Little Falls herald., 1913-11-21
AVER IS INTERVENE /: We
GIVES REPoRTER OF DULUTH
NEWs-TRIBUNE "A LITTLE
.# II EARLY HISTORY #$

| J. afi
Duluth News Tribune, Nov. 17.:---.
L. w. Aver, first white born in Min
nesota, who likes the beautiful Ian
guage of the Chippewa Indians better.
than the inconslstent, indefinite ELg-
lish tongue and who wonders what
can be the matter with the old time
compass men who used to be SO num-
ercus around Duluth, was in the city
yesterday. I, ETA s
That the old compass men with whom
he tramped through the northern Min
nesota woods 40, So, IS years ago, even
may be getting little aged did not
occur to him, apparently. He sat in:
the Hotel Mckay and complained that
he would be obliged to go on to Be-
midli to get such a man. He is on
his way to Itasca county to make an
appraisal Of some cut-over lani for
the Crookston Lumber company.
He is vigorous and his blue eyes
tW1nkled above bright, healthy cheeks,
from which a part Of his long white
beard hangs, as he said: eyes, am
said to be the first white man born
ill., Minnesota. No one has ever seen
fit to dispute the statement. Person
ally, I don t know-I was very young
at the time and it did not occur to
me to gather proofs.''
The first white man born in Min
nesota-and he thinks nothing of 60.
ing for a long tramp into the woods
to appraise a big track Of land. Come
to Ln4uk OF II, why should he look
upon this trip as an unusual undertake
1ngs There doesn't seem to he any
very good reason, since it is just what
ho has been doing for many, many
years, dating back to the time when
Sioux and Chippewas were chasing one
a,other over the biggest and best Of all
the hunting grounds-that strip which
lies between and embraces Crow Wing
and Hennepin counties.
"That strip was the natural hunting
grounds Of the two tribes" said Mr..
Aver. ''lt was delight to all the
mighty hunters, for they knew that
when they ventured into this wood
they must be watching for the enemy
as well as for game. ...-
| "The Sioux and Chippewas were
deadly enemies at that t1me-back in
the '30s and '40s. Neither tribe
claimed the hunting grounds. The
Sioux were on the western side and
the Chippewas were to the east. Both
were friendly, or at least Indifferent,
to the whites, but they would kill
ole another on sight,
Mr.. Aver remembers the battle
among the two tribes which broke
up the mission at winch his father
ana mother were teachers. His father
by the way, was Frederick Aver, who
left his home in New York to teach
at the large school or traders chill
dren at Mackinaw, Mich, in 1890 OF
1881.
Miss Elizabeth Taylor, a young
woman who had been an assistant
teacher is Miss Lyons seminary fol
girls at Mt. Holyoke, Mass, also went
| to Mackinaw about the same time.
Later she became Mrs. Aver, mother
OF the first white child born in Min
nesota.
~ have letter written in 1925 to
my mother regarding her taking a
place as missionary teacher: at Mack
lnaw,'' said Mr.. Aver.
It was in 1882 that the Pokegama
mission, near the present site Of Pine
City. was established.
"The date of my birth is supposed
to be June TO-, 1884," said Mr.. Aver.
"Under the primitive conditions which
prevailed at the mission, it is posi-
BILE that some mistake was made as
to the exact date. Mother told me
that at the time no other woman was
within 100 miles,
Mr.. Aver said that up until he was
IL or IA years old, it always smoar-
assed him to be called upon to speak
in English.
"The only persons with whom |
talked English were my mother and
father, and I learned to speak the
Chippewa language urst. 1 do not
know much about languages, but L
believe the Chippewa Is a much more
beautiful language and is much more
consistent than the English
Mr. Aver now lives at Little
Falls, but until this year his home had
bevl at Belle Prairie, minnesota ever
since 1849. He has been engaged in
tho lumber business since his boyhoot,
ard in the early days passed much
t;me l., and around Duluth. 60.