Mower County transcript., 1903-09-16

price. This Isl a specimen of the profits
Of the fur trade. The Indians broke
camp and returned to MENDOZA IN March
before the spring thaws rend dered theSI
sloughs. and streams imp passable.
BY treaty made with the WinnebagoI
Ind dians. September S, 1892, the United /
States gave them this N Neutral Ground mi
exchange for certain lands east Of VIM /
nebago Lake il Wisconsin,. he United |:
States also agreed with them to establish /
a school and a black cksmith shop for their /
use on the Cedar.
The Winnebagoes had just before as
sisted the United States troops in cap-a
turing Black Hawk, the Sauk Chief, Il
after his defeat. Julyf2I j, I832, by 5Gener-l
al Dodge on the banks Of the Wisconsin. I
Black Hawk after losing that battle, rel
treated northwest with the remnant otI
his tribe to the Bad Axe River which,
comes into the Mississippi from the east |
at point a few miles above the mouth /
Of the u PIPER Iowa. On the north bank
of the Bad Axe, the Winnebagoes as
sembled and disputed the further pro-
gress of Black Hawk. Pressed from
behind5b the pursuing regulars Of the
army, and met in front by the /. Winnie
bagoes on the Bad Axe, Black Hawk
and his tribe made their way to an island i
in the Mississippi, where Colonel lack
| Taylor (afterward President) landed
with his command and literally extermi-
mated that rebellious tribe. That island
! is now known as Battle Island and has
been made park. Because of the as
sistance Of the Winnebagoes5 in that
! Black Hawk war, the United States was
always. liberal in its treaties with them
thereafter. III. s5 55. II t.s
But the Winnebagoes did not occupy
this Neutral Ground until I842 when a
BLACKSMITH shop and agency building
1 were erected on the Little Cedar in
/ Mitchell county, Iowa. Then old one
/eyed Decorah and his band occupied the
Neutral Ground as far west as the Des
Moines River. But on October 49, 1896
! the Winnebagoes by treaty made by a.
delegation Of Chiefs and Warriors at
4 Washing ton, D. C.., relinquished all
rights to the Neutral Ground and were
given in exchange $4,000 and a reser-5.
4 vation Of 100000 acres north of the st.
i Peters (Minnesota) River, and west of
the Mississippi They agreed TO remove.
to their new home the next year (I84771)s| 4 u
II Fa.E E-5t 4 "
!: There were no permanent Indian vii
4 lages3in the southeastern part of what IS
! now Minnesota. Wabasha with his
4 band lived near where the city of that
name is now located, and Faribault's#
I band had their village where that city:
now stands on the Cannon River. There
was also a Sioux village at Mankato.'
4 These three we're the most southern
j Sioux settlements in this part of the.
state. The Sioux however claimed jur-z
4 isdlction over, and ownership of, all the
country north Of the Neutral Ground.
was with the ss sioux as. inthes
earliest GTeciar I'LL YerYone who
did. not speak their Language was
assumed to be a barbarian and an
enemy. #
4 y On July %, 1851, at Traverse des
Sioux near ST. Peter on the Minnesota
! River, treaty was concluded between
the United States and the western bands
of the Sioux, by which the Indians ceded
to the United States, all their lands lying
east of the Big Sioux River, Lake Kamp-
eska. Lake Traverse and Red River of
the north. And on August s.. 1851. at
4 Mendoza, the lower or eastern bands
concluded similar treaty by which
I they ceded to the United States, all their
1 lands in Minnesota. These eastern
bands claimed the land lying on the
Mississippi and its tributaries south of
the St. Peter or Minnesota River. 1t
4 took three weeks of talk and negotiation
with the Indians to conclude these
treaties. On June 2o, Gov. Ramsey and
Luke Lea, Indian Commissioner, went
( up the Minnesota River on the steam
boat Excelsior. The river was unusually
high and they arrived at Traverse des
Sioux in the forenoon of the next day.
Beet cattle, baggage. provisions, tents,
arms and ammunitionwere unloaded and
4 the steamer next day returned down the
river. Gov. Ramsey, always artful and
j polite, made speech to the Indians in
counsel, saying "That your Great i ather
I at Washington has not quite, as much
4 land as his white children can use but
he has plenty Of money and goods, while
you his red children have much more
4 land than you need. He thinks there
4 lore that an exchange can be made to
4 the. mutual advantage OF both. The
4 Indians desired ITO reserve the land for
4 tenamiles in width on both sides of the
a Minnesota River, its full length above
{ the Blue Earth River but finally accept
4 ed that above the " elbow M edicine. SO
long as the beef lasted, the Indians
would come to no definite conclusion.
Finally after the beef cattle were all
4 killedsand eaten and the commissioners
had intimated that they would depart
next day. the Indians signed the treaty,
! July %, by which the United States
agreed to pay them for the land $I,6o5;-
B 600 OF this sum S275 900 was to Be
paid when they should remove Is the
reservation; 10000 was to be expended
for mil. blacksmith shops, breaking and
fencing etc: Ihe balance, $I,,336o,ooo
trust for the Indians and On interest Tor
4 fifty yearss At i've per cent ayear. pay.
able annually. making $4,000 4 year. i
'rl co'mrlmeln1cciing l1ci, July IS5a. This treaty
was signed by sleepy Eyes, The Orphan,
i s1ray lhunder Red q; Face and more than
i thirty others.
Ihe. Commits ssioner and Governor then
went down the Il Minnesota River #ons