The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-07-09

u
formed. to travel with team. Man,
OF the settlers who had not laid i'm .
sufficient supply of fire wood befor,
!; the winter set in. and there were many
such, were compelled to haul theiI
Wood on hand sleds on the crust fol
, the remainder OF the winter. some
times for a distance of several miles
The Hard Times.
"The hard times brought on by the
1857 panic continued up and into the
first years Oh the Civil war. During
those years prices for farm products
were very low and unremunerative
and the great distance TO the market
caused the farmers products to bring
him but little return. The conditions
OF the settlers during those years
were indeed deplorable.
From 1861 to 1865 the entire ener-
gies of the republic were devoted to
the prosecution of the war and the
suppression of the rebellion. and dur
ing that time few additions were made
TO our agricultural population.
ION the other hand, thousands OF
our pioneer settlers and their sons
enlisted and went to the front, where
by their courage and conduct they
reflected credit upon our state and
proved that the pioneer farmers OF
Minnesota, in manly and soldierly
qualities were fitted to rank with the
best OF our country's citizens.
"In the last years of the Civil war
there Mas great revivai uT business
The large volume of greenback cur
rency issued by the government and
made a legal tender for the payment
OF debts, combined with other causes.
brought an era OF rising prices and
great business activity. Railroad con-
struction, which had totally ceased
after the panic of 1857. was actively
resumed. and i'm the next few years,
following the close of the Civil war, a
number of the railroads i'm Southern
/ Minnesota, begun or projected before
the panic were built or completed
Thus the Southern Minnesota was
! completed to Winnebago, the Winona
= and st. Peter to the west line OF the
state. and the st. Paul and Sioux City,
now the. Omaha, to connection with
Sioux City. The road from Wells to
Mankato, now part of the Southern
minnesota, on which your town is To-
| Gated. was also constructed during
this period. being completed in 1874.
! The construction OF these railroads
furnishing facilities for the transpor-
tation Of fuel for the settlers and the
products OF the country to the mar
kets, resulted I'm a great influx of
settlers, and contcmporaneously with
their construction most of the land
available for entry i'm southwestern
Minnesota was taken and entered I'M
der the homestead laws. BY the fall
OF 1871 there was very little govern
ment land open to entry east OF the
Dakota line.
Settlers Had But Little Means.
Most Of the settlers who came i'm
during this period had but little means
, and when they had paid for the nee
essary improvements made upon their
claims. constructed humble dwelling
to cover them, and made necessary
preparations for the succeeding win
ter they found themselves practically
without resources.
THE season of 1872 was an exceed
ingly wet one, and the small acreage
OF crops which was planted by the
new settlers in our part of the state
brought small returns. so that i'm the
TALBOT that year many OF the settlers
were but poorly prepared to face the
approaching winter.
That winter will long be remem-
| bered as the most severe, with the
possible exception OF that OF 1856 and
1851. which this country has ever ex-
per'enced. II began on November IL.
with a terrific blizzard which con-
tinued for three days. During that
| time snow fell TO great depth. prob
, ably not less than two feet, but which
was so blown about and drifted by
the wind that in some places there
were drifts Of twenty feet or more.
The newly constructed st. Paul and
Sioux City railroad was hopelessly
blockaded and remained so until the
following spring. From the time when
winter set in on November IL. there
was little let up in the severity of the
weather. One storm followed an
other. and when not storming the
weather was cold and severe, while
the deep snow constantly drifting,
made travelling difficult and frequent
ly dangerous.
That January Storm.
The memorable 7th OF January
storm OF that winter was the worst. |
believe. In the history of the country.
The 7th of January was one of the
Few pleasant days of that awful win
! ter and many settlers took advantage
OF II to visit their trading towns.
About four o'clock in the afternoon
the wind. which had been in the south.
suddenly changed TO the northwest
and almost instantly the weather
turned TO bitter. binding blizzard:
many people caught on the road by
the storm were unable to reach their
homes. numbers persisted from cold
and exposure. and many others es.
capped death almost as by miracle.
] During all that long winter the in
habitants OF our part of the state were
( practically shut out from the world.
! AT times there were intervals of three
weeks or more when no mails were
received and they were then brought
from Mankato by teams. Many of the
people suffered for want OF necessary
food. clothing and fuel The suffer
ings and hardships OF that long and
dreadful winter in Southwestern Min
nesota will never be effaced from the
memory OF those who experienced
them.
Spring came AT, last, though late.
and our people still optimistic. pro-
ceeded with their farming operations
fuli OF confidence and in the hope and