The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-10-07
BENJAMIN D. PAY CELEBRATED
NINETIETH YEAR OF HIS BIRTH
Early Pioneer of Blue
Earth County; An
Honored Citizen

Benjamin Dobel Pay. one OF the
earliest pioneers Of this immediate
vicinity, and for several years deputy
sheriff of this county, when frontier
characters and Indians had to be
dealt with, celebrated his ninety sec.
ond birthday yesterday. He is a
splendid man of the old school. anu
despite his advanced age is blessed
with very retentive memory. He can
relate In detail many incidents of the
earliest history OIL y ankG>, and Blue
Earth county, which is most interest
ing to listen to. Perhaps no man in
this vicinity was so familiar with the
roads and trails OF the pioneer days
as Mr.. Pay, for away back in those
days he was engaged IN the livery bus /.
mess which took him TO all parts OF
the country. 81
Mr.. Ray was born October 2. 1881
at Dover, Kent county, England and
came to this country with his par
ents, the late Mr.. and Mrs. William
and Susanna Pitcher Pay in 1887
first settling at New Hartford, n. 7.
From there the family moved to Syr-
seuss n Il and Sd MI P hay;na father From en-
town, N. Y, where they went into the
cracker manufacture. which was the
trade Of Mr.. Pays father back in Eng
land. The family remained i'm Water
town, N. Y. until the death OF Will
Benjamin D. Pay left home and
started out in the world for himself
during the year 1850. Coming west he
found employment in Watertown,
Wis, as a cracker salesman. travel
ing on the road with a cracker wagon.
He continued in this business up to
1858, when he closed cut his business
= to go to Rochester, Mimi. At this
place he laid out townsite which is
part of the present city OF Rochester
today.
at Juneau, Wis. Soon after his mar
riage he went to Madison, Wis. where
he engaged in the hotel business. The
motel was known as the American
house In 1854 he sold out his inter-
ests in the hotel and went to Hanton
vile, Wis. where he engaged in fa
, ing. but that fall sold the farm and
moved to Horizon. Wis, where he
years later he sold out his business
and on August Is, 1856, with team
and a wagon left Juneau, Wis, for
Blue Earth county, arriving at Man
kato September !, of that year. He re-
NAMED here but one night campins
on the bank of the Blue Earth river,
and>the next day went up on the Wa
tonwan river in the vicinity of Gar
den City where he took up a claim. A
log house and stables were built ar
his life as a farmer was commenced
ON Edge OF Civilization
It was while living on this claim on
the edge of civilization that the In
dams went on the war path at Spirit
Lake, Iowa and carried on their dep
Mimi. During this uprising Mr.. Pa
emoved his family to Mankato for
protection Mr.. Pay speaks OF. the
winter of 1867 as perhaps the hard
est ever experienced by the earliest
settlers Of Southern Minnesota. He
stated that the snow was four feet on
the level and the thermometer for
weeks at a time registered from thlr-
ty to fourty degrees below zero. with
the wind blowing a blizzard all the
time. Food at time was very scanty.
Despite the inclemency of the wealth
er that winter, Mr.. Pay braved the ell
ements, and the still more hazardous
risk of being waylaid by the Indians
4
roads which men of today would new
er have tried to negotiate.
Mr. Pay stated that in those TAR OH
days no one dreamed that Blue Earth
county land would leap in value from
s1.25 per acre to almost $3.50 per acre
In less than half century.
Mr.. Pay remained on his farm In
the vicinity of Garden City up to the
second time to take refuge in Man
kato from the Indians, who that yea
attacked the settlers in the vicinity of
New Ulm and murdered many OF
them. From that time up to the pres
emit Mr.. Pay has lived continuousl:
In Mankato. During his long and use
full time in this city, the old pioneer
has been many times honored Will
offices of trust and responsibility
uty sheriff for a nu-,ber of years. In
pioneer days, this office took all the
qualifications of manhood, and meant
, many long drives over roads that at
/ times were almost irnpaesfable. Mr..
Pay was deputy shariff of this county
, under Sheriff d. III. Tyner. the time
, of the execution of the thirty eight
| Indians at Mankato September rs,
1862. At the time he rendered the
military authorities in charge of the
execution. valuable assistance. Mr.
Pay was also elected alderman of this
city on two or three different oc-
casions, and rendered good services
/, to the city.
| Mr.. Pay recalls the fact that when
the extention of Front street was be-
ing made across Van Byunt slough
the man who had the contract for the
1 ;i'ding IF the road, would not accent
the certificates of indebtedness OF the
city. but required the alderman and
/ mayor to give their personal notes to
! guarantee the work. This wonld in
/ dictate that the financial backing OF
the pioneers at the head of Mankato's
government in those days was con
sidered sounder than that OF the city
The subject of this sketch Is the
Oldest living fireman in Mankato and
was for egiht years chief Of the de-
| partment. He still takes decided
interest in the welfare of THE central
boys.
honors Mr.. Pay as the only living
charter member of that organization.
st. Johns Episcopal church numbers
Mr.. Pay among its earliest vestry-
From three to six o'clock yesterday
afternoon the venerable old man met
many of his friends and exchanged
greetings.
Held Reception Yesterday.
Il s. 49,. h. Irxxa