New Ulm review., 1912-11-06
Can The State Afford to Forget

! lie schools cannot tell where For
: Ridgely is situatedt They get smat
tering of Roman and Grecian history
: and could probably tell you of tn
) battle of Thermopylae, but have nev
er heard of the braver and more de
termined defense of Fort Ridgely
which by its success, turned back tn
savages and saved the state and thou
sands of human lives.
: The D. A. r. have secured the oil
, Sibley Home at Mendoza as beinl
J of historic value, and to perpetuate tn
: memory of General Sibley, who's,
, most important service to the stat,
was to command the troops sent t
the relief Of Fort Ridgely (and the
women prisoners in the hands of the
Sioux at Camp Release) while the
historic value of the Fort itself has
been overlooked.
It is therefore to be- hoped that our
Legislature will provide for the pur.
chase of enough land there to be
used in the near future for the sum.
mer encampment and annual maneu-
vers of the United States troops and
National Guard, as at present con.
Quoted at Lake City, Minnesota, and
Sparta, Wisconsin, Fort Ridgely is
much more centrally located than
Lake City; is easily reached from all
parts of the state, and is besides, the
most healthful and perhaps the most
beautiful location to be found any
where in the west. 1t lies above the
Minnesota river on the south, and
Rock Creek on the North. The fort
is situated on a hi. above the con.
fluence of the river and creek. The
land Immediately adjoining the site
is level and we'll adapted to military
maneuvers, which no doubt the gov
ernment officers who originally Sc
lected the places for the establish.
ment of q military post, took into
consideration. There are both rifle
and artillery ranges on the land ad.
joining that already acquired, which
should be purchased without delay,
and following such purchase, fur.
ther appropriation should be made
by the state for the rebuilding of
the old fort and the permanent i'm
provement of the property both for
its usefulness and it's historic signifi.
canoe.
We cannot believe that there is
any one in the state who would op-
pose the project as herein briefly |
outlined. The land can be purchased |
at a reasonable figure we believe if |
it is done soon. We know nothing |
it's present ownership or
the prices that might be asked, but |
the land can be acquired either by |
purchase or condemnation proceed.
ings But, at any rate, the Fort and
the part it played in making history
should not be forgotten, and We can
think of no better way in which the
of those who defended the
fort can be perpetuated and the sent
iment which the place itself should
inspire in the hearts of generations
to follows, than its re.esta blishment
and maintenance for the purpose al
ready indicated. The state has few
historic places; none so prominent as
this particular spot. Why not pre-
serve it as otner states would do if
they had anything within their bor-
ders so deserving, and so vitality con-
nected with their early history? If
of the kind is not done, it,
will be but short time before it
will be forgotten, and our children's
children will never hear of it, or of
the part it played in preserving the
lives and property of the settlers and
the inhabitants of the towns located
farther down the Minnesota river.
Had the fort and its arms and am
munition fallen into the hands of the
Indians, nothing in the world could
have prevented them from sweeping
the Minnesota valley clear through to
the borders of Wisconsin, and Iowa. |
1t was the defenders OF Fort Ridgely |
that saved the day, and this fact
must not for a single instant be for
gotten. Over one thousand men,
women and children fell victims to
the tomahawk and scalping knife of
the blood-thirsty Sioux during this
awful massacre, and thousands of
others would have been added to the
list had Fort Ridgely fallen.
.~,,~e;o-c k<, 1ifonort norts nf tho |