The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1922-12-27
Another Johnson
Meets a Buffalo
EARLIEST PIONEERSMAN OF
REDWOOD COUNTY HAS MEM
DRY OF STIRRING TIMES. d,
(By H. M. Hitchcock

with real buffalos in Buffalo Coun-
try as preserved still in Dakota.
This recalls another thrilling buffalo
adventure which happened to another
Johnson, not so far away when mea-
sured in miles, but ffty-fve years
distant in time.
This earlier adventure also occurred
on journey to Dakota but was be-
fore the days of railroad travel and
automobiles. .s
Ok teams were then the motive
power of transportation and an OK
team handled by novice is as ornery
and cantankerous as an automobile
with an ignorant driver.
Young johnson however, although
only sixteen years old at the time Of
this trip now being reported, was an
expert OK teamster and drove two OK
teams, each team hitched to wagon
fully loaded with supplies for west
ern military post on the far edge of
Dakota
The Minnesota Valley was then the
main thoroughfare of travel and
freighting between the east and the
west.
Shipments were made by steamboat
from St. Paul to near the mouth of
the Redwood River, then transferred
to wagon trains or schooner caravans
a mile long.
The job of transporting government
supplies to western forts was let to
Joe Brown who was the Jim Hill of
that pioneer period Brown had built
a steam wagon to be used on wagon
j. IL h. o,,t
in automobile manufacture. Johnson
saw this vehicle which had been self
propelled this far west but this is not
part of the present story.
Joe Browns residence and business
. headquarters had been few miles up
the valley from the steamboat landing
where he had built large three story
. stone building, known as Browns
Castle Before the Indian Outbreak
this was for several years the most
popular resort in Western Minnesota
for both Indians and white people.
Parts of the walls of this building
are still standing on the upper side
of the old Valley Trail still in use, on
the farm of Mr.. Enestvedt on the
Renville County side of the river.
The most dangerous portion of this
western wagon trail was through the
/Cotoe Hills along the border between
Minnesota and Dakota for this region
was occupied by wild buffalos and wild
Indians.
Neither the animals or the men
alone were apt to molest train at
that time but the Indians were hostile
and were skillful in starting and
directing a buffalo herd stampede and
a buffalo stampede is as resistless and
as unintelligent as hurricane.
With noses to the ground and tails
in air rapidly moving mass of heavy
buffalos could demolish and quickly
trample slowly moving wagon train
and make it easy plunder for the In
dians.
This proved to be the program
planned by the Indians for this trip
when Brown had employed young
johnson as one of his teamsters
The stampede of big buffalo herd
was we'll timed and came into view in
the distance
This was unexpected to the teamst-
ers but they realized the peril, formed
the trail into a corral as soon as posi-
BILE, lay on the ground under such
cover as they could provide, not ex-
pecting to avoid or survive the tram
pling of the frenzied beasts.
Joe Brown had lived among the
Indians much of his life, had been one
of their best friends and knew their
traits but he also knew of the hostile
temper of the Sioux who had been
driven from their possessions in Min
nesota only few seasons before this
To provide for emergencies he en-
ployed sixty half-breed Indian scouts
mounted on horseback and armed with
rifles to accompany the transportation
train. These scouts were also expert
enced buffalo hunters, fearless, re-
their employer.
In this dangerous situation they
took position directly in front of the
corral, advanced to meet the centre OF
the stampeding herd, shooting ano
killing as many as possible.
This did not check the rapid rush OF
the main body of five hundred buffalos
but it split the herd and swerved tht
direction of each division sufficiently
to pass on each side of the assembled
train and saved it to renew its journey
During this time of suspense ano
danger, lying in wait for whatever
might happen, young Johnson hearc
the roar of the intense commotion ano
felt the earth trembling as the hero
passed by and was sure there were
5000 instead of 500 mad animals thai
threatened the destruction of the hives
and property so important in main
tanning the advance of that western
frontier.
The young Johnson of this adven
ture is no longer boy but is one o.
fhe two Johnsons in Redwood Falls
whose memories of Buffalos will nevel
, desert them; the hunter and sportmaI
who is host at the Ramsey Hotel anc
the other, the earliest living pioneers
man of Redwood County, now the OF
fetal host for Ramsey State Park
whom we call Marion.