The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1906-01-24
FORTY YEARS AGO.
Excerpts Taken From St. Paul Papers of
Forty Years Ago.

4 st. Anthony Falls is slowly but
surely going to pieces, and in few
years there will be nothing but a
long reach of rolling, tumbling
rapids. This is the opinion of peo-
pie who have been watching it's
disintegration for number of years.
!, In 1859 they receded about $50 feet
to the middle of the river, and near
ly 14O feet further the next spring.
On last Tuesday old St. Anthony
lost another huge piece from one
of his falls. It was broken off evenly
just below the bridge to the saw
mills, and the water is pouring
through the rent in a beautiful
cascade. In the morning, without
notice., a huge piece of limestone at
least fifty feet long, twenty feet
broad and six feet thick fell sud-
denly away from its old bed and
striking upon the hard rocks below.
broke into massive fragments. A
heavy jar Of the solid earth, dull
splash, and the grinding noise at
tending the breaking of heavy SUBJ
stances followed. Morrison's lumber
office was situated just over the
falling stone. 1t rests on six posts.
The rock fell entirely away from
under the two outermost posts and
broke off within about foot of the
two middle ones. Had it broken
off a foot further in, the office
would have rolled end over end into
the abyss and frightful tragedy
would have resulted. AS it is, it
projects over the two posts in the
air, and has been deserted by its
tenants. The balance of the rock
attached to the Minneapolis bank
will probably come away soon, and
the bridge with it, and at some
future day more will follow, in
volving the whole of the magnificent
mill structures in ruins.
"Vermillion gold mines or bust"
is now the watchword of Maj.
Newson and his little band of adj
venturers. The last letter from
them is dated Deer Creek, ninety
two miles from St. Paul, Jan. 7,
1866. 1t says: eve left Cheng-
watana without regret, on account
of the extortionate charges by the
settlers at that place for hay for our
cattle. We will drop no nuggets
here on our homeward march. We
got an early start and pushed along
ten miles, when we were forced to
halt and pitch our tents. We
were obliged to haul hay ten
miles. The snow is two feet deep,
and we are often compelled to
spread our blankets on the snow for
place to sleep. On Sunday we
reached this place, where. we rested
and heard an excellent sermon from
our chaplain Vice-president Harris.
Notwithstanding the little worries
the men are cheerful and deter
mined.
A correspondent at Duluth writes
us that two parties with supplies
have already left the frontier post
for the Vermillion gold fields. A
strong force is hard at work break
ing a road through to the lake, and
reinforcements will be hurried for
ward if necessary in order to have it
finished before the rush in the
spring. Lake Superior is still free
from ice and navigation is still good, I
even for canoes. The bays, how
ever, are frozen over.
About fifty citizens of Minneapolis
met last evening at the office of
McFarlane, Burd & Co., to discuss
the question whether or not the
union of the two towns was not
expedient. Messrs. Harmon, Gate,
Lee, Petit and others made re-
marks. A committee was appointed
to confer with committee from St.
Anthony, with view to the prepar-
alton Of basis upon which the two
towns might be united.
Many of the old-timers will re-
member Little Priest, the famous
Winnebago chief, who spent many
months as prisoner at Fort Smell