The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-05-07
Old Trail From


From Middletown, New Jersey, to
Fort Smelling, Mimi, seems now by
rail a long trip to make, but in the
early pioneer days when the journey
had to be made In wagons with the
way beset by perils Of air, flood and
hostile Indians it was infinitely more OF
a hazardous journey Of months. In the
early days when the now state Of Min
nesota was q part of the territory of
Wisconsin, Fort Smelling, on the vest
era bluff of the Missi -sippi at the juno
ton of the now Minne.ot rivers was
objective point to all emigrants seek
ing homes In the wilderness of the north
west. The first of these pioneers was
a Scotch guide named McKim, who at
one time lived on the Burlington path
Just above Smithburg.
The journey was made in those
days via Cumberland Gap, Md,
Through the now Alleghanies, to Red
stone Old Fort (now Brownsville,
near the ruins of the fort of VIII Oh is a
.gravestone reading ere lyes the body
Of Thomas Brown, who was the foun-
der of this town. The fort was on a
high bluff overlooking the Mononga-
hela river and was visited by Wash
ington on enc of his surveying trlps);
thence to Fort Dearborn (now Chlca-
go) which was one of the objective
points to many. but some went further
on for seeming better opportunities
captivated by stories of the wonderful
fertile lake lands beyond Fort Shell
ing and pushed on in the wilderness and
latter many perils and narrow escapes
from hostile Indians, If they were
lucky, reached the welcome haven,
Fort Smelling, garrisoned by Us. sold
iers.
Fort Smelling was at first called
Fort st. Anthony, named after the
beautiful falls of the Mississippi below,
where the great flour mills are now To-
Gated, but after the purchase of the res
crvation from the Dahkotahs (called
Sioux, which is not an Indian name,
only a nick-name,) after the building
by soldiers of the Fort from the stone
in the vicinity and the barracks. &c,
from the trees in mud creek fiat near,
came a tour of Gen. Scott to the fort
in 1924, who recommended it be called
Fort Smelling, after Col. Josiah Smell
ing, commandant of the 5th Inf,
who had it built. After the I'd war
with Great Britain, in which he served
h uout. he was stationed at that
place. Upon the recommendation of
Gen. Scott the long row of wooden
barracks were replaced by Col. Smell
inp's regiment and at one g nd was
built the present round tower with
op-holes and battlement and at the
lother end of the curve a large trading
post building. Col. Smelling died while
on q visit to Washington, ID. c., in
1897. of Inflammation of the brain, and
is buried there. His son, William JOS
eph, a graduate of West Point, who
fought a duel with another officer,
whose father was a professor at Prince
ton College, in the reservation dual
ing ground, was wounded slightly. He
died at Chelsea, Mass, Dec. 16, 1848.
In. front Of Fort Smelling was enacted
sev eral times the Indian custom of
disposing of murderers when turned
over to the tribes. The condemned
would march in with large wooden
pegs driven through the flesh to show
his fearlessness OF pain, and surround
ed by relatives chanting their death
dirge. His executioners would tell
him to run and if he reached a GER
tain point he would be free. As so
many guns were fired he generally
fell before going far. As soon as he
fell he was scalped and each Indian
seemed to take grim satisfaction in
plunging his knife through the body.
About $50 soldiers we're constantly
at this Fort and although several
Indian battles were fought with great
savagry in front of it by opposing
tribes that they could not Dahkotah
l1ndian for unite with or falI, it
was never attacked but often threatened
1t was a mecca and crowded with
settlers during the Indian massacre in
1864, yet the stout walls and formida-
BILE cannon seemed too much for their
indian mode of warfare.
The burial ground was also a place
of note. As the first white marriage in
Minnesota was performed in the Fort
SO the first white child born in the
present state, q daug liter of Col. SMELL
ing who lived IS months, WA buried
there and until late years the inscrip-
ton was plainly legible. Here was al
SO the grave of Jeff Davis first wife
who died when her husband was sta
toned there. Graves of soldiers, emf
grants, &C., (white) to the number Of
about $50 were also inferred there. The
colored. some slaves, were buried jusi
outside of the reservation. During the
time when now Major Peter Vreden,
burgh Of, Freehold, was officer Of
the day there, the white persons
remains were removed to another par
of the reservation.
Among those later at the fort were
Gen. George B. Mcclellan, of Civil
War fame and later Governor Of New
Jersey, Gen. Custer and almost ev
cry General educated at West Poin'
who was in the Mexican and Civil
wars.
RELIGIOUS services were held at th'
Fort, regiments being without Chap
lains in early days, by Presbyterian ane
/. Methodist missionaries to the Indians
) who also conducted a school for Indi
ans, and the place where an Indiar
E girl was brutally attacked, scalped anS
: killed by Indians, because she attend
ed, is still pointed out in front of thu
Fort. The little girls screams wer
, heard IN the Fort and the missionary
came running in to give the alarm bur
the deed was done before anyone could
interfere.
Among the residents of Middletowr