The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-02-16
That Was in 1896 When Be
midi Was Born; Meeting
Held on Lonely Shore
NEAREST RAILROAD WAS
SIXTY.FIVE MILES AWAY
Hard Work by Civic Leaders
Brought Up Modern Town,
Says "Modern Highway"

ern Highway, published by the Jetfer-
son Highway association at st.
Joseph, Mo-, appears an article relat-
ing to Bemidji, entitled Sapphire
Hunters Found City," it being a
narrative from the time Bemidji
came into being until the present
day, and is one Of the most interest
ing stories ever written of Bemidji's
history. In detail it is as follows:
Chief Bemidji Wise.
Chief Bemidji was wise Indian:
There is none who contradicts that
historic fact. There is nothing to
show, however, that even he either
dreamed of, or desired, a monument
to his name such as has been builded
b ythe pale-face. Before his death a
few years ago he saw the white mans
civilization transform the mighty
woods.
On the shores of Lake Bemidji in
less than a quarter of century has
grown a city Of beauty, bearing the
name of the old Chippewa chief.
Paved streets and brick buildings
have displaced the trails and huts.
Mazda globes and ornamental posts
have succeeded the pine knot, while
the gas heater and black diamond
furnace have supplanted the ever
burning camp fire. Little does one
imagine that the charming, thriving
metropolis on the lake. shore, where
tall pines swayed and painted war
riors mingled, is the blossom of the
Seeding cabin of 1894.
Seven Sit On Shore.
ION an afternoon in the autumn
of 1896 there sat in circle on the
lonely shore of Lake Bemidji seven
practical business men, idly drawing
pictures in the sand with small tWigs
that had been washed ashore by the
miniature pillows. They were Tams
Bixby DIETER known as Doc an
editor and political power in Mime
sofa for many years.; Harris Rich
ardson, Henry Hutchinson, A. C..
Clauson, w. J. Hil]igoss, Louis John
and F.. A. Silver. They had bought
the land near where they sat with
good, hard cash-bought it on the
representations OF man who had
sought them out in their offices in
the city-and now they were not par
ticu1arly happy over the purchase.
"They were sixty-five miles from
the nearest railroad. 1t was a good
two hundred yards to the nearest
thing that bore even resemblance
to a house. Back of them thick
forest, mainly pine, but with scat
tered balsam, oak and birch trees
whispered derisively and seemed to be
laughing as the wind stirred the
leaves. Even the Pickering surface
of the lake seemed TO be smiling as
though there was something amusing
in their presence.
Zone of the group dug up bit OF
blue tinted crystal from the sand and
tossed it to another of the party.
"'Have a sapphire on me-" he
said, and the rest laughed.
"'Thanks,' was the snappy rejoind-
er of the recipient, 4 own share of
ninety acres of mines of that kind
so you can keep yours And
he cast the gift into the lake"
Site Worth Something.
GAS business men sometimes do
these investors in sapphire mines
talked over the mater 1t finally ap-
peared as though all were agreed that
the site was worth something. One
wanted to make it a game preserve.
That was defeated because it is too
far from everywhere The council
finally concurred that the country
was one of great promise and was
worth the effort to make 1t good"
It was the beginning. Half an
hour alter, when the president seated
in state on a pile of lake sand, the
reclining a few feet away
and scratching the minutes of the
meeting in the smooth surface Of the
beach, and other members stretched
at length on the warm shore, town
site and improvement company was
organized, and the first step taken
to develop what has proved and is
proving to be northern empire with
a live commercial center and pros
poets unsurpassed by any other terri
tory of 100000 square miles in the
United States.
Bemidii Is Born.
And so it was that this charming
city was born and the county of Bel