New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1905-06-07
HISTORY OF DAKOTA HOUSE
Governors of Minnesota Have All
Eaten Here.
Mrs. Setter Has Entertained Many
Men OF Note.
Dakota House Only Hotel in State
So Dignifed.

An interesting fact in connection
with the Dakota house comes out in
connection with the visit of Gov. j ohm
son to the city last week. AS is known
to most of the people of this city, Mrs.
Setter has been connected with the
house ever since it has been run as a
hotel and that is since the late fifties
This state has had sixteen governors
and it is a remarkable fact that at
sometime during their administration
they have each one been a guest at the
Dakota house and have been enter
tanned by Mrs. Setter. This is re-
cord that no other hotel in the state
can claim and support its claim.
The Dakota house is one of the
landmarks of the city as we'll as one
of the historical places of the state.
In the bricks on its outer walls may
still be seen the marks made by bullets
of the Indians, and at the time of the
massacre the lobby of the hotel was
used as a sort of hospital and the
wounded were brought here for care
and those who died were buried in
temporary graves in the garden at the
rear of the hotel, where they remained
until after the Indians were dispersed
when they were removed to the ceme-
terry.
For long time there was in existence
the first register the hotel had, bearing
date from 1856 until 1860, the one book
covering the entire four years. In
this register could be found the names
of such illustrious men as Gen. w. T..
Sherman, Gen. Pope, Gen. Fitzhugh
Lee, Albert Sidney Johnson, Gen.
Sigel and a number of other officers
whose headquarters at that time we're
at TT. Ridgely who happened to be
passing through here on their way
from Smelling to Ridgely.
| 1t was their custom when at the fort
to come to this city and spend con.
siderable time in the pursuit of pleas.
ure and to get away from the onerous
duties of the fort. In this way they
found the Dakota house very pleas
ant place to rendezvous, and it is
stated that there have been very many
pleasant occasions of this kind tina
have taken place in the old house.
1t is also worthy of note that the frs
religious service in English that wa!
ever held in this city was held in thu
writing room of this hotel and was con
Quoted by Bishop Nipple who wa
then interesting himself in the spiritua
welfare of the Indians and made fire
quent visits to the tribes on the reser
walton between here and Redwood
Falls.
AdOl phi Setter built the hotel in 1856
when it was used as general mer
chandise store for a short time AM
was then rebuilt for the purposes of
hotel, though at that time there wa
very little call for an institution o
that kind. Since that time it has beer
changed greatly and built onto ant
over until it is now one of the hes
hotels in the state, being under tn
supervision and management Off w
Johnson, who as mine host, has
reputation among travelling men tina
| !, nd tn 1,, o1,,o11o6
The one feature that has made i
unique aside from the superior excel
lence of the cooking that is servec
there is the manner of setting tn,
tables, and the traveller finds when h
sits down to table in this hotel tina
he has all there is to be had befor
him and he is privileged to take VIVA
he likes and all he likes and it is hi
own fault if he does not get enough.
OBSERVANCE OF SILVER JUBILEE