The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1939-08-17
CITY TODAY HAS FAC.
ILITIES NEEDED
FOR GROWTH

FOR GROWTH
Transportation has perhaps
undergone the greatest change
of any single industry since
Redwood Falls origin. From
the oxcart it has progressed up
through the wagon to the mod
ern motor car and bus and ter,
ritory once dependent on steam
boats for heavy freight now is
served by railroads and trucks.
Pioneer trails have been replac-
ed with direct hard-surfaced
highways.
Mrs. Phebe Fuller, writing
on the subject for the Quality
club, has the following to say;
using the county history as
source material:
For generations unknown the
only craft the river bore was the
canoe of the Indian. Then came
the French traders, with their
retinue of voyageurs, who made
our river an avenue of commerce
in Indian goods and costly
furs. For over a hundred years
fleets of canoes and mackinaw
boats Iadened with Indian mer-
chandise piled along the river S
length.
The first white men to have
navigated the Minnesota were
LIE Sueur and his party of min
ers with two row boats, Septem-
Der 20, 100 they reached the
mouth of the Blue Earth. This
is the first recorded instance of
freight transportation on the
Minnesota river.
Brought Indians Supplies
The first steamboat to enter
the Minnesota was the Virginia,
May 10, 1923. She only came as
far as Mendoza and Fort Smell
ing, then the only points of i'm
portance in the territory.
In 1855 Captain Bell had COM
mand of the steamer Globe,
making trips on the Minnesota
river and in the early fall of
that year he carried supplies to
the Sioux at Redwood Agency.
The Indians would come down
the river several miles to meet
the boat. He said, "they were
like a lot of children and when
the steamboat approached they
would shout, 'Nitonka Pata-wata
washta,' meaning Your big fire.
canoe is good They would
then cut across the bend, yelling
until we reached the landing"
The Redwood Falls Mail of
October 8, 1869 reports under
"River News" the arrival of The
Tiger, on the first of weekly
trips during the season. The
cargo was large, principally
merchandise. Lumber and agri-
cultural instruments also made
up early cargoes.
The vicinity of North Red
wood was the homestead of j.
S. G.. Homer and in 1876 an at
tempt was made to start viii
lage there, calling it Riverside.
Streets were Laid out, a ware
house erected, a store, hotel,
blacksmith shop and other
buildings put up. A post office
was established. But diminish
ing water of the Minnesota
caused a cessation of river traf-
fic and the village was soon
abandoned. Some of the build
ings were moved to Redwood
Falls.
Early histories also tell of
supply trains consisting of as
many as 20 wagons, drawn by
oxen and driven in some
cases by Indians, dressed in
citizens and military clothes,
they abstain wholly from use of
whiskey and are a great i'm
provement over the wild breech-
clout Indians according to
The Mail. They went west as
far as Sisseton and Wahpeton,
hauling provisions. One train is
mentioned as carrying 200 barrels
of -four from Worden and Rut-
er's mill.
Redwood Falls people heard
s'railroad talk" for a long time
before it came. cit happened
July 4, 1878 when the first train
of cars Numbered into Red
wood Falls, according to O. B.
Turrell, an eyewitness.
The Minnesota Valley divi-
sion of the Winona and st. Pet
er, now the Redwood Falls
Sleepy Eye branch of the Chi
cago and North Western, brought
1,,v,nIor FL Redwood Falls by'