The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-06
CARVER is NOT
DOUBTED HERE.
PROFESSOR FOLWELL SURPRISED
BY ALLEGED EXPOSE.

Pronounced a Fraud by Yale Pro-
fessor by Quoting It in His History
Why He Credits It-Professor
West of Similar Opinion.
The modern historical method has
been applied to the narrative of JON
athan Carver, the first Anglo Saxon |
traveller to visit st. Anthony rails, and
it he has not been relegated quite to
the myth class along with Pocahontas
and Captain John Smith and George
Washington and the cherry tree, he has
been pronounced. a fraud as a source |
of historic information -
The iconoclastic hand laid upon the
bombastic Carver. is that Of Professor
E. G.. Bourne Of Yale, whose paper
showing up Carver created big stir
among northwestern historical students
in attendance at the meeting Of the |
American Historical association last
week.
- Professor Bourne!'s charge is that the
Carver narrative is, untrue and was
simply a brazen plot to cheat a gull
BILE public, the narrative being made
up by Hcribbing'' from the accounts
Of the earlier French explorers, such
as Hennepin, and even from LIE Hou-
tan IS worthless tale. Professor Bourne
has done a careful piece of work that
made a strong impression on those
who heard it. He seemed to make a
very good case for his view of Carver.
..= Professor Folwell's Views.
Professor. W. W. Folwell, who is now
occupied with a history of Minnesota,
to be published in the FsAmerican Com
monwealth' series, did not hear the
paper, but was greatly interested in
the reports Of it and intends investi-
eating it. To 9 Journal reporter he
said: 10 49, @ =
E'I have been familiar with the Car
yer travels for years and have never
questioned the genuineness Of his &C
count. It has very noticeable mac
curacies, as is common in traveller IS
tales, and it makes no important contri-
button to our knowledge of the region
he traversed, but I certainly have
never thought: of him in the light of a
never heard the authenticity Gi O of NG his
work seriously questioned. That I
have given it credence in it's general
lines is evident from the fact that I have
used a summary. Of his account in my
book IA -.
Professor Folwell read to the reporter
his chapter en- Carver. In this he says:
ners and customs of the Indian occupies
the greater part of the book. His &C.
count is sufficiently truthful and CORE
spends with those of contemporaries. -
Professor Folwell called attention to
his claim that in a residence of about
four months among the Indians of the
upper Minnesota river he learned their
language sufficiently to make himself
perfectly intelligible. This is palpably
70 leo of. fha Il 90
encountered before him by Father Hen
nepin and by the missionaries who took
years to acquire even moderate
knowledge of Sioux, altho they gave to
it their most earnest and constant
study. .'.aase5s.. =: ... -. -
| Carver's Imagination.
Carver tells how he came down the
Minnesoetasin theospring, with party
dead to be buridd as1tho great cave at
Dayton 8 bluff, tiiatsI has passed into
northwestern history as Carver's cave
There a funeral grafton was delivered
which,.he quotes, the quotation being
according to Professor Folwell, "more
reporting skill This part Of hi hi
story was used by Schiller as the basis
of his poem called "Song of Nadow
essee Chief,' which Goethe considered
one Of his best: Sir John Herschel ant
| Lord, Bulwer,,Lytton made Englsl
tramslations of the poem; -
tive State e' that he Undertook nd ee his n eRpe
dition. with view to discovering !;
) route to the western coast. His travel
were a series Of disappointments, but h
did not give up his project. Findin,
his plans thwarted on this attempt h,
went to England to try, to ! make I
fresh 5 IS start: The he r f he propose,
portage. to the Missouri, thence over tn
mountains to some stream flowing int
the Pacific; in fact his plans were il
=, general those successfully followed GU
by the actual explorers of that region
Lewis and Clark. e. '.A - +
, His Far-Seeing Eye.
Professor Folwell pointed out the in
, teresting fact that at this early perioC
and with but slight knowledge of tn
country, Carver saw the possibilities o
the navigation Of the Great Lakes t
, New Yo~k by the aid Of canals. H
! also recognized the advantages Of
country able to convey its produce t
:: current of the river from it's source t
$ it's entrance into the Gulf Of, Mexico,
Q he said, "being extremely favorable fC
doing this in smaller craft. -
0 Carver s route thru the northwest wa
e from Mackinac thru Green Bay, the Fo
J.. and Wisconsin rivers to Prairie d
g Chen, Proceeding up the Mississippi !
|. describes an Indian mound at LAX
Pepin, and it has been believed that tn
was the first allusion to the mounds (
this region. He continued on to tt
site of st. Paul, visited st. Anthem
o Falls, and perhaps went as far as E]
river. He then made his trip up tt
~ Minnesota, estimating the distance ::
= 200 miles. The return was made /
y. way Of the st. Croix, crossing to son
. stream emptying into Lake Superio
l. this he crossed. and skirted the mort
" shore to Sault Ste. Marie.
Lef Carver's Claim Was Settled.
4 Carver's claim, to a tract of 10000
., square miles Of land east is not bas.
q on his Journal, altho it is mentioned
e the editor of an edition printed in ~
1t in London, where Carver died about til
'r time. This Carver claim was efectus
n ly disposed Of by the United Stat
is government in 1928, but its ghost st
IS fingers and hobs up occasionally to tn
es day.
~ Professor W. NJ. West. head of t