The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-04-07
THE FAR NORTHWEST.
Hardships of Fruitless Trip to Frazer River
for Gold in 1853.

Hardships of a Fruitless Trip to Frazer River
| for Gold in 1858.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: For Il
number of years | have been subscriber
to and an interested reader of The Nation.
al Tribune. / am particularly interested
| i'm it's stories of early days on our W eStern
borders / read with pleasure Gen. John
Pope's narrative of his trip from Fort
Smelling, Mimi. in 1852, to what is now
the city of Winnipeg, for the reason that
six years later, in 1858, l made almost
the same journey; and l propose now. If
acceptable to you. to give your readers a
short sketch of that experience, hoping
| that it may meet the eyes of many or my
old Minnesota comrades of the civil war,
l as well as other friends in the North Star
State.
| went to Minnesota in 1857 from Penn
sylvania and was employed in the printing
offices of st. Paul for a year. In 1895
| the Frazer River gold craze struck the
| Northwest and |. with number of ac-
quaintances, became afflicted with it and
decided to make the attempt to get rich
gion.
! We left ST. Paul about Jul. 20, 1853.
| with what was then familiarly known as
the Red River train" caravan that
came every year from Fort Garry (now
Winnipeg), to ST. Paul for supplies of all
the furs taken during the previous Win
| ter. This caravan consisted of carts, each
drawn by an OK, and built entirely OF
wood in the most crudest manner; but
| We're quite durable. Occasionally an axle
| would break. when new one would have
| to be made from green timber.
We followed the Mississippi Valley to
! st. Cloud, where we crossed that stream
! and followed what was known as the
plains Road" This route traversed a
| region almost entirely prairie, crossing a
number of streams, however, including the
Otter Tail. really the east branch of the
Red. which We forded few miles below
what is now the city Of Fergus Falls,
MINI. We crossed Red River a short dis
lance above Fort Abercrombie and fol-
lowed it's west bank to Pembina and Fort
Garry. We camped one night at the
mouth of the Cheyenne. where the city
| of Fargo now is; and believe there was
not habitation closer than Abefcrombie.
One evening after going into camp, on
a small, deep stream, | went to the creek
after water, and saw liz the water large
mud turtle. Returning to camp, l not-
| fed my partner. Chas. Curtis, and impro-
Wishing q hook, we went back and cap
tured the turtle. A fine feast was the re-
| suit next morning.
A number of buffaloes were killed while
| we were ON the plains and We enjoyed the
luxury of buffalo slices.
| Once during the journey the Red River
| people with the train, mostly half-blOOds.
started rumor that the hostile Sioux
/ were about to make an attack on us. and
| the leaders decided that the Americans
should do the picket duty. The Yanks
| said if the Sioux wanted their scalps they
could come and get them; but there would
be no exclusively white mans guard duty
and there was none.
We reached Fort Garry the latter part
Ann fPA fhaf
of mosquitoes, which were so numerous
| some mornings that they would rise from
the tall grass in clouds.
| / remained at Fort Garry and vicinity
during the Winter. roughing it. and gained
about % pounds in weight, all muscle.
There was a company of English soldiers
stationed at Fort Garry at that time,
composed principally of. men nearing the
end of their enlistment. q years; the
commander being Capt. Hibberts. / have
reason to remember some of these soldiers
very kindly, for | was stranger and
they took me in and treated me in true
Christian spirit.
In the Spring of 1859. having become
convinced that was not built for a gold
digging life, concluded TO return to civil
cation and left Fort Garry June 8, fol-
lowing the Red River Valley to Pembina.
On that day, the first steamboat to ira
| verse the waters of Red arrived at Fort
"
| been transported overland from the Mis-
sissippi and was rebuilt at Fort Aber-
crombie.
The old English blockhomse, spoken of
by Gen. Pope, situated on the river bank
short distance below Pembina, was un-
occupied when / saw it and was fast be-
coming a ruin.
Crossing Red at Pembina we followed
what was called the Wood Road" There
were two roads, the Plains Road, leaving
the Mississippi at st. Cloud. which We
| followed going out, and the Wood Road,
which left the Mississippi at Crow Wing
| and went directly to Pembina on the Rel.
About midway between Crow Wing and
Pembina, a road branched almost directly
south, intersecting the Plains Road short
distance from the site of the present city
of Fergus Falls. This was called the Mid
die Road.
| Our journey back to st. Paul was un-
eyentful. except for little incident which
happened to me personally, in which
came near losing my life. One of the
| oxen, in crossing the south branch Of what
was then called the Twin Rivers, decided
after We had them all across that he would
| stay between the two streams, and, turn
ing. swan back to the north side. l had
just finished swimming the stream, which
was quite swift but not wide, but l fol-
lowed, got him across again, when, in
stead of following the other animals, then
some distance from the stream, he repeat
ed his retrOgrade effort and l again fol-
lowed him. That time. when he reached
the south side he went all right, but l was
about all in. 1t was two hours before
l was able to travel again. Some of the
half-bloOds called to me TO pray, but |
devoted all my breath and strength to
the swimming job and got there all right
When We reached the Middle Road
myself and a boy of about II under direc-
tons from the man who owned the carts
with which We Were travelling, took the
Middle Road and went direct to what
IL now Fergus Falls. where We expected Ia
meet Mr.. Hunt, the owner, he having
taken his, stock Of furs from the carts a;
Pembna with the intention of getting IN
4 to AbercrOmbie by the steamboat We
had orders to wait for him at the Falls
two days. and then, if he did not reach
us. TO go on to st. Paul. -
/ Two families were living at the Fall.
then; one named Wright: the other name
. | have forgotten. All of them, l think
were massacred during the Sioux uprisin.
in 1862. 1t so happened that member Of
each family, both young men, were start
ing for Minneapolis with q wagon, an(
, we went with them. having waited three
, days for Mr.. Hunt instead of two Tho
| second day he overlook MS and with thu
boy Il was not in his employ. only helping