The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-04-08


April Is will see the ffty-frst ami
versary of the coming to Mimi sota as
Methodist pastor of Rev. DR.. William
Mckinley now no guest os at t u, eo1 resi-
avenue. . re-.
DR.. Mckinley came to this state whom
the whole northwest was a Wilderness;
when all appointments in this part or
the country were frontier mission posts;
when the work of the minister Of the
gospel was full of perils which the
pastors Of today only know as things
of the dim and distant past. DR.. Nc
Kinley spent two years as pastor in
Minneapolis, fourteen years in st. Paul,
and eighteen years in Winona, besides
shorter terms at smaller and less i'm
portant stations. . He talks interesting
~ Of the early days of Methodism IN
Minnesota. '<.#
7E''T The first Methodist Episcopal con.
ference in the northwest -" said DIR.
ganized in 1856, and comprised not
only Minnesota, but also what is now
North and South Dakota: That same
years I was admitted, to the conference
and began my ministry. Six months
previous to the organization Of the con-
ference I was at Hastings, but my first
real charge was the Northfeld circuit.
This circuit was fifty miles in length
and I covered it once in two weeks.
Railroads Were Unknown.
s'There were no railroads in those
days. There was not single mile OF
railroad in the state, in fact no road
nearer than Dubuque. So I had to
cover my circuit on horseback. OF
course there were perils by field and
stream, there were great obstacles to
be overcome, yet on the whole look
back on those days with much pleasure
They were eventful and gave greater
interest to the work for that reason
Then, too, the people were hospitable
Tho the houses were few and many
miles between, the latchstring to every
home was out, and the visitor was al
ways made welcome. That day wal
before the foreigners had started tt
come, and the people were all Ameri
cans. Nor did they lack culture ane
education. Tho they were frontier PEG
pie, they had all come from the thickly
settled east, knew Of its ways, and hat
there received their training. In thos'
DAYS the church audiences, believe
were more attentive than they are now
and they certainly made much NOR
strenuous efforts to attend church.
"Just as an instance along this line
] remember that during my first charg
l.
q meeting in private house. A SINCE
had promised to come to lead the music
but the meeting was we'll advanced ant
he had not shown up. Just before tn,
time for the benedictiOn in rushed
short, stout, red-faced man, the miss
ing music leader. He had walked tel
miles to get there. He had forded
stream and his clothes had dried O.
him while he tramped in the intens
or dow Anrr on
people in Minnesota today, do you SUP
pose, would ford stream and wal
ten miles in wet clothes to attend
prayer meeting?
Falls Thru Ice.
s'The effort on the part Of the paste
was sometimes more strenuous thai
that Of his flock to attend meetings il
the pioneer days. I remember once lat
khe ice Of the Mississippi river between
St. Paul and Hastings, at point know
rs Pine Bend. The ice was lthawine
and [ happened to strike weak place
Down went the horse, rig and mysel
into an icy bath from which all were ez
lricated with difficulty.
- remember, too, an experience l
the spring of 1857. Near Mortified
which spanned it. Not daring to. trus
to the bridge, / decided to attempt t
ford it. The water was deeper than
anticipated, and with my horse
plunged down into an icy baptism.
ran several miles before I reached
house. and by the time I got there m
clothes had frozen into sheet Of ice.
At the time of my joining the Nil
nesota conference, St. Paul was tn
largest city in the state Minneapoli
or st. Anthony as it was then know
was frontier village. st. Paul Metl
odists then numbered some 200 in al
Now ST. Paul has fully 5000, and Nil
neapoGs probably 1000. The fir
years of the conference saw but / sc
Methodists within it's borders. No
there are single churches with membe
ship of this size. Bishop Matthe
Simpson, the. greatest preacher of tt
Methodist Episcopal church, and thin
the greatest preacher in America
that time, had. charge of the Minnesot
conference, and his visits were great
appreciated.
Goes to War.
In the autumn Of 1861 the terrib
civil war broke out. / was at st. Gro