The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-05-11

Ebsszzvzzsaurusa Although Anna MathiIda Mcneil
Whistler needs nothing more than
this painting to guarantee her Immortality, yet
the choice of her portrait for reproduction on a
special commemorative stamp issue this year
(the first time incidentally that such notice has
been taken of Mothers day. is an additional
honor conferred upon her. In all of our history
only three other women have had that distinc-
ton. They were Pocahontas, the Indian prin-
cess; Isabella, the Spanish queen; and Martha
Washington, wife of our first President But
Anna Matilda Mcneil Whistler is not the only
one who is hOnored in this years Mothers day
stamp. 1t was issued also to commemorate the
one hundredth anniversary of the event which
took place in Lowell, Mass, on July 10, 1884
the birth of the who was to achieve such
worldwide fame himself and to bring similar
worldwide fame to her by his portrait of her.
1t Is doubtful If any other painting ever put
on canvas is so well known to so many people
Reproductions of it, running up into the millions
in numbers, have been printed and these prints
have gone to every corner of the earth During
the last year and a half, while it was in this
country under loan agreement from the French
government, Ii was exhibited in IL leading cities
throughout the United States and 1t is estimated
that during its triumphal tour more than 2,000-
600 persons viewed il. Several hundred thou
sands more will have been added to that number
before 1t Is sent back to Paris late this month
(for the agreement with the French government
calls for its return by June ~ to resume it's
honored place in the Louvre.
For five months Of the time that the painting
was on tour Of the country it was exhibited
at the Chicago Art institute in connection with
Century of Progress. But among the thou
sands who saw it there and who also saw the
replica of Fort Dearborn on the exposition
grounds it is doubtful If one in a thousand
realized that there was a historical, If not a
cultural, link between the worldfamous paint
ing, the highest disqualification of mans skill
in the line of fine arts, and the crude architec-
ture Of a building which had only the very uti-
tartan purpose of preserving the lives of its in
habitants from savage hatred. That link is the
theme of this story.
The story has its beginning in Ireland more
than IT'S years ago. In the year 1853 there was
born to an English family named Whistler, liv-
ing there, a to whom was given the name
of John. Long before he had reached his majori-
ty young John Whistler ran away from home
and Joined the British army. In 1777 he came to
America as a soldier in the expedition with
which Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne intended
to deal crushing blow to the American colo
MES. But the rapier thrusts of Daniel Morgan
and Benedict Arnold warded off that blow at
Saratoga, and the end of the year saw John
Whistler a prisoner of war along with the rest
of Gentleman Johnny's" army Mark that fact
Before the end Of the Revolution Whistler. as
a paroled exchanged prisoner was back in
England where he soon afterwards dis
charged from the army. Then he fell in love
with the daughter of one of his fathers friends,
eloped with her, came to America a second time
and settled at Hagerstown, Md In 1871 this SOL
der who had worn the scarlet uniform of Old
England put on the nondescript uniform of q
lieutenant adjutant in the levies which made up
a Of he Eror
that time on he served continuously on the
Northwestern frontier under St Clair Wayne
and others who were trying to break the power
of the savage tribes that resisting the west
ward push of the American frontiersmen.
In 1897 it was Captain" John Whistler and
in 1903 he was stationed at Detroit. The Louisi-
ana Purchase had flung our frontier from the
Mississippi back to the Rocky mountains, but If
we hoped to make good our possession of this
vast empire there must be garrisons in the heart
of the Indian country. One of the strategic
places for such a garrison was at the foot Of
Lake Michigan at place variously called Chi
cagou, Chikago Chekakou and half-dozen SINH
lar spelings. So, early in 1903, the Inspector
general of the army stationed at Cumberland,
Md. gave orders for the building of post there
and named Capt. John Whistler as commandant
Accordingly the fort was built In the summer
of 1903, given the name of Fort Dearborn, in
honor of Gen. Henry Dearborn. then secretary
of war, and thus Capt. John Whistler became
the real father of Chicago" The original draft
for the plans of the fort drawn by Captain
Whistler, is still in the archives of the War de-
partment at Washington-a good soldierly job,
it is but revealing none of the artistic qualities
which were later to make the name of Whistler
so famous.
For the next nine years John Whistler,
builder of the fort and its commandant, DOM
irated the little community in this lonely out
post of civilization which was to become the