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

1
quarters.
"All these buildings with wide ver-
andas, fronted on the parade grounds
covered with velvet sward, with drives
and walks of graceful curve, the flag
ever floating from staff in the center
All these buildings, were built with
grooved corner posts. hewed log lemons
| to fit the grooves formed the sides.
| feet west of the sally port Further
west was the Suffers store, and still
further, beyond the depression at the
head Of the ravine, We're his ware
edge of the wooded bluff. Directly
south of the fort and near. the blum
were the long cavalry and flying artil-
lery stables On the edge OF the ras
root houses, and intermediate between
these and the stables was the granary.
Outside of all the quarters were the
es anaoga MS high Board FENCES
A bake house of hewed logs stood on
the east line of the square near the
| barracks. The, ST, Peter road led up
side of the fort, with level stretch Of
prairie to the north. Near and paraHel
with this ravine and road was row
of six buildings OF, hewed logs. 'front.'
ing on the rear Of the barracksman ave. ave.
building of this row was occupied by
Ordnance Sergeant, John Jones and
family, one, as the post hospital and the
others as laundreSS quarters.
The powder magazine stood a few rods
west and a little north of the commits
sary building and comprised two low log
but water had to be brought from a
spring at the foot of the bluff south OF
the fort. After the Indian outbreak 1t
was brought from spring or creek north
of nSe6 constructing
the barracks and commissary came from
"a granite quarry located on the south
Minnesota bottom about mile above
the fort. Bricks were burnt in lilns on
the strip of bottom land south OF where
the ST. Peter road crosses Fort Creek;
while saw mill, located on the Mime,
ravine west of the Suffers house, fur
bhed most of the lumber used. The re-
pert of the government appraisers in
1874 states that all the officers quarters
were frame buildings, but Thomas Smith
of North Mankato, who lived at the fort
from 1859 to 1861 and for some years aft
down, says. they were all of logs, hewn
on the four sides and sided with boards
outside and lath and plastered inside"
and he is fully. corroborated by others
er states that all the buildings had their
sides fronting on the parade ground or
center court, and those used for quar-
tiers had verandas in front eight feet
wide running their whole length. All
of the officers quarters We're about
twelve feet high at the caves giving them
a down stairs and upstairs. The west
side of the square was occupied by the
story stone commiSsary and by one
officers building about ninety-seven feet
long by thirty eight feet wide, with an
the two buildings used to park the can
non. This west officers quarters was
partitioned off into three separate suites
of rooms, each with a front door from
the porch. In 1S59-61 the southerly part
was occupied by one of the officers, the
northerIy part by the chaplain and the
court stood duplicate of it all used
for officers quarters, and next to this
on the north o anohfr duPeatb except
long and contained but two separate
suites of rooms Next to this again to
the north was smaller one-story log
building used by the adjutant. Between
this last building and the bake house,
which stood on the northeast corner OF
the square was an, open driveway. On
square stood the commanding officers.
quarters of the same construction and
general, style as the others, but having
two Railways in the center, reaching clear
through the building. During one of
Little Crows attacks the Indians occu-
pied the stables south of the fort To
a cannon in front of one of. these halls
and opening the doors at each end threw
a number Of shells into the stables ana
set them on fire to the total discount;
or fortification whatever about the fort
A postoffce was established at the fort
in the spring of 1883. with Sutler B, H. 1
Randall as postmaster, who continued in
office until after the abandonment OF
the post Rev. Joshua Sweet, also, con-
tinued as the post chaplain as long as
it was occupied by the United States
troops. -..
Under date of July II. 1853 Major
Woods was instructed to survey and
mark out the boundary lines of a mill
for the purposes of timber, fuel hay and
other requisites On February 10, 1854.
the major reported that the survey had
been made by Lieut.: John c. ,Kelton un-
der his direction. The boundary of the
fort reservation thus surveyed and fixed
by the government was as follows:
on the north bank Of the Minnesota river.
where the granite enters the water run !.
ming thence north 20 degrees east one
forming the outlet of Rush Lake, marked
Little Rock river, thence up said stream
to cluster OF underground, well de-
the Minnesota river north 54 degrees and
80 minutes west five miles and seventy
four chains, thence south 20 degrees west
two. miles and twenty-five chains until
it interSectS a small stream entering
the Minnesota, thence down along said
stream until it reaches, the valley of the
Minnesota, thence south "a degrees west
one mile and ten chains to a point on
the opposite bluff. thence south 20 de-
gTees west two miles, thence south 54 de-
greeS and 80 minutes east, seven miles and
fifty -four chains, thence north 20 degrees
east three miles and fourteen chains to5
point of beginning. 1t comprised tract
of land about seven miles long by six
miles wide, bi-sected by the river. and
having the fort near it's center, contain
ing 45.15 square miles.
Or; A. w Daniels tells of an incident
which occurred at the fort early in June
1854, when Little Crow was bringing the
last division of his band from Kaposia to
Fort Ridgely Oh his way to the new
agency. 1t seems eighty Ojibway war
riors had in some way heard before hand
of this migration of the Sioux and laid
| in ambush for them in sight of the fort
in clump of brush beside the road
just east of Fort Creek. In the vivid
language of DR.. Daniels describing the
incident: This division of Indians con
sisted of old men, women and children,
mostly. Little Grow and a few of hir
braves marched ahead and the rest of
the band struggled along the road by.
families, carrying their household goods
and belongings. There were a few carts
and wagons loaded with baggage, on
which the women rode by turns The;
ponies with their loads of baggage and
children placed on the primitive Indian.
conveyance, formed by two trailing lodge
poles fastened to their sides, We're plod-
ding sleepily along. Here and there in,
| the train we're women bending YEARLY
| forward under a burden held on their
backs by straps passing across the fore
hoo md nxyn md Oh, \