The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-08-31

The Winnebagos had been removed from
Northeastern Iowa. to the head waters
OF the Mississippi The great treaty of
Traverse des Sioux had been signed and
the warlike Dakotas gathered into q
small reservation on the upper Mime
sofa, thus opening to civilization the
richest agricultural empire in the world.
Thousands of white settlers were rush
ing in to possess the promised
land and hamlets and cities were
sprlnglng up in the wilderness
as II by magic The frontier line
ward and westward leaving Forts Dodge
and Smelling. far in the rear, useless as
strategic military points on the Indian
fifties of Fort Ripley and Fort Ridgely,
one on the upper Mississippi in the
southwest corner of Crow Wing, county
to maintain order among the Chippewa
and Winnebagoes and the other on the
upper Minnesota to keep peace among
the Sioux The first move looking to
the establishment of Fort Ridgey was
a communication from Henry H. Sib-
ley, then member of congress from Min
I nesota TERRITORY dated at Washington,
Scott calling his attention in detail to
the changed situation above referred to
and the absolute necessity of establish
ing new military post on the upper
minnesota. A note appended to this
communication attesting it's Importance
Was signed ed, by Henry Henry pc Dodge, A G.
bell and Ben c. Eastman. then mem
bers OF congress from Wisconsin,, Illi
nois and Iowa.
The views Set forth in the letter APP
pealing to General Scott and the secre-
tary of war, instructions were given on
s lS2 By the Mar 0fee to
ing the Sixth Military department with
headquarters at St. Louis. to appoint a
board of competent officers to select a
Blue Earth He designated Colonel
sen Tecumsah Dana of the. Sixth United
Smelling to this duty, These, two Off
them, about the middle Of November,
1852, accompanied by squad of ten or
twelve dragons, PASSED up. the Mime
Traverse des Sioux and by Swan Lake
to the. old trading post of Joseph La
Framboise; at Little Rock. AS an Incl
made u through s f binding ' snow storm @
The site finally selected was on the
high north bluff Of the Minnesota and
(now ForD Creek. The location was
about five miles west of the east bound
airy of the Sioux. reservation. As
strategetic point of defense in Indian
worse as it was surrounded by wooded
ravines on three sides within rifle
.
turned ont. it was on the opposite side
of the river and thirteen miles distant
from the Indian agencv and hence bad
" located for quick and efficient service.
Having performed their task the officers
left five or six dragons in charge of the
site for the winter and returned to Fort
Smelling. Why it was necessary to leave
any one to guard such a solitary, inhos-
pitable spot in the wilderness during
the rigors of the Minnesota winter, is
prepare timbers and other material for
the proposed Fort. The officers made
report of their doings under date of De-
the war department instructed, General
Clarke to. proceed to establish, build
and garrison the new post at once.
uel Woods, of the Sixth United States
Infantry. who had built and commanded
Fort Dodge in Iowa, was ordered to
his whole command. consisting of Com
pany C. to the. new Fort on the Mime
sofa. About the same time Captains
Monroe and Dana with Companies A and
B Of the same regiment stationed at
Fort Smelling, were, also. directed to
proceed to the. new fort and help build
Newton, steamer $50 feet long and
300 ton burden, was chartered to con-
yey the troops and their luggage up the
boats. the Clarion and the Tiger; We're,
Also, hired to carry lumber and other
supplies each of the three boats having
loaded The West Newton in charge of
it's captain. D. S. Harris, left Fort
Smelling on Tuesday, April 26, 1853, and
Friday, April 20, at p. m. The tents
of the soldiers were soon pitched and
occupied by them and by the wives and
married The five or, six DRAGONS, who
had been in charge Of the spot all win
ter. were now relieved. few Indians
the unloading of the SUPPLIES. 'One
fine looking fellow (wrote Editor
owens Of The Minnesotian, who accom-
panied the expedition, "Stood leaning
on his gun in most contemplative mood
a long ii ne. until he noticed we were
laughing. at him, when he shoIldered his
The Clarion and Tiger were slower boats
than the West Newton and hence, though
they had started from Fort Smelling
reach their destination until a day, lat
er. The whistles of these three boats
were the first to startle the echoes of
the prinieval solitudes. above the Judson
prairie. Among the civilians not already
mentioned or the West Newton was B.
F. Randall, who had the permit to es-
fort was abandoed fourteen years later.
On board the Clarion were its captain,
Samuel Humhertson. the Sioux agent,
Nathaniel Mclean. the Sioux interpret
err Philander Prescott, and the two
Sioux farm superintendents: Andrew
RODeCUSOn anu f1dIeIl MOeTS W.
Cummings of st. Anthony, who had the
contract to break six hundred acres of
land at the new agency had landed his
ten Jokes of oxen and wagons at Ira
verse des Sioux and driven overland,
making the point a head of the boats.
Major Woods and part of his command
had left Fort Dodge on April IS. 1858.
and were to meet the West Newton at
the mouth of the Blue Earth and go
with the Fort Smelling troops. but they
lost the trail and becoming entangled in
the labyrinth of rivers, bluffs, and tim
her south of Mankato did not reach the
fort until the Goth Of May. The balance
of the command left Fort Dodge on
Tin, but they also missed their way, and
the steamer Globe found them on June
10 camped on the South Bend plateau:
nearly out of provisions and some of
the soldiers down hv the river catching
fish with bent needles. The boat SUD-
piled the troops with food and directed
them to the fort. On the arrival of Ma
for Wood he assumed command of the
new post which until his arrival had
devolved on CAPTAIN Monroe. The gar
rison now comprised three COMPANIES
"a. B and Cl of the Sixth United States
Infantry The contract for the. cree
about $50. 10000 to Jesse II. Pomroy. a
St Paul builder. who two years before
had finished the construction of Fort
Ripley 1t was stipulated. however, that
lle was to have the assistance of the
soldiers in doing much of the work.
Construction started Immediately on ar
rival Of the troops and continued through
1859 54-55. The new post was christen-
ed .'Fort Ridgely''. on June q, 1858, by