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

collector of the port of st. Paul from
1851 to 1858. He died Feb. 14th, 1856.
The Register was first printed in St.
Anthony, now Third street, nearly oppo-
site the head of Hill street.
In 1851 it moved into building then
standing partly on the ground the Metro
| politan Hotel now occupies. 1t then
moved into the stone building owned by
| Colonel Robertson on the present site OF
| the McQuillan block at the northeast cor
ner of Third and Wabasha, it having been
merged into the Minnesota Democrat as
| above.
Nathaniel Mclean.
Major Nathaniel Mclean was born in
Morris county, New Jersey, May 16, 1857.
He was a brother of Judge John Mclean
Of the United States supreme court and
an officer in the war of 1912. He began
his journalistic career in Ohio. where he
was editor and publisher Of the West
ern Star at Lebanon about the year 1871.
| From 1910 to 1920 he represented his
district in the Ohio legislature. Mclean
purchased the interest of DR.. Randall in
! the Minnesota Register in May, 1S49,
material to st. Paul and in July began
Tits publication. Mclean, detained by ill
ness, did not get here until about the
middle of August.
Nov. 3, 1S49, Mclean was appointed
| agent of the Sioux Indians at Ft.f smelling
and Aug. IL, 1850, when Babcock bought
the Chronicle and Register, Mclean bid
farewell to journalism. He held the Of
fee of Indian agent until the spring of
1853. He was one Of the most prominent
of the wings in those days and fine
man in every. sense of the word. He died
in st. Paul, April, H. 1871, in the eighty
| fourth year of his age. =.
The Dakota Friend.
The fourth newspaper venture started
in Minnesota was the Dakota Friend. 1t
was monthly missionary paper printed
half in English and half in the Dakota
languages. 1t lasted about two years.
Rev. Gideon H. Pond was its editor. OF
this paper Goodhue says in the Pioneer
of March 6, 1851: 1.-THE little press OF
! the Chronicle office has been horribly
twisted and distorted by printing the
crooked Sioux dialect of The Friend"
| The Minnesota Democrat.
The fifth paper started in Minnesota
was THE Minnesota Democrat" 1t was
Il four page seven column weekly, owned
and edited by Colonel D. A. Robertson
The date of the first Issue was Dec. TO-
1850. 1t was started in the interest of one
of the democratic factions of that day.
lister and Robertson Of the Democrat COM
! bined their forces against Goodhue Of the
Pioneer to get the public printing. Good
hue won and soon after Henniss sold
his press and material to Robertson.
The Democrat was first published in
the same building with the Chronicle and
Register, where the Metropolitan, former
ly the Winslow House, now stands. In
1851 1t was moved to Colonel Robertson 8
| hJ1f1H limo ha noct nry,0r nj
Third and Wabasha. June 20, 1853, Rob-
| ertson sold the paper to David Olmsted,
who, on May l, 1854, began the publication
Of a four-page six-column evening daily.
Sept. 6, 1854, Charles l.. Emerson pur-
chased the Democrat and ran it until
Aug. II, 1855. when he sold to Joseph R.
Brown, from whom Earle S. Goodrich had
purchased the Pioneer in March of the
preceding year. Oct. 81. 1855, the two pa
pears were consolidated and Nov. list the
first number Of the Pioneer and Democrat
was issued, combination which lasted
until Sept s., 1862, when Mr.. Goodrich
severed the hypheneted connection and
the paper became the St: Paul Pioneer
The combination owners of the Pioneer
and Democrat were Earle S. Goodrich
Joseph r. Brown and Frederick Somers OF
| New York.
| Colonel ID. A. Robertson. -
Colonel D. A. Robertson was born in
Philadelphia, Pa, May 10, 1918. He was
educated as a lawyer and was admitted
to practice in 1885, but like Goodhue
soon abandoned the profession for jour
nalism. He was owner and editor of the
Mt. Vernon Democrat in 1S43, and in 1914
| became editor of the Cincinnati En-
quirer In 1S46 he was appointed United
States marshal in Ohio, served four years
and In 1850 came to St. Paul and started
the Democrat as already stated. He was
a member of the Minnesota legislature in
1859 and afterwards was elected sheriff
Of Ramsey county and served four years
Oct. 4. 1866, Colonel Robertson or
ganized the Fruit Growers association
the parent Of the Minnesota Horticultural
society and was elected its first presi-
dent, He was one of the first to intro
duce fruit culture into Minnesota and the
very first to draw attention to sections OF
climate in Russia similar to ours and ad-
vicate getting fruit scons from such 10.
calities. From this far-sighted advice
some Of the best varieties Of apples now
! cultivated in Minnesota have resulted.
In politics Colonel Robertson was know
as an Independent democrat He wa:
able, fearless and quite as virulent in hi.
personal journalistic attacks upon DO
litical opponents as Goodhue or John P
) Owens. His article of Sept 80, 1851, OF
Owens is as caustic as anything Goodhu,
ever wrote. He died in st. Paul, Marcel
49, 1895. So
David Olmstead
David Olmstead, who followed Robert
son as owner and editor of the Democrat
merits more than a passing notice. H
| was born in Fairfax, VT, May 5, 1922
He came west when young and was electet
from Clayton county, Iowa, to the low,
constitutional convention in the fall o
I | ,hor, no S., I.
, his age. In the fall of 1847 he went int,
the Winnebago Indian trade at Fort At
kinson, Iowa, and, in the summer of 1848
when the Indians were removed to Lonl
Prairie, Mimi, he went with them. H
t established trading house there and ais
at st. Paul Aug. 7, 1S49, he was electe
, member of the first territorial council
| of Minnesota, was chosen it's presiden
and was also member of the council o
1851. In 1853 he purchased AMI becam
editor of the Minnesota Democrat, a
above stated. April 4, 1854, he was electe
| the first mayor of st. Paul. In 1855 he re
, moved to Winona and became involve
in the triangular contest between Rice
l Olmsted and Marshall for territorial dele
gate to congress, in which he was de
feated by Henry NJ. Rice Shortly after
his health began to fail and he died il
his old home in Fairfax, Feb. 2, 1851
i Olmstead was a democrat of the oil
J school, an able, upright man and one o
| the leaders in the formative period o
Minnesota.
The Watab Reveille.
l The sixth newspaper in order Of date
3 was the Watab Reveille, which purporte
r to be edited and published at Watab Ben
ton county, by j. w. "Chaskarack
$ 'tChaskarack'' was J. w. Vincent, VIII
came here with Cole Martin, whom man
of our pioneer residents will remember