The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-07-31

I
we caught the first sight of our destina
| ton.
| From this standpoint the Landscape
f, was most beautiful and attractive. The
day was warm, but very pleasant, it wa.
approaching evening; we were very tiret
| and hungry after our long march, and the
ecene was most restful and impressive
enc. To the east from whence we came
could be seen sea of rolling prairie
with the timber on the Blue River eigh
| teen or twenty miles away, and extend
| ing from the Blue Earth county line
southerly to Blue Earth City and be
yond. To the south our vision EXTENDED
across the PARTIES to the Iowa line, witt
the timber of East Chain lakes as the
only obstruction to our view. To the
north was Elm Creek, which could be
traced by the skirting trees from dis
tance westerly of Chain Lakes, i'll al
easterlv direction to the Blue Earth
river. with the mounds in Blue Earth
county. near which l lived, plainly visi'
BILE beyond the valley of Elm Creek
twenty miles away. To the westerly
could be seen as placid as moulten sill,
yer. the waters of two of the Chain lakes
and the timber skirting two or three
more, beyond which was an endless sea
of rolling prairie. Immediately in our
front, sleepy and quiet, was the little
log fort which we were to occupy.
The entire picture was then very near
w as nature had painted it. The few lit
tie homes upon the lakes then occupied,
were hidden in the woods, and the lit
tie fort was the only visible evidence of
the handiwork of man. With our. pc
culiar environments, this scene, takin in
with all the enthusiasm of an eighteen
year old boy, can never be forgotten.
The fort was located just southerly
from the present court house, the west
erly wall running about parallel with
the high bluff of the lake shore, and be-
ing perhaps fifty feet from where the
bluff begins to ascend toward the lake.
1t was constructed of large, long logs,
laid together as closely as possible, and
was about eight feet high, and perhaps
one hundred and fifty feet square, or
nearly square. 1t enclosed the old court
house which was in the southwest corner
of the fort, and which was used as a
mess room. This court house is there
vet lust to the south of the court
house grounds, and in the rear of the
bank. Our barracks or sleeping quarters
were within and along the westerly side
of the fort. toward the lake. Extending
along the entire westerly side and both
ends of the barracks were arranged our
sleeping hunks, three tiers high, each
bunk intended for two men. Along the
east side was the rack for our guns; the
entrance door of the barracks was in the
middle of the east side. The gate or en-
trance to the fort, large enough to adj
nit teams, was in the southeasterly cor
ner. fronting east, and inside the fort and
near the entrance was a small shanty
which the captain occupied as his office
OF headquarters.
This fort had just been vacated by
company of Wisconsin cavalry in the an
ticipation of our arrival. A DRAFT or
sketch of this fort made by one OF the
government engineers, showing the loca-
ton of the old court house, and the cap
tain's office, is now in the possession OF
our State Historical society at st. Paul.
We were soon in the fort enjoying well
earned rest.
[ remember that at that time there
lived at Fairmont, Captain Budd, John
Burdick, and Mrs. Swearington, who
was a widow, or whose husband was IN
the army. There may have been, and
probably were, few other settlers, but
/ cannot now recall them. We found on
that we had inherited from
the cavalry company, three boats, which
were living at the shore in the valley,
now the boat landing on Ssseton lake,
a short distance south of the Billiard
House.
One was sort of barge or flat boat,
capable of carrying from five to SIX per-
sons, the others were log canoes, one
large enough to carry two or three per-
sons, the other would carry two light
persons only. These boats furnished us
with very much amusement and pleasure
MANY a time were some of us upset IN
the lake in learning to ride the canoes.
Soon we larned to manage them quite
skillfullv. and could cross the lake in the
highest wind and toughest waters. 1t
was a favorite pastime to engage IN
naval battles, the two canoes against the
flat boat, and more than once | found
myself and canoe tipped over in the mid
die of the lake, my paddle captured, and
left to get ashore as best l could.
The platoon ordered to Chanyaska lake
under command of Lieutenant Patton,
arrived there about the time that we
reached Farimont. This lake was
shallow prairie lake, with heavy marsh
grass all around it, and in places a
few small willow trees grew near the
shores. 1t was literally alive with
geese, brants and ducks, and quite fire.
quently large swans could be seen upon
its waters. This platoon constructed a
sod fort about one hundred rods east
from the shore of this lake, very similar
tc the fort which we had built at judi
son. About once in each month our
platoons changed locations, so that each
platon was in each fort about an equal
length of time.
Our duties consisted of scouting the
prairies to the west of our forts, for In
dams. A line of forts were constructed
and occupied that summer extending
from the Iowa line north to Fort Aber-
rombie, and cavalry scouts frequently
passed along the line, carrying our mails,
and keeping us posted as to the Indian
disturbances. Captain Mcleod, General
Sibley's chief of scouts, and very con-
genial man, frequently visited us.
We went on several scouting expedi-
tons to the lakes to the west and north
west of our forts, about one-half of
our numbers being absent from our forts
tw and three days at a time, but our at
tention was mostly devoted to killing
ducks and geese, which we found in
abundance. Not an Indian was seen by