The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-11-26

ta's war governor from 1860 to 1864
General Henry Hastings Sibley was
Minnesota's first state governor in
1858, and was the only Democrat tt
hold that high office until 1900 when
John Lind was indicted into office.
Early Methodists
Into this great wide land, land
OF woods, lakes, sky, this far north.
land, came intrepid God-fearing
home seeking Methodists as early al
the first. This land at first, thought
too sterile to sustain any great people
only a nomadic people, too colo
for any life, save for fur bearing an.
-imals, etc. In 1885 the Illinois Con.
ference was the far west and north.
west conference of the church. Bishor
Roberts presided over this conference
and transferred from Pittsburg te
this Conference two young ministers
the Rev. Alfred Brunson and Rev
David King, "and sent them as mis-.
sionaries to the, Indians on the upper
Mississippi
The First Methodist
Organization or Class
On account of long and difficult
journey Revs. Brunson and King did
not arrive at Fort Crawford, (now
Prairie Du Chein) until in fall OF
1886. Here they were compelled to
spend the winter Zachery Taylor
and Jefferson Davis were in charge
Of this Fort and made the stay of
the missionaries most welcome. They
purchased negro slave for an inter
prefer from Col. Day at the Fort for
$12OO.00 and gave him his freedom
and made him one of their first con-
verts. This Negroes name was James
Johnson and had been with Col. Day
at Fort Smelling some years before,
where he had married an Indian to
whom were born several children.
Johnson's wife and children had re-
manned with her people at Fort
Smelling and did not leave when
} Johnson was moved to Fort Crawford
with his owner. James johnson
knowing the missionaries had Fort
Smelling in mind as their destination
was anxious to be of service to them
as an interpreter and thereby be re-
united with his family from whom he
was separated for several years. Rev.
Brunson and Rev. King arriving at
Fort Smelling in early spring of 1887
looked around for a suitable place to
found mission and begin their work.
John Holton and wife and two chill
dren from Pennsylvania, farmer al
SO came along to farm and to teach
the Indians agriculture and was one
OF the first, if not the very first white
farmer of the territory.
Little Grow Villag.
or "Kaposia''
The first mission was established
in the village of Little Crow, and his
band, just ten miles south of St.
Anthony, and on the very spot where
Swift and Company's Packing plant
now stands. Little Crow was not on
IL master of this band and village
but was the chief of the Sioux tribe
or nation. 1t was Little Crow who
led the Sioux in thier uprisings
against the settlers in 1862 when
there were more than 500 massacred
and $500 or more driven from
their settlements. He was finally de-
feated at Wood Lake by Gen. II. H.
Sibley in 1862
For several years until 1914 the
the church confined it's efforts al
together to Indian missions and sew
eral heroic men came; Samuel Spates,
B. T. and w. B. Kavanaugh. They
built dwellings, school houses, mis-
sion houses, farm buildings and
worked for enlightment of the In
dams.
Missionaries to
White Settlements
The pineries of wisconsin" were
attracting adventurous men as early
as 1888. The story Of the "Great
Pines" of Wisconsin Territory (on
the Minnesota side as well as on the
wisconsin,. These courageous and
adventurous settlers came from 1888
to 1910 and lumber camps began to
spring up where now stand Stillwat-
er, Marine, Osecola, st. Croix Falls,
all con the st. Croix river. At the
rock River (Ill.) conference in 1914,
the st. Croix mission was organized