 feet, and her tota
capacity, 800 tons. She drew only 4
inches of water and Jack Raney, TO
years the popular clerk of the Jean
nette Roberts, was her captain. Thu
u. b. Gray was built in the spring O
1868 on the st. Croix. She was 49,
feet long, 10 feet wide and drew l.
inches of water The trade this yea
was quite brisk as long as the season
lasted. The boats reached
st. Peter and Mankato for about tw,
months in the spring and by reship
ping at the lower rapids were able t
get to the rapids just below st. Pete
for two or three weeks later
During the season, $50 boats arrive,
at st. Paul from Carver and tn
Rapids, and 40 from points above tn
Rapids. A few trips were also made t
the upper Minnesota. The total steam
boat arrivals from the Minnesota a
st. Paul this year was 1876.
This, of course, does not embrac
trips made by the Albany and othe
boats between the Rapids an
points above. Twenty barge
each loaded with 300 barrels Q
lime. from Shakopee, and 81 barge
loaded with wood, averaging 40 cord
each, from various points in the val
9 ley, also arrived at the st. Paul wharf
No number of the wheat barges wer