The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1932-08-11
DR.. Charles A. Eastman
By H. M. Hitchcock

| MOLONEL Samuel McPhail was not
" only an active participant in
three wars but also veteran promot-
er of town sites.
Redwood Falls was the third of
four towns that he started on Mime
sofa frontiers. The two first towns
were in Southeastern Minnesota, soon
after he assisted in a survey of the
border line between Iowa and Mime
sofa.
When he moved from Caledonia to
Redwood he left his family at New
Ulm until he could build house for
them.
The logs and lumber were taken
from houses that were abandoned at
the time of the Outbreak" principal
ly from one which had been built by
the government for an Indian farm
er's home, situated east of Grow
Creek, where the tribe of Chief Man.
kato was located. Here was the home
of the famous Redwood-born Indian,
Ohiyesa, DR.. Charles Eastman, dur
ing his earliest boyhood years, of
which he tells in his book "Indian
Boyhood," and which is published and
read in several countries and lang
uages of Europe.
Confirmed Location
DR.. Eastman himself confirmed this
location as the place of his first home,
when he came to Redwood Falls 20
years ago for a lecture engagement
sponsored by the public library board.
The log house that McPhail rebuilt
in Redwood is the only one preserved
from large number that were built
for Indian families in the Reservation
when the land was still owned by
Sioux tribes; relic and memorial of
the Indian period of Minnesota Val
ley history.
When the building from the Indian
farm was removed to the town site
and enlarged to six room house,
the wife and daughter of McPhail
made of it the first home in the first
permanent settlement in the abandon
ed border region of Western Mime
sofa where daily military patrol was
maintained most of the time during
three years. A daily mail service was
supplied, brought every morning at
sunrise by mounted soldiers from
Fort Ridgely. Every traveller and
immigrant to the new town was
escorted by cavalry squad.
Kept Night Vigil
A night sentinel was kept on duty
and portfolios through each corner of
the stockade provided protective rifle
shooting against possible attack.
At one time there was shortage
of food, before crops could be grown.
Colonel McPhail secured a contribu-
ton of government bareback. This
was baked in the form of giant size
cracker, so tough and hard that they
were soaked over night in a pail OF
water to be soft enough to feed to
the children in the morning for break
fast. Youngsters in the stockade at
that time remember them to this day.
During the first winter at the stock
ade there was no village or township
or county or school district organiza-
ton but McPhail employed teacher
for the stockade children and sup
piled the schoolroom in his residence.
In following years, Eta McPhail
attended Bishop Whipple's school at
Faribault, travelling in stage coach by
way of st. Paul.
Useful For 40 Years
After a few years of varied use, in
town the main central portion of the
McPhail stockade house, the part that
came from the Indian village, was re-
moved and rebuilt as one story farm
house, without an upper story, as in
the former locations.
This continued to be useful during
more than 40 years for farm pur-
poses. Joseph Tyson, the superin-
tend of Ramsey State park, who was
familiar with the McPhail house in
stockade years, secured the building
as gift from its owner, Richard