The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-06-29

ulSdiSHiIt, oouIH wares, Hdu ScIlleu Ill
jackson and Gala counties, Ohio. This
section of the Buckeye state is rather
hilly and barren and not a very salts
factory home to many of these immi-
grants. Others had invested about all
they had in the iron industry, which
| then had Just begun to develop in this
| region, and felt some apprehension re-
garding the investment, and thought it
prudent to sell when they could get a
fair price When therefore in the sum
mer of 1866 these people read in the
Welsh press and in private letters glow
ing accounts of the country about
South Bend, Minnesota, where number
of Welsh people had already settled
their interest was soon aroused. The
fair pictures drawn of the fertility of
the soil, accessibility to markets and
other advantages possessed by the coun-
| try and how any one might acquire 100
acres of it by simply going to live upon
| it made Il strong appeal. Many of these
public and private communications were
from the pens of Rev. Richard Davis and
DIR. Edward Thomas, who has just 10
Gated in South Bend and were both, well
and favorably known to the jackson
people. About the first of October, 1855
six persons, namely David P. Davis, ST..
John L. Jones, Evan Williams, Thomas
Jones (cooper) Richard Morgan, and his
son James Morgan concluded to visit
! the South Bend settlement and person
ally inspect the country. Arriving at
Winona on the 18th of this month they
reached Chatfield the next day. Here
they found old acquaintance in Vim
ton Daniel and William Evans who had
come there the previous summer from
Gala county, Ohio. The following Mon
day our friends resumed their journey
accompanied by the Evans boys and
reached Winnebago Agency Saturday
night. The Welsh people of Jackson
Ohio, were all very religious, deciples of
Rev. Daniel Rowland of Llangeitho
without hardly any exception, and strict
Sabbatharians. Failing to find suitable
hotel accommodations to spend the Sab
bath or place of worship they tasted
it early Sunday morning to Mankato
-, 10 Do,
b. Y. Coffin preach in the log school
house at Mankato. The next morning
canoe and others by wading, they
reached their destination, the wamous
city of South Bend. After spending
two weeks inspecting the country and
becoming thoroughly inocculated with
| the prevalent idea of the future great
ness and of South Bend as its metropo-
lis, all, but James Morgan, returned
home promising to return in the spring
with their families and friends. Before
leaving, each purchased number of
lots in the great city of South Bend, for
fear they would be all sold before
they got back. The favorable report of
this committee induced many of the
Jackson people to join the colony next
spring.
The main body of the colony, l2l
souls in all, left their homes on April
2lst, 1856, and rendezvoused the next
day at Cincinnati where they agreed
with the steamer Granite State" to
carry them to st. Paul for $40 apiece
After a slow, tedious journey up the
Father of Waters on an overloaded boat
they reached st. Paul on Friday, the
End of May. Here they were obliged to
wait until the afternoon of the fol
lowing Tuesday before they could Sc
cure a boat up the Minnesota. A large
empty warehouse near the levee, hired
by the day, afforded them shelter dur
ing their stay at Minnesota's capital.
Here occurred the first desertion in their
ranks. Rev. John L. Williams met a
relative at st. Paul who persuaded him
to go with him to Illinois, This was
sad blow to our colonists as they had
expected to make Williams their pas
tor. The delay at st. Paul was tedious
as well as eXpensive-but was 81 a.
pound, eggs ST. per dozen and other pro-
visions accordingly. Every effort was
made to find a boat. At last, on Nav 9th.
Samuel Cobble, captain of the H. T.
Yeatman, was induced to carry the col
ony to South Bend for So apiece. The
''Yeatman" was a stern wheeler of 5OOi
to 600 tons burden. built for the Mis-
sissippi trade and hence too large a
boat for the narrow channel of the
Minnesota. The water was high, how
ever, and the captain concluded to ven /,
ture up our "Sky Tinted stream and
test its navigability. After having its |
smokestacks demolished by overhanging
getting stuck many times in |
attempting to make sharp curves and
meeting many other adventures the boat
finally reached South Bend and our colon
lists were all safely landed on its levee
/.