Morris tribune., 1906-02-24
SERVED THE STATE
WITH YALOR
BASIL GEPvAIs. ST. pAuL's
FIRST WHITE BABE.
Fought Indians in the Early Days
Without Pay; Now He is Old And
Cannot Work.

St. Paul, an old man bv the
ntme of Basil Gervais, who
was the f1rst white child to be born
On st. Paul soil. He was born near
what is now known as Seven Corners.
Sept. 4, 1880.
DASH Gervais' father was BENJAMIN
1ervals, and he came down to what
- now st. Paul from the Red River
valley two years before Basil was
oorn' bringing his family and house
hold eHects with him in one of the
now famous Red river carts. On the
trip one of the children died and it
was hard dangerous Journey of
many days The country was infested
with Indians and the only white
se01iement was the little village CT
MENDOZA and the military post across
'he river, known then, as it is now,
DIS FORT Smelling, and containing
garrison of United States regulars.
AT the time Basil Gervais was born,
there were no white people living
lO6h OF May of the following year
Io4o-he was taken by his father to
Fralrle du CHEN to be baptised by
the late Father Ravoux, who was the
pastor of little log church at that
place. The journey was made in
mrch bark canoe and it required
nearly ten days of padding to ac-
complish it. AT night the little party
camped on the river bank. The very
day the infant was baptised the
Journey up the stream was commenc-
ed.
Basil Gervais lived on his fathers !
farm where st. Paul now stands until ,
he was eight years old, when he
moved with his father TO the little
village of New Canada, then just come
into being The only white man vino
lived near the Geryias farm was sold
Joe'' Rondo, after whom Rondo street
has since been named. Basil Gervias
has resided in New Canada ever since
he moved there as a child, and there
his mother and father both died and
are buried, the former some time in
theses atthe age of eighty -four years,
and the latter in 1878 at the age Of
ninety-o one years.
Al the time Of the Indian war of
1852, Basil Gervais joined a volunteer
cavalry organization that was formed
in New Canada and rode TO a place
called Sunrise, in the northern part
Of the state, near Duluth to guard the
settlers there from the Indians. He
furnished his own horse, gun and
saddle and served without pay. He
was on this service for about one
month.
After his return from Sunrise,
Gervais was selected by General Pope,
then in command of the department
OF Dakota, with headquarters at ST.
Paul, to carry dispatches. to General
Sibley, who was supposed to be in
camp at Big Stone lake.
In carrying These dispatches to Gen
eral Sibley, Basil Geryais made one of
the famous long distan-e rides Of
history. Selecting good horse he
set out early one morning and rode
towards the Indian country. The
ride lasted fifteen days and was one
full of hardship and danger. The
country over which it was made was
infested with hostile India! and had
been made a desert by the red men F.,
vino had burned every farm from :
Fort Smelling to the northern borders
of the state. The ride was made dur
ing the chill autumn days, and at \
night Gervias slept upon the ground s
with his saddle for a pillow and only a
thin blanket between him and the
cold earth. The only food he ha d
was the corn he found standing upon y
the deserted farms. This he also fed 4
to his horse. At the end of the i
fifteenth day, when nearly dead from i
exposure and starvation, Gervias U
found General Sibley's camp and [
delivered his dispatches. t
This ride cost him the use Of his r
left leg. Later in 1862 when he was
drafted for service in the army and e
went before the medical officers for h
examination he was given papers of il
disability. These papers he gave into {
the keeping OF one "Bill" Houl, a e
saloon keeper of New Canada. Honl's c
safe was blown by robbers aud the D
papers destroyed some time latter. II
Rasil Gervias is now old and unable t,
to work. He has been left without 81
cams of support and asks that he be o
Given pension by the state of Mime
sota. for his service in the Indian war
and for carrying the dispatches to
sibley. During the last session of a
the Minnesota legislature $4,000 was h
J onropriated for the purpose of PEN r