The Bowbells tribune. [volume] (Bowbells, Ward Co., N.D.) 1899-1969, 1910-09-30
DAKOTA HALF A
- CENTURY BACK
Wisconsin Man Who Made First Trip to
Devils Lake in 1861 Tells of Expert
ence of Himself and Party, All of
-. Whom We're Captured by
? Sioux Indians.
re. F. Times. Sent. "a.

[G. F. Times. Sept. "a.
An interesting visitor in Devils axe
this week was Chas. E. Patten of Fond
du Lac. Wis.,, who is probably one of
the few men now living who visited the
Devils Lake region as early as 1861.
, In 1861, just forty-nine years ago
this, month, Mr.. Patten, then an adven
.turesomes. lad of II years, accompanied
his cousin and party of Englishmen
who started from St. Paul on a trip
west to hunt buffalo. There were six
in the party. This was before the New
Ulm massacre and at a time when the
Cut Head Sioux and Chippewas were
fighting each other
Mr.. Patten carried with him little
memorandum book, which is still in
good state of preservation, in which he
noted the incidents of each day.
The last sign of inhabitation OF white !;
men the party left behind at Otter Tail
on the Red River, later known as
Georgetown, where the Sheyenne river
empties into the Red river. |
The party travelled about twenty !
miles day and after several days out !
from Georgetown they came in sight of ,
Devils Heart, which was then known !
among the Indians as Chontea, which in |
the Indian language means observation /
or lookout.
They camped on the west side of ,
Devils Heart on September ID. This
was a notable day on the trip, as the !
party sighted the first heard of buffalo. !
The next day the party went into camp |
where Fort Totten is now located and !
they remained there several days, ;
shooting number Of buffalos.
In those days there was plenty of !
small game and hunting for buffalo, elk, !
deer and antelope was especially good.
The memorandum book which Mr.. !
Patten kept, records the fact that the :
wolves d i d considerable bowling all
night. !
On September24, and when the party :
had travelled west to the west shore of ;
the lake, they We're captured by. a band |,
of 800 Sioux Indians. of which Ink
Paduta was chief. Up to this time
Sitting Bull had not come into promin-
ence as an Indian chief. Everything of !
value wa 8 taken from them, their
horses shot, harness cut and all they
had left was the clothes they had on
their backs. "A rival band of Indians
came up and they obtained possession
of the prisoners. One of the party of
hunters could talk Indian and the rival
tribe proved to be friendly. AS re-
suit they were given an escort for
short distance and started afoot for
Georgetown. They We're nine e days
making the trip. All they had to eat
was horse meat and skunks.
Mr.. Patten says that the lake those
days was a vast sea, the water coming
up to grass roots. AS he remembers
the distance between Wamduska Lake
(now known as Stump Lake, and
Minnewaukan (now known as Devils
Lake, was not very far, showing that
the lakes at ore time were probably
connected.
Ink Paduta, chief of the tribe which
captured the party, was one Of the
thirty-nine Indians hanged by General
Sibley 8 result of the New UIm
massacre.
The head of the party with which
MIR. Patten was travelling was George
w. Northrup, a cousin. He was one Of
the pioneers of the Red river valley and
so far as known, was the first white
man to visit the Devils Lake region.
He wintered on the shores of Devils
Lake in 1858, doing quite business in
furs. During the winter he procured
200 wolf pelts and returned to civiliza-
tion in the spring with $4,000 worth of
1urs.
i In 1857 Mr.. Northrup carried the
mail from St. Paul to Fort Geary.
Several years later he enlisted in the
war to fight the Indians and was killed
in battle with the Sioux.
Mr.. Patten says it is almost unbe-
lievable TO see the changes which can
be made in country in forty-nine
years. The visit he made to Devils
Lake this week is the first he has made
there since 1861, when he had touch
of frontier life he will remember as
long as he lives. II