The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1910-05-04
WAS HERE So
YEARS AGO
Man Who Helped Establish
Sioux Agency in 1852
Tells About 1t.

We are again under obligation to
Will Wallace of Long Beach for put
| ting The Gazette next" to a piece
of interesting as well as valuable
early history of the beginnings of the
establishment of the Sioux Indians
IN this vicinity back in the fifties.
Mr.. Wallace writes that the COM
munication was handed him by a
resident of Long Beach, a Mr.. d.
Stratton, but the manuscript does
not suggest the writing of man
who must have been full grown sixty
years ago, as it's unusually clear and
legible. The Gazette hopes to give
more of the recollections of this ear
Hest of Redwood county historians
in other letters:
Long Beach, Calf, April %, 1910
w. H. Wallace Esq. Dear Sir:
read in recent issue of the Long
Beach Telegram that you were at
one time a banker at Redwood,
Mimi, and it set me "a thinking !"
Early in March, 1852, / landed at
St. Paul from the good steamer
Newton, commanded by Capt. Har-
ris. Three hours later, while at
breakfast at the Central Hotel a
gentleman came into the dining
room asking if there were any young
men from the states present, who
had come in on the steamer, which,
by the way, was the first arrival since
navigation opened that season. NY
comrade, Chas.g B. Summers and I
responding, he introduced himself
as Robert w. Cummings, and solicit
edsus to become members of his par
ty to go into the interior to establish
an agency and farms at which the
Sioux Indians might receive their
annuities from the government, and
learn to cultivate crops to help out
in their sustenance,
Cummings was product of Maine,
stood over six feet in his stockings,
was an albino in appearance, his
hair, beard and eye brows being
white, but not with age, and was as
fine specimen of physical manhood
as | ever saw. He was a whole
souled genial fellow, and urged his
plea so eloquently that after asking
a few questions we consented. He
directed US to go aboard the steamer
Tiger before 2 p. m. at landing in
the upper part of the village, in
forming US that it would stop at
Fort Smelling later in the day to
take on the others of the party.
On reaching Fort Smelling we
found hundreds of soldiers and citi-
zens congregated at the landing to
see the Cummings party off, and we
were pleased to see that he was a
universal favorite with all. The sup
plies had been loaded at st. Paul.
At the fort thirty-four oxen and
Cummings and the other men of his
party came aboard. At the last
moment it was discovered that the
camp cook had not reported and
Cummings loudly proclaimed the
fact from the deck of the Tiger. and
called for avolunteer. Several from
the crowd offered their services and
were so closely questioned that / saw
how important was the position of
cook in a camping enterprise. The
one who answered and promised the
most glibly was engaged and the
steamer was off.
| remember that Capt. Maxwell |
owned and commanded the Tiger
and that the engineer was named
Paul. There was no mate or assist
ant engineer, which did not matter |
much, as both captain and engineer
we're exceedingly efficient and the
steamer tied up at nightfall and
here were no way stations.
Our first landing and tie-up was
It Shakopee where there was one
'ent and small slab house used for
residence and store combined. The
entire stock of merchandise could |
sasily have been packed in one small