The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-08-28

Thomas Perry, the veteran st. Pete
printer and editor. 1t was T. M
Perry who printed the Redwood Pa
triot in 1869, and who was also thu
mainstay at the big dances Of those
/ days.
4 ''Mr. Perry, who is now seventy
three years of age. has literally beer
a printer all his life. As child he
played about the racks and cases ir
his fathers office in Michigan, anc
at eight he learned to set type or
/ the Mt. Clemens Patriot.
'sIn 1856 General Willis A. Cor.
man, territorial governor of Mime
sofa, sent to Michigan for the elder
Perry and his son to take charge OF
the st. Peter Courier, one of the
first papers to be printed in the
Minnesota valley. Governor German
wanted an organ to promote the re-
moval of the state capitol to st.
Peter from St. Paul and the Perrys
issued the paper until 1858. In that
year Tom moved the plant to Cleve-
land village and started the Leader,
LIE Sueur county's first paper. In
side Of few weeks he had precipi-
i tated the Cleveland Sueur coun-
ty seat fight, known as the LIE
Sueur war;" which resulted in a
victory for Cleveland and which led
i to the organization of 'sthe army of
Cherry creek" This body of 200
armed men marched upon LIE Sueur,
determined to take forcible posses
sion of the county records, which
were theirs by virtue of political
conquest, but strategy averted the
bloody engagement.
Editor Perry published the Lea
der from 1853 to 1860, and then re-
turned to St. Peter to run The
Little Giant" during the Lincoln
Douglas campaign. After the cleo
ton of President Lincoln he estab-
lished the Cleveland Herald, but a
few months later sold his material
to Monroe Edwards, and began the
publication of the LIE Sueur Gazette.
i
"When the Sioux Indians went on
the warpath in 1862 Mr. Perry took
editorial charge of Mort Wilkinson's
ST. Peter Tribune, issuing it while
its owner was serving an enlistment
in the army. In 1866 he regained
possession of the LIE Sueur Gazette
outfit and shipped it to ST. Peter.
Subsequently he published the St.
Peter Advertiser, the ST. Peter
Times and the St. Peter Journal.
Seven years ago Mr.. Perry en-
tered the employ of Gov. Johnson
old paper. the St. Peter Herald, and
with this paper he is still connected.
In spite of his advancing years and
growing feebleness he edits one of
its departments and continues to
write with that quaint humor which
has always characterized the pro-
auctions of his pen."
Sam. Sickle wrote to The GA
zETTE during April 1896 from Santa
Barbara, CAL, the following inter
esting data concerning early Red
wood Falls history:
have been requested to write an
article for The GAZETTE On my
recollections of Redwood Falls for
the first few years of my residence
there.
On Saturday, the Goth day of June
A. d. 1868, a small caravan of wa
CONS, consisting of three prairie
schooners, all drawn by oxen, and
carrying nine persons, reached Red
wood Falls. It was about two
O'Clock p. m. My team was in the
lead. We all drew up near the cor
ners of Second and Washington
streets, nearly in front of Posts
saloon, where the new hardware
store is now located. | rested, with
my hand holding to one of the OK
bows, and as | saw the surround
ings. and mentally considered them
for probably twenty minutes, said
to the queries of the others of our
party I stop here for good.o
We went into camp in the alley
between the now Methodist and
Presbyterian churches. We took a
week in looking over the country.