The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-08-18
NINETY.Two YEAR OLD KID
c. w. Smith Old In Age; But Very
. Young In Action

Sleepy Eye, August 12.-When c.
w. Smith known as the kid" at the
Soldiers Home at st. Paul, where
he Is now making his home, step
ped off the train at Sleepy Eye, to-
day, the. ordinary observer would
naturally class him as a man in the
fifties, so lightly does he carry his
ninety two years.
But this man, who has slipped of
youth, has passed drought exper-
fences almost beyond the belief OF
the youth of today. 1t was in 1856
that Mr.. Smith and his wife and two
children moved to Brown county
settling at Iberia, south Of what is
now Sleepy Eye. The country was
but bleak prairie, vita but a few
scattered sod shanties to break the
monotony of the ever rolling wild
land. This virgin soil was rich,
however, and the toilers. surmount.
ing all handicaps and obstacles
planted small crops of grains and
with the abundant game managed
to take care of the inner man."
Mr.. Smith recalls wildly of the
early events that TRANSFERRED in
Brown county, which have played
an important part in the history of
this section of the state. When he
first came to Brown county Sleepy
Eye Lake was a favorite spot for
the Indians. Chief Ish TAX Ha Ba
! (Sleepy Eye) made visits each
year to the lake with his band of
followers and camped on the banks
of the lake. 1t is said by those that
know that the Indian village con
tanned upwards of two trousand
people. 1t was on one of his visits
to the lake that the Indian Chief be-
came sick and died His remains
were taken to near Big Stone, from
which place they were removed to
tle present burial place under the
monument at the Northwestern de-
pot After his death the lake was
named Sleepy Eye by the Indians,
according to Mr.. Smith.
When the Indians started out on
the war path in 1851, Mr.. Smith
hurried his family to New Ulm, and
was one of the defenders of that
place in the siege that followed. He
can vividly recall the horrors of
those trying DAYS, when so MANY of
the sturdy, hardy pioneers fell vic
tins to the tomahawk
Mr.. Smith assisting in stalking of
Tom Allison's wheat field on which
was started the city Of Sleerv Eve
md it was with .sDirit Of just pride
that he watched the growth
of the citv from the erection Of the
first building up through the years.
it was a proud moment when the rail
road was built through here and the
celebration, of the -neorlo whe" ~
first train pulled in will never be
forgotten bv Mr.. Smith.
The experieuces of the early DAYS
did not only ircluda frhting Ind
fans and the hardships Of hustling
living for his family and himself
he was here during "g-asshoppe-
times" when the nests cleaned ont
everything He has passed throueh
money rsnics a-Iert~. Int with ALI
the hard times and obstacles he has
seen the crountrv grow and prosper
until today 1t is the favored on
earth.
Mr.. Smith will attend the Sixtieth
anniversary celebration at New
Tim next weeF wfe-a he expects -
meet r'anv nf his old time friends
and comrades. He also plans to re-
main here until the celebration Of
S'eenv Fve's fftieth anniversary
which will he ceIah-ated in a prop
er manne- in Sentenher.
Mt Smith also has the distinction
nf being the oldest member of TIE
S]aeov Eve Masonic Lodge having
belonged forty nine wears