The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-04-27
"REMINISCENCES OF
ST. PAUL TOLD BY
GOV. RAMSEY
Late Governor, Upon Occa-
sion of Fiftieth A%nniver-
sary Of His Arrival in Min.
nesota, Relates Some In
teresting Episodes of the
City's Early History.

Gov. Alexander Ramsey completed
fifty years continuous residence in
Minnesota May 81, 1899. When he
came to Minnesota in 1S49 there were
5000 Indians in the territory under
his government and the country
swarmed with adventures, fortune
hunters, and that lawIess element that
seeks a new country and requires a
firm hand to control it.
DIV. Ramsey, in an interview pub
lished in T h e Gil o e of May %, 1899,
reviewed the development of the state
that had taken place in the fifty years
he had lived in Minnesota. The ac-
count published at that time follows:
If today is May 81" he said to a
reporter for T h e 10 b e, Il have been
a resident of this state fifty years,
first coming here May q, 1S49."
Being pressed for an interview, Gov.
Ramsey deprecated the attack and
said that there was nothing in the way
OF news that he could impart, and
nothing which he could say that had
fore.
But the early territorial DAYS of
Minnesota are always subjects of in
terest," was urged, particularly to
those who have recently adopted this
state for their home"
Only a Dozen Houses in St. Paul.
Possibly that is true" replied Gov.
Ramsey. The Globe has always
treated me well, and although to a
few personal "reminiscences may be
like the t~hreShing over of old straw,
If L know a thing you would like to
use you are welcome to it. There were
comparatively fe whOuses in this place
when 1 first came here an appointee
of President Taylor as territorial gov
ernOr, possibly twelve or fourteen. In
point of number the Sioux Indians
largely predominated. ChippeWaS from
across the river in Wisconsin seldom
came over here, n when they die it
was after Sioux Scalps. The few white
men were in the main old French VOy-
ayers. They were a distinct class by
themselves and followed the river for
a living. When the river business de-
clined they went into farming in a
small way. They never pursued it on
an extensive scale. They were more
like Indians. An Indian seldom culti-
Yates more land than would make an
ordinary garden spot.
TN 1853 a band of ChippeWas came
over and hid themselves near the spot
where the Merchants hotel nov stands.
1t was then customary for the Sioux
to rendezvous at this place for the pur-
pose of trading and the ChippWas knew
it. So they laid in ambush and when
the Sioux came upOn the scene the
ShippeWas opened fire Upon them from
the bluff. They certainly killed one
Sioux and wounded a number of 9TH
ers. Then the whites took a hand in
the game. 1 made a requisitiOn on
the commander at Fort Smelling for a
company of dragons, and they fol-
lowed the Chippewas across the river
and punished them for their laWleSS
invasion of Minnesota territory. They
captured a humble of them and had u
Chippewa scalp or two when they re-
turned. The dragons followed them
on a line running north of Saltwater,
or rather where Saltwater now is, and
overlook the Indians at the present
site of TayIors Falls. This was in
May.
In those days caravans of OK carts
used to come down from the Red
river country in bands of from 200 to
| 400, for the purpose of trading. They
brought down uelts and hides. and
were sometimes three or four weeks
in making the trip. They would trade
their goods for groceries and such
things as they wanted. and load back
with them.
Notable Foreign Visitors.
I'm the early territorial days we
were visited by quite a number of dis
| tinguished and less prominent foreign
ers. They came from England, Ger
many and France. Some of them were
hunters, but many were geographical
adventures. viewing the country for
| geographical purposes. One of these,
[ remember well, was DR.. Ray, of Lon
don. the first d~iscoverer of the remains
of Sir John Franklin, the Arctic eX-
plorer.
"The reason the Old Settlers take
their annual dinner at the Merchants
hotel is probably this: When 1 first
came to st. Paul I'stopped at a little
hotel on the spot where the Merchants
now stands. L had prepared a procla-
nation n read it in this house. June
1, 1849.
But all this" continued Gov. Ram
sey, "is a portion of the history of the
state, and books are full of it. But [
desire to say that this is a great. grand
state and the most healthfuI of any
in the Union. l have seen some
medical statistics that prove this. To-
day l was cOnVersing with Judge Flan-
dreau and Col. Allen, and Judge Flan-
dreau said lat his son Charles had met
a physician in the Hermit empire,
north of Japan, who was a well in
formed gentleman and a Travelled
through America. Mr.. F~landreau had
asked him what he considered the cen
trail point for heaIthfulness in the
United States. and the physician re-
piled, st. Paul."