Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1905-10-20

- - lllls - s's l1as
COUNTY. MINNESOTA.
Engage IN the fur trade, In 1909 He
pent the first winter on one Of the
6e1d streams of the Crow Wing river,
md the second winter ut Rice lake.
MofthWest Of L ke Itasca, which he
yisited during the next year. thar is,
in 1904.
William Morrison was employed. for
8ir Alexander Mackenzie and Com
pany until 1916; and during the next
Ton years for the American Fur Com
hny, under John Jacob Astor. estab-
1tahing ssries= ct trading posts on
the st Louis and Rainy rivers to the
Lake Of the Woods. In 1895 he re-
tire, and after ward lived in Canada,
where he died August Z. 1866.
!, His brother. Allan Morrison, who
vas q trader at Crow Wing. trans-
mitted to the Minnesota Historical
Society early In the--year 1855. p1ece-
ding the establishment of this county,
letters from William Morrison mar
rating his work In the fur trade and
his visits to the source of the Missis.
sippi
I Allan Morrison, whose life as q
pioneer of Minnesota may also be re-
garded as commemorated in the name
|nf this county, was born in Canada
about the year 1890: came to Fond
do Lac and northern Minnesota, in the
fur trade, associated with his brother
william, in 1890: had charge of trad
:ng posts at Sandy lake, Leech lake,
Red lake, Mile Lacs, and Crow
Wing; and finally removed with the
Indians to the White Earth reeerva-
kion, where he died November 28,
1878. He was member Of the first
leg islature of Minnesota Territory.
; s:During the next year after William
Morrison first saw Lake Itasca (then
known, in transition of ite Ojibway
name, as Lac la Biche. that Is. Elk
laek), the United States government
sent its first military expedition into
TIE area of our State, of which the
greater part, the two-thjrds west of
quired Two years previously from
lana Purchase. With that great ex-
plnsion of our national domain, 1t
bqcame necessary to send explorers
hegond the Mississippi, az Lewis and
Clark, In 1904, to cross the upper Mis-.
sanri region and the Rocky noun
tatns; and Pike, in the next year.
wfs commissioned to lead a small
expedition to the hesdwaters Of the
Mississippi. The objects of this ex-
pdition were numerous, as to nego-
tfate treaties with the Indians, to se-
cure conformity with the laws of
the United States by the agents Of
tie Northwest Company and others
engaged at the far north in the fur
tfade, and to extend geographic ex-
plnration.
Hebalon Montgomery Pike was born
!n} Lamberton (now q part of Tren-
tot),s N. j.. January s, ITO. His
sher WAS captain in the Revoln.
Ftion, 2&nd continued III the federal
army service. The son at the age of
fifteen years began service in his faith
er's regiment, and was promoted when
twenty years old to the rank Of first
lieutenant.
He started on the Mississippi river
expedition from st Louis on August
8, 1906. with twenty soldiers In keel
boat seventy feet long. provieioned
for four months. After making the
treaty with the Sioux on Pike island,
at the mouth of the Minnesota river,
September %, for cession of mill
tary reservation to the United States,
on which Fort Smelling was quilt 6f-
teen years later, Pike and his party
advanced up the Mississippi until they
we're overtaken by early snow and
cold, on October 16, q hundred years
ago Monday, and were then Obliged to
establish their winter quarters at Pike
Rapids. about four miles south of this
city. The site of his stockaded en-
campment, OF fort, has been identified
there, on the west shore of the river
by your fellow townsman, Hon. Nath.
an Richardson. TIE party relied
largely on the abundant game of the
region for their sustenance.
In the winter of 18O6-O6, setting out
December 10, Pike went onward with
few of his men to Sandy, Leech, and
Cass lakes, attained the objects OF his
expedition concerning the relations oi
the fur traders to the United States
! ouN 3oVO3u0A W GA0 AOII 0t Z 1A0 IS0
pids on the 9Th of March. Thence de-
scending the Mississippi. he reached
st. Louis On the last day of Apri
1905.
His very interesting journal give
our earliest detailed account Of tn.
upper Mississippi region above th'
mouth of Elk river, with many names
Of lakes and streams. and definite
view Of the conditions then prevailing
at the fur trading posts.
After few weeks Pike was AGAR
dispatched by Gen. James Wilkinson,
in command On the Mississippi, tt
treat with the Indian tribes and ex'
plore the country west and southwest
of st. Louis, to the headwaters OIL
the Arkansas and Red rivers. In thil
second expedition, on December 8,
1905. he measured the altitude of The
very conspicuous mountain in central
Colorado, which has since been called
Pixies Peak. Proceeding southward,
and unintentionally entering Spanish
territory, Pike and his small com.
mand encountered Spanish troops,
and he was summoned before The
governor of Santa Fe, but. after con.
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