Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-06-10

soWOO
JOHNSON'S REMlNISCENCE
Continued from first page.
pleased the prospectors. John
johnson selected a claim in section
36 Of Kandiyohi and built his cabin
in the woods north of the isthmus
between Minnetaga and Kasota
lakes. While these prospectors
were camping at the townsite, in
the month Of August, a company of
men came to the place. With a
number of OK teams they hauled in
a steam saw mill. They were pre-
pairing to saw timber for the frame
work of a saw mill. when the ma
chine broke down. The men went
away, never to come back, and, as
far as the settlers knew, the town
site of Kandiyohi was abandoned
by its promoters.
After about months stay the
prospectors returned to Chisago
Lake. They had used Sven Young
ren's team on their trip. Young
rem never returned to Kandiyohi.
Gustaf johnson went to the pineries
during the winter. John johnson,
wife and child. David Johnson and
Peter Peterson, a brother in-law Of
John Johnson, were the only per-
sons living at Kandiyohi during the
winter of l857-1858.
In the spring of 1858 Gustaf John
son married Miss Johanna H3kan-
son in Chisago county and made
preparations to 60 out and locate
on his claim. They came out with
an OK team. johnson built his
shanty on the spot where the M. E.
church now stands, where the fam
lily lived four years.
Among other arrivals in this To-
cality in 1858 were Johannes Ander-
son, James Anderson, Noah w.
White and John Hawkinson. It
was he who jokingly designated the
three claims south of the lakes as
the Barbary States. 'Tripolis,'' as
Gustaf Johnson's place was called.
proved the most permanent of the
locations, and the locality is known
by that name to this day.
In the year 1859 E. P. Wicklund
and Charles Peterson with their re-
spective families arrived in the SET
Element. Peterson took claim in
section 4, Fahlun, and some rail-
road land in section 80, Kandiyohi.
The Indians, bucks and squaws,
were frequent visitors at the john
son home. They never offered to
do the least harm to the settlers.
On the Saturday before the out
break eight mounted Indians in
blankets, with feathers in their
hair and armed with guns, passed
johnson where he was cutting hay
and rode towards Acton. Although
some of them were acquainted with
johnson, none deigned to speak to
him on this occasion, but looked
back with grins of amusement.
Tuesday morning the Lake Eliza
beth settlers had made up their
minds to seek safey in fight. Mr..
Eklund came over with a team and
wagon to Gustaf Johnson's place
and advised him to flee. johnson
replied that he thought there was
not the least danger from the Indi-
ans; that Jones of Acton was known
to keep whiskey on hand to sell the
Indians and the probability was
that he had sold them either too
little or too much. Eklund insisted
that Mrs. johnson with her babe,
one month old, and a girl about two
years old should accompany him to
Lake Elizabeth, which they did,
but without taking any clothing ex-
cept what they wore. At Peter
sons house Mr.. Eklund met the
same answer. Peterson did not
want to go, but Mrs. Peterson and
her two little boys were taken
along. Later in the day, however,
Gustaf johnson met MIR. Eastman
and another man coming up the
Yellow Medicine Agency trail with
two OK teams, urging the exhausted
animals to make their best speed.
They hurriedly told johnson that
as he valued his life to flee; that
they had seen the killing going on
ut the Agency and had dumped
their load of flour on the prairie
and were hurrying back to King
ston. With this alarming news
Mr.. johnson went to Mr.. Peterson,
and they soon agreed that nothing
remained but to leave the country.
They gathered up a few necessities,
rounded up their cattle and were
about ready to start in the dusk of
the evening when they heard the
sound of horses hoofs. Hastily
unlocking the yoked oxen from the
wagon they ran in different direc-
tions to hide. A party Of horse
men rode up. They saw the pre-
parations that had been made for
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