The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1935-07-25

they get together and re-hasl
many of their early experiences
The only difference is that the
pleasure of such meetings is con
fined to those present while a pub
hshed article reaches people IL
remote places whose existence
may even have long been forgot
ten by the narrator.
Here in California you will inc
people from all parts of the coun.
try. Some have met with enough
success to enable them to retire
and have come here to enjoy the
mild climate, some have come
seeking health from a change OF
climate, some are tourists or plea.
sure seekers and some like Ye
Scribe are just wanderers on the
face of the globe. In the course
of my wanderings I have met
many interesting characters with
whom / now frequently come in
contact and such meetings coulC
have no more appropriate name
than love feast. A literal trans
lation might prove such a name
ambiguous but such meetings not
only refresh our memories and sti.
mulate our bodies but tend to re-
new our faith in the enduring
friendship of our fellow man and
in some possible good that ou1
stewardship may have been to soc.
iety even though we have seem
ingly been failure.
One Of the most interesting
characters I have ever met anc
whose friendship I truly appreci-
ate is George Crooks, Sioux In.
dian whose actual experiences date
back more than 80 years and
whose knowledge of the country
through the legends of his tribe
revert to a period prior to the land
ing of the first pale faces on the
rock after which a popular breed
of poultry has since been named
Although advanced in years his
mind is keen and his memory OF
people, places and dates is truly
remarkable. From him l have been
able to get first hand information
of the Indian activities prior tt
and during the New Ulm mass.
acre. During this time his father
John Crooks was a scout for the
Union army and was instrumental
in effecting a settlement between
the whites and the warning tribes
under the leadership of Sitting
Bull.
1t was while sitting with him
and istering to some of these in
teresting accounts that I learned
the real origin of the name "Red.
wood. theory which knocks the
prop from under any explanation
/ have ever before heard but is un.
doubtedly AUTHENTIC. The legenc
runs something as follows: Many
years before the whites had pene.
trated the country tributary to the
Great Lakes and Mississippi river
the territory was claimed by mum.
erous tribes of Indians. Each tribe
was ruled by a chief who main.
tanned reasonable order in thu
ranks of his own people but the
old law of might is Right" pre-.
vailed generally in dealing will
other tribes. Thus it was that The
tribes were constantly on thu
move, the weaker ever obliged Il
give way to the encroachment Of
the stronger nations.
The Sioux, a stalwart breed Of
real fighters, had worked theil
way westward from the Atlanti,
coast along the Great Lakes ant
as their numbers increased the!
spread out over the plains of Min
nesota and Dakota and became .
powerful nation. The acquisit
ion Of new territory was never
brought about by any easy or sin,
pie method but every advance wa.
made at a tremendous cost of live
on both sides.
The hills and valleys along thu
little river near where Redwood
Fallh now stands offered so many
natural advantages as retrea
from other warning nations and al
a protection from the rigors o.
severe winter weather that tn
Siouxs were determined to poss
ess it. This they finally did bu
not without the sacrifice of thu
lives of many of their warriors
early life on the frontier. The
same pleasure is often derived
from meeting Of old timers where
After they had gained complete
victory and had undisputed poss'
ession of the territory they erect.
ed a monument to the memory Of
those who had fallen in battle anG
also as an incentive to coming
generations to guard it against
the aggression of any nation who
might seek to wrest it from them
Monuments built of masonry
or stone tablets with inscriptions
carved on them were unknown to
the Indians so instead they took
a long pole, peeled off the bark
painted it red and erected it on
the table land near where the
cemetery was located. The pole
was in honor of the victory and
the red colorinr symbolic of the