The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-09-30
So-called Copper Mine on the
Blue Earth Also Found.
Interesting Events of Two Humid
red Years Ago Recalled.
Historic Grounds Within Three
or Four Miles of Mankato.
From Mondays Daily.

Saturday afternoon, party Of local
archaeologists, composed of Judge Cray,
Gen. j. H. Baker, Thomas Hughes and
Prof. U. o. Cox of the state normal
school, went on an exploring expedition
the object of their quest being the loca-
tion of the old fort at the mouth of the
LIE Sueur river and the old copper mine
on the Blue Earth river.
The writings of lie Sueur and other
early explorers tell of an expedition that
was made in the summer of the year
100 up the Mississippi and Minnesota
rivers to the Blue Earth, then called the
Green river, and thence one league up
that river to a point where a stream
called the st. Remi flowed into it, This
point was reached on the last day of
September, and the party, composed of
thirty Frenchmen, landed and built a
fort on high point of ground. They
then drew up their shallop, and made
ready for winter, which had already be-
gun to set in. While part of the force
went hunting, the others busted them
selves with building the fort. The hunt
ers returned with the carcasses of 400
buffalo, which were dressed and placed
on scaffolds in the fort and furnished
food all winter. ,s
These Frenchmen came on their long
journey for the purpose of locating the
copper mine that other explorers had told
about and they had heard of from the
Indians. 1t was located in the territory
occupied by the Sioux Indians. The
party apparently had no difficulty in To-
eating the place, and as near as can be
estimated at the present day the fort
was located at the mouth of the lie
Sueur river, then called the st. Remi.
Two tons of good ore were gotten out
and shipped to France.
The party yesterday followed the di-
rections of Mr.. Hughes, who is the his
torian of Blue Earth county, and who
had already been over the ground. Aft
er much wandering about, the party
were unanimously of the opinion that
the fort was located on high point on
j. H. Rays farm in Mankato township,
about three miles from the city. A
mound containing about eleven acres
rises at this point, similar to Sibley
mound, only larger and higher and oppo-
site the mouth of the LIE Sueur it rises
a number of feet, leaving half acre
higher than the surrounding country and
level on top. This is now all under cul-
tivation, and there are no signs of for
mer Notifications or habitation, but it
is said that before the knoll was plowed
for the first time there were excavations
upon it. Oak timber also grew there,
from which the fort could have been con-
structed. 1t was just the place for
fort to be located, with precipitOus
bluff on two sides. Close by, on the
mound, is large spring that furnished
water supply.
One and three-quarters miles up the
Blue Earth river from the mouth of the
LIE Sueur the party found what they
believe is the location of the copper mine
that so interested the Frenchmen. 1t
exactly answers the descriptions Civ
en- by the early writers. Fifty or six
ty feet above the water, up steep
bluff, on the right bank of the river,
was found a layer of blue clay, that upon
drying turns green. Above this is a
layer of hard material like iron ore weld
ed with the clay. Samples of both sub
stances were taken by the party, and
Prof. Cox will analyze them. The place
where the clay was found is not far
from Rev. Powell's place near Spring Is
land.